The cultivators stationed on the Stormy Sea Sect outpost pulled back as John confidently flew closer. In truth, if all of them worked together he could be in real danger even as an Ascending Soul Phase cultivator. There were some advantages to the world being so focused on individual strength, and some measure of honor regarding duels. The commander of the island’s forces moved to the courtyard as John approached, ready to fight the duel she had proposed.
Though John’s assumption was that she challenged him to prevent unnecessary deaths, for which he gave her respect. Given the gulf in cultivation between them she was likely to lose horribly, but on the small chance that she was exceptionally adept in such matches John intended to treat the battle seriously. It would be a shame to foolishly find himself on the back foot by underestimating her.
Simultaneously, they agreed the duel had begun. Their spiritual energy changed from a slow trickle to a sudden rush, flowing out of their dantians into the world around them. A spray of water appeared around John’s opponent as she gathered her defenses, then the swirling water extended far beyond where it was useful merely for defense. It seemed meant to distort John’s vision, and the chaotic arrangement meant to foil his energy senses.
Though responding move for move was not the best way to gain a foot up in most battles, John found it appropriate to respond in kind, filling the area with darkness. Those surrounding would still be able to vaguely feel the duel, but if anyone had ill intent it would be more difficult to target him.
Waves rushed John as the woman slashed with a halberd, and he responded with a bolt of lightning and his own sword. He caught the heavy weapon and pushed it off course, but his lightning didn’t travel through the waves as easily as he had expected. Then again, it wasn’t unreasonable for a water cultivator in something named the Stormy Sea Sect to at least be able to handle some air, even if it was their weakness.
But John didn’t need to limit himself to what was best on paper. As she shifted her stance he blasted out with a gust of air. Alone that wouldn’t be sufficient for her to lose her footing, but she likely wasn’t prepared for the ground to shift beneath her at the same time. John decided to remember that one, as the push and pull of elements added to a greater effect than expected.
A Consolidated Soul Phase cultivator wasn’t helpless when prone, but she found it difficult to rise to her feet under the subsequent barrage of attacks from John. Lightning, his blade edged with darkness, and even fire to boil away her surrounding waves. Elements coursed through John, building upon each other.
He moved inside the range of her weapon as she tried to drive him away with a sweep of her halberd, catching the haft of her weapon with his free hand. He tightened his grip, coating himself in a layer of solid earth and locking his hand around the weapon. The ground rose beneath her in time with his yank, flipping her over his head. A cushion of water protected her from some of the impact, but her grip loosened and John flung her weapon away.
Wind and lightning around his blade cut towards her neck, before stopping short. “Surrender,” he ordered.
The spray of water settled as she glared at him. “Never.”
“Very well,” John said, dropping the cloak of darkness and focusing his spiritual energy around his weapon. He made certain his death was swift, his blade severing her head.
He could have forced her to surrender, with more effort. However, that wouldn’t necessarily have been the merciful option. Depending on how the sect operated, death might be preferable to a stained reputation. She might even have friends or family to worry about.
“The rest of you…” John spread his voice to the cultivators gathered around him. “Surrender and be taken captive, or prepare yourselves for death.”
About half surrendered. Some fools immediately attempted to attack him, while others began to flee towards their ships. But the continental forces wouldn’t let more get away than they needed to.
Against just a dozen Soul Expansion and Foundation Phase cultivators, John wasn’t at risk. He could literally let them hit him all they wanted and they would likely run out of spiritual energy and collapse before he received a scratch. But he had no reason to test that, instead flinging daggers charged with a mixture of the core elements, cutting through their defenses.
Those who ran were taken down by the rest of the fleet. It was a shame that the most honorable of those present had to die.
-----
Though they had purposefully allowed ships to go ahead and spread news of their coming, retaining the initiative was still important for the continental fleets. Thus, rather than waiting for an armed response they prepared to set out towards their next target- but only after toppling the fortifications on the outpost. It wouldn’t be a great expense for the Stormy Sea Sect to replace it, but it would take them time. However, with earth cultivators it was quite easy to bring such structures down when undefended.
Their next target was another outpost. Their intent was to minimize the enemy’s information so that their own forces could move more freely. The Stormy Sea Sect was not entirely composed of water cultivators, but they had no air cultivators powerful enough to fly and replicate their own wide view of things. Unless such cultivators were a tightly kept secret.
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No brave commander was found at the second outpost, resulting in higher casualties for the Stormy Sea Sect as they didn’t see fit to surrender until they had sustained great losses. The combined continental fleets far outnumbered them, and they kept their own casualties low.
After the second outpost came a third in the same day- then their fleets returned to Storm Rock Isle. Three outposts was a clear pattern of their movements, and they didn’t wish to engage just yet. Instead, they were interested in observing the enemy’s reaction. Furthermore, keeping so many cultivators captive was already a difficult task. They had restraints meant to suppress spiritual energy, but they weren’t perfect.
At some point, they would have to attempt a captive exchange. They weren’t intent on annihilating the Stormy Sea Sect, so that would be an appropriate form of vengeance. They simply needed to show them how unwise it was to attack the continent.
-----
Even with his energy focused on his eyes, making out an individual ship at a distance beyond ten kilometers was quite difficult. There were a few ships that were large enough, but in general John needed to look for fleets. That was the most relevant option anyway. After all, it was unlikely that the forces that could fit on a single ship could threaten them, even if the Stormy Sea Sect brought their best cultivators. Their own side had four Ascending Soul Phase cultivators, and a plethora of Consolidated Soul and Soul Expansion as well.
It was still somewhat difficult to spot them at the extreme distances. John thought he could vaguely make out ships in ports on distant islands, but reflections of the sun off the ocean were just as potent. He did eventually spot some strange shapes, though at such a distance he couldn’t pick out spiritual energy even without any obstructions. The cultivators simply weren’t powerful enough, unless they intentionally made a ruckus. The same was true in reverse- John alone was powerful enough to be sensed at that range, but only if he put his spiritual energy on full display. That might be useful in the future, but at the moment he wasn’t interested in drawing anyone in.
There was a strange shimmering around the edges of what he perceived to be a fleet. He could convince himself there was some form of spiritual energy, but it was so faint it really could just be his imagination. As for what that might be, John couldn’t quite tell. Perhaps some sort of concealment? If that was the case, he didn’t expect to see them at all. But actually, it made perfect sense.
They would be focused on other ships. Creating a ring of concealment, or even just doing so at the front of their fleet, would be sufficient for their normal cases and far easier than creating an illusory dome over their whole fleet. It wasn’t like they knew John was up in the sky looking down over the seas. Or that he could see in the dark, which became extremely useful later. Without distracting reflections from sunlight, it was easier to pick out the disturbances of ships. At least, when the weather permitted. Low clouds kept getting in his way, and he had to continually change his altitude to track the enemy fleets. That was much more tiring than simply hovering in place.
-----
There wasn’t much point in taking prisoners if they didn’t intend to do something with them, which meant engaging with their enemies. That meant arranging an encounter where their own fleets were at enough of an advantage to deter attacks but not so much as to immediately drive people off. Perhaps with the exception of Ascending Soul Phase cultivators.
Some of their forces were left behind to guard their harbor and prisoners, while another portion was set to scout the area, potentially even appearing in front of known enemies. For the most part, however, they would be avoiding conflict.
Finally, John was leading more of their forces to encounter some of the fleets they had been tracking. A large group had initially been sent, but they had now branched out to scour the area. It likely wouldn’t be terribly long before they found them on Storm Rock Isle, but they didn’t want to give up the location of their safe harbor if they didn’t have to.
Approaching the area where they knew the fleet to be, John didn’t see or sense anything but the spiritual energy of the sea. And if he believed that, he would be a rather poor darkness cultivator. Not that he thought the efforts of the Stormy Sea Sect were bad, but senses tended to improve in strength and water cultivators just weren’t quite as good at stealth as darkness cultivators. Plus, he’d already known they would be trying to conceal their movements.
As he got closer, he figured out what the illusion was. They looked like the shimmer of the horizon and the spray of the sea. It likely wouldn’t hide them from anyone up close, but that probably wasn’t the point. They just wanted to get close enough to have an advantage over their opponents. Obviously they spotted the continental fleets and turned towards them, but they weren’t the ones who actually chose the contact even if they thought so.
When they were still quite a distance off but at a reasonable distance for someone lesser to have ‘spotted’ them, John used his spiritual energy to amplify his voice. “Cultivators of the Stormy Sea Sect! Your acts of piracy upon the continent have not gone unnoticed. We are here to seek retribution!”
One of their elders responded. “And who are you to so boldly intrude upon our seas?” she asked.
“I am John Miller, sect head of the Six Elements Crossroads,” he declared. His cultivation wasn’t on full display, but he slightly loosened his restrictions. Anyone who wished to sense him would have little trouble feeling the aura of the Ascending Soul Phase. Rather than returning the courtesy of asking for a name, he took advantage of his status. “Our demands are simple. Pay an appropriate price, and the matter will be settled between us. This includes returning the hundred disciples we have captured, unless you have no interest in their return.”
The elder was clearly hesitant about her response. It was likely clear to her that they would not win a conflict with just the forces she had on hand. Furthermore… “I don’t have the authority to make decisions of such magnitude for the sect. Where should we contact you in the future?”
“Four days from now,” John said. “We will meet you upon the remains of one of your former outposts to negotiate.” That should give them enough time to deliver any necessary messages, but not much extra time to plan anything. If they chose to launch an attack at that time, John would assess the odds available at the moment but they could at the very least kill or wound an elder or two.