Li Yu, Cyra, and Jian Xuan did not wait for a ship to be prepared. With a single command, Tempest materialized in the sky above Sunken Treasure City, and the three of them became a pearlescent silver streak, shooting north with incredible speed. Their destination was a pre-arranged rendezvous point several hundred miles south of the Boreal Empire's border.
Kui was already there, his own journey having begun the moment he received the first troubling reports. After several hours of swift, silent flight, they spotted it: a lone, sturdy vessel on the vast, blue expanse of the ocean. It was a standard Golden Shell Guild transport ship, a clear symbol of the guild and hopefully their peaceful, commercial intentions.
Tempest descended gracefully, landing on the ship's spacious main deck. Kui was there to greet them, his usual cheerful demeanor replaced by a grim, worried frown. The sight of Li Yu, Cyra, and especially the now 4th level Soul Formation expert Jian Xuan, brought a visible wave of relief to his face.
"Wise Host," he said, his voice a low, urgent rumble. "Thank you for coming. The situation is worse than I thought. All communication with our people inside the empire has been cut off for a while now."
They moved from the windswept deck to the ship's command cabin, a large room dominated by a massive, intricately detailed map of the northern territories.
"I have already initiated our standard protocol for this kind of situation," Kui began, his merchant's mind immediately shifting into strategic mode. "I have sent a formal diplomatic request ahead of us, under the full authority of the Golden Shell Guild. It states our neutrality in this conflict, acknowledges the new authority of the First and Third Princes, and respectfully demands the immediate and safe release of all our personnel."
He pointed to several marked locations on the map, prosperous cities that were now under the princes' control. "We have offered to leave all of our guild's goods and physical assets in those cities behind as a gesture of goodwill. We want nothing but our people."
"It's an attempt to do this like businessmen. We show respect, we want our people back and they get our assets in return. We also give them an easy, peaceful way to avoid antagonizing a powerful, neutral third party."
"And if they refuse?" Cyra asked, her voice quiet but sharp.
"That," Li Yu said, looking at Jian Xuan, "is why you are here." He then laid out the second phase of their plan that they had discussed earlier. "Jian Xuan will be accompanying us, but not as a simple guard. He will be presented as one of the Golden Shell Guild's Grand Elders. If their answer is not to our liking, our position will shift from a polite request to a direct, high-level demand. The safety of those who work for us comes first."
Kui's eyes lit up with a shrewd, appreciative gleam. They would approach first as reasonable merchants, and if that failed, they would reveal the iron fist of a true powerhouse hidden within the velvet glove. Sometimes it was easier to buy your way out of trouble, other times it required a big fist.
"We must get our people out immediately," Kui affirmed, his expression hardening. "This situation with the mass disappearances… it is not normal. I do not want that happening to our people, not only would it be a loss of their life, we would be losing their skills as well. It would be incredibly bad for business and equally our reputation."
The conversation then turned to the enemy they were about to face. And most of all, they spoke of the chilling reports of entire towns vanishing without a trace.
"I have seen something like this before," Jian Xuan said, his voice a low, grim murmur, a dark memory flickering in his ancient eyes. "On my home continent, roughly 50 years ago. A rogue demonic sect rose to power. Entire villages in their territory began to go missing. No bodies, no signs of a struggle. Just… empty homes and silent streets."
"What was the cause?" Li Yu asked.
"A blood sacrifice," Jian Xuan answered, his voice cold. "A massive, ritualistic array that spanned hundreds of miles. They were using the life force and souls of tens of thousands of mortals to power a forbidden technique. It was believed they were trying to summon a demon, or a being from a different realm or dimension, or from some other place; no one knows for certain, as the ritual was never completed."
He looked at the map, at the vast, sparsely populated lands of the Boreal Empire. "By the time the sects discovered what was happening and intervened, the death toll was catastrophic. Thankfully, they were able to stop the ritual before the portal, whatever it was, could be opened. The sect behind it was annihilated, and they left no trace of their origins."
He shook his head. "The strict lockdown, the absolute refusal to let anyone in or out, the mass disappearances… It all points to a similar pattern. They are hiding something, and they are willing to kill on a massive scale to keep it a secret."
The atmosphere in the cabin grew heavier, colder. This was no longer just a rescue mission. They were flying towards a potentially world-altering catastrophe.
With their strategy set, the ship continued its steady journey north. The vibrant, turquoise waters of the south gave way to the cold, gray, choppy seas of the northern coast. They began to see the signs of war. The charred remains of villages and the distant pillars of dark smoke on the horizon.
Finally, after a long and tense journey, they arrived. The border city of the Boreal Empire was a place Li Yu had visited before. It had always been a formidable military fortress that served as the southernmost shield of the empire. It was no longer a bustling trade hub; it was a place of soldiers, high walls, and a constant, simmering readiness for war.
The only thing that had changed was the banners. The royal crest of the Boreal Empire was gone, replaced by the fierce, snarling dragon of the Soaring Dragon Sect and the personal crests of the First and Third Princes.
As their lone, clearly marked Golden Shell Guild transport ship approached, it was directed by a series of signal flags to a large, cleared landing zone a safe distance from the city's main gate. It was an area clearly designated for diplomatic or high-level arrivals, a no-man's-land between the fortress and the outside world.
Their ship landed with a heavy thud. The ramp lowered, and Li Yu, Kui, Jian Xuan, and Cyra walked out onto the cold, northern soil. They stood before the massive, imposing walls of the city, a small group of four against the backdrop of a nation at war.
A moment later, a gate in the massive wall opened, and a delegation began to walk out to meet them on the open field. The first phase of their plan was about to begin.