Regressor Sect Master

"What is our husband up to, Celestia?" Elly said as she barged into Celestia's part of the mansion. Celestia sighed, and placed her cup of water down. "He's been in there for a month."

"I do not know, Lady Mistburn, but I can only speculate it is an alchemical thing for the Crimson Lotus." Tundra told Celestia to keep her ascension quiet, but it is not an easy thing to do, especially for long periods of time. Some of the elders already congratulated her on her ascension.

Elly frowned. "He did not tell you?"

"No. All I heard was how he summoned Elder Julia to the alchemical workshops, and told his assistants that he will be unavailable for the next three months."

"Three months!" Elly paced the room.

"It is only three months, Lady Mistburn." Celestia clarified, and she felt Elly's turbulent energies. There was something unsettled about her cultivation, perhaps a sign of her worries. "I think it is just how it is."

At this moment, Celestia knew Elly was the weakest of the three wives. Marin, despite her recklessness, was already at the peak of the fourth realm, and she thanked her own lucky stars that the woman was not here-

She spoke too soon.

"Celestia. Ah. Elly, you are here too." Marin walked in, her footsteps could be heard even when she was stepping on the wooden floor panels of the outer halls. "When will Tundra be out of secluded cultivation?"

"It's not secluded cultivation!" Elly barked, and she looked nervous.

"You seem agitated, Lady Mistburn." Celestia asked. "Is something up?"

"My parents are visiting, and they'd like to meet Tundra. There are some developments to the Mistburn territories and they need help."

"Eh. Is he not aware?" Celestia frowned.

"I believe I told him about it!" Elly protested, and then walked out of the hall. "Ugh. I'll look for Severian, he'll have to help me instead."

Marin paused, and looked at Celestia. "You feel different."

Celestia sighed, and braced for a difficult question.

"You won't tell me?"

She thought about her husband's request, and decided it wasn't worth hiding it. Marin was a pain and a part of her wanted to show that there is a difference between them. Between the additional bloodline and her breakthrough, she was bound to be unhappy about something.

"Actually, I will. I've broken through and am now in the fifth realm." Celestia said flatly.

Marin looked at Celestia, her eyes wide and her mouth agape slightly. It took a few moments for her to gather the words for it. "Wait. When?"

"A month or so ago, before that visit from Zuri Blackpetals."

"You really are Tundra's favourite." Marin said, and Celestia felt the bitterness in her words. No, there was both bitterness and sadness in them.

Celestia sighed. It was a hole Marin dug for herself. If she wasn't such a difficult person, Celestia could see Tundra giving in more to help her. It was just how their 'new' husband is. "It is not a role you wanted to play, so there is nothing to be said about the consequences."

Marin looked furious, as if she was slapped. Celestia thought the words to be perfectly reasonable. One cannot have their spirit beast as a pet and still make soup with its meat. The fifth wife looked at Celestia, and said. "Some things in the world are just not fair."

Celestia wanted to groan. This was another silly statement from the woman, who clearly knew from birth that the world wasn't fair. Or maybe, it is because she grew up being unfairly treated by her own family that she is particularly sensitive to this.

But their husband is not a trading partner, even if it is often one in many marriages all around the world. Affection and intimacy is one of their tools as wives, but withholding it and hoping that Tundra made the first move wasn't going to work all the time.

She looked at the fifth wife, and found her pathetic.

Maybe, Marin saw her attachment to their husband as pathetic too. It didn't matter.

Celestia decided not to reply. "If there is nothing else, Lady Eastheart, I'd like to continue cultivating."

Marin glared, in a mix of anger and jealousy. She did so for a few seconds, until she realized Celestia wasn't reacting to it. So she just stomped off, and Celestia heard the woman's footsteps all the way until she left the compound.

But unfortunately for Celestia, it was not the end of troublesome visitors.

"The bloodline is settling well." Tia Truehaven came and sat on the guest chair. The woman from the Ancient Titans was haughty. "Congratulations."

"Elder Truehaven, what can this humble one do for you?" Celestia said, a little surprised that somehow they picked the same day to visit. She briefly wondered whether there is some spiritual alignment that caused all of them to have the same idea.

"Nothing much. I had realized that I'm suddenly curious about the pills and elixirs available for your sect, and believe you have some specimens I can look at."

Celestia's eyes narrowed. The woman wanted to have a look at her husband's pills in her possession. She breathed and told herself not to overreact. There was nothing to hide.

In the end, many of her husband's pills are sold on the open market for income. So she reached into her spiritual pouch, and took out some of the cultivation pills.

"Are there any leftovers of the pills for your breakthrough? I'd learn from examining your husband's pills."

She considered whether it was worth lying. The woman already suspected Tundra was in possession of some kind of inheritance, and so any exceptional output would likely be attributed to the inheritance. No.

There was no point to it, and so she took out one of the pills. "This."

Tia Truehaven then picked up the [Five Harmonies Pill] and examined it in great detail. "Hmmm. Without breaking it up it is hard to tell its quality and content. May I buy this from you?"

Celestia paused. She had no use for the pill any more, but decided she didn't want to allow this to be a bribery incident. "Very well, but any payment shall go to my husband's treasury."

The elder stared at her. The woman was in the sixth realm, and yet, now that she is only a single major realm behind, the gap between their strength suddenly felt less dangerous. The weight of the woman's cultivation didn't shake her as much as before. "I see. Very well. I will have the Ancient Titans transfer the market value of this pill to the sect."

She wrote a single payment note on a letter, and stamped Tia Truehaven's personal seal on the letter. A letter for payment to the Verdant Snow.

"What will you do with it?" Celestia asked, curious.

"Your husband's inheritance granted him extensive skills in alchemy. Naturally, I will study them."

***

Anna found herself trying to hide in her part of the mansion while her father was busy in the workshop, but failing. As the eldest daughter she was unfortunately summoned. Often. There was a visit from her stepmother's family, both Patriarch Mistburn and his wife came to the sect.

Elder Severian and Jon were the ones tasked to receive them, though Anna had to form part of the receiving party.

It was tiring, but unfortunately, the diplomatic relations of many sects and families were built on such traditions.

"Patriarch Mistburn, greetings. We meet again." Anna said tactfully. In truth, they only exchanged no more than five sentences every time they met. Pleasantries and some ephemeral words later, they would be up to their own affairs.

She didn't despise them. Patriarch Mistburn appeared to be a business-like patriarch of his family clan, and so did not have a bone to pick with her. His wife also seemed generous enough not to bother her, and so, Anna was then arranged to sit on one of the chairs around the large hall, a distance away.

All she needed to do was drink her tea and pretend to listen.

Severian took the main seat, as he is the vice sect master. "Well, now that everyone's seated. Let's talk. It's unfortunate the Sect Master Fox is working on something that even I am not privy to, so alas, I will have to receive you on his behalf."

"That's a shame. It's the second time I missed him. It appears I do have a knack for coming at the wrong time, but anyway, I heard that Tundra made you the Vice Sect Master. Congratulations." Patriarch Mistburn said.

Anna wondered whether something was up. Why did Patriarch Mistburn bring such a topic up. Was there something her father planned?

No. She focused on her tea. Elder Severian shrugged. "Ah, it is nothing. Just an administrative role as you know, he is far too busy to have time to deal with some things, and his talents are better utilized working on alchemy, than to deal with the petty squabbles of sects."

Anna paused, and glanced around the room. There were a few others that didn't want to be here.

Elly was here. Marin and Celestia were both missing. Edison, unfortunately, had to be present, and so he was seated next to Elly. He looked distant, his mind still clearly elsewhere.

It did look slightly better than before. At least, Edison was looking around the room.

The maids served refreshments and food, and then Patriarch Mistburn went on. "I see, I see. That is true. Well, the Mistburn trade routes were peaceful for the past few years, but unfortunately, good times don't last."

Elder Severian leaned forward. "I heard reports and was planning to send someone over. But if the Patriarch has to come over, then it is troubling indeed. What exactly is happening there?"

This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

"Our town Mistburn is fairly close to the rivers, and there appears to be some strange, unusual individuals appearing near the swamps along our trade routes. Near the swamps?"

Severian gave a noticeably worried glance to Elder Jon, who was seated nearby. Jon looked around. "And so they are attacking the trade routes?"

"Yes, and there were some battles. My son took part in some of them and he sustained some injuries, but we managed to retreat in time with the use of some protective treasures. They insist that we redirect our traffic, and we can do so. But the other sects nearby seem to take it as a sign of weakness, and have begun to reassert their old claims."

She recalled her father's debt and income lecture just before he went into the workshop and locked himself in there. Wandering cultivators may not need money all that much, especially if they don't aspire to advance much in cultivation. But most sects must continue to generate income to purchase various elixirs and pills to keep a sect functioning as it is, pay down any debt and attached interest and this means trade routes must remain open.

Severian looked at Jon again. "I will lead a party, together with Elder Yavin, to investigate."

Jon added, as if worried. "We can get our Guest Elder to participate."

Severian found that a brilliant idea. "Very well. Let's do so. But just in case, Jon, write to our neighbours and see whether they can rush to our aid. I fear it seems to match quite closely to Tundra's description of some particularly troublesome enemies."

"They may take a day or two to get here." Jon quickly got to work.

"We'll hold up until then." Severian said. "And prepare accordingly."

***

Tia Truehaven wasn't a fan of swamps, but there was something unusual about the way both Severian and Yavin reacted at the mention of the swamps near the Mistburn territories. They were geared up for war, not just war, but a battle to the death.

"Is whatever harassing the Mistburn family's trading routes so dangerous?" She asked.

"We don't know, but I hope it is not what we think it is." Yavin answered, as their flying ship approached the destination. With Tia's personal flying ship, it didn't even take all that long to reach the edges of the swamp.

"We should land somewhere out of range and approach on foot. Stealth artifacts." Severian insisted, and Tia wondered how they would fare in a fight. Severian and Tia were both in the sixth realm, though by her own measures, she was stronger than him by a bit.

Was such care necessary? Were they worried someone would run away?

The three elders approached the swamp, and then noticed wagons placed around the sides, and they poured some strange concoction into the swamps.

Yavin activated some kind of spying ability, and frowned. "Looks to be some kind of dense, brownish liquid. Seems to vaguely contain some kind of spiritual energy."

Tia took out a spyglass, one of her many spiritual artifacts, and looked through it. She too, couldn't make out what it was made of.

Severian looked at Yavin. "Elder Yavin Redaxe. Would you like to approach them and ask them what they are doing?"

"Do you think we'll escalate the conflict?"

"If it happens, it happens. And I have this." Severian held up a spiritual artifact. The same artifact that Princess Luharl gave to the Sect Master. "If needed, we should be able to get out of it alive."

Yavin took a moment, and he nodded. He kept his war-armor, and put on his best regular merchant attire, and then, adjusted his spiritual energy such that it was as if he was a mere mortal.

Tia was genuinely impressed by how well he pulled it off.

The fifth realm elder approached the citizens. "Hey there, what are you guys pouring into the swamp?"

At this distance, it was hard to tell whether they were cultivators, but Yavin didn't look disturbed.

The men looked back at Yavin. "Go away, peasant. There's nothing for you here."

Yavin was right next to the wagon, and already scooped a few into a spatial jar. Even if his cultivation was hidden, certain aspects of his physique still remained. He then flicked pebbles at the men, struck two of them, and knocked them out. But the third one was a cultivator, and his attack failed to knock him out.

That man immediately shouted. "IMPERIAL SPIES!"

Yavin struck the man again, this time with the full weight of his fifth realm, and the man died. He cursed. "I should've hit him harder."

But the garrison woke up.

At that moment, a burst of spiritual energy emerged from within the swamps, as five sixth and one seventh realm cultivators emerged. They were horrifying to look at, all six of them mutated in some way. One of them had half of his face turned into a monstrous half-bug.

Tia had never seen a manifested Zuja cultivator before this, and so she gasped in genuine horror. Severian frowned. "Prepare for a fight, Lady Truehaven. If you have life-saving artifacts, be prepared to use them."

Tia frowned, and quickly thought of a better idea. "No. I'm retreating to my flying ship. Lure them to me."

Severian glanced at her, and knew it could work. Tia Truehaven's flying ship was equipped with multiple formations and weapons fit for someone of the Ancient Titans. "Very well. Go."

They landed and the seventh realm cultivator struck Yavin's spiritual artifact barrier, and immediately caused him to stagger backwards. The grotesque monster's tentacle-covered fist slammed into the barrier again, and Yavin visibly groaned in pain.

"You die today!" The seventh realm cultivator slurred, and his strike slammed again into Yavin's shield.

Yavin was two full realms below the corrupted Zuja agent, and he knew his spiritual artifact would not last more than five hits. "Run!" Yavin said, and activated his strongest spiritual movement ability.

The seventh realm cultivator and the five sixth realm attempted to chase after Yavin, and they would've closed in quickly.

[Black Tortoise Wall].

Severian emerged between Yavin and the six pursuers, and a massive black wall bloked their path. The seventh realm cultivator's bug-like appendages surged in spiritual energy, and those appendages slammed into the wall.

The wall cracked.

Yavin didn't stop. He kept running, and Severian followed.

The seventh realm cultivator attacked again, and the wall shattered. But two hits meant there was now extra distance between the two and the six pursuers.

"Well, that didn't last long." Severian cursed.

At that moment, Tia Truehaven't flying ship emerged from the clouds above, and three beams of dense spiritual energy zapped the Zuja cultivators.

Two of them died instantly, vaporised by the attack, while a third was weakened. But the leader of the Zuja group's presence radiated an intense, powerful presence, and a powerful weight slammed into the flying ship. The ship's defensive formations activated, but the attack was immensely powerful.

So powerful that the ship lost it's orientation and position momentarily, unable to fire again.

Severian turned, and decided it was worth battling it out against the Zuja, A powerful earth spike slammed into the weakened sixth realm Zuja and managed to kill the corrupted creature. "Yavin. Leave and warn the others. I'll hold them off."

"Don't do anything foolish." Yavin said and sped off. He tossed two items over to Severian and Severian quickly attached it to his belt.

The flying ship's shield cracked, but Tia wasn't done yet. Her flying ship charged, and a second powerful beam slammed into the seventh realm cultivator's barrier. The leader now resembled a gigantic monster, as he called on more of Zuja's power.

The odds were still bad, but one seventh realm and two sixth realm against two sixth realm were not the most frightening of odds.

"I changed my mind. You two are worth playing with!" The monster grew even more, and then Severian changed his mind. The Zuja's power rose to the eighth realm, and a gigantic spiritual monster beetle appeared overhead and slammed into the flying ship.

Tia cursed as her flying ship was slammed into the ground by the creature. She immediately activated a powerful spiritual formation, and the entire flying ship released it's stored energy. The blast destroyed the monster beetle and managed to also catch one of the sixth realm Zuja agent in it's blast range, but now her flying ship couldn't fly anymore.

They were now two on two.

Severian tried his best to stop the now eighth realm monsterised cultivator, but his attacks were so powerful that even his spiritual artifacts couldn't hold on. One of the strikes struck his arm and chewed it off instantly.

"Ugh." Severian spat and staggered, as Tia Truehaven emerged from the disabled flying ship.

"Oh, you live?" The monster laughed, and then, at this distance, the bug-monster's feelers shook. "Oooh. you smell nice. You'll make a suitable mother host."

Tia felt her entire skin tremble in fear. She looked at the monster horrified, and didn't want to know what that meant at all. The monster attacked, and tiny mutated monstrous bugs emerged everywhere around them.

Severian and Tia were backed as they tried to fend off the monsters that came from the surroundings.

"If there are any trump cards that you are still holding out, I think now's the time to use them." Severian said. "If I use mine, will you use yours?"

Between the swarm of small mutant bugs and the eighth realm creature's raw, monstrous power, they suffered attack after attack.

"Don't worry, pretty lady. I'll leave you alive. If you surrender now, I'll even spare your friend." The monster laughed.

Tia didn't want any part of whatever that man wanted to do to her. They were both wounded.

"You seem to think you'll get out of this alive." The creature laughed, as they tried to block the mutant's powerful claw-limbs. "Well, only one of you will. I can't wait to turn you into a mother host."

"They've gone drunk on power." Severian cursed. Their combined barriers was barely able to block the strike, but even so they felt cracks and cuts throughout their body. They could feel their own meridians weaken from the residual damage of the attack. But still, Severian taunted the monster. "Is this all you got, creature? Eighth realm and you couldn't handle two of us?"

Tia knew what he was trying to do. He wanted to have a full measure of the creature's strength before he activated his treasure.

"That's not going to work." Tia countered, and so, she activated her own treasure. A golden plate emerged, and she released it's spiritual energy. "[Ancestor's Fists]."

A spiritual titan emerged overhead, and a heavenly eighth realm punch filled came down on the creature.

The punch was so strong it turned the swarm of bugs into dust, and also killed the last of the sixth realm Zuja agent. But the eighth realm mutant survived. Half of its body wss crushed, but shockingly, it began to regenerate. "Oooooh. Pretty lady is from the Ancient Titans! Now I really want to make you into a mother host."

The woman felt her entire body flooded with dread. "How?"

"Can you do that again?" Severian asked, as he took the chance to attack. But his sixth realm strikes were like little scratches to the mutant creature. It didn't even stop his regeneration.

"No!"

"Then let's run." Severian said, and they both attempted to run.

"Oooooh? You think you can outrun me? I'm not ever letting you go, my mother host!" The creature pursued Tia.

"He seems to really want you." Severian said as they both ran. Severian would try to slow the creature down with a few strikes, but it only enraged the mutant even more.

"Don't you dare leave me to him!" Tia cursed. "I will curse you to the nine heavens and to the Jade Emperor if you do."

They ran for hours, a little thankful that somehow, the eighth realm mutant's movement abilities were fairly limited. But they were running out of spiritual energy, while the mutant's energies only seemed to grow. "If you have a treasure you should use it." Tia cursed, visibly afraid as the mutant was still relentless.

"No. It's too precious!" Severian countered.

"Then are you going to let that monster catch me?" The lady cursed.

The two stopped, and ate pills to replenish their energies, and the mutant landed right in front of them. "Tired of running? Be a good one and join us, pretty lady. A mother host is a powerful rank within our new society!"

The monster spoke coherent words, but somehow all they felt was madness.

Severian cursed. He had no choice, and there was only one card he had left to play, and so, activated the spiritual guardian. The entire sky darkened, as a golden light shone on the monster. The mutant froze, immobilized by the ray of light.

"You- you were still hiding a trump card!"

Severian sighed. "Destroy this creature!"

The treasure of Princess Luharl summoned a golden three legged bird, a [Golden Crow], and a ray of powerful burning light torched the creature into dust. The fire burned so thoroughly that there was nothing left.

"What a waste." Severian cursed. "I hope that's all that's left of the swamp's defenses."

Thankfully, it was.

Yavin returned with both Jon, Jashen and Agnia, together with their allies Sect Master Lucia Whisperwaters and the Sect Master of the Hailstorm Temple, Lord Saljuk. Lord Saljuk came prepared with a small army, while Lucia Whisperwaters came with two other elders.

"Let's burn the swamps to the ground." Severian asked, and that was what they did.

The swamp's waters boiled and turned into steam, and the entire swamp was torched. They found encampments built into the swamp, but within them were lower ranked warriors. They attempted to fight but died rather quickly. Most were burned to death in the inferno reduced the swamp to nothing but ash.

It was a fairly new outpost, so there was nothing else to loot.

The swamps burned for two weeks, and what was once a swamp was turned into a field of ash and dust.

***