"Forebearer, should we eliminate him?" Donna murmured, her voice barely audible above the din of the bustling teahouse outside the Hall Estate.
The identities of the Heavenly Path avatars who had converged on Cedar Ridge were now known to the Forebearer. With a single thought, he could orchestrate their demise.
[No.] Ethan's Psychic Position flickered, a silent veto. Assassinations within the imperial capital were far too risky.
He had infiltrated the Hall Estate, witnessed Brody's descent into madness. He had seen it with his own eyes: the Heavenly Path Venerable's avatars could feel pain. Brody had even resorted to shutting down his senses, likely severing the connection with his fellow avatars to escape their shared agony.
Their suspicions had been confird. The Heavenly Path's avatars, in the absence of their master's direct control, were each vying for dominance, each striving to beco the sole inheritor of their master's power.
"This ans that even the Heavenly Path, for all his might, has a weakness," Ethan mused, a glimr of hope flickering within him. "He's like a fractured mind, his avatars locked in a constant struggle for control. We can't eliminate the other avatars in the imperial capital. If they perish, Brody will ascend to Basic Mastery, and the remaining avatars will grow stronger."
He felt a strange sense of calm wash over him.
They had found a crack in the enemy's armor, a vulnerability they could exploit. He believed that even a god could be brought low, if he and his clan remained united, their resolve unwavering.
Ethan had even considered controlling one of the Heavenly Path's avatars, guiding it towards becoming the dominant consciousness. But he quickly dismissed the idea.
The main consciousness could still exert its influence, and while the avatars might be susceptible to manipulation, as evidenced by Austin's hesitation when confronted by the AI Bionic Robot, Ethan knew they would never truly submit to an outsider's control.
"But the fact that they can be swayed... that's enough."
Ethan reappeared within the Forebearer space. Donna's Psychic Position pulsed with light as she materialized beside him.
"Forebearer!" Donna bowed respectfully.
"Rise, child," Ethan said, his voice low and steady. "Continue with the mission. Extract Julian from the Radiant Sky Grotto. And keep Blake alive. Have our friends from Azure Cloud assist in capturing and containing the weaker Heavenly Path avatars within the imperial capital."
"As you command, Forebearer."
A smile touched Ethan's lips. "And while you're at it... collect so interest."
...
[Year 228 of the Blackwood Family]
Two years had passed. Donna remained in the imperial capital, her movents a carefully choreographed dance of shadows and whispers.
anwhile, outside the capital, another figure road the land, his movents erratic and unpredictable.
Bill Daoist, the Blackwood's eccentric ally, vanished from one location only to reappear in another, his movents guided by an unseen hand. His communication stone pulsed with light, eliciting a weary sigh. "Another one? This is getting out of hand. And dangerous. Why do I always get stuck dealing with these troubleso youngsters?"
Monts later, Bill Daoist materialized within a bustling teahouse in the imperial capital. The Celestial Star Swordmaster sat at a table, sipping tea. He greeted Bill Daoist with a nod, his expression grim. With a flick of his wrist, he produced a scroll from his Storage Ring.
As the scroll unfurled, it revealed an image of a cage, a woman trapped within its confines. The woman pounded against the bars, her desperate cries for help echoing from the painted surface.
Bill Daoist produced a similar scroll, his own canvas depicting a multitude of cages, each holding a captive.
With a surge of psychic energy, Bill Daoist erased the cage from the Celestial Star Swordmaster's scroll, transferring the woman's image to his own collection.
"Only one this ti?" Bill Daoist frowned. "Your progress in capturing the Heavenly Path's avatars seems to be slowing down."
"It can't be helped, Senior," the Celestial Star Swordmaster replied, his usual arrogance replaced by a weary resignation. "We started with the weaker ones. The remaining avatars are far more powerful, and their positions within society make them difficult to target. Besides, the Heavenly Path has dispatched a Basic Mastery avatar to Sunshine Mansion.
We wouldn't dare make such bold moves without your protection."
"We're walking a tightrope," Bill Daoist chuckled, shaking his head. "I've never encountered such a formidable foe. You should leave now. I sense his Basic Mastery avatar approaching."
"As you command, Senior."
The Celestial Star Swordmaster and Bill Daoist vanished, their presence fading like wisps of smoke. Monts later, an elderly man materialized in their place.
He sensed the lingering traces of their auras, his eyes flashing with irritation. "Foolish Blackwoods. Do they truly believe they can topple a mountain with their bare hands? How amusing!"
His final words were a guttural growl, a testant to his growing frustration.
Two years. He had been here for two years. He, the Heavenly Path Venerable, with his countless avatars, had always been the hunter, not the hunted. But this ti, he had been outmaneuvered, outsmarted by the Blackwoods and those insignificant ants, Bill Daoist and the Celestial Star Swordmaster.
They had devised a way to capture and contain his avatars, subjecting them to relentless torture without killing them. Each avatar felt the agony of their brethren, their screams echoing through their shared consciousness.
His avatars lived in constant fear, dreading the mont they might fall into the Blackwoods' clutches.
The hunters had beco the hunted. His weaker avatars were now forced to hide, to avoid the Blackwoods' relentless pursuit. And to escape the shared agony of their imprisoned brethren, they had to periodically shut down their senses, leaving them vulnerable.
Once captured, they couldn't even self-destruct.
And now...
"Again? You dare to show your faces again?!"
The elderly man's face contorted in rage, his pride wounded.
...
Within the Hall Estate, a blood-soaked AI Bionic Robot was ushered into Brody's presence.
Brody glared at the robot, his fury barely contained. "This is the fourth ti! The fourth ti in two years that you Blackwoods have dared to trespass on my family's grounds! Even a saint has limits! What do you want this ti?!"
The robot's face was a grotesque mask of pain, its tallic eyes leaking crimson tears. It let out a chilling, chanical laugh. "Take to your treasury. As before, I'll only take one item."
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