The last Asura Sovereign

In the younger days, Bhimeshwor was a bookworm and when the members of the clan used to tease them or do something, he would concoct strange powder that either gave them rash or diarrhea. The people in the can didn’t know how he concocted this, he wasn’t an alchemist or even an herbalist, and the effect would not last long but whenever someone disturbed his reading time, Bhimeshwor would concoct strange powders and make them embarrassed.

Later the alchemist in the city eventually found the solution for the strange powders, but the trauma had never left them. Although the elders were talking about defense and whatnot Punya realized no one had offered any resources or positions they would like to take as a part of defense. The elders were shrewd; they knew whoever came first would be the one to bear the brunt of the frontline. Although the war would bring the existence of the clan into question, not everyone would die for the clan.

Most of the cultivators were even more selfish than the mortals when it came to death after all who would give up their hard-earned strength and lifespan easily for others especially when they would get absolutely nothing from it. The fame and heroic deeds were only good if you were alive. Punya knew if he let things go like this there would be no one who would stand up first even when the war started so he spoke “We can discuss these things in detail. Me and the supreme elder have made a little preparation before but since it was only two of us, we couldn’t get much things done. To fortify our defenses, we will need all the help we can get whether it is about the resource or the manpower. So I hope the elders and deacons present here will support the clan wholeheartedly. If we can survive this ordeal, the clan will reciprocate many times over. The descendants will remember your name for a long time.”

After Punya had said this, the clan hall became silent. When sharing their findings, everyone was giving suggestions but when the time came for them to stand up everyone was quiet. Punya sighed and said “Alright let’s end the meeting for today. I want every elder and deacon to contribute to this war. If the clan goes down, everything we have been doing, everything our ancestors have been doing will be for naught. So I hope you won’t hold back at this time.”

The elders just nodded and started leaving the clan hall. After discussing it today, Punya knew that they had even less time now. When the major clans find out about this, they won’t delay the attack and give time for the Rijal clan to prepare. While the elders were discussing, Radha had sent most of the clan members from the outpost. There were only a few Battle hall members and some of the reserve members left on the outpost.

All four middle-stage foundation building cultivators had returned to the clan. The remaining members started dismantling the formations and any useful resources in the outpost. Who knows if these things come in handy for the clan? When the remaining members from the outpost arrived at the city, the sun was just setting. Meanwhile, in the clan, everyone was in a frenzy, every auxiliary professional was busy crafting or refining.

Although everyone didn’t know war was approaching, they had an inkling something big was going to happen to the clan so even if their products couldn’t help much, they would get a lot of contribution points. But this was also good for the clan, as long as the finished produced became abundant it would be a plus point for the clan. As they say, every little bit helps. When the members from the outpost reached the clan gate, there were few people welcoming them. The two guards Prem and Raj were still guarding the gate. The members entered the clan compound and saw everyone busy, they were shocked for a moment as the clan was busier than the outpost. The evening was quietly turning a shade darker, stars were beginning to announce their presence in the cultivation world.

The shadows sent by Punya had almost returned, except for the one at the entrance of the forest. There were still one or two spies tracing the tracks occasionally. The entrance had become the resting place for them. Punya walked outside of the clan hall and looked at the sky. ‘Fifth elder our future depends upon you. Please be alright’ he prayed. Punya didn’t know who to pray, the heavenly dao was impartial and the legends of gods were merely stories. In the world of cultivation, it was a sort of conundrum where you knew there were god-like figures but couldn’t find one to worship because, from the legends everyone knew, even the so-called immortals were perishable. But most people believed in reincarnation, karma, and the law of equivalence. There were many signs that proved those conjectures.

Punya sighed and walked towards the supreme elder’s residence. He went inside the wooden house and sent a message to Keshab. After a while Keshab appeared and the two began to discuss what happened at the clan hall. Everything that happened today was predictable. After finishing the dinner for today, they talked about the deficiencies in their defense system that the elders and deacons pointed out previously and began to formulate solutions. As of now, almost everything had been prepared, they had counted on the help from elders in the beginning.

As they were talking, the moons started rising. There was not much left for them to discuss. Even if they discussed it at length, there was not much they could improve upon. Everything had almost been prepared anymore was beyond the capacity of the clan. Punya left after talking for some time. Amrit was still training inside the illusion array. The more pressure there was and the more the war drew near, the more rapidly Amrit was making progress.

He had already made food in bulk and stored it in a storage container for his father and grandparents in case they wanted to eat. From then he had been training in the illusion array killing beasts for the whole night and day. Although the cultivation realm had not progressed much, his battle prowess was increasing rapidly.

After leaving the residence, Punya went to his home. He was looking at the sky and sighing the whole time. Even he didn’t know why. After reaching the house, he put the food into a storage container and went to sleep. He had already done as much as he could for the clan. Whatever the future holds, he was ready to face it.