The atmosphere turned very tense as both sides stared at each other.
Although I didn't care since I have a higher cultivation than the headmaster. Finally, the silence was broken by the headmaster.
"Are you the benefactor?" he asked as he calmly looked at me.
"And what I am?" I asked, looking into the depths of his soul. The headmaster seemed to feel that and shivered before putting on a more respectful tone.
"Our clan welcomes and rewards those that help our clan. As headmaster, I sincerely invite you to our palace," he said as he bowed slightly with a very respectful and sincere tone.
I slowly floated into the air before my body shrunk and transformed into my humanoid figure. All the male cultivators were stunned by my face and some females gasped in jealousy. Even the headmaster looked surprised.
"Lead the way," I said with my mouth. My sinister teeth gave some females a shudder.
"Disciples, please return to your business," the headmaster said as he and the elders quickly left the scene with me following behind. The others watched as they turned into a ray of light.
Following behind, we passed over the beach city and into high mountains. Eight mountains surrounded the outskirts of the island but with enough space that plenty of cities can prosper on the beaches. A huge mountain taller than the rest was in the center with a valley around the entirety. Cities were everywhere in the valleys and even between the the eight mountains. There was large patches of medicinal fields on the sides of the mountains for any disciples. I could deduce that the eight mountains were for the elders and the tallest one was for the headmaster.
The tallest mountain, which was many miles higher than the others, had a huge palace with a single flight of stairs that zigzagged all the way to the top. For a mortal or low-level cultivator, this would be a nightmare traversing.
But right, the place is very gloomy. There is signs that plant and animal life flourished here not too long ago. But the lack of sunlight over these months has become lethal to the islands vitality. All of the plants have dried up like seasonal fall had swept through the area. The ground is covered in dead leaves and the trees are like Halloween.
Even animals seem to have vanished. Only the occasional crows caw as they searched for food. Although it's daylight, the dimly light coming through makes it look like a Halloween night on Earth. Just watching the fast moving mists on the other side of the formation makes it look like one is trapped within a dome.
Landing at the entrance of the tallest mountain, the palace was very similar to the Lincoln Memorial, a national monument in America. Although there's probably not a 16th president sitting in a chair, the architecture is quite similar. The white marble pillars lined up to hold up the white roof, and some stairs leading up towards it.
But that was it, to be factual. The road leading up to it was paved with a type of marble, with little streams on the sides. On the other side of those streams were homes similar to Chinese with the roofing and style. It looks to be a nice place. Occasional beautiful trees were around the palace to make it more beautiful.
I got a good view of how prosperous and beautiful everything would've been before the tribulation, but now it's different from what I'm seeing. The place now looks like a ghost town. Streams are dry and the ground is littered with leaves. The trees are dead, and the place looks abandoned. Except for a few male servants raking the leaves slowly, I would've assumed this was an abandoned place.
The male servants, which didn't have bright expressions, silently moved out of the way and bowed respectfully. We walked up the stairs and pass the pillars. Entering the large entrance, we entered large hallways that were luxurious in decorations and style. Maids and what could possibly be concubines would occasionally pass by, while stopping to bow to us until we passed.
Formations and traps were everywhere for any intruders, and we hidden that any normal cultivator wouldn't see unless they carefully looked.
After going through what felt like a maze, we arrived at a large room. The place was well decorated and had a round table for nine seats. All of the elders and headmaster sat down in their respective seats. The headmaster coughed a little but smiled.
"Sorry for the gloomy atmosphere. Things have been going downhill after that calamity in the oceans. As the closest island, we have it the worst. So apologies," he said respectively.
"No problem, there's always going to be circumstances," I said waving my hand off.
"But we need to thank you, as our benefactor, for saving our disciples while on a dangerous trip. We're truly thankful," he said as he bowed his head a little. The other elders looked at their headmaster a little surprised.
"No need, I was just doing what I thought was right," I said waving it off with a righteous expression.
"Is there anything you need? Please ask us and we'll try to satisfy your requests," he insisted.
"I'd like to stay here until all of this subsides. Until then, I'd like to have a token to enter and exit the formation as I please. I also have a few questions," I asked.
"We can satisfy all those demands. What do you need to ask?" he asked.
"Is there any realms around here?" I asked.
"Of course. We have an annual event where all the eight clans send out a group of a hundred disciples below a certain realm into the realm called the Ice Sanctuary. It's an event that lasts two months before the realm is closed off to replenish it's creatures. But with this weather, it may have to be postponed," he said with a sigh.
"I'd like to participate in this gathering, I've never been in a realm before, and I want to try my luck," I said with a grin.
"Impossible. The place can detect if you have a cultivation above the dantian gathering and will kick anybody out before they can get in. Even if you manage to go undetected, the realm may potentially collapse unless you suppress your cultivation," he said shaking his head.
"I can do it. Have you even noticed my cultivation? Plus, I can shrink myself down to the size of a fist and go in undetected," I said. Seeing his silence, I pushed further in.
"If it fails, then we'll just leave it at that, and I won't participate," I said, rubbing my hands. After hesitating for a minute, he finally gave in and nodded his head.
"I have some experiments I'd like to do. Could I use your vassal kingdoms? I'll make sure nobody dies," I said.
"As long as you don't mess around too much, then it's okay," he said.
"Sweet! If you'll excuse me then. I'll be in the waters," I said quickly running out.
"Ah wai-," he said, but I was already gone.
After advancing my cultivation to xiantian, I've unlocked more abilities related to devour, and I'd like to try them out! Vassal kingdoms here I come!