Li Yu opened one eye as the group approached. He had sensed them coming. It was hard to miss the combined anxiety and determination of nearly fifty leaders walking in formation.

  He sat up and was stretching his arms. “Is everyone here to bring me some good food?"

  "Commander," Sect Master Zhou stepped forward and gave a deep bow. The massive crowd behind him followed suit, a wave of respect rippling through the canyon. Many of the cultivators around looked over. The smarter ones were able to quickly tell what was going on.

  "We have been discussing the future," Zhou began. "The survivors of the Silent Hollows and our own forces... we have forged a bond in blood today. We represent over forty distinct clans and sects. We do not wish to return to being scattered leaves. To be blown wherever the wind goes."

  Zhou gestured to the vast group. "We have decided to form a Grand Alliance. A union of all our clans and sects to protect our interests and our people in the chaos during this war and following it."

  Li Yu nodded at their idea. "Smart. Safety in numbers. It is a good idea and plan. You guys should do that."

  "We have the numbers," Patriarch Han said as he stepped forward. His voice was trembling slightly but he pushed through it. "But an alliance of this magnitude needs a head. It needs a banner that strikes fear into enemies and inspires loyalty in friends."

  Han dropped to one knee.

  "Commander Li Yu. We ask you to lead us. Be our Alliance Leader. Not just for this campaign but for the future as well. With you at the helm, we could rival the Great Sects. We could carve out a domain where no one dares to look down on us. We would all grow stronger and you can benefit from the resources it brings."

  The other leaders knelt. A rustle of fabric echoed as the cultivators went to their knees in the dust. "Please, Commander. Lead us."

  Li Yu looked at them honoring him. He saw the desperation in Han’s eyes. He saw the hope in Su’s. He saw the ambition in Lei’s. They weren't asking for just a general; they were asking for a savior.

  It was a tempting offer. A personal army of that many cultivators and even more back home. A territory spanning all of the areas they controlled as well. In the cultivation world people killed their own brothers for a fraction of this power.

  Li Yu gave them a smile.

  "No," Li Yu said.

  The group froze. The hope in the air shattered like glass.

  "C-Commander?" Zhou looked up at him. He had expected this answer but it was still hard to hear. "Did we offend you? Is the offer too small? You can list your demands, we will surely meet them."

  "It's not that," Li Yu sighed. He hopped down from Tekton’s head and landed softly in front of them. "I’m flattered by this offer. Really. But you’re asking me to be a leader when I cannot be. At least not one that stays in one place. I have my own tasks and goals to attend to. I cannot lead you like what a sect leader should do. I am undeserving of the title with what I am able to actually do for you day to day."

  The leaders looked crestfallen. They felt the ground crumbling beneath their feet. Without Li Yu, they were just a band of refugees with loot. They would be devoured eventually.

  "However," Li Yu continued as he raised a finger.

  He looked at them, really looked at them. He saw people who had fought bravely. People that followed orders and actually united together to defend one another. He saw leaders who, despite their flaws, cared about their disciples and plan. He saw potential. He saw a force that, if guided correctly, could stabilize the region far better than any single Top Sect could.

  "I won't run your alliance," Li Yu said. "But... I don't mind if you put my name on the sign."

  Matriarch Su’s eyes widened. "You mean... an Honorary Leader?"

  "Something like that." Li Yu said. "You can tell the world that I am the leader of this alliance. That you are all now under my banner. You can say I’m the 'Grand Ancestor' or whatever title you wish to give me. I can be the symbol but I won’t be the manager. That will be up to you. I propose you create a council. Of every single person standing in front of me right now."

  "That..." Patriarch Han breathed out finally. His face was flushing with relief. "That is more than enough. Your name alone... already… after this war as well... it carries the weight of a mountain. No one would dare touch us. At least not without having to think long and hard about it."

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  "But," Li Yu’s voice dropped. The temperature in the immediate area plummeted.

  The leaders stiffened. The casual young man was gone. The predator who had dragged an Emperor into the Void was back.

  "There are terms," Li Yu said softly. "If you use my name, you represent me. You represent what I value. And I have standards."

  He walked down the line and was looking each leader in the eye.

  "Rule one: You don't bully the weak. I don't care if you're stronger. I don't care if you can take it. You don't oppress commoners, you don't exploit rogue cultivators and you don't act like the tyrants you hate"

  "Rule two: No internal poaching. You are an alliance. You act like family. If I hear about you backstabbing each other for resources, the deal is off. You can fend for yourself. I can just as easily announce to the world that I have abandoned you."

  "Rule three," Li Yu stopped in front of Commander Lei who gulped. "If you become the things I hate... if you become the Silver Sword Sect... I won't just take my name back."

  Li Yu leaned in. "I will come back. And I will do to you what I did to the spiders. Do we understand each other?"

  The threat hung in the air, heavy and absolute. It wasn't a bluff. Every person there knew that Li Yu could wipe them out single-handedly. He had shown that already, many times over.

  "We understand," Zhou whispered. "We swear it."

  "I admit," Patriarch Han said. His voice came out shaky, "in the past... my clan has been heavy-handed at times. We took what we needed at times and oppressed the weak. But... after seeing what true strength looks like today... I realize that we were just thugs. No better than those that we hated. We will change. I swear it on my cultivation."

  "We will uphold your standards," Sect Leader Yan promised. "We will be an alliance that values your teachings. Remembering our roots and where we came from. We will protect the region and its people and not exploit it."

  Li Yu’s face softened at the words. Whether or not they can actually do it is yet to be seen. However, he had seen these people and his gut told him that they might just succeed. It won’t be easy and it won’t happen overnight. However, there was a path. The cold pressure vanished, replaced by his usual sunny demeanor.

  "Great!" He clapped his hands. "Then it's a deal. You guys form your alliance." Li Yu thought this idea would be good as he now had a place to send people on this continent. If he saw another group of people worth taking in or perhaps some protectors that he gained. He could send them to a place now on this continent.

  The leaders rose, bowing deeply. They felt lighter. They had a brighter future now. They had a shield that should be reliable. They had resources that they earned recently. With the merit points on top of that. Their alliance should grow rapidly. All they needed was time, talents and determination.

  The discussions continued for another hour. The leaders began drafting the initial charter of the "Alliance of the Jagged Peaks," or whatever name they would eventually settle on. That was still a topic of contention. However, spirits were high.

  But peace in the Silent Hollows was a fragile thing.

  A disturbance rippled through the canyon entrance. The ambient Qi, which had been calming down, suddenly spiked with aggression.

  "Who goes there?" the Sentry avatar projected his voice. Li Yu had let it stand on guard at the perimeter. With so many ambushes in this region he wanted to be safe. It didn’t take much Qi to keep the Sentry around when it wasn’t attacking.

  A massive flying artifact—a silver war-chariot pulled by four spirit-eagles—descended through the thin clouds. Behind it flew a squadron of two thousand cultivators on flying swords. They wore the silver and blue robes of the Silver Sword Sect.

  The fresh army landed with a crash of boots and weapons. They didn't look like reinforcements sent here to guard this area; they looked like an execution squad.

  At the front stood a man who radiated power. He was tall with grey hair swept back severely and a face carved from granite. His aura, most likely around 7th Stage Soul Formation, was suffocating as he was having it blaze openly. Showing off his aggression.

  This was Sect Master Yin of the Silver Sword Sect.

  He stepped off his chariot and his eyes were quickly sweeping over the scene. He saw the neat piles of loot being collected. He saw the relaxed cultivators going about their business. He saw the pile of dead elite beasts.

  But he didn't see any silver robes. He didn't see Elder Guo.

  "Where are they?" Sect Master Yin roared. His voice amplified across the canyon.

  He marched forward and his pressure washed over the alliance leaders that were still gathered and had been discussing. Patriarch Han flinched but he didn't step back. He thought of Li Yu and his spine stiffened.

  "Their soul lamps shattered!" Yin shouted as he stopped ten meters from the group. "Hundreds of them! Elder Guo! My elites! First one wave of elites was extinguished. Then another in an instant! Who is responsible?"

  He glared at Sect Master Zhou. Not even knowing who the man was. "You! Did you abandon them? Did you betray them to seize the glory for yourself?" He yelled out. Not even knowing that this person wasn’t even a part of that first army.

  It was clear the Sect Master Yin was here to blame and extract. He didn’t care what had happened, only that it did happen and his sect was greatly damaged in the process.

  The two thousand Silver Sword disciples behind him drew their weapons. The tension in the canyon snapped.

  Li Yu stood up from his rock at the shouts. He hadn’t spoken yet because he was waiting to see what the Sect Leader would do and say once he arrived. However, he knew instantly that the corruption and ugliness often started from the top. It was clear this was the case with this sect.

  Li Yu just walked out from behind Tekton. He placed himself between the new arrivals and his new alliance.