"I believe that should be the end of it all. What do you say, Silver?"
"I believe so, too. For now, that is..."
Fire Tyrant. Myriad-Weapon Tyrant. Toxin-Guan Tyrant. Life Taming Monarch. Iron Mountain Quarry Settlement's Lord.
The four Demonic Cultivators who attack the Settlement directly, and the Settlement's Lord, who betrayed the righteous.
All five of them were killed in battle.
"It is good that you have survived, Maiden, but your injuries are very severe."
"I can manage. You say that Dawn and Wolf King Lan have defeated Life Taming Monarch?"
"Yes... The Demonic Cultivator that was initially chasing Wolf King Lan was killed by Dawn. Life Taming Monarch self-destructed, but the effective cause was due to Wolf King Lan's efforts. However, such a feat cost Lan his life."
"I see... then Dawn should be returning to us?"
"That is correct."
Heart Tethering Maiden walked to Silver Extreme's side, and the latter rose to his staggering feet, prompting the former to aid the latter.
"Within my field of Immersion, I can see no enemies within or beyond the Settlement. That raging fire is the only threat to the Settlement. I will assume that we are safe for now, but do not let your guard down."
"Understood."
"We will advance with our plan to evacuate the denizens of the Settlement. We must relocate them to the outer boundaries of the Settlement, and create stable accommodations to house everyone."
Coughing hoarsely, Silve Extreme coughed a handful of blood into his palm.
"The two of us are seriously wounded... and it hasn't been long since Dawn's return, she must surely be exhausted. We need to bring any remaining Cultivators and those with occupations, such as Medical Experts and Warriors."
"Silver, would it not be best to retreat ourselves?"
"What do you mean, Maiden?"
"We do not need to take care of these people; we are hardly eligible to do so. Dawn remained wholly unscathed after her battle with that construct-conjuring man. I doubt that she suffered any serious injuries battling that other Demonic Cultivator. She should be most capable of taking care of the denizens of this Settlement."
"I understand... but I wish not to burden Dawn so heavily. I can delegate some of the issues to her and try to establish order among the remnants of this Settlement's occupants, but I do not wish to leave myself..."
"Silver... it would be best to retreat to a nearby Settlement which can offer you effective aid. The Medical Experts of this Settlement can only offer minor healing compared to Cultivators with Dao Arts of higher levels of Clarity. I doubt these occupants are capable of effectively healing my own wounds, too."
"..."
...
Having arrived at the Southern border of the Iron Mountain Quarry Settlement, the tall fire cast a warm hue over Dawn's face.
"I have finally passed the barrier which deflects Immersion, now I can survey the area..."
"...Hmmm..."
Closing her eyes to focus, Dawn walked through the streets as she used Immerison to peer through the wall of flames and the countless ruined buildings.
'Seems that nobody is present within these houses... Nobody alive is present, I should say; only charred remains are left in these buildings. On that note, nobody alive remains within this district, as well as the two adjacent districts.'
Walking further, Dawn assured the notion that no one was within these burning buildings.
'What about Senior Silver? I don't hear or sense any fighting, but he isn't within the central districts.'
Dawn continued surveying the Settlement as she searched through Immersion. She left the reach of the bundling flames, now standing within an area of the Settlement not lit aflame.
It was also at this moment that a faint tickling could be felt in her mind.
"Senior?"
"Yes. Dawn, you have returned."
"That I have. I am glad to hear that you are safe, but where are you?"
"Ah. I am currently at the Northwestern border of the Settlement. Heart Tethering Maiden is here, too."
"Then... Senior, you have defeated the Settlement Lord?"
"I have. He had put up a fight, but Maiden aided me at the last moment and won us the battle."
"I am glad. What is our next course of action, Senior?"
"We have evacuated a number of the Settlement's denizens to our location, the Northwestern border, but we have sent small parties to move out and search for any survivors we may have missed. I would appreciate it if you search for anyone else on your way here."
"I understand. I will bring back anyone I can."
"Please do, and take care of yourself. We will await you here."
As the voice left her mind, Dawn did not hesitate to move forward.
Inwardly, she praised Silver Extreme.
'To achieve such order in a short amount of time, that is truly astonishing."
...
"The order has been sent."
"Lord, are you sure that we can leave you unoccupied? If you wish, we can dedicate our nights to treating your wounds."
"It is fine. My wounds are too difficult to heal quickly. Heart Tethering Maiden's wounds can be healed more effectively than my own."
"Very well. Please call upon us should the need arise."
Waving them off, Silver Extreme relocated the Medical Experts, who were treating his body, to Heart Tethering Maiden.
He was resting on a bed within a cosy tent. The tent was the size of a room, the temperature inside was warm, and the air was clean.
It could pass as hospitable, at least meeting the conditions to ensure Silver Extreme's recovery.
At the border of the Settlement, there were already several tents set up to accommodate the people.
'The evacuation plan is going as smoothly as we can make it. When Dawn arrives with the rest of the people, we can continue with the next steps.'
'Thanks to the demise of the Settlement Lord, convincing the people of this Settlement to evacuate was not difficult. I can't help but feel a hint of appreciation for such a selfish man.'
'However, it will still be very difficult to evacuate to another Settlement during this time. If the original schedule holds true, then we have only five or six nights before the third tide arrives.'