Chapter 1080
Deep within Creeping Fire Sect territory crept several squads of scouts from the Scarlet Alliance. They had tracked Koronis to a particular location, but were careful in their approach as the area was being carefully watched. However, no matter how many people were assigned to such a task it would never be enough.
It was possible for cultivators to watch over a given system. It was also possible for a grand array to stretch between systems- but such an array would be extremely sparse. The Scarlet Alliance had created the largest such array that they were aware of, but they were also aware of the limitations of such things. The array was not a barrier that could prevent intruders from entering- only detected them, or when activated to its full extent redirect them.
The Creeping Fire Sect were not known for their expertise in formations, but it still required caution as the scouts approached. Any one of them being spotted would draw attention to their presence, causing a cascading effect that might get them all caught. While the scouts were aware they were risking their lives, and would even be willing to guarantee such a fate to succeed, failure was unacceptable.
Thus, they slowly crept between systems, their ships producing only the most minor ripples of energy. Around them were thousands of ships that carried quite possibly every Integration cultivator the Creeping Fire Sect had. Most likely however many Augmentation cultivators as well, though the difference was likely thousands to a few handsful.
Together, their senses stretched between systems- but feeling the mere passage of an object was beyond what such stretched senses could do. Even the best among the Scarlet Alliance would have to focus on a particular area, but the stretch of lightyears between each ship meant that they would only be able to detect fluctuations of upper energy.
The scouts were builts specifically to minimize their impact on such a thing, as they drew ever closer to their target, something everyone was able to sense without even trying. Koronis, placed smack dab in the middle of a large, empty area.
Though it was not entirely empty. A few small systems were there, though unpopulated to the knowledge of the Alliance. And most relevantly… the entire area was a nebula that stretched for several lightyears in any direction, odd branches stretching several times as far. While any particular stretch of space could be called empty, as a whole it was very much not.
Great waves of energy were flowing from Koronis, rivaling the power of a Domination cultivator. But just as Chidi had first conjectured and others had worked to verify, she had not quite made the final step. That was what they were present to observe.
Rather than pressing further themselves, the various scattered squads of scouts released unmanned probes, constructions as purely constructed from technology and avoiding the use of upper energy as was possible, except as necessary for certain key functions. One of those functions was sensing the flow of devotion.