The airship came to a stop above the continent of Pan and those within couldn't help but look down and marvel at the land before them. Now only was it novel, but it was likely their first time seeing anything apart from Fallon.
For Darius and his Branded Servants, it was business as usual. Though, their expressions did change lightly once they felt the aura of Spirit Energy wash over them. It felt like the ambient magical energy of Fallon, but with some significant differences.
However what was interesting was that only the Branded Servants reacted this way. As Darius already knew, to sense Spirit Energy, you needed the special organ called the Spirit Root. Without it, the world would be the same to you as a normal person.
None of those he brought had natural Spirit Roots, but that was to be expected. Even on Pan, where Spirit Energy is present and the chance of a newborn possessing a Spirit Root was the higher than all other 9 continents combined, they only had about 0.00001% of their people possess one.
So the chances of those on Fallon and other continents possessing one was even lower. However, the sects were so desperate for new blood that they came all the way out here to recruit people.
Why are they desperate for new blood? Because they kept sending their disciples to die in battles, disputes, secret realm explorations and generally encouraged them to kill each other.
The airship touched down and the group began to disembark. There was naturally a bevy of important dignitaries waiting for Darius as he came down, and he greeted them one by one.
They were currently docked in the port of the largest and most powerful sect on the eastern side of Pan, the Immortal Rising Sect. They had the most cultivators of the highest levels here, the largest piece of land, and the most resources.
They were chosen by the various powers of Pan to be the ones to host Darius and assist him in getting familiar with the 'rules' here.
Darius was led to a nearby palace which was styled in the Ancient Chinese architecture from earth. For Darius it was not much, but for the others, even his Branded Servants, this was an amazing experience.
They had never seen buildings like this, so they couldn't help but stare and marvel a bit. However, the group suddenly stopped when they realized that their hosts were secretly gazing at them with disdain.
They did not know that for these cultivators, emphasis was placed on being 'neither servile nor overbearing' and also on being 'indifferent' to anything and everything. Having emotions or emotional displays was seen as the lowest form of behavioral performance.
Luna and Gunner were usually like this, so they won the respect of the cultivators. More than a few had glanced at Luna lecherously, but her sharp killing aura directed at them quelled those thoughts and even sparked respect.
To a cultivator, you could not treat him gently or kindly, you had to be fierce or you would not get his respect. Taking a step back emboldened them to no end and taking a step forward frightened them deeply. They purely lived off the notion that they would bully the weak and fear the strong.
As for Xela, she felt extremely embarrassed and lowered her head, which made some others sneer with derision behind her back. However, Gunner only turned to glance at them and they almost lost their lives on the spot.
As for Darius. He was busy chatting and laughing with the top echelon, and they too with him. Both sides pretended not to see what was happening with their followers, but there was a hidden gleam in each other's eyes.
A banquet was held to welcome Darius and many things were discussed. It was here that Darius also found that the land they would be allocating him was far to the south of the continent, a relatively barren area with no chance for development.
When this was revealed, the faces of Darius' entourage became cold, and the other side had slightly provocative looks on their faces. So what if you were strong in your place, could you act up over here? Cultivators firmly believed in the saying 'a foreign dragon cannot suppress local snakes'.
However, this was also a test. A test to see Darius' bottom line and then began pushing it every so slowly until he became their bitch. They had countermeasures for any reaction he would take, and they were surprised when he smiled and took the deal.
However, he paid the equivalent value of the land in full without anything extra, making these top echelons solemn. To know the true price, Darius had to have a lot of information on Pan and how things were valued.
This made their eyes narrow as a lot of things could be inferred from this. Darius was telling them that he was willing to confine himself to a barren area as he had no plans to expand, but would not let them bully him because he could up and leave when he wanted.
This caused these Sect Masters to be cautious with him and show smiles the entire day. They chatted with Darius as if they were old friends who had been reunited after so long, something which Darius easily parried and indulged in.
Eventually the banquet came to an end and Darius and co were invited to stay over. Naturally, he rejected and took his group in the airship and traveled straight to their new territory from the Immortal Rising Sect.
This caused the faces of these Sect Masters to darken as at least, 50 plans had gone down the drain. In the end, they could only share a look and then contact those dark forces who planned to capture Darius with inside information.
After all, they needed someone to test the water for them.
Meanwhile on the airship, the atmosphere was slightly cold. Luna, Gunner, Nicholas, Elijah, and Shanks were silent and unapproachable, their auras poised for a fight as if they expected one soon.
Darius simply sat in his chair near the bow and looked out into the expanse before him with a soft and confident smile. Xela fiddled with her hands and wanted to say something, but decided to keep quiet when she saw that everyone else was silent too.
Soon, they noticed that there was a disturbance up ahead. In front of them, a bright light shone and illuminated the night sky around them, forming a domed carapace-like cage that prevented their airship from going forward.
Sou! Sou! Sou!
Unique and strange onomatopoeic sounds occurred that one would never have heard on Fallon, seeming to be a part of the rules here. The space around the airship was soon surrounded by men and women wearing different masks and hoods who radiated power.
One of them was standing opposite Darius near the bow, and he had a burly body that his robe could barely suppress. He glanced Darius up and down before speaking in a cold tone.
"Surrender and come with us and you will be unharmed. Resist and all your subordinates will die and you may not come out unscathed."
Darius looked him up and down with interest. "Excuse me for asking, but what makes you think that you are strong enough to survive this ambush?"
The cultivator paused before remaining confident. "Either surrender or let's fight, there is no need for so much talking!"
Darius raised a hand up. "Calm down. Answer my questions first and I might surrender and make this ordeal easier on everyone."
Darius could feel the man in the lead frown, but when he thought of the risks he was taking and how it could be resolved by possibly answering some questions, he felt like it was worth trying. If Darius was stalling for time, it was not a problem, they too were doing the same.
"What do you want to know?" The burly man acquiesced.
"Like I said, why are you so sure you'll survive this ambush?" Darius asked with a smile.
"No one says we will. We believe in our own power, but our judgment about you could be wrong. In the end it doesn't matter, if we are right, we score. If we are wrong, we suffer." The fellow answered succinctly.
"Oh? You are willing to take such huge risks? But you have significant power and can continue to enjoy a long life of luxury. Why risk it all here?" Darius asked with intrigue.
The ambushers seemed to find this funny as many snickered or made sounds of amusement. The burly man himself seemed to relax and explained simply.
"Birds die for food as humans die for wealth. On Pan, the only thing that matters is power, otherwise everything you have, love, peace, family, is subject to destruction at the slightest mistake. The only way to make sure what you want is fortified and secured is to have more power than everyone else, and to get that power, everything is fair game."
