Before the valley, two objects shimmering with immense light rapidly approached from the distant horizon. In the space of a few blinks, they had arrived above the open ground in front of the valley, where they stopped and hovered in the air. The light gradually faded, revealing a massive alms bowl and a colossal, ancient sword engraved with mysterious patterns. A Buddhist chant echoed from the sky, "Amitabha. Apologies for keeping you benefactors waiting." Then, from within the great alms bowl, a figure was the first to fly out amidst a flash of light. Simultaneously, people began to leap from the ancient, mysterious greatsword as if they were pellets being flicked off.
Li Yan and Li Wuyi stopped their conversation. Li Yan focused his gaze. Descending from the sky was a group of monks in kasaya robes and a group of cultivators with fierce auras.
Leading the monks were eleven men in red kasayas, all Golden Core cultivators of mid-to-late stage, addressed as Buddhas. Behind them were forty-nine monks in yellow kasayas, called Chan Monks. And behind them were over a hundred young monks in grey robes. This was the contingent from the Pure Land Sect.
The group emanating a sharp aura was from the Ten-Pace Courtyard. Every one of them was dressed in a white robe. Some carried enormous sword cases on their backs, while others wore only their simple white robes. Thirteen Golden Core cultivators led them, some descending with their sword cases, others drifting down empty-handed.
The one from the Pure Land Sect who had spoken was a Buddha who appeared to be in his thirties. He was powerfully built with a ruddy complexion, though of course, his build couldn't compare to that of the Mountain-Swallowing Beast opposite them. His expression was solemn, and the nine precept marks on his head faintly shone with a golden light, giving him an air of majestic sanctity.
"Xiahuà greets his fellow Daoists," said a middle-aged cultivator who was the first to land from the Ten-Pace Courtyard contingent. He looked to be in his forties, with a tall, slender build and three wisps of a long beard under his chin. His expression was somewhat indifferent. He did not carry a great sword case, and his white robes billowed, giving him a truly transcendent air.
"So it is Great Master Yisong and Sword King Xiahuà leading the way. You two are certainly late," the sinister-looking Yin Congfeng retorted.
The handsome young man transformed from the Jade Qilin now swept his gaze over the crowd and fixed it on three female Golden Core sword cultivators from the Ten-Pace Courtyard, scrutinizing them and making clicking sounds with his tongue.
"Since everyone has arrived, shall we begin the harvesting?" Immortal Elder Hangwu looked up at the sky and asked.
"No rush, no rush. Great Master Yisong, Sword King Xiahuà, some of your fellow Daoists have unfamiliar faces. Should you not introduce them? It won't be too late to start after. We have a month, after all," the handsome young man quickly snapped his folding fan shut and tapped it against his palm with a smile.
The other two demonic beasts glanced at him but said nothing more.
Seeing this, Elder Peng simply closed his eyes to rest. Immortal Elder Hangwu looked helplessly at Yisong and Xiahuà, his gaze finally settling on Sword King Xiahuà. It was clear to everyone that the Jade Qilin just wanted to get to know the female cultivators.
Sword King Xiahuà remained expressionless. After a silent nod, he began his introductions in a stiff, robotic manner.
"Junior Brother, have you noticed the sword cultivators from the Ten-Pace Courtyard? Those with the great sword cases are from the Outer Sword lineage, while those with nothing are from the Inner Sword lineage. Outer Sword cultivators can unleash ten thousand swords at once with heaven-shaking power. The Inner Sword lineage, who have refined a Sword Pellet in their Niwan Palace, are even harder to deal with. Sword cultivators are our greatest enemies. Be it their attack power or their speed, they are extremely difficult to handle. Even our Malevolent Spirit Sect finds it hard to gain an advantage against them," Li Wuyi explained simply, knowing Li Yan wasn't very familiar with the other sects. He saw Li Yan's expression change upon hearing this, his face growing grave as he carefully observed the Qi Condensation cultivators behind the Ten-Pace Courtyard and Pure Land Sect contingents.
"You've noticed something is wrong, haven't you?"
"Yes. Eldest Senior Brother, look at those two sects. Whether it's the young monks in grey robes or the Qi Condensation sword cultivators from the Ten-Pace Courtyard, their auras are similar to those of the Daoists from the Supreme Mystery Teachings. Although the fundamental cultivation arts of the three sects are different, a careful inspection reveals many similarities. It seems the three of them have truly joined forces," Li Yan said, his eyes glinting as he stared ahead.
Li Wuyi had seen it too. He had been observing them from the moment they arrived, but he couldn't figure out a few key questions.
How could the sects join forces in the Wheel of Life and Death to deal with the Malevolent Spirit Sect? Did the three of them have a way to avoid fighting each other?
He couldn't make sense of it. With a soft sigh, Li Wuyi shifted his gaze to the other Foundation Establishment cultivators, spotting many familiar faces, which brought a faint smile to his lips.
Soon, the Pure Land Sect and the Ten-Pace Courtyard finished their introductions, but to the Jade Qilin's disappointment, they were not given much opportunity to mingle. Seeing that the introductions were over and the four sects were directly stating they would prepare and then begin the harvesting, Lin Mingyu had no choice but to give up sullenly and walk back towards his demonic beasts.
The members of the Malevolent Spirit Sect gathered together. Elder Peng waved his hand, and a massive sound-proof barrier enveloped the hundred or so people. The other three sects did the same, clearly making their final arrangements. Only the demonic beasts remained unconcerned, simply watching the four sects.
"Judging by the fact that these three sects are still wary of each other and from the auras of their Foundation Establishment cultivators, they probably won't hold back against each other during the harvesting. They will still do their utmost to acquire the most resources and treasures. However, it is certain they plan to join forces during the Wheel of Life and Death," Elder Peng said faintly.
"What is your decision?"
The Foundation Establishment cultivators all turned to look at the group of Qi Condensation disciples.
...
In the end, ninety percent of the one hundred and eight disciples chose to fight. Li Yan could tell that the Foundation Establishment cultivators from each peak had already discussed this with their own disciples. Even those Qi Condensation disciples who were reluctant didn't dare to speak up. A few bold ones remained silent, but it didn't change the outcome. This time, Li Yan voiced his agreement.
With the plan decided, Elder Peng arranged for all the Foundation Establishment cultivators to quickly exchange information about the cultivators from the other factions, so that the new participants and the Qi Condensation disciples would have some knowledge of their opponents. They were given one quarter of an hour to complete this.
Li Yan understood the elders' reasoning. Before they arrived, the four sects had locked down the list of participating Foundation Establishment cultivators to prevent targeted strategies. Although each side had spies in the other sects, once the personnel were chosen, the sects had sealed their borders for nearly ten thousand li. Large numbers of disciples were sent on non-stop patrols, with patrol teams even monitoring each other. The divine sense of two patrol teams would overlap across a border of about a thousand li, forming a chain of divine sense coverage. Sending a voice transmission talisman or a flying spirit beast with a message was virtually impossible, unless an entire patrol team consisted of enemy spies.
Now that the members of the four sects were revealed, their Foundation Establishment cultivators could no longer be hidden. It was necessary for those familiar with the opponents to supplement this information. As for the Qi Condensation disciples, there was no need to know their details. The four sects were behemoths, and their previous interactions rarely involved the Qi Condensation level, so they had very little information on each other's low-level disciples.
Among the Foundation Establishment cultivators, led by Li Wuyi, Baili Yuan, Wang Tian, and others, they quickly began to analyze the information they had on the other three sects and the demonic beasts from the Secret Realm. Time was limited, so they focused on listing the primary figures from the other factions, their cultivation art characteristics, and their personalities. Soon, Li Yan and the others had a general understanding of the main Foundation Establishment cultivators and Tier-2 demonic beasts. This information was extremely precious, paid for with lives. Knowing someone's cultivation art and personality allowed one to quickly formulate the best counter-strategy. At the same time, the cultivators, Daoists, and monks of the other sects were doing the same, their gazes sweeping over the Malevolent Spirit Sect and the demonic beast factions.
Li Yan had already learned some things about the demonic beasts from Li Wuyi, and now he had even more enemy intelligence.
His gaze swept over the individuals who had been specifically pointed out.
A sword cultivator in a green shirt with sharp brows and bright eyes stood at the forefront of the Ten-Pace Courtyard's Foundation Establishment cultivators. He had an exceptional bearing, possessing the same coldness and arrogance common to sword cultivators. Wang Lang, Pseudo-Core Realm, a master of the Ten-Pace Courtyard's Inner Sword lineage. He had refined a Sword Pellet and had already reached lesser mastery in Sword Transformation Silk, allowing him to take a head from a hundred li away. He was skilled in the Purple Star Shifting Body Technique, possessing the most troublesome traits of a sword cultivator: razor-sharp attacks and rapid movement...
Sword Transformation Silk was a hallmark of a powerful Inner Sword cultivator. It was already a great achievement for a peak late-stage Foundation Establishment sword cultivator to master it. Most Foundation Establishment sword cultivators at this stage were usually still just beginning to comprehend it.
Liang Liang, Pseudo-Core Realm, from the Ten-Pace Courtyard's Inner Sword lineage, had refined a Sword Pellet and was at the initial stage of Sword Transformation Silk...
Miao Zhengyi, Pseudo-Core Realm, from the Ten-Pace Courtyard's Outer Sword lineage. His sword case contained three hundred and sixty spirit swords. He could lay out the Earthly Fiend Sword Formation and the Sword Rain Downpour Grand Art...
Quan Jiuxing, his green Daoist robe fluttering in the wind, his nimble eyes scanning the surroundings. He looked to be only twenty-two or twenty-three, but the pressure emanating from him was incredibly powerful. Pseudo-Core Realm. He was one of the top figures in the Supreme Mystery Teachings. He carried two crossed swords on his back, his profound art pure and deep. He possessed the mid-grade Spirit Treasure "Green Fire Parting Cover" and the Green Flood Dragon Sword on his back, one for defense, one for offense...
Qiu Jiuzhen was tall, with fair, rosy skin. The green Daoist robe she wore added a touch of heroic spirit. Her hair was tied up in a crown. Standing next to Quan Jiuxing, the pressure she exuded was no less than his. Her phoenix eyes were filled with affection, constantly fixed on Quan Jiuxing's face, as if she had forgotten where she was.
A young monk from the Pure Land Sect was calmly looking over at the Malevolent Spirit Sect. He looked to be only eighteen or nineteen, yet he was already wearing the yellow kasaya of a Foundation Establishment Chan Monk.
Li Yan now recognized this person as well. Chan Monk Zhiliao, Pseudo-Core Realm, skilled in the Eighteen Clothes-Sticking Buddha Arts. He might have even cultivated a sliver of Willpower, which was terrifying. Besides its immense power, its adhesiveness was harder to dispel than the most potent poison. If struck by this sliver of Willpower, the essence blood in one's body would burn as if ignited by oil, impossible to extinguish...
Behind Zhiliao was another person they had singled out. Chan Monk Zhiwei, Pseudo-Core Realm, proficient in the Great Sun Sutra. It was said he possessed a Gau Box magical artifact, which excelled at subduing yin-type entities and capturing souls within it to be delivered to the Western Paradise... (TN: A Gau Box is a Tibetan Buddhist amulet container, used as a portable shrine.)
...
The Secret Realm was located within the valley. Opening it required the joint effort of several Golden Core cultivators.
Although there were said to be five factions here, it was more accurate to say there were seven teams. The three demonic beast groups were each composed of beast races from their own major powers. After entering, they too would fight and plunder amongst themselves. The demonic beasts of the Secret Realm had long requested that more Tier-3 beasts be allowed to participate, but the four sects refused, as they would be facing too many. In the end, some of the smaller beast races had to be merged into the larger powers, forming three teams for this trip.
As for opening the Wheel of Life and Death this time, the four sects initially did not want to give eight paths to the demonic beasts. But the beasts insisted on the agreement made tens of thousands of years ago, otherwise they wouldn't agree to open it. The four sects had no choice but to reluctantly agree. In truth, it was mainly the Ten-Pace Courtyard, the Pure Land Sect, and the Supreme Mystery Teachings that agreed; the Malevolent Spirit Sect simply went along with it since the matter was already decided.
After the harvesting ended, these three teams of demonic beasts would still have to split into eight teams of Tier-1 beasts to fight for resources. This was not an issue for the demonic beasts. These three teams were temporary formations for the harvesting anyway, and many of the races within them were natural enemies. It was likely they would even backstab their own teammates during the harvesting to secure more treasures and spirit pills for their own race. Conversely, some demonic beasts were naturally related by blood, like rocs and vultures, or snakes and flood dragons, and would not kill each other as long as their own interests were not at stake.
After a brief quarter of an hour, three Golden Core cultivators from several factions stepped forward.
The demonic beasts began to clear the valley entrance, retreating two or three hundred meters in the direction of the humans. Only then did Li Yan and the others realize that even with the beasts gone, they still couldn't see into the valley. At the entrance stood a green vine trellis about two zhang high, covered in lush green branches and leaves that hung down like a verdant canopy. A green light, full of spiritual energy, emanated from the foliage, making the trellis seem like a green-shaded corridor. The dense leaves blocked all sight of what lay within the valley.
Elder Peng from the Malevolent Spirit Sect, Sword King Xiahuà from the Ten-Pace Courtyard, and Yin Congfeng from the demonic beasts stepped out from their ranks and stood at the valley entrance. They formed a triangle. The Supreme Mystery Teachings and the Pure Land Sect did not send any Golden Core cultivators forward, and no one spoke up. However, Li Yan could clearly see looks of resentment on the faces of some members from those two sects, leaving him momentarily confused.