Chương 20: Chapter 19

If Wu Zetian had to describe flying, the word exhilarating would be the first word to come to her mind. If she had to describe flying into the night… trascendental came the closest to the real thing. Shen Qi, the immortal essence, aloof from entropy's slavery, disdainful of death, lover of eternity. It wafted from her meridians, scoffing at gravity the same way it scoffed at any ending, breathing mystery and cold and the perfect silence between stars. The Night Domain looked very small from up there. It looked…

silly. With its silly little concerns, its silly little lives, its silly little deaths. It would have been so very easy to dismiss it. To say that dust fated to return to dust ought to be considered and treated the same way. Easy. Wu Zetian never liked easy things, no matter how strongly perfect darkness called. A God is a God because he's enough to himself, as Lucretius would say.

Wu Zetian always considered her classical studies as a source of insight into the mind of the individual or the masses, as well as a pleasurable hobby. Nothing more. To think that the words of the Pompeian philosopher would reach her across worlds. He wouldn't have been happy, I suppose. Apart from lack of wear and tear, I don't trust these atoms of mine to be so self-sufficient. Idle thoughts. She had things to do, and she had been away from the Sect too long already.

The peak she landed on was forested and lush, lancing out of the primeval forest that covered the lower Night Domain like a spear. There were many similar, each a pillar of stone holding an outer Sect, or the ruins of one, on its top, reaching for the immensity that was the Wu Plateau like birds around a hippopotamus. From her previous incarnation's memory, Wu Zetian knew that the Night Domain was actually a truly rich environment, both in terms of resources to scavenge and beasts to hunt.

Swarms of flying beasts nested in the peaks' flanks or flew forever into the perpetual gloom, while spirit beasts of all kinds lived in the forests at the bottom of the domain. The only real safe places were the peaks, where the Outer Sect's defense arrays kept the beasts at bay.

The night sky, sheer mountain faces and deep forests were danger zones, ranging from a Rank 4, enough to keep any middle rank Formation Establishment on his toes, to a staggering Rank 9, where even squads of Core Formation could enter only after painstaking preparations. A high-level zone for Cultivators of all kinds, and one the Sect had profited from over the ages. At the moment, it was well and truly overgrown.

The Outer Sects charged with managing the Domain's resources had been lost, and while the Twelve Demon Alliance had put some effort into replacing them, their focus on the siege had kept their efforts from turning truly meaningful. As a result, the spirit beasts had multiplied and were now running rampant, killing and eating each other. And growing as they do. Even from where she was, Wu Zetian could feel them. Like tiny raging stars dotting the landscapes, running, killing, burning fiercely and savagely.

Making her way down the peak, Wu Zetian maintained her perceptions open. The Rank 9 was mostly limited to the Plateau itself, where shadow beasts prowled and hunted. Or, well, had. Her fight with the invaders had wiped the plateau of any living being. They would reform in time, but still, a waste. The skies above the Plateau were off-limits to all but she and the Sect Elders. True monsters lived there, the kind none beneath Nascent Soul could hope to tangle with and emerge victorious.

They didn't interest her at the moment: the Sect had agreements in place with those lofty minds, and they cared little enough with the lower realms that considering them a non-factor was a fair assumption. Her interests were far more focused on the lower lands. The skies loomed over by the plateau were generally ranked 8, while the forests and the uninhabited peaks generally didn't surpass Rank 6.

Only a few danger zones equalled the spaces above, and these were generally reserved and monitored by dedicated overseers. Other zones were kept as easier hunting grounds, fenced and forcibly lowered in rank to supply lesser cultivators with experience and resources. And, of course, to provide trade routes with safe lanes. All of that was, besides the two Outer Sects she had established, well and truly lost. What remained was the deadly equivalent of an overgrown garden.

Looking in the distance, Wu Zetian was pretty sure she could see a giant monkey fighting a dragon… The peak she had landed on was unremarkable, standing in the lower side of the Domain's general rank. A perfect place for Godless Night disciples to rest and resupply between hunting trips. Where was it now… oh, here it is. The small camp matched the peak. Leaves and branches had been cleared to form a small space hidden by the trees and the undergrowth. Stones circled a little campfire.

Two bedrolls lay half-open on the grass. Wu Zetian was taken aback by how casual it was. Then the reason why became clear. A small array flickered around the camp, hiding it from sight and keeping wind and weather from intruding. She put a hand into the ashes. Still warm. But did it mean anything? The array was quite the high-leveled one, and was meant to preserve a certain status in the environment it surrounded.

This fire could have gone out one month earlier and the ashes wouldn't have likely lost any of their warmth. Blast, this spoils everything. If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it. She hadn't come down from the Plateau just to sightsee. Even meeting the Sect Leaders and assessing their conditions personally was just a bonus. And so were the preparations for the celebration she had in mind. All of this could have easily been entrusted to subordinates.

No, her purpose in the Domain was different. She was here to collect people. The novel she had read, and inside of which she had apparently been reincarnated, remained very clear in her mind, and so did the main characters who were meant to resolve it. It wasn't out of any need for hostages that she had picked up those two girls, and she wasn't looking for apprentices. Fan Yu and Sun Mei were supposed to be heroines. What was the term? Ah, yes, harem.

Each of them was meant to become a love interest of the main character, generally unrequited because of denseness of character, but important to the story nonetheless. Wu Zetian knew they could and would grow into powerful cultivators, and that their contribution would be essential to save the world. Picking them up long before time was just obvious. They were important pieces, to protect and guide them into their growth so that the story wouldn't turn for the worse. And, well, she could make use of them.

But it's all for nothing if I can't find him. The main character. Li Zi. He was supposed to have escaped during the final battle for the Sect. Helped by a hidden, powerful cultivator who would go on to become his teacher, he was supposed to have found refuge in this little camp, waiting for his wounds to heal and his first breakthrough to come. Wu Zetian had scoured the membership rolls of the Sect for the name, and then did the same with her immortal perceptions of the city.

Li Zi was supposed to hold a special bloodline that she was certain she could find. Except that she didn't. She had hoped he would be here, still recovering, but… She scoffed, turning away with a flutter of cloth. Li Zi's master, the Stranger, was a powerful cultivator, likely another Immortal. Did he spirit him away? He must have. And she had no means to trace him. The fool. To him, it must have felt like saving an innocent boy from tyranny, but she knew better. That damn boy was supposed to save the world! Fine!

Fine. Following the story, Li Zi would return. The plot may have changed, but this remained: the boy's first desire was to free his homeland. She had no reason to think that would change. Only, it wouldn't be the Twelve Demon Alliance, but her. The villain that the hero would come to slay. M ph, we'll see about that. I have two of his future helpers and I know how the plot will go. Unless anything else changes, and I'll maintain feelers to spot it if it does, I won't be taken by surprise.

There were angles for her to work. There always were. She only needed to make a good situation from what she had missed. That was it. She pushed the idea of the hero into a corner of her mind, intending to call it back when it would be time. Until then, she had work to do.

"Come out," she ordered, without bothering to turn. The three cultivators who appeared before her wore dark blue to indigo tunics, hard edges and lines forsaken for a seamless blend. Their attires were a study into practicality, what a scavenger or a tracker would wear into the wilderness. Wooden masks, lacquered and smooth, hung from their belts. Wu Zetian turned to regard them coldly.

The trio, a Core Formation officer and his two Foundation Establishment subordinates, bowed in absolute abesiance, all but radiating discipline.

"Explain your tardiness in making your presence known." The officer bowed lower. When he spoke, his voice was steady and soldierly.

"The Founder seemed taken into her thoughts. We dared not disturb her meditations until called." Wu Zetian watched him. The man had a weather-beaten, grizzled look, with hair cropped close and a salt and pepper beard carved through by scars gleaming white. His voice was a steady, cold rasp.

"Identification." To his credit, the man didn't hesitate.

"This shadow's name is Tenzin, honored Founder. I have the honor of holding the rank of Field Commander. My life is yours." Tenzin. Not a natural name. Not surprising. The Owl Talon were the elites of the Godless Night, the cream picked from the crop of the Nightjar Wing School, trained to the highest standards and indoctrinated into serving the ruling family.

They were assassins, the best merchandise the Sect could offer to the world, and at the same time, the longa manus of the Sect who watched the watchers and took care of high-profile betrayers. At the moment, they showed a distinct lack of respect in her eyes, considering what a mess the Sect was when she awoke.

"That it is," she said, watching him. She never hesitated in making use of tools. These were more useful than others.

"Have you done what I commanded?"

"Yes, Founder," Tenzin replied. If he was afraid, it was lost under the steady discipline.

"Five Talons have been deployed to protect the Scavenger Moon squads deployed in the Domain. At this moment, fifty disciples are harvesting beast cores from quadrant 3-4-B. No wounded as for the last report." Wu Zetian ticked a mental box. With most of the city focusing on rebuilding and healing, the Scavenger Moon, the guild charged with managing and exploiting the resources of the Domain, could deploy only a small part of its manpower. Still, a start was a start, and she added a number to the monthly budget.

Food! She needed food! Spirit herbs, spirit beast parts, spirit stones. They were all for nothing if her people starved. Cultivation economy started and finished with cultivators. Nothing could be done without strong arms and clear minds, and she intended to have both by the end of the week.

"What about the other matter?" She asked. She didn't bother to hope. It would only bring disappointment.

"Nothing has been uncovered, honored Founder," Tenzin said, voice not wavering. A true ninja this one, dedicated, loyal and emotionless. Wu Zetian would remember him. She scoffed softly, and turned away. No surprise. For all their talent, the assassins were as likely to pick the trail of an Immortal as to find another Dragon Vein. Ah, if only their grandmaster hadn't been killed during the betrayal… No matter. She would raise another one.

The assassins following her like shadows, Wu Zetian walked beyond the treeline. The ground ended abruptly there, giving way to a dizzying drop. Standing on the edge, she let her perceptions expand. Once more, the savage universe that was the overgrown Domain washed over her. She felt the beasts' lifeforce, blazing into the night like so many little stars. Food for my people. A concern. But she couldn't just wipe out any living being in the Domain.

There were ecological, economical and societal implications to keep in mind, most of which could be summarized in the proverb that said that a milked cow was better than a slaughtered one. As she let out a slow breathe, the air danced with crystals of ice. Methodically, she flagged most of the presence, especially the most dangerous ones. Alphas grown too strong and fat who were likely to disrupt the ecological order. They would be the first to go. Only one particular instance attracted her attention.

A creature fighting for his life against a pack. Wounded yet undeniably still very powerful. Wu Zetian took note, then focused. Of the Shadow Arts, most techniques revolved around turning darkness and shadow into a weapon. Blades, hammers, extensions for limbs and more. There were a few moves the scrolls of the Sect didn't cover, hundreds of names for as many martial techniques. For her, it was pointless.

The Night replied to her call like an extension of her body, waiting only for her to shape it in whatever form her fantasy desired. Any manner of death-dealing was at her fingertips, with a range and a power high enough to make most armies moot. That power she now unleashed again. She called it Shadow-Mould. Did it make her wicked that she took some enjoyment out of it? While the Domain erupted with a new kind of all-seeing massacre, she decided to focus on the clear night sky and think not of it.