In front of them was a massive cosmic existence whose transparent body glowed with blinding rays of cosmic light and radiation. They were standing at the very edge of a planet, drifting inside a solar system, which was itself drifting within an infinite galaxy held gently in the hands of the cosmic entity.
That cosmic existence was the soul projection of the chief commander.
"You... you are a Sage!" one of them whispered as he collapsed to his knees.
The other four quickly followed suit, completely suffocated by the immense power and dominion of the chief commander's soul projection as they too fell to their knees.
The cosmic existence slowly opened its eyelids. The moment her gaze fell upon them, they were violently thrown back into the original world.
"This is my disciple. I left an imprint of a soul fragment on him. If any harm comes to him, I will personally erase you," the chief commander said, watching them crash onto the mountain peak as their skin and eyes bled profusely.
"Yes, Senior," they all replied in trembling unison.
"The two of you did not attack me, but who knows what you were planning while watching from the sidelines? Take this as my apology," she said, turning to the two she had dragged through the spatial rift. She casually passed two wisps of her soul energy to them.
"Senior, thank you," the two Sovereigns replied, struggling to stand on their feet.
"When he wakes up, whatever arrangements he makes, follow through with them," she instructed. Immediately after, she returned to Mo Lingtian's sea of consciousness, releasing the entire wilderness from the time pause.
Mo Lingtian and the vice captain were instantly released as the flow of time resumed. With a single, swift dash, Mo Lingtian appeared directly before the Immortal. He decisively punctured his forehead with a needle.
One by one, the sealing points of energy throughout the Immortal's body violently exploded, extinguishing his vitality completely. Mo Lingtian instantly retracted his death domain and casually carried the corpse, drifting toward the leveled mountain peak where the five Sovereign Immortals were waiting.
"Seniors, apologies for the offense," Mo Lingtian said, bowing slightly as he watched the supreme experts frantically trying to repair the damage to their bodies, souls, and seas of consciousness.
"There is no problem. It is an honor to meet the personal disciple of a Sage," replied one of the two Sovereign Immortals who had received the chief commander's wisp of soul energy.
"I am the founder of the Lunar Region. Tu Xin has just told me all about you. We would be more than happy to accept you as an honored guest," he continued. Tu Xin, standing behind him, stepped forward and bowed slightly in agreement.
"Senior, I appreciate your kindness, but I have already made arrangements with the Eclipsed Sun Sect," Mo Lingtian said, shifting his gaze to the second Sovereign Immortal who bore the aura of the chief commander's wisp of soul energy.
"That must be him," Mo Lingtian thought to himself. He watched the way the other Sovereigns' eyes darted toward the man warily some carefully, some calculatively, and some angrily as the Eclipsed Sun Sect ancestor finally stood up after successfully repairing his damaged soul.
"Dao You, it would be my absolute pleasure," the Sovereign Immortal replied, stroking his beard.
"Alright then. There will surely be enough room for us to cooperate in the future. We will be taking our leave now," the founder of the Lunar Region replied. He gently rested his hand on Tu Xin's shoulder. With a single step forward, they swiftly vanished from sight, crossing kilometers in an instant.
"This body..." Mo Lingtian said, glancing at the Immortal's corpse resting over his shoulder.
"He is from my faction. We will give him a proper burial," stated one of the remaining three Sovereign Immortals. Among the group, his aura was the strongest, second only to the ancestor of the Eclipsed Sun Sect.
"Alright," Mo Lingtian replied, tossing the body forward as it floated toward the Sovereign.
In near unison, the three Sovereign Immortals of the main factions each tore open a spatial rift and immediately left the scene. Now, it was just Mo Lingtian and the ancestor of the Eclipsed Sun Sect remaining on the mountain peak.
"Young friend, who from my sect did you make arrangements with?" the ancestor asked. With one step forward, he transported Mo Lingtian directly to the towering gates of the Eclipsed Sun Sect.
"I met a young lad named Wang Ping when I first entered the wilderness," Mo Lingtian replied, suddenly struggling to breathe.
"Oh? Now that our sect is steadily declining, perhaps you are a great sign of fortune for us," the ancestor mused. He took another step forward, effortlessly traversing the distance and stopping directly inside the sect's main hall with Mo Lingtian.
"You aren't used to spatial travel yet, are you?" the ancestor asked, noticing Mo Lingtian's staggering steps as they arrived.
"Senior, I am just a bit exhausted from the non-stop fighting since I first stepped into the wilderness," Mo Lingtian replied, bowing slightly.
"I completely forgot. You are right. A disciple will lead you to your quarters where you can get a good rest," the ancestor nodded.
"Thank you," Mo Lingtian replied, bowing once more as the ancestor phased out of the main hall.
"Senior, please follow me," a nearby disciple of the Eclipsed Sun Sect spoke from behind, gesturing toward the exit of the hall.
Mo Lingtian turned around, following the disciple as he was guided through the courtyards to his new place of abode within the sect.
"This sect really is on the verge of decline," Mo Lingtian thought as he entered the room prepared for him. It wasn't dilapidated or damaged, but it was far too simple, resembling the mortal-like houses back in the Devil Realm.
There were old curtains, faded wooden frames, simple candle and oil lamps, and worn sheets. The room was cleanly and modestly kept, but it completely lacked the regal brilliance and dense spiritual energy that a sect harboring a Sovereign Immortal should possess.
"Never mind. This is the best place and condition for me right now. I do not believe that a massive faction will simply let me go after I killed one of their vice captains," Mo Lingtian analyzed internally as he sat on the bed and assumed a meditative posture.
"I had better use this time to check my sea of consciousness. After all, the army and the commanders are still outsiders," he decided, immediately sinking his focus inward.
"You finally came in," the chief commander said as she sensed Mo Lingtian's wisp of soul entering the space.
"I just came to check on you. What is happening?" he asked, watching her two aides and the dozens of vanguard commanders actively channeling their own energy into her transparent form.
"I am just a scattered soul fragment lingering on death energy. That move I used severely depleted my origin," the chief commander explained. She stood up, raising a hand to halt the energy transfer.
The vanguard officials and the thousands of death phantoms instantly slammed their spears and stamped their feet in unison as she rose.
"The death energy here can only stabilize me for now," she continued, her voice sounding noticeably weaker.
"Senior, that means I have to find you a perfect physical body as soon as possible," Mo Lingtian noted anxiously, watching her sit heavily on a large rock by the spiritual seashore of his consciousness.
"Ha!" she sighed. "Where could you possibly find a body that can bear the weight of my soul fragment in such a short amount of time?"
The two aides by her side slowly shook their heads in somber agreement.
"You risked your life to help me. I will definitely find a way," Mo Lingtian promised, looking out over the dozens of commanding vanguards and the thousands of shadow-clad death phantoms occupying his mental plane.
"I will be leaving now. You will hear from me soon," he said, pulling his awareness out of his sea of consciousness.
"The cruel reality of the wilderness is actually the best place to safely secure a powerful body that can bear her soul without drawing unwanted trouble. I just need to provoke a few ego-driven experts," he plotted silently, pondering the dire situation.
But first, I must get stronger. If not for his sheer arrogance and underestimation, that Immortal could have killed me in a single breath. I cannot afford to run into another powerhouse in my current state. Luck will not always be on my side, he resolved closing his eyes as he slept on the bed.