Between Sects [1]

"Hmmm..." Lucas murmured, his mind swirling with thoughts after successfully unsealing parts of his core. It wasn't a bad outcome at all.

On a whim, he peered down, squinting to enhance his view. The landscape below expanded as he zoomed in. While nothing particularly captivating caught his eye, he couldn't shake off the curiosity about why people below were gazing up at him as if beckoning for his presence at eye level.

'What's their deal?' he pondered, furrowing his brow in contemplation.

As he observed them more closely, he realized they weren't hostile; instead, they seemed expectant, as if awaiting something significant.

'Are they waiting for me to descend?' he wondered aloud, intrigued by the notion.

This led him to reconsider his earlier thoughts about hiding his existence. With his newfound mask and formidable cultivation base, he felt confident that no one would question his power, allowing him to blend in as a regular resident of this realm.

If this were indeed the case, then he wouldn't face any threats in this world. However, despite his growing prowess, he recognized that using his core recklessly could still pose challenges.

Specifically, Lucas had a disdain for those who engaged in reckless experimentation, such as dark alchemists. He had no intention of becoming a subject for such experiments, understanding that there might be adversaries he couldn't easily defeat. Thus, exercising caution seemed like the wisest course of action.

Dark alchemy is essentially alchemy that goes beyond the taboo, such as playing with souls and mortal bodies.

"Really... I must have become an amazing person like in the past," he scoffed as he slowly descended.

The people below made space for him to descend, and when he finally reached the ground, they all kowtowed to him.

"We welcome Senior Expert!"

Lucas was initially flabbergasted by the sudden explosion of words. As he looked at them intently, he noticed they were all sweating as if they had exerted too much effort.

This made him wonder, what was their purpose?

"Were you waiting for me to descend?" he asked.

They all nodded but no one dared to speak, which irritated him.

"I personally ask you to talk. Why are you waiting for me?" he asked, and they all flinched.

'Seriously. Have I become that frightening, or was it because I was flying? Now that I think about it, I don't know how cultivators fly or how people perceive those who can. Or is there something connected to the altitude a cultivator can reach with flight?'

Their eyes turned to the person who appeared to be their representative. With his head still bowed, he slowly spoke.

"We truly welcome Senior Expert. The reason we are here waiting for you is that we seek your help." He gulped.

Lucas adopted a pondering look. He hoped to avoid meddling in matters concerning people, especially when faced with a group looking desperate in front of him. However, there were situations where his conscience weighed heavily on him, leaving him no choice but to offer his assistance. Although he wasn't self-centered, he typically avoided helping others in his previous world.

'But this isn't the world I lived in. I must say, I've blended with the norm.'

"What is it? What help are you seeking from me?"

All of them were visibly surprised when he responded positively.

"Thank you for your benevolence, Senior Expert!" the representative kowtowed once again.

Lucas's eyes twitched as he raised an eyebrow. The group's representative acted this way because cultivators of Lucas's level were deemed arrogant due to their powers.

Now that Lucas thought about it, he peeked into their cultivation bases, noting the hints of spiritual energy within their bodies.

'Hmm... Master and at least the peak of Warrior Spirit Realm? Why are these relatively strong people waiting...?'

"Can you cut to the chase? What's the help you need? I don't have much time."

'I have plenty, but it's too annoying to talk with these people.'

All of them showed significant hints of wrinkles in their appearance. As he thought about it, Lucas realized adults were the most difficult to deal with, as they were not simple-minded.

"Well, it's because we are being attacked by the Heavenly Demon Sect," the representative said.

'Attacked? They're shameless to ask for help from someone they don't even know. Well, desperate times call for desperate measures, I guess.'

"Heavenly Demon Sect? What kind of sect are they? Some kind of evil sect?" Lucas asked, giving the people hope.

"We don't know. They were an inactive sect in the past, but just a few days ago, they suddenly attacked us, claiming that we, the people of Flower Dark Sect, were planning to overwhelm them," the representative said, his tone slightly trembling.

"That's quite problematic. I don't know them, so can you elaborate on the meaning of their pretext? Was there any deeper significance?" Lucas asked.

Hesitantly, the representative answered Lucas's question. He was agitated about what he'd say next, but he intentionally coated his words, as if beating around the bush.

"There is no truth behind their assumptions! However, they claimed we had a cultivator with high spiritual energy among us. Because of this, they attacked us first to 'save' themselves."

Lucas sighed as he began to understand the representative's words. He also noticed the representative was intentionally dragging out and coating the information Lucas sought.

'It was because of me...? Pathetic. I am pathetic, and so are they, but perhaps...'

"Do you have any grudge with that sect that made them think that way?" Lucas asked, trying to piece together the information he currently had.

"Y-Yes..."

After hearing this, Lucas sighed and tapped the representative on the shoulder.

"Apologies..."

As he said this, the faces of the people before him became dispirited. The fire they had brought within their hearts instantly died. They had come with hope, kowtowing to him, but it seemed useless.

Lucas noticed they misunderstood him and snickered.

"I don't mean that I won't help you. I mean that I want to apologize that you suffer because of me. It was because they sensed me, right?"

The representative's eyes widened as Lucas pinpointed the truth behind his words. Realizing they might finally be saved, he kowtowed once again.

"Please forgive us for disturbing your rest. Please save us!"

"Please save us!" the people echoed.

'I guess some people dedicate themselves too much to one thing. Perhaps the same as me, and now I see the resemblance of my actions in the past. They are desperate to save their place.'

Lucas nodded and helped them stand up.

"I am also at fault. So this time, when I save your sect, settle the grudge with that sect so this won't happen again," Lucas said.

But he realized something was missing. He was looking for a certain powerful individual who should have been present if they were asking for his help.

"By the way, where's your Sect Master? I don't see any particularly strong cultivators who can manage a sect," Lucas muttered, and just like that, they all kowtowed again.