34 Rising tide [3]

[A note for the old readers: I had messed up the name of Quan Ding. I got confused with Chinese naming. So just a note that from now of Quan Ding would be named Yang Quan instead.]

"Neigh!" The horse bellowed as the man pulled its leash to make it change directions. The rising sun died the man's visage in a tint of red. Covered in cloth from top to bottom, he didn't even expose his face or his hands. His face covered with rags leaving only a slight gap for the eyes to see the way. His head covered with a white turban that prevented his hair from falling out.

He had a more or less skinny appearance with little to no cultivation base. His aura was so meek that it felt that it would get blown away with the slightest gust of wind. He was a messenger whose only job was to relay messages and nothing else. After all, in this world, there was not much he could do.

Horses were a common means of transport in these lower planes. They were commonly called horses but if one were to look closely one would find that it was a magical beast. Its eyes were as red as ruby and its whole body covered in black fur.

Most cultivators had their base lower than the Divine Shing and hence cannot fly. With the human weaknesses holding them back, they could only rely on tamed beasts for their transportation.

The number of cultivators in the Divine Shing realm in the Black Pearl Nation would be count on one's fingers. Only the leaders of the five great clans and a few others in those same clans are in the Divine Shing realm.

The man and horse duo stormed through the pathway with a colony of trees on either side. Dangers were looming everywhere, dangers that the man cannot possibly defend against. But, that didn't make him stop. For life must go on, he has to do this work to put food on the table.

Unless one makes it to the Ling unification Realm one has to eat and sleep to keep oneself alive. The energy present in their bodies isn't so rich as to be able to nourish their bodies.

They passed through the forest. But, what greeted them was a huge wall of enormous size. The wall was carved out of stone with light cracks here and there that signified the waves of attacks it had withstood. There was also moss growing on it here and there painting an otherwise grey structure in a green hue.

The man's head went up as his eyes shifted to the top of the wall. It was at least fifty feet tall if the man's estimations were right. But, his intention wasn't to mesmerize at the structure size and brilliance. It was to grab attention.

Two guards stationed at the wall-top noticed his piercing gaze. They looked down upon him. Both of them were wearing blue armour that covered their vitals except for their heads. With a spear in their hand that was 1.5 times longer than themselves they were always on alert.

"Who are you? Reveal your identity," the guard just spoke out as a formality.

From the man's clothes, the guard was pretty much sure that it was a messenger, since all of them wore clothes like this to avoid getting caught up in trouble.

"..." But, there was an utter silence from the man for he didn't reply.

He chose to search through his ransack to find something that would serve as a concrete proof. His hands rummaged as they finally found what they wanted. The man smiled in relief thanking his luck that he hadn't lost it. He took it out.

A shiny object. It reflected the light that fell on it blinding the man. He twisted it a bit to stop the light from falling onto his eyes.

It was a golden badge, an insignia, with the mark of the sword on it.

The guard's eyes shot wide on figuring out what it was. He shout out at once.

"Open the gates! He is our patriarch's messenger!" The guard shouts while turning his head to face the gatekeepers inside. The gatekeepers pulled the rope with all their strength.

*Sweep*

The chains churned as the majestic doors opened wide.

*Whip*

The messenger didn't wait for anything as he whipped his horse which galloped into the clan.

The Geijing Clan.

A clan known for its exponential rise to glory.

Everyone knew that they had risen to great heights but no one could figure out how they had done so. Even the Five great clans had doubts as to how the Geijing Clan was able to survive all the wars it had gone through.

Every time the Geijing clan fought a war, it was with a clan as powerful as themselves. But every time it won with a narrow margin. As if by some miracle, by some fate that couldn't be understood by the clans of the Black Pearl Nation. Every time it won its power grew further with the resources it plundered. Little by little it grew to where it was today. Only second to the five great clans in the Black Pearl Nation.

All of it had begun with the rise of Yang Ding as its patriarch but now... Now its resources were being eyed upon by the good and the bad alike.

With Yang Ding's disappearance and Yang Quan's rise to its patriarch, everyone had found the lone opportunity they were waiting for. Today this messenger had brought yet another bad news for Yang Quan who was already in a difficult position.

No one believed in Yang Quan's competency as a Patriarch and they couldn't have been more right. Yang Quan might be a great cultivator and martial artist at the Ling Unification Realm but…. Politics was not his forte.

***

Sorry for not uploading yesterday. I will try to make up for it.