Heaven's Laws - Lifestone - Chapter 52

The messenger entered the mobile Ice Phoenix cultivation chamber at a run. She leaped to her knees and began talking before her head even touched the floor. Only the temporary disciples that were running errands for guild points would kowtow when they entered. This girl was almost out of breathe, which was nearly impossible for an Earth Realm cultivator, even early ones, unless she’d forgotten to breath for some time.

“This one reports. The elder of the Morning Midst Village has commanded everyone to leave the third floor. It’s said that there is something wrong with the Divine Spire’s defensive array and it’s attacking people.”

Elder Sya shot to her feet as she heard the young woman’s words. “Have we confirmed that any cultivators have been killed?”

Chao and Huifen didn’t wait to exit their side chamber. It seemed their days of mundane reports were over. Pangfua had only been gone for a day, but Chao was getting restless already.

The girl had remained bowed, but she’d settled back on her knees so she could easily glance up to see who they were. Her eyes went wide before her gaze snapped back to the floor. “This one answers. Not to my knowledge.”

“I must investigate,” Elder Sya said. “Will you go with me?”

“Of course,” he replied.

“I’ll ask you to remain at a distance and only interfere if there’s no other choice.”

“You suspect something?” Huifen asked.

“If Elder Harnish is involved, always. The timing is just too convenient.”

“We’ll do as you ask.”

Chao nodded to his mother-in-law. There were other Sky Realm elders from the Ice and Fire Phoenix Sects present, but she’d been given command by Pangfua without hesitation. Her relationship with Chao and Huifen helped, as did her personal relationship with the Sage. Those were far from her only reasons for being chosen. She had the mind and temperament needed for such responsibility. Any other choice would’ve been the wrong one.

As they moved to leave the building, Sya issued a new command to the young fairy that had delivered the report. “Exit the spire and find our elder in charge. Use my name when telling them to gather the joint sect into defensive formation.”

When the young fairy wavered, Sya added, “Go.”

The fairy jumped to her feet and shot passed them.

As soon as they were outside the Ice Phoenix cultivation chamber, Sya called for a nearby elder. A burly Fire Phoenix elder shot over where Chao surrounded them in a sound barrier. Sya gave him the most basic details and her fears that Elder Harnish was up to something. She asked him to contain Quinyuan.

Before Chao’s sound barrier had even dissipated, the man shot into the air, above the constant foot traffic and sect encampments toward the exit. For the transmission jades to reach Pangfua, he needed to be outside the spire.

Another elder she pulled aside, and he flew above the crowd and issued a boisterous command. “Ice and Fire Phoenix Sects assume defensive formation!”

It was like a shockwave went through the crowded first floor. The Joint Sect had amongst the highest number of disciples in the spire, but compared to the total number of occupants they made up a tenth of the total at any one given time. Even if they were greatly outnumbered, the Ice and Fire Phoenix Sects were the preeminent power on the Monolith Continent. To issue a call for defensive formation was a call to war.

There was a moment of shocked silence before screams of fright and desperation rose up from those hurrying to join up with their own sect. The crowd was startled into action like a hive of wasps under attack. Everyone on the first floor scurried about, but the instant they saw an Ice or Fire Phoenix uniform they made way.

Elder Sya wouldn’t have had to take to the air for the crowd parted at her approach but see did anyway to save time. Chao and Huifen made use of this fissure and ran beneath her, doing their best to keep up. By the time the reached the stairs to the second floor, the crowd had made space. There was already a stream of cultivators retreating from the second floor after the Morning Midst Village’s warning. Many Ice and Fire Phoenix disciples had formed up near the Trial of Might platform. Only those still fully engrossed in the trial itself were by the platform and a few brave cultivators that insisted on waiting for their friends.

The joint sect disciples didn’t harass them, but two lines had formed. The Ice Phoenix disciples were formed up with four in the front and four in the back. They stood at ready, scanning the crowd with their weapons in hand. Almost twice as many Fire Phoenix disciples formed up at their flank in a similar two row formation. One of the largest Fire Phoenix disciples was yelling at a few stragglers that remained at the rear of their formation, issuing threats and questioning their sanity.

An Ice Fairy Elder flew in from above and landed between both formations at the rear, immediately taking charge. A Fire Phoenix Elder lead a group out from behind the Trial of Might. They’d just arrived from the second floor. Without a word, he saw the situation and picked up a dozen cultivators with his qi an flew them over to join the formation.

Chao couldn’t help but to feel a little giddy at the sight, even if he wasn’t sure it was necessary. It was a display of discipline and might that none of the other sects could compete with. There was only one exception he saw, and their numbers were half of the joint sect.

The Night Pearl Sect had formed up with the wall to their back. It seemed they wanted to be clear they weren’t forming up directly against the Ice and Fire Phoenix Sect, so they did so caddy corner and at a comfortable distance away.

Before Elder Sya reached the stairs to the second floor, another Ice Phoenix elder led the joint sect disciples that had been cultivating on the third floor. Core Disciple Shoi-ming was at their back, flying low while facing the rear.

“They’re with them,” Huifen whispered. He saw them too. Their disciples were unharmed.

“That’s a relief,” Chao replied.

Sya touched down as Shoi-ming broke off from the group. Beside giving the elder a glancing nod, his gaze was fixed on the way he came.

“Elder Harnish is headed this way,” Shoi-ming said, leaning over to Sya. “The bulk of the Morning Midst Village is with him. After seeing their coordination, it seems they’ve been planning this for some time.”

Hi mother-in-law nodded that she understood.

“Should I stand with you?” Shoi-ming asked.

“There’s no need,” Xiao Tu called out. He marched in from behind, passing Chao and Huifen who had stopped to give Elder Sya her space. As he did, he glanced in their direction and gave them a wink.

His father-in-law’s hands were full. He threw out three array flags with guidance from his qi before he’d even reached them. With one flag at his wife’s back and one on either side a few meters in front of her, he stepped up, patted Core Disciple Shoi-ming on the back, and said, “Thank you, brother.”

Chao heard the normal jovial tone in Tu’s voice, but any real mirth was missing. He was more concerned that he was overstepping than excited to see what he might do.

Huifen grabbing his arm to stop him. Chao looked at her, seeing confidence in the way she shook her head. It was then that Core Disciple Shoi-ming obeyed and flew over to the joint sect’s formation. Instead of landing behind the line of disciples, he landed in front of them and folded his arms over his chest.

“This way,” Huifen said under her breath, tugging Chao’s arm in the direction away from the joint sect formation. Opposite them was a crowd. Most of them were independent cultivators, but there were a few groups from sects that had recently hurried down from the second floor. One such group was from the Night Pearl Sect and Fairy Dvora was amongst them.

Seeing his wife’s intention, he hurried with her. They placed themselves directly in front of the bloated crowd. Not only would it give them a good angle to intercept any attack from the badly hidden sage of the Morning Midst Village, but they could protect the disciples behind them as well as feel out any hidden agents that might attack from the crowd.

Chao made a point to look the Night Pearl Sect elder in the eye. He wasn’t fond of the sect and their cultivation practices, but they were the closest ally the joint sect had in the Divine Spire so he would treat them as such. The woman’s veil covered her face. It was thin enough for him to see her features. “Your sect is formed up over there,” he said, pointing. Other cultivators were giving their formation space, even if it wasn’t as much as they were giving the joint sect. The only problem was that the bulk of the crowd was cutting them off from their sect.

He saw the fairy elder quickly observe their predicament, then consider something before glancing back at the disciples in her charge and shaking her head. She looked like she was about to lead them out into the open so they could make their way around the crowd when a heavy presence made itself known. It came from the top of the stair of the second floor and was heading down.

Seeing that the elder fairy had stopped in her tracks, Chao no longer gave them the option and placed himself directly in front of her, spinning to face the new possible threat. He even stepped back after seeing his wife do the same to blend in with the crowd.

***

Dvora didn’t know whether to stare at the monstrous Tao or divert her gaze. She ended up doing a mixture of the two, not finding the courage to take her eyes off him for long. Then she watched as he tried to direct her elder to the rest of their sect. It made sense. They were allies after all. That didn’t mean he’d give her any leniency. If he really was an overlord like she suspected, he didn’t need permission from her Night Pearl Sect to kill a disciple that offended him. Even if her Sect Master was an overlord as well, she wouldn’t chance offending this Sage Tao for a lowly one such as her.

They were just about to leave when she felt a new aura press down on her as a knew threat arrived. This person didn’t hide it as Tong Tao and his wife. She then saw her elder faulter. To her horror, Tao was suddenly right in front of her, blocking her escape. He’d placed his back to her, and even held his hands out to keep anyone from going around him.

It was then the most terrifying thing happened. The man she’d seen pin a Sky Realm cultivator to the wall touched her. He was motioning for people to move backward, and she hadn’t moved fast enough. His hand had touched hers.

He turned and found her frozen there. Instead of the wrath of an overlord, she saw concern staring back at her. He quickly gave her a look of acknowledgement and even shifted to place himself more in front of her. What was going on? Did he truly not despise her?

A chill swept over her body. It wasn’t from fear but relief. She simply didn’t believe what had just happened. She didn’t dare believe that this Tong Tao, who was a target she’d tried to seduce and blackmail, wasn’t just not hostile but if his body language was to be believed, he was protecting her. Not just her, of course, but he was including her under the umbrella of her sect.

She been living in fear for days. It was enough shock for one day, but that’s when the massive presence she’d almost forgotten arrived. The kindly old Elder Harnish with his brown beard and slightly darker wooden armor came around corner—a proud look on his face. His pace didn’t slow as he took in the reception. More than twenty Morning Midst Village disciples were at his tail. Her Baros was with them.