(MC POV)
I was really tempted to give Elaria a good spanking afterwards. She not only placed claymores but also hallucinogenic bombs that explode with them as well. This little sister of mine is really ruthless…
Normally I would punish her but I let her off this time since this Plane is also just as, if not more, ruthless.
I did stop her from planting any more claymores behind us, not because I was worried about the people coming up after us but because the explosions would make it harder for us to go back down later.
We finally reached the summit of the mountain after another hour of climbing and I was honestly surprised to find that several people were already there. Five figures in total wearing different coloured robes were seated on top of a rock each in a circle, all of them paying no attention to us.
I assumed the five of them were deep in concentration meditating so the fact that they did not react to us was normal.
Not that I want to deal with them anyway, we have our own things to do after all.
Now that we have reached the summit of the mountain, my disciples will need to consolidate the Elemental Quarks their bodies have absorbed to stabilise them and make it a part of their own power. I could already see the auras around them had expanded by quite a bit, another indication of their genius.
Elaria and Diao Chan would need to rest their bodies as well or they would find it harder getting used to their new strength.
Welp, no reason why we can't share this place since it's big enough so I gestured for my disciples to gather at a distance away from those five to start their own practice.
My disciples obliged and quietly gathered themselves in a circle to start their meditation, the only person not in the circle was Iris who stayed with me while I watched over them. Even Cai Hong was sitting there because she thought it was 'fun'.
I now realise how ironic it is that I was not a proper Practitioner all this while and I'm teaching my disciples how to be Practitioners. Oh well, at least the cultivation methods and knowledge I've gained from reading those manuals weren't lies, so it works out.
I'm still curious why being basked in my aura made my disciples act that way back then? Omniscience?
…
They were just horny huh. Can't say I didn't expect that… I really need to prepare myself for tonight…
Since I don't really have anything to do, I materialised a chair beside my disciples and settled down on it. Akari and Shiori immediately curled up underneath my chair and snuggled themselves against my foot.
Iris was staring at me with a wistful expression on her face so I patted the empty space beside me.
Her face immediately brightened up and she sat down beside me, cuddling up to my side and leaning her head against my shoulder. She looked so cute that I reflexively started to pat her head.
Iris gave a yelp of surprise at the touch but quickly started to purr cutely, snuggling even closer to me.
We stayed like that for a while, enjoying the tranquillity of the mountain's peak with only the sound of the wind and Iris's purring to accompany us.
Just when I felt Iris starting to doze off, another group of Practitioners reached the peak of the mountain, all of them looking especially exhausted.
Ugh, it's people from the Eternal Brotherhood Sect, even the idiot I scared away earlier is there. The only difference is that he is now cowering behind the group, refusing to look in my direction.
Judging by the look on the other Sect members' faces, he either never told them what happened just now or they didn't believe him. Although… I could see a few of their clothes were in tatters and a few of them were also shivering like the previous idiot, those guys must be the ones affected by Elaria's traps.
Unlike what happened with us, the five figures seated in a circle actually reacted to their presence.
"Looks like I win this time."
"Hmph, you were just lucky."
"..."
"Tsk…"
"Damn those useless disciples…"
I can't tell if those five people actually have a good relationship with each other or not, but I already figured out that they were the Sect Masters of the top five Sects without needing omniscience to tell me.
They stood up but stopped abruptly when they noticed my group's presence.
One of them who looked like he was in his mid twenties pointed a finger at me, "Who are you?! How did you sneak up here?!"
Hmm… This guy should be the Sect Master of the Eternal Brotherhood Sect.
I raised an eyebrow at him, "We didn't sneak up here, you guys were just so deep in your meditation that you didn't notice us when we arrived."
A young looking woman who was undoubtedly the Sect Mistress of the Moonlight Sisterhood Sect stepped forward, "Liar! We had a barrier around this area that would inform us of anyone coming up here. How did you not trigger it?"
"Maybe your barrier is just too weak, I wouldn't know. But what I said was the truth."
An old man wearing golden robes stood up from his rock, "Are you seriously insinuating that our barrier was too weak to even sense you?"
His robes already gave him away as the Sect Master of the Golden Ascension Sect.
I shrugged, "Perhaps? I don't know how your barrier works. Anyway, could all of you keep quiet? My disciples are still meditating."
The old man with a ridiculously long beard furrowed his brows at me, "Boy, do you even know who you are in the presence of?! Do you think this is a spot for a picnic?!"
Ah, this one's the Sect Master of The Sect Sect, his face most definitely looks just as ridiculous as his Sect's name.
I looked around the place, "Hmm… Now that you mention it, this is indeed a good picnic spot. You have good eyes, old man."
The last of the five who had the appearance closer to a scholar than a Practitioner drew his sword, "Insolence! You really have no idea who we are, do you? To even be flirting with a girl right in front of us too!"
Even without relying on the process of elimination, his attitude was enough to tell me that he was the Sect Master of the Twilight Sword Sect. Is he a virgin?
I was just about to use my aura to intimidate them when a high pitched scream echoed through the air.
All of us turned to see another group of Practitioners had appeared at the stairs while we were bickering, this time it was the Moonlight Sisterhood Sect.
The one who screamed was, of course, none other than Elder Ying herself.
She quickly rushed towards her Sect Mistress's side and whispered something in her ear.
The Sect Mistress nodded once before turning her gaze back to me, "I see that we may have been a little too hasty in our assumptions. What happened for a hidden expert like yourself to come here?"
I gestured to my disciples, "If you did not hear me the first time, I said my disciples are meditating, so keep your voices down."
The Sect Master of the Twilight Sword Sect looked like he was about to say something when the Sect Mistress called out, "Stay your hands fellow Sect Masters. Let us convene over there for I have news to share."
The other four glared at me but followed her to the other side of the mountain anyway.
Good, some peace and quiet now. I'll make my disciples some food later so we can have a nice picnic here like that old guy suggested.
Right now I just want to enjoy the quiet for a while more with Iris cuddling me.
