That was a term that was first imparted upon the Alliance by s.h.i.+n when the Allfather appeared before him to uncharacteristically talk about his ideals. In the beginning, many executives from the Alliance took that news with a grain of salt. After all, opening a gate to the Immortal Realm was not that far off from a complete fairy tale. However, as the years went by, more and more hints towards the Allfather's Grand Scheme started to surface until finally… The capture of Kin and Gin.

The two former n.o.ble Beasts basically confirmed the Allfather's intentions and had detailed the ways that he sought to complete such a bold objective. The first and most prominent one was to trigger conflict after conflict, giving room for new, talented cultivators to grow. Creating the Black Masks and pitting them against the three superpowers was the first step. Killing thousands and forcing changes in governments using spies and Brahmins was the next one. And the most prominent scheme of them all… Splitting the Terre Continent, triggering a ma.s.s execution of all living human beings and fundamentally changing how society as a whole worked.

By causing mayhem, the Allfather had weeded out the weaklings of the human race. Those that left behind were all fighters, both in mentality and physicality. They would soak in the pressure created by the Black Masks and train way harder than their parents and uncles, turning into machines that only sought to grow stronger to survive.

As a consequence, although the overall population had dipped, the average cultivation level of all cultivators had risen dramatically. The constant strife of Payircis and Umbras had also paved the way for talents such as s.h.i.+n and the Luminaries to advance at a rate that was unheard of in modern times.

The Alliance saw that staggering growth and were pleasantly surprised. In the darkness created by the Allfather, an unexpected light had shone through. Those youngsters who were now leading their generations would one day turn into Spirit Saints and in some special occurrences… Spirit Immortals. The leaders of the three superpowers even felt that there was a need to celebrate such an accomplishment. Little did they all know… They were playing right into the Allfather's hands.

More cultivators reaching the later ranks meant that there were far more spiritual energies floating around in the world. The quality of the spiritual energies would also change dramatically. Many cultivators were able to migrate elemental energies and move it to places that one would never expect. For instance, a Fire-Elemental cultivator could move a high density of Fire-Elements into the middle of the ocean, where Fire-Elements were practically void.

The same went for any cultivator regardless of their elemental affinities. Cultivators were akin to human batteries that would power the world as long as they existed, and now…

The best and finest cultivators were all gathered near the Tree of Darkness.

"What's this?!" Bits of mana seeped out from the Alliance member's pores, entering the atmosphere like mist on top of a lake. To the untrained eye, it would look like they were red and steaming, but those that could feel spiritual energies knew the truth. That thing in the sky… It was sucking out their mana.

"Tsk, he's trying to speed up the opening of Heaven's Gate," s.h.i.+n spat. "All of you retract your Spirits! Try not to use any spiritual abilities from here-on out! Use mana strengthening if you need to and keep your mana inside of your bodies! Don't let it seep out into the atmosphere!"

"G-Got it!"

The members of Guardian Sword faithfully carried out their Master's order, circulating their mana deep within their bodies. As a result, the steam that evaporated out from their bodies began to subside rapidly, giving them their healthy pinkish hue back.

"s.h.i.+n!" Kanari ran straight to her husband and held him by the hand. "That whirlpool in the sky, it-..."

"It's the first step to opening Heaven's Gate, I know." The Master of Guardian Sword nodded his head. "Aether crystals, Payirci beams, the Allfather's own spiritual energies… It's probably not enough. They'll need our spiritual energies as well!"

"Is that why they willingly allowed us to take the four Payircis? To force us to spend our mana and let it seep into the atmosphere?"

"I'm afraid so," s.h.i.+n grimaced. "I knew that we were clearing it this easily… I never would have guessed that they had such a scheme."

"But based on Kin and Gin's accounts, the Black Masks lack the resources to open Heaven's Gate! Why are they trying to open it now?"

"The Allfather has been pushed into a corner, Kanari. Other than the Tree of Darkness, what other resources does he have? It makes sense that they're trying to push the Grand Scheme forward, even if they're lacking in materials."

"Ah, I see..." Kanari turned her head back to the black skies.

The spiralling whirlpool in the sky continued to turn like a never-ending vortex and sent hundred-kilometre winds upon the chilling Neutral Lands. It turned icy, and the elemental energies of the world were being sucked into its epicentre without any mercy. Kanari's eyes then traced the five beams back to the Payircis and oddly enough…

"Hey, s.h.i.+n… The Payircis, aren't they..."

s.h.i.+n was watching the exact same thing that his wife was and could instantly tell what she was referring to. "Yes, they are. They are absorbing the spiritual and elemental energies of the world and feeding it to the whirlpool!"

The Master of Guardian Sword continued to observe the odd phenomenon. All sorts of ideas popped into his head. How the Allfather's Heaven's Gate operated? What was allowing the Payircis to absorb the elements from the surroundings? Was the Tree of Darkness now vulnerable to attacks now that the energy field protecting it was gone? All of these questions came up in s.h.i.+n's mind, and it was running currents to figure out any of those answers.

Fortunately for s.h.i.+n, he wasn't the only thinker in the Alliance.

Three bursts of light resembling that of crescent moons rushed from the New Land of Dreams and flew unhindered through the air. One was aimed skywards, attacking the whirlpool that seemed to be unfathomable and invincible. Another was targetted at the nearest Payirci, which was still coated in thick elemental energy. And the final one and the most powerful crescent moon was fired straight at the source of it all… The Tree of Darkness.

Kanari and the rest of Guardian Sword were enthralled and surprised by the sudden move and could barely react to the three lights. Only s.h.i.+n was able to somewhat trace it back to the white-haired elderly man holding an unsheathed sword among the Spirit Saints. Knowing who the source of the sword lights was, s.h.i.+n spun his head back into position and waited in earnest to see the results of the three strikes.

Unnnhhhggggggggg!!! Unnnhhhggggggggg!!! Unnnhhhggggggggg!!!

The first one sliced through the clouds but failed to dissipate the never-ending whirlpool of spiritual energy. In fact, after being hit by the sword light, the skies roared in delight like a drunkard asking for another pint of ale.

The second crescent moon slammed right into its target, the Payirci. However, unlike expectations, it didn't slice the barrierless tower into two. The crescent moon split into a thousand different shards once it came into contact with the Payirci and was turned into harmless, spiritual energy spheres that floated like fireflies. It was all quickly absorbed into the core of the impregnable building, and the light beaming out from its highest point turned just a little bit brighter.

And the final hope of the Alliance, the sword light aimed at the Tree of Darkness, failed to impress as well. Once it came in range of the Tree, the power within the crescent moon faded gradually and as it treaded its way closer and closer, the spiritual energies of the sword light melted and scattered away.

Like the cherry blossoms in spring, the Alliance's probing shot all faded away, drawing the illusion of their advantage into a grinding halt.