The Huoyan Sect.
Accompanying the twenty-eight Golden Core cultivators to war were six hundred Qi Sea cultivators, all of whom were at the mid or late stages of the Qi Sea phase.
As the top immortal sect of the entire Summerpeak mainland, the Huoyan Sect ruled over a population of eighty billion, their territory spanning a radius of hundreds of thousands of li.
The Huoyan Sect had over four thousand Qi Sea cultivators under its command. Though they assigned six hundred of them to this mission, it was only a small fraction of their military force. However, they were all elites among the Qi Sea cultivators.
Their mission was to act as a wide net, capturing the Qi Sea immortal cultivators of the Middle Land after the sect elders had killed Wu Yuan.
“War?”
“A war against an indigenous civilization?”
“Do we really need to mobilize a force of this size? We’re even deploying dozens of Golden Core elders.” These Qi Sea cultivators were curious.
“With such a military force, we could wage a war against the other two great sects.”
“This will be a walk in the park!”
“The more Qi Sea cultivators we capture and send to the Bloodforge, the fewer of us will need to participate.” These Qi Sea cultivators discussed the upcoming war, fully motivated to give their all.
Firstly, the sect would be rewarding them for every Middle Land cultivator they captured. Secondly, the pressure of the Bloodforge quota loomed above them. All these Qi Sea cultivators knew that if they didn’t capture enough indigenous immortal cultivators, they would be the ones making up the numbers.
Rebel against these orders? Against the overwhelming power of the higher world, no one could muster the thought of rebellion. Compliance was the only way to survive.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! In a grand display of might, over six hundred immortal cultivators from the Huoyan Sect swiftly departed the headquarters.
“Elder Yun, we won’t run into any trouble during this battle, right?” Watching them disappear into the horizon, a purple-robed elderly man who remained in the headquarters asked somewhat nervously.
“There shouldn’t be any trouble,” the white-robed Elder Yun shook his head. “Even if Wu Yuan possesses heaven-defying power after acquiring the relics from the ancient sect, he will only be able to muster Spiritual Body-level strength.
“His only chance of survival is to escape immediately. Otherwise, with the sect leader leading a coordination array, we stand a fighting chance even against Reverend Jing Shan or Daoist Long,” Elder Yun analyzed. “Not to mention, the sect leader and others have brought along the sect’s guardian treasure.
“No matter how mind-blowing Wu Yuan’s abilities are, can he possibly reach the Shambhala phase in just a few decades?” Elder Yun asked.
The elders couldn’t help but nod, their anxiety melting away.
Exactly! It was simply unthinkable for one to reach the Shambhala phase at fifty. This was just not humanly possible.
“Follow your orders and manage the array bases. In four days to a week, the sect leader and the others will send us updates via the immortal voidrealm.” Elder Yun instructed.
“At the current moment, the sect is practically unguarded. Although the ancestor’s existence deters the Starcom Consortium and Jingshan Sect from attacking us, we must nonetheless exercise caution.”
“Understood.” The Golden Core elders nodded and quickly dispersed.
The Huoyan Sect had four late-stage Golden Core cultivators in their ranks. Three joined the expedition to the Middle Land. Naturally, the eight elders who remained in the sect were led by Elder Yun, who was at the eighth-stage Golden Core phase.
…
The Summerpeak mainland, the largest continuous landmass of the Summerpeak World, was home to more than two hundred billion humans over thousands of years of history.
Apart from more than dozens of medium sized factions, there also existed numerous demonic beasts and demonic cultivators.
Undeniably, the three most powerful factions were the Huoyan Sect, Starcom Consortium, and Jingshan Sect. They laid claim over the largest territories, the highest quality etherstone mines, and the biggest populations.
The Huoyan Sect was widely acknowledged as the top immortal sect thanks to Reverend Huo Yan. Yet, the Starcom Consortium and the Jingshan Sect were no pushovers either.
The Starcom Consortium of the Middle Land was actually a branch of this very organization, and was established by immortal cultivators from the Summerpeak mainland.
However, a thousand years had passed since the two interacted, and the Starcom Consortium in the Middle Land was now fully integrated into the Middle Land Guard.
Meanwhile, the Starcom Consortium of the Summerpeak mainland continued to exist as one of the three great sects.
The Starcom Immortal Voidrealm was a rudimentary voidrealm constructed by the Starcom Consortium. Despite its simple functionalities, its connection range covered the entire Summerpeak World.
In a mysterious place within the Starcom Immortal Voidrealm, inside an enormous hall.
“Overseer,” A figure cloaked in black robes bowed respectfully, “I am currently en route to the Middle Land with the sect’s forces. It’s four million li away, and I estimate it will take us fewer than three days to arrive.”
“Following Reverand Huo Yan’s orders, we must kill Wu Yuan during this battle.”
“This information is only known to the Golden Core elders. The Qi Sea immortal cultivators only know that they need to capture immortal cultivators from the Middle Land. They are not aware of Wu Yuan’s existence.” He lowered his head deferentially.
Who would have expected that he, a Golden Core Elder of the mighty Huoyan Sect, would turn out to be a spy planted by the Starcom Consortium?
“Hahaha, well done. That brat Ying Quan indeed has some cunning tricks up his sleeve. But did he really think that he could deceive me by capturing some indigenous immortal cultivators?” A deep, powerful voice echoed through the grand hall.
Whoosh~ A colossal draconic head materialized, its long whiskers fluttering. At the end of the hall sat an enormous black jiaolong, akin to a mountain in size.
The aura the black jiaolong radiated was terrifying. The figure shrouded in black robes was a Golden Core cultivator, yet appeared insignificant before it.
This black jiaolong was none other than Daoist Long, the oldest powerhouse in the Summerpeak mainland. He was the first Amethyst Cradle-level cultivator that emerged from the Summerpeak World since the great war, living for over four thousand years – a Shambhala cultivator!
Over four thousand years, he established the Starcom Consortium, subtly manipulating the politics of the mainland. Even with the birth of successive Amethyst Cradle Reverends, no one could shake his position.
“Branch Master, what should I do?” the figure in black robes asked respectfully.
“Don’t worry, you don’t have to expose yourself. Continue your cultivation and focus on your duties as an elder of the Huoyan Sect.” Daoist Long’s booming voice echoed throughout the hall, “I only require you to provide updates on your route and location.”
“Disciple understands,” the figure in black robes responded.
“Good. You may carry on. Inform me once your team has crossed Huang Island,” Daoist Long instructed in a deep voice.
“Yes,” the figure in black robes departed, leaving Daoist Long’s avatar alone in the hall.
“Huo Yan! Oh, Huo Yan! What grand ambitions you have.”
“The higher world clearly stated that one could gain merits and treasures by reporting the discovery of talented individuals. A genius who could kill a Golden Core cultivator at twenty years old, how rare is that?” Daoist Long’s monologue resonated throughout the hall, “I’m afraid such a genius rarely emerges from our Summerpeak World once in ten thousand years.”
“Your plan is obvious. You’re afraid that Wu Yuan will contest your Faith once he matures. The higher world strictly forbids the arbitrary propagation of Faith.” He wasn’t worried that others would overhear him. He was the master of the Starcom Immortal Voidrealm.
With a thunderous rumble, Daoist Long’s massive body swam through the air.
“Huo Yan, if you played it straight, I wouldn’t bother with you. I’ve already outlived your master. Outliving you won’t be too difficult. But you just had to invade my Starcom Consortium’s territory.” A chill flickered in Daoist Long’s eyes.
“You want to earn great merits, become the ruler of Summerpeak, and propagate Faith. Where does that leave me then?”
“Ha, during that ambush back then, I almost managed to kill you. I’m sure you are dying to take revenge.”
Daoist Long lived for thousands of years, experiencing much over the centuries. However, he was never able to become an official member of the Bloodforge Devil Hall.
Yet, as a Shambhala powerhouse, he kept in contact with some members of the Bloodforge Devil Hall, paying a price in exchange for them keeping tabs on Reverend Huo Yan’s actions.
He could roughly guess at Reverand Huo Yan’s intentions.
“Wu Yuan? There are no grudges or grievances between us. On the contrary, if I help him today, he may be taken in by the Bloodforge Devil Hall in the future, rising in strength and status. Then, even if he becomes the master of Summerpeak, he has no reason to kill me,” Daoist Long thought aloud.
From his perspective, the biggest problem at hand was Reverend Huo Yan. Wu Yuan was just a little fellow who had only been cultivating for a few decades. He would pose a threat eventually, but it would take a few hundred years at least.
Moreover, by reporting the discovery of such a genius to the devil army, I might even earn some extra rewards. Daoist Long thought to himself.
There were three paths to becoming a member of Bloodforge Devil Hall.
The first was to participate in a Bloodforge. If one made it out alive, they would naturally become an official member, just like Reverend Huo Yan.
The second was to be recruited due to one’s talent.
The third was to earn merits by making contributions.
Daoist Long, a Shambhala powerhouse, was considered an external member of Bloodforge Devil Hall, but he had never dared to participate in the Amethyst Cradle Bloodforge.
Merits? Holed up in the Summerpeak world, what contributions could he make?
At this moment, Wu Yuan was a walking treasure chest of merits!
“I’ll go to the Middle Land to meet this Wu Yuan. Let’s see what he’s truly made of,” Daoist Long decided.
His true body had already left his lair. As a Shambhala powerhouse, he had incredible self-preservation abilities. He had survived a battle with Reverend Huo Yan years ago relying on this ability coupled with hiding in his lair.
Wu Yuan? Just a youngster a few decades old. At most, he was only at the late-stage Spiritual Body phase. How powerful could he be?
So Daoist Long was not afraid in the slightest.