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Chapter 428 - Imperial Witchcraft Sect [2k]

 

Translator: CinderTL

 

Zhou Tian Great World.

This world was completely dominated by the Imperial Witchcraft Sect.

The Imperial Witchcraft Sect was the absolute Overlord of this world, without rival.

Their influence in Zhou Tian Great World far surpassed even the Taixu Sword Sect's influence in the Profound Yellow Great World during its peak.

And we're talking about the Taixu Sword Sect from tens of thousands of years ago, before the Wu Ji Sect and other factions had even made contact with the Immortal Alliance.

Although other top-tier sects maintained Branch Sects here, these were essentially mere offices. Many lacked even a Supreme Sage, let alone a Dharma Aspect cultivator.

Two or three Void Refining cultivators would idly maintain appearances, their presence purely symbolic.

Zhou Tian Great World also had the concept of the Nine Great Sects.

However, these nine sects were all branches of the Imperial Witchcraft Sect, sharing a common ancestor and origin, all venerating Dao Lord Di Jiang as their patriarch.

Because of this shared lineage, even occasional conflicts or internal strife remained within bounds, never escalating into outright war.

Li Chunjun was now heading to visit the main branch of the Imperial Witchcraft Sect.

Another year and a half passed, and Li Chunjun's reputation and popularity in the False God Realm not only failed to diminish but continued to surge, becoming increasingly sensational.

When Li Chunjun emerged from the Star Gate, the Dharma Aspect stationed there froze in surprise, taking a moment to react.

In the next instant, the Dharma Aspect's pupils narrowed, and he immediately transmitted a message back to the sect. Then, with a beaming smile, he stepped forward to greet Li Chunjun. "Swordmaster Li Chunjun, what an honor to have you grace us with your presence! Liu Xuan of the Imperial Witchcraft Sect apologizes for his lack of proper welcome. Please forgive my oversight, Swordmaster Li."

"I have an appointment with Sect Leader Chi Ming, though no specific time was set," Li Chunjun replied. "I apologize for my abrupt arrival and request that you inform him of my presence."

"Sect Leader Chi Ming?" Liu Xuan paused briefly, then regained his composure. "Of course, I'll make arrangements immediately. I'll escort Swordmaster Li to the Main Altar myself."

With that, Liu Xuan swiftly issued a series of commands.

Before long, disciples had prepared a lavishly decorated Flying Boat, clearly reserved for welcoming distinguished guests. Li Chunjun and Wu Chen boarded, and the vessel sped toward the Star Gate closest to the Imperial Witchcraft Sect's headquarters.

After passing through the Star Gate and undergoing multiple layers of verification, the Flying Boat continued its journey.

As they approached the headquarters, a range of mountains suspended high above the nine heavens gradually came into view.

These mountains were shrouded in mist, each peak adorned with jade palaces and celestial pavilions, resembling heavenly palaces.

The closer Li Chunjun got, the more he realized the sheer scale of these mountains.

Beyond the surrounding dozens of peaks, the central mountain alone stretched for millions of miles in every direction.

Cultivators constantly moved back and forth, their numbers so vast that even without activating his Spirit Will, Li Chunjun couldn't count them all at a glance.

The ceaseless flow of cultivators, warships of varying ranks, Flying Boats, Palaces, immortal birds, and Exotic Beasts wove together into scenes of unprecedented grandeur. Even Li Chunjun couldn't help but steal a second glance.

Seeing his reaction, Liu Xuan proudly explained, "Since its founding, the Imperial Witchcraft Sect has endured for 30,840,000 years. Despite occasional turmoil, we have maintained relative stability, to the point where everyone in the Zhou Tian Great World considers it an honor to join our sect!"

He gazed down at the massive Immortal Cities clustered below the Heavenly Vault Mountains. "Not only from the Zhou Tian Great World, but also from the surrounding Realm Regions and Lesser Worlds, countless cultivators arrive in pilgrimage, seeking entry to the Imperial Witchcraft Sect's gates. Yet only those with exceptional talent earn the right to become disciples and reside on the Thirty-Three Sacred Mountains."

Li Chunjun's gaze swept across the sprawling Immortal Cities below.

Each city stretched over tens of thousands of miles in every direction, scattered across the land surrounding the Imperial Witchcraft Sect's Main Altar like stars in the night sky.

The scale was staggering, dwarfing even the Taixu Sword Sect's mountain gates, which Li Chunjun had witnessed during his time in the Profound Yellow Great World.

After all...

The Taixu Sword Sect, though the Overlord of the Profound Yellow Great World, never achieved absolute dominance. Even at its peak, it faced fierce competition from rivals like the Wu Ji Sect and numerous others, merely maintaining a precarious advantage. They remained a step short of complete control over the Profound Yellow Great World.

But the Imperial Witchcraft Sect...

Not only had it long unified the Zhou Tian Great World, but it had also endured for thirty million years!

Throughout those millennia, the sect had suffered remarkably few major upheavals or wars, preserving its civilization and Dao lineage with unparalleled integrity. Under such circumstances, the two powers naturally operated on entirely different levels.

Not to mention the Taixu Sword Sect of the Profound Yellow Great World, where the Dao Venerable was merely a nominal figurehead.

But Dao Lord Di Jiang of the Imperial Witchcraft Sect...

He genuinely regarded the sect as his own legacy.

"These Immortal Cities... there must be tens of millions of cultivators," Li Chunjun remarked.

Liu Xuan smiled and explained, "There are 360 Immortal Cities surrounding the Main Altar. Each city has a registered cultivator population ranging from 100 million to 300 million, with the city lord being a Void Refining expert from the sect."

"Only those who have cultivated a Primordial Spirit or were born and raised in an Immortal City can obtain citizenship," Liu Xuan continued. "However, every Primordial Spirit citizen typically brings with them numerous Nascent Soul and Core Formation Realm relatives, descendants, and disciples. As a result, the actual cultivator population of each Immortal City exceeds one billion."

"One billion!" Li Chunjun exclaimed, visibly moved by Liu Xuan's words.

With one billion living beings per Immortal City and 360 cities, that amounted to 360 billion living beings.

And the weakest among them had Core Formation Realm cultivation!

Even if the proportion of Primordial Spirit cultivators didn't reach one-tenth, it wouldn't fall below one-thirtieth—meaning over ten billion Primordial Spirit cultivators?!

"Our Imperial Witchcraft Sect has extremely strict recruitment criteria," Liu Xuan said, his voice tinged with pride. "Unless a candidate possesses extraordinary talent, demonstrating potential comparable to a 'Prodigy,' we only accept disciples from the 360 Immortal Cities."

He continued, "Currently, the Main Altar alone boasts 100,000 Primordial Spirit 'Prodigies' and several hundred thousand Nascent Soul 'Prodigies.' Comparing them to the Heavenly Prodigies on the Cosmic Light List and Star Brilliance List in the Profound Yellow Great World, we have no fewer than a thousand such talents. Over the next millennium, we estimate that roughly twenty percent of these will cultivate to the Void Refining stage, adding several hundred Void Refining experts to our ranks."

"Several hundred Void Refining experts..."

A Void Refining expert's lifespan is 129,600 years—nearly a hundred times longer than that of a Nascent Soul or Primordial Spirit cultivator.

In other words, the Main Altar alone could ensure the cyclical replacement of tens of thousands of Void Refining experts.

When considering the other branches of the Imperial Witchcraft Sect, their total number of Void Refining experts likely exceeded several hundred thousand!

With hundreds of thousands of self-produced Void Refining experts, plus those who flocked to join their ranks...

The Imperial Witchcraft Sect's power far surpassed that of the Profound Yellow Sect, Chiyang Sword Sect, Xian Tian Sect, Wu Ji Sect, and Taixu Sword Sect in the Profound Yellow Great World—by an immeasurable margin!

Moreover, this was merely the strength of the Imperial Witchcraft Sect, which was overseen by a single Dao Venerable. How much more formidable must the Heavenly Palace be, said to be simultaneously guarded by three Dao Venerables: Wuwei, Wujin, and Wutian?

No wonder they regarded the so-called top sects of the Profound Yellow Great World with such deep-seated arrogance.

Liu Xuan led Li Chunjun toward the Main Altar, where Sect Leader Chi Ming of the Imperial Witchcraft Sect had already received news of their approach.

However, Chi Ming received the information slightly later than the other factions.

By the time he prepared to send an escort, several figures from the other sects had already projected their mental power through the inter-sect communication array formations.

Before they could speak, Chi Ming, understanding their intentions, preemptively declared, "Zhu Yan, Heavenly Craftsman, Gou Mang, I know why you've come. Li Chunjun is here to exchange a Quasi-Immortal Artifact with us, as instructed by the Great Ancestor! His will must not be defied. Therefore, I cannot grant any of your requests."

The three sect leaders' expressions darkened simultaneously.

However, this matter had been personally ordered by the progenitor himself, leaving them no room to interfere.

Despite their high positions and authority—commanding the obedience of several, even dozens, of Supreme Sages with a single word—any defiance of the progenitor's will would condemn them to eternal damnation.

After a long silence, Zhu Yan finally spoke, "Senior Brother, who exactly is this Li Chunjun? What is his connection to the progenitor? Why have I never heard of him before?"

"You don't need to delve into Li Chunjun's origins," Chi Ming said. "But his other identity is that of a supreme disciple personally taught by the Profound Yellow Supreme. Do you understand now?"

"A supreme disciple of the Profound Yellow Supreme!" the sect leaders exclaimed, exchanging knowing glances.

Their progenitor had shared a deep bond with the Profound Yellow Supreme. If his supreme disciple were to come to the Zhou Tian Great World only to be ambushed by experts from their Imperial Witchcraft Sect...

Even though the Profound Yellow Supreme had vanished over ten million years ago, and retaliation was unlikely, such an act would irreparably tarnish their progenitor's reputation.

For this reason alone, they couldn't afford to intervene.

"Keep an eye on the Lord of Profound Fire," Chi Ming warned Zhu Yan sternly. "Don't cause any trouble."

The Imperial Witchcraft Sect had five Quasi-Tenth-Tier experts qualified to challenge for the Dao Venerable realm. Two were currently venturing abroad seeking opportunities, leaving only three to guard the sect.

Among these three, the eldest and most reckless was the Lord of Profound Fire.

"Sect Leader, rest assured," Zhu Yan assured him. "While Profound Fire may be impulsive, that's merely his style. It doesn't mean he lacks rational thought. He understands perfectly well that losing the chance to achieve dao unification through Li Chunjun would at worst condemn him to spiritual exhaustion and death in ten thousand years. But if he dares to attack Li Chunjun... our Great Ancestor would be the first to punish him. Unless he achieves dao unification on the spot, his only path would lead to certain death."

Chi Ming nodded.

Still somewhat uneasy, he planned to send another Quasi-Tenth-Tier expert to keep an eye on the Lord of Profound Fire.

Li Chunjun could die anywhere, but not within the Zhou Tian Great World.

Otherwise...

If the Dao Venerable were to lose face and credibility, such a being wouldn't care about the life or death of a Supreme Sage, let alone a Quasi-Tenth-Tier expert striving for dao unification.

He glanced at the disciples gathering outside and waved his hand. "Alright, manage your respective forces and guard the Star Gates. Don't let any other Quasi-Tenth-Tier experts infiltrate our Zhou Tian Great World to harm Li Chunjun."

"Understood."

"With the progenitor's command, we naturally understand the gravity of the situation."

"The commotion in the False God Realm is too great. Very well, I'll personally oversee the Star Gate as a precaution."

The others responded, their mental power quickly dispersing.

Once they had departed, Chi Ming's disciple stepped forward. "Master, Li Chunjun is almost here."

"A supreme disciple... even if he's only suspected to be a supreme disciple of a deceased Supreme Sovereign, given his connection to the progenitor, our Imperial Witchcraft Sect cannot afford to be discourteous."

Chi Ming straightened his robes and ordered, "Instruct all Elders to join me in welcoming him with the Dao's ceremonial rites."

(End of the Chapter)

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