The horizon surrounding the Sword Pavilion was no longer empty. The sky was choked with war-carriages, flying spirit-beasts, and massive river-ships carved from ancient wood. For the first time in ten thousand years, the pride of the Azure Sky Continent was forced to humble itself at the gates of a single sect.
First to arrive was the Heavenly Thunder Sect. Their massive thunder-chariots, pulled by lightning-maned stallions, tore through the clouds. The Sect Master, Lei Zhan, stood at the front, his Rank 8 presence crushing the grass beneath him as he landed. He didn't look like a savior; he looked like a storm looking for a fight.
"Where is this 'Prophet'?" Lei Zhan's voice thundered, rattling the windows of the Pavilion. "I've come to see if Lu Chen is a genius or a jester!"
From the north, a chilling silence followed. A fleet of ice-ships from the Palace of Eternal Flow drifted in, led by the Grand Matriarch. Beside her, the banners of the Frozen Moon Palace fluttered. The North had moved as one, their loyalty already pledged to the silver-haired Saintess standing beside Lu Chen.
Finally, the Divine Medicine Valley arrived, their disciples carrying glowing cauldrons that filled the air with the scent of medicinal herbs. They weren't there to fight; they were there to survive.
Lu Chen stood on the central balcony, the Zero-Point Blade strapped to his back. Though he was only at Rank 5, his presence was unnervingly stable. He didn't look up at the Rank 8 masters with awe; he looked at them with the pity of a man who knew how they had died in another life.
"You have arrived," Lu Chen said, his voice quiet but carrying to every ear in the valley. "You come with your titles and your pride. But look at the sky."
He pointed to the burning countdown. The numbers shifted: [300 Days : 12 Hours : 05 Minutes].
"To the Monster on that obsidian throne, you are not Sect Masters," Lu Chen's eyes flared with golden Qi. "You are high-quality ingredients. And if you want to be more than a pill in his cauldron, you will listen to me. Not because I am stronger than you, but because I am the only one who has survived him."
A heavy silence fell. Lei Zhan stepped forward, his fists crackling with lightning. "Surviving a nightmare is one thing, boy. Leading us is another. Show us the blade. Show us why we should bet the fate of our ancestors on a Rank 5 brat."