Within the isolated space, an emergency meeting was rapidly arranged.
"There was movement outside the dimensional walls today. This alone isn't anything to warrant concern, but this movement was accompanied by spatial fluctuations. Unless it was a strange natural phenomenon, our location had been discovered."
The man who spoke was large and built like a tank. The aura coming from his body was at the peak of early 4th class.
This man was Luo Sheng, the Vice Master of the Eclipsing Shadow Sect.
As he spoke, his attention remained at the head of the meeting table where a cold and gloomy man sat. He was Luo Tian, Luo Sheng's elder brother and the Eclipsing Shadow Lord himself.
"Have you determined which force is after us?" Luo Tian asked.
"No, sir. However, earlier today, we launched an offensive against Shadow Garden as per Niflheim's orders. The timing is too coincidental."
Despite Luo Sheng and Luo Tian being blood brothers, there was no such love between them. Luo Tian was cold-hearted and indifferent even as a child. Ever since Luo Sheng was born, he'd considered himself more as Luo Tian's subordinate than his brother.
But this mindset was also what made Luo Sheng into Luo Tian's most loyal subordinate and the one he bestowed the position of Vice Master when he established the sect.
And this status held even more weight at this time.
The Eclipsing Shadow Sect was falling. Even if the duo wanted to prevent it, doing so was nigh impossible.
To take the sect and flee to Niflheim was easy to say, but not easy at all to accomplish. Because Luo Tian never acquired a Chaos Rank flight artifact, he didn't have a vessel capable of sustaining itself in space for long periods of time.
This led to many deaths. Any sect disciple under 3rd class was directly shredded by the chaotic space. As for the 3rd class disciples and 4th class elders, a large number of even them were killed during the journey by various dangers.
Whether it be space beasts, the chaotic space itself, spatial storms, spatial lightning, Vortex Spaces, the dangers of the chaotic space were numerous.
Those remaining in the Eclipsing Shadow Sect were those who survived those dangers. Although their sect was much smaller, its power was also concentrated.
And now, after spending close to half a year receiving benefits from the Nox while acting like their dogs, their strength had been further consolidated.
The current Eclipsing Shadow Sect was a dog with only half its teeth. In the first place, the fact that they were told to attack Shadow Garden was Niflheim proclaiming their deaths.
Even if it would've taken longer without Damien's abilities, Shadow Garden finding the Eclipsing Shadow Sect remains was inevitable. At that time, the sect would be destroyed regardless.
But Luo Tian and his group weren't aware of Shadow Garden's scale or power. They'd been settled in the Outer Wilds as soon as they entered the unnamed world, and they'd never been allowed outside of it.
The Eclipsing Shadow Sect was nothing more than a shell of its previous self. Even Luo Tian knew this.
But who could he blame for this fate? Damien who initiated the purge? There was no way for Luo Tian to comprehend this connection. Then, could he only blame himself for being tempted by the Nox?
It had to be known, the other wicked path sects that didn't side with the Nox weren't annihilated. The wicked path was simply another facet of cultivation, but siding with the Nox was betraying Existence itself.
Luo Tian's thoughts were chaotic even though his face was stoic. Hearing that a force would come to attack them, he realized that the battle wouldn't be favorable to them at all.
But that was all.
Even if the conditions were unfavorable, even in a situation where death was inevitable, he, Luo Tian, would never back down.
To fight even after his last breath left his lips. This was the resolve that Luo Tian built in his thousands of years of life.
***
The most bothersome part of a raid like this would usually be travel rather than the actual battle. The trek to merely arrive at the intended location would whittle away at mental strength and drop one's guard.
But with Damien, this troublesome process was directly skipped. Using Warp, he could easily transport a large group of people.
Therefore, the group arrived in front of the isolated space in a mere instant. Their senses remained heightened to the max. Each and every one of them knew that their current mission wasn't a joking matter.
People like Damien and Albeus could look at something like this causally, but for these normal disciples, raiding a group that was headed by a peak 4th class being was immensely dangerous.
They didn't have the opportunity to take things simply.
Before the normal disciples could get in their heads too much about the upcoming raid, Damien walked up to the dimensional wall ahead of them and placed his hand on it.
'Passing through it isn't a problem, but I can't shatter it yet. What a shame.'
Rather, Damien could shatter the dimensional wall if he had a few days to slowly do so, but that wasn't an option in a true combat situation.
All he could do was resign himself and wrap his mana around his squad members. Afterward, he flew directly into the spatial wall and passed through it. The spatial mana surrounding the squad pulled them through the wall as well.
And when the group arrived on the other side…
"Halt! Who dares intrude in my Eclipsing Shadow Sect's territory?!"
A booming voice resounded through the entire isolated world. Standing in the sky was Luo Sheng with his twin daggers already in his hands. On the ground below him, all of the Eclipsing Shadow Sect's remaining disciples stood armed and ready for battle as well.
Damien's eyes narrowed when he looked at this group. Although there were only a few hundred of them, they were all late or peak 3rd class beings. There were even a few early 4th classes among them.
Naturally, the strongest one was Luo Sheng.
While Damien faced this crowd, Elder Trinity spread her awareness past them. To her, this group was just a bunch of headless chickens running around wildly without knowing the meaning of death. She deigned to deal with them.
Instead, her awareness concentrated on a certain location. Her body turned into a streak of light and arrived there in an instant, seemingly confronting Luo Tian.
Damien let her do her thing. His attention remained focused on the battle ahead. Looking at the disciples behind him, he realized that none of them had cultivation in the 4th class.
'Since they're all at the late or peak 3rd class themselves, those at the same level will be practice partners and stepping stones for them. Instead of taking out the small fries, I should…'
Damien flicked his wrist and clenched his fist. "Seal."
When the word came out of his mouth, space compressed until it physically manifested. Within the crowd of enemies, the seven early 4th class beings were each confined in their own small isolated space.
This space was constantly compressing, taking them along with it. And with their strength, there was no way for them to break out of it.
This technique was like a miniaturized version of his domain. Damien learned it exactly through attempting to shrink and expand his domain.
It was essentially a pocket space that he could alter at will, and more than that, it was his first true step into manipulating dimensions.
With his comprehension reaching such a level, combined with his monstrous stats after exiting the Primordial Undying Realm and binding both Apeiron and the Cloud Plane, a small early 4th class being couldn't hold a candle to him.
As for his current strength? Even Damien was curious to find out. And to help him with this task…
Damien's attention fell on Luo Sheng.
Right, that guy would be the perfect practice dummy.
