The capture of Gale was similar to how it was when Li Yu took in Kael. Yes, Kael had done harm to others while he was in the Beast Faction. So like Kael, Gale would have to spend the rest of his time redeeming himself. Li Yu was going to kill the Emperor within the rift. Just like how he had killed his followers but the Emperor begged him to be kept alive at the end.

  Li Yu felt that it would be better to capture the Emperor and use him to keep the beasts in check if possible. Li Yu wouldn’t remain here forever, perhaps having some allies under him would be a good thing. Those were some of his thoughts as he debated on what he should do.

  Since Gale begged for life, this was the most that Li Yu was willing to do for him. It would be up to Gale to show that it was the right choice to make. Either way, being now bound to Li Yu prevented Gale from ever committing crimes. Unless he was attacked or provoked by them, he wouldn’t be able to hurt them.

  "Anyway," Li Yu said as his tone was brightening. "Just wanted you to know what he is so you don't accidentally attack him in the future. If you do, he might sneeze and wipe out a squad by accident. So, tell your men: Gale is off-limits."

  "Understood," Zhou said. "We will relay the orders. No one is dumb enough to attack him anyways."

  "Good. Oh, looks like company is here." Li Yu pointed toward the entrance of the cavern where the outer valley met the inner sanctum.

  A low hum reverberated through the tunnel. It was growing louder until it sounded like a swarm of giant bees. Lights flashed from the darkness of the entry tunnel.

  Moments later, a massive Alliance Transport Ark drifted into the cavern. It was a heavy, blocky vessel designed for carrying heavy equipment and personnel. The hull was reinforced with bronze plating and glowing runes pulsed along its flanks.

  The Ark hovered for a moment, scanning the area, before lowering its landing struts and settling onto the stone floor with a heavy thud.

  The side ramp hissed open. A squad of Alliance Guards walked out first. They weren't rushing with shields raised; they knew the area was green-lit and they were called in but their hands hovered near their weapons out of habit.

  Behind the guards a group of elderly men and women in white robes walked down the ramp. They carried compasses, formation flags and jade tablets. These were the Array Masters of the Alliance—the engineers tasked with rebuilding the Grand Formation once an area was secured.

  Leading them was Grandmaster Pan, a man with a beard so long he had it tucked into his belt. He stepped off the ramp and was holding a map in one hand. He looked prepared to give orders for a perimeter defense, to ask for escorts and to deal with the hazards of a newly reclaimed war zone.

  He froze.

  He had to blink a few times to make sure he was seeing clearly. He looked at the pile of Magma-Drake bones. He looked at the clean floor. He looked at the two thousand cultivators who were calmly stripping valuable materials from carcasses that were neatly stacked like firewood.

  "What..." Grandmaster Pan lowered his map. "What is this?"

  Sect Master Zhou walked over to greet them, his crimson armor clanking softly. He bowed respectfully. "Grandmaster Pan. Welcome to the Southern Jagged Peaks."

  "Sect Master Zhou," Pan stammered as he was looking around. The two of them had met before. "We received the signal that the area was secured for construction. We came as fast as the Ark could fly."

  "The area is secure," Zhou confirmed. "The perimeter is established. The hostile forces have been liquidated or routed."

  "Liquidated?" Pan looked at the sheer scale of the cavern. "But... we only got the order to be prepared to mobilize not long ago. Then we received your communication not long after that. That this area was ready to have its portion of the Grand Array restored. We thought perhaps you had pushed out the line and were ready for us to work as you battled."

  "The Commander prefers efficiency," Zhou said and a hint of pride creeped into his voice.

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  "Efficiency?" Pan sputtered. "This isn't efficiency! This is... this is impossible! The Western Front is still bogged down at the second defensive line. The Northern Sector just lost three battalions trying to take a single area. And you... you have cleared the Jagged Peaks?"

  Pan walked over to the corpse of a Storm-Tiger. He touched the fur, feeling the residual energy. "This... this is a Soul Formation beast. A mid-stage one at that. And it’s dead. Its body is intact."

  He turned to Zhou. "Who killed this? Did the Alliance Leader send a Hidden Ancestor with you?"

  "Alliance Commander Li Yu," Zhou said.

  "Li Yu?" Pan frowned. "The new guy? The one from the Southern Continent? I heard rumors about him but they all sounded ridiculous. Killed the Crimson Fang Patriarch with a slap?"

  "The rumors are understated," Zhou said.

  Li Yu wandered over. Gale, shuffled behind him and was still unsure of his place in this world. He had just been incredibly powerful but now was still trying to make sure this person wouldn’t kill him. He needed to live, he couldn’t die now. Without this reason, he would have rather died than serve. However, he had not shared that reason with Li Yu yet.

  "Hi," Li Yu said as he gave Pan a slight bow. "You guys here to fix the array? It’s a bit gloomy in the back tunnels. If you can set something up for that as well, that would be good."

  Grandmaster Pan stared at the young man. He didn't look like a warrior. He didn't have the killing intent of a general. At least not leaking out. He looked like a traveler who had taken a wrong turn.

  "Commander Li," Pan bowed to him even though his eyes were still filled with disbelief. "We are here to restore the Grand Formation node. But... usually, we need to spend days clearing the interference, hunting down lurking beasts and other work that requires us access to the surrounding area"

  "The beasts are gone," Li Yu said. "Gale here did the last of the cleaning up. It saved us a lot of time in having to hunt down tiny packs of beasts. He ordered them to leave and their numbers weren't worth hunting down."

  "Gale?" Pan looked at the old man. As a Grandmaster of Arrays, his perception was sharp. He felt the odd, twisted energy radiating from the old man. It was a storm confined in a bottle. "That... that is not a human."

  "He's a new recruit," Li Yu said and offered no further explanation. "The caves are yours. How long does it take to get the big shield up?"

  "If... if the area is truly this secure," Pan calculated but was looking at the terrible conditions of the cavern walls from the fighting. "And if we don't have to worry about attacks... we can have the primary node active in six hours."

  Pan turned to his team of array masters. His shock was replaced by professional excitement. "You heard the Commander! Unload the pillars! Map the ley lines! I want this array humming before sunset!"

  The scene descended into a new kind of chaos. It was the chaos of construction. The Alliance guards upon realizing there was no threat began to relax their posture and watched the harvesting crews with envy. They too wanted a piece of the resources that were being taken but they wouldn’t be so lucky.

  Sect Master Zhou stood back and was watching it all. He watched the Array Masters scurrying around like excited children. He watched his own disciples laughing as they argued over who got to carry the biggest trophy. They each wanted to be next to the bodies of powerful corpses so they can brag about it later.

  He felt a hand on his shoulder. It was Commander Lei.

  "You know," Lei said as he watched Li Yu direct the Beast Emperor. "I've fought in three big wars. I've seen generals sacrifice thousands of men to take a single fort. I've seen bravery and I've seen stupidity."

  Lei shook his head and a grin began splitting his face.

  "But I've never seen a war won because the commander decided to drag the enemy King into a hole and beat him until he submitted."

  "It changes things," Zhou said quietly. “If he were to stay here he would be a hero to be admired by many. He might become the next Alliance Leader at this rate as well. That’s only if he stays though.”

  "Fifty percent," Lei reminded them. "Don't forget. We get fifty percent of all of this. It will be a huge boon to all our organizations."

  The three leaders looked at the mountain of wealth piling up in the center of the cavern.

  "We're going to need bigger vaults," Zhou said.

  The Array Masters began driving the first stabilization pillars into the ground and setting up other materials. The hum of the Grand Formation began to resonate through the mountain. The oppressive atmosphere of the Jagged Peaks lightened. The lingering resentment of the dead beasts was scrubbed away by the purifying light of the array.

  For the soldiers of the "Spear and Broom" force, the war had suddenly become very simple. There was no fear. There was no uncertainty.

  There was only the work. A young disciple from the Violet Silk Pavilion paused in her work and was looking at Li Yu.

  "Do you think he's a god? I’ve never seen someone like him before." she whispered to her companion.

  "No," the companion replied while hoisting a heavy sack of scales. "Gods demand worship. He just demands that we don't die."

  "I like him better," she decided.

  And across the cavern, two thousand hearts silently agreed.