It was different from when Yi Guang pulled me while flying using a rope made of spiritual energy.
It was like floating while ignoring the existence of gravity.
"How magical."
But without even a chance to appreciate the view from above, the world below began to become blurry as the Sect Leader started flying, dragging me along with him.
It was like looking at the world from behind the window of a car moving at a speed of 250 kilometers.
Although I cannot determine the exact speed at which the Sect Leader was flying, it was obvious that he was flying at an enormous speed, as we left the borders of the unnamed island in less than a minute.
The scenery of the island's desolate forests and the coastal village built on the shores of the island turned into a view of an endless black sea.
"Sea of Pain."
The sight of the endless black sea was strangely enchanting.
Even so, I must admit that I still feel uneasy about the fact that the color of the sea is black.
"Salem."
"Yes, Sect Leader."
The voice of the Sect Leader, who was holding my shoulder while flying without looking at me, pulled me out of my thoughts.
"As I said before, it is true that the techniques, secret arts, and the support and protection obtained from joining a sect are important, yet there is something more important."
"That there is something more important?"
Upon hearing the Sect Leader's words, I could not help but feel excitement and confusion.
"Something more important than secret techniques?"
"I hope he doesn't say something stupid like sect philosophy or something similar."
Unfortunately, that was exactly what the Sect Leader said.
"It is the spirit of the sect."
The Sect Leader began speaking nonsense as if he were a third-rate charlatan.
"Most sects of this era may be built upon the secret techniques they inherited from their ancestors and resources, but this is what makes them hollow sects that collapse under any pressure. When the sect faces pressure, everyone will flee the moment they see that their interests are no longer with that sect, betraying it without hesitation."
"The sect dies with the destruction of its headquarters."
A flash of sadness passed through the Sect Leader's eyes before he continued in a solemn voice.
"Unlike ancient sects built upon philosophy and a way of life, even if the sect is destroyed and loses its secret techniques and magical weapons…"
"As long as there is one disciple who carries the spirit of the sect in his heart and passes on its legacy, the sect will continue to exist."
After saying this, the Sect Leader turned to look at me for the first time since our journey began, with a cold gaze.
"Did you understand?"
"Every sect must possess a spirit—a set of ideas and ideals shared by disciples and elders—to preserve its unity and cohesion under any circumstances."
"Yes, Master, but what is the philosophy of our sect?"
Despite seeing what the Sect Leader was saying as mere childish nonsense, I certainly would not say that. After all, I do not want to find out whether the legends about the Sea of Pain are true or not.
"But what is the philosophy of our sect, Master?"
"We have arrived."
Despite my question, the Sect Leader did not answer, instead landing us on a deserted island.
"I will explain the history of the sect first."
With a gesture of the Sect Leader's hand, two stones were pulled from somewhere to serve as chairs.
He sat on the larger stone and gestured for me to sit.
"The history of our sect dates back to after the sealing of the King of Sea Beasts, as when the weakness of the various races was seen, and that they were on the verge of destruction at the hands of the Sea Beast army without even the ability to resist, the Five Immortals decided that this could not continue."
'Damn it, more legendary stories.'
I felt a headache coming as I sat on the uncomfortable stone, but the Sect Leader continued without paying attention to my expression.
"The Five Immortals chose their races to be the leaders and rulers of the world, who would lead it to prosperity and progress."
'I smell a racist narrative.'
Keeping my inner thoughts to myself, I began to focus more on the Sect Leader, as anything involving the Immortals piqued my interest.
"But before the Immortal of the human race departed, he left behind twelve sons to lead the human race and ensure that they followed his teachings."
"And among the twelve, a descendant of the great Immortal Li was the founder of our sect, 'Knight of Dusk.'"
At the mention of the Knight of Dusk, the Sect Leader's features seemed to shine with pride, and his voice grew more enthusiastic.
"Most information about the founder has vanished into the depths of history, yet various historical records describe him as ascetic and humble, loving and valuing life. This is the reason he founded the Sunset Sect, to spread his teachings."
"And because of this policy, there are no restrictions on joining the Sunset Sect other than being human."
"Even in the days of the sect's glory, when we were a great sect and one of the leaders of the human race, this policy was still followed, which made it the only great sect that accepted disciples regardless of their talent."
The Sect Leader seemed to feel immense pride in this fact.
"In any case, after founding the sect and passing on his teachings, the founder disappeared, becoming the first to disappear among the Immortals' offspring. It is said that they ascended to the upper world to reunite with their father."
"After the founder came the first-generation leader, Zhang Si…"
The Sect Leader continued talking about the various famous sect leaders, their achievements, and how they resolved the problems facing their sect through diplomacy and peace without entering major wars, which increased my understanding of the Sunset Sect.
"It seems that the various sect leaders preferred to resolve their problems while focusing on avoiding major wars that could cause heavy human losses, and to focus on peaceful solutions as much as possible."
This made the number of wars in the sect's history very few, and in all the wars that did occur, they took place between high-ranking cultivators without involving Foundation Building cultivators or lower.
When thinking about high-ranking cultivators, curiosity got the better of me.
"Master, what are the names of the realms above Foundation Building?"
Although I was fairly certain their names would be things like Golden Core, Purple Palace, Nascent Soul, Dao Integration, and other cliché names.
In the end, this world is a version of xianxia worlds—how different could it be?
"Thinking about this while you have not even entered Qi Gathering is a waste of time. Focus on what is in your hands first."
The Sect Leader seemed annoyed by my interruption.
"In any case, where was I…"
The Sect Leader's eyes began to grow sad as he continued narrating the story of his ruined sect.
"In the year 137,650 of the Immortal Calendar, the catastrophe known as the 'Great Disappearance' occurred."
"To this day, even after thirty thousand years, no one knows the cause of that cursed catastrophe that caused every cultivator above the Foundation Building level to vanish into nothingness, except for the Five Sages."
Upon hearing the new term, I wanted to ask who the Five Sages were, but I held my tongue.
"I'll ask Li Chen when I return."
With every word he spoke, the Sect Leader's voice grew more sorrowful.
"We were the most affected by the catastrophe among all the great sects, as we had already suffered heavy losses before the catastrophe in border conflicts with the Ancient Strength Sect and the Moonlight Palace. Moreover, the sect relied primarily on high-level cultivators in battles, which left low-ranking cultivators inexperienced in combat."
Suddenly, the Sect Leader's expression shifted from sadness to anger.
"Taking advantage of this fact, the bastards of the Ancient Strength Sect and the Moonlight Palace, using their cultivator spies within the sect, lured the sect leaders of that time into a trap that resulted in the opening of the protective formation of the sect palace and a war that caused the death of most disciples and the escape of the remaining disciples away from the mainland to the Sunset Isles in the Sea of Pain."
At the mention of the Sunset Isles, the Sect Leader's expression became gentler as he continued.
"Despite the loss of secret techniques and the most important artifacts with the disappearance of the elders due to the 'Great Disappearance' catastrophe, and the loss of the sect palace, the sect's legacy continued with its disciples in the Sunset Isles."
The Sect Leader continued speaking about the sect's era in the Sunset Isles and the various attempts of different sect leaders to reclaim the sect's legacy.
Some attempted to infiltrate the Ancient Strength Sect and the Moonlight Palace, but they were killed every time they were discovered.
One leader even undertook a pilgrimage to the Sages in the hope of obtaining their help, but the Sages did not even allow him to meet them.
And thus, the decline of the Sunset Sect continued for thirty thousand years.
Until the bitter end, when the sect was destroyed in the Sunset Isles by a group of pirates.
Only a single disciple of the 731st generation survived,
who carried the will for the continuation of the Dusk Sect—
the 267th leader of the Sunset Sect,
Mo Chong.