The Golden Shell Guild's transport ship lifted off from the frozen field, its ascent slow and deliberate. It turned and headed south, a clear and undeniable retreat. On the walls of the border city, Vice Sect Leader Zha Wu watched it go, an unreadable expression settling on his face. He had followed his orders, and the powerful, troublesome merchant guild had been turned away. He believed the matter was, for the moment, concluded.
A few miles south of the border, the ship settled into a stable, hovering position, they were never planning to leave, they wanted to discuss the next path forward. Inside the command cabin, the atmosphere was anything but triumphant. It was a cold, simmering pot of fury and frustration.
"Unreasonable!" Kui spat, slamming his fist on the large map table. The solid stone surface cracked under the force of his anger. "They are completely unreasonable! Their excuses were pre-written nonsense. They had no intention of negotiating from the very beginning. They are hiding something, something big."
Jian Xuan, who had been observing everything with his profound spiritual sense, entered the cabin, his face a mask of cold, analytical calm. Li Yu quickly summarized the dialogue and the absolute refusal to consider any compromise.
"They are not acting like a sect who has just made a powerful political alliance," Jian Xuan stated. "They are acting like prison wardens. Following orders from another."
"Exactly!" Kui exclaimed. "Their actions make no sense from a strategic or political standpoint. To so thoroughly and arrogantly provoke a power like our Guild… it's illogical. They are being coerced or controlled by that 'unknown supporter' Fengliu mentioned."
A heavy silence fell over the cabin. The evidence, though circumstantial, pointed towards a far more sinister conclusion. They were dealing with a force that was not just conquering a nation, but most likely harvesting it. Something else was happening here, they just didn't know exactly what that was.
"Then diplomacy is over," Kui said, his voice a low growl. "We have to get our people out of there, now."
Li Yu nodded, his expression grim. It was time for their backup plan that was decided on ahead of time. He looked at Jian Xuan. "It is time for the Second Grand Elder to make an appearance," he said. "However, the enemy has a 9th level Core Formation expert, and we still do not know the identity of their true backers. We will not reveal our full hand yet."
His gaze was cold and strategic. "Show them the power of a peak Core Formation expert. It will be more than enough to shatter their composure, but it will keep your true strength hidden as our final trump card."
Jian Xuan gave a single, sharp nod of understanding.
"Turn the ship around," Li Yu commanded.
The transport ship, which had been heading south in a clear retreat, now banked in a wide, aggressive arc. It turned its prow back towards the north, back towards the formidable border fortress.
This time, there was no pretense of a polite, diplomatic approach. Jian Xuan walked to the prow of the ship, his simple guard robes dissolving into a magnificent, flowing robe of dark, embroidered silk, the symbol of a Golden Shell Guild Grand Elder blazing on his chest. As the ship began to accelerate, heading directly for the city, he unleashed his power.
An aura of pure, undeniable power erupted from his body like a tidal wave. It was the aura of a peak Core Formation expert, but it was the densest, most terrifying, and most absolute peak Core Formation aura imaginable.
It was a wave of pure, suffocating pressure that rolled out ahead of the ship, a spiritual battering ram that announced their coming. The wave of power slammed into the border city long before the ship was there.
On the city walls, the thousands of disciples who had been relaxing after the departure of the "meek" merchants were hit by a force like an invisible mountain. The weaker disciples instantly collapsed, their consciousness scattered. The stronger ones fell to their knees, gasping for air, their weapons clattering to the ground.
The defensive formations of the city flared to life, but they flickered and groaned under the sheer, oppressive weight of the aura. Alarms began to blare, their panicked sounds almost pathetic in the face of such overwhelming might.
The Golden Shell Guild's ship then flew into the very wave of pressure its passenger had created, its approach swift, aggressive, and utterly contemptuous of the city's defenses. It came to a halt a bit from the main gate, a silent, imposing presence that now radiated an almost unbearable menace.
Then, Jian Xuan spoke, his voice infused with his powerful spiritual energy, a booming, thunderous decree that rolled across the entire, terrified city.
"I AM THE SECOND GRAND ELDER OF THE GOLDEN SHELL GUILD! WHO DARES TO KEEP THE PEOPLE OF MY GUILD FROM LEAVING?! YOU BETTER COME OUT AND GIVE ME A REASON NOW!! OR I WILL TURN YOUR FORCES TO ASHES!"
Inside the city, Vice Sect Leader Zha Wu, who had just sat down, felt the terrifying pressure and heard the booming declaration. The teacup in his hand shattered, and he fell from his chair, his face as white as a sheet. A peak Core Formation expert. A Grand Elder of the guild had already come, no he was always there. His mind reeled in terror.
In their secret chamber, the two cloaked figures were also stunned. The wave of spiritual pressure washed over their room, and they could feel its immense, terrifying weight.
"A peak Core Formation expert…" the woman whispered, a note of genuine shock in her voice. "The Guild's Second Grand Elder? They sent a figure of that stature here, for mere low-cultivation people?"
"This is not a common practice," the man said, his voice a low, troubled growl. "Even the most powerful sects do not value their rank-and-file members this highly. We don't have anyone important to them that we are aware of. To deploy a Grand Elder for a simple rescue… we have miscalculated. We have gravely underestimated their resolve." He looked out the window, towards the lone, imposing ship. "Things will not end so easily now."
The standoff had been broken, and the power dynamic had been completely and irrevocably shattered.