Chapter 779 A Thousand-Year Guest
Aria and Harper immediately tensed. Both moved several steps closer to Kael, making their claim on him unmistakably clear.
The Blackheart Matriarch possessed the voluptuous beauty of a mature woman, and every movement radiated an irresistible sensuality. Even Aria and Harper weren’t immune to her allure.
“Cloudbreaker, Patriarch of the Hawks, requests an audience with Lord Lin!”
Another announcement rang out from outside.
A short while later, Cloudbreaker strode into the sacred grounds.
“Cloudbreaker greets Lord Lin. Ah...”
Only after bowing did he notice that Amir occupied the seat of honor.
“If you intend to pay your respects, direct them to Amir. He is now humanity’s patriarch on Skyfire Planet,” Kael said from the side.
“I understand. Lord Huang, you have my respects.”
Cloudbreaker knew how to read the situation and had no trouble lowering himself when necessary.
“Please, take a seat.”
Rook waved to him from across the hall.
He treated the various patriarchs differently. If their people hadn’t caused trouble for humanity behind Kael’s back, Rook personally escorted them to their seats.
Those who had refused to help humanity—or had actively worked against it—received a much colder reception.
Cloudbreaker inclined his head and entered the guest section, though he still appeared uneasy.
The patriarchs of the other races arrived one after another. Even the leaders of obscure minor races had come, some of whom were only at the Nascent Soul Realm.
No planet could thrive with only a single species. That was the only reason races led by cultivators that weak hadn’t been exterminated countless times over.
Orin, the Blood Race’s new patriarch, looked toward the human experts seated near the front.
Kael hadn’t returned with only the companions who had left Skyfire Planet alongside him years ago. He had also brought back Malcolm, Adrian, Lucian, Tessa, and several other Planetary Realm humans.
From this day forward, humanity would possess an overwhelming advantage on Skyfire Planet.
Even if Kael left again, humanity would remain one of the planet’s dominant powers.
“Enough!”
Amir slammed a hand against the table.
The noisy gathering immediately fell silent, and every patriarch turned toward him.
“Since Kael left the Skyfire Desert, certain races have maintained friendly relations with humanity in public while constantly working against us in secret. Those responsible should step forward now. Don’t force me to name you.”
Amir rose from his seat.
Many of the patriarchs below him avoided his gaze.
Only a handful remained composed.
After Kael’s departure, those few races had never acted against humanity. Some had even protected humans from the shadows.
Hazel and the Flying Squirrels were among them.
“No one intends to admit it?” Amir demanded. “Don’t make me call you out one by one.”
His attention settled on the patriarch of a minor race.
“Cloudwing Patriarch, seventy years ago, humanity planned to gather Immortal Reishi Dew in the Mistveil Mountains. What did your people do?
“You secretly harvested every drop before we arrived. Anything you couldn’t use, you deliberately allowed to go to waste. Do you remember that?”
“Did such a thing truly happen?” the Cloudwing Patriarch asked, feigning innocence. “Why was I never told?”
“You still dare deny it? I captured one of your cultivators and searched his soul. That was how I learned that you had personally given the order.”
“So my young disciple was the one who died at your hands?”
The Cloudwing Patriarch shot to his feet in fury. The moment he saw Kael watching him, however, his courage evaporated, and he quickly sat back down.
“Your guilt has already been established,” Amir said coldly. “What punishment do you think you deserve?”
“Fine. From now on, I’ll have my people gather Immortal Reishi Dew for humanity. You won’t need to enter the Mistveil Mountains yourselves.”
The Cloudwing Patriarch spoke as though the matter were insignificant.
“I doubt it will be that simple,” Kael finally said.
“Patriarch Lin, I respect you, but don’t take this too far. At most, I’ll compensate humanity with Star River Notes. Name your price.”
The Cloudwing Patriarch assumed Amir had summoned everyone merely to extract resources from the guilty races.
“From this day forward, the Cloudwings will become a vassal race of humanity.
Every member of your race capable of taking human form will provide humanity with ten years of labor out of every century.
You will also surrender half of the Immortal Reishi Dew produced in the Mistveil Mountains as tribute.
“If humanity enters into conflict with another race, the Cloudwings will fight at our side unconditionally.”
The Cloudwing Patriarch froze.
Then he paused, slowly leaning back as a plan took shape in his mind.
“Very well. I agree.”
He had already found a way around the terms.
He could send the weakest members of his race to serve as laborers. As for the Immortal Reishi Dew, the Cloudwings could secretly withhold most of it and offer humanity only the lowest-quality portion.
If humanity ever called them to war, they could send troops who would deliberately hold back. There would be little humanity could do about it.
Amir and the others had clearly reached the same conclusion. They all looked toward Kael.
“Cloudwing Patriarch, I would like to invite you to spend the next thousand years as a guest inside my Inner Cosmos. Once those thousand years have passed, I’ll allow you to return to the Mistveil Mountains. What do you think?”
“What?”
The Cloudwing Patriarch shot to his feet again.
Several attendants behind him rose as well, their rigid postures brimming with hostility.
“Don’t worry. As long as your people fulfill their duties honestly and refrain from causing trouble, I’ll release you when the thousand years are over.
But if they try to deceive humanity by offering inferior goods or sending troops that refuse to fight, then I’m afraid I’ll have to extend your stay.
“Depending on their behavior, that extension may be permanent.”
“This is outrageous! I refuse to remain here any longer.”
The Cloudwing Patriarch launched himself into the air and tried to flee the sacred grounds.
A colossal hand descended without warning and closed around him.
An enormous manifestation emerged from the void, its body comparable in size to Skyfire Planet itself.
“The Grand Celestial Manifestation?”
Several patriarchs shot to their feet, while others stared up at the titanic figure in stunned silence.
Creating a Grand Celestial Manifestation was considered one of the most difficult feats in the entire galaxy. It required countless varieties of True Blood, every one of extraordinary quality.
Even among Eternal Realm cultivators, almost no one could successfully refine one.
The Cloudwing Patriarch struggled within the manifestation’s palm. He unleashed dozens of divine abilities in rapid succession, but none could break its grip.
Then he transformed into a Golden-Winged Roc and attempted to activate a spatial technique.
Kael sighed and closed the manifestation’s five fingers.
The Cloudwing Patriarch vanished from the sacred grounds and was imprisoned within Kael’s Inner Cosmos.
“Amir, please continue.”
Kael had remained seated throughout the entire exchange.
“Very well.”
Amir turned toward another patriarch.
“Shadowcat Patriarch, would you care to explain yourself?”
“Me?” The Shadowcat Patriarch hesitated before finally relenting. “Fine. I admit that my people worked against humanity. Whenever your cultivators entered Shadowcat Oasis, I sent others to follow them and harvest or remove the materials they needed before they could reach them.
“I’m willing to pay a certain amount of Star River Notes as compensation.”
“Kael, how should we deal with him?”
Amir looked toward Kael.