29. Immortal Messenger [Modern Warship in a Cultivation World]

The Hall of Celestial Governance had been stripped of its usual quiet austerity. Two palace workers, their robes dark with sweat, struggled to hoist a heavy banner woven with the celestial blue-and-gold motif of the Tian Dynasty.

"Careful, Xiao Li! This silk costs more than a year of your salary," muttered, a thin man with decades of palace experience etched into his face.

Xiao Li grunted, wiping his brow. "Calm yourself, Lao Wang. It's done. The Immortal Emperor Jiang Tian hasn't graced this room in a solar cycle, and now we must make it sparkle for what, a simple war update?"

Lao Wang’s eyes darted nervously across the vast, marble floor, settling briefly on a man leaning casually against the central pillar. This man was completely out of place: his robes were threadbare and dusty, his long, gray hair was tied back with a piece of twine, and he was currently amusing himself by tossing a small pebble high enough to almost graze the glowing ceiling array.

"It's not simple when the Emperor makes his first public appearance in over a year," Lao Wang whispered, pulling Xiao Li closer. "And it is certainly not simple when he is here."

Xiao Li followed Lao Wang's gaze, his eyes widening. He quickly looked away, forcing himself to focus on a piece of dust on the floor. The presence of the unkempt man, the legendary figure, always felt like the heavy, metallic tang of a thunderstorm about to break.

A wave of silence swept through the hall as the doors to the Imperial Chambers slid open.

Immortal Emperor Jiang Tian entered, his gold-threaded robes shimmering like a captured sun. He possessed a terrifying stillness, his power so absolute that even the dust seemed to settle in his presence. All assembled courtiers, generals, and advisors immediately dropped to their knees, their heads touching the cold marble.

"Rise," the Immortal Emperor commanded, his voice deep and effortless, seating himself upon the Dragon Throne.

His eyes, however, immediately fixed on the single figure who remained standing, the Immortal Messenger, who was now examining the polished marble of the Emperor’s dais as if hunting for a misplaced coin.

The court held its breath, knowing this was the moment of most profound political danger.

Immortal Emperor Jiang Tian sighed, a sound of utter fatigue rather than anger. "Immortal Messenger."

The Immortal Messenger looked up, his eyes ancient and bright with an unnerving, childlike curiosity. He smiled, a slow, lazy gesture. "It is a rather dull morning, Xiao Jiang Tian. One must seek out the spectacle wherever one can find it."

The Emperor’s jaw tightened, the mask of royal serenity slipping for a fraction of a second. The deep respect for the Immortal Messenger’s power and legacy was overwhelmed by a palpable loathing for his motives.

"Why are you here?" Immortal Emperor Jiang Tian said, his voice flat and dangerous. "Get lost. I don't want whatever disruption you are stirring just because it will be ‘interesting’."

The Immortal Messenger simply shrugged, his smile widening, and drifted away to the side of the hall, positioning himself near the Generals and the oversized tactical map.

Immortal Emperor Jiang Tian took a deep breath, steeling his resolve. He slammed his hand lightly on the armrest. "General Hu. The Absolution Alliance is mobilizing toward the Jade Gate Port. Give me the current deployment strategy."

General Hu, a large man armored in black scales, stepped forward. "Your Majesty, Grand Vizier Wei and I have devised a plan for maximum surprise and minimum exposure. We have prepared the Azure Mist Sect's aerial forces. They are to depart at dawn tomorrow, use the rising sun to conceal their approach, and strike the forward defenses before noon."

Even as he spoke, Grand Vizier Wei’s expression, though silent, betrayed a flicker of disagreement.

The Emperor nodded slowly, appreciating the simplicity and logic of the military plan.

It was then the Immortal Messenger chose to speak, his voice a soft, almost melodic hum that cut through the silence of the court. He was staring at the General's polished breastplate, not the map.

"Ah," the Immortal Messenger chirped softly, almost to himself. "But the sun shines upon the honest man. A fair fight which this isn't, right, General?" He gave a pointed, mischievous glance toward the tactical map. "Tell me... is it not in the moon's silent watch that the most ambitious draw their true strength?"

The cryptic comment hung in the air. Grand Vizier Wei, his face pale, felt the weight of a thousand years of cultivation wisdom descend upon him. The implication was clear: the Immortal Messenger was signaling that the true spectacle, and likely the true opportunity for victory, lay in the night. To ignore this insight would be to risk the Emperor’s ire and deny the Dynasty a chance to win the battle the Immortal Messenger had chosen to witness.

Taking this chance, Grand Vizier Wei countered General Hu by bowing deeply, his mind racing to rationalize the shift to the Emperor. "Your Majesty… the Immortal Messenger speaks the truth. Nightfall offers far greater concealment for our ground forces flanking the main assault. We will dispatch the Azure Mist Sect at dusk. The battle will commence under the three red moons."

General Hu had no way to counter the interpretation of the Messenger's words and simply backed off.

Immortal Emperor Jiang Tian stared at the Immortal Messenger for a long, silent moment, his expression a cold mask of absolute fury and helplessness. He knew he had been outmaneuvered into something that Immortal Messenger was seeking but what it was? He had no way of knowing.

"Very well, Grand Vizier Wei," Immortal Emperor Jiang Tian bit out. "Do it. Ensure victory."

The Immortal Messenger, having successfully changed the course of the battle with seven words, turned and, without another word, simply vanished from the hall.

________

The war chamber of the Blood Claw Sect was carved deep into a black, igneous mountain range of the Absolution Alliance’s deep mountain ranges, its air thick with the scent of ozone and iron. Sect Leader Li Wei sat at the head of a circular table bearing a crude, blood-red map, outlining the final strategy for the night.

"Their coastal defenses are strong, but predictable. We strike tonight, under the cover of the three red moons," Li Wei declared, her voice a low, confident rasp. "Our strategy is simple: three prongs of attack, prioritizing the destruction of their supply silos to break their will before we break their lines."

Before the echo of her voice could fade, a sudden, sharp shockwave of cold, dense qi washed over the room.

The same dusty, unkempt figure from the Tian Dynasty's court materialized atop the black map table, seated cross-legged, gently rocking back and forth as if he had just settled down from a long journey.

A collective gasp of terror and awe swept through the assembled Elders. They were in a maximum-security chamber; his sudden appearance was impossible.

The figure, recognizing their shock, smiled faintly. He held up a small, unadorned hand cymbal made of dull brass. He clapped it softly, Ting! and the delicate, ancient ringing sound cut through the tense atmosphere, settling the minds of the cultivators like a sonic balm.

"Oh the Functionality, Principles of functionality."

The murmured phrase, the legendary utterance of the immortal who abides by the celestial law but bends the mortal reality was all the confirmation they needed. Every Elder and Sect Leader Li Wei herself instantly dropped to their knees, their heads bowed low. They hadn't seen him before, but they knew the ancient folklores and fairytales.

"The Immortal Messenger," Li Wei breathed, her voice trembling with profound reverence. "To have your presence grace our plan… It is a sign. Our victory is guaranteed."

The Immortal Messenger, seemingly bored by their reverence, plucked a small, ruby-red flag marking the Port's defense line and placed it nearby. "Victory is often assured, little blood-claw. It is the manner of its arrival that holds my interest." He tilted his head, his ancient eyes fixed on her. "Your plan is adequate. Three prongs. Strong, but predictable. Not worthy of my entertainment"

Sect Leader Li Wei dared to lift her head slightly. "Immortal Messenger, how do we make it less so?"

The Immortal Messenger gave a satisfied, lazy nod. He didn't speak again; the small brass cymbal simply materialized in his hand, and he vanished in a soft Ting!, gone as instantly as he appeared.

Sect Leader Li Wei rose, her eyes burning with a new found determination. Looking at the re-arranged map on which the flag representing Falling Star Sect was placed among their drafted attackers. "We understand," she whispered, bowing deeper again. "We will dispatch the Falling Star Sect to the front line immediately, as a surprise fourth wave. Their skirmish tactics will sow maximum chaos."

Sect Leader Li Wei rose, her eyes burning with fanatic excitement. "The Messenger has decreed it! Victory will be ours! Send the Falling Star Sect immediately! The battle starts tonight!"

_______

The two sides, the Tian Dynasty's Azure Mist Sect and the Absolution Alliance's forces, now including the Falling Star Sect warriors, began their maneuvers toward the Jade Gate Port. The chaos the Immortal Messenger had engineered was unfolding precisely as he wished.

The Immortal Messenger reappeared high in the crimson sky above the turbulent coastal waters, watching the small, glowing silhouettes of the first aerial skirmish unfold. He observed the exchange of powerful techniques, but after centuries of witnessing the same conflicts play out under new names, a hint of boredom already returned to his features.

"A simple siege. Expected," he muttered, turning his gaze toward the open, featureless ocean.

And then, his eyes, which had witnessed the entire history of this cultivation world, widened for the first time in centuries. A colossal, impossible dark shape materialized out of the empty space, the impossibly linear, massive form of the DDC-00 UNSC Event Horizon.

A delighted, almost giddy smile broke across the ancient features of the Immortal Messenger as he hovered over the newly arrived warship.He whispered, his voice resonating with pure, cosmic anticipation:

"About time... finally it will start getting interesting!"