Di Qian’s feet felt alive again as he stepped on the sandy shores of his holand. Behind him, the red seawater rippled vigorously, spanning as far as his eyes could track.
Today was one of the calr days in the poison sea, sothing Di Qian was thankful for. He and his soulbeast little Hei were at their very limits after traveling through its mucky waters for so long.
With a splashing sound, the large black fish jumped out from a weak wave and landed on the basket on his back. Its relief after finally getting to dip lazily in normal water was apparent from its movent inside, making Di Qian smile.
"Get so rest, girl. You’ve done well."
Through the black and white sands that spanned several miles, Di Qian’s speed got faster and faster. The familiar landmarks he noticed on the distant horizon took out all the tension from his body.
Soon, he reached the first sign of human civilization at the shore of the poison sea– a massive iron-wrought slope that led to the majestic gates of the Beasthaven Sect.
Behind the gates glittered enormous towers made with rocks from the seabed, gargantuan sculptures sculpted from black sand, construction projects that went as high as hundreds of feet above and thousands of feet below; a sight impactful enough to stun even the mbers of the sect from ti to ti.
Dozens of miles across the sands, the Beasthaven Sect’s territory was a visage that even the most colorful imaginations couldn’t capture.
Six gatekeepers, dressed in golden uniforms, stood side by side with their soulbeasts behind them, watching Di Qian intently. As he got nearer, all six of them perford the standard salute.
"Greetings, elder Qian. The sect master has been very worried these days. It is a relief to see you unscathed," the head of the gatekeepers, a young lady said after a curt bow. The other five followed suit.
"Is everybody in?" Di Qian asked with a nod, impatience seeping into his tone.
"Yes, elder. The rest who went out have all returned. Many were injured, including your grandson. But they’ve recovered for the most part," the head of the gatekeepers answered.
"That’s good, that’s good. Send soone to ring the fourth-level alarm throughout the sect."
Di Qian entered the gates imdiately and vanished out of their sight. The head gatekeeper stood still for a few seconds, seemingly stunned, before rushing off in another direction inside the sect grounds.
On his way, Di Qian put little Hei inside one of the Body Nurturing Lakes. The poison sea had taken a great toll on its health. A dip inside the lakes with its own kind would do the fish so good.
The sect ground was flourishing with artificially created animal habitats that utilized natural resources to the limit to nurture animals. Thousands of disciples were constantly rushing to and fro with their soulbeasts, busy with their own concerns.
Di Qian felt a faint pain in his heart as the realization dawned on him that the peace and tranquillity here wouldn’t last for long; not with the news he had brought.
Qing Shi, the master of the Beasthaven sect, was standing outside his luxurious palace, absent-mindedly gazing at the faraway sea. Di Qian’s footsteps brought him out of his thoughts.
"Elder Qian!" He exclaid, surprise and relief evident in his voice.
"Now, this is worth celebrating over! I was about to assu the worst possibility! Your family has been worried sick for your news."
Di Qian bowed curtly, a warm feeling suffusing his heart.
"My apologies, sect master. A couple of bastards snatched my soul signature pulser away while I was recuperating from a grievous injury. I imagine those brats have been misusing it since then, huh?"
"...Not exactly, elder. It only sent one pulse in the last two months. That’s why we beca even more worried!"
"That’s strange," Di Qian muttered as he recalled the two mischievous children who had ’confiscated’ the soul signature pulser.
They knew what it was and how to use it. Did the brats die after entering Pine Town? That shouldn’t be...
"But are you alright right now? How much have you recovered, elder? Let’s walk towards the infirmary, we can talk on the way. You look like you’ve lost a lot of weight. That’s not a good thing at your age..."
Eyes twitching, Di Qian followed Qing Shi as the younger man fussed over him. It was common knowledge in the sect that Qing Shi wasn’t exactly a reserved person, much less being the sort who could be passed off as soone as lofty as the master of the Beasthaven sect, arguably the most powerful sect on this planet.
"As much as I’d like to get my injuries treated, sect master, I cannot currently muster the peace of mind that would allow to sit and recuperate. I have so...bad news."
Qing Shi’s smile faded. "Did sothing happen to our sacred seedlings?"
"Not them, they’re fine. But they won’t be for long when the prophecy cos true, would they?"
Qing Shi froze, his pupils shrinking into tiny dots.
"Which prophecy are we talking about, here?" he asked.
"The worst one." Di Qian’s answer was simple.
A long mont of silence passed between the two of them as they stood together in the middle of the road, busy disciples and their soulbeasts passing by them carefully, sending greetings from a distance.
"Please tell that was a joke," Qing Shi finally said in a weak voice.
"I could do that, but that doesn’t make it one," Di Qian said.
"I’m quite scared myself, so I wouldn’t bla you. The prophecy is about the destruction of our sect, our lineage, and maybe even our entire planet, after all. We’ve been in denial for long enough."
"...."
"Yes, sect master. The prophecy really is coming true, if my suspicions are correct. And I’m not senile enough yet to make a mistake on an issue so grave that’ll bury us."
"Tell ," Qing Shi replied in a grim tone.
The fourth-level alarm began ringing through the sect soon, causing great confusion among the disciples of the Beasthaven sect. They had never heard this particular alarm before.
But from the way the elders dropped what they had been doing and rushed toward the sect master’s residence, they figured it was sothing of significant importance.
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