When there were no traces left of a single parasite, the sects gathered in the Astral Projection sect to dine while divulging their achievements. It was a flawless victory for them. No one was injured or killed, and the mission was a hundred percent success.
Every base that was visible on land were destroyed by the Soaring Swords sect. The members of the cult had not expected the merciless approach of the Sword sect, and were slaughtered without the chance to escape. They were burned alive, had their body cut in half, and were hanged on the branches of the trees to be eaten by vultures or any hungry beasts.
Through their bragging, they certainly didn't leave out their gratitude for the Divine and Astral sect. It was thanks to them after all, they would mention. But in the end, they all learned about the leading person of the entire event.
Xin Feng was praised, and was even promised a statue of him build in each sect. In the description of Xin Feng's statue, they said they would write "The starting point of the strong and wise Celestial, Xin Feng~".
They described that the statue would be the very image of the lean muscled Xin Feng that was staring far beyond the sky like a sage that understood life itself. After all, he was the one who helped prevent a calamity after all, but what made him praiseworthy, were the strategies that he was able to provide. With a few adjustments from the wise leaders, his strategy had become a crucial part to a flawless victory
Nonetheless, Xin Feng didn't care about recognition. But when he saw how Hua Mei was hiding her disappointment of herself, he decided to make a correction to his statue. He told the others that he was able to successfully slay the core of the calamity with the help of Hua Mei.
"That's why I want a few more things to be added to the statue." He continued. He told them to add Hua Mei hanging on his back with a smile that shows how glad she is of their victory.
"This would have a lot of meaning…." He uttered as he continued with his explanation.
"A meaning of an amazing victory."
"A meaning of my strength."
"A meaning of comradeship!"
"Haha! That's right!" Hua Mei yelled out with an overbearing tone. She felt satisfied with Xin Feng's words, and was almost blushing for the fact that Xin Feng thought well of their comradeship as she does.
Metaphorically, she was going to climb to the top with him, even if he was weaker than her. Hearing it indirectly that he would do the same, made her feel a sense of gratitude for putting her trust in the right person.
Amidst her imperiousness, he continued with a smug. "The addition of her would make the statue perfect, because it shows how caring I am to my comrades, how strong I am by showing how I carry my comrades literally and metaphorically, and lastly, it highlights my figure."
The proud face of Hua Mei turned sour in an instant, the moment she heard the last reasons of Xin Feng. She knew that he was joking, but she still felt a tinge of embarrassment from the daring words he uttered. With a playful rage, she shook Xin Feng while shouting "Betrayal!"
They both laughed it off in the end, as they all continued feasting on the sensation of victory.
...
The morning came. Almost everyone in the Patriarch's dining hall lay half asleep on the tables, as they had the chance to take a break for once in their life. At nine in the morning, most of them were up so far, cleaning up the mess they made and leaving.
The second Great elder who was about to leave some gifts behind for Xin Feng, froze for a second. He closed his eyes and went into a meditative state, before he abruptly called out, "A new beginning… A new end!"
At the exact moment that the Great elder yelled, a disciple came rushing inside the hall. Filled with worry and panic, he kept blabbering non-stop that an army of people were floating above their sect, threatening that every cultivator would become extinct soon.
The patriarch calmed the disciple down, before he gestured everyone to be alert of their surroundings and to see what was going on outside. When everyone had stepped their way outside, an army of the Crimson Lunar cult were indeed seen by them in the sky, just like the disciple told them they would.
The sky was darkened and the enormous figure of a bloody planet could be seen covering a large part of the sky. It had become difficult for the average cultivators to see, because the only thing that lightened up the place was the dim light from the moon. Low-realm cultivators and especially mortals were completely blinded in the darkness, and had to light many areas up with fire to see.
"Prepare to meet your end!" A hoarse voice echoed through the entire mountain.