PtM Book 17 - Chapter 26: Bloodstorm Gorge

2/2 this week! Also I have a new shiny desktop now. Built it with a friend. I'm going to take a picture once my desk comes in.

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The battle for the Blood God Region was over. The Blood God Sect and the Blood Demon Sect were no more, and the Blood Sword Sect only possessed a remnant of its former glory.

The True Blood Sect was not interested in managing the region, but unfortunately, the conflict had gutted any other power able to take up the mantle. As a result, the region reverted to its former name, and some semblance of internal harmony returned.

Regional politics being the way they were, Cha Ming had the Puppet Lightning Sect return to its o3wn region. The sleeping Ninesky practically shed a tear as the large number of law-stitching cultivators sapping her energy vacated their time accelerated dwellings.

“Never again,” Chas Ming told himself. “Or at least, not so many law stitching cultivators.” The cost in top-grade spirit stones was not something even someone with his income could maintain for very long.

There was a dearth of prime sect real-estate in the True Blood Region with so many sects having wiped out or displaced. Settling the rebel army was therefore not a big headache.

A good portion of the cultivators from the War Blood Alliance joined the Righteous Blood Sect and settled down in the Stone Blood Mountains, where rocks literally bled. Cha Ming learned that this location was where all the major blood sects had originated from, be they righteous or sinful.

Many of the sects in the War Blood Alliance were not blood sects and had joined the alliance out of necessity. These sects banded together to occupy a rich transcendent crystal vein previously belonging to a Tier 2 enforcer sect.

The War Blood Alliance was too large and unwieldy for a single location. A large portion of them occupied Blood God Gorge, the former home of the Blood God Sect. The rest of the alliance members split up into three other territories: the Inverted Blood Mountains, the War Blood Marshes, and the Blood Dragon Plains.

Once the relocation was completed, Cha Ming rolled out much the same system as he had in the Azure Tempest Region in the True Blood Region and the Puppet Lightning Region. Distribution of resources was less of an issue now, since, as the warden of three regions, he had access to three inter-planar teleportation formations.

He also opened Clear Sky Conglomerates in key cities. In a half year, the two regions would be crawling with core formation and marrow refining cultivators, which would eventually become either Daoists or demigods, or painting Daoists and demigods in the case of the less talented.

As the Warden of three regions, Cha Ming was naturally keen on seeing the regions cooperate instead of engaging in meaningless struggle. Unfortunately, his hopes were dashed almost immediately. The Azure Tempest Region, under pretext of revenge for attacks by the Blood God Sect, initiated skirmishes in the border region.

The Puppet Lightning Sect maintained a wait and see approach, but the pirates of the Puppet Lightning Region did not. Storm clouds began to leak over into the True Blood Region, bringing with them raiders and pillagers and all manner of criminal individuals.

The regional escalating regional conflict was as source of great distress for Cha Ming. He received both requests for defensive assistance from the many sects of the True Blood Region, as well as entreaties of neutrality from the aggressors.

As a neutral party, it wasn’t appropriate for him to participate in these conflicts, but Cha Ming sent a strongly worded letter to the major sects of all three regions; this had about as much effect as could be expected.

He and Huxian discussed the matter over tea one afternoon. “Just say the word, and I’ll prank the entire region for you,” said Huxian. “I’ll destroy every left sock and open portals from lakes and rivers into sect libraries.”

Cha Ming tactfully refused him. “I don’t think things have gotten that bad yet. Let’s let them vent for another month while I finish preparing for the big meeting. A stick won’t work with these people. It’ll take a carrot to change their minds.”

“Speaking of which, I was taking a look at Bloodstorm Gorge’s blueprints,” Huxian said. “I like the concept. Terraforming three mountains to create a formation – that’s a bold move.”

“The intent is to make a statement,” said Cha Ming. “I want them to take me seriously. Also, it’s something they can’t do themselves.”

Said mountains were an important piece of the meeting that would take place one month later. Most of the Tier 1 and Tier 2 sects in the three regions had accepted his invitation. There was much to prepare, aside from catering, which Huxian was taking care of.

Cha Ming tossed an artifice off to the side and summoned a three-dimensional rendering of the Bloodstorm Mountains. The bones were down, and the formations roughed out. Only detailed work, and the construction of the gorge itself remained.

“Finding materials compatible with the plane’s own natural energies was the tricky part,” Cha Ming said. “A small amount is one thing, but literal mountains? That was tough to carry, even for me.”

There were three mountains in total, each with their own elemental affinity. These affinities were naturally wind, lightning, and blood. The lightning mountain was made calamity setting ore, which made it a natural magnet for lightning. It was not puppet lightning, but another of the four lightings on the Chasewind Plane, Bane Lightning.

The blood mountain was made entirely of high-quality blood stone, with a core of top-quality blood stone. Sharp, glasslike succulents covered its entire surface, all save a few cultivation caves. Streams of natural true blood ran down the mountain, keeping its surface slick and its plant life irrigated.

The wind mountain wasn’t composed of any special material, but its core was a massive piece of astral time stone, which served as a magnet for divine astral wind, a natural counter to bane lightning.

Like with Cha Ming’s cultivation, wind and lightning clashed, and blood acted as mediating agent. On their own, the three energies were so potent that that without formations or interference, they would change the geography in the nearest ten thousand kilometers. Their triangular arrangement changed that.

For now, the region at the center of the three mountains was as mess of conflicting energy. Once the finishing touches were made, monthly storms would wash over a lush gorge, making it a prime environment for training in either of the three energies.

“Are you ready for the meeting?” Huxian asked Cha Ming.

“As ready as I can be,” said Cha Ming. “I’d like another year to prepare, but if I do that, one of the sects will do something that sets off another decade-long bloodstorm conflict.”

“Maybe another war would do them some good,” said Huxian.

“Maybe,” said Cha Ming. “But I’m willing to spend money and points to avoid it.”

“Fair,” said Huxian, drinking the last of his tea. “So. Are we going to do this or not?

“Might as well get bit over with,” Cha Ming said. He took out a white object and placed it on the tea table.

It was an egg, and Huxian poked it gingerly. “This is the first time I’ve seen an elemental egg. They usually come in gems.”

“It’s actually an elemental cocoon,” Cha Ming said. “And I’ve been feeding it wind elemental energy for the past month. It should be hatching any moment now. Once I bind it with blood, the newborn elemental will be naturally predisposed to me.” He cut open his finger and poured a drop of soul blood the surface of the cocoon. “Now all we need to do is hope.”

On cue, Luther and Coral hopped out of the Clear Sky World. The lightning cat scampered over to a bowl of wine that Cha Ming set out for him. As for Coral, he was content with a ball of yarn. But both of them kept an eye on the cocoon. Whatever hatched out of it would become the third member of their trio.

“Cats. Why cats?” Huxian voiced the question, but Cha Ming wanted to know the answer as well.

“I don’t know, Huxian,” said Cha Ming. “You think I wanted them to be cats? They just moved in, and it would be irresponsible not to take care of them.”

Huxian gave him a pitying look. “Oh well. These things happen. Out of curiosity, what’s this cocoon supposed to hatch as?”

“I paid two million points for it, so the results are more specific than most,” Cha Ming said. “The instructions say it has 95% odds of adopting a butterfly form. The next most likely form a centipede, which is 4% likely.”

“But not guaranteed,” Huxian clarified.

“Not guaranteed,” Cha Ming admitted. “But 99% odds. That’s pretty good, right?”He started feeding wind energy crystals at the pulsating cocoon, which was already on the verge of cracking. It would take a few minutes to complete the process.

“I’m surprised your comfortable with all this, though,” said Huxian. “Keeping pets is basically slavery, isn’t it? Especially if they’re going to fight for you.”

“This elemental isn’t enslaved,” Cha Ming said. “I was very specific about that. If it wants to leave, I’ll let it.”

Luther raised his head up from his wine bowl. “I want to leave,” he said. “Can I leave?”

“You tried to possess and kill me, so you don’t get freedom,” Cha Ming said. “Not for a thousand years.”

“But it’s, like, predisposed to you, you know?” Huxian said as the cracks on the cocoon expanded. “I mean, what if you did the same to a baby demon fox. Fed it, I don’t know, candy from infancy, all the way until now, just so it liked you more.” He gasped. “You did the same thing to me! How dare you?!”

Cha Ming rolled his eyes. “You just don’t stop, do you?”

“It’s going to be cat,” Huxian said. “I can feel it.”

“It’s not going to be cat,” Cha Ming said, tapping the shell to help it expand. “Ninety-five percent odds of being a butterfly. Four percent odds of being a centipede. Out of the remaining one percent, the instructions state there is a 0.0001% chance of it becoming a mammal, forget it being specifically a cat.” He had done his homework, and he had spent an absurd number of points to practically guarantee the process. There would be no more cats. Two was already too many.

Five wind element crystals later, small cracks spread out over cocoon’s smooth surface. An azure wind picked up in the room, and the cocoon began to wriggle and push out pieces of cracked cocoon. Breaking the cocoon was easier said than done, however, as this was a law-stitching life form.

“See?” Cha Ming said smugly. “Definitely not a cat. Cats don’t brute force. We’d have seen it use claws to cut itself out of the egg by now.”

Moments later, the cocooned exploded. A violet gush of wind tore through Cha Ming’s residence, destroying furniture and paintings and severely wounding him and Huxian. Cha Ming wiped blood off his mouth and looked around. “Where’s coral?” Cha Ming he asked worriedly.

Luther jumped out from behind a ruined sofa and tossed a small blood-colored kitten out of its mouth. “Don’t overthink it.” it said lazily. “It’s skin and bones. I didn’t want it perishing before I could fatten it up and eat it.”

Huxian made a quick recovery. He changed into a fresh set of robes and rubbed his hands in anticipation. “Making a tempest and looking all mysterious the moment it hatches. I like it!” Said tempest was swirling in the room, and the elemental was currently hiding in its azure depths.

“It must be a bird,” Luther said. “Watch as I catch it for you, master.” It jumped into the tempest before Cha Ming could say anything. Much hissing and scratching ensued before finally, Luther was thrown out.

“Meow?!” Coral inquired. It cautiously crawled towards the tempest, but Cha Ming picked it up by the scruff of the neck.

“Careful now,” Cha Ming said to the kitten. “Let’s just wait and see. I’m sure this elemental doesn’t want to keep hiding forever.” He procured several wind-element crystals. “Are you hungry? Do you want something to eat?”

The tempest slowed as it pondered the question. It pulsed an affirmative, then started to shrink. It wasn’t long before it was the size of a dog, then a cat, and finally, a chicken. Only then did the tempest vanish, revealing the true appearance of its occupant. “Meow?!”

“Hah, I called it!” Huxian said. The elemental was an azure-colored kitten. A very tiny kitten. “You’re halfway to being a crazy cat lady now. Let the rumors begin!”

Cha Ming didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “I paid so much to make sure this didn’t happen, but even so. Is this what they call fate?”

The wind cat was a newborn, but it understood fun when it saw it. It immediately spotted its natural nemeses, Coral and Luther. A brawl ensued, destroying what remained of the furniture, and damaging some of Chaw Ming’s paintings.

“My life is over,” Cha Ming said, massaging his brow. “Where did I go wrong, Huxian?”

“I bet its karma,” said Huxian. “For enslaving so many innocent beings. None of this would have happened if you hadn’t developed a sick penchant for fighting with minions. Cha Ming glared at him as he picked up a ruined painting and used his domain to fix it. “So,” he said, changing the topic. “The meeting. Have you decided on the menu yet?”

“I noticed there was a distinct lack of vegetarian options,” said Cha Ming. “I’m going to need that rectified.”

This time, it was Huxian who glared. “Fine. Only for you.” They got back to planning and ignored Luther as he pleaded for mercy from the newest member of his growing family, Disaster.

***

The Puppet Lightning Region, the True Blood Region, and the Azure Tempest Region had changed names many times over the past millennium, but one thing always remained constant – a periodic recursion of the Bloodstorm Conflict. This was a multi-generational war that had destroyed hundreds of sects and had claimed the lives of countless cultivators.

Many ambitious sect leaders had sought to stop the eternal conflict, but usually, such attempts result in escalation and increased casualties. This Bloodstorm Conference would be the seventeenth in the region’s history.

It was traditional to hold a Bloodstorm Conference in a neutral location. This was not practical, however, as the northern hemisphere had fallen to the fiends and was sealed off by the Three Sects, Four Clans, and Five Desolates.

In the absence of an appropriate venue location, Cha Ming had decided to manufacture his own. Bloodstorm Gorge was a symbolically appropriate location; it contained wind, lightning, and blood, and was located in otherwise worthless land. It also contained a suitably ostentatious building – once again built at Cha Ming’s expense.

The Bloodstorm Amphitheater was a joint design by Cha Ming and Huxian. By using space and the five elements, they were able to harness the three violent energies into a hundred stone platforms. There were four layers of platforms, and each layer was neatly divided into the three elements. There were three platforms at the highest level, nine at the next highest, and twenty-seven after that. The fourth layer had a total of sixty platforms, bringing the total up to 99.

Only one platform remained, and it floated at the center of the three elements between the second and third platform layers. All 99 platforms received highly concentrated elemental energies, but it was on this 100th platform that all three energies were at their strongest. Cultivators who could not balance all three elements would feel uncomfortable and restrained sitting here.

The first ships arrived shortly after dawn. They came from Tier 3 powers, and they stopped just outside the Bloodstorm Mountains and the protective field they generated.

The Tier 2 powers arrived a few hours later. The weakest arrived first, and progressively stronger sects trickled in, with most of them arriving before noon.

It was early afternoon by the time the Tier 1 sets and their closest Tier 2 allies arrived. Unlike the normal Tier 2 powers, they arrived with much fanfare and directly broke through the protective shielding with their sect flagships.

The Puppet Lightning Region entered with an army of high-tier puppets and lightning sail ships. The True Blood Region’s ships were lacking, relatively speaking, but they made up for it with an army of blood beasts and blood elementals.

The Azure Tempest Sect was most ostentatious of the three. They not only brought in more ships than all other factions combined – they also brought along a small azure tempest elemental. It was only Rank 12, but its potential for destruction was something even a Tier 1 sect master would have trouble dealing with.

The sect leaders and elders wore their finest robes and displayed their strongest weapons. Neither side bothered to hold back their auras and law projections. Bloodstorm Gorge’s formation buckled under the strain and threatened to rupture.

Then, all at once, hostilities ceased. The sect leaders disembarked from their ships and flew into the amphitheatre, ignoring the open front doors and the welcoming committee. Not a great start, Cha Ming mused. But not a terrible one either. In terms of attendance, he’d already outdone all past conferences.

Sect Master Azure Tempest led her region’s coalition personally. She and several sect elders descended from their ships using a staircase of wind. They were accompanied by the Xuan Dao Sect, the Soaring Blade Sect, and the reclusive Divine Astral Clan. It wasn’t the largest demigod clan in the Azure Tempest Region but they were the best choice for harnessing the power of the divine astral winds in the Bloodstorm Mountains.

The Puppet Lightning Region was led by none other than Grand Artificer Fei. She and her elders were accompanied by the Sacred Earth Sect, the Blighted Heaven Sect, and the Crescent Moon Clan. The Sacred Earth Sect was a legitimate Tier 1 power, but they flew in on smaller masses of sacred earth that complemented the Blighted Heaven Sect’s lightning-filled storm clouds.

Cha Ming had never seen the Crescent Moon Clan in action. Each of them had dark skin, flowing white hair, and a brand on their forehead that took the shape of either a star, a moon, or a constellation.

The True Blood Region was led in by Abbot True Blood and three grim-looking monks. Each one of them bore the scars of many battles despite being body cultivators. The Righteous Blood Sect flew with them, as did the War Blood Alliance, making the True Blood Region the most motley crew of all those assembled.

Like the other two regions, the sects of the True Blood Region were accompanied by a demigod clan, the Bloodstone Clan. The Bloodstone Clan was known for its powerful body cultivators and terrifying regenerative capabilities. In fact, Cha Ming had purchased an awful lot of blood stone from them to build one of the three mountains. Perhaps this was a sort of signal from Abbot True Blood? A request for more financial assistance?

The Tier 2 and Tier 3 powers that had been trickling in all day, but they had yet to take their seats. They had been waiting for the arrival of the Tier 1 sects. Yet the Tier 1 sects showed no signs of wanting to accept their given seats. They openly fought with their auras, and much of this came splashing at Cha Ming, who patiently waited on the hundredth platform.

“Long time no see, Grand Artificer Fei,” Azure Tempest said in a loud voice. “It’s about time your sect produced a proper sect master. And who knows? With a few more hundred years of practice and the right puppets, you might even be able to meet in me in battle.”

“To be fair, we are a puppet sect,” Grand Artificer Fei said. “But if you want to complain about that, so be it. We’ll call it cheating whenever you use your ships and elementals. By the way, it’s been a long time since we last so each other, but you look the same as ever. Could you lend me your alchemist?”

Abbot True Blood cleared his throat. “Not that there’s anything wrong with a bit of banter, but maybe we should get down to business? There’s a war being fought in the south, and I hate to leave the monasteries unattended for too long.”

“I was personally planning on dragging out this meeting as much as possible,” Grand Artificer Fei said. “The energies here are quite nice, and I heard they hired one of the best chefs from my region.”

“From about 7 different regions, actually,” Huxian said, appearing beside Cha Ming. “Lord Eight Directions, at your service.”

Grand Artificer Fei clapped excitedly. “Oooo, look, a many-tailed fox! I haven’t seen one of those in centuries.”

“Stop gushing over the fox man,” Azure Tempest scolded. “You’re probably five times his age. Eight Directions, we’ve done business before. Are you here to manage the catering or are you here as an representative of the Hallowed Turtle Ox Region?”

“Both,” Huxian said, giving her a thumbs up. “Unless that’s going to be a problem?”

“Whatever,” Sect Master Azure Tempest said. “Just don’t expect things to go smoothly here.” She then turned back to the other sect masters. “What do you all think? The seating seems self-explanatory. Shall we?”

“Yes, let’s,” Abbot True Blood said.

“As long as the catering team delivers to the platforms, I have no issues with this arrangement,” Grand Artificer Fei said.

The three regional leaders flew over to their assigned platforms on the first level, and their three allied sects occupied the second level. Most regions had more Tier 2 sects than the third level platforms could accommodate, but a few scuffles was all it took to clear up any misunderstandings.

The rest of the Tier 2 sects and the Tier 3 sects occupied floor seating. The energies there were sparse, but were still much better than the spectator seating.

The sects enjoyed light refreshments and spoke among themselves for the better part of an hour before finally turning their attention to Cha Ming, who was still waiting on the central platform. Cha Ming wasn’t one to waste time. Since they wanted to give him the cold shoulder, he might as well cultivate using the platform’s ample bloodstorm energy.

It was a few hours later when Sect Master Azure Tempest broke their intentional silence. “I’m not sure if you’re just unfamiliar with proper etiquette, Clear Sky, but it’s customary to greet the sect masters at these functions.”

Cha Ming opened an eye. “It’s also customary to greet the host, and to use the front doors. But I didn’t see you complaining or scolding then.”

“If I were visiting a good friend, perhaps I would do just that,” said the sect master. “Unfortunately, I’m dealing with a warden that decided to philander with the enemy. Also,” she said, cutting him off before he could interject, “I find your choice of seating rather interesting. On the one hand your platform occupies the center-most position, which is presumptuous. On the other hand, it is situated even lower than the second-level platforms. Would you mind explaining this?”

“I think the seating arrangement speaks for itself, sect master,” said Cha Ming. “Moreover, I’m just keeping the seat warm. You may all pick someone to sit here, and I’ll immediately vacate the platform.”

“Would you mind if we inspect your platform?” Azure Tempest asked. “I’ve never seen wind, lightning, and blood fused together so profoundly.”

Cha Ming rose to his feet and flew off to the side. “By all means, inspect away.”

Sect Master Azure Tempest, Abbot True Blood, and Grand Artificer Fei each sent out an elder to probe the platform. They spent a few minutes investigating before returning to their leaders to make a report.

“Since you are all so curious about the central seat, I will save you all some trouble and explain its properties,” Cha Ming said. “It is a focal point. Each of the three Bloodstorm Mountains produce one type of energy, but in Bloodstorm Gorge, these energies comingle. The main purpose of these hundred platforms is facilitate energy fusion. The ninety-nine platforms do this using one element, but the central platform does this using three.”

“These energies are greatly uncomfortable,” Abbot True Blood said to Cha Ming. “And I can feel that the central platform will be even less comfortable.”

Cha Ming nodded. “Those who haven’t experienced a baptism in all three elements will find it difficult to endure for a long period of time. But don’t concern yourselves with this small issue. The Bloodstorm Mountains each have cultivation caves where one can get used to individual energies, while Bloodstorm Gorge’s monthly surges are ideal for experiencing all three energies simultaneously.”

Grand Artificer Fei was especially interested in the amphitheatre’s formation. The way it mixed the three energies was both elegant and practical. “It’s a very interesting design,” she said. “I hope you don’t mind us copying it.”

“By all means, copy it if you can,” Cha Ming said. He was doubtful that they would be able to achieve this feat, but he wouldn’t hold it against them if they managed to.

“You do realize that this land is located in the heart of my True Blood Region, don’t you, Clear Sky?” Abbot True Blood said. “Yet I don’t remember seeing any taxes or tributes.”

Cha Ming coughed. “Abbot Trueblood, as I’m sure you are aware, these lands weren’t very valuable before I came. I quite literally had to drain a swamp and build mountains. The swamp was even full of fiendish poison.”

“We can talk about that later then,” Abbot True Blood said. “You carry on with the meeting. You did organize this Bloodstorm Conference, didn’t you? It’s only proper that you call the meeting to order.”

Cha Ming returned to his spot on the central platform, and Huxian took a seat beside him. “I’m a simple man with simple wishes, and I like to use simple words,” Cha Ming said. “I think that by calling this meeting and organizing this location, I’ve made my intentions very clear: All this fighting amongst the three regions - the Bloodstorm Conflict –  It has to end. Now, and forevermore.”

The three factions had mixed reactions. Sect Master Azure Tempest snorted loudly at the notion, while the Puppet Lightning Sect seemed intrigued at the idea. The War Blood Alliance had been with Cha Ming for quite some time, so they already expected him to make such a proposal.

To his great surprise, it was the Righteous Blood Sect that was most vociferously opposed. “You can’t expect us to put aside thousands of years of blood debt just like that.”

“It’s a child’s fantasy, but perhaps we should hear what the child has to say,” Blighted Heaven said. “After all, he did invest a lot in these three mountains. The Bane Lightning Mountain is particularly well built. If there’s a chance in us gaining access to it, I’m all ears.”

“I don’t expect you all to agree right away,” Cha Ming said. “But I do believe that this fracture in the three regions is inhibiting everyone’s growth in very unstable times. There are fiends to fight, and from what we can tell, they aren’t as disorganized as they’ve been, historically speaking. They have generals, forts, and armies.”

“If the fiends come, we’ll crush them,” Azure Tempest said. “We’ve been dealing with them for a long time, Clear Sky. Why should we change your approach? Do you have new information we’re not aware of?”

“I’m personally less concerned about fiends and more concerned about our neighbors,” Grand Artificer Fei said. “They’ve been poking at our borders a little too much for my liking.”

“Your words aren’t without merit,” Azure Tempest muttered. “There have been skirmishes on our eastern border, and I keep finding spies in my planning rooms and treasury.”

“It’s good that everyone has some awareness of the situation,” Cha Ming said. “But I believe that everyone here greatly underestimates the problem. Huxian, would you be so kind as to summon the map?”

“Oh boy, the map!” Huxian said, rubbing his hands. “Give me a second. It takes a lot of energy every time.”

“What’s the map?” Abbot True Blood asked.

A large area of warped space twisted to answer his question. It did not directly link to Huxian’s mansion on the other side of the globe, but it did mirror the giant map located there. The map - or the globe as some might call it - was mostly spherical and rendered in exquisite detail. Everyone observing it could magnify what they were looking at or even rotate or change their perspective without affecting others.

“There,” Huxian said. “This is the map. It took a month to make it back in the day, and it takes thousands of demon hours each day to keep it fully updated. But I dare anyone to tell me it’s a waste of time and resources.”

Judging by their reactions, the sect masters definitely didn’t think so. “My intelligence network is quite good, but I never imagined that such a map could exist,” Azure Tempest said. Then she leaned forward, and her expression turned frosty. “Eight Directions, are you tracking my people?”

“Awkward,” Huxian said with a light but guilty chuckle. “To be fair, I’m tracking everyone on this planet via space mirrors. Don’t mind me. I’m just a fox, doing my own foxy things.”

“Would you look at that,” Artificer Fei said. She tapped space and twisted the map such that everyone could see it. A portion of the map - the one surrounding the Bloodstorm Mountains, was magnified many-fold. “Armies, from all three sides, waiting to swoop in. I’m glad I wasn’t the only one who thought of it, or this would have been extremely awkward.”

“And this,” Cha Ming said. “Is exactly the problem. Look at all these ships and troops, tied up to keep each other in check. Meanwhile, look at our neighbors.” Huxian enabled color-coding, which separated the map into various factions.

“To the west, the three regions under Oster Fireblight’s influence are massing forces on the Puppet Lighting Region’s border,” Cha Ming said. “And to the east, Cao Wenluan drilling troops that will eventually be used for stealth incursions in the Azure Tempest Region.”

“That can’t be right,” said Abbot True Blood. “Seven regions have formed an alliance? Are you sure that’s not a mistake?”

“Three days ago, it was three, but then Cao Wenluan’s Monarch Alliance killed a warden from the Crimson Lotus Alliance,” Huxian said. “Then a warden from Crimson Lotus Alliance defected, and the sects and clans in these two regions were quick to join. The rest followed naturally.”

“Daoist Clear Sky, Lord Eight Directions, I’m afraid I must protest the way these conflicts are being categorized,” Azure Tempest interjected. “You’re talking about these regions like the wardens are running things. But my experience has been very different.”

“Indeed it has,” Cha Ming said. “That’s because our relationship is not as entangled as in the other regions. I intentionally didn’t meddle. But look at the other regions - it was only a month ago that Dao God Blood Seal was in control of the Blood God Region. Dao God Thunderclash was second in command of the Puppet Lighting Sect and had a heavy hand in its management, assuming he wasn’t directly controlling things.

“Then look at the current situation. I have quite a bit of leverage over the Puppet Lightning Sect. Half of the sects in the True Blood Region owe me blood debt, and Abbot True Blood has already pledge his support in this conference for material aid.

“Then there’s the Azure Tempest Region. Are those Painted Daoists coming along well, Sect Master? How are you all enjoying the steady flow of high-tier supplies and low-level cultivators? By the way, I meant to ask – have you noticed the effects of having extra core formation cultivators yet or are you still waiting on the final results. Also…” he let the penny drop. “I wonder what would happen if all these things I mentioned were to suddenly…  stop.”

“Are you threatening me, Clear Sky?” Azure Tempest said. A violent wind picked up as she threw her aura against Cha Ming. Cha Ming was prepared, however - He drew on both the power of the platform and his Heartforge Spirit Flame and was able to easily withstand the assault.

“I am not threatening you, Sect Master, just stating facts,” Cha Ming said. “You should know by now that I do not crave power. It is simply indisputable that I have heavy leverage over each of the three regions I guard.”

“My influence is also relatively low compared to other wardens. Oster Fireblight, for example, controls three regions thanks to his mercenary army and forces them to give him protection money. He is a master strategist and spends most of his time in the south picking off Tier 13 fiends. He isn’t against selling out his services and has turned the tides of many regional battles. Greed is his creed, and he’ll do anything for money.”

“Cao Wenluan is an even more extreme example. He is not as great a general as Oster Fireblight but is very charismatic. He uses the power of doubt to his advantage, and over forty rebellions and consolidations have taken place in the seven regions under his control over the past seven years, allin his favor. Over a hundred million have perished, but this has resulted is a very unified regional alliance.

“These are only our closest neighbors. On other side of Oster is the Light and Glass Alliance, another three-region faction. To the west of them is the Crimson Lotus Alliance. Like the Light and Glass Alliance, the Crimson Lotus Alliance has a centralized government. These factions have adopted the practices of two empires native to our Inkwell Plane.

“To the west of the Crimson Lotus Alliance and neighbor to the Hallowed Turtle Ox Region is a cultivator called Petros Sullivan. He doesn’t directly influence any sect, but his Hunter’s Guild makes it such that by issuing missions, he can easily gather hundreds if not thousands of law-stitching cultivators.

“Lord Eight Directions is my demon companion. I’m sure Azure Tempest will attest to the reliability of his teleportation networks. The leadership of the Hallowed Turtle Ox Region is very receptive to his words, and his two friends are personal disciples of Enclave Lord Dragon Turtle and Enclave Lord Hallowed Owl. Thanks to recent conquest, this region is the combination of no less than five regions.”

“That only leaves the Paper Tiger Clan as a major power. They currently have four regions under their control. They have used the power of their demon bloodlines to enslave the powerful demon tribes in each territory, with only a few holdouts. Their territory is the most directly controlled territory. Their converts will ready sacrifice their lives if needed.”

There was silence for a time, followed by gentle murmuring. These revelations were not news to the Tier 1 sects and their closest confidents, but many Tier 2 sects and Tier 3 sects had never heard of these super alliances.

“I think you’ve given us much to think on,” said Abbot True Blood. “Would you mind if we retain use of the map during an extended recess?”

“By all means, please do,” said Cha Ming. He and Huxian retired, leaving the sect masters to frame the new information and assure their most vulnerable members that everything was under control.