Elder Cultivation: Surprise Awakening

 The three young masters of the Black Blood Water Sect swam into the deepest part of the ocean near the coast of Eagle Claw Bay.

"The Elder Waterfall was discovered, and all of the young seeds of the sect are taken care of. We've went through thirty places they hid during long seclusion. Anyone left will be an scurrying prey for us."

"I want to find a worthy fight," said the second master. "I need a great boon to make the leap."

They acted young, but in truth, these three were 150, 175 and 200 years old, all of them at the peak of the Immortal Great Realm, staring down the abyss of the Divine Barrier great realm. Their seniors had less responsibility, until they became leaders and even elders when they rushed past the barrier and reached the Divine Great realm.

The destruction of Golden Water Blade Sect, and access to all of it's resources, would only fuel the needs of their sect for a short while.

The deep ocean waters pressed against their refined bodies, and exerted a pressure, but the three continued, even into the crevice at the bottom. The first, took out his knife, slashing his finger, and allowing blood to spill out, activating his bloodline power to resist.

The second made his hand gestures and a water orb surrounded him, separating the harsh waters outside the bubble from the calm waters inside.

The third surrounded himself with the blackness of dark water arts. The black waters annihilated any active power in the chasm which resisted.

Finally, in the deepest part of the chasm, they reached a sealed grate which allowed water but not people through.

The second young master tried to shrink down into a small fish and go through the holes, but some power resisted with tremendous force. He had to use up some of the team's healing supplies, and the response from the barrier had been ferocious.

"Definitely something down here."

They began to attack and scheme to destroy the barrier and take what was below.

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The year and a day declared in celebration for the Lifegiver King's 4500th step of overwhelming mastery was over. The court officials and their assistants spent a week cleaning the palace, and polished the Twin Thrones of Justice and Lifegiving until they were respectable to their transcendent Lord's name.

The mighty one's robes were clad in gold and jewels, the Gavel and the Scepter were each held high as he descended from the private residence of their Lord. The Ushers outside held back lines of hundreds of supplicants each. They would be called on to discern who should be sent in to the Outer Palace. Even the Outer Palace was incomparably beautiful and lovely, and those who had been ushers long enough enjoyed the rare chance they had to go inside for their own cause or concern. To be an usher meant receiving your whole extended family's concerns. Every cousin expected their Usher relative to have an ear to the Lord.

Tyrant Hao settled himself in the throne of Lifegiving. He looked out at the crowds waiting in the distance, and nodded slightly to his consort. She spoke, and the people were received. Hao satisfied himself with watching his disciples work. Gradually the first petitioners arrived to the waiting Devoted followers and understudies, and eventually to his elders.

He waited as the Lifegiving cases were heard by Elders. The Elders judged and understood each unique malady, in body, blood or spirit or soul. In some cases they spent fifteen minutes before producing a solution for the individual.

It was only when the Elder found themselves perplexed that Tyrant Hao received the seeker. Whether an Elderly person supported by a family member, a child tragically in peril, with their crying parent, or an individual on their own two feet, they came and presented themselves to him.

The Elder who had failed addressed him, "Lord Hao, giver of Life. This young one suffers from a crippling disease which causes her to shake and shutter for no reason. Sometimes at day, but othertimes at night. I will not plague you with my failed attempt Lord."

Hao commanded the girl to sit on the golden table of life giving. Just as he was musing, lifting up the scepter, but uncertain of the girl's condition, he felt a tremendous disturbance in his spirit.

He sat down, perplexed. He pondered the meaning of such things, and then he stood up, turning to sit at the seat of Justice. Taking the most perfect gavel, he changed it, and the gavel remembered the form of the Saber.

Standing up with the saber in hand, he made the seats of Justice and Lifegiving merge together into a Throne of Golden Waters. A waterfall rushed from the top of the throne down to the seat, and the seat itself was filled with water that didn't spread one inch beyond it.

He turned to the court. "Not even your ancestors' ancestors remember my duties to the outside world. There is a matter which even I cannot ignore there. I will return as soon as I can."

Sitting down at the new throne, he was covered with water shimmering in gold light, and then he returned to his physical body.

In addition to a profound grogginess, he felt something like the poking of gnats. Standing he looked to see that he was surrounded by three people. He was underwater, but as comfortable as a fish.

"Pops! You think you're strong?" one of them yelled. "Black Blood's anointing!"

The attacking boy screamed, as Yongnian casually closed the distance, and swept his feet out from under him.

The other two yelled and screamed and spewed out their so called top-level items and precious secrets, but he bounded the three together into a bag of imprisonment with a thought, and went to present them to the Elders of the sect, as no one, from any sect, should be allowed to interfere with the Hidden Ancestor's place of seclusion.

Carrying the three like a sack of potatoes, he carefully re-sealed the Hidden Ancestor's Rest, and surged up through the crevice, out into the open ocean, and then into open sky. He took a breath of air, as an indulgence, not a requirement, but he enjoyed it.

His speed was reasonably good, not great. Before his seclusion, the elders complemented him on being reasonably fast moving, not like those young whippersnappers, but stately and with honor. Imagine his shock when he arrived at the Elder Waterfall in a few minutes, also finding it occupied by unfamiliar people.

He would find someone he recognized and then straighten this out. He didn't bother to stop and talk with the juniors outside, but instead went straight through into the dwellings of the elders.

Standing in the place of Elders who had reached Divine King at the very least, were children barely fit to be apprentices in his day. In his old seat sat a Divine Warlord. Pond Scum!

He would not destroy this gathering with his true spiritual pressure, but merely force them to tell him what had happened.

Standing regally, he leapt up on top of the table, in the middle of some squabbling argument. He got their attention.

"Who is this!? Guards!" and "How did he get in here!" were shouted by various children.

"SILENCE!" his spoke with a Tyrant's mere fragment of a fragment of authority. The group were completely speechless and still.

"I AM THE HIDDEN ANCESTOR OF THE GOLDEN WATER BLADE SECT. I SEE YOU HAVE CHANGED OUR CREST IN MY ABSENCE. PLEASE REPORT ON THE SECT'S LAST 2400 YEARS."

"Lord Hidden Ancestor," said the Divine Warlord leader. "We were not aware of such a presence as your magnificence backing up the Golden Water Blade Sect. We have defeated that sect, and taken their property and possessions. This must be a trifling concern to one of your stature that now the juniors of the Black Blood Water Sect reside here."

"Where may I find my sect brothers, Warlord?"

"-- We defeated them all, milord. But you cannot be concerned! Let this Junior compensate you for their loss."

"GOLDEN BLADE. DRINK JUSTICE DEEPLY!" He cried, but refused to bless this scoundrels with a single drop. He was slightly amused as he realized he could actually trace the Sect's treasure blade as it took it's weird, dazzlingly fast path of Justice. Now he could see the blade's path as it flew by judging each person. Either dead or alive, but it was merciful.

Even among the warlord's leaders three were spared. The most experienced of those three pleaded with him, "You can have everything back Lord Ancestor. Just spare us!"

"I care nothing for this place, or the meaningless things collected. Without the people, my sect is no longer. BLADE RETURN."

If the sect remained, he could lead them back to a proper place. With the sect dead and gone, he was once more a loose cultivator. Surviving alone on his wits. Unlike his childhood ages ago, now he could search out the great mysteries of existence, and cultivate the Dao of Life and Justice to the furthest end.