(MC POV)
So I've been wandering around for quite a while now and have yet to see, smell, touch, hear or even taste another soul in this godforsaken forest.
Just how big did the Royal Family make this area to be? Did they even know it was going to be this big?
I mean, how hard is it to find one out of a thousand people in this place?
Aside from the first few people I saw at the start, I've seen literally no one else at all, not even my disciples.
I could do a scan of the area to find them, but that would also alert anyone in the area that gets hit by the scan.
I would prefer not having to deal with another army by myself if I can help it, the whole plan was for my disciples to get experience here anyway.
How am I sure they haven't been eliminated already?
Call it a Master's instinct if you will. Don't look down on the trust and bond a Master has with their disciples!
In fact, I think they should be having a rather good time.
Since everyone is probably scattered around, none of them should need to deal with more than two at a time. Coupled with the fact that quite a number of Student and Outer Core Practitioners had shown up, I don't think they will be unlucky enough to face any of the experts, right?
And even if they did, I told them they should guide my disciples as their seniors, so they would've been spending the time teaching them pointers instead.
Most, if not all, of them are already teachers, so they would already be accustomed to teaching students anyway.
So here I am walking through the forest and hoping to have some random encounter with a few of the participants. I wasn't even sneaking around, just blatantly walking out in the open too just to have someone come to me.
Imagine my surprise when I walked into a congregation of at least four to five hundred of them, all gathered in a clearing with a few Sect Masters standing in front. The crowd was so fixated on the Sect Masters that they didn't notice my presence.
Of course I did what any sensible person would have done: I strolled to the back of the crowd casually and stood there to listen in.
"We already lost about half of our numbers! I told you we shouldn't look down on them! Now our entire plan has gone down the drain!" An extremely muscular man who easily towered over everyone present roared.
"It does not matter much, we've mostly lost the fodder to them, it won't impact our plan much," An old man with a balding head and long beard stated while stroking his beard.
Another bearded old man with a head full of white hair scoffed, "Easy for you to say, Sect Master Lee… You've lost the least number of people. I do hope you're not planning on backstabbing us after what we've agreed on?"
The supposed balding Sect Mast Lee glared at the one that spoke, "You know full well that I would never. I only hope you live up to your end of the bargain, Sect Master Jian!"
"Hmph! You don't need to worry about that. I'm more concerned that Sect Master Da wouldn't stick to the plan."
The muscled man turned his gaze towards Sect Master Jian, "The plan is already in tatters to begin with. If it wasn't for you tellin--"
"Enough! This is not the time to argue!" Another figure stepped out from the other side of the forest.
Oh what do you know? It's Sect Master Feng, the Sect Master of the Phoenix Sect. I never really did give a proper answer to his invitation after the Sect Showcase Festival.
Speaking of which, I see quite a number of familiar faces here, most of them being present during the Sect Showcase Festival.
"Sect Master Feng…" Sect Master Lee greeted. "How is it?"
"It will keep them occupied for a while, but only temporarily. Within this time we need to find where Master Lin is and carry out our plan. If all goes well, we will have a future empress within our control and then finally grant all the Sects true political power."
Ugh… Of course politics are involved. Is it too much to ask for everyone here to genuinely want to teach the princess not for their own gains but just for the joy of teaching?
No? Too much to ask for? Alright then.
"I still can't believe that damn Bei Family pulled this trick!" Sect Master Jian grumbled. "They never said anything about sending us to an incorporeal plane!"
"What's done is done, we can only adapt. That is one of the ways of being a Practitioner, no?" Sect Master Feng admonished.
Sect Master Da flexed his impressive muscles, "Hmph! Such things would have been unnecessary! I doubt even Master Lin could handle a combined assault from all of us! We can easily take him on together!"
Sect Master Feng sighed, "It seems you have forgotten how he handled the hundred opponents not too long ago? Could you have done what he did?"
The muscled man became rather quiet after that.
Well that's quite an unfair comparison, no one was fighting seriously during that fight right? I'd think even I would have had a rather hard time if they had gone all out against me at that time, especially when I wasn't as strong as I am now.
Putting that aside, it seems like this time they are actually serious about going for the win and I don't think I like them using the princess for their own political gains.
No doubt they were planning on making the princess gain more political power to step ahead of the crown prince as the heir to the throne, then demand favors from her in return for helping her get the throne.
This is why I hate politics, why can't everyone just get along? Things would be so much simpler in that case.
Since my disciples are probably occupied with the extra lessons the seniors are giving them, I think I can just get rid of this group of people first. I began weaving my way through the crowd, using an illusion to disguise myself.
Most of them did not really take notice of me since they were either busy discussing what they were planning to do with each other or listening to their own Sect Masters' conversation.
Somehow I managed to make it all the way to the front without arousing any suspicions.
I made sure all my preparations were in place before I stepped away from the crowd to join the four Sect Masters that were standing in front.
My action garnered the attention of the Sect Masters, all of them turning their heads to look at me.
Their eyes widened in terror when they recognised me, most likely their illusion defenses taking effect.
That was the only thing they managed to do before I gave them the most sincere smile I could and snapped my fingers.
The fifty or so implosion inscriptions I laid on my way here detonated instantly, enveloping the entire area in a giant fireball that sucked everything nearby into it before detonating itself, reducing everything in the area to an empty crater.
Everything that had been behind me had been reduced to nothingness.
I gave the four Sect Masters five more seconds to comprehend what has just happened before greeting them.
"Sup?"