"What do we do now? These two don't know anything."
Deep in the valley was a group of cultivators wearing black robes along with masks to mask their identities. In the middle was a steel cage that held the two missing male disciples, Tie Lang, and the normally reticent Jia Yan.
Their faces were filled with fear and confusion once again. This was the second time in a short span of time that they've been kidnapped!
It was almost as if their lives were given a bit more importance due to the arrival of something and that it was using them as side characters to magnify the importance of that something.
"Don't worry, the other disciples are somewhere in the valley as well. All we need to do is to watch out for the human, he's the one we want, anyway. Besides, we have the Bronze Seat with us. What do we need to fear?"
Mentioning this, all the cultivators turned to the back where there sat a figure with his eyes closed, another figure in black seemingly detached from the rest in both behaviour and demeanour.
He wore a mask like the rest, but his was different as it was completely bronze and meant to signify his status more than anything else.
His cultivation base couldn't be felt by any of them, but the aura that he released alone told them that his power was unfathomable.
Their expressions were filled with fear and respect as they stared at him.
"So what do we do now? Do we go after the rest of them?" One person asked.
"Yes, but we can't be carele—"
Suddenly, the Bronze Seat's eyes flashed open in slight surprise.
"Interesting, they've come of their own volition and what an interesting development we have here as well."
These were the first words that this Bronze Seat spoke since he's been here, causing a hush to fall over the conversation that the others were having.
His voice sounded like metal grinding on metal, extremely uncomfortable to the ears.
As soon as he said this, a ruffle came from the bushes nearby and out came two figures. One of them had tears streaming down her face while the other appeared indignant with rage.
"Senior apprentice-sister Feng Yu and apprentice-sister Shen Ling!"
"Shut up!" the black-robed figures shouted, silencing their captives.
Jia Yan and Tie Lang were both excited and scared at seeing Feng Yu and Shen Ling. For one, they were grateful to know their friends were okay, but at the same time, they were scared to know they were now discovered by these mysterious figures.
"Get them!"
The black-robed figures roared while their cultivation bases exploded as cauldrons of differing grades appeared behind them.
Their cultivation averaged at around one or two star cores! These men were all Martial Masters!
"Stand down, all of you!"
The Bronze Seat shouted, causing all the charging figures to freeze in place.
All of them were confused as to why the Bronze Seat refused to let them capture them. What if they ran away?
Of course, they couldn't escape or anything, but at the same time, it would be a bit more troublesome.
"Why don't you come out now?"
The bushes rustled once more and out came Long Di. He was behind the girls and he wore that same impassive expression.
"Hello everyone, my name's Long Di, and who may I say I have the pleasure of speaking with?"
Long Di came out of the bushes fearlessly and even went as far as to introduce himself with all the etiquette found in a 5-star customer service call centre.
"Amusing," the Bronze Seat said, before standing up.
Long Di's eyes furrowed when he heard him, and he entered deep thought as well because he knew he had to get to the bottom of this.
Long Di was just about to open his mouth when the Bronze Seat pre-empted him. "I'll call you brave for not running away, even after you sensed me here. Your mental cultivation must be quite advanced if you were able to sense my cultivation the way you did."
It was obvious at this point that the existence Long Di sensed within the forest was the mysterious figure before him.
"I can tell you made a plan with these girls, but when you sensed my power you changed your mind and even attacked the stronger disciple to bring her and the other one over to us."
His words struck everyone like lightning, especially the two captured disciples. They couldn't believe their ears.
Did Long Di truly betray them, simply to save his own skin!?
They looked at him, hoping for some refusal of this mysterious person's words, but he said nothing as if it was tacit approval of what he said.
Furthermore, when they looked at Shen Ling and saw that she had tears streaming down her face, they knew he was speaking the truth. In addition, there was a wound on her shoulder that she held to keep blood from flowing out.
The other black-robed figures relax, hearing their leader's words.
"Unfortunately, you have no idea what our true goal is. You are not even aware that you are the reason we are here. Not these… brats, but you and the thing you used to cause trouble…" his sight drifted to the sword that Long Di held.
'Seems the rumours were right. There is a weapon here held by this brat that contains tribulation lighting. Those cracks probably tell the story of its age and it's so profound that I cannot even tell its grade, I cannot sense it all!'
"I only have one question," Long Di's expression was the same, but the tension was palpable, the situation unstable.
The Bronze Seat and everyone else slightly held their breath waiting for his question.
One wrong word from either party could cause a disaster. After all, though Long Di was strong, his cultivation base was weaker than the collective group, and he was much weaker than the figure who called him out.
However, that sword, the sword in his hand, if erupted by him, could cause serious casualties, and the mysterious figure knew it.
He thought that Long Di would bargain his life for the sword. "Ask."
His voice echoed once more, a metal groan that hurt the senses, causing even Long Di to flinch.
As he thought of how to construct his question, his hands subconsciously tightened around the handle of the sword.
All the others went on edge when they saw this. 'Would he fight?'
"Steady."
The mysterious figure calmed his men. He himself didn't react. After all, he felt no killing intent from Long Di and knew he was not preparing to strike, but was about to ask what he wanted.
It was probably the pressure bearing down on him that compelled the slightest of actions.
"I just have one question," Long Di finally looked back up at the figure before him. He took a deep breath in before breathing out.
"IS there something in your throat?"