Nan Bei’s Perspective
Nan Bei turned around to see a figure looming over him. Instinctively umping backwards, Nan Bei pressed his back against the wall. His right hand quickly opened the gourd hanging from his right hip as Qi started surging through his body from his three ringed dantian. “Calm down BeiBei,” a familiar deep, smooth voice sounded calmly as Nan Bei’s eyes focused on the Second Great Elder. “I have a gift for you.”
Nan Bei quickly clasped the lid of his gourd as the Second Elder raised his hand to drop an item into his hand. The item was a small statue chiseled in the form of some kind of mutated cheetah. “Keep it well and it will save you if you run into danger,” The Second Elder quietly said before disappearing before Nan Bei’s eyes.
Nan Bei’s eyes flashed before he quickly headed home to his personal quarters to prepare for the 3 days travel to the south army. After packing and before leaving Xu left a quick message for his grandfather in a Message Crystal. Just a simple goodbye for in case his grandfather got lonely. Checking his bag one last time Nan Bei left the sect his soft white gi flattened to his toned chest as he ran rapidly through the marshlands surrounding the Sect.
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In the deepest parts of the forbidden area of the Golden River Sect the crisp snap of footsteps upon gold grass resounded through the otherwise silent surroundings.
“My Nan Bei is going off to war and you’re in here sitting on your ass staring at some gods piss?” The Vice Sect Master growled aggressively as he sat down to a figure that was staring into a circular moat filled with liquid gold. The figure laughed as he continued to gaze into the liquid gold. “It’s not piss and there’s certainly no such thing as a god. Only men.”
“Is that all you have to say?” The Vice Sect Master growled a light smirk uplifting his mouth. The figure sighed.
“Even I as the Sect Master can’t show favoritism. Nor do I want to.” The Sect Master smiled as he said the latter. hints of excitement, amusement and fervor lit up on his face as he looked at his longtime friend, ally, and most trusted companion. “Holding back such a Heavenly talent would be a disservice to him, to us too our sects’ future, and to the pride and face of our sect as a whole. You know that.”
The Vice Sect Master grunted as they both simultaneously turned to stare into the mysterious ring of golden liquid. Their eyes seeing through it to what lay at the very bottom.
“You’re not funny,” The Vice Sect master grunted out the side of his mouth. White teeth flashed as the Sect Master laughed. His brilliant blue eyes flashing with amusement.
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4 Days Later
Nan Bei and over a hundred soldiers pulled themselves onto the river banks about a hundred yards from a large camp. Suddenly a bobbing head full of light brown hair agilely rushed up to them soft green eyes practically glowing in the evening light.
“Rowan!” Nan Bei greeted naturally before standing up straight and confirming mission status. “The enemy camp is quiet and reserved but obviously still running at full capacity. It’s a small army of about 1500 cultivators. No more than 2000 at most. Not nearly as big as their other forces. Exactly as estimated.”
As Nan Bei reported to Rowan the 100 soldiers behind him stood at attention behind him. Ignoring their uncomfortable, fully drenched armor. “Our third force finally covertly joined us bringing our forces to just over 2800,” Rowan stated quickly before slowly continuing. “Which means tonight we enact the plan.”
Upon hearing this the soldiers’ breath slightly sped up. Nan Bei nodded his face frowning as he thought about the numbers. Shaking his head he nodded at the soldiers. “No point changing. Go prepare yourselves. We move out with the others. You’ll continue following my lead.”
The soldiers saluted towards Nan Bei as they walked towards the tents. Nan Bei walked with Rowan towards the main tent. Rowan glanced at Nan Bei a half dozen times before Nan Bei politely asked. “Is something wrong?”
“No. Not exactly,” Rowan muttered distractedly.
“Okay. If you’re sure.” Nan Bei walked around a small group of officers to walk into the tent. Rowan suddenly grabbed the back of Nan Bei’s Golden River Sect gold tinted armor. “Why did you choose to take down the leader?” Rowan half shouted. “Even if you’re our leader you’re new and with your grandfath-“
“Not only is it my duty as leader of the special ops,” Nan Bei interrupted sharply before continuing determinedly. “But as myself that I must take the greatest risk in this battle. The plan will mitigate most of the difficulty anyways.”
“Exactly,” Sai sounded out approvingly behind Nan Bei, who had turned away from the main tent, before yelling with an amplified voice. “Let’s move out”
With a soft tremble large amounts of troops quickly rushed out of their tents arranging themselves outside the camp according to the plans. In just 5 minutes the soldiers were marching towards the river as the suns final rays of light faded into the horizon.
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The battle started in a flash. The Adamantine Path were caught entirely by surprise as an enormous amount of water and energy came from both below their feet and from above. Roars of anger were rapidly cut off as the great weight of their metallic bodies dragged them into the several meters of soupy mud. Nan Bei charged up the shore towards the submerged camp. Nan Bei and his hundred soldiers rapidly covered several hundred meters in a half dozen seconds. The soldiers in the water pulled themselves out their faces growing pale and their countenances haggard as they rapidly controlled the water within the earth to return cleanly back into the river.
Nan Bei opened his gourd and his surroundings lit up as the glowing, gold filled water rushed through the air to the point they’d visually marked for the personal tent of the temporary leading officer. With a grinding roar the gold spun rapidly cutting through the earth as the water rushed by swiftly sending away the dirt as a 40 feet chest sized stream of golden water swirled within Nan Bei’s complete control.
With a roar a silver haired burly man pulled himself from the dirt that was rapidly drying around him as gold glints struck off his body. Laughing he swung his right arm half heartedly at the stream as he attempted to survey the situation quickly. Fear filled his eyes as he saw the entire camp buried and hundred of soldiers embroiled in combat with the few other officers.
“Join Me!” Nan Bei yelled gritting his teeth as the stream of gold and water in his control glowed brightly. [4 Rivers Splitting The Land]. As Nan Bei’s attack split into four streams he and the 100 soldiers that had formed a larger circle around the officer roared wordlessly as all 404 rivers joined together. Completely covering the officer who quickly grabbed his right hand seemingly pulling a small hammer from out of nowhere. With a crack and the sound of rushing water a flash of read lit up the golden flecked streams.
“WHO?!” a single word from a voice filled with the hottest rage Nan Bei had ever heard stunned the entire field. “FAKE GOLD!” Sai screamed immediately, his voice breaking in his hurry. Immediately all the soldiers around except for Nan Bei pulled several vials from their pockets before dashing them to the ground. The sky lit up from the Northwest. A ball of fire was just barely visible from around a dozen miles away. Nan Bei gagged at the smell coming from the liquid now draining into into the buried camp. The over 2000 soldiers rushed together into formation. The pale river members dashing their own vials. Nan Bei gulped rage filling his eyes as a Golden White light in a special deep part of his soul started throbbing.
Poison. Betrayal. Liars. Golden white light started pulsing from Nan Bei’s eyes and his Qi surged. Everything was happening too quickly. The flaws in Nan Bei's abilities as a soldier were obvious a this moment. He was reeling from how quickly things were changing.
A dark red, hellishly hot figure appeared within everyone’s sight in an instant. [One River Meets its Golden End]. As one every soldier strained every inch of their energy as they unleashed the signature joint attack of the Golden River Sect at the floating General Forge. General Forge silently sent out a single undefiable fist. His hot, red face filled with anger and unwillingness. Nan Bei, unable to control himself for more than a second or two, roared in pain and anger as he unleashed all of his energy in an attempt to protect the soldiers. The pain of his Dao path being damaged became a guiding force to allow him to momentarily control the new Dao he had recently comprehended. [Heaven’s River] Nan Bei’s Dao of Heaven combined with his Dao of Golden Water and the wide river of water controlled by thousands of soldiers to clash with the indelibly powerful strike of a Dao Lord Expert from the Adamantine Path.
BOOM! Sssssssssssss!
As steam swirled into the skies General Forge stood midair, the red heat that hid his exterior slowly disappeared. The last bit of red faded to reveal a pale older man with a hint of fear in deep charcoal eyes set into a tired face. His face twisted as he saw a 5 meter tall stone cheetah run towards the nearby boundary of the Middle and Outer Region. General Forge glared tiredly for a fleeting second at the golden haired figure that he could barely make out was inside the rapidly moving cheetah. Looking down at the thousands of corpses in the crater his face went slack as he passed out. The steam rushed past him as he fell down to join them.
