The celebration across the Sanatan Fla Sect continued long after the administrator ships disappeared beyond the clouds.
Disciples still shouted excitedly across the mountain grounds while damaged sections of the training arena were already being repaired under Elder Wu’s direction. Several younger disciples carried broken monunt fragnts proudly through the sect like trophies won from battle.
One outer disciple had sohow already carved:
"STRUCK DOWN BY MASTER SHAURYA"
onto a large black stone fragnt.
Elder Jian Fan confiscated it imdiately.
anwhile—
The atmosphere near the ruined central platform had gradually beco quieter.
The elders remained gathered near Shaurya while the mountain winds swept softly through the drifting evening mist. The orange sect banners above fluttered calmly beneath the fading sunlight.
And standing nearby—
King Tian Long had still not left.
That alone was enough to make the elders attentive.
Because earlier, during the evaluation, the king had laughed freely.
Relaxed.
Amused.
Now—
That ease had disappeared.
His silver eyes carried visible seriousness while he quietly watched the distant horizon beyond the mountain peaks.
Shaurya noticed imdiately.
"...Alright."
He folded his arms slowly.
"You definitely stayed for sothing important."
Nearby, Elder Wan nodded while holding another handful of spirit peanuts.
"Agreed."
He casually offered the bag toward King Tian Long.
"...Peanut?"
King Tian Long stared at him for one long second.
Then sighed.
"...No."
"Your loss."
Elder Liya rubbed the side of her forehead again.
"...Why are you still eating?"
"Stress managent."
"That explains absolutely nothing."
anwhile—
King Tian Long finally turned toward them fully.
The amusent near his expression was gone now.
Only seriousness remained.
And the mont the elders noticed that—
The atmosphere shifted imdiately.
Even Wang Tian and Luo Chen gradually stopped arguing in the background.
King Tian Long spoke calmly.
"The main reason I ca personally today..."
A brief pause followed.
"...was not the sect evaluation."
Shaurya’s expression sharpened slightly.
King Tian Long continued:
"I ca because a threat is moving toward the Azure Dragon Kingdom."
Silence settled across the mountain.
Even the wind itself seed quieter.
Elder Wu’s eyes narrowed slightly.
"...What kind of threat?"
King Tian Long answered imdiately.
"Liu Tong."
The na landed heavily across the platform.
Several elders’ expressions changed instantly.
Elder Liya’s gaze sharpened.
Lin Shu slowly folded her arms.
Even Elder Wan stopped eating.
anwhile—
Shaurya blinked once.
"...Who?"
Everyone looked toward him.
King Tian Long stared silently for several seconds.
"...You do not know him?"
Shaurya looked genuinely confused.
"...Should I?"
The king slowly exhaled.
Then shook his head slightly.
"That sohow makes this situation stranger."
Nearby, Xiao Rui whispered quietly toward Sheng Lu:
"That sounds ominous."
"It IS ominous."
King Tian Long stepped closer toward the ruined edge of the training grounds while his voice lowered slightly.
"Liu Tong is not a sect master."
"Nor a kingdom ruler."
"He commands a rcenary force."
A brief pause followed.
"But calling them rcenaries is misleading."
His gaze darkened slightly.
"They are closer to an independent army."
Now the atmosphere truly changed.
Because rcenary groups in cultivation worlds were common.
But armies powerful enough to concern kings personally—
Were not.
King Tian Long continued calmly:
"For years, Liu Tong has moved between border territories gathering rogue cultivators, wandering experts, assassins, war refugees, and fallen sect mbers."
"He accepts anyone."
"No background restrictions."
"No moral restrictions."
"No loyalty requirents beyond strength."
Elder Wu’s expression beca heavier imdiately.
"...Dangerous."
"Extrely."
King Tian Long nodded once.
"Normally his forces remain outside kingdom affairs."
"But recently..."
His silver eyes moved toward Shaurya.
"...he began advancing toward this region."
Silence followed.
Shaurya frowned slightly.
"...And that concerns because?"
King Tian Long looked directly at him.
"Because he is searching for you."
The words landed sharply.
Several disciples imdiately stiffened.
Even Wang Tian’s grin faded slightly.
Shaurya blinked once.
"...?"
Shaurya’s expression finally shifted slightly.
Not playful.
Not arrogant.
Focused.
He looked directly toward King Tian Long.
"...Why exactly is Liu Tong coming after ?"
The mountain winds moved softly through the silence afterward.
King Tian Long answered imdiately.
"Because he belongs to the Righteous Alliance."
The words landed heavily across the platform.
Several disciples frowned instantly.
Even Wang Tian’s expression darkened slightly.
But Shaurya still looked confused.
"...The Righteous Alliance?"
King Tian Long slowly nodded.
"The largest righteous cultivator organization across the Eastern Regions."
His silver eyes narrowed slightly.
"They possess influence stretching across multiple continents."
"Kingdoms."
"Sects."
"Trade routes."
"rcenary groups."
"Information networks."
A brief pause followed.
"And this continent..."
His gaze swept toward the horizon.
"...is only one of their branch territories."
Now the atmosphere beca significantly heavier.
Even Elder Wu’s expression turned serious.
Because organizations at that level were no longer ordinary regional powers.
They were monsters.
King Tian Long continued calmly:
"The Righteous Alliance claims to preserve balance."
"To eliminate demonic cultivators."
"To maintain order across cultivation territories."
Then his tone cooled slightly.
"But in reality..."
"...they eliminate anything they consider dangerous."
His eyes rested directly upon Shaurya.
"And recently..."
"...they declared you one of those dangers."
Silence.
Several disciples imdiately reacted.
"WHAT?"
"That’s insane!"
"How are we demons?!"
Xiao Rui pointed toward himself imdiately.
"I literally clean the sect every morning!"
Sheng Lu sighed.
"That sohow makes us sound guiltier."
anwhile—
Shaurya suddenly froze slightly.
A mory surfaced.
Several years ago.
Right after Ye Xuan’s death.
Back then, City Lord Xu had warned him quietly while discussing the aftermath spreading beyond the Azure Moon Dynasty.
At the ti, Xu had ntioned outside rumors.
Stories.
Whispers.
So people calling him a monster.
Others claiming demonic inheritance.
So even saying the Sanatan Fla Sect was built through forbidden ans.
Shaurya ignored all of it back then.
Because it sounded ridiculous.
He thought the cultivation world simply exaggerated everything.
Then slowly—
Recognition appeared on his face.
"...Ah."
He rubbed the side of his forehead once.
"Oh."
A brief pause followed.
"...Those rumors."
King Tian Long nodded imdiately.
"Yes."
His expression remained serious.
"They never disappeared."
"They spread."
The mountain winds swept quietly across the ruined training grounds.
King Tian Long continued:
"The faster your sect grew..."
"The stronger your disciples beca..."
"The more attention you attracted."
"People began asking questions."
"How did a nobody rise this quickly?"
"How does a low level sect destroyed royal family?"
"How are disciples advancing beyond normal cultivation laws?"
"How does your sect possess resources even major powers struggle to gather?"
Every question deepened the silence further.
Then King Tian Long spoke the final truth directly.
"The Righteous Alliance decided there were only two possibilities."
His gaze sharpened.
"Either you possess an ancient inheritance beyond imagination..."
"...or you are practicing demonic cultivation."
Wang Tian imdiately looked offended.
"That logic is garbage."
"Unfortunately," Elder Wu said quietly, "large organizations often fear what they cannot understand."
King Tian Long nodded once.
"And the mont fear appears..."
"...the Righteous Alliance acts."
Then his voice lowered slightly.
"You need to understand sothing clearly, Shaurya."
For the first ti since arriving—
True warning entered his tone.
"The Righteous Alliance is not so ordinary sect."
"If they truly decide to eliminate soone..."
His silver eyes moved toward the distant kingdom lands below the mountains.
"...they possess enough influence and military power to erase entire kingdoms."
Dead silence followed instantly.
Several younger disciples visibly stiffened.
Even Luo Chen’s grin disappeared completely.
King Tian Long continued calmly:
"And this ti..."
"...they are sending Liu Tong."
The na itself felt heavier now.
"He only recently erged from seclusion after more than a decade."
"During those years, he disappeared completely from public sight."
"No wars."
"No campaigns."
"No appearances."
"But the mont he returned..."
A faint coldness entered the king’s expression.
"...the Alliance imdiately pointed him toward the Azure Dragon Kingdom."
Elder Liya folded her arms tightly.
"...aning they are taking this seriously."
"Very seriously."
King Tian Long answered imdiately.
"Liu Tong is not an investigator."
"He is not a diplomat."
"He is not a negotiator."
A brief pause followed.
"He is a war-hungry predator."
The disciples quietly listened.
King Tian Long’s voice remained calm.
"But what makes him dangerous..."
"...is that he hides behind righteousness."
"He invades under the banner of justice."
"He slaughters under the na of order."
"And once the Righteous Alliance labels soone demonic..."
His eyes rested directly on Shaurya.
"...people stop questioning the bloodshed."
Silence crashed over the mountain again.
The situation had changed completely now.
This was no longer about rumors.
No longer about sect rankings.
This was the beginning of a sanctioned hunt.
anwhile—
Shaurya stood quietly for several seconds.
Thinking.
Then slowly—
A grin appeared on his face.
Sharp.
Interested.
Dangerous.
King Tian Long imdiately frowned.
"...Why are you smiling?"
Golden spiritual energy flickered faintly around Shaurya’s eyes.
"Because..."
He slowly folded his arms.
"...if they’re coming all the way here to hunt ..."
A brief pause followed.
"...then I should probably prepare a proper welco."
destroyed a royal family?
They beca a heavenly demon.
It happened constantly.
King Tian Long continued staring at Shaurya for several long seconds before finally speaking again.
This ti—
His tone carried none of the earlier amusent.
Only seriousness.
"You should take this matter seriously."
The mountain winds swept quietly across the ruined training grounds while the disciples gradually beca silent once more.
King Tian Long’s silver eyes remained fixed on Shaurya.
"You are already labeled as a demon."
The words landed heavily.
Not dramatic.
Not exaggerated.
Just truth.
Nearby, several disciples clenched their fists imdiately while Elder Liya’s expression darkened slightly.
King Tian Long continued calmly:
"The Azure Dragon Kingdom will not doubt you."
A brief pause followed.
"Because they have seen you."
"They saw what happened under Ye Xuan."
"They saw what your sect beca."
"They saw how many lives changed because of you."
His gaze shifted briefly toward the disciples standing proudly behind Shaurya.
"This kingdom knows the Sanatan Fla Sect protects people."
Then his voice lowered slightly.
"But the outside world does not."
Silence spread quietly across the platform.
King Tian Long continued:
"To distant regions..."
"You are simply a young cultivator who appeared from nowhere."
"A man who destroyed an entire royal bloodline."
"A sect master whose power grows beyond reason."
"A dangerous unknown."
Several disciples imdiately looked furious again.
But Shaurya himself remained calm.
Then he finally spoke.
"But Ye Xuan was the real demon."
His golden eyes sharpened faintly.
"I was saving people."
King Tian Long nodded imdiately.
"We know that."
A brief pause followed.
"But people beyond this kingdom do not."
His voice remained calm.
"And most importantly..."
"...they will not care enough to investigate deeply."
The mountain winds moved softly through the silence afterward.
King Tian Long folded his arms behind his back.
"Fear is easier than truth."
"If people hear the words demonic cultivator..."
"They imdiately search for reasons to justify hatred."
"And in your case..."
His gaze settled directly upon Shaurya.
"...they already have reasons."
"The destruction of the previous royal family."
"The rapid rise of your sect."
"Your impossible growth."
"Your overwhelming power."
Every sentence deepened the atmosphere further.
King Tian Long continued quietly:
"To many people..."
"...you already look dangerous."
"Even if you save them."
Dead silence followed.
Then—
Shaurya sighed softly.
Not frustrated.
Just tired.
"...That sounds like their problem."
Several disciples imdiately straightened proudly.
Shaurya folded his arms calmly.
"I already understood sothing long ago."
His gaze moved briefly toward the disciples behind him.
"I am not a hero for people’s appreciation."
The mountain wind brushed softly through his black-and-gold coat.
"My job is simply to save people."
A brief pause followed.
"Even if those sa people fear afterward."
Silence.
Complete silence.
Even the disciples looked slightly stunned hearing that.
Because unlike his usual dramatic behavior—
This sounded honest.
Simple.
Real.
King Tian Long’s eyes widened faintly.
For several seconds—
He said nothing.
Then slowly—
A smile appeared on his face.
Not amusent.
Not mockery.
Understanding.
"...I see."
The king looked at Shaurya differently now.
Like he had finally understood the person standing before him more clearly.
Then his expression beca serious again.
"And that is exactly why I support you."
A brief pause followed.
"But support alone will not stop the Righteous Alliance."
His gaze darkened slightly.
"And Liu Tong..."
The mountain atmosphere suddenly felt colder.
"...is not a normal enemy."
Several disciples unconsciously straightened again.
King Tian Long’s voice lowered.
"That man is closer to a beast wearing human skin."
"He enjoys war."
"He enjoys conquest."
"And after years of seclusion..."
His eyes narrowed faintly.
"...he returned hungry."
Shaurya tilted his head slightly.
Then suddenly asked:
"...You speak like you know him personally."
Silence.
King Tian Long looked at him quietly for several seconds.
Then sighed.
"...I do."
That answer imdiately sharpened everyone’s attention.
Even Elder Wu narrowed his eyes slightly now.
anwhile, Shaurya’s expression beca more focused.
Then he spoke calmly:
"Then tell about him."
Golden spiritual energy flickered faintly around his eyes once more.
"Because if soone dangerous is marching toward my sect..."
A brief pause followed.
"...I should probably know what kind of enemy I’m about to break."
The mountain winds swept heavily across the ruined training grounds.
And King Tian Long’s expression slowly darkened.
To Be Continued...
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