The Profound Gold Sect was not just a sect; it was a fortress city built of solid gold and spirit iron, floating above the clouds of the Iron Wind Continent. It controlled ninety percent of the mining operations in the region.
A single Void Ship approached the city's docking bay. It bore the sect's flag, but it flew slightly askew.
On the bridge, Elder Tie stood at the helm. He was sweating profusely.
Standing behind him, invisible to the external sensors, was Mo Tian. His hand rested casually on Tie's shoulder, his fingers digging into the nerve clusters.
"Smile, Elder," Mo Tian whispered. "You are home."
"Identity Scan Required," a mechanical voice boomed from the city's defensive array.
"It... It is Elder Tie," Tie stammered. "Returning from inspection. I have... prisoners."
"Scan Confirmed. Welcome back, Elder."
The golden energy barrier shimmered and opened.
As the ship glided into the massive harbor, Mo Tian looked out the window. The city was opulent. Streets paved with jade. Towers of gold. Thousands of Human Immortal disciples flying around on swords.
"Rich," Mo Tian commented. "Disgustingly rich."
He tapped his comms.
"Barbarian King. Is the cargo ready?"
Below deck, in the cramped cargo hold, the Barbarian King (Tor) and 1,000 Ascenders stood ready. They were armed with the mining tools and weapons looted from the camp. Their eyes burned with the hunger of men who had been slaves for years.
"We are ready to break chains, Lord," Tor growled.
The ship docked.
A group of disciples walked up the ramp to greet the Elder.
"Elder Tie! How was the mine? Did you bring the quota?"
Elder Tie walked down the ramp. He looked at his juniors. He looked at the city he had served for five hundred years.
Then he looked at the purple flame flickering in his peripheral vision.
"I brought..." Tie's voice broke. "I brought the End."
Tie suddenly grabbed the disciple nearest to him and threw him onto the deck.
"RUN! IT'S A TRAP!" Tie screamed, trying to detonate his own core to warn the sect.
SPLAT.
A black spear pierced Tie's chest from behind, shattering his core before it could explode.
Mo Tian walked down the ramp, stepping over the Elder's body.
"He was always so dramatic," Mo Tian sighed.
He snapped his fingers.
"Open the hold."
The sides of the ship blew open.
"KILL!"
A thousand angry Ascenders poured out like a swarm of ants. They didn't aim for the disciples; they aimed for the infrastructure. They smashed the docking clamps, the fuel tanks, the armory doors.
"Enemy attack!" The alarm sirens wailed.
Mo Tian didn't join the fray. He looked at the tallest tower in the center of the city—the Golden Peak.
"The Treasury is that way," Mo Tian noted.
He vanished.
[Skill: World Walk.]