22.The Gathering Storm
The grand hall of Lymhrst was alive with tension, the air thick with the murmurs of the three great sects and the two kings who ruled over the land. The leaders of the Thunder Palace, the True Blood Sect, and the strom sect. As the Phoenix Lords stood in uneasy silence, their eyes darting between the two Yaru brothers—Albedo and Zeran—who sat at the head of the circular table. The hall, adorned with intricate carvings of mythical beasts and swirling spiritual energy, seemed to pulse with the weight of the moment.
"Silence!" Albedo Yaru's voice thundered through the hall, his eyes blazing with a fury that made even the strongest of cultivators flinch. The pressure of his Ascension Lord realm cultivation bore down on the room, forcing heads to bow and breaths to hitch. "Why do you speak when you do not know the matters that have befallen this land?" His voice was a low growl, each word dripping with venom.
Zeran Yaru, his brother, leaned back in his ornate chair, a goblet of wine in hand. His demeanor was calm, almost carefree, but the flames that flickered in his eyes betrayed the rage simmering beneath the surface. "Albedo, calm yourself," Zeran said, his voice smooth yet commanding. He placed a hand on his brother's shoulder, and the oppressive pressure in the room lessened slightly. "These ants know not what we have seen. Let us enlighten them."
Albedo's jaw tightened, but he nodded, his gaze sweeping over the assembled leaders. "I summoned you here for a reason," Zeran continued, his voice carrying a deceptive lightness as he sipped his wine. "A man has entered our peaceful country and unleashed a massacre. An entire region lies in ruins, its people slaughtered without mercy."
The room erupted in murmurs, but Ye Tianlei of the Thunder Palace slammed his fist on the table, the sound like a crack of thunder. "My lord, you summoned us for this? A single ant? And you even performed the Samsara Dance for such a trivial matter?" His voice was laced with disdain, his cultivation flaring like a storm.
A guard from the Phoenix Lords' palace stepped forward, his face red with anger. "How dare you speak to our esteemed lord in such a manner!" he roared, but Zeran raised a hand, silencing him.
"Ye Tianlei," Zeran said, his voice calm but edged with danger, "I will spare your life today because of your status and your cultivation. But if you ever disrespect me again, I will burst your head open like a ripe melon." The pressure in the room spiked, and Ye Tianlei's head slammed onto the table, his body trembling under the weight of Zeran's power.
Lin Xuanyuan of the True Blood Sect, a woman whose beauty was matched only by her cunning, smiled sweetly. "My lord, your power and grace are beyond our imagination. May you live long and prosper," she said, her voice dripping with flattery. Beside her, Jian Lei, the old and fearsome elder of the Storm Sect, nodded in agreement, his calm demeanor masking the sharpness of his mind.
Zeran smiled, basking in their praise, but Albedo's voice cut through the air like a blade. "You all underestimate the gravity of this situation," he said, his tone icy. He stood, his presence commanding the room, and placed a black orb on the table. The orb pulsed with dark energy, and an image of a man appeared—Damon, the perpetrator of the massacre.
"This man," Albedo said, his voice low and dangerous, "has killed three hundred people in a single day. He has broken our laws and defiled our land. But that is not all." He paused, letting the weight of his words sink in. "He has slain seventeen Commander Realm experts and six King Realm experts—with his bare hands. No spiritual energy, no techniques. Just raw, physical power."
The room fell silent, the leaders exchanging uneasy glances. Lin Xuanyuan placed a hand on her chest, her voice trembling slightly. "My lord, surely this is not a matter that requires such urgency. Let my True Blood Sect handle him. He is nothing but an ant to us."
Albedo's eyes narrowed, and he turned his gaze to her. "You think this is simple?" he said, his voice a whisper that carried the weight of a storm. "This man tore through those experts like they were paper. He is no mere ant. He is a monster."
Jian Lei, the old man, spoke for the first time, his voice steady but laced with fear. "You mean to say that this man... this Damon... has the power to challenge even us?"
Albedo nodded, his expression grim. "And there is more. There was one survivor of his massacre." He signaled to his guards, who brought forward a woman, her eyes wild with terror. She was muttering a name over and over again: "Rim... Rim..."
The leaders froze. The name sent a chill through the room. "The fallen Void Clan?" Ye Tianlei whispered, his voice barely audible.
The woman, Elsa, trembled as she was brought before the table. Zeran Yaru leaned forward, his Phoenix flames of the Cyan Grade flaring around him. "What is your name, child?" he asked, his voice gentle but commanding.
Elsa looked up, her eyes filled with tears. "My lords, please forgive me," she said, her voice breaking. "I have witnessed something I should not have... and I survived." She slammed her head to the ground, her body shaking with sobs.
"Tell us what happened," Albedo ordered, his voice cold and unyielding.
Elsa's voice was a whisper, but it carried the weight of a thousand horrors. "My lords... we must run. There is something in this land... something worse than evil. It is darkness itself. It does not discriminate—children, women, men, beasts... none are spared. It... it carved its name into my soul. I cannot forget... I cannot escape..." Her voice rose to a scream. "Run! Run! Run!"
The room was silent, the leaders staring at her in shock. Even Zeran Yaru's flames dimmed, his carefree demeanor replaced by a rare seriousness. Albedo Yaru, however, was calm, his mind racing with possibilities. "Take her away," he ordered, his voice steady.
As the guards led Elsa out, Zeran Yaru's laughter filled the room, but it was not a sound of joy. It was the laughter of a man on the edge of rage. "Did you hear that, Albedo?" he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "She thinks this fool can challenge us—the Ascension Lords!"
Albedo remained silent, his mind working furiously. "Good," he said finally, a dark smile spreading across his face. "This Damon... he is no ordinary man. He is a weapon, a force of nature. And I will capture him. I will break him, tame him, and turn him into a slave. He will serve me, and through him, I will surpass even the limits of the Ascension Realm."
Zeran's flames flared again, his carefree demeanor replaced by a fierce determination. "You speak of taming him, brother, but I say we hunt him down and destroy him. He is a threat to our land, to our people. He must be eradicated before he grows stronger."
The room erupted into arguments, the leaders divided. Ye Tianlei slammed his fist on the table again, his voice booming. "My lord, we must act now! We cannot let this monster roam free! He will destroy everything!"
Jian Lei, the old man, stroked his beard thoughtfully. "If what Albedo says is true, then this Damon is a rare opportunity. But he is also a grave danger. We must proceed with caution."
Lin Xuanyuan, ever the opportunist, smiled sweetly. "My lords, why not let the True Blood Sect handle this? We will capture him and deliver him to you, alive and broken. That way, Albedo can have his slave, and Zeran can have his peace."
Albedo's eyes gleamed with dark ambition. "No," he said, his voice cold and final. "I will handle this myself. Damon is mine to tame. But if any of you get in my way..." He let the threat hang in the air, his gaze sweeping over the room.
Zeran stood, his flames roaring to life. "Then I will hunt him down and burn him to ash. This is not just about power, Albedo. This is about protecting Lymhrst."
The tension between the two brothers was palpable, their conflicting motives creating a rift in the room. The leaders exchanged uneasy glances, unsure of whose side to take.
Albedo Yaru smiled, his voice dripping with dark promise. "Prepare yourselves," he said. "Damon will be mine. And when he is, no one will dare challenge the power of the Yaru brothers."
Zeran Yaru's flames burned brighter, his voice a low growl. "And if he resists, I will ensure he is nothing but a memory."
The hall fell silent, the weight of their words hanging in the air. The leaders knew one thing for certain: the peace of Lymhrst was at stake, and the Yaru brothers' conflicting desires would shape the fate of their land.