Anthony opened his eyes to the world as he awoke from his slumber. He yawned without a care in the world, as though he had done nothing but sleep throughout the past few days. He rose from the bed and shifted into a seated position, his long white hair scattered across the bed.
His head turned toward the window beside his bed as he stared at the sky for a moment. During the past few days, he hadn’t gotten a single chance to talk to Vega. Apparently, the life of a slave was far harder than Anthony had anticipated, as Vega had constantly been occupied with one task or another.
Anthony shook his head as he rose from his bed and stepped out of the room. As he walked out, Jarod seemed to be heading toward his room.
"Good morning, My Lord," Jarod stated as he bowed.
Anthony shook his head and spoke, "I’ve told you to drop the cliche honorific," his tone flat.
"I can’t," Jarod stated as he rose ever so slightly. "My loyalty is all that I have to offer after receiving such a blessing," he added as he met Anthony’s eyes with calm determination, making it abundantly clear that he had no intention of backing down.
’What’s the difference between this and insubordination?’ Anthony mused to himself as he shook his head, deciding to drop the matter. With that, he walked past Jarod, as he already knew breakfast was ready, so his destination was the dining hall.
As Anthony sat and ate, Jarod stepped forward and presented an envelope sealed with red wax that bore the symbol of the Null Sect etched upon it.
"This is an envelope from the Core Elders. It was delivered by an Inner Elder yesterday, but since you were still asleep, the Elder and I decided not to disturb you," Jarod spoke as he presented the white envelope.
Anthony simply took it and tore off the wax before pulling out what seemed to be the letter stored inside. He couldn’t help but wonder who still municated through letters these days.
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Above Disciple Null Anthony, you are expected to be at the gates of the Core Elder Area by two o’clock. Do not be late.
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The moment Anthony finished reading the letter, it immediately burned on its own. The time was already one in the afternoon, but Anthony wasn’t in a rush, as he could simply open a portal there.
As the appointed time approached, Anthony simply rose to his feet as he spoke, "I will be back after a while."
Although Jarod wasn’t in the dining hall with him, his voice still reached the man. As Anthony was heading to the Core Area of the sect, where only the Core Elders and the Sect Master resided, Jarod and any other servant wouldn’t be allowed there unless they were granted special permission.
With that, a portal opened beneath his feet as he fell through it. At the gates of the Core Area, a portal opened in midair, and from it Anthony’s graceful figure descended, his purple robes flowing as he landed lightly on his feet like an agile cat.
Around him, the ten Above Disciples were already waiting, as he was the last person to arrive. Their eyes turned toward him as they simply nodded and said nothing else. Even Tory Hale, who usually smiled or might have spoken to him, merely gave him a nod like everyone else.
Anthony simply nodded back and said nothing back, and the moment it struck two o’clock, a Formation came to life beneath their feet as they immediately vanished from where they stood. As their bodies reappeared and their consciousness settled into place, their eyes took in the same hall that Anthony had already bee familiar with.
Before them were the five Core Elders and the Sect Master, who sat upon his usual throne. The moment they sensed the Core Elders’ presence, they all bowed as they cupped their fists in respect.
"We greet the Core Elders and the Sect Master," they all stated at the same time and respectfully, their voices perfectly synchronized, clearly proving that this was far from the first time they had done this.
Null Nathaniel and the rest of the Elders remained silent for a moment before the man finally spoke. "Wele. I trust I do not need to go into too much detail as to why the eleven of you here," he stated as he went straight to business, neither exchanging greetings nor asking unnecessary questions.
The Above Disciples simply nodded, as everyone knew they were here because of The Lover Of Death’s Underground Tomb.
"For years, the Null Sect has trained each of you with the finest resources we could get our hands on," Null Nathaniel continued, not putting on any air of superiority. "And now, the time to repay the sect has arrived." He paused for a moment as his gaze swept across the Above Disciples.
"As you all already know, you will soon be heading to the location where the Underground Tomb is said to appear next as revealed by The Reader Of Mysteries," he continued. "And I won’t lie, nor will I sugarcoat it. It will be almost impossible for all of you to e out alive from The Sleeping Hollow. After all, it is the resting place of a man who prehended the Law Of Death, and it is said that the deaths of geniuses from various factions are what have kept the Underground Tomb running throughout all these years." He paused once more, as though allowing them to fully absorb his words.
"So, your survival is very much up to you. We can’t guarantee your survival because we won’t be there with you, and besides, it is the cultivator’s way to always explore the unknown," he added, his tone calm.
The Above Disciples didn’t flinch. Nobody present was naive enough to believe that all ten... no, all eleven of them would return alive. But that didn’t mean they would simply dive in and die. Since some were undoubtedly going to survive, it might as well be them. After all, they had been training for this particular expedition for half a decade, as The Reader Of Mysteries had announced the date and location of the Underground Tomb’s appearance at the time.
As Null Nathaniel finished speaking, The Punisher, who was the First Core Elder, spoke next.
"As you all already know, before you enter The Sleeping Hollow, you will first sign a Contract to prevent anyone from concealing any gains," his tone firm and indifferent.
With a wave of his hand, the Law Of Contract hummed as eleven Contracts appeared before everyone.
The Punisher didn’t speak as he simply allowed the disciples to read through the Contracts. After all, their souls were about to be bound by these Contracts.
Anthony’s eyes immediately scanned through the contents with a single glance. The gist was simple: ninety percent of everything they brought out of The Sleeping Hollow belonged to the Null Sect, with the Null Sect having the right to choose whatever they wanted first before leaving the remaining ten percent for the disciple, without exception or negotiation whatsoever.
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