The dawn over the Divine Wind Sect did not bring the usual lazy serenity of drifting clouds and chiming bells. Instead, the air vibrated with a low thrumming tension. The wind, usually a playful child running through the peaks, had turned into a disciplined soldier standing at attention.

  Li Yu, Si Luo and Bai Ruo arrived at the main plaza to find a transformation.

  Gone were the leisurely robes and tea sets. Thousands of disciples of the Divine Wind Sect stood in formation clad and were in azure-scaled armor that shimmered like beetle shells. Their expressions were hard and their weapons sharpened.

  At the helm of the formation stood Matriarch Feng Meilin. She had traded her flowing silk for a suit of form-fitting combat armor forged from silver wind-metal and a blue general’s cloak was fluttering in the wind.

  She looked magnificent, inspiring and terrifying.

  "Good morning," Li Yu said as the trio walked up to the command platform. "I take it we aren't going sightseeing today?"

  "We are," Meilin replied but her voice was crisp and clear. "We are going to see the end of the Shadow-Viper Hall."

  Li Yu raised an eyebrow. "You found them? That quickly? Feng Xi said they were elusive. Saying that their general location is known to all but their exact location is a mystery."

  "They are," Meilin admitted but continued checking the edge of a slender and translucent sword. "But in the underworld, loyalty is a currency and everyone, no, everything has a price. I contacted the Silent Bell Pavilion."

  “Silent Bell Pavilion?” Li Yu asked

  "The number one assassin organization." Meilin answered. She forgot he wasn’t from around here or else it would be impossible for him not to have heard of such a group.

  Meilin then smirked. A predatory expression that made her look less like a mother and more like an apex predator. "I offered them a simple deal: I pay them a king's ransom and they give me the location of their biggest competitor. They were more than happy to sell out the Shadow-Vipers. Still making me pay a very high price, those greedy bastards. Why fight a rival when you can let an angry Sect Master do it for you?"

  Li Yu smiled. "Ruthless to your enemies. I like it."

  "Business is business," Meilin shrugged. "The Shadow-Viper Hall is located in the Mist-Shatter Marshes and at a certain location, they are within a pocket dimension that is concealed by ancient fog arrays. We were told their leader had found some sort of treasure that allowed them to create their base within that pocket dimension. I want it if possible as well since we have broken relations now. They think they are invisible with it."

  She turned to face her army.

  "Today, we prove them wrong."

  "Do you need a hand?" Li Yu offered. "Tekton told me he has been bored. He could probably eat their base. It would be a nutritious breakfast for him."

  The black bracelet on his wrist pulsed with eager hunger. Meilin looked at Li Yu, her expression softening for a brief moment. It was rare to have someone help them without asking for anything in return time and again. She reached out and patted his arm.

  "Thank you, Li Yu. Truly. But no."

  "No?"

  "The Divine Wind Sect takes care of its own," Meilin said firmly. "They struck my children. They insulted our sect with such an attack. If I let you fight our battles it would not be a good look. My disciples are not soft. The world needs to see that when the wind is scorned, it becomes a hurricane."

  She looked at Feng Wei and Feng Xi who were standing close by. They were ready. Armored for battle and grim-faced.

  "Revenge," Meilin declared, "is best done personally."

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

  The mobilization was a thing of beauty.

  It wasn't a chaotic rush; it was a fluid, synchronized movement of air currents. The sect mobilized a fleet of Jade Leaf Ships. Ten massive war-galleons carved from spirit-wood and armed with crystal cannons rose from the docking bays.

  Li Yu and his group were given VIP seats on the observation deck of the flagship, the Storm-Bringer. As the fleet surged forward, cutting through the cloud layer with terrifying speed, Bai Ruo pulled out her notebook.

  "Their logistical efficiency is impressive. Everyone is so well trained and knows what to do," she noted. She was watching the disciples man the arrays and cannons. "The chain of command is streamlined. Matriarch Feng has optimized her forces for rapid deployment."

  "She is also angry. The kind face and warmth that we saw were a mask in front of her fury. She just had nowhere to unleash it until now." Si Luo observed. She made mental notes to herself for how to act as a leader if she ever returned home. "A mother protecting her cubs is the most dangerous force in nature. Even the Void steps aside for that."

  Li Yu was watching the scenery blur below them. "I'm just glad she's on our side. Strength, patience and a strong mind. She is an incredible leader."

  Hours passed. The terrain below shifted from rolling green hills to a desolate grey expanse of stagnant water and twisted trees. The Mist-Shatter Marshes.

  A thick, supernatural fog blanketed the area and it was acting to block most spiritual sense. It was a graveyard of ships and foolish cultivators who had wandered in and never wandered out.

  "We have arrived," Feng Wei announced as he walked up to them. He looked nervous but determined. This was a dangerous enemy after all, they had to be careful. "The advance teams are in position."

  "Advance teams?" Li Yu asked.

  "Mother sent the Ghost Wind Division ahead last night," Feng Wei explained. "Fifty of our best stealth specialists. They have already encircled the perimeter of the poison fog. No one is going to leave."

  At the bow of the ship, Feng Meilin raised her sword.

  "Disciples!" her voice boomed. It was amplified by wind Qi to ring in every ear across the fleet. "Beneath this fog lies the nest of vipers who sought to kill your brothers and sisters! They hide in the shadows! They think the mist protects them!"

  She slashed her sword downward.

  "BLOW IT AWAY!"

  On command, ten thousand disciples across the fleet channeled their Qi. The sails of the ships glowed blinding white. The formations on the hulls pulsed.

  ROOOAAAAAR.

  A gale of apocalyptic proportions slammed into the marsh. It wasn't just wind; it was a solid wall of pressure and Qi.

  The ancient fog which had stood for years didn't stand a chance. It was ripped apart, shredded and blasted into the upper atmosphere. The poisonous miasma was scrubbed clean in seconds.

  The marsh was laid bare for the first time in a long time. There was nothing there but rotting trees.

  Feng Meilin took out a tiny sword from her sleeves and threw it up into the air. It got larger and larger within seconds and with a wave of her hand the sword slammed downwards. It was a treasure of some sort and as it traveled the area began to shake.

  The massive sword struck the empty ground and the sound of glass shattering could be heard.

  CLANK!

  What was once bare slowly warped and slowly a fortress of black stone began revealing itself. The massive sword had shattered the entrance to the pocket dimension. The information given to them was correct.

  The assassins of the Shadow-Viper Hall were scrambling like ants under a magnifying glass. They were creatures of stealth, used to fighting in the dark. Suddenly, they were exposed and the sky was filled with angry warships.

  "Attack!" Meilin shouted.

  The fleet rained fire. Crystal cannons roared as they were firing bolts of compressed wind that exploded on impact like bombs. Watchtowers crumbled. Walls shattered.

  From the ships, thousands of Divine Wind disciples leaped off. They were using their wind techniques to glide down like birds of prey.

  The battle began but it was a slaughter. The assassin organization was no match for the DIvine Wind Sect in direct combat.

  Li Yu watched from the rail.

  The assassins were dangerous individually but they were not soldiers. They panicked when their stealth failed and were surrounded. They tried to run and get into one on one confrontations. They were scattering into the swamp, only to be met by the Ghost Wind Division waiting at the perimeter.

  Flashes of light and screams of surprise echoed from the treeline.

  "The trap is sealed," Bai Ruo analyzed. “It was a wonderful strategy even though it was fairly simple. The keys were the information, the organization of the troops and excellent leadership.”

  "Look at the siblings," Si Luo pointed.

  Down in the courtyard of the fortress, Feng Wei and Feng Xi were fighting back-to-back.

  Feng Wei was a whirlwind of silver light. His sword was deflecting poison daggers and cutting down assassins with precise, lethal strikes. Feng Xi stood at his center, weaving complex seals, blasting enemies back with gusts of concussive force.

  They worked great together as a team and were out for blood. Memories of the ambush just days ago were still fresh in their mind. They weren't the terrified victims from two days ago. They were the heirs of the Divine Wind.