The King Of Warriors novel (Jared Chance) novel Chapter 6495

Silas and Luna left Everspire that same night and set out once more for the Greywild Mountains.

"The night lay heavy over the land.

There were no stars in the sky, no moon either. Only thick clouds pressed over everything, sealing off the whole expanse overhead."

"A violent wind howled through the dark.

It swept loose stones and dead grass off the ground and flung them against their faces hard enough to sting."

"The two of them moved through the mountains.

They avoided a group of demon beasts traveling by night, detoured around several natural traps, and finally reached the area near the Primordial Sanctuary around midnight."

"They did not go near the sanctuary entrance.

Instead, they hid themselves on a mountaintop watch-post 100 miles away."

"That peak was the highest point within 100 miles.

The terrain opened wide around it, and the sightline was excellent. From there, they could clearly see what was happening at the sanctuary entrance."

"Silas set a veiling ward across the mountaintop.

Luna drew two gray cloaks from her Storage Ring and draped them over them both.

The cloaks pulled their auras all the way in, leaving them to sink into the grass and trees around them as if they had always been part of the slope."

From a distance, the place looked like nothing more than a stretch of barren mountain. There was nothing out of place at all.

"What do you think the chapter master is thinking?"

Luna leaned against the stone wall and looked toward the sanctuary entrance in the distance, her question lowered almost into the dark.

Far off, that stone gate at the sanctuary entrance gave off a faint blue glow in the night, like an eye left half-shut.

Silas shook his head and said nothing.

He was not the kind of man who spent time guessing. He did what needed doing.

Osric had told him to watch, so he watched.

"As for why, that was not his question to ask.

His task was surveillance, not thinking."

Luna did not seem to mind. She kept speaking on her own. "The Patriarch of Wellspring Order became a sanctuary warden. There is something deeply wrong about that."

"Wellspring Order does not count as a major power in the Seventeenth Firmament, but Master Wellspring is no simple man. And that young heir he acknowledged is even less simple."

"The Aureate Codex chose that young heir. There has to be a reason inside all this. Tell me, what exactly is that heir's background?"

Silas still gave no answer. He only kept his eyes fixed on the sanctuary entrance without blinking.

Luna let out a sigh, and after that, she stopped talking too.

The two of them kept watch in silence, from night into day, then from day back into night.

*****

The Great Hall of Pole Star Hall

"Emberstone crystals set into the dome poured light through the entire great hall.

A golden halo drifted through the chamber and fell across the solitary figure on the black throne, plating him in a cold sheen of gold."

"Stone pillars stood in silence along both sides of the hall.

The celestial conquest reliefs carved into their shafts shifted in and out of brightness, as if they were wordlessly bearing witness to the oppressive, murderous hush of this moment."

Venerable Starwick sat on the black throne, his face carrying the color of sky before a storm breaks.

"His fingers tapped lightly against the armrest.

Once. Then again. Then again.

The sound rolled through the empty great hall like the tolling of a funeral bell."

"The four Golden Immortal elders stood in the center of the great hall with their heads lowered.

"Pole Star Hall is stronger than they are, but if we force a head-on fight, our losses will be severe."

He stopped there for a moment, watching Venerable Starwick's face with careful restraint. Only when no outburst came did he go on. "Hall Master, Pole Star Hall is not the only celestial power in the Seventeenth Firmament. The northern region has Deepvault Cloister, and Epea has Saintspire Court."

"If we attack Beastmoor Ridge alone, even victory will cost us too much. When that time comes, will the other powers move in while we are weakened? Will they sit back and reap the reward after we do the fighting? Hall Master must guard against that."

Venerable Starwick's brows drew together.

Elder Rowe was right. That was exactly what he had to guard against.

The celestials belonged to the same race, but the open struggles and hidden fights between their powers had never stopped.

If Pole Star Hall suffered a heavy blow to its strength, Deepvault Cloister and Saintspire Court would never let the chance slip by.

By then, not only would he fail to obtain the Aureate Codex, he might not even be able to keep Pole Star Hall.

"What are you suggesting?"

Elder Rowe lifted his head, and a sharp glint passed through his eyes. "Hall Master, your servant suggests we join with the other celestial powers in the northern region, send troops together, and surround Beastmoor Ridge for extermination."

"Lay out the gains and losses for them. Make them understand that allowing Beastmoor Ridge and the Wellspring Order to grow unchecked benefits no one. When that time comes, with several sides joining forces, Beastmoor Ridge can be erased with the flick of a finger."

Venerable Starwick stayed silent for a while. His fingers tapped lightly against the armrest, once, then again.

He was weighing the gains against the losses.

Joining with other powers meant sharing the spoils.

That Aureate Codex, that violet soul—he could not guarantee he would be able to keep them all for himself.

But without joining forces, he would not even have a chance to get them.

"Good."

He rose from the throne, a hard, final glint flashing through his eyes. "I will personally make a trip to Deepvault Cloister and Saintspire Court. You will remain behind to guard Pole Star Hall, strengthen security, and allow no one to come near."

"Yes!" the four elders answered in unison, and the tightness that had locked around them finally eased.