The first time he marched to Scarlet Lightning City, slaughtered what’s left of the defenders and robbed them of their treasury. It happened so suddenly, the memories of the place filled with smoke.
So much was lost during that first battle, just because he thought it was a good opportunity to claim the Scarlet Thunder Sect’s methods, cultivation knowledge and their treasury. It benefited them, of course. The Verdant Snow’s fame grew because of the incident, and many smaller sects quickly switched allegiances to be their allies.
During that time, there was some talk by the people that Tundra Fox was a ruthless scavenger, preying on a weakened sect. He didn’t care. He didn’t know why he suddenly remembered the difficult battle. Even when Duke Hadrian was injured, and a few of their elders dead, the Scarlet Thunder fought valiantly.
He didn’t need any of that now.
He knew almost all their methods by heart, and his own knowledge surpassed them. Memories of his raid on the Duke’s private treasury for all his secret manuals and scripture still remained.
The regressor robbed them once. There was no need for a second time. He wasn’t sure when the Zuja would act, but the Sect Master of the Scarlet Thunder decided to move first.
***
The Scarlet Thunder Sect Master Duke Hadrian summoned the five elders of the Scarlet Thunder, and marched to the Thunderstruck Tower about three days after the meeting.
The Zuja-possessed Core Disciple moved in response.
“Sect Master, what is the meaning of this?”
“You should know what you’ve done to our ancient structure.” Duke Hadrian’s blood-lightning blade came down furiously, only to be blocked by an unusual purple aura. The Core Disciple laughed wickedly.
“Sect Master, I may be your disciple, but my life is not yours to take.” The disciple’s arm looked as if it was protected by a purple carapace.
“Don’t talk as if you are still my disciple. The moment you’ve conspired against the Scarlet Thunder, you are no longer one of us.” The Duke countered, his lightning blade pierced through the purple carapace, much to the Core Disciple’s surprise. The blade cut deep and slashed through the Zuja Possessed.
The Core Disciple laughed, even though there was a gash made from lightning elemental energy over his chest. His voice transformed, as if it was a choir of flapping insect wings. “You know nothing about what you deal with. A frog in the well.”
“Enlighten me.”
Tundra watched, and extended his senses. There should be a Zuja agent somewhere nearby-
He found the three agents, well hidden on the verandah of a restaurant half a city away. The only telltale sign was the faint Zuja’s energies commonly seen in the possessed.
5th, no 6th realm?
At this distance, it was hard to truly sense what level of corruption these two or three agents attained. The agent could be stronger, maybe even 7th realm.
He gulped. A fully corrupted Zuja was a true monster to fight in battle, three of them would be a difficult battle. If he struck quickly, he should be able to take out one, but the remaining two will be a prolonged battle. Any victory now would be a hollow one, and only marked their sect as a target for the Zuja cult to exterminate later.
He had considered the possibility of the Zuja’s role in this event, but thought they would not make such a big move, deploying three agents! He was wrong to think that Zuja Cult at this point wouldn’t make such big moves.
If he moved now, and destroyed the agents, that would definitely alert the Zuja. The best thing he could do, was to ignore and focus on growing their strength secretly.
As much as he hated it, this wasn’t the right time to step in.
“Something on your mind?” Severian asked, both of them observed the movements of the Scarlet Thunder from afar. The protective formations of the Sect blocked most spies, but most higher realm masters easily found ways through these relatively weak formations. Such remote spying would not be possible in the greater sects, protected by the works of far better formation masters.
“I do not know whether interfering this time was the right choice.”
Severian looked back at the Sect. “Scarlet Thunder should have some old monsters hidden away. I think we shouldn’t.”
Tundra shook his head. Some of those old monsters may be within the Thunderstruck Tower and died from the explosion. “You may be right, Severian. Let us stay put.”
His senses continued to watch the agents. If they stepped in, the Sect Master may be in trouble. But it’s likely these agents are there to watch for those who work against the Zuja.
Severian stopped as he picked up his tea and took a quick sip, as he seemed to think about the earlier sequence of events. “Did- did your dream version of me tell you why I didn’t stop you from attacking the Scarlet Thunder?”
There was no way to cram so many centuries of events into a single night. Things such as an attack on the Scarlet Thunder Sect would not register among the thousands of other such attacks. It was only during the trip here that Tundra fully elaborated what he remembered.
“No. I don’t remember that you did. They blew up the Thunderstruck Tower, killed half of Scarlet Lightning City, and heavily injured Duke Thunderstone. We came in as scavengers to steal everything else. I killed Duke Thunderstone in my first life.”
Severian tried to understand why he would make such a decision. Tundra thought, maybe it was the sequence of events. The attacks on the Black Ash Temple. Or the death of Jashen’s favorite core disciple. Or just a much more ambitious Sect Master.
He was much more hotheaded and driven once. Maybe Severian didn’t want to fight with the old Tundra Fox. He could see the elder’s mind trying to make sense of what happened.
“No matter. It is not necessary in this life.” Tundra shook his head, as he reflected on all the blood on his hands. “I already know what they know. What value is there to repeat it, other than to spill blood unnecessarily?”
Was there really a need to kill the same person twice?
He wasn’t that ruthless.
Severian looked away, and towards the sky. Tundra could sense this was probably when Severian truly understood what it meant to be a regressor. It goes beyond just knowing things about the future. It meant making decisions that affected the lives of others once, and now given the choice to do it again.
The elder would have more questions.
Yet, Tundra wondered whether he had injected doubt in the heart of his elder. He could feel him questioning himself.
It wasn’t just Severian who had questions.
Tundra watched the battle, and pondered all the things that he needed to do differently.
***
There was an explosion, but this time, the Imperial Duke Hadrian Thunderstone was prepared. What remained of the beast core runaway formation triggered, and a huge explosion caused the Thunderstruck Tower to sink to one side, and created a massive hole in the ground.
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The sect’s protective formations activated, while the elders also activated protective talismans that constrained the damage from the explosion. The slightly weakened formation’s explosive blast smashed into the protective talismans, but what remained of the explosion left the Sect Master of the Scarlet Thunder largely unharmed.
But the Zuja got what they wanted. The Core Disciple’s Zuja mutation activated, and it did not engage the Sect Master. Instead, it charged deep underground.
Tundra and Severian, from a distance away, could now see the battle in full detail. The massive explosion was blocked by the protective talismans and defensive formations, but it also interrupted the anti-surveillance formations. Tundra’s senses immediately headed into the hole next to the leaning tower.
What he felt made him freeze.
The Thunderstruck Tower held an ancient spear that seemed to twist the fabric of the dimensional plane. A weapon with the strange ability to reach beyond the known five elements and derivatives, and attack reality itself.
Tundra didn’t even know that Zuja possessed such a weapon, but he could see how it would be useful. Such a weapon, amplified to the strongest it could be, may even tamper with the barriers of reality-
It clicked then.
“They’re using it to allow more of Zuja’s energies to manifest in their world.”
Tundra wanted to intervene there and then, but he immediately detected Zuja's agent also making a move.
“What is that?” The Scarlet Thunder’s Sect Master didn’t even know it existed.
The Core Disciple laughed as he held the ancient spears. “Truly country bumpkins pretending they are great leaders. Nothing you people need to know.”
The Core Disciple mutated, as the Zuja’s corruption flared out of his orifices. Momentarily, he seemed as strong as someone in the high 6th realm.
But the Scarlet Thunder Master’s lightning blade struck and slashed off one of the Corrupted Disciple’s arms. It didn’t matter. “We have what we wanted.”
It struck the air with the ancient spear and momentarily a hole in reality appeared. The Zuja disciples all vanished through it before the elders of the Scarlet Thunder were able to launch their own attacks.
The Scarlet Thunder Master stared, dumbfounded. He looked around, and then commanded the elders. “Check their belongings. Search their rooms. Scour the city and find who they work for!”
The elders nodded.
What happened in the days to come was a total lockdown of the Scarlet Lightning City, as the disciples and elders combed through every part of the city. Even traveling cultivators were interviewed by the elders.
***
“So- this went differently.” Severian said after Tundra explained what happened in the first life. When Tundra came with his invasion force, the city was already half destroyed and there wasn’t much left to find. If there was such an artifact with the power to shatter reality, he didn’t know it.
“Yes.” Tundra said, as he tried to adjust his threat assessment. The Zuja’s accumulation of strength happened over centuries, and they must have a secret base somewhere. “I was not aware of such an artifact.”
He never recalled there was news of such a weapon, either, and by his own estimations, such an item could even be in its own special category. No, for the Zuja, such a weapon’s utility would be in weakening the barriers that keep their true master out of this world.
He was too weak. If he was in the 8th, no, 9th realm, he would’ve intervened. Even if he focused on cultivation right from the day he regressed, he would not achieve the power needed to safely intervene. He could reach maybe just the first two stages of the 7th realm, and that still wouldn’t give them a clean victory needed to ensure their sect’s safety.
“I figured you two would slip out quietly.”
Tundra Fox clasped his hand and greeted their visitor. “Pleasure to meet you again, Lord Thunderstone.”
“It is not a pleasure to meet when my Sect has just been attacked and robbed of a treasure we didn’t know we had. What do you know of the enemies?”
Tundra and Severian glanced at each other, and Tundra sighed. “Not much, other than they are some kind of cult. They might be demonic in nature.”
The Sect Master didn’t seem to buy it. “Did you know what’s in there? What spear was that?”
“I do not know.” Tundra admitted. He felt the maroon eyes of the Sect Master attempt to pierce through him, but it didn’t get anywhere. “We only detected their attempts to attack you, we do not know what, or why, I guess, until now.”
Hadrian sighed. “I suppose we do owe you a debt of gratitude. That explosion would have been something.”
Tundra briefly didn’t know how to react, as an image of Hadrian Thunderstone, bruised, bloody and half his lower torso severed flashed in his mind. He killed this man once, and now, the one he killed in cold blood thanked him for saving him. It was hilarious, sad, and if anything, truly demonstrated the impact of decisions.
One decision, and a thousand lives are changed forever.
Hadrian Thunderstone then said, interrupting Tundra’s thoughts. “I am not a man that likes to be indebted, and so, name your request.”
Tundra looked at Severian, and Severian seemed to have thought it through. “Non-aggression with the Mystical Harbors and non-harassment of the Mystical Harbors’ interests in the shared border towns.”
Hadrian Thunderstone frowned, but then nodded. “Ten years. And we will retaliate if they start an incident.”
“Fifteen years.” Severian agreed.
“Ten.”
“Twelve.” Severian countered.
“Fine.” The Master of the Scarlet Thunder declared. “I will inform the elders.”
Tundra nodded along, when it came to matters of diplomatic wrangling, he generally left it to Severian anyway. Severian smiled. “A pleasure. It is no use for either of us to fight over destroyed scrap.”
Tundra knew Severian meant it in jest, but still, h’s heart twinged at the word ‘scrap’. In his previous life, were they really fighting over scraps?
“So it is. Enjoy the truce.” Hadrian Thunderstone gave a rare smile, and then he left on his own flying blade.
***
The trip back was slower. There was no need to rush, but the incident spread throughout the region. The rumor mill and news channels spoke of the attack by unknown cultists on the Scarlet Thunder Sect.
Severian needed to make a trip to the Mystical Harbors Sect to inform them of the truce. As allies and friends of the Verdant Snow, this incident should help them.
Tundra thus made the journey home alone.
In his first life, the Mystical Harbors eventually merged with the Verdant Snow. He wasn’t sure whether that was necessary in this life, since the fighting power provided by the Mystical Harbors wasn’t that impressive. Their Sect Master, Lucia Whisperwaters, was decent in most things, and in terms of power, she was in the early stages of the sixth realm right now. Lucia, in the merged sect, later served as one of his elders, and she rose up the levels of power by his side. If he remembered correctly, Lucia reached the 8th realm after what seemed like a few centuries of cultivation and war.
His thoughts swirled around what were his own goals.
The Zuja was naturally something he needed to deal with, but it was also the goal that strangely, he cared the least about. As weird as it is, he actually didn’t really mind dying.
In that final moment, when he launched everything he had at the revived Zuja, he was truly prepared to shed everything.
That willingness to end his own life then and there, carried over with him. He didn’t regret that his own path ended there. It was because he had no one left, even if he won. So what if he won then?
The thought made him feel a tinge of emptiness. As if nothing mattered.
That was wrong. He knew it was, so he stopped at one of the mountains along the way, and meditated for a few days.
What should be his goal, now that he has a chance to try again?
His greatest regrets were his distant, estranged family. Friends that he lost along the way. He hoped to avoid the pointless bloodshed and conflicts with the other sects. There were fights, triggered by arrogance and pride that drained so much of their strength.
Given those regrets, what should be his goal in this returned life? He wanted to bring his children, his wives, his descendants as strong members of the Verdant Snow? Would strength matter?
Of course it did. It made them live longer.
But what else? Why?
His mind considered the questions.
What sort of Sect should the Verdant Snow Sect be? What sort of family did he want his family to be?
A path of constant warfare and expansion was mostly unnecessary. His mind had a talent for remembering cultivation-related matters, and what he knew now would offset most of the need for war.
This was a gift he shouldn’t squander.
He could create a compact, powerful sect with lots of friends.
He could raise his family, at least those that are willing to trust him, and make them into worthy pillars of the cultivation society.
Yes. That felt right to him. It felt like something he would be proud of.
So, he broke down that high level goal into smaller chunks.
What did he mean by a compact, powerful sect with lots of friends? The Verdant Snow Sect could be a powerful power broker, with strong cultivators that helped mediate conflicts. As a mediator, they could offset the instigations of Zuja’s agents.
To do so, the Verdant Snow Sect needed to make more friends, stronger friends, and be seen as a respectable member of the cultivation society. One that could be trusted to honor deals and contracts, instead of winning through their fists.
Then, his family. They needed to be powerful, have good decision making abilities, and be able to behave as upstanding members of society.
Where his family is now, this was a far, far greater challenge. But the reputation of the family of the Sect Master and the Sect’s reputation is inseparable. If the family’s reputation is terrible, the Sect will inevitably be dragged into it.
That was what happened in his first life.
He will prevent it from recurring.