A call ca from Vanatos.
The eting… No, the assembly would begin in 2 days' ti. Atlas received the call late, as he ca out of the Xuanying Treasure Pagoda. When he heard the news, that assembly was only six hours away.
The amount of ti it took for Atlas to co out of the pagoda didn't equate to more than a month in the outside world, but the Alfros he ca back to was already different.
The damage to the world itself had not healed. It was to be expected. Atlas maintained contact with his friends in the Feng Clan such as Feng Yaohua and Feng Ziran, and through them, he learned so parts of the overall situation that the Elders didn't want to tell him.
'A crack in the world… that is sothing beyond any scale I have ever witnessed.'
The Heavens had to direct all of the world's energy into that crack to feed it and close it. The six Elders there were helping it, but it still wouldn't have the ability to heal the rest of the world until the situation was handled.
Nevertheless, the realm was much emptier now. All smaller settlents and cities had been abandoned. Under the Feng Clan's direction, the citizens of Alfros migrated to the biggest cities. Each of those cities was covered in a grey tal do that protected them from the teor impacts.
Atlas could also feel a suppression on his body that had vanished before. Though the world itself was not healing yet, its laws were making progress. The sanctity of the Neutral Zone was bound to return.
It was all positive change. He thought optimistically about Alfros' future as he returned to Genvera.
The city still had a line outside of its gates. Nothing had changed for the cultivators trying to enter this place. At most, they only glanced at the new tunnel that had been built around where they stood before returning their attention to the city gates.
These were people who had hidden during the calamity and were now back with no consideration for the Feng Clan at all. Find your next read at empire
'Cultivators have always been like that.'
Just like all the rest, they were pursuing their greed while ignoring all else.
'Unfortunately for them, they won't be treated so kindly anymore.'
Atlas recognized the face of the guard at the gate. She was the sa one who greeted him last ti, after all.
When he arrived, she was staring with a deadpan expression at the man attempting to explain why he wanted to enter Genvera. Feng Ziran was waiting for him to finish before rejecting him, but she was clearly tired of hearing his voice.
That was why her eyes perked up when she noticed Atlas approaching. After saying so words to her fellow gatekeeper, she left her post and went to et him.
"Ready to leave?"
"For now. I'll be back soon enough, though."
Feng Ziran's first words were indication enough. Atlas had coordinated his return to Genvera with the Phoenixes before ever arriving just in case the guards present at the gate didn't recognize him.
A ssage had been passed to accommodate him, but before evidence of his claims was found, not all of the Elders were guaranteed to pass that news down to their disciples. He chose to be safe, and Feng Ziran was sent as a result of that.
"Co in. The array is already prepared, so you don't have to worry about a delay."
Atlas nodded his head gratefully and followed her through the gates. In the background, he heard a subtle sound of soone complaining about his ease of entry, which was quickly followed by a large sound as said person was thrown back.
The Feng Clan no longer had to act in moderation. The world was in trouble, and those who still entertained avarice towards them could be claid as wrong in every sense of the world. They could not be criticized, so why would they continue to hold back?
Atlas and Feng Ziran chatted aimlessly as they walked to the array. It was located closer to the Phoenix Palace than the city's entrance, as most of those who used it were active mbers of the Feng Clan.
Atlas was now part of a very select group of outsiders who had been allowed access to this array, but that was unimportant. It was a matter of circumstance more than a matter of reputation.
"I'll leave you here since I still have work to do. And…"
She looked at his shoulder. The Kitsune was still there.
It had been with him in the Xuanying Treasure Pagoda all this ti, calmly observing from various perches in the trees as he trained. It didn't speak to him unless it needed to, nor did it interact with him more than it needed to. When it was called, it would always respond, but even that was the effect of the slave collar.
Atlas didn't inform the Elders about his desire to have the Kitsune live with the Feng Clan. He wanted to, but Feng Ziran stopped him. In her words:
"Nobody left at the palace will be happy with it if you're the one who says sothing. Just hand it over to and let take care of the rest."
Because she was also concerned with its fate, she was the one he decided to consult. Feng Ziran had a desire to see the Kitsune heal and grow. Leaving it in her care essentially guaranteed its safety.
"I've already told it what's happening. As long as it is not mistreated, it will not react violently."
The fox didn't make a sound as Atlas plucked it off his shoulder and handed it to Feng Ziran, only looking at him with unreadable eyes. Its ntal state only flickered slightly before returning to normal.
Atlas t that gaze for a mont, but there was nothing he could get out of it.
'As of this mont, it is not complete enough to ever respond to .'
Sighing slightly, Atlas said goodbye to Feng Ziran and watched her take the Kitsune away. A few seconds later, he turned around and walked into the building he was left in front of.
Within, there was a small room where a woman stood in front of a stele of so sort. Evidently, it was the control chanism for the array. Other than the room she was in, the rest of the area was empty aside from the array itself.
Atlas only had to stand there and give a small nod to the woman, and she imdiately activated it.
The next ti his eyes saw light, he was already in the Celestial Ladder.
'It feels like it has been ages.'
For him, it had. He spent roughly a year and a half inside the Xuanying Treasure Pagoda. Along with all of the excitent he experienced after going to Genvera and the expeditions he made before that, it was only natural for him to feel like an eternity had passed.
'Another one will pass soon.'
How long would it be before he saw the Tower again?
Feeling a faint sense of longing for the adventures the Tower provided, Atlas directed the Celestial Ladder to Vanatos.
What was once a eting had been turned into an assembly. He wasn't going to just et Alaric. He was going to a eting of many forces that was taking place in order to discuss the future.
To him, it was just sothing he had to attend before continuing on his quest, but in the perspective of the world as a whole, this was an extrely important assembly.
Atlas truly did have to consider himself lucky for being invited.
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