Tower of Heaven

"Huu…"

A deep breath was exhaled into the world as Atlas left the Sanctum.

[Perfect Adaptability] was a trait that always kept his thoughts in order, but that didn't mean he was devoid of emotion. He felt emotions just as often as everyone else, just at a much milder level.

Still, a trait couldn't erase the effects of strong emotions. At the end of the day, those suppressed thoughts and feelings had to go somewhere.

Atlas understood how important the mind was to a cultivator. Mental stability was one of the most critical traits one needed to possess if one wanted to reach the Heavens.

Merely, Atlas believed that to achieve mental stability, he needed to make emotions unable to affect his mental state. They had to mean less to him than they did to anyone else. Because he always pushed them away, they didn't have the chance to affect him often.

Perhaps because the moment he had been chasing for so many months was approaching, the atmosphere that the Tatsuya Clan was wrapped in hit him harder than it should have. It left him thinking things he didn't want to think. Enjoy more content from empire

He went to the Sanctum to remove those thoughts from his head. He laid there for almost an hour and gathered himself before formally greeting his master and sitting down with him.

The two of them spoke over tea until the time of the assembly came. That conversation didn't involve a word about Atlas' thoughts, but they had a mutual understanding.

Those thoughts did not need to be spoken into the world yet. They would reach Veradon's ears rather than his mind when the time was truly right.

Luckily, the atmosphere Atlas originally felt was gone by the time he returned to the palace.

He took in a breath as he felt the new sense of vitality wrapped around this place. The powerful auras he felt were not from the Tatsuya Clan. Well, not all of them.

When he reached the palace entrance, he was greeted by guards who knew him well. Unlike the Feng Clan, he stayed here for over five years before leaving, so he was at least somewhat familiar with everyone.

The guards only greeted him with a nod and allowed him to pass through the doors. When he entered the inner halls, a servant found him and greeted him respectfully.

"It is good to see you again, Sir. The Lord has instructed me to lead you to your destination."

Under his guidance, Atlas moved through the familiar hallways to a location that he actually had not visited before. He knew it existed, but there was no reason for him to ever enter or pass through it.

Two ornate white and gold doors opened up to a massive ballroom that could house hundreds of people with ease. At the back, there were two staircases leading to a second floor that wrapped around the sides of the main ballroom instead of creating a ceiling above it.

This ballroom was rarely ever used. It had never been used for a ball, in fact. Dragons weren't known for dancing in the same way humans did. This room was built for other kinds of gatherings.

For instance, the current moment.

There were indeed hundreds of people filling up the space. They conversed with each other with drinks in their hands, enjoyed the refreshments and small plates provided by the servants, and awaited the moment when the main character of this assembly would arrive.

"Is the old man late for a reason, or is he just causing a scene?"

Atlas said it quietly so only the servant could hear him, causing him to flinch. As he looked around to see if anyone else reacted, he sighed and gave a response.

"The latter, sir."

Atlas nodded. It could be called a way to show his authority, but in his eyes, anything flashy that Alaric did was just him being flamboyant for flamboyance's sake.

With such thoughts in mind, Atlas thanked the servant and entered the room. He scanned around for any faces he knew, but there weren't any he could find easily.

'On the other hand, these emblems are much more recognizable.'

The Gira Clan, the Han Clan, the Elyan Clan, and many more subsidiary clans that followed the Tatsuyas were present. Along with them were members of Societies that weren't as well known as even Dusk or Euryale, but still had more than enough presence on their own.

'A majority of cultivators in the Tower aim to join one of the Five Great Societies, but each and every one has extremely strict requirements. Even the two Great Societies that I have connections to would not accept me if I wished to join them.'

People who didn't get accepted into these massive Societies dropped their expectations and realized that they would not be able to take the easiest path.

Smaller Societies were perfect for these people. And, as people joined smaller Societies, they were able to grow and flourish into influences that meant something.

That was how the people in this room came to form connections with the Tatsuya Clan and entered stages larger than themselves. That was how they promoted themselves and strengthened their Society Legends, and this was how they got stronger with ambitions to one day compete with the Great Societies themselves.

Atlas went straight to the refreshments table and got himself a drink, listening into conversations he passed along the way.

'There are pure intentions and impure intentions mixed together. In that case, a majority of what will be shared here is bound to be false.'

If he could already feel the shadows in this room, then there was no way Alaric didn't feel them as well.

'That is why it became an assembly.'

Because even this was a part of the plan.

Just as Atlas had the thought, the voices decorating the room in a cacophony of sound quieted down. The attention of everyone present went to the second-floor balcony.

There was a man standing there who hadn't been there before. The same man who invited them to this place saying he had important news to share.

"Welcome!"

In the loud and booming voice that he was known for, Alaric Tatsuya greeted his guests.

"I'm sure you all are tired of talking after so long, so I won't take too much of your time before the festivities begin. I have called you all here to announce one, very simple thing."

His gaze scanned the entire crowd, landing on Atlas for a moment before continuing on its path.

"We, the Tatsuya Clan, hereby announce that we will be taking a step back from the Tower to focus on developing Vanatos. My sons and daughters may still be carving their legacies, but I will not do the same. In my old age, I have realized that securing a homestead is far more important than exploring the beyond, and I plan to devote all of my time to this cause."

A bombshell was dropped.

Did the Calamity Dragon say that he was going to step away from the Tower?

Were they hearing him right?

Murmurs spread through the hall as people expressed their doubts.

"It looks like nobody believes me," Alaric said with a smile.

Of course they didn't! Who would believe that a man known for being a calamity would suddenly decide to pursue peace?

"Well, I called you all here because I figured that I would need to do some convincing. We're all gathered here to discuss important matters regarding the future of the Tatsuya Clan and its allies, after all."

His words didn't contain any tones of deceit or deception. In the first place, the Alaric the Tower knew was not someone who knew how to lie or be deceptive.

But Atlas knew better.

He knew that old bastard Master of his who was more talented than anyone else at finding the most deceitful ways to play harmless tricks on others.

Alaric Tatsuya might have been a carefree person, but he never developed skills without a reason.

If he could be deceitful on a small scale, he could be even more deceitful when he was doing it with a purpose.