Re: Evolution Online

Back in the Green Mountain Sect...

The alchemy disciples were busy cleaning up the streets after the recent Dralura attack. Broken stone littered the roads, several buildings had partially collapsed, and scorch marks covered sections of the normally pristine district where the fighting had been particularly intense.

Groups of disciples moved between the damaged structures, clearing rubble and repairing whatever they could while the sect’s formation masters worked on restoring the defensive arrays.

The atmosphere was considerably gloomier than usual.

The attack itself had been bad enough, but that wasn’t what worried most of them. Thousands of disciples were still trapped inside the Treasure World, several portals remained unusable, and nobody knew when the situation would return to normal.

Then suddenly a bell rang.

DONG!

Several disciples stopped working. Another bell followed.

DONG!

This time, almost everyone looked up.

"What’s happening?"

"I don’t know."

"Another attack?"

Weapons immediately appeared in several hands, but before anyone could panic, a voice amplified by mana spread throughout the district.

"All disciples remain calm. There is no attack."

Everyone relaxed slightly. Then...

BOOOOOOM!

A massive golden pillar of light suddenly erupted from the highest mountain of the sect. The disciples froze.

One formation after another illuminated across Green Mountain, enormous runes spreading through the sky until a translucent barrier covered the entire sect. It wasn’t the hurried activation they had witnessed during the Dralura attack either. This time, every layer of Green Mountain’s ancient defensive formation was awakening.

The disciples stared upward.

"What the hell?"

"Didn’t they say there wasn’t an attack?"

"Then why are the grand formations activating?"

Nobody had an answer. High above them, powerful figures began appearing, including the elders, peak masters, and Grand Elders. One after another, they emerged from secluded cultivation grounds throughout Green Mountain and flew toward the main peak.

Some of the younger disciples had never even seen several of these figures before, yet now they were appearing in rapid succession. Inside the main hall, the atmosphere was even heavier.

An elderly man sat at the head of the chamber, dressed in plain green robes. His appearance was almost disappointingly ordinary, without any overwhelming aura or visible phenomenon surrounding him, but every elder present remained standing while he alone occupied a seat.

A golden message floated before him. The old man’s eyes moved slowly across the words. Then he snorted. "Xerathuna."

Several elders exchanged glances. One finally stepped forward. "Ancestor, the message was transmitted through a Celestial Court channel. They claim that one of our disciples is a wanted criminal bearing a Divine Temple Sigil and demand that Green Mountain surrender him immediately upon their arrival."

The old man scratched his beard. "Demand?"

The elder hesitated. "That is the wording they used."

"How polite."

Nobody mistook his tone for approval.

Another elder stepped forward. "High Priestess Xerathuna is apparently coming personally."

Xerathuna wasn’t some ordinary priestess. Her name carried weight far beyond a single world, and if she had personally decided to descend upon Green Mountain for one disciple, then whatever trouble that brat had created was clearly much larger than they had realized.

The Green Mountain Ancestor, however, remained calm. "What did the boy do?"

The elders looked at one another, seeing if anyone had answers. Finally, someone cleared his throat. "We are... still determining that."

The old man’s eyebrow rose.

"You received a demand from the Celestial Court to surrender one of our disciples, activated every defensive formation on my mountain, dragged me out of seclusion, and none of you thought to determine what the boy actually did?"

Several faces became awkward. "Ancestor, the disciple has been difficult to locate. He’s inside the Treasure World."

"Then ask him when he comes out."

The elders stared at him. One carefully said, "Ancestor... Xerathuna specifically warned us not to interfere."

The old man looked at him. "And?"

The elder immediately shut his mouth.

The Green Mountain Ancestor leaned back in his chair. "I don’t care what grudge she has with the brat. I don’t care what he stole, who he offended, or how many Celestial Court robes he pissed on."

Several elders coughed.

"While he stands on Green Mountain, he is a disciple of Green Mountain."

The hall became silent.

"If he committed some crime, she can present the evidence, and we will judge it ourselves. If she merely wants to kill one of my disciples because she dislikes him..." The old man smiled. "She can try."

Far below the main peak, the alchemy disciples knew none of this. They only knew that every ancient formation protecting their home had suddenly awakened. Then space above Green Mountain trembled.

A thin golden line appeared across the sky. Golden light poured through the line, widening it.

One of the alchemy disciples dropped the pile of rubble in his arms. "Uh..."

Beside him, another disciple swallowed.

The spatial crack continued expanding until it stretched across the heavens, and an enormous golden gate gradually emerged from within it.

Divine pressure descended. Even through Green Mountain’s formations, countless disciples felt their bodies grow heavy.

Before they could recover from the oppressive sensation, figures began emerging from the gate in a steady procession, first paladins clad in radiant golden armor and then priestesses wreathed in divine light, until dozens of powerful cultivators stood suspended above the sect.

The moment the final figure stepped through the gate, every paladin and priestess moved aside and lowered their heads in unison.

A breathtaking woman emerged from between them, dressed in flowing silver-white robes that fluttered gently around her slender figure, while her pale hair cascaded almost to her waist and a golden eye slowly opened between her brows.

High Priestess Xerathuna stepped into the sky above Green Mountain, and as her cold gaze swept across the sprawling sect beneath her.

She searched for only a moment before her voice passed effortlessly through the defensive formations and reached every corner of the sect.

"Where is Liam?"

Xerathuna waited above the sect with her hands loosely clasped behind her back, showing no sign of impatience as the golden eye between her brows moved slowly across the mountains below.

Although layers of defensive formations stood between her and the sect, she could still sense the Divine Temple Sigil somewhere within Green Mountain’s territory, which was more than enough to confirm that the information brought to her had been accurate.

The little rat was here.

Before she could attempt to pinpoint his exact location, however, an old voice drifted from the highest mountain and passed effortlessly through the formations separating them.

"Xerathuna, you arrive above my sect with enough people to start a war, tear open space without permission, and immediately demand one of my disciples. Has the Celestial Court finally decided that basic manners are beneath it?"

"So you are still alive, old bastard."

A chuckle answered her, and a moment later, the doors of the great hall at the summit opened as an elderly man in plain green robes walked outside. His appearance was almost disappointingly ordinary compared with the divine spectacle filling the heavens.

The Green Mountain Ancestor continued forward until he reached the edge of the sect’s grand formation, where he stopped with his hands clasped casually behind his back. Several Grand Elders followed at a respectful distance, but he paid them no attention as he examined Xerathuna and the forces gathered behind her.

"Unfortunately for you, I still have a few years left."

"A few?" Xerathuna’s lips curved slightly. "Judging by that face, I would have guessed a few days."

The old man stroked his beard thoughtfully. "And judging by your temperament, I would have thought someone would have beaten some manners into you by now, yet apparently both of us continue to defy expectations."

A few Green Mountain elders immediately found the distant scenery fascinating.

Xerathuna’s smile remained, although the divine pressure surrounding her quietly grew heavier. "I didn’t come here to exchange insults with you."

"That’s disappointing. You were always much better at that than diplomacy."

"Enough."

The amusement disappeared from her face as she raised one hand, causing a golden sigil to materialize above her palm.

"One of your disciples has been marked by the Celestial Court," Xerathuna said.

"He has stolen property belonging to us, killed those sent to retrieve it, and repeatedly escaped judgment. Archon Von Brehalen encountered him recently and personally placed a Divine Temple Sigil upon his soul, which is the only reason that little rat finally became visible to us again."

The old man smiled. "So what exactly did he steal?"

"His accomplishments are irrelevant. I informed you of my arrival as a courtesy because of our previous dealings, but I did not come here seeking permission. Surrender Liam to me, and the Celestial Court will leave without involving anyone else."

"Sure. I’m not going to stand in your way." The old man simply chuckled as he spread one hand toward the vast sect beneath him. "Feel free. Be. My. Guest."

Xerathuna stared at him for several moments, clearly having expected resistance after his earlier attitude, while several of the Grand Elders standing behind the ancestor looked equally surprised.

They had prepared themselves for an argument at the very least, perhaps even a confrontation with the Celestial Court if matters deteriorated far enough, yet their ancestor had apparently decided to step aside without demanding so much as an explanation.

What was going on here? Why did it feel as if his attitude made a sudden 180? Just a while ago, he had been determined to stand against the divine temple no matter who arrived in their sect, and now he was being this carefree? They simply did not understand.

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