Chapter 226: Standoff
The six powerful forces that arrived were none other than those from the Soloman clan, the Aka Boshi no Tengan clan, the Grand Fae Spirit Alliance, the Bright Brilliant Blade sect, the Thunderous River Pounding sect, and the Rammoni clan. The person who spoke out earlier was a Pristine Soul expert of the overly arrogant Rammoni clan, a powerful clan mainly located in the depths of the Central Region but with great ties to a large territory in the Southern Central region.
"You don't wish to respond eh? Then I think we should dispose of this barrier and annihilate everyone within it!" the man arrogantly said with a disdainful tone.
"No. We can't just do that so close to the White Star Radiance sect. If this mountain collapses the damage would be catastrophic." A voice reverberated among the Grand Fae Spirit Alliance forces. It carried a weight equal to the Rammoni expert. He was none other than the Hobbit race Grand Elder who fought alongside the Fanged Elves' Third Grand Elder a few years ago in the Fae Region. Since then he had broken through into the Soul tier and had now become a Pristine Mortal Lord, most commonly referred to as a Pristine Soul expert.
"Hah. Who the hell are you to tell me what to do? We will rip this barrier apart and slaughter everyone in it if we don't receive an answer soon!" the Rammoni clan expert shouted disdainfully without a care for the Hobbit Grand Elder's words.
"Rammoni clan, I advise you not to do that. My Aka Boshi no Tengan clan has clan members affiliated with this sect." A rough voice came from an Aka Boshi no Tengan expert with a hint of warning. He was none other than the Region Leader who was first alerted to the Kokon Tengan's appearance through the clan's Red Soul Eye treasure.
The Rammoni clan expert and those within his large magical aircraft clicked their tongues in annoyance. They were one of the clans that did not fear the Aka Boshi no Tengan clan, but they were still wary of openly provoking them.
Without warning, the Thunderous River Pounding sect unleashed a barrage of powerful attacks that slammed heavily against the Blue Sphere. Loud rumbles echoed as massive ripples spread across its surface.
"What are you doing?!" the Region Leader of the Aka Boshi no Tengan demanded with a grave expression.
"Hmph. The invaders have yet to speak, so we're shaking them up a bit," a rough voice from the Thunderous River Pounding sect said fiercely.
At that moment the blue entity inside the sphere waved one hand toward the Thunderous River Pounding sect. Their barrage of attacks was suddenly swallowed by a glaring blue light. The sphere absorbed every attack before expelling them at even faster speed and with far more power, sending them flying back toward their original owners.
"Shit! Defend against it!" the Pristine Soul expert of the Thunderous River Pounding sect shouted in alarm. Their group unleashed more attacks and summoned a barrier around their magical aircraft.
Bo bo bo BOOOOM!
After a rapid chain of explosions every attack shattered into dust and the large magical aircraft was blasted backward with its barrier left on the brink of destruction. The other forces looked on with grave expressions.
A voice was then heard from within the mountain. "Friends, we mean no harm. I am the Patriarch of my Blue Mountain Star clan. We were expelled and on the brink of ruin, but were saved by that great expert."
A projection of the Patriarch appeared, rising into the air behind and slightly below the blue entity as he bowed toward everyone present.
"Blue Mountain Star clan? Hmph. To me you are still invaders," the Pristine Soul expert of the Rammoni clan sneered.
At that moment the blue entity moved. At a speed almost no one could track he shot out from the mountain and appeared before the Bright Brilliant Blade sect, startling every single force present. A faint pressure rolled off his ghostly form as he stared at three specific figures inside the magical aircraft.
"I can sense Master's aura on you all. Who are you to Master? Where is Master?" the entity asked.
The Bloodflame Sword Duke Rowan, who had been concealing himself inside the Bright Brilliant Blade sect's magical aircraft, stepped forward. Elder Rukia and the man with the unkempt hair and three swords on his back watched with grim faces. The moment they heard the word 'Master' their minds began piecing together troubling conclusions.
"By Master, who exactly are you referring to?" Rowan asked with a grave yet complicated expression.
"I am referring to Master. To… uhh… Master. My memories…" The entity held his head as if something was painfully resisting recall. "I sense Master on you. I sense him far more on her. Woman, tell me where Master is. Now."
"Who are you to demand things from me, you bastard? I don't even have the slightest clue who or what you are and yet here you are barking orders," Rukia snapped without fear.
The entity paused as he stared at her with mixed confusion. Then his gaze swept across the other five forces. His eyes lingered on the Grand Fae Spirit Alliance for a moment before drifting toward the distant White Star Radiance sect. His ghostly pupils trembled.
"Huh? Wait. Could it be…? Ugh… my head… Master? Or a successor?"
The Bright Brilliant Blade sect experts all stiffened. Rowan's gaze sharpened as he prepared himself.
Right then a golden beam of light streaked across the skies at incredible speed, alarming everyone present.
"Eh? Pristine Master Christopher?" the Region Lord of the Aka Boshi no Tengan clan said in shock as his Aka Boshi no Tengan eyes focused on a figure riding alongside the golden light.
"Ahh Sect Master, you finally came!" Rukia said with relief before her expression hardened once again.
"The Bright Brilliant Blade Sect Master?" The Rammoni clan froze all movement. "And he's with Prisitne Master Christopher of the Aka Boshi no Tengan clan… and I don't recognize that third person."
Similar talks could be heard among the other forces as the golden light stopped after arriving beside the Bright Brilliant Blade sect's magical aircraft.
"It's you again." The entity said with a blank expression as he looked at Jinhyuk standing before him atop his glowing golden sword. Christopher and the unknown expert stood on a platform of solidified aura created by the sword while holding onto him.
Rowan looked over, somewhat surprised by their appearance. Rukia and the man with the unkempt hair and three swords smiled with relieved expressions.
Jinhyuk let his voice ring out only among the six forces gathered in the sky. "I am here to send greetings on behalf of my Bright Brilliant Blade sect. I have also come to invite you to the sect for a serious discussion. Also, I request that the friends on the treasured Blue Star Mist mountain remain patient so we can discuss certain matters."
Everyone who heard this was startled for their own reasons.
The Blue Mountain Star clan felt relief mixed with confusion and concern. It felt as if, for some reason, their fate had fallen into the hands of outsiders, and that feeling was uncomfortable.
Many other forces were shocked by how familiar the Bright Brilliant Blade sect master seemed with the Blue Mountain Star clan. Some were even skeptical about the sequence of events so far.
The projection of the Blue Mountain Star clan's Patriarch wore a wry smile as he swiftly replied, "It would be an honor. The only question is where to station our mountain."
"There is an open space beside the giant barrier created by the trees down below. I would like those of the Grand Fae Spirit Alliance to relay that information to the White Star Radiance sect." Jinhyuk replied with a calm smile.
"W-wait, Sect Master Jinhyuk, what exactly is the meaning of this? Why are you making such decisions on your own without our input?" The Rammoni clan's Pristine expert spoke up, still respectful but clearly dissatisfied. The Thunderous River Pounding sect and even the Soloman clan were hesitant. The Grand Fae Spirit Alliance was more accepting, given their strong alliance with the Bright Brilliant Blade sect.
The Aka Boshi no Tengan clansmen remained silent, looking to Pristine Master Christopher. Given the relationship between his descendants and the White Star Radiance sect, they naturally awaited his stance. He only glanced at them before looking back toward the blue entity, which told them everything—they would wait and watch.
The unknown expert standing beside Christopher and Jinhyuk muttered something under his breath. The Pristine Master of the Soloman clan suddenly shuddered faintly as he looked at the man in surprise before a determined expression settled on his face.
"Our Soloman clan has no issue with Sect Master Jinhyuk's arrangements," the Pristine Soul expert said with conviction, shocking his own clan members and several surrounding forces.
"Similarly, our Aka Boshi no Tengan clan is fine with these arrangements."
"Our Bright Brilliant Blade sect will follow the sect master's will."
"Our Grand Fae Spirit Alliance, on behalf of the Fanged Elf tribe, also accepts these arrangements."
The Thunderous River Pounding sect suddenly felt an unexpected pressure rise, and after a tense moment they relented. "Then our Thunderous River Pounding sect also accepts this arrangement."
The Rammoni clan experts looked as though they had swallowed bitter poison. After a long pause they finally replied, "Do whatever you want then. Our Rammoni clan does not agree, but we will step back."
The blue entity's gaze did not leave Jinhyuk and those around him. His eyebrow lifted slightly. "Interesting. Then as per my agreement with the Blue Mountain Star clan, I have brought you here. Everything else is up to your discretion."
With a wave of his hand the giant mountain shot through the air and crashed heavily onto a large rugged hill marked by old destruction. The violent quake startled every expert in the area. Thankfully, Aeloria and the others had already been informed about the situation and moved to respond.
The giant blue barrier around the mountain dissipated as mist rolled outward, spreading across the hill and merging the mountain into its new surroundings.
Jinhyuk turned to Rukia and tossed her a scroll, directing his voice only to the members of the Bright Brilliant Blade sect, Christopher, and the unknown expert. "Junior Sister Rukia, take this. I'll leave this matter to you. Also look after the three younger generation groups of the Soloman clan, the Aka Boshi no Tengan clan, and our sect that have almost arrived here. As you can see…"
"Yeah yeah, I understand, Sect Master. I think I almost completely understand what is going on. Hmph." Rukia replied with sarcasm before huffing in annoyance. Her gaze drifted back to the glowing blue entity, filled with both intrigue and helplessness.