Rellia really took a deeper look at Lidaz.

  She wasn’t surprised a 1st Stage Immortal came to greet her, especially one so obviously not far removed from his breakthrough to the Immortal Realm. While the Clans tended to have plenty of mortals in their ranks, the amount of Immortals, especially younger and more junior ones weren’t small.

  Every single Clan was powerful without question, even Clan Gravile that Lidaz mentioned, the one that supposed to be the newest Clan, at least to Rellia’s knowledge.

  Of course, most people there were currently on Planet Infernal or at least have visited in the last 30 years or so or even communicated with someone since then who was on the planet would’ve heard about the newest Patriarch.

  It was literally on display for all to see there.

  But for Rellia, or anyone else for that matter who were in closed door cultivation or just somewhere were news didn’t travel for whatever reason, they would not have heard about the birth of another.

  Regardless of that though, Rellia inwardly wondered about the words of Lidaz. The record he spoke of was not just a few thousand years old. Rellia was by no means a ‘youth’ any longer.

  Of course age had little meaning the higher one climbed through cultivation, but it’s been a long time since she heard of that record, something that was a source of pride at the time, but only a fleeting memory now.

  And she especially had not heard it from someone who graduated a few centuries ago.

  For all intents and purposes, this man was a child.

  She had no idea how he would’ve been able to join a clan. All of them would have been properly established long before he was born. Long before even she was born.

  It has been thousands of years since she heard of any clan recruitment taking place. Only the Gravile Clan took on something akin to outer sect disciples once a century or so. But that Clan was ruled by a Matriarch.

  Not a Patriarch.

  Suspicions aside, Rellia smiled at the man. This was another Infernal she was greeting, and one in service to a Patriarch.

  She would never be rude or disrespectful to him without explicit reason.

  “It’s something I think of too often, but its nice to hear someone still does. Though you were probably far more talented than I if you managed to gain an entry into the Patriarch’s Clan.”

  A flash of realization enters Lidaz’s eye and he immediately realized that Rellia had no idea who she came to greet. Perhaps it would’ve taken him a moment or two longer to come to the same conclusion while still in the Nascent Soul Realm, but the thought speed of Immortals could never be questioned.

  A smile still on his face he responded.

  “Come inside, you’ll understand a bit more then.”

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  Rellia follows without question and entered the stronghold. Other Infernals were moving this way and that with only some sparing her a glance and more times than not a quick greeting.

  They were busy and every single one of them knew about the tenderness of the period they were in and could spare any time more than necessary for longer conversations with someone they all figured would not stay long.

  The practice of paying respects to a nearby Patriarch or Matriarch when in the same area was not new at all, and they would’ve done the same thing if they were in her shoes.

  But while they moved along busily, Rellia regarded them with more than just curiosity now.

  She still didn’t dare to let her sense spread without leash around the stronghold, but her eyes were sense enough.

  Nothing but Core Formation and Nascent Soul Realm Infernals.

  Of course, there was nothing inherently wrong with that set up, and she expected them to be here…but this stronghold was only big enough for not even 10,000 people by her estimations and it hadn’t been here long.

  Easy enough for her to notice just from simply how it sat above the land.

  A Patriarch traveling with only a paltry few thousand Infernals in their wake? Normal.

  One traveling with only one newly crown Immortal? Very abnormal. Of course Rellia knew they all did whatever they wanted and she wouldn’t question a single thing about it, but this? This wasn’t usual by any means.

  Even if the Patriarch in question didn’t order it, his whole damn Clan would be inclined to follow him into the depths of damnation. At minimum all of the Elders of the Clan would come unless the Patriarch loudly and profoundly told them not to follow.

  But why bring thousands of mortals and one new Immortal instead?

  Was it training? Rellia couldn’t put her finger on the reason while her feet continued to move behind Lidaz who was silent since they entered the stronghold. Although Rellia thought the place small, there was no question that it was truly massive enough to comfortable house over 6000 people.

  So it was no surprise that it took Lidaz a few minutes to reach a small courtyard in a secluded section of the stronghold. One that held a few larger homes than that the rest of stronghold.

  He took a seat, and Rellia followed without needing to be told to do so.

  Lidaz opened his mouth again.

  “You don’t know do you? Who my Patriarch is?”

  “No.”

  But before Rellia could begin listing the names of all the Patriarchs she knew of, Lidaz cut her off.

  “It is none of them. I serve Patriarch Raizen of Earth and a proud child of Chaos.”

  Lidaz said that with so much pride he was basically glowing. The words alone having enough strength to almost pull him to his feet.

  Rellia took in the words, and cross checked them with her own internal database of Patriarchs and even Matriarchs for good measure. Her mind fist enough to do this check thousands of times in a second, yet no matter how much she did so, she knew her conclusion would not change.

  Then it all made sense to her.

  The presence of a Patriarch here, the small stronghold, the members of this Clan and the lone Immortal sitting before her.

  This was a brand new Patriarch. A brand new Clan.

  The implications of such a thing rattled around in her mind like the voices of a market in the peak of day.

  A chance…one she had given up on long ago. She wasn’t a depressed maiden with a aching heart longing for a future that will never come. No, she was a proud Infernal, one talented enough to rise to 2nd Stage Immortal with plans and aspirations to step beyond even this.

  She had opportunities to join the Gravile Clan in her youth, but she did not like the prospects that meant.

  It would’ve still been that outer sect like position and her prospects at ever joining a Conflagration, something most considered a high honor would have been extremely limited.

  And limited was just putting it mildly. The competition for those positions were between people who had been in the clan since before she was alive. To make matters worse, spots rarely came open.

  It wasn’t like she would’ve been treated poorly or anything like that, but her goals were far higher than what was being offered to her.

  That was why she decided to climb as high as she could under her own merit whilst hoping to catch the eye of someone far higher on the totem pole. So that she would one day get her own chance to wield the Eternal Flame.

  She barely stopped herself from staring daggers into Lidaz.