Chapter 1114: The Cost Of Betrayal
It didn’t take long for the soul pact to be completed, successfully so to boot, and Tian Kuo sighed in relief.
Alex looked at him with a smirk and chuckled.
"Stop acting like I was about to shoot you, fox. You’re making me look bad. It was just a soul pact," he mocked.
Tian Kuo glared at him, biting the inside of his cheek to keep his mouth from opening and saying out loud his thoughts.
’Don’t murder him. He’s still useful. Don’t murder him...’
As this went on inside his head on repeat, Alex chortled to himself again and walked back to his seat.
"Anyway, now that you have agreed and made the pact, I guess we can go into more detail. David, want to take this one home?"
David nodded and delved into the finer details of how to reinforce the barrier between worlds. Tian Kuo often delivered his own input and understanding, but most of the time, he was shot down by David, who had to explain to the fox that his outdated views no longer applied to the earth.
This whole time, Amara listened to the conversation, looks of confusion and astonishment succeeding each other on her face, while David casually laid out a plan that had so many steps and possible mistakes, it would make some of her own plans look like those of children.
’Since when has he been working on this? Does he have an oracle who warned him of the future before I found out?’ she wondered.
There was no way in her mind that this was a plan that came about randomly in recent times. This was way too intricate for a last-minute Hail Mary.
Nonetheless, she never interrupted once, leaving both men to their arguments and explanations, as she committed every tidbit of information to memory.
The meeting went on for another two hours before Tian Kuo finally stopped asking questions, and David had gone through his entire plan with the fox. The others around the table had almost all tapped out of this conversation an hour prior.
The only people still paying attention were Kary, Alexander, Amara, and the two men concerned. All the others lost interest at some point, when explanations became more of an argument over the feasibility or reality of the plan.
With David done, however, Alex clapped his hands to gather everyone’s attention again.
"Alright! With this done, I guess it’s time to head home. Any objections?"
No one raised a peep, and he nodded in acknowledgment.
"Good. We’ve spent enough time up here, anyway. I can’t wait to be home, wrapped up in a blanket and drinking hot coffee," he joked.
A few giggles spread, everyone feeling about the same.
Tian Kuo couldn’t wait to kick them out, even though he had many more questions for the necromancer. He had much to digest about this current situation already, and with the new recruit he wanted to train personally from their ranks; he needed time before he could continue their elaboration of this suicide plan.
With a wave of his hand, Tian Kuo opened up another doorway, one leading to the ground floor of his pagoda.
"Well, then, I shall guide you to the exit and walk you to the entrance of the sect. No point in having you wander around my mountain," he stated matter-of-factly.
Alex nodded at him, glad the man wasn’t just kicking them out. Although he was certain some of his friends would have loved to snoop around the mountain.
’Heh. They can come back and ask for access directly if they want that. The less time we waste here, the better, but I’m not their parent. If they are curious about this place, they are more than welcome to come back on their own terms,’ he mused.
Once everyone had gone through the doorway he had conjured, Tian Kuo stepped through and made it vanish. He led the way to the doorway to the outside and calmly opened it.
And what greeted him outside made his left eyelid twitch in anger.
Standing on the war foot ahead of him, led by Elder Bai and Elder Yang, was almost the entirety of the sect’s forces, weapons in hand, and Qi primed for those who could.
"What is the meaning of this?!" Tian Kuo growled, glaring at his two elders.
"Master!" Elder Bai shouted, relieved to see him in good health.
His shoulders lowered, the tenseness inside him dropping instantly. But Elder Yang had other plans.
The moment he saw the people walking behind his master, he howled a command.
"Kill all the intruders!"
Tian Kuo’s eyes narrowed at his elder.
"Yang Gang, what is the meaning of this?" he glowered, his pressure pushing against anyone who dared move a muscle.
The youths behind the Elders all froze in fear, feeling as if a predator was gazing at them with hunger in his eyes.
But Elder Yang remained unfazed.
"I am getting rid of the intruders on our sacred mountain, Master. This farce has gone on long enough," he snapped.
"These are not intruders, but guests, as I have already stated. Stand down. Now."
But Elder Yang was having none of it.
"These are invaders of our sacred sect grounds! We cannot let them wander in and out as they please! This has been the case since time immemorial, Master Kuo, and I shall make sure it remains like this for as long as I draw breath!" he fanatically shouted.
"Enough!" Tian Kuo snapped, making the elder flinch for a moment.
"I said these were guests, and you will treat them accordingly, Elder Yang, or I will strip you of your rights and power on this mountaintop that you have desecrated with the feet of so many unworthy students. Do you understand?!" he growled, walking toward his interlocutor.
Elder Yang felt a shiver running down his spine at the threat, but shook his head and narrowed his eyes.
"What kind of spell have they cast on you, Master? Do they influence your mind?" Elder Yang asked, his tone seeping with venom.
Tian Kuo clicked his tongue, about to reply that no one could alter his thoughts, but Elder Yang cut him off.
"It is of no import. I will kill them and rid you of their influence. FOR THE MASTER!" he chanted before diving at David, whom he had a score to settle with.
But before he could reach him, Tian Kuo appeared before him, his movements much faster than Yang Gang could react to.
Grasping his throat violently, Tian Kuo stared into his eyes, his own eyes glowing golden, a slit of pure black in the middle staring into the man’s soul, a predatory smile appearing on his lips.
"I guess you thought I was weaker than you, since I just changed bodies. Shame Gu Fang was always stronger than you and could have put you in your place if he had stayed. Now, you face the consequences of your betrayal.
"Elder Yang Gang, you are hereby stripped of your title of Elder, and sentenced to death, for the crime of disobedience of your master, and the act of aggression over guests of this sect."
When the elder opened his mouth to protest, the words stuck in his throat, as a powerful force started acting on his dantian, pulling his Qi from his body toward his head.
He watched in horror as a golden thread pulled out of his throat, entering the gaping maw of Master Kuo, as his limbs started getting numb.
In seconds, the life drained away from Yang Gang, leaving behind a dried-out husk, as he crumpled to the ground, dead.
Tian Kuo hacked in disgust.
"Qi distorted by rage is the worst. Tastes like shit," he spat, grimacing.
One thought crossed Alexander’s mind, as well as most of the young people present.
’What the actual fuck...’