Grand Elder Huo’s eyes glead with sothing deeper. "Not a sha. This was inevitable. Spies do what spies must. But in fleeing, they reveal themselves. Now, they will run to their nests, to the places they deem safest. And that..." He paused, his voice steady as the grinding of mountains, "...gives us the chance to burn the nest all at once."
His analogy settled heavily in the courtyard. It was the sa as scaring ants back into their hole, only to collapse the earth above and flood it with fire.
Lin Mu nodded in agreent, his expression calm but resolute. "Then that’s what we’ll do. If the Ephera Sect is truly moving in the shadows, let them gather. When the ti cos, we’ll strike, and their fear will be justified."
The snakes twined together with a pleased hiss, Little Shrubby growled low in approval, and Ashy let out a sharp caw, wings spread as if in anticipation of the storm to co.
The pieces on the board were shifting. And Lin Mu knew, deep in his heart, that the Ephera Sect had just been forced one step closer to their end.
Lin Mu’s thoughts lingered on the conversation about the spies and the inevitable confrontation with the Ephera Sect.
The storm ahead was clear, and his role in it would be pivotal. But before the tides of conflict swept in, he needed to refine himself further, to ensure there would be no cracks in his foundation when it mattered most.
His gaze shifted toward the tall, scarred figure standing a few steps away. The sight of Grand Elder Huo, the old man’s single eye smoldering with the fire of countless battles, reminded him of sothing he had promised.
"Grand Elder," Lin Mu said evenly, his tone carrying weight. "Perhaps it is finally ti for that spar I promised you."
At once, a spark ignited in the old man’s eye. For a heartbeat, the seasoned elder looked less like a weary veteran of millenniums and more like a warrior at the cusp of battle, veins of excitent pulsing through him. His lips stretched into a wide smile that was equal parts fierce and pleased.
"Yes," Grand Elder Huo rumbled, his voice filled with restrained vigor. "This is the right opportunity. You have just broken through, and you need ti to reassess your strength. And what better whetstone than a Transcendent Immortal?"
The weight of his words spread through the courtyard like rolling thunder. Daoist Chu and ng Bai exchanged glances, both knowing exactly what such a spar entailed.
Lin Mu gave a faint smile.
He had wanted to cross blades with Grand Elder Huo long ago, back in the Xian Sword Sect. But they had restrained themselves, knowing the devastation their clash could cause. Even if they fought outside the sect, the forests, mountains, and countless beasts would be destroyed in the aftermath of their exchange.
What they needed was a battlefield where collateral damage mattered little. A barren land, lifeless and desolate. And now, standing within Ash Crown City, they were close to one.
"When shall we begin?" Lin Mu asked calmly.
Grand Elder Huo’s smile widened, his voice booming like fire cracking through dry wood. "Why wait? Nothing like right now."
The answer stirred the air itself. Lin Mu nodded without hesitation.
The two rose into the sky, streaks of immortal light breaking through the dusty haze, and took off eastward. Behind them, Daoist Chu and ng Bai followed astride Little Shrubby’s back, the beast’s flaming tail trailing through the air like burning cot.
ng Bai, halfway through the flight, slapped his forehead suddenly. "Right! Elyon and Cattaleya!" he exclaid, pulling out his communication jade. "They’ll want to be here for this."
Daoist Chu chuckled. "A wise decision. Elyon has been busy sniffing out traces of the Ephera Sect and the Hidden Cave Sect. And Cattaleya..." His tone grew amused. "Well, she’s been drinking as usual, but she made us promise to inform her when Lin Mu left seclusion. She intends to test him herself."
ng Bai grinned as he quickly sent ssages to both of them, his eyes flicking toward Lin Mu with a look of unspoken admiration. "She’ll have to wait her turn this ti."
Their group sped across the skies, the horizon stretching open before them. Soon, the silhouette of Ash Fall Basin ca into view: a vast scar upon the earth, ringed by jagged cliffs. Just before it lay their destination: a sweeping expanse of flatlands, nearly a hundred kiloters wide.
The land here was a graveyard of fire and stone. The surface was blanketed in several ters of gray ash, each step sinking into its soft but heavy weight. Beneath that ash slumbered cooled lava, hardened over centuries into jagged black veins that spidered across the earth.
The air slled faintly of sulfur, dry and sharp, the remnants of countless eruptions long past.
It was a dead land. Nothing grew here. No beasts road. No birds cried. It was silent, save for the distant hiss of winds carrying fine ash across the plains.
The perfect battlefield.
Daoist Chu and ng Bai landed a safe distance away, their gazes already heating with anticipation.
Little Shrubby padded to their side, his tail swishing with excitent. The twin snakes, Xiao Yin and Xiao Yang, slithered from his back to coil along the ground, their tongues flicking rapidly as they sensed the coming storm.
Ashy flapped down onto Daoist Chu’s shoulder, feathers ruffling in agitation. "This is going to be noisy. Very, very noisy," she muttered, though her beady eyes glead with sharp interest.
Lin Mu and Grand Elder Huo floated in the center of the barren plain, facing each other. Their auras were suppressed, but already the ash stirred faintly beneath their feet, shifting as if caught between breaths of two sleeping titans.
The Transcendent Immortal’s eye burned with the heat of battle, while Lin Mu’s golden gaze was calm, steady, and eager.
The silence before the storm stretched across the ashen land.
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