Ch 2- The Decision

The sun was rising, its early rays giving a beautiful gleam in the calm lake water. The reflection of the light giving a otherworldly glow in the surrounding. A behemoth with a width equal to three elephants standing side by side is situated at the bank of the lake. Nothing about this tree is ordinary.

Inside the tree twenty people are sitting around a round table that can hold up to fifty people. Although these people looked ordinary but their cultivation is at the top in the lower world. The atmosphere inside was very tense.

One of them broke the silence, "So, Grand Elder Riam is dead. He was ambushed along the way he was returning after capturing the Dragon Mountain stronghold", he said in a serene tone.

"Its because more than half of the Black Guards accompanying him was stationed at the Dragon Mountain along with Captain Janghua. Moreover, he was injured in the battle for the stronghold", another said.

Black Guards are the elite army they cultivate, where each member is atleast a Mahanaya Realm Cultivator and being Captain of a platoon they should have to be someone with atleast Peak Mahanaya Cultivation and should have defeated a Transcendent Realm Cultivator while in Mahanaya Realm.

One of the individuals banged the table with his fists and angrily said, "We, the Golden Dragon Pavilion, our name strikes fear even among the Holy Lands and Transcendent Realm experts of the Northern, Eastern and Western Continents, but we are in this state and all because of a single Holy Land, Ridiculous".

He is the branch head of the Northern Continent and one of the strongest person present here. The Golden Dragon Pavilion i ranked third among the 21 Holy Lands in the Sirius Lower Realm. They are one of the two Holy Lands that was in war against the Emberhawk Family. It was all because the Emberhawk Family stand against their policy in the Central Continent. The war is happening for the last two years and the Golden Dragon Pavilion's side has lost more than they had gain.

The twenty people present here are the Pavilion Master, two Vice-Pavilion Masters, Heads of the three branches, Commander of the Black Guards, Commander of the Red Guards(second strongest elite army of the pavilion), Head of the Institute, and the eleven Grand Elders who oversee the working of the Pavilion.(Initially there were twelve Grand Elders, but one of them died in the ambush).

The pavilion master says with a sigh, "It looks like we have to accept the Crimson Wave's offer. Those monsters powers are not any weaker than ours. Although their involvement might bring some other Holy Lands to participate in this war but this is our only way to give some significant loses to those bastards".

Crimson Wave is an unorthodox sect whose one of the main cultivation technique is related to devouring other cultivator's blood essence to make them stronger.This lead to often missing of cultivators from major sects/clans, which is why they have to hide their headquarters and identities less they got attacked by Holy Lands from different continents any time.

Their involvement might led to those Holy Lands who have suffered in their hands to join the opposite side.

But the gains out weight the loses as their Blood Legion and Poison Legion might defeat the Black Guards and Red Guards of the Golden Dragon Pavilion combined. So, the Pavilion was hoping for them to give the Garuda Force (Elite army under the Emberhawk Family) a huge blow, so that they might have a chance to turn the tides.

...

Far away in a luxurious castle which is situated in a floating island a man was listening to the reports of the war from his subordinate.

"10000 casualties on our sides which include 109 Garuda Guards, 800 from the Golden Eagle Battalion and...." .The man raised his hand to stop his from further saying anything. He leans on his chair and sighs, "Although the ambush had been successful but we paid a steep price for it", he said.

He was the current Patriarch of the Emberhawk Family and the father of our protagonist Raghav Emberhawk, a warrior that stood at the pinnacle of cultivation in Lower World. He was a genius that comes one in a 100,000 years. A true monster that reach the pinnacle at a age of only 786 years. But not more than the protagonist.

Anyway, let's continue~

"Patriarch, the loss ratio is 1:100, where they lost 100 of their men for 1 of ours, the gain far outweigh the loss", his subordinate said quickly in order to ease the guilt of his friend.

As they know each other from childhood, Gerard knows Raghav is blaming himself for the people that loss their lives.

"Besides, we should be done with this war fast and focus on the next things that is going to happen", Gerard said solemnly diverting the topic.

"Yes, losing connections with our ancestors 50 years ago on the Upper Realm and no ascensions during that time is a matter that concerns me greatly. Its as if the path leading to the next realm is closed by some entity.

Hopefully, in the next 10 years we can conclude this war", Raghav said looking at the distant sun setting behind the mountains knowing very well that this was a wishful thinking in his part.