~~~
Over the years, Xiao Fang has grown fond of the New Moon Branch of the Xiao Sect. It is not particularly large or luxurious, just a small mansion in the middle of a small town. Arguably, it is the smallest and humblest of all the branches. It cannot possibly compare to the grandeur of the old Eastern Port City Branch. Most people will not look at it twice.
It is the only place that sheltered him after the fall of Eastern Port City.
Xiao Fang is fully aware that the Branch Master did not take him in out of the goodness of his heart. The man had little to lose and everything to gain. Had Xiao Yifan somehow found Xiao Fang in New Moon Town, the man would have simply claimed he did not know better due to the remoteness of his home. She didn’t, so now he has the gratitude of the future leader of the Xiao Sect.
While Xiao Fang cannot quite call the New Moon Branch a second home, it is something a little close to that. He appreciates its remoteness, its quietness, its tranquility, its peace.
“What?!”
Multiple people flinch as Xiao Fang’s loud voice echoes throughout the mansion. The servants move with hurried steps, every single one of them suddenly remembering they have something else to do far away from the Young Master. Even the Branch Master decides it might be better to stay in his room for the rest of the day.
Elder Gang is the only one who remains unmoved by Xiao Fang’s anger. The old man looks down at his charge, taking note of his fierce Qi. No one can deny that Young Master Xiao Fang has become an impressive young man in a very short amount of time. However, Elder Gang isn't just someone at the top of the Heaven Realm. He is someone who still remembers when the Young Master was in diapers.
It’s impossible for him to ever be intimidated by Xiao Fang.
“It is as I said,” Elder Gang says. “You are not to chase after these bandits.”
Xiao Fang glares at him. His Qi spikes, yet a raised eyebrow from Elder Gang forces the Young Master of the Xiao Sect to remember where they are.
“Did you not hear what I said, Elder?” Xiao Fang asks him after forcing his Qi to become quiet. “This is not a group of mercenaries we are dealing with. These Howling Claws were likely created to attack the Xiao Sect!”
“That is precisely why it would be unwise to go to Falling Leaf Valley, Young Master,” Elder Gang replies. “Think about it. You know these are not mere bandits. You know this is a deliberate attack on us. Who do you think is the most likely culprit? What will you do when you break into their hideout and find Xiao Yifan?”
Xiao Fang says nothing. Elder Gang presses on.
“Can you defeat her?” He asks him. “Have you become so strong that you do not need to fear an Emperor? If you follow this lead and find her at the end of it, can you do anything other than die, Young Master? Well? ”
Xiao Fang’s fists tremble with repressed anger. His Qi fluctuates as he struggles to keep it under control. It is not that he hasn’t thought about it. From the moment the Yellow Grass Branch was attacked, Xiao Yifan was obviously the most likely culprit. She might have gone missing after the Crimson Cloud Tournament, but if he were to die, she’d be able to claim leadership due to her power.
However, no one likes being confronted with the reality of their own weakness.
“I…cannot, Elder,” Xiao Fang says through gritted teeth.
“You would die,” Elder Gang says, hammering his point.
“I… would,” Xiao Fang admits reluctantly.
“Then that’s all that needs to be said,” Elder Gang says.
“It is not!” Xiao Fang says. He stomps on the ground and immediately winces at how much it makes him look like a petulant child. “Regardless of who is behind it, the Xiao Sect was attacked. The Branch Masters have accepted me for now, but that support will weaken if they see others can attack them with impunity. Something must be done, Elder Gang!”
“Young Master, have you forgotten you have many resources at your disposal now?” Elder Gang asks him. “You cannot go to Falling Leaf Valley, but you can command others to do it in your place. The loyalty of the Branch Masters, however tenuous, is still loyalty. Command the disciples of the Xiao Sect to investigate. If Xiao Yifan is not involved, they will defeat the bandits, and this will all be settled.”
Xiao Fang frowns.
“If she is involved, they will all die. I would be sending them to their deaths.”
“Quite so,” Elder Gang replies. “I recommend choosing disciples from the Imperial Cloud City Branch. They do not care for Xiao Yifan. If she kills a few of them, it would further poison them against her.”
Xiao Fang says nothing. He merely stares at Elder Gang.
Elder Gang sighs.
“Young Master, if you decide to take every risk yourself, you will only be rushing to an early grave. You must delegate, and occasionally, that means people will die due to your orders. This cannot be avoided. Do you think young Liu Jin would do otherwise?”
Xiao Fang flinches at the mention of Liu Jin, but finds the strength to stand his ground.
“That butthead always does things on his own.”
“He started a war, did he not? He knew it would be his soldiers fighting and dying in it, but he still did it. Circumstances sometimes demand such things from us,” Elder Gang says.
Xiao Fang takes a deep breath.
“I... will take your advice,” Xiao Fang says. “However, what will we do if it is Xiao Yifan we are dealing with?”
“You were favored over Xiao Yifan because of your ties to the Divine Frozen Palace and the Storm Dragon Empire,” Elder Gang tells him. “It might be time to call upon them.”
Three days later, a group of disciples is sent to Falling Leaf Valley.
Five days later, another minor branch of the Xiao Sect is destroyed.
~~~
Days pass in the Temple of the Thousand Shadows, yet the doors of the Council of the Hundred remain closed. This leaves the rest of the Temple in an awkward situation. Until the Council reaches a decision, the Temple can only continue to act as they have been doing. The operation in the Storm Dragon Empire, which should have lasted no more than two days, has continued far beyond initial expectations.
However, that is not the worst of it. As the Council continues to argue with itself, something is changing within the Temple. It starts as murmurs, mere whispers, yet it does not take long for the sentiment to bubble to the surface. Soon, the conversations are being had in the open. They can be heard in every hall.
“Our disciples have been killed! Are we really going to do nothing? Is the name of the Temple of the Thousand Shadows not worth anything? Judgment must be rendered!”
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“Isn’t it about time someone did something about the Death Fashioning Scripture? Their arts border on the profane, and that’s just the things we know they do. Who knows what happens inside that wretched place?”
“In the end, it’s always their fault! Does it make sense that they have been allowed to do as they please?! Why waste time in the Storm Dragon Empire?”
A diminutive old man sighs as he hears the conversations happening all around the Temple. He is Elder Quiet Shadow, one of the members of the Council of a Hundred. Though his real self is still at the meeting, he managed to discreetly create a soul fragment so that he might meet with Firm Shadow and Alarming Shadow.
“As you can see, the situation is critical,” he says. A gesture of his hand silences the sound coming from outside his study. “The sentiment against the Death Fashioning Scripture used to be kept in check because everyone was mindful of the balance of power. This situation has caused it to manifest loudly.”
“How could it happen so quickly, Elder Quiet Shadow?” Firm Shadow asks.
“You already know that, child,” Elder Quiet Shadow says, smiling sadly. “Just as I am using a soul fragment to speak to you. Someone has done the same to spread the information.”
“Green Shadow was one of the first who knew,” Alarming Shadow says. He has a big scowl on his face. “It must be his master.”
“Forest Shadow is very likely to be involved in this. That is true,” Quiet Shadow agrees, nodding. “However, there is little point in trying to single out culprits. What matters is that the Council is very aware of how the rest of the Temple feels.”
“The Council dictates the actions of the Temple, not the other way around,” Alarming Shadow says.
“That is not wrong, yet there are many in the Council who are ambivalent. When the feelings of the masses lean so heavily in one direction, even the mighty can be influenced,” Quiet Shadow says. “Soon enough, the balance of power will not matter, and the Temple will start hostilities with the Death Fashioning Scripture.”
Elder Quiet Shadow pauses for a moment, allowing the full gravity of his statement to be felt. If they start a conflict with the Death Fashioning Scripture, it will not just be Emperors who fight. Divinities will get involved sooner or later. One can scarcely imagine how many lives could be lost.
“We must act now. There is no other way. The Emperor of the Storm Dragon Empire must be eliminated before this can go further,” the Elder says.
Alarming Shadow furrows his brow.
“Elder, do you mea-mph!”
Alarming Shadow’s words are cut off by Firm Shadow’s hand over his mouth. Quiet Shadow nods in gratitude. Even in the safety of his study, there are things better left unsaid.
More than any other faction, the Temple of the Thousand Shadows has a strict adherence to the rules laid out after the war. That is a sign of their reverence towards the Hero of Shadow, who sacrificed his life to raise the barrier that now guards the continent and left the Council in charge of the Temple. Those were his last acts, so how could they possibly disrespect them?
And yet, for the continent to remain safe, it seems they must act without the Council’s approval.
~~~
It starts with an explosion.
Stormfront Fortress, located on the western border of the Storm Dragon Empire, is annihilated in an instant. No one is left alive to sound the alarm, but that does not mean the event goes unnoticed. People in other fortresses along the border can feel the sudden spike of Qi followed by the sudden erasure of several lives. It takes less than a minute for the news to reach the Imperial Palace.
High-ranking military officers are gathered in a hurry. Countless reports have arrived by the time they are all in the war room. Attempts are made to communicate with Stormfront Fortress, but they find no success. Contact with the other fortresses reveals they have not been attacked. Scouts are sent.
Three never report back. They are presumed dead. However, the fourth sends a chilling message.
“It's so much! I can't see where it ends! It's all one giant shadow!”
Aerial reports only confirm the soldier's words. Unlike previous attacks, where the puppets attacked several parts of the border at once, the Temple of the Thousand Shadows has focused all their forces on a single spot to break through the border. It is sudden, violent, and has left them all flatfooted.
“This is displeasing,” General Nie Dan says, looking at the map of the Empire. The places where the Temple’s forces have been sighted are marked in red. “They are heading for the palace. At their current speed, they could be here by nightfall.”
More than one person in the war room gulps.
“B-but we’ll be safe no matter what, right?” someone asks, looking around. “The Storm Dragon Palace is impenetrable! If all else fails, the Emperor just needs to summon the Grand Storm and…”
The man’s words are killed by General Nie Dan’s withering glare.
“Summoning the Grand Storm will destroy the rest of the city,” Liu Jin says. “It is best if it does not come to that. However, that’s not the most pressing issue.”
“The Emperor is right. We are safe, but the rest of the Empire isn’t,” someone else says. “These invaders will cut a bloody swath through the country. Every town and city between them and the Imperial Palace will be destroyed if we do not do something.”
“Evacuating every town and city will take too long.”
“Fortifying them will take longer still. We cannot spare the soldiers to reinforce every settlement.”
“Then we simply establish a new defensive line and buy as much time as we can while the evacuation takes place,” a grizzled soldier says. “Our one advantage is that they entered through the southern area of the western border. The land ahead of them largely consists of Murong Bang’s former territories, but as soon as they start heading north..."
He cannot bring himself to say it. A little further up north, and they’ll be in what used to be General Nie Dan’s territory, one of the most populated areas of the Empire. The entire room feels the mounting pressure. Many are surprised that General Nie Dan has not already left.
“There is something else.”
The Emperor speaks. Everyone turns to him.
“If they keep heading in this direction, then there is one place they will reach before any other.”
All follow his finger as he points to a spot on the map.
~~~
Cloudburst City is quiet.
It is not the quiet of a peaceful morning, but rather the quiet before the storm. The sky is overcast, denying everyone the beauty of the sun. The animals have already fled. In the silence that remains, even the whispers of the wind are unbearably loud. The soldiers in Cloudburst Arena whisper, fidget, and move about without end.
“Lord Xiao Nan,” one of them says after working up the courage to approach him.
“You can leave,” Xiao Nan says. He greeted the morning sitting in the middle of the arena. Now he stands and faces the horizon. “I can sense what approaches.”
“We have…We have been ordered to abandon the city. The army is mounting a defense in one of the fortresses used during the civil war. In the old border with Murong Bang’s territories. We have been instructed to-”
“My Little Brother is kind and is only asking me to fall back because of it. He knows I will not do it, and he knows it is not wise for me to leave this place,” Xiao Nan says. “Go. My place is here.”
“B-but what will we tell the Emperor?”
“You will tell them that this Xiao Nan looked at you and decided you should have long and happy lives,” Xiao Nan says. “My inadequacy has caused you all enough problems. Leave now and engrave the image of my back in your minds.”
“I… thank you, my lord!” the soldier says, bowing a full ninety degrees. The other soldiers imitate him. Some barely hold back their tears.
“That was very nice,” Feng Zhuo says after the soldiers are gone. “Are you not going to tell me to leave as well?”
“Why would I waste my words?” Xiao Nan says as he heads outside the arena. “You always do what you want. I am sure you already understand what you are exposing yourself to.”
“Indeed, I do,” Feng Zhou says, following after him.
Both of them are strong enough to sense the invading force growing closer. Rather than a collection of thousands of people, all that Qi has blended together as one giant mass. Most likely, it is a technique made to disguise their strength. Their number and true power are completely unknown to them.
Xiao Nan and Feng Zhuo, two of the greatest talents of their generation, walk up to the edge of Cloudbust City and see the advancing army. It is not a collection of puppets. Instead, it is one massive shadow that spreads across the land. A blot of darkness that swallows everything in its path like locusts.
“Impressive,” Feng Zhuo says.
Xiao Nan does not speak. He merely keeps walking. His aura rises softly around him.
[Ground Contraction]
A burst of Qi carries him several miles forward. His Qi spikes.
[All Consuming Heavenly Void]
Feng Zhuo winces as Xiao Nan’s power swallows and destroys everything within the range of the technique. It fails to reach Cloudburst City, only out of consideration for the ancient arena. When it fades, only a crater is left behind.
And yet, the shadows keep advancing, filling the crater like a pool of ink and continuing on their path.
Feng Zhuo grins. Golden fire dances in his eyes.
“This should be interesting.”
~~~
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