Zhiquang Yi’s expression was warped from an untempered rage as he grabbed Faceless Forty-Three by the lapels of his robes, effortlessly hoisting the core formation spy-assassin in the air. Already the firm fabric of the cultivator robes had begun to dig into the unresisting faceless’ skin, yet not a word had been uttered in protest.
“What do you mean—- How dare you try and stop us from coming to the defense of our sect?” Zhiquang Yi bellowed out the question for the second time, his gaze flickering from the meek faceless trapped in the vice grip of a Nascent Soul to the situation unfolding beyond the veil.
Such powerful fluctuations of pure Qi rocked the Sky Division that in truth, Zhiquang Yi did not truly wish to join the fight. No, he only wished to ascertain the source of such a uniquely unexpected phenomenon, as his Divine Sense failed to reveal the cultivator or artifact responsible for the tsunami of Qi discharge that had, if what he suspected was true, kicked off the grand battle
A glimpse was all that he had managed to catch. It was only for an instant, but his Divine Sense had finally managed to latch onto what he believed to be the source of the phenomenon. In that instant, Zhiquang Yi had glimpsed upon a construct of Qi so suffocatingly immense that his first reflex had been to fearfully pull away.
He regretted that mistake, for by severing the Divine Sense strand that had been stuck in a quagmire of seemingly infinite Qi that could only be compared to one cultivator across the many Zhiquang Yi had encountered across his lifetime—- Soul Emperor, Yao Shen.
He had tried to search for the source again, naturally. But the moment of hesitation had cost him that chance—- the fight, if indeed there was one, had already moved on from his detection range.
“It is…,” Faceless Forty-Three gasped for a lung-full of air as the lapels of his specialized leather robes dug deeper against his throat. “...Patriarch Yao Shen’s… Order,” He managed to rasp out.
Zhiquang Yi sneered, his expression containing not a trace of pity for the silent guardians and unsung heroes of the sky division. He was about to continue pressing the Faceless when a chill ran down his back, a cold, bone-chilling texture pressing against his own throat.
His gaze shifted first to his fellow Elders who had been content to watch from the sidelines until now. Their expressions had warped into ones that conveyed their horror, disbelief and the limited range of emotions that fell somewhere in between. Then, Zhiquang Yi slowly angled his head downwards, ascertaining the nature of the threat.
An ivory kindjal was pressed against his neck, likely fashioned out of the tusk of at least an Early Nascent Soul Spiritual Beast. The arm that contained the deadly double-edged dagger was shrouded in a wrap of shimmering black cloth that extended to the rest of his body, a cloth mask obscuring the mouth and the nose. His striking emerald eyes betrayed a youthful vigor and his tousled jet-black hair had a disarming air to it, though it did little to put Zhiquang Yi’s racing pulse at ease.
“Now, now, I can’t have you treating my dear juniors like that, O’ great Alchemist Zhiquang Yi,” A soft-spoken voice chided as his emerald eyes glistened with mockery.
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“You…,” Zhiquang Yi trailed off, allowing his grip on the faceless to go slack before raising both his hands in the air. “Who are you?” He asked as the dignity of an Elder tried to overshadow the primordial fear man felt at being threatened by the unweaving of his soul.
“Why ask questions you know the answer to?” He posed the rhetorical question to both Zhiquang Yi and the Elders, as the Faceless held hostage by him scurried out of sight, deeper into the security of the sect. “Well, I suppose I must give you face and answer. I am Faceless One.”
Gasps and shocked murmurs were exchanged amongst the Elders as the shadowy myth bloomed into reality.
“You… Are you all going to stand for this?” Zhiquang Yi roared out in question, his face reddening from the humiliation he was being subjected to before the ruling class of the Sky Division.
Those words seemed to snap back order from chaos, as the Elders' expressions turned inscrutable. No doubt they had shifted to communicating via their Divine Sense as they tried to reach consensus on a course of action.
“Elder Zhiquang, I am told you are the chief alchemist of our entire sect. Is that correct?” Faceless One asked the question, unbothered by the machinations of the Elders.
“Yes,” Zhiquang Yi bitterly spat out, unable to move even an inch due to the blade being held against his throat.
“You are also the head of your illustrious Yi Family, which would no doubt have forced you to pick up on skills like diplomacy, management, negotiations, among others?”
Not understanding the purpose of this questioning, which had enraptured the attention of the Elders who watched from a short distance away, he once again answered in the affirmative.
“Well you see, Elder Zhiquang and of course, the rest of our skilled and talented Elders in attendance— I hold a great deal of respect for you all. Do any of you know why?”
None answered the question, suspecting it to be a rhetorical one.
“Because I am capable of none of the things you are. You should not feel shocked or surprised at not being able to capture my presence, for you must understand that I am unlike you. You see, I have dedicated my life to a singular artform refined endlessly— the profound Dao of Killing. Now, as long as you do not try to leave the sect premises, none of you are my enemy.”
“If we do?” Dongmei Xue asked the question, her fury leaking into her tone.
Faceless One shrugged before answering, “I am not Grand Patriarch Yao Shen, so you will eventually get the better of me. Before that, however, two will die and a third will be grievously injured,” He brazenly declared before a veritable army of Nascent Souls as one himself, the effortless casualness to his tone sending shivers of horror down more than a few elder’s spine.
He spoke of their deaths as if it was already a bygone event.
“I yield,” Zhiquang Yi blurted out, the fight in his tone having winked out. “Please, let me return to my quarters and resume my duties. I am an old and no longer wish to associate myself with all of this— let things be as Grand Patriarch Shen decrees.”
“As you wish, Revered Elder Zhiquang,” Faceless One’s visible features hinted at a childish smile as he pulled away the dagger from the Chief Alchemist’s throat.
Not long after, the gathered Elders stalked away with hateful expressions.