Elder Cultivator

Chapter 915

Chapter 915

Somewhere around twenty-five years had passed since the end of the war in the lower realms. A small number of cultivators from the Shining Cooperative had ascended to become part of the Scarlet Alliance, but most of them preferred to take the path of Assimilation. Their general distrust of the upper realms would not disappear all at once, and even if it had most retained strong connections to the Shining Cooperative and had no desire to leave.

There was a steady flow of newly ascended integration cultivators from the Lower Realms Alliance, complemented by the natural growth of cultivators within the Scarlet Alliance. The significantly greater population in the upper realms due to the great number of occupied systems still produced the majority of their Integration cultivators, though without special training they tended to end up somewhat weaker than those who had ascended. It was easier for those who reached Life Transformation in the upper realms to step into Integration, and experience with lower energy was a valuable addition to the struggles of ascension.

Occasionally cultivators ascended into the Scarlet Alliance who were not from a known system. Attempts were always made to find out which planet they came from so that they could network with others in the lower realms, though not everyone was willing or able to provide the necessary information. Not everyone was an astronomer, and ascension could bring people a very long distance even if there wasnt any sort of anchor in the upper realms calling them specifically. Furthermore, some werent immediately willing to trust a new group they found themselves among, regardless of whether or not they really cared about their former planets.

Ultimately, the power of the Scarlet Alliance was growing at a steadily accelerating pace. Along with their significant number of Integration cultivators, they had a core set of Augmentation cultivators and significant technological advances. Along with their formation expertise, they were the dominant force in the Scarlet Midfields. Even so, they didnt know if they could stand up against the threats on either side of them.

But the time had finally come where they had to test that. Not just an angry fleet chasing after a few individuals, but a full force combining the power of multiple sects from the Exalted Quadrant. The forces on their border finally moved into their territory, and their forces clashed.

There were four prominent sects gathered on their northwestern border, starting with the Limitless Edge. Their forces were led by the Limitless Edge herself, perhaps seeking to repair her reputation after her supposed loss at the hands of Rahayu- though given that hed still had to flee even after Everhearts interference, those who knew the truth of the matter didnt necessarily agree with calling it a loss. Though it was still an embarrassing draw at best, given his lower cultivation at the time.

Then there was the Hardened Crown Sect, apparently having taken offense to Slys own hardheadedness in acting against them. Unfortunately, unlike the subsects in the lower realms it was unlikely they would manage to turn them over to their side. Sly had been a sect head of the Hardened Crown on Ceretos at one point, but that only netted him a position as a core disciple in the upper realms, before his arrest.

The third sect was one that had no previous interaction with the Scarlet Alliance, so their motives were less clear than the others. The Disciples of the Beyond were a small but still relatively powerful sect, said to focus on the manipulation of space and subspace, sometimes to the point of intentionally attracting distortion beasts. They could be in the war for a promise of resources, or perhaps they simply intended to participate in a slaughter.

Then, finally, there was the Citadel of Exalted Light. Alone, they were already a concerning threat, but with other sects backing them it spelled serious danger for the Scarlet Alliance. Although they had been preparing for potential invasions for most of the time they had been established, it was still only a matter of centuries compared to the growth of such a sect over millennia. It was unlikely they would or even could bring their full power to bear, but they were still a sect that had produced one of the few known Domination cultivators. They had to be respected regardless of whether or not Zaur was present.

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With the disciples of the Limitless Edge folded in among the other sects, Chikere didnt have anything leading her to a particular battlefield. Her ultimate intention was to draw out the Limitless Edge herself, but Chikere was uncertain whether killing too many disciples might scare her away. Then again, she didnt care to fight against the woman again if she was afraid of a rematch now that Chikere was in Augmentation.

Her own blood extended beyond her body, becoming a myriad of thin blades. Each was part of her, the attacks carrying her will. Lesser sword disciples fell easily, but Chikere found her way barred by some annoyances from the Hardened Crown Sect. Her martial prowess was still useful against cultivators who did not train with the sword, but her understanding of other weaknesses was on a lesser level.

It had been a long time since she fought seriously against the Hardened Crown Sect, and that had mainly been in the lower realms. Obviously there was a significant difference between the two, but what surprised her the most was how durable their Integration cultivators were.

Chikere was used to being able to cut any cultivators of a lower level than herself in two with a single blade. She could roam around a battlefield devastating weaker cultivators, though that was not her general intent. It was simply that the more worthy opponents tended to be deeper within enemy ranks.

Facing against the Hardened Crown Sect slowed her down. She had to focus a greater potion of her cutting power on a single individual, and more than a few of them launched counterattacks as she was cutting them down. Not being interested in perishing any time in the near future, she had to deal with their counters as well. Every move felt like she had to cut through solid steel blocks with her muscles alone. At least it seemed equally troublesome for others to fight them, or she would have thought she was losing her touch.

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Not all of them focused on the literal interpretation of their sect name, attacking with their heads, but they were all bullheaded and durable enough to make it not completely foolish to fight as they were. But ultimately, lower ranking cultivators couldnt stand against her for long.

But just as she was seeking for Augmentation cultivators among the crowd, they had one seeking her. Though Chikere had recognized the strength of the womans aura from afar, she hadnt been prepared for their initial clash. Especially not when she saw the woman directly.

Her arrival was like a mountain falling upon Chikere. A hundred blades of blood barely slowed the woman down, giving Chikere just enough time to step out of the center of the impact. A great shockwave sent pieces of the surrounding street and buildings flying. It was unfortunate for the local planet that these battles were not taking place above, but the planetary barriers of the outer planets were minimal at best.

Based on her aura, Chikere expected to see a hulking behemoth. Two meters tall would be the minimum, three or four wouldnt be unreasonable. Just because humans normally wouldnt grow to the latter sizes didnt mean she doubted that the Hardened Crown Sect would try.

But when the dust settled, all she saw was an old woman who was nearly skin and bones. Even so, her voice was as steady as her aura. Chikere, the swordmaster. You have caused quite enough trouble for my sect already.

It wasnt me who encouraged them to come here you. Chikere paused, You dont use a sword so I dont know your name.

Kigal, the old woman replied. She lowered herself into a stance, and Chikere heard the earth creak from the motion. I will be your opponent from here on out.

I dont mind that, Chikere agreed. But that doesnt mean Ill be letting anyone past me. She spread out her arms, a mostly symbolic gesture as her blades moved naturally via her own will. Spread out around her in a wide circle were her various weapons, with half of them concentrated on Kigal. Chikeres blades of blood came in all shapes and sizes, to go along with her adoption of infinite styles. Each was still a sword, but how they would function was not easily predicted by amateurs.

Chikere didnt intend to underestimate her opponent, of course. Any Augmentation cultivator was a serious threat. But she had a duty to fulfill, protecting her allies. Perhaps it seemed like focusing only half of her blades on one individual was disrespectful, but there were enemies all around, and they wouldnt suddenly disappear just because she was fighting Kigal. Even if the old woman convinced them to stay out of the battle, Chikere didnt care.

Among the many weapons focused on Kigal, thrusting attacks, wide slashes, draw cuts, and various deceptive patterns flowed together through her many blades. And in response, Kigal performed a single move, a straight punch towards Chikere from over a hundred meters away.

Shockwaves from her attack scattered Chikeres blades, causing many of them to fall to pieces. But unlike blades of solid metal, such weapons could easily be reformed. The power of the fist was cut apart before it reached Chikere, the energy dissipating into vortexes of wind and rumbling earth. Meanwhile, she found Kigals defenses to be nearly impenetrable. More than any of the others of the Hardened Crown Sect, she displayed an impossible hardness to her energy. It could not be cut, stabbed, or otherwise damaged.

Or at least, it gave off that feeling. But if Chikere ever believed there was something she couldnt cut, she only found it to be a challenge. Something that was impossible to cut in one persons eyes was merely something that hadnt yet been cut in the eyes of a true swordsman. Though she would settle for piercing, if that was more effective.

Chikeres blades flowed around her, forming and reforming as they were scattered and destroyed. She found herself barely able to keep her other blades across the battlefield active but whether she cut down enemies a hundred at a time or one at a time, she knew she had to continue her efforts there. And occasionally she came across a simple opponent, like the Limitless Edge.

Their disciples would gladly clash with her, even if they died shortly thereafter. Many of them used foolish maneuvers, though perhaps their flaws were not so obvious to those of similar mastery. Chikere supposed that she might be improving the true Limitless Edges technique with each clash, but she also learned something from each move herself. Those the enemy made were nearly as valuable to her as her own experiments as she sought the truth of the perfect style, knowing full well that there was no single answer. Perhaps there were an infinite number of styles that could reach perfection, or perhaps there were none. And she didnt care either way, as she was happy to be on the path regardless.

A sunrise reminded Chikere of how much time had actually passed in her clash with Kigal, and she realized shed been standing still for a few minutes absorbing her insights from the battle. The enemy had momentarily withdrawn, but Chikere knew that they were not giving up on their siege of this particular planet. Indeed, they seemed to have limitless numbers of Life Transformation and Integration members. They werent lacking in Augmentation cultivators either, though she only sensed Kigal in the nearby area.

Chikere didnt know if they were going to be able to win, but maybe that wasnt the point. The point was to fight, to deplete the enemys resources more than their own. Perhaps some would be concerned about a planet or two passing through the hands of the Exalted Quadrant, but Chikere didnt think it would be that bad. Some people would die, some resources would be taken. It was unfortunate for those who were not strong enough, but there was nothing she could do but perform at her best.

And if that wasnt good enough? She just needed to be stronger. Because someday soon she might be fighting not for nameless and faceless strangers on a new planet, but for her friends. In some ways, that was what she was already doing- even seeking out strong opponents to improve herself accomplished that goal as well. Personal fulfillment and social responsibility overlapped.

Chikere looked at the rising sun. No doubt Kigal would be back. It seemed neither of them could overcome the other quickly but they also couldnt ignore the other. Otherwise they would most likely devastate the battlefield on their own. Chikere was looking forward to it, because she really wanted to learn to cut something uncuttable. And simply having more energy didnt seem like a viable solution, which was quite exciting to her. It was a shame Kigal didnt use a sword, though.