The journey back to the sect was a quick one, Li Yu was burdened with this new found knowledge and wanted to quickly go back home to rest. The tranquil landscapes of the south were a soothing balm after the grim, war-torn north. Upon his arrival, the familiar, peaceful energy of the sect settled over him like a warm blanket.
For a moment, he could almost believe that the horrors of the Hegemony's fortress, the cosmic revelations of the seven continents, and the terrifying power of beings like Khaos and Malek were all just a distant nightmare. But the quiet would not last.
Before he could settle back into his courtyard he made his way to the main peak, his mind still a swirl of thoughts. When he entered the Sect Leader's hall, he was surprised to find four people waiting for him. The two grand elders and the Sect Leader, a man whose presence had always seemed as stable and as timeless as the mountain itself, looked older, more weary. And beside him stood Han, his senior brother and the Sect Leader's chosen successor.
"Li Yu," the Sect Leader said with a warm, tired smile. "Welcome back. It is good to see you are unharmed." He gestured to Han. "As you can see, I have brought Han with me today. I have been contemplating it for some time, and I am thinking of entering secluded cultivation soon, to focus on my own path and attempt a breakthrough. It is time for Han to begin learning the full duties of a Sect Leader, and that includes understanding the true powers that shape our world."
Han, who had always viewed Li Yu with a mixture of camaraderie and a sense of a senior-brother and friend, now looked at him with a new, deeply unsettled expression. It was a look of wariness and shock. The Sect Leader had clearly already told him the truth.
He now knew that the unassuming junior brother in front of him was the true power behind the Golden Shell Guild, a man who commanded incredibly strong experts. His entire understanding of Li Yu, and of the balance of power in their world, had been turned upside down.
Li Yu gave a brief but comprehensive report of the events, omitting the most sensitive details about Khaos's nature but confirming the alliance with the Forest of the Radiant Dawn and the new, wider political landscape. The Sect Leader listened with a grave expression, while Han's shock only deepened with every word.
After the formal report was concluded, Li Yu spent the rest of the day in a more relaxed fashion, seeking out the familiar comfort of his own small circle. He found his master, her expression as serene as ever, and they spoke for hours, Li Yu unburdening himself of the weight of the journey without revealing some of the world-shaking secrets he now carried, her words and casual conversation a nice break from everything else.
Later that evening, Fengliu came by with a report from the north.
True to their word, the Forest of the Radiant Dawn enacted their purge with a swift and terrible efficiency. Their battle-hardened disciples, led by the one-armed but no less fearsome Lysander, swept through the northern territories.
They did not engage in protracted sieges or political maneuvering. They moved from city to city, their purpose singular: to eradicate all traces of the Midnight Infernal Hegemony and their collaborators.
The two princes, their armies already in disarray, were captured within the first week. The key sect leaders who had knowingly allied with the Hegemony found that their powerful cultivation bases meant nothing against the coordinated might of the Radiant Dawn's experts.
There were no trials, no negotiations. The Forest group employed a unique soul search technique, a gentler, non-destructive form of interrogation that allowed their spiritual masters to sense the truthfulness of a person's soul and detect the lingering taint of demonic energy. It was through this method that they were able to roughly know if someone was lying or not, separating the true conspirators from those who were merely deceived.
The guilty were executed without mercy, their deaths a stark message to any who would traffic with the Abyss. As Grand Elder Theron had predicted, the Queen of the Boreal Empire had declared the Forest of the Radiant Dawn her saviors and had granted them a vast swathe of territory for their new headquarters.
The lands of the defeated sects were divided between the Forest and the Empire in a public, formal ceremony. Li Yu understood the strategy. The public announcement wasn't just for the citizens of the Boreal Empire; it was a clear and potent message meant for those fanatic groups in hiding, like the Beast and Human Revolution Factions. The message was simple: a new, powerful, and utterly ruthless player was on the field. The Forest was here now. Don't cause trouble, or be killed.
Fengliu then paused for a while and then started speaking seriously.
"The description of the demonic cultivators from the Southern Jade Continent, provided by the Radiant Dawn and cross-referenced with your own account, bears a striking resemblance to the man that I saw," Fengliu explained, his voice low and tight with a barely controlled emotion. "The soul-tainting energy, the corrosive nature of their power… it all aligns with the fragmented clues we have. The man who killed my sister…"
He took a shaky breath, his professional mask slipping for a moment. "It is not conclusive, of course. But it is the strongest lead I have ever had. It is highly probable that the person I am looking for is, or was, a member of a demonic group from the Southern Jade Continent. He could be here or back in the southern continent by now."
Li Yu closed his eyes in thought. The personal quest for revenge that had driven his subordinate for so long was now inextricably linked to the greater, inter-continental war he had just stumbled into. He opened his eyes and placed a hand on Fengliu's shoulder. "We will find him," Li Yu said, his voice a low, firm promise. "I swear it."
Fengliu finally had direction, he would look into these demonic groups with even greater vigor. However, with them based in the south, he would need to find a way to get there. His power was also not significant, he needed to become stronger in order to fight these people and get his revenge.
Li Yu was thinking they would most likely be getting involved in these conflicts whether they wanted to or not. Everyone was in danger, hiding wouldn't help stay away from the dangers. He needed more time to grow, to become even stronger. Only with strength could there be peace on his own shores.
He didn't want to be involved in these conflicts, he wanted to enjoy life and all that it had to offer. He couldn't just hide all the time to do so, he needed the strength to make sure everyone stayed away from him.