In the boundless Mortal Realm, there were five great regions: the Wind God Continent, the Desolate Moon Continent, the Forsaken Continent, the Verdant Continent, and the North Ice Continent. Each region was vast and immeasurable, and few people could ever leave the continent of their birth in their lifetime.
One reason was that each continental region was too vast, unimaginably so. Furthermore, neighboring continents were separated by hundreds of millions of li of unknown Perilous Lands, which was also why the continents could not invade one another.
These unknown Perilous Lands were either lifeless, barren lands; endless primeval forests filled with miasma; blazing deserts where the high temperatures could incinerate all things; or boundless snowfields frozen for thousands of li. Within these Perilous Lands, second and third-tier vicious beasts were innumerable, and there was no shortage of fourth-tier high-grade Primordial Vicious Beasts dwelling deep within. To cross between two continental regions was nothing but a fool's dream.
But nothing is absolute. There was one type of person who had a chance of traversing the continents: cultivators. However, they had to be top-tier cultivators. Upon reaching the Nascent Soul Realm, a cultivator would possess the immense power to shift rivers and fill seas. But even they had no absolute certainty of success. The reason was that the distance of the Perilous Lands between continents was too vast, and the unknown dangers were endless. A fourth-tier Primordial Vicious Beast was already equivalent to a human Nascent Soul cultivator, and how many could one person fight against?
On the Desolate Moon Continent, since the ancient primordial era, mighty experts from the Spirit Immortal Realm had shattered the void to arrive here, gradually putting down roots and flourishing. Over hundreds of millions of years, sects both large and small arose. Some grew strong and powerful, while others slowly vanished into the river of history. The large consumed the small, the strong devoured the weak, in a constant cycle of rise and fall, prosperity and decline.
On this Desolate Moon Continent, there were thousands of sects, large and small. They could be broadly divided into Unranked Sects, Third-rate Sects, Second-rate Sects, and First-rate Sects.
Unranked and Third-rate Sects numbered from a few hundred members to as few as two or three. Their strongest cultivators were no more than one to three Foundation Establishment cultivators; some entire sects were even composed solely of Qi Condensation cultivators.
Second-rate Sects often had a thousand to several thousand cultivators. Within the sect, there were several, or even a dozen, high-stage Golden Core cultivators. The cultivators from these sects were the ones who most often walked the world and formed the main intermediate force of the cultivation world.
There were only four First-rate Sects on this continent. They divided the continent into four great domains and controlled its destiny. Whether it was the establishment and succession of mortal dynasties or the division of resources and sect rankings in the cultivation world, everything was managed by these four sects.
They were: the Supreme Mystery Teachings, the Pure Land Sect, the Ten-Pace Courtyard, and the Malevolent Spirit Sect.
The Supreme Mystery Teachings worshipped the Three Pure Ones of Daoism. The Pure Land Sect embodied Buddhist Arhats. The Ten-Pace Courtyard was known for its flying swords that could travel a thousand li. The Malevolent Spirit Sect specialized in expelling poisons, commanding insects, and both open assassination and covert killing.
Each of the four great sects was guarded by several Nascent Soul Old Monsters who had cultivated for over a thousand years. They had dozens of high-stage Golden Core cultivators, and their combat power was terrifying. Below them were thousands upon thousands of Foundation Establishment and Qi Condensation disciples. The foundation of these sects was incredibly deep.
However, these major sects rarely had members walking the mortal world. Perhaps they would only emerge in droves when an extraordinary treasure appeared or a great calamity descended from the heavens. Normally, they either remained behind closed doors in deep cultivation or explored unknown perilous lands in search of opportunities, pursuing the Way of Eternal Life.
In the west-central part of the Desolate Moon Continent, rolling mountain ranges were covered by thick layers of vegetation. Towering ancient trees soared into the sky, their canopies obscuring the sun in endless, overlapping layers.
The Malevolent Spirit Sect, one of the four great sects, was located here. It was composed of five peaks arranged in the shape of the character for mountain, "山". Four peaks were arranged in two pairs on either side, with the final peak situated centrally and further back. The buildings on each peak mostly faced south and were backed by the north.
Each peak occupied an immense area and soared into the clouds. The two peaks on the west side were named "Little Bamboo Peak" and "Never-Parting Peak." The two on the east were named "Four Symbols Peak" and "Spirit Insect Peak." The central peak in the back was called "Lord Lao Peak."
At this moment, on Lord Lao Peak, immortal cranes and spirit birds circled and danced. Jade pavilions with carved railings, towers, and gazebos were veiled in flowing mist and clouds. Winding paths led into the ethereal haze.
Inside a massive palace at the summit of Lord Lao Peak, more than a dozen people were arranged in two rows, conversing.
At the head sat a person in the center of the palace. He was about seven feet tall, with long eyebrows, wide eyes, and a fair, solemn complexion. A sharp glint would occasionally flash in his eyes. He appeared to be in his fifties and was dressed as a Daoist priest. His black hair was tied in a topknot, secured with a jade pin. A horsetail whisk was draped over his arm.
Below him, more than ten people sat in two rows. They were of various heights and builds, some ugly, some handsome, both men and women. All of them wore long, dark green robes, though upon closer inspection, their cuffs were embroidered with either similar or different golden patterns.
"Let's conclude this five-year competition here. The rewards for the top ten will be distributed this afternoon." The Daoist-robed elder at the head flicked his large sleeve, lifted the horsetail whisk from his other arm, and gave it a gentle sway as he spoke.
As he flicked his sleeve, a golden, cauldron-shaped pattern was revealed. However, the cauldron was depicted as a ferocious, roaring beast's mouth, which seemed quite at odds with his Daoist appearance.
"Yes, Sect Master," the people in the two rows below responded in unison.
"In the top ten this time, Junior Brother Wei's Little Bamboo Peak only had four participants, yet two of them placed. Compared to us, who send dozens or even hundreds of disciples, it's quite shameful."
At this point, a scholar with a three-stranded long beard, appearing to be in his late thirties, smiled and spoke to a person across from him. He had a jade-like face, long, narrow eyes, and wore a scholar's cap. A golden, snake-like creature was embroidered on his cuff, its mouth open and fangs bared. As his sleeve moved, it seemed to come alive, its fangs opening and closing. This was the same green-robed scholar who had recently issued the order to capture Strategist Ji.
The person he was looking at sat opposite him, in a lower seat. This man was also a bit over seven feet tall, slightly plump, and wore a scholar's kerchief. He had thick eyebrows above a pair of pure, bright eyes, and thick, beardless lips. He appeared to be around twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old and exuded an aura of pure harmony. His cuff was embroidered with a small, golden bamboo stalk. A smile hung on his round face as he looked at the scholar.
After the scholar spoke, several others nodded in agreement.
A beautiful woman of about forty heard this and smiled charmingly. "Senior Brother Feng is right. Little Junior Brother is always like this. How is a humble girl like me supposed to manage my disciples?" As she spoke and moved, her beautiful eyes glanced around, full of watery charm, truly a vision of a thousand graces. The long, dark green robe did not look loose on her at all, but instead accentuated her curvaceous figure. As she spoke, her rounded form swayed lightly, and flashes of smooth white skin could be seen at her collar, spreading her charm.
Many of those present quickly lowered their heads or turned away, cursing inwardly, 'This damned seductress. Can't she just speak without using her bewitching arts?'
The solemn-faced old Daoist at the head also looked a bit awkward. This junior sister of his had no sense of occasion, resorting to captivating people's souls the moment she opened her mouth.
"I say, Junior Brother Wei, you just wash your hands of everything and stay idle all day. Why don't you just open your doors and accept disciples? Our peaks have thousands of people to manage," spoke another, a dark-skinned, stout man with a golden compass embroidered on his sleeve.
"Junior Brother Wei, if everyone did things your way, in another thousand years, wouldn't our Malevolent Spirit Sect be left with just a few cats and dogs?" said a woman of plain appearance, with a perpetually icy expression, her tone gloomy. Her cuff was embroidered with two slender, tightly coiled insects, looking quite strange.
Watching the others verbally assault the chubby young man, the solemn-faced old Daoist at the head half-closed his eyes, thinking, 'Junior Brother Wei, it's like this after every competition, major or minor. Can't you take the initiative to shoulder some of the sect's responsibilities? You make it seem like you're the most carefree while we're all worked to death. You have a stake in this sect too.' At this thought, he could not help but sigh in resentment.
A wave of discussion followed. Some spoke, while others stroked their beards and smiled, or watched silently with narrowed eyes. The one called "Junior Brother Wei" was not angered by their words. He waited until they had gradually finished before he spoke with a smile, "Hehe, Senior Brothers, Elder, it's been over two hundred years since I formed my Core, and you still won't let me off the hook. I was the last to join the sect, and I just can't shake this lazy nature of mine. When Master gave me Little Bamboo Peak back then, I refused to take it, but he insisted on forcing it on me. I started out like the other four peaks, accepting disciples widely, but didn't they all end up flocking to your peaks in the end? Only a handful remained. I really don't know how to manage them." As he spoke, he spread his hands.
"Didn't we send elders to help you manage it? In the end, even the elders were unwilling to go. You could have at least checked in on the elders sent to you. But no, you and your wife go into seclusion for ten or twenty years at a time, asking about nothing. The elders need to cultivate too, you know. They need to have plans and arrangements for their work, but you ask about none of it," someone complained.
"Hehe, am I not now entrusting the affairs of Little Bamboo Peak to my eldest disciple? Things like these competitions and rankings... the thought of sifting through hundreds or thousands of people to select candidates just gives me a headache." Junior Brother Wei had a reluctant look on his face.
He paused, his expression turning serious. "By the way, Senior Brother Feng, I heard yesterday that the Law-Enforcement Hall of 'Spirit Insect Peak' brought someone back. Is it true they have the 'Fragmented Poison Body'? This is no small matter."
The scholar with the golden snake on his sleeve immediately looked displeased. This touched upon a matter his peak did not wish to discuss. It had been a thorn in their side for several years. Although the traitor was dead, they had lost a great deal of face. It was the first time in the sect's history that a core cultivation manual had been stolen.
Hearing this, the solemn-faced old Daoist sighed inwardly. 'This Junior Brother Wei, changing the subject again. Such a lazy disposition, but there's nothing to be done.' However, he too turned to look at the scholar upon hearing the news.
"Junior Brother Feng, due to the competition yesterday, and hearing that the boy who was brought back was on the brink of death and needed treatment, I didn't press the matter. Is there any truth to this?"
The others, seeing the Sect Master also change the subject, knew that the matter of "Junior Brother Wei" was once again dropped. They all just smiled and shook their heads. This was just idle talk to begin with. After two hundred years, if Little Bamboo Peak was going to change, it would have already. They had only wanted to berate their lazy but good-natured little junior brother. Of course, the elders present were happy to watch their senior and junior brothers bicker. Even cultivation required some mortal-like banter once in a while.
They all looked at the scholar with the surname Feng. He tapped his long fingers on the armrest of his chair a few times, as if organizing his words.
"It has been twenty years since Lian Shan defected from the peak. We have been sending people to hunt him down. It wasn't until last year that we found a trace of him. After his defection, he must have been searching for opportunities and entered the cave residence of a Golden Core cultivator. But as fate would have it, Lian Shan was not destined for it. He was injured by the cave's protective formation and escaped, only to perish outside. His storage pouch was also destroyed, and the items within were scattered and broken. But we found no trace of our sect's cultivation manual jade slip or books. Therefore, we concluded that the manual was not destroyed and was likely obtained by someone else."
"Frankly, if it had been destroyed, the matter would have ended there. What we wanted was his life and the location of the original manual."
"Later, after investigating the area around the cave residence, we heard from some rogue cultivators that the manual might have been obtained by someone from the 'Immortal-Seeking Lineage.' You all should be aware of what kind of people they are. They spend their entire lives chasing the path to immortality and will dare to cultivate any immortal art from any sect they can get their hands on. So, the Law-Enforcement Hall started investigating the medicinal herbs required for the initial stages of the technique. They eventually traced it to an empire a million li away. There, in the army of a remote border region, they found a strategist who may have been cultivating the technique. He had already cultivated to around the peak of the third layer of Qi Condensation."
"Due to the rules between us and mortals, the Law-Enforcement Hall had to proceed with caution. After investigation, we found that this person had also purchased some of the relevant herbs needed for the introductory phase. Moreover, he only appeared there six or seven years ago. Combined with some of his physical characteristics and methods of attack, we could deduce that he was the one from the 'Immortal-Seeking Lineage' who obtained the manual. From his usual appearance, it was clear he had been forcing his cultivation, likely due to a lack of necessary medicinal herbs."
"The reason he joined the army can be inferred from the fact that he took on a disciple there. He somehow obtained the Spirit-Absorbing Grand Art and, in a flight of fancy, probably thought he could use it to cure the Fire Poison in his body. But his own magical power was low, so how could he find a suitable candidate? That's why he searched for people with spirit roots in the army. But this man's luck was truly heaven-defying. He managed to find two mortals in succession who possessed spirit roots, and both had the wood attribute."
As he said this, he could not help but sigh. "When we recruit disciples from the mortal world, it takes a great deal of effort to find even one with a spirit root. Yet he found two in a row just like that. Truly a stroke of great fortune."
The others all nodded in agreement.