'The cities are all fine. Some skimriches here and there but nothing to be worried about,' Gege said before adding, 'as for your capital it's still peaceful like a heaven. And that chick is doing nothing suspicious so far.'
"Good, I hope she continues to be a good girl then," Arthur smiled, "let's finish here before going to that sect."
'Ding! Are you ready?' the system asked the moment Arthur finished controlling the current settlement.
"Let's see the preparations first," Arthur said, "how about my growing army? The mecha army?"
'The army inside my body is really majestic,' Gege laughed, 'As for the mechas, in these days over ten thousand were made, hopefully that can help.'
"Good," Arthur nodded in content, "considering I limited the time we have then it's a great result without doubt… tell Doaf and the others to get ready."
'They are already stationed inside my body,' Gege said, 'alongside the mecha legion.'
"Any suspicious move around the capital?"
'Nothing.'
"I hope things remain the same after we start that war," he prayed, "after all it's hard to fight on two different fronts."
'Ding! I doubt they have the manpower or mind to pull such a feat,' the system said, 'Ding! But you need to prepare part of the army to go at any time to help.'
"That would be wise indeed," Arthur nodded, "alright, let's go and secure that sect for us."
He started to fly, heading towards the thick layers of clouds in the sky. As he soared higher, he felt his heart bouncing more vigorously inside his chest out of his excitement.
After all, this sect was the first real thing he found so far related to the world of cultivation after dealing with the world's will.
"Time to fall."
Arthur said it like he was celebrating a victory or a breakthrough. Once he fell from the clouds the scene changed and found himself hovering over a stretch of gigantic mountains filling the entire sight around.
"This place…" he couldn't help but marvel at this scene. "What army can possibly penetrate such a place? What army can possibly aim to win a fight here?"
It was obvious from the few minutes he spent here that these mountains were really like a natural guardian to whoever living here. And as he kept flying around he was faced with a puzzle.
"Where is that sect?" he couldn't help but mutter after ten minutes of continuous flying.
'Ding! I'll ask her,' the system said.
'And I'll ask the tree,' and Gege also volunteered.
The answer came faster from the system.
'Ding! The sect lies inside a group of those mountains,' the system explained, 'Ding! You need to go south and you'll find the sect.'
"Inside the mountains?" Arthur's interest was instantly piqued, "Alright, let's see this sect."
'The sect lies to the south indeed,' Gege said before sighing, 'and there is a grand army drawing near this place.'
"From the sky?" Arthur couldn't find any other route other than this.
'No, they are coming from the ground,' Gege said before pausing. 'The tree spoke about mountain destroyer techniques that clears the land, but I didn't clearly get her meaning to be honest.'
"Mountain destroyer?!!" Arthur was shocked and when he thought more about this he found such a brilliant way to solve the natural obstacles here in front of that army.
"Even clearing a mountain or two might clear a clear path to here but won't help much in conquering the sect," he muttered before his eyes squeezed, "unless there is something wrong with the sect itself."
'Ding! The world will never mention anything wrong with that sect.'
"We'll see," Arthur muttered, "how long before I can arrive?"
'Ding! She said you have around five minutes or so.'
'The same period the tree mentioned.'
"Good," Arthur nodded, "now let everyone be ready, and try to scan the area using your scout abilities and the tree. I want to select the best places to be used as an ambush. Also give me concrete data about the incoming army."
'It's huge,' Gege answered.
"I meant in numbers," Arthur explained further, "I want to know how many there are . Do they have any outsiders? Also any special gears or equipment they are using… everything, I want everything you can get."
'Alright, give me five and I'll return with news I hope,' Gege said while the system remained calm as he started to do his task.
Arthur flew for five minutes in the same direction before he spotted something flashing under the sun rays up ahead. "A defensive shield? Or an invisible shield?" he muttered before heading directly towards that invisible bubble with his fast speed.
"Boom!"
The instant he got in touch with it he felt great force being forced upon him. He was repelled a couple of meters backwards yet he kept flapping his wings and eventually he managed to break through.
"Such a low shield can't stop me," he muttered and the next moment the scene in front of him totally changed.
What was a normal stretch of mountains changed to show a giant sect. The slope sides of the mountains up ahead were remodeled to accommodate many buildings, and the most important feature there was the lack of any wall or anything that had to be related to the defensive buildings and towers of this world.
"There are five peaks here," Arthur noted that from the first glance, "welcome home Arthur," he softly sighed as if being here was like awakening from a very long and tiring dream.
"But…" he paused the next moment before adding in puzzlement, "where is everyone? Where are the sect disciples, elders, and sect head?"
He was standing high and exposed in the air while the alarming sirens kept ranging loudly all over the place. In any sect, even those meager weak ones, once an intrusion occurred and the main alarming bells were issued then the entire sect would be summoned in a grand scene.
And now Arthur stood there for a couple of minutes without being able to see a single soul.
"Are they dead?" he couldn't help but think about this shocking realization.
'Ding! I… don't know anything about this,' the system stuttered before adding, 'Ding! I'll go and ask her then.'
"You should," Arthur nodded before starting to head towards one of the peaks, "this place doesn't look like a sect, but a grave."
The system went silent while Arthur started his investigations. When he flew over the mountain side he spotted many empty buildings with no signs of any life whatsoever.
"That doesn't bode well," he muttered and he feared to be tricked by the world's will to come here.
"Nah, I don't think she did that to trick me," he shook his head, "this is clearly a sect. but the question is where is everyone?"
Just before he reached the first peak, the answer came from the system before his eyes proved his words right.
'Ding! They are here… but all poisoned.'
The moment the system said those words, Arthur reached the first peak and there he found the entire top of the mountain being filled with helpless bodies of tens of thousands of disciples wearing all grey linen clothes.
"All of them?!!" Arthur couldn't help but ask in shock, "what was it? wait a minute…" his mind instantly provided an answer to him, "a poisonous gas!"
'Ding! It was indeed a gas,' the system confirmed his guess.
"That's why she asked me to come? The sect looked strong and had enough people to properly defend him."
'But they all look dead to me,' Gege suddenly said, 'and if we didn't get their help then that incoming battle will be challenging even for us.'
"What have you discovered?" Arthur couldn't help but ask in doubt as he feared to hear bad news now.
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