The Martial Unity

The Heaven Sect loomed conspicuously in the air as the calamitously enormous and dense cloud darkened the land beneath it. Reaching the Heaven Sect was a pain in the ass because its location changed due to it occurring atop a moving cloud.

It had taken them extra long to find it due to that. “Let’s go.” Rui narrowed his eyes as he took to the air, activating Greater Phantomind Void on him and his two companions.

“ROOOAAARRR!!!”

“RAAAWWWRRR!!!”

“KRRRIIIEEEKKK!!!”

Many landbound monsters and beasts roared at the cloud in vain, unable to effectively attack the cloud, but were simultaneously too caught up in their bloodlust for human civilization to move on to a more fitting target. They were too stupid.

That was good; it meant that the Cloud Sect could keep all these Sage-level monsters and beasts engaged, which, in turn, prevented them from targeting other weaker nations. If not for the Cloud Sect, these monsters would be targeting Sage-level nations and Master-level nations.

The latter would certainly be overwhelmed immediately, while the former could potentially last if it had multiple Sages. It would still suffer immense damage, nonetheless. This would cause a chain reaction where the monsters and beasts of the fallen nations would overwhelm other weaker nations, and so on and so forth.

“I wish these fellows would remain in one place in such a time for some degree of stability, but I guess not.”

They were too arrogant to care.

The three of them elevated, sky-walking until they reached the surface of Heaven Sect’s cloud.

“Wow!” Amare’s eyes lit up.

“This is my first time here,” the Blood Goddess remarked. “Quite remarkable.”

“…It is indeed incredible.” Rui nodded.

He felt like he was looking at the classic portrayal of biblical heaven. The cloud hogged all the sunlight that it deprived from the land below it, making it appear extraordinarily bright. There was an almost paradisical sense of peace and calm in the air even as the Heaven Sect displayed its might with all its glory as a titanic nation of a sect stretched as far as the eye could see atop the cloud.

Massive structures and glorious cloud architecture checkered the entirety above the cloud, giving the entirety of the place a heavy presence.

There was no border wall or fortress of any sort, but it made sense considering that anybody who could reach the cloud would not be deterred by a wall. What Rui found fascinating was that just a kilometer in he could see people native to the Cloud Sect walking about normally and carefree.

The Cloud Sect fared better psychologically than many other nations due to the lessened pressure it faced in the clouds, it appeared.

Another thing that surprised him was the fact that no one had come to get them yet.

“…Do they not know we’re here?” Rui scratched his head. “No way, there’s no way they don’t have heavy surveillance on who approaches and enters the cloud.”

All Sage-level powerhouses he had visited prior had sent a Martial Sage to welcome him into the nation. It wasn’t much, but it was a courtesy and a token of regard for his status and the fact that he was there to give them priceless treasures for rather low prices.

It also helped him get straight to the point rather than wander about an unfamiliar nation.

“…they surely know I’m here, but are they so arrogant that they think sending someone to guide me is beneath them?” Rui frowned. “Really?” He couldn’t even believe how far their notorious arrogance spread.

“Mmm…” Amare stirred uncomfortably. “Tsk, we should just leave,” the Blood Goddess coldly snorted.

Rui narrowed his eyes with an irritated expression.

He didn’t think he was the proudest person, but he had limits to how much disrespect he would tolerate. He had just journeyed through much of the continent to get here and had come here to help, and yet, these fellows couldn’t even bother to usher him in.

He heaved a deep breath, calming himself down. He couldn’t afford to mess this up by letting his anger override his rationality. He needed these fellows to send their Sages to the Beast Domain, no matter what.

“Let’s go,” his tone was frosty. “I will hear what they have to say in person.”

Thus, the three of them walked deeper into the Heaven Sect as they got the opportunity to study the exotic Sage-level powerhouse close-up.

“Wow…” Amare’s eyes lit up with wonder and fascination. “This place is so incredible!”

She gushed with excitement at being atop a literal cloud.

The Blood Goddess and Rui were more reserved in appreciating a nation that was willing to disrespect them so much. Rui maintained a neutral expression while the Blood Goddess didn’t bother hiding her displeasure.

They stood out like sore thumbs. The locals were of a different race and ethnicity and wore the local ethnic attire of the Heaven Sect. They stared at Rui and his companions with raised chins, attempting to look down on the outsiders.

It was a stark difference compared to the kind of pious reverence that Rui had grown accustomed to having when he visited nations. Not even the Solaris Kingdom had treated him this disrespectfully, and this was a nation that thought he was cursed due to the color of his hair.

It showed just how arrogant the Heaven Sect was in their sense of superiority over outsiders.

“…By the way,” Amare asked after having her fill of taking in the new sights. “Do you have any idea where we are going?”

“Not in particular,” Rui remarked. “But for now, I think it’s probably safe to aim for that large structure at the center of the Heaven Sect.”

Rui gestured towards what appeared to be a central citadel-like structure.

“I don’t think there’s any other assumption to make if they haven’t bothered to have even a humble messenger tell me where I need to go to speak with the leaders of the nation.”

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