The Sarth Continent was mostly wilderness interspersed with civilization. The powers under Darkmoor Kingdom set up defenses for their towns and cities but open roads were rare between them due to inability to maintain them. The various aether beasts, Ruins, and other hazards of the cultivation world would destroy or distort any lone road.
Transfer arrays were cost intensive for many of the small powers but Darkmoor Kingdom set up many to let its soldiers and envoys quickly cross vast distances. Without them, it would take years to leave from the proper area Darkmoor ruled directly to the various powers it oversaw. These transfer arrays were open to travelers for a nominal fee with 2 exceptions. The Divine Sword Sect and Heavenly Maiden Sect.
They were not allies but the power of the 2 sects made the Darkmoor Kingdom compromise on this point so long as they were at peace. Both sects were highly honorable but vastly different in how they treated their areas of Sarth.
The Divine Sword Sect had many roads heavily defended by patrolling swords men and women. Battle was their forte and they constantly defended the cities under their purview as a cultivation honing experience. As such, the Divine Sword Sect members were both highly respected and rarely arrogant as beast can be a humbling experience. Some would call them insane at times as swords could be their obsession.
The last major area was the Heavenly Maiden Sect. It seemed to be a mix of Darkmoor and Divine Sword Sect. There was massive wilderness but well maintained roads as well. If the Divine Sword Sect was a representation of force and Darkmoor a representation of survival of the fittest, the Heavenly Maiden Sect was artistry given form.
Pristine white roads would carry a traveler to towns and cities nestled in hills or forests that were kept tidy by Heavenly Maidens assigned to various areas. They used battle, formations, and all manner of ways to keep their citizens safe but they also encouraged people to cultivate and strive for what they wished to reach for.
The aether beasts were still a threat but arrays setup at intervals kept anything below Diamond Tier away from population centers and Gold Tier and below away from the roads. It could occasionally still need defenses if there was a beast horde or other manifestation, but their formations would give an early warning in most cases.
The rest of the time it was a glorious balance between nature and man. It was a cultivation haven for many itinerant cultivators so long as they obeyed the rules. Both Divine Sword Sect and Darkmoor had a pervasive criminal element, but the Heavenly Maiden Sect had draconian punishments that made most other powers blanch. Those that had thought they could 'procure some companionship' due to the nature of their sect had learned the hard way that was not tolerated.
Residents, on the other hand, rejoiced if their daughters chose to enter the exams for the sect. It guaranteed resources for cultivation and a good chance to have family taught special techniques. Even if a person failed to gain entry, there were minor sects under the Heavenly Maiden Sect that still gave good resources to their members.
At the center of the territory, a pristinely white wall surrounded a massive compound with ever shrinking rings. The wall was emblazoned with the symbol of the sect, a golden woman surrounded by clouds. It was a symbol of hope or fear depending on what side of the law you encountered them.
The outer court was the largest area that had its own treasure hall, mission hall and so forth while the inner court was separated by a smaller wall but still pristine white. The outer court was group housing to hold the disciples while the inner court had at most 4 roommates housed together in a common layout. Higher quality halls were here for them as well and Elders could take them as assistants.
The next area was the core court that had the fewest members but great power. The other 2 courts were a mix of Soul Realm and World Realm at Sand Tier but if a disciple could make it to the Stone Tier before 40, they would be admitted to the Core Court. There were exceptions, however.
A woman in battle dress with leather padding sewn onto the white color of an Outer Court Elder was moving towards the central area with a large palace overlooking all the courts. The path was for disciples only as there was a main road for visitors to take. A pleasing view was seen as many outdoor training sessions were held with calm meditation happening in equal measure.
Shoti had changed drastically since her last trip to Darkmoor. She had toned down her distracting clothing but now it was entirely replaced with a proper battle dress. Her whip technique was also a nightmare for any disciple learning from her. When she had been an outer court disciple she had been irreverent and a source of headaches for all the elders.
She had been told she was wasting her potential as she had been closing in on 20 with no sign of focusing on her cultivation. It all changed when she came back from the assignment to the Southern District of the Lotus Empire. It had been a humble request and easily fulfilled, but Shoti mostly wanted an adventure. She wanted an excuse to go out and prove she was better.
Lind had changed that.
He had not been distracted by her wiles and had not underestimated her strength as so many fools before had. Solon from the Divine Sword Sect had admitted he would have had a fatal distraction from her back then. Instead, a 15 year old kid had evaluated and put his cultivation on the line to protect his big sister from that scum of a man.
He had left an impression and had inspired her to work harder. If a backwater 6 elemental can push himself so far, why couldn't she? When she finally broke through to the World Realm, she learned her potential had indeed been squandered a bit. Even so, she had proven a wonderful cultivator and chose to become an Elder.
She could still have a lucky encounter, but Iron Tier may be as far as she goes. A flash of dark green eyes made her blush as she thought it would not be so bad. The last trip to the Lotus Empire had changed her again. Lind had grown up but he had not changed.
He approved of her progress and spoke to her as a friend even though they were now separated by a major realm. It had been refreshing to have that moment, but then he went and said all those things! Shoti shook her head as she knew it was not the time to ponder and it would take a few more encounters to be sure of herself. Right now, her friend needed help.
"Elder Shoti, what brings you to the Sanctum?" A powerful aura at the Iron Tier came down on her, but Shoti merely frowned at the source. The prodigy of her generation had breezed up the cultivation ladder to Iron Tier before she was 25!
"I am here to assign an envoy to the Lotus Empire, Core Elder Sharon." Sharon had rich brown hair that was clipped short to her shoulders and wore 2 swords on her back. She was a terrifying swordswoman that the Divine Sword Sect wept not to have discovered before the Heavenly Maiden Sect. Her clear gray eyes were full of disdain but any elder could come to the Sanctum as they chose. Assigning an envoy, however, required permission.
"And just what authority are you going to use to assign such a person?" Sharon, for several reasons, loathed Shoti. The one Shoti knew for sure was that the request for guest elders usually meant an elder had taken a fancy to a man they wanted to keep inside the sect. This could be a master of alchemy, weapon refining, or some other profession to simply a powerful cultivator that caught their fancy.
Sharon had brought a man in when she first became an Elder, but the man had caught Shoti training with her whip and even though she was only in the Soul Realm as an outer court disciple, the man had expressed interest in Shoti. Shoti was not responsible for his idiotic actions and out right rejected him, but he had lost all interest in Sharon.
Shoti actually enjoyed it when Sharon sent him packing but it remained a barb in Sharon's heart. It was why she likely would never be able to break through to Gold Tier as it had become a heart demon to everyone's eyes. It was not, however, even a candle to the terror of what was relayed to her about Lind.
"I have the authority of the Sect Master." A badge appeared in Shoti's hand that made Sharon frown even more but there was no doubt it was authentic. Why an outer court elder would have such a badge was annoyingly obvious. A service rendered or important contract that the sect master wanted maintained through established lines of contact. Sharon had no idea what Shoti had done, but no doubt she would expend far too much energy on the matter now.
Shoti did not care at this moment.
She brushed past Sharon and moved further into the pristine halls lined in gold that made up the Sanctum. It was a modest palace in design but in size it was in no way inferior to any palace. The legends had it that the Heavenly Maiden Sect started as a place for women to safely gather from the myriad powers that chose to see them as nothing more than mothers or cauldrons depending on which side of karma they hailed from.
A fortress had been built with powerful formations but intentionally humble as there was no need to declare power until such time as it was needed. After many battles and confrontations in the political arena, the sect had soared to the peaks and spread across the Mortal Realms.
Shoti never thought much of it, even now, but the simple layout made it easy to find the healing wing. As with any power, they had experts in every field headed by elites that gathered under the banner of the group that nurtured them. Heavenly Maidens Sect boasted powerful healers but their specialty was mental ailments.
Many of the acolytes that were brought in by elders or raised by the sect bowed to Shoti. Most of them had no idea who she was, only that she had the symbol of an elder on her right breast. The silver emblem reflected the same shape as the wall that surrounded the sect. It marked the lowest rung of elder, but still deserving of respect.
Shoti finally found the courtyard she wanted. There were 2 women standing in similar battle dress as her but theirs was far more powerful. They were low Iron Tier. They only nodded to Shoti and allowed her to pass. It had been some time since it was so easy to visit this person but Shoti was the only one that had a free pass from the guards.
The location and security would indicate an expansive set of quarters but the person that lived here had no desire for such. The greatest luxury they afford was a room entirely devoted to jade slips and scrolls to be read at leisure. The rest of the room was kept orderly with the smell of acrid chemicals due to open vats of alchemical soups. There was also one more thing in the room.
A small jade vial with marks on it that divided it up into 4 portions. It was a deep violet and compared to most of the things in the room, it was only grade 1. A gorgeous blonde woman was wearing a baggy white robe with many pockets. It hid her features but Shoti smirked to remember many jokes played during bath time long ago. She knew men would have sold their souls to be there but Shoti had done it for more than enjoyment. Her friend needed fun badly in those years.
"Whatever it is, Shoti, I have no time for it. This elixir is far more important." Shoti smirked knowing her friend was about to change her tune. First, though, Shoti activated the formations to isolate the room. The action made the blonde whip up her back length hair to stare sternly at Shoti but then she saw the Sect Master's emblem in Shoti's hand.
"I have chosen you for a mission but before you complain, it will be to attend to the creator of that elixir." The pouting face was instantly replaced with a wide smile. Her pale eyes were sometimes seen as silver or a light gray. If she wore even minimum makeup, she would be a Goddess. Shoti always felt it was a waste but she understood her friend well.
"You will finally tell me who made this?" Shoti had to lean away as her friend nearly overpowered her. This woman was a peak Stone Tier but her skills as a healer were nearly a minor realm above.
"Qing, you need to calm down! I have already told you a lot about him!" The instant the last word was said, Qing backed off quickly. Her face became firm and the aura of her cultivation pressured Shoti. The slip made Shoti start to sweat but she pushed on. "He has been possessed at the Soul Realm!"
The shouted words made the scary aura retract. Qing looked on in curiosity now and picked up the elixir. Her face looked like she was weighing something as large as a mountain in her pale eyes. At this angle, her name made more sense as the hint of blue flashed across her eyes.
"Why me?" Qing seemed to put a lot of emphasis on the second word and Shoti understood, but in this instance she was prepared.
"I think only you can help him. You will understand him like no one else can." Shoti chose her words carefully as it was a touchy subject, but Qing instantly paled before slowly nodding. Shoti breathed in relief as she really believed only Qing could help Lind.
"Here is everything I have. He is currently laid up for a month in the healing ward of the Lotus Academy." Qing blanched once more but she took the jade slip and sunk her senses into it. Shoti bowed and moved out as now it was all in Qing's hands. Lind had terrible heart demons, beyond what Shoti could grasp, but Qing could. She had done it before after all.