Chapter 1384 People of Turia…
"The Mist Sect is invading!" All of Krune's clones announced simultaneously, causing everyone in power to become shocked.
"Where are they now?" Zamura asked in all seriousness.
"In a region that once belonged to the Guria Continent," Krune's clone replied. "And they have begun to set up camp there. If we leave them be, they'll begin to occupy the supercontinent gradually."
"Are there any cities nearby?" Zamura asked.
"Kolar City is the closest," Krune's clone said. "It's one of the cities created by the Black Demons."
"Alert everyone! We'll mobilize our army. Also, keep some of your clones hidden in every city to prepare for an ambush." Zamura laid down a set of instructions. "You're our only gateway, Krune. So, don't participate. I want you to be ready to retaliate against any schemes the Mist Sect concocts."
"Alright, Sect Leader." Krune nodded and alerted everyone, informing them of the plan as the immortals began to enter the subspace as Krune dropped them at Kolar City.
In the meantime, he also transported all the mortals back to the Secret Realms in possession of the three royal families, keeping them safe there. When they are scattered on the supercontinent as they are now, protecting them would be hard.
Moreover, it would also spread their manpower thin to defend the various bases.
"Thankfully, they had attacked now and not in the future. We can still recall everyone." Krune said, though he was worried that public sentiment wasn't on their side now.
Of course, how would they feel when after two centuries of war, they finally had the chance to settle down once again, only to hear that another war would begin?
"No, let's not transport the mortals away," Zamura said all of a sudden, causing Krune to gaze at him in shock.
"But that'll make them sitting ducks, you know," Krune said.
"So what?" Zamura retorted, "If we recall everyone back to the secret realms, we will lose their support. But instead, if they see us risking our lives to defend them and their cities, public morale would reach the maximum."
"If that happens, it would be proof for everyone that the Mountain Sect would ensure the needs of its people is satisfied. That means they would take up arms to join the Mountain Sect and become one of us to save their homes," Zamura explained. "And that's what we need to ensure the Turia Continent and the Mountain Sect are one."
"Otherwise, it'll just seem like the war with the Mist Sect isn't of the concern of the common populace. Once that idea sets root in their mind, our younger generation would eventually rot itself, no matter what we try to do with them."
"Since we have just come into power and haven't done anything special to the people yet, this is the time to prove ourselves and gain their admiration," Zamura said.
"But, in this process, countless lives might be lost," Krune retorted. "And there's a considerable chance we'll be labeled incompetent."
"And to prevent that from happening, we must ensure none of the people die," Zamura said in response, patting Krune's shoulder. "It'll be extremely hard, but it is what it is. If we succeed, we'll have undivided support from our people for generations to come. It'll cement our status as the ruling power of the Turia Continent and ensure there are no rebels."
"Rebels…" Krune frowned, recalling the various powers that had remained in hiding in the Zamuria, Rumria, and Guria continents, slowly accumulating power over the years, silently awaiting the day they could overthrow the ruling powers and seize control of the respective continents.
If not for the Mountain Sect's appearance, they would have eventually accumulated enough power to stage a rebellion.
And if the Mountain Sect's reputation fell, the people would rather join the sect just to pillage its resources and distribute them to rebels.
Honestly, managing a sect, especially one the size of the Mountain Sect, was a difficult matter. After all, the Turia Continent was just that huge, with a wealth of resources being produced all the time.
And with such wealth, the desires of people would be ignited. Anyone with a bit of ambition would wish to establish their own power and rule the people. Even the members of the Mountain Sect weren't immune to this desire.
At present, everyone was a part of the Mountain Sect due to the wealth of resources it had and the close-knit relationship of the people at the top.
But the dynamics of the Sect were constantly changing as countless geniuses arose from their midst. So, to ensure their vastly growing organization wouldn't collapse on itself, they had to establish a bond between themselves and between the sect members and the people.
Once that was achieved, a sense of patriotism to the Turia Continent and the Mountain Sect would emerge in them. If that happened, they didn't have to worry about internal problems to a certain extent.
"This is a necessary risk." Krune sighed once he came to understand the ins and outs of the situation, sighing as he only focused on transporting the Immortals.
"Also, the people should know what is happening. So…" Zamura trailed off. "Set up transmission services. Broadcast everything that will happen next to the people. Let them know that the Mountain Sect is willing to shed blood to protect our home."
"Home…" Krune sighed. "You're right about that. This is indeed our home."
He recalled the Wisp City, clenching his hand into a fist, unwilling to see his city suffer even the slightest of damage, "Alright, I'll do it."
"Thank you for letting us trouble you so much." Zamura sighed.
"If you truly feel that, give me a decade-long vacation once everything ends. I just want to sleep and slack off completely, all clones included," Krune said before flying away, beginning preparations as the clones stationed in every city took action, erecting gigantic screens in the streets of the cities, displaying the scene of the clones repeating the same in every city.
"What's…happening?" Someone among the crowd that was moving a pile of stones paused, gazing at the scene displayed on the screen.
"Is…another war going to happen?" Someone among the crowd muttered, feeling a strange sense of foreboding when suddenly, the face of Zamura appeared on all the screens, stating.
"People of Turia…"