Another night had passed.
The cleansing of all the bones took hours upon hours, especially regarding the larger ones.
It was the beginning of Early Hour when Shade of Autumn finished.
She was applauded for her efforts and took the time to rest.
Meanwhile, Warrior of Spring and the Lord of Corpse Mountain Settlement looked over the large mass of bones.
"Each of these bones is equivalent to a Qi Conglomerate. The density and Qi of the bones can be absorbed to increase one's skeletal structure."
"Indeed, these will become vital for our plans. With these, our Cultivators' battle strength will increase, allowing us to flaunt our dominance over the other Settlements."
At once, they divided the bones into roughly equal quantities between themselves.
"I assure you that Corpse Mountain Settlement will aid in this great convening of the subsidiary Mortal Settlements."
"Your words are reassuring. With you by our side, we will slowly annex the other Settlements one by one. Our collective battle strength will bow down to no one less than an Immortal."
While that statement seemed founded in confidence, the Settlement Lord could not abate a worrying thought, which he needed to ask of Warrior of Spring.
"Friend Spring, while I admire your ambitions, and can't help but find myself following them, how high can we truly reach as mortals?"
"Hmm... What exactly are your worries?"
"You say that nothing less than an Immortal can harm us, but what if an Immortal attacks us? If we only ally ourselves within the mortal world, how could we resist an Immortal-level attack?"
Looking around, Warrior of Spring scanned the surroundings, seeing no one in sight. But, adding an extra layer of protection, he created a bubble which withheld the world outside from entering.
In short, everything inside, whether it be noise or sight, could not be spied on through any means necessary.
While this was not unnoticed by the Settlement Lord, he made no move, but could not withhold the subtle tension in his body.
"I assure you, it is less than likely that an Immortal will be attacking us any time soon."
"How can you be so sure?"
"This is something you need to keep secret, Lord."
"..."
"I understand. Please, Friend Spring, tell me what this is about?"
Warrior of Spring folded his arms as he leaned back, inhaling deeply before breathing our turbid air.
"From what I know, two Immortal Settlements were brought down by Demonic forces. Star Gazing Settlement, whose culprits have not been found, or known, and Union Settlement, whose culprits are also unknown."
"However, there is a likely chance for these culprits to be Immortals, which works best in our case. If it were a beast or Spirit with battle strength rivalling that of Immortals, only then would we be in trouble."
"Such lifeforms are attracted to an abundance of Qi, and with a large number of Cultivators focused in one area—without Immortal Aid, that is—we would be merely a dish served on a plate to such a lifeform."
Corpse Mountain Settlement's Lord's worries did not wane, so he questioned again.
"So... We are likely susceptible to being attacked by beasts or Spirits, but instances of such lifeforms attaining Immortal battle strength are low. That is reassuring. However, what does this have to do with Demonic Cultivators attacking our unified Settlements?"
"Do you know why Immortals rarely make a move?"
"...?"
Tension was replaced with confusion, and soon replaced again with curiosity.
"No... No, I do not..."
"When Immortals wield such incredible battle strength, why must they send their lower-ranked Cultivators out to handle their duties? There is no doubt that a Demonic Immortal could've handled our Settlement much easier than even that Bone Devouring Dragon, or those other Cultivators."
"That is true... But what does this mean? I thought that all Immortals had unanimously agreed to refrain from taking action in the mortal world, that is what Lord Immortal Union had told me..."
"That is not wholly the truth. Immortals are also bound by Cultivation. The Immortal Realm is not beyond cultivation, but another stage of Cultivation."
Such a revelation left the Settlement Lord astonished, who quietly continued listening to Warrior of Spring with a slack jaw.
"I do not know the intricate details, but as I was told by a friend, Immortals can not act during the Beginning or the End of Cycles, at least, not overexpressively."
"Then... Friend Spring, because it is the Eleventh Epoch, Xu... an Immortal's activity is reduced, if not wholly stagnant, to the point they refrain from acting in the mortal world...? But why?"
"I am not sure, but I can assure you that an Immortal will only act if it is necessary, or if the benefits can justify its activity."
"So an Immortal will only act if another Immortal, or similar lifeform, acts. But if an Immortal seeks something, the benefit must be befitting that of an Immortal!"
"I see you have reached an understanding, Lord."
Palming his forehead, the Settlement Lord sighed exasperatedly.
"Immortal Union was attacked by an Immortal because there was a benefit in doing so, but our Settlement was not attacked, and likely not the others, because nothing they had justified Immortal action?"
"Precisely. What we hold is important to these Demonic Cultivators, but it is not enough to warrant an Immortal's action. That being said, we will only face mortal-level threats, but there is a saving grace."
"And that would be Corpse Mountain, yes?"
"Indeed. There is no doubt that they covet the corpse that is buried within the mountain."
Warrior of Spring gazed solemnly over the pile of bones.
There were not only these conjured bones from that Demonic fiend, but also the corpses of those myriad beast corpses.
In another warehouse, there were the preserved corpses of the fallen mortal Warriors and Cultivators.
Warrior of Spring closed his palms tightly and placed his fists on his hips.
"Although it pains me greatly, we have no other choice but to leave, and to allow those Demonic fiends to achieve their goal."
"In the end, it all feels as if it was for nought, but we have no other choice but to move forward. Friend Spring, we will live from tonight onwards, and get our revenge on another night."