Central Province, Cloud Summit Peak.
By the time Xue Shaohua and Li Chilian arrived together at this headquarters of the Heavenly Realms Alliance, where the great powers gathered and kept in contact, the fifth watch had passed, and dawn was approaching.
It was the darkest stretch of the transition between night and day, but the spirit peak was ablaze with lights. Disciplinary officers who had heard of their arrival had already gone to wait at the Teleportation Array, lighting lamps along the way as they escorted the two high-ranking alliance venerables to the Side Hall beside the council hall.
Inside, Tian Heng was already waiting. With him was the senior council member on duty, Luo Muyun, a veteran great power stationed at Cloud Summit Peak.
"Greetings, fellow Daoists." Though Xue Shaohua and Li Chilian had come in anger, they still greeted these two courteously. Once the greetings were returned, they sat in chairs to one side.
At the sight of them, Tian Heng sighed softly. "You have hurried here with no small grievance. In truth, we have already heard something of the circumstances behind this affair. Not to criticize you, but you underestimated its severity. Knowing how much was at stake, you should never have shielded Yu Sande."
Xue Shaohua's face darkened. "Grand Elder, are you blaming us too? You should know that most of the great sects have acted this way over the past twenty years. It is the Azure Cloud Sect that has grown increasingly aggressive since Grand Elder Sun took power."
"We thought that, as the foremost of the Great Sects of the World, they ought to conduct themselves like leaders of all the mighty. Even their usual bullying and tyranny were tolerable, but they... how dare they reach into the realm of Heaven Tier and wantonly