As he stepped through the arched entrance, the Yang-Dao Sect finally came into view, no longer obscured by the dome of fire.
He had been expecting the sect to be above him, continuing up the mountainside as the city outside did. That was not the case. Instead, before him was a massive caldera, like the mouth of a enormous fifty mile wide volcano in which the sect was built in.
The walls of the caldera stretched upwards several dozen miles, and met perfectly with the dome of fire, making the interior look like a massive sphere, half of fire, half of earth.
Dozens of rivers of molten lava flowed down from where the dome met the earthen walls, flowing down to the basin below. The rivers collected in a lake of scorching lava, atop which the Yang-Dao Sect was built.
Thousands of pillars of rock and metal pierced into the lake of magma, providing anchor points for the sect. Built atop the pillars was the sect itself, which was equally as eye-catching as the magma lake itself.
The sect was made up of twelve enormous buildings, each dominating a portion of the caldera. Each building was unique in designs. One building in the very center of the lake was thin and tall, piercing into the sky almost to the top of the dome of fire. Another was several miles wide and spherical in shape, like a massive ball, perfectly polished. Another was half submerged in the lake, the top half zigging and zagging in random directions, like a strange geometric pattern.
The buildings were linked up by an intricate network of bridges that stretched all over the lake of magma, like twelve organs connected by a complicated series of veins and arteries. Tens of thousands moved about on the bridges, appearing like ants from this distance. With the pulsating heat of the lake below causing the very air to shimmer, the sect almost appeared to be alive.
In the air above the sect hovered three massive flying ships, each several miles long. They were the largest ships he had ever seen, and also the grandest.
The ship closest to him, about a dozen miles before him and overhead, was fiery red in color, with yellow and orange trimmings that looked like flames. A fiery heat seemed to naturally emanate from the ship, which was wider at the end and narrower at the tip, and almost appeared to be designed to look like a massive flame.
The ship in the far distance to his right was dark purple in color, with blue and white trimmings designed to look like runes. The runes covered the exterior of the ship, giving it the illusion of being a massive formation itself. It wa rather blocky in its design, appearing like a long, narrow block than a ship.
He shifted his gaze to the third ship on the opposite end of the sect. The ship was the most eye-catching of all, as it looked exactly like a massive marble-white sword, one large enough to be wielded by a titan-god. The back end of the ship looked like a sword handle, one back and gold in design. Looking at the ship made his mind feel as though it would be pierced by a sword at any moment.
'No mistaking who that ship belongs to.'
John studied the ships for a while, then peered down at the sect from his vantage point on the edge of the caldera, taking in the breathtaking view.
"The ships are used as housing for the Three Dao Sects,
Everyone else is housed in the sect itself for the duration of the tournament," Zuri explained. "While the Yang-Dao Sect doesn't need to bring out their ship, it's done as a matter of pride. Can't let the other sects show off without showing off yourself, right?"
John nodded his head, only now realizing that he was standing at the middle of the entrance. Hundreds walked by him each minute, giving him a glance as if he was a bumpkin. These people had no doubt seen the Yang-Dao Sect before, and were used to the sights.
The youths walking by, some around his age, some younger, laughed softly while looking at him. The group all wore red robes, embroidered with a flaming bird symbol. They had to move around him to get by, which had obviously annoyed some of them.
"Tch, making us move around him while he gawks like that. Must be his first time here," one youth said to their fellow sect members, obviously annoyed by this minor inconvenience.
"I don't recognize his robes, so he's obviously not from a strong Dao Sect. He must be here to watch instead of participate, so entering a sect like this must be a first for him. How sad his life must be," another said, then laughed with the group.
John looked at the group with a flat expression, carefully studying their faces. He had an eyebrow raised, as if surprised by how petty, and also stupid these youths were.
The two who had spoken seemed to be the oldest, appearing a few years older than him. However, their auras indicated they were mostly likely a few years older than they appeared, closer to twenty three or twenty four years of age. It was always difficult to tell a cultivator's exact age by appearance alone, as once one reached the Heaven Tribulation Realm, physical aging slowed down considerably, and only got slower as ones cultivating progressed.
Their aura's were slightly flared, like colorful birds waving their wings to get attention, revealing their Late Dao Transformation cultivations. Their haughty attitudes indicated they were most likely from a Tier Two sect.
"Huh? What are you looking at me like that for?" The youth who had mocked him said, a look of displeasure on his face. "Do you not know who I am?"
"Am I supposed to know who you are?" John asked, tilting his head to the side in a questioning manner. "You don't seem that impressive to me."
While their cultivations were one minor realm higher, they were most likely four or five years older as well. Compared to someone like Ji'Han, who was a half-step World Expansion cultivator at twenty two years of age, these youths were majorly lacking.
A flustered look appeared in the youths face, who quickly started walking over towards John. John smiled and welcomed the approach. It had been a while since he embarrassed a haughty 'genius', which was something he thoroughly enjoyed doing.
"Come, it's not worth the trouble," Zuri said, placing a hand in John's shoulder to pull him down the pathway towards the Yang-Dao Sect.
The youth stopped as he noticed Zuri, whose cultivation, as well as apparent age gave him pause. A young World Expansion cultivator like her was no doubt a genius, and might not be one he could afford to offend.
John turned around, ignoring the youth.
"You better not be entering the Dao Transformation bracket," the youth called out from behind. "Or I'll make sure you regret those words."
John simply waved over his shoulder without looking back, his nonplussed attitude further flustering the youth.
John smiled as he started walking down the long bridge that led to the sect below. He could already see the horrified and pleading face of that youth if they ran into each other during the tournament.
"Ahhhh," he sighed with satisfaction. "I forgot just how much…fun, tournaments can be. I'm thoroughly going to enjoy this."
