Igor Kozlov
Those outsiders have not given anyone a choice but to leave with them. Anyone who showed the slightest hint of resistance get incapacitated and thrown into their metal wagon directly. The message is clear. Do as you are told or else! The only goodwill given by those outsiders are everyone are allowed to pack up their valuables. The whole village populations is on the road two hours later.
"Master, will we be fine?" Igor anxiously asks.
Conrad is quite satisfied with his disciple. For a seven years old child, Igor has handled himself pretty well given what is going on. "I don't have an answer for you just yet. It's strange how they are forcefully relocating everyone. Those outsiders seem to be from a powerful sect from the equipment they possess. Such sect usually won't bother with mortals or loose cultivators. Don't take offence but powerful sects don't see a distinction between small cultivation families and loose cultivators. I'm actually more concern with how two of those outsiders are expressing their interest in you. With your whole family being in their hands as well, your master advice is to bide for time. Your fate isn't showing any sign of misfortune or peril. So, time is your best ally for the time being. Things will definitely work out in the end."
Igor's family seems to be given special care by those outsiders. He, his father and the three cultivators from his family seems to be specially singled out to be the first to board those metal wagons. There isn't actually much to look at when all he can see is the back view of the wagon. One thing he definitely took notice is the speed of the wagon. It was faster than any wagon he had ever ridden. While he is still being captivated by the wagon's speed, an outsider riding something that looks like a smaller version of the metal wagon he is own approaching rapidly before zooming pass. Shortly after, more outsiders riding similar metal wagon quickly sped pass as well. "Master, what was the thing those outsiders are riding? It looks a bit like a metallic version of a horse with wheels instead of legs."
"Your master has seen something similar but not magically enchanted. The vehicle I have seen are all human powered." Conrad felt that it might be good time to distract Igor by sharing some of the rare vehicles he has ever seen. "It is not your master trying to boast but I have seen a lot of vehicles throughout the immortal realm. Until today, your master can confidently say that you will never see such magically enchanted vehicles in the lower realm. Even in the immortal realm, such vehicle is very rare because it uses spirit stones as fuel. I suspect the vehicles these outsiders use don't use spirit stones as fuel…"
*****
It was slightly two hours into the journey when Igor felt the vehicle slowing down. Conrad has instructed him to use the word vehicle instead of metal wagon in the future. It is important for him to use the right term less he looks like a boy who has not seen the world or a bumpkin if others are being rude. Shortly after, the vehicle went off road and it wasn't long before the scene suddenly changed. He is now seeing a grand gate brightly shimmering in blue light at least twenty feet in height.
"We seem to have gone through a portal. This will make escape a lot trickier especially if you want to rescue your entire family as well. Now that we are back in their main base, let me see if I can get a clue which sect those cultivators are from." Conrad explains.
Conrad's attempt seems to have immediately triggered a security measure. The sound of alarm instantly started blaring loudly and instruction soon follows. "Daniel, stop your vehicle immediately!"
Igor soon notice the vehicle he is in slowly swerving to the side of the road before stopping.
"Your master attempt seems to have alerted them to my presence. Not only are they trying to keep their identity a secret, they are also ultra paranoid with security. It is best we come clean. Your master will try to talk our way out of this." Conrad gave Igor an explanation before telling him what to do.
The moment Igor stood up attempting to exit the vehicle, his father tried stopping him.
"It's okay father. I'm the cause of all this. Trust me, I can fix this." Igor explain and quickly leap out of the vehicle before his father can ask more questions. Before his feet can even touch the ground, two imposing cultivators instantly appear right in front of him.
"Boy, don't move." One of the two cultivators immediately warned.
*****
Conrad Baltazar
The appearance of the two cultivators immediately floods Conrad with a mix of emotions. The uniforms the two of them are wearing is not something he expect to see again any time soon. It is the uniform worn by Immortal Ascension Pavillion law enforcement department. Has he somehow stumbled back to his sect? This might explain their attempt at secrecy in the lower realm and top-notch security the moment they pass through the portal.
It has been more than two thousand years since the day Conrad received an emergency order from the sect to return. Being the direct disciple of one of the twelve Pavillion Masters, he has managed to secure for himself the position of branch manager for one of the sect's more promising branch in the immortal realm. The unexpected order has rendered his effort for the past century moot as he has to quickly abandon most of the wealth under his care. Except for weapons, armors and any offensive and defensive items that can be used against them in their flight, everything else was left as bribe to the local powers. Better still if fights broke out due to the unequal distribution of the unexpected windfall. Even if the local powers have second thought, the missing stockpile of weaponries should send a clear signal. The fleeing team is a tough nut to crack if forced into a corner.
Despite all the planning and caution during Conrad's retreat, his team was still ambushed nearing the end of their journey. Given the distance, the rest of his team should have a high chance of fleeing safely back to the sect as long as he holds his ground and buy them time. However, his plan to survive after that isn't exactly foolproof.
Under normal circumstances, there is no way Conrad will be able to fight his way out of the encirclement after holding down the sect's enemies. As such, he cooked up an unconventional way to survive the whole ordeal. He lured all the pursuing enemies into a protracted battle before casting a unique spell that will keep everyone immobilize as long as he remains stationary as well. Without any supporting allies, it would normally be a deadlock but he chose to sacrifice his inner core and self-destruct. To all his enemies, this will look like a last-ditch attempt by him to take down as many of his enemies as possible before dying. Unbeknown to them, the necklace given by his master has the ability to shield a single strike from an emperor realm expert and the ability to house a nascent soul. He hid his soul within the necklace at the moment of the explosion and quickly teleported the necklace into the lower realm. If anyone is wondering why the lower realm? The immortal realm has too many experts and there is no guarantee the necklace ended up being found by someone who can see through the necklace's uniqueness. As part of his Merchant Dao, he can read future probabilities and his odd of success is highest if he transport the necklace to the lower realm and towards a certain world.
It was a quite a nifty ploy if anyone care to ask. In the end, the necklace was left stranded in the lower realm for over two thousand years before being found by Igor. Now that he has managed to reunite with his sect's disciples, he can happily declare that his plan works.
The appearance of the next cultivator is without a doubt a total surprise. Alfred Larsen is the head of the law enforcement department. Given his identity, he should be taking charge back in the main sect rather than appearing here in the lower realm. Revealing himself, Conrad quickly introduce himself. "Lord Alfred, this is a surprise but I am definitely very happy to see you here."
Alfred wariness eased up in recognition of Conrad. "You look like hell kid. It's all good as long as you found your way back to us." Alfred than turned towards his two subordinates issuing instruction to stand down before continuing their conversation. "Your master will definitely be happy when he hears about this. A lot has happened recently. So, speak less and listen more."
Alfred stopped talking when he notice someone approaching them. Conrad recognized him as one the cultivator who had singled out his disciple back then. "Daniel! Just the person I need to see. Can you contact your master? This person is your master's third direct disciple and also your senior brother, Conrad Balthazar. Conrad, he is Daniel Watson. He is your master's latest direct disciple."
The person Alfred introduces as Daniel Watson greeted him with a nod before taking out a communication device from his storage bag to contact their master.
Taking opportunity of the interlude, Conrad turned towards his disciple who seems lost in all the conversation that has transpires and explains to him. "Igor, we are among allies. Everyone here is from your master's sect. I have kept it a secret so far because the sect has been in a bit of a precarious situation. Now that we are back, your fortune is finally turning. As long as you are willing to put in the effort, you will not find yourself lacking for cultivation resources…"