SCC Chapter 17 Party of Plots(7)
The room had been darkened, with every single drape rolled down to cover any light that might have made it into the room. The reason, spying. There were many guests at the party, with many spiritual energy attributes available that would allow that sort of thing.
Livia, on entering the room, was confronted with two distinctly different auras that weren't just tussling with each other, but also seeking to apply pressure upon her. One of those auras was as cold as an ice berg, while the other, was as hot as a volcano. With a smile, she released her own aura, but just barely keeping it a few inches around her body.
"So, people... I heard you wanted to have a private chat. What's with the clashing auras?" She attempted to lighten the atmosphere while inwardly disapproving of these people's childish tactics. It seems there were still many sects that hadn't yet managed to awaken to the reality of this world. Well... It was not like she could blame them. The environment and peers had shaped them.
There was a table in the middle of the room, one with a triangular design, making it so that all three participants were equal. It was a thoughtful gesture she had made to accommodate these two.
One of them, a woman in a long white dress that gave off a vibe as if it had been crafted from solid ice itself, with her hair neatly tied up above her head, adorned with all sorts of ornaments that served to emphasize its white as snow color, sat on one side, which was Livia's left.
On the right side, sat a man wearing a vibrant red suit with crimson eyes that appeared to hold burning flames, with a head full of red hair that was shifting without any wind, like flames.
If it wasn't for their ill intentioned gazes towards each other, Livia found that they would make a great couple.
Her steps echoed in the quiet room as she waded through the pressure to reach her seat, plopping down upon it while fixing her gaze towards the woman, with her fingers entwining as she beheld her.
"So... How do you two plan to convince me when you can't even see eye to eye?"
"Young girl... Before your very existence, I was alive. This attitude of yours is inappropriate." The woman glared at Livia.
"So? I am now just a minor realm beneath you. Have you broken through beyond the Nascent Soul?" mocked Livia, eliciting a raise of the woman's eyebrow, which served to make the pressure realistically manifest in the form of ice spreading around her, encroaching towards Livia and the red haired man's side only to be turned to water that evaporated.
The particles that reached Livia were directly turned to gas the instant they met her light.
"Let's get the theatrics out of the way. Little girl, your ancestors have been dutifully following the oaths. What makes you think you can just come and upend their hard work when the project is on the cusp of completion?" the man's voice rumbled when he spoke.
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"Have you ever seen what Pantheon is actually building? Or are you so sure that those memory recordings are real? Besides, Pantheon is going to be the first to benefit. What makes you believe that after they do, they will give the both of you a chance? You two, bottom feeder sects that haven't managed to usurp any of us, the big three, since your founding?"
""Little Girl!!""
The pressure increased to the point that Livia felt as if she couldn't hold on. Her face became pale, while beads of sweat formed upon her brow, but a smile graced her features as she stared at the two.
"This place isn't where you can wreck havoc. The Federation wants this. The moment you attack me, they will have a legitimate reason to go after your sects. Do you two think that you can match the behemoth that is the Federation?" asked Livia as she stood up.
"With your volatile attitudes, there is no way a conclusion can be reached in this conversation. So, I will be going on my way." Livia said before photon attribute spiritual energy burst out of her like a tide, painting the entire room white for a moment, pushing away the pressures of the two. This didn't mean that she was stronger than them, just that she had been accumulating and compressing her energy for this moment.
After the room returned to normal, the two still had their eyes closed. They hadn't expected the outburst, thereby having their vision temporarily damaged.
"You should remember your places. Radiance is still a behemoth with multiple Nascent Soul stage cultivators. And personally, I don't fear you two." and with those last words, she strode out of the room with her head held high.
-----
"The young sure are bold." The woman broke the silence a moment later, with both of them opening their eyes simultaneously as if in tacit understanding. They had managed to repair their vision at the same exact time, down to the micro second.
"Zeus asked us for a favor. Our sect is going to fulfill it. This alliance... It needs to be dismantled. We can't allow Radiance to ally with the Federation." a voice rumbled out of the man, with even his eyes and hair becoming flame for a moment.
"And how do you plan to do that without disrupting Zeus' goal?" The woman asked, her face painted with disdain for the man.
"Zeus' task is going to be the spark that starts a fire. We just have to find a way to spread it."
"That won't be easy. I expect plenty of powerful cultivators to arrive in the next few days..."
"We don't lack people. We will also ask that they allow our core disciples in. They won't allow the elders. But surely they can't oppose the excuse that the young generation will simply be here to broaden their horizons, right?"
-----
Reed was seated within a room, one of the many in the mansion, perusing the data that streamed into his mind remotely from the AI that monitored and partially ran his group of businesses. Even though cultivators had long lives, only those below the Core Formation stage could truly enjoy their lives without worry. They could even spend entire years simply having fun, a situation that had been entirely brought on by his invention.
That also meant that most of those within those realms were young, unsuitable for taking on responsibility. Above Core Formation, there had to be some time off, taken, such that you could advance your cultivation. After all, time waits for no man. Everyone, no matter the reason they have, ultimately cultivated in order to have a longer life.
Reed didn't know if immortality really existed, but he wanted to atleast see what lied beyond the Nascent Soul stage. And that brought us back to why the AI was needed. It ran the company in tandem with others during those times when he was pre-occupied in seclusion.
The door to the room was opened from the outside, and Latniss entered. This time, she had chosen a normal outfit. A black jacket, with a white blouse inside, plus a pencil skirt that reached just before her knees. Her hair was the only odd fashion choice about her, though it was still relatively normal compared to the bizarre ones from before. One part of her hair was white, while the left side was black.
"It looks like there is something troubling you." spoke Reed upon reading her facial expression.
"The sects are requesting that we allow their core disciples into the venue. Apparently, they want to broaden the young ones' horizons." Latniss handed him the written document.
"Who uses these nowadays?" mumbled Reed as he read through it.
"Absolute Zero and Flame... Plus their affiliates are also petitioning for it. There is most definitely a plot behind. We don't really have extensive data about their disciples, making it easy for unsavory elements to slip into the venue unnoticed." spoke Latniss.
"If I am not mistaken, Zeus put them up to this. How did Livia's meeting go?" Reed asked.
"It was all just a farce, she said. If they had truly intended to pursuede her, then they wouldn't have sent those two."
"Those two are somewhat old fashioned and conflict driven... I am going to allow their petition."
"I knew you'd say that. But with just us five, there will be many areas we can't cover. Not to mention the fact that even the legitimate disciples might be instructed to cause trouble. These sects wouldn't want the partnership to go through."