The night air was tense as Loshaar Lakir prepared to halt the Cavereach City enforcement group, which consisted of six formidable Foundation Building Experts.
The one leading this group was none other than Calla Wei, a former elder of the Purple River Sect.
Behind her stood Zeesham Zhan, an active elder of the Purple River Sect, a middle-aged man with a noticeable scar on his left cheek and a stern expression. His dark, piercing eyes reflected his readiness for battle.
Among the Foundation Building Experts dispatched by the city for this particular task, Calla was most close with Zeesham Zhan. After all, they both belonged to the same sect. It was Zeesham who had helped Calla track Ruan using the city’s resources and advanced mechanisms.
Next was Wen Lin from the Sun Ocean Society. Despite his seemingly aged appearance, looking to be in his 60s by mortal standards, he exuded a calm and composed aura. His silver hair and weathered face hinted at the vast experience he had accumulated over the years.
Reesha Ru, from the Green Glory Palace, was a striking contrast. She looked to be in her mid-20s, in the prime of her life, with a lively and confident demeanor. Her long, flowing hair and graceful movements made her stand out among her peers.
Sia Cai, an elder from the Eastern Limiya Gate, was a mature beauty in her 40s, with an elegant and dignified presence. Her sophisticated attire and composed manner reflected her status and authority within her sect.
Lastly, Mo Jie from the Western Limiya Gate was a sturdy man with a solid build and a resolute expression. His short, cropped hair and rugged features gave him a no-nonsense appearance, clearly indicating his readiness for confrontation.
These five active elders of their respective sects had been appointed as decision-making personnel in the Cavereach City Council. It seemed that Calla had informed the council about Ruan’s acquisition of the demonic cultivator Mao’s legacy.
Mao was a well-known threat for the righteous forces. One could imagine how its successor could be if he were to get his hands on Mao’s legacy. However, the righteous sect forces couldn’t just confront Aksai while he was in the Cavereach City. They could also not make it too obvious for the demonic sects acting as part of the council members within the city. As such, they decided to lie in wait.
The council then used its resources to uncover Ruan’s identity, who had attended Calla’s private exchange meeting in disguise. The city had decided to take action against Ruan after he left the neutral grounds.
Of course, they needed to ensure that Ruan didn’t receive help from the demonic sects. The righteous faction was pleasantly surprised to find out that the rogue cultivator who had become Mao’s successor was too confident about himself. He didn’t contact the demonic sects. He didn’t even attempt to ask for help from small forces.
The plan to apprehend Ruan should have been executed flawlessly. Nobody knew how, but Ruan’s presence suddenly vanished from the city, which threw off the righteous faction of their course.
Ruan had outsmarted them. It was as if he had vanished in a world that was only available to him. And when he appeared on the island, he was already out of the neutral grounds.
Boosting his speed with precious talismans, he ran straight to his supposed reinforcements, leading to the current standoff between the city enforcement group and Loshaar’s group. What aggravated Calla the most was that Ruan made his reinforcements fight his battle while he escaped.
Now, with Loshaar standing between Ruan and Calla’s group, the latter couldn’t ignore the threat posed by Loshaar, Shen Ji, and Kou Lau. Even the late-stage Spirit Refining small fries had activated a battle formation.
Loshaar chuckled, his voice carrying a hoarse, almost mocking tone. “Ah, little Calla Wei, it seems you’ve brought quite the entourage. What brings you to this neck of the woods?”
Calla’s eyes narrowed.
“Loshaar Lakir, where did you find the guts to stand in front of the elders of the Purple River Sect? Don’t you remember what we did to your entire clan just because you refused to bend to our will?”
Loshaar Lakir’s eyes narrowed threateningly on Calla when he heard her poisonous words. How could he forget the tragedy that was unleashed on his clan by the Purple River Sect?
In fact, Loshaar would have never actively sought troubles with the Big Five Sects himself. At least not in this way. He was just forced to act as Ruan’s shield for the time being while he ran off to ensure his security.
Originally, Loshaar had no intention of fighting a death battle with the elders of the Big Five Sects. He had planned to retreat after holding these Foundation Building Experts for half an hour, which should have been technically enough for Ruan and Liana to run away from the active pursuit.
Loshaar had already run away from these cultivators many times in the past few decades. He even had to take shelter in the Purple Poison Marshland for quite some time and lick his wounds in isolation. It was only recently that his clan had made a comeback and decided to join Kingroot for reasons of their own.
However, Calla’s vicious words made Loshaar indulgent. It hurt his pride. At this time, he decided to go all out against the elders of the Big Five Sects even if it cost him his life.
Calla was unaware of the change of priorities for Loshaar that she was directly responsible for. Unperturbed by her opponent’s seething expressions she continued.
“You old demon, we have no quarrel with you today. We’re after Ruan Lui, who threatened me and caused a scene at my private exchange meeting.
This is a matter of Cavereach City’s security. Step aside if you value your life. Otherwise, even your late-stage Foundation Building cultivation won’t save you from my wrath tonight.”
Calla didn’t dare mention that Ruan had obtained Mao’s legacy. She worried that saying something like that to the demonic faction would only increase Ruan’s worth in their eyes.
Calla feared that someone like Loshaar might try to nurture Ruan on his own if he knew the latter had the potential to become the next Mao.