"What is it? Something appears to be on your mind," he heard his master ask.
John glanced over to Lilian as he snapped out of his thoughts. Clearly, she could tell that something had caught his attention.
John thought about the sensation he felt for a moment, before he decided to ask his master about it.
"I don't know. I just felt something in the desert...call out to me. Did you not feel anything at all?" John asked.
"No.. Nothing at all," Lilian replied quickly.
John focused his mind once more, but could no longer feel the faint sensation. He thought about it for a moment before putting it out of his mind.
'Maybe I can explore it a bit more when I return to the Heavenly Lightning Sect, but the main thing to focus on right now is returning home.'
The ship continued to speed forward unimpeded for several more hours before a distant mountain range eventually came into view. John's eyes lit up as he saw this, as he knew this mountain range was the final barrier between the Great Desert and his homeland.
The ship quickly reached the mountain range and flew over it for several minutes before the mountains ended and a forest began. John's eyes lit up as he saw the familiar forest, which stretched out over half his homeland.
"The Skycleave Forest!" John exclaimed. "We're almost there!"
Lilian smiled as she saw John's excitement, but her smile vanished for a brief moment before returning. The excited smile continued to linger on John's face as he watched his homeland blur by below.
Although he had never been to these particular areas of his homeland, everything about it was nostalgic. From the vegetation, to the very nature of the Qi, everything made him feel welcomed.
The lush forest and grasslands continued to pass by below, while the Skycleave Mountain Range came into view on the left side of the ship as well. John's excitement continued to grow as they sped forward, but his smile suddenly vanished as he stared at the horizon ahead of them.
Smoke was lifting into the sky from the ground below in many locations, as if multiple fires had broken out within the Skycleave forest. The ship quickly sped over those spots, and John was able to tell that the ruined areas of forest seemed to be remnants of battles between cultivators.
The earth was scarred with craters and thin lines, revealing that weapon battle arts had caused the destruction. His vision once again snapped back to the horizon, as more and more smoke clouds began to come into view.
Lilian also noticed these lines, and could immediately tell what it was.
"The damage is unmistakable. This was caused by war!"
...
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Successive loud sounds echoed out across the land as Qi attacks landed on a translucent barrier, which flared out with power to block each attack. The barrage continued ceaselessly, with each attack seemingly weakening the barrier.
A person suddenly burst through a door and entered a room, which contained dozens of Core Formation cultivators huddled around a glowing formation that was etched into a large slab on the ground.
Spirit crystals were located at various nodes of the formation, which were quickly absorbed into the formation to power it.
"How much longer will this formation last?" the one who had burst into the room asked worryingly. The man was covered in blood and fresh wounds, clearly having just left an incredible battle.
"Not much longer," one of the cultivators in charge of the formation yelled out in response. "The spirit crystal supply is nearly exhausted, and unless that mysterious Elder gives us more, the formation she established will collapse soon."
"Damnit," the man replied before he turned around and strode out of the building.
Another man was standing there, equally covered in blood and fresh wounds.
"How much longer will the formation last, father?" Barden Fenix asked.
His cultivation, which was now in the Meridian Forging Realm, was flaring out powerfully as he had just left a battle.
"Not long," Cade Fenix replied through gritted teeth. "Where is my father now?"
"Grandfather is still in front of the barrier, fighting off the Crimson Valley Sect with all his strength. I'm not sure how long he can hold on. We need to return to the front line and assist him," Barden Fenix replied.
Cade grit his teeth once more as he nodded his head. "Our only hope now is for that Elder of John's Sect to return. She had not shown herself since the start of this siege several days ago. I expect the worst has happened to her, but we will fight until our last breath if need be," Cade replied.
Barden nodded his head in fiery agreement, and they both shot into the sky towards the sound of battle. On their way forwards towards the defensive formation, both Cade and Barden spotted the growing number of casualties piled up within the defensive formation.
The siege of the Crimson Valley Sect had started several days prior without warning, and had caught them off guard by its power and ferocity. They had managed to activate the formation Elder Mable had constructed for them in time, but the initial assault had claimed the lives of hundreds of sect members.
In the defense of the Fenix Clan and the formation over the last several days, even more Fenix Clan members had perished, and the clan was on its last breath.
Barden Fenix felt his anger rise by the second as he took in the carnage below. Up ahead of them, powerful battle arts and Qi attacks continued to explode in the air against the translucent formation barrier, while an even fiercer battle raged out a small distance from the barrier.
Barden and Cade pierced through the barrier to the outside, and instantly began to unleash a furious barrage of battle arts towards the red robed enemy. Dozens of powerful Crimson Valley Elders instantly surrounded them, as an incredible battle instantly broke out.
Barden and Cade, now both firmly in the Meridian Forging Realm, fought with uncontained fury, as each fought outnumbered but not outmatched. Powerful flames surrounded the both of them as they dashed from opponent to opponent, exchanging attacks with their lives on the line.
Up ahead of them, an even grander battle was taking place, as the Fenix Clan Patriarch battled against the Patriarch of the Crimson Valley Sect, as well as a mysterious Elder none of them recognized.
An incredibly powerful flame surrounded the Patriarch as he dashed between his two opponents, constantly unleashing his strongest fire based battle arts.
The Fenix Clan Patriarch's Late Meridian Forging cultivation flared out powerfully as he occupied the two strongest opponents. In fact, his might was overwhelming enough to keep both on the defensive, causing the mysterious Elder to grumble with frustration.
The Crimson Valley Sect and mysterious Elder had not expected the Fenix Clan Patriarch to be so strong, which was the only reason why the siege had not been successfully carried out yet.
"Keep fighting with all your strength!" The Fenix Clan Patriarch's voice boomed out over the land. "This is not the day the Fenix Clan dies!"
His cries impassioned all the nearby Fenix Clan members, who began to fight with even more fury and strength.
"Grandfather!" a cry suddenly sounded out next to the Fenix Clan Patriarch. "Let me help you!"
The Patriarch turned his head quickly, and shouted out to the one who had just arrived.
"Orren, you are not strong enough to participate in this battle. Retreat and help your brothers!" the Patriarch commanded loudly.
Orren, the first son of Cade Fenix, stared at the back of his grandfather as the battle continued to rage out.
"Just do it already, or don't blame us for not counting you as loyal," the mysterious robed Elder barked out.
"What are you talking abou-" the Fenix Clan Patriarch spoke out, but his words were quickly silenced.
Che!
A sword pierced through the back of the Patriarch without warning, shocking everyone on the battlefield.
"Father!"
"Grandfather!"
Cade and Barden cried out as they saw the Patriarch be stabbed from behind. The Patriarch's stunned face turned to glance back over his shoulder. His gaze locked with that of his grandson, Orenn, who held the sword piercing through his back.
The sword slid out from the Patriarch's body, who stood there in the air staring at his grandson for a moment. Blood spewed from the wound and his mouth, before he collapsed down from the sky to the earth below.