Nine Cauldrons

Inside the military base at the edge of Mount Yujing. Xie Tiandao, Yaoguang, Zong Yan, Kong Fang, Xie Yushu, Xie Yier, and several Martial Saints who had gone to the Artifact Sect decades ago and had now returned wishing to return to their roots were all present. ... "How could such an enormous Artifact Sect just be gone?" "Looking across the entire Cangwu Realm, the Artifact Sect was counted among the mightiest of sects. How could..." Xie Tiandao, Xie Yier, and the others wore expressions full of loss. In their minds—and indeed in the hearts of everyone—the Artifact Sect was a sacred land of cultivation they had yearned for day and night, the most perfect holy realm deep within their souls. From their earliest childhood, every lesson and piece of knowledge they received had described the immense might of the Artifact Sect with every superlative possible. It was... The emblem of advancement. The beacon of civilization. Although they had been out of contact with the Artifact Sect for decades and had previously heard some news from Leng Tianfeng, so that they were more or less mentally prepared, actually hearing these words come from the mouths of Xie Yushu and Zong Yan still left them feeling utterly bereft. It was as though something vital deep inside them had collapsed. "Our Artifact Sect was renowned across the world for the Dao of Artifact Refining. In a way, it was equivalent to the most advanced munitions factory in our world. When the Moon Demon Empire invaded, their primary strike target was the Artifact Sect. In addition, there was the Pill Sect, which could refine massive quantities of elixir pills and ceaselessly nurture mainstay powerhouses, as well as the Yang God Sect—a Divine Path sect that could actually contend slightly against the Moon Demons." Xie Yushu said in a heavy voice, "At present... of the Ten Great Immortal Sects that were once so renowned, only six remain. The Artifact Sect, the Pill Sect, the Yang God Sect, and even the Fiendgod Hall have all vanished into the mists of history." Four of the Ten Great Immortal Sects were gone just like that. It seemed that even though the Cangwu Realm had ultimately defeated the Moon Demon Empire, it had paid an astronomical price. "What is the current situation on the Artifact Sect's side? And our Xie family..." Xie Tiandao could not help pressing for answers. "The Xie family..." A flicker of anguish crossed Xie Yushu's eyes. "In the first wave of attacks, the skies blazed, the seas evaporated, and the mountains toppled... The city where our Xie family's main lineage lived happened to be right within the Moon Demons' initial strike zone... Aside from a tiny handful of branches that were scattered elsewhere, not a single soul survived." Xie Tiandao and Xie Yier's faces turned deathly pale in an instant. The Xie family was finished? Yaoguang glanced at the group. There was little comfort he could offer. Even the Artifact Sect was gone, let alone a mere Xie family. "The Artifact Sect no longer exists. However, on the lands where the Artifact Sect once stood, a new sect has been established, called the Nine Cauldrons Sect." At this moment, Ji Baichuan spoke up. He was a Hunyuan Martial Saint from the White Tower Federation who had returned to seek his roots. According to his introduction, he had some relation to Ji Pingtian, who had not returned this time; he could be considered Ji Pingtian's uncle. "The former Artifact Sect was rotten to the core, riddled with parasites, and dominated by countless native factions who controlled every avenue of advancement, leaving outsiders like us no way to survive at all!" This Hunyuan Martial Saint said in a clear, resonant voice, "The reason they fell under the onslaught of the Moon Demon Empire—instead of rising to prominence like the Wuji Astral Palace, the Myriad Beasts Sect, and the Immortal Alliance—was that their corruption had long pushed them to the brink of collapse. When the great catastrophe struck, nobody even thought of resisting the invaders from the Moon Demon Empire. Every faction was busy undermining the foundations of the Artifact Sect just to preserve their own private interests..." He glanced at Yaoguang. "When disaster arrived, if a power like that didn't perish, who would?" Yaoguang looked at him, then shifted his gaze to Zong Yan. Not only him, but Xie Tiandao and Xie Yier also suppressed the grief in their hearts slightly and raised their heads. "In its most perilous hour, the Artifact Sect once issued an order demanding that all subsidiary worlds provide powerful spirit treasures..." Xie Yushu said, choosing his words carefully. Before he could finish, Zong Yan shook his head. "Allow me." He exhaled softly. "A century ago, during the turbulent era, the Artifact Sect demanded the sacrifice of all subsidiary worlds to refine the supreme spirit treasure to resist the Moon Demon Empire... and they even chanted slogans about choosing death over dishonor!" "It was sacrificing all subsidiary worlds, including all peripheral factions, merely to safeguard the interests of their innermost core circle," Ji Baichuan stated coldly. Zong Yan nodded. "In short, at the critical moment, a large number of cultivators from subsidiary powers like us banded together to force the lineage of the Artifact Sect's sect master to abdicate, establishing the New Artifact Sect... But the New Artifact Sect lasted for less than twenty years. That same group of native core figures from the old Artifact Sect reverted to their old ways, sending cultivators from the subsidiary factions to the front lines while they hid safely behind them..." He paused for a breath. "Right around that time, the home territory of the Moon Demon Empire came under attack, and their resistance became fiercer than ever before... Plagued by internal discord and external threats, the New Artifact Sect was breached by the Moon Demon Empire, and the Artifact Sect was destroyed... Less than ten years after the fall of the Artifact Sect, the Moon Demon Empire was defeated... The people of vision who had resisted the corruption and decay of the Artifact Sect united once more. They knew that only by thoroughly erasing every trace of the Artifact Sect could this land welcome a new dawn. Ultimately, eighty years ago, they founded the Nine Cauldrons Sect." Yaoguang listened to Zong Yan's account without speaking. Xie Tiandao, having digested the information for a moment, could not help looking toward Xie Yushu. "Then if we go to the Artifact Sect... to the Cangwu Realm..." "The Nine Cauldrons Sect has only been founded for eighty years. Although it acquired a fair amount of the assets left behind by the Artifact Sect, all walks of life are waiting to be rebuilt from the ground up, and they are in urgent need of talent. Any person of insight who joins the Nine Cauldrons Sect will be warmly welcomed. In particular, Sect Master Li Qingshan of the Nine Cauldrons Sect has magnanimously put forward a concept of autonomy—allowing existing powers to retain their original titles while granting them immense autonomy and self-governance..." Ji Baichuan took the initiative to answer the question. "In essence, subsidiary sects," Zong Yan added with incisive clarity. Immediately after, he continued, "However, gaining such authority is no easy task. The sect must possess combat strength on the level of a Great Cultivator." Xie Yushu nodded as well. "After all, the Nine Cauldrons Sect has only existed for eighty years, and its strength is more than a notch below that of the Artifact Sect in its prime. Even now, the Hundred Thousand Mountains south of the former Artifact Sect and the Eastern Sea Island Chain are controlled by other factions. They urgently need to recruit strength from all quarters to bolster themselves and fully reclaim the territories that originally belonged to the Artifact Sect, which is why the treatment they offer is extraordinarily generous." Eighty years. It was equivalent to an ordinary mortal's lifetime. For a newly established nation, it was enough time to stabilize the situation. Yet for a cultivation power, it was far too brief. "Speaker Yaoguang, if you and the others head to Cangwu, there are two choices. One... is to remain within the framework of the Nine Cauldrons Sect, observe the situation first, and then decide whether to join. The other... is to head toward neighboring factions... There are three major sects in the surrounding area: the Great Sun Sword Sect, the Astral Sea Sect, and the Shouyang Sect, which has split in two," Zong Yan said objectively. "Among them, the strongest of the three is the Great Sun Sword Sect, while the weakest is the Astral Sea Sect. However, the Astral Sea Sect is backed by the Immortal Alliance, one of the Six Great Immortal Sects, giving it greater potential. The remaining Shouyang Sect is stronger than the Astral Sea Sect and backed by the world's foremost sect—the Wuji Astral Palace—but it is currently embroiled in civil war, making it rather unstable." "Zong Yan, there is one point you seem to have forgotten to mention," Ji Baichuan said. "Although the Moon Demon Empire was routed, many small remnants managed to slip into the surrounding worlds. Through various means such as 'descending' and 'soul possession,' they supplanted local beings, lying low and covertly infiltrating the various immortal sects of the Cangwu Realm, causing tremendous harm to them all." Ji Baichuan continued, "Presently, many sects are exceptionally wary of cultivators from the peripheral worlds, with some even cutting off ties with those worlds entirely. Even if someone manages to join one of those immortal sects by chance, they will face ostracization, and rising to a high position in the future will be vastly more difficult than it is for Cangwu's native cultivators." Saying this, he puffed out his chest. "Our Sect Master Li, however, possesses a magnanimity vast as the ocean that takes in all rivers. Anyone, as long as they pass the Demon Discernment Platform, can join the sect and enjoy equal treatment. Those with talent and potential can quickly distinguish themselves and rise to prominence. Meng Shishi is the best example. Lord Yaoguang's achievements far surpass those of Meng Shishi; if you can pass the Demon Discernment Platform and enter the Nine Cauldrons Sect, you may even be granted an exceptional promotion to become a true disciple of the sect." "The Demon Discernment Platform?" Yaoguang asked. "It is a place that any living being from the peripheral worlds must pass through upon entering the Cangwu Realm. It is a treasure specially refined by mighty figures to prevent Moon Demons from possessing others and infiltrating. No matter how deeply those Moon Demons conceal themselves, as long as the essence of their soul is not human, they will have nowhere to hide upon the Demon Discernment Platform," Ji Baichuan said in a solemn voice. As he said this, Xie Yushu cast a discreet glance at Yaoguang. Yaoguang, however, showed no reaction. Inside and out, he was purely human. Still... He swept his eyes over the few individuals who had returned from the Cangwu Realm. Each person's words reflected their own stance. Xie Yushu clearly still held attachment toward the Artifact Sect, speaking mostly in its defense. Zong Yan's description was relatively balanced. As for Ji Baichuan... As a member of the Nine Cauldrons Sect, he had likely returned under the pretext of retiring to his roots primarily to recruit this world. "No matter. Maintenance on the Star Gate will take six months, and calibrating the coordinates will take another six months. We have a full year to properly understand the situation over there," Yaoguang said. Xie Tiandao and the others nodded in agreement. The Xie family... They also needed to carefully consider their future attitude toward Yaoguang. Having lost their backer, they urgently needed to find another. And compared to other factions... Yaoguang, with his boundless potential and exceptionally high prospects of becoming a Great Cultivator, was clearly the best choice. Assuming, of course... That he could pass the Demon Discernment Platform and prove he was indeed human. Over the subsequent period, both sides stayed there for half a month. During that half-month, Yaoguang gained a thorough understanding of the Cangwu Realm and the Artifact Sect... Or rather, the specific circumstances of the Cangwu Realm. Cross-checking information from the three parties, he had to admit one reality: those sects with decent strength, profound foundations, and no shortage of disciples were all somewhat wary of and prejudiced against cultivators from the peripheral worlds. Even if someone passed the Demon Discernment Platform, who could guarantee they had not been groomed by the Moon Demons? By contrast, smaller sects with weak foundations accepted anyone without discrimination. Yet when they took in disciples and followers, they essentially raised them as cannon fodder to bolster their own strength. By comparison, the Nine Cauldrons Sect—where everything was being rebuilt from the ground up and talent and resources were needed everywhere—was truly the best choice. First, Sect Master Li Qingshan of the Nine Cauldrons Sect possessed remarkable breadth of mind, with a vision and boldness far beyond ordinary men. Second... The Nine Cauldrons Sect had ultimately been built upon the foundations of the Artifact Sect. As one of the former Ten Great Immortal Sects, its latent legacy was staggering. And third... It was very close. Just step through the Star Gate, and one was at the Nine Cauldrons Sect.