Yunchuan

The Fission realm cultivator locked down by Yaoguang's divine mind dared not show the slightest negligence. He quickly revealed himself and bowed from a distance toward Yaoguang. "Fang Yueming of the Fang clan greets the immortal from a great sect." "Where is this city's original master?" "Uh... Eight months ago, war broke out between the Xuanguang Sect and the Yunxiao Sword Sect. When the Xuanguang Sect was defeated and retreated, they plundered the eastern Yunchuan Mountain Range. The thirty-six cities suffered devastating losses, with less than one in ten of the prominent clans surviving. In Huaigu City, the entire Luo clan—from Heavenly Fire down to Foundation Establishment—was completely slaughtered..." "Heavenly Fire?" Hearing this, Yaoguang did not register the term right away. Only a moment later did he realize that "Heavenly Fire" was what the people of this world called the "Fission realm." They called Fission the Heavenly Fire realm and Fusion the Constant Light realm; the rest had no significant differences. The only reason he had used the term "Fusion realm" earlier was that the description of this realm in the Mystic Origin Creation Technique was easier to understand when translated into that term back in the Cangwu Great World. After all, every civilization had its own vocabulary. Many terms on Beihai Star were completely different from those in the Cangwu Great World. Like this Fission realm... Even the "eight months" mentioned by the Heavenly Fire realm cultivator was measured using Beihai Star's calendar system, though upon reaching Yaoguang's ears, he naturally interpreted it according to his own perception of eight months. However... "That's not right!" Yaoguang glanced at him. "Isn't the strongest expert in Huaigu City a Battle Immortal who cultivated a Radiant Sun Golden Core? When did it become the Luo clan?" "A Battle Immortal with a Radiant Sun Golden Core?" The cultivator who introduced himself as Fang Yueming paused in surprise. After pondering for a moment, he said, "Could you be referring to the Qi clan's ancestor, Qi Chixin? That Zhenren indeed ruled Huaigu City for a time. However, as early as six years ago, someone targeted and disrupted the stability of his Golden Core, causing his death. Fearing pursuit by their enemies, the Qi lineage scattered and fled. Later, the Liu clan became the masters of Huaigu City, but their patriarch offended an important figure who was passing through, and the entire clan was wiped out. Only after that did Huaigu City fall under the rule of the Luo clan..." Hearing this, Yaoguang was momentarily at a loss for words. According to Wan Liugui, he contacted the Radiant Sun Golden Core sleeper agent maintaining this retreat path once every ten years. The last contact... Had been seven years ago? Just one year after that contact, this Radiant Sun Golden Core expert had been killed, and in just six short years, Huaigu City had changed hands three times?! The speed at which clans were wiped out was faster than building sects. However, considering that most factions on Beihai Star did not grow gradually from the ground up but instead congregated from great worlds across all directions, it was only natural that Beihai Star retained sufficient vitality amid such fierce competition. The influx of fresh blood from outside was simply too abundant. 'That Golden Core expert of the Qi clan was a disciple secretly taken in by Wan Liugui in the Artifact Sect... In terms of seniority, he was essentially Li Hanqiu's junior brother. And for him to be assigned to guard their escape route shows his steadfast loyalty...' Yaoguang shifted his gaze to Fang Yueming. "Who killed him? The Liu clan?" "Well... no. It was the Ran clan, the ruler of Huaigu City before him..." Fang Yueming dared not conceal anything. "After Zhenren Qi arrived in Huaigu City, he established a small sect to teach cultivation. However, because he failed to pay sufficient tribute to the Ran clan, he was ambushed. But the Ran clan never expected Zhenren Qi to be a Radiant Sun Golden Core expert. In the end, the Ran clan was routed with heavy casualties. Yet Zhenren Qi was rather pedantic... rather benevolent and righteous, and did not exterminate the Ran clan down to the last person. That allowed some of them to escape. One of their prodigies, Ran Tianchi, was accepted as a disciple by the sect leader of the Yunxiao Sword Sect. Once his cultivation bore fruit, he murdered Zhenren Qi..." At this point, he looked somewhat lamentful. The period when Qi Chixin ruled Huaigu City... Could be considered Huaigu City's most peaceful and comfortable years. On the one hand, a Battle Immortal at the Radiant Sun Golden Core level was more than enough to govern a small city in a place like the Yunchuan Mountain Range. On the other hand... It was also due to Qi Chixin's lenient policies while ruling Huaigu City. During the twenty-four years of his rule over Huaigu City, this small city, which originally had a population of only forty thousand, grew into a medium-sized city of one hundred thousand at its peak. Yet with the chaos in recent years, repeated clan exterminations, executions, and collateral devastation—compounded by the relentless looting and pillaging by the Xuanguang Sect, Tianshui Pavilion, and Yunxiao Sword Sect from deep within the Yunchuan Mountain Range—the population had dropped back down to sixty thousand. Of course, this referred strictly to cultivators. Those who could not even step outside the city's formations were generally not counted in the population tally. Whether they lived or died was of no concern to the governing authorities. "Yunxiao Sword Sect..." Yaoguang pondered briefly and asked, "How strong is the Yunxiao Sword Sect?" "Very strong!" Fang Yueming replied without hesitation. A moment later, however, he cast an awed glance toward the Void Disk hovering in the sky, which spanned a full ten li in diameter. He hastily lowered his head in humble deference and added, "Of course, they cannot compare in the slightest to the immortal's sect." "Tell me about the Yunchuan Mountain Range and the Yunxiao Sword Sect," Yaoguang instructed. "It would be my honor," Fang Yueming replied quickly. With a wave of his hand, he cast a Water Mirror Technique, projecting a map into the air. "The Yunchuan Mountain Range is situated south of the Great Shang Celestial Dynasty. To its north lies Great Shang; to its east are the Thirty-Six Caves; to its west borders the Immortal Martial Sect; and to its south meets the Sea of Chaos. Because it produces no notable specialties and borders the Chaotic Star Sea where pirates and outlaws run rampant, the Great Shang Celestial Dynasty exercises only nominal jurisdiction over the Yunchuan Mountain Range, treating it as a buffer zone between itself and the Immortal Martial Sect. They collect taxes once every ten years and do not rule this land in any practical sense. Consequently, this region is governed by various large sects, and the largest sect east of Yunchuan is the Yunxiao Sword Sect." "The Great Shang Celestial Dynasty and the Immortal Martial Sect." Yaoguang was already familiar with these two powers. The Great Shang Celestial Dynasty was a lineage left behind after the Human Sovereign Shang Tang achieved immortality. In recent years, it had seemingly declined, and its might could not compare to sects like the Taiyi Immortal Sect, yet its imperial capital was still said to have Void Shattering realm mighty figures holding fort. The Immortal Martial Sect was an inheritance left by Great Emperor Panwu. Its founding patriarch could no longer be traced, but because every generation possessed Void Shattering experts overseeing it, it had consistently remained one of the premier powers on all of Beihai Star. As for the remaining Yunxiao Sword Sect... he had never heard of it. Around this time, Fang Yueming organized his thoughts and said, "Originally, the eastern Yunchuan region maintained a tripartite balance among the Xuanguang Sect, Tianshui Pavilion, and Yunxiao Sword Sect. But ten years ago, Supreme Elder Long Wuyin of the Yunxiao Sword Sect achieved a breakthrough in cultivation, successfully condensing an Incandescent White Golden Core in one stroke. That broke the balance of power among the three sects..." "Wait!?" Yaoguang cut him off abruptly, looking at him with surprise. "An Incandescent White Golden Core?" "Yes, an Incandescent White Golden Core!" Fang Yueming said with an envious expression. "Were it not for Supreme Elder Long's advanced age, someone with such cultivation could have hoped to become an inner disciple of the Immortal Martial Sect. Even so, he has been in contact with the Immortal Martial Sect in recent years, hoping to become an Immortal Martial Sect deacon." At this point, he paused before continuing, "You must know, to survive on Beihai Star, there is no other way than establishing ties with a top power. With connections to a top power, other factions will show some degree of apprehension and consider the consequences before attempting to exterminate you. If one does not align with a top power... unless you are formidable in your own right, you are nothing but chives waiting to be harvested. Anyone can squeeze and exploit you, and you could be wiped out in the blink of an eye without the slightest safeguard for your life." Yaoguang had indeed heard of this. The reason small and medium-sized factions frantically exploited other small factions and rogue cultivators was to grow stronger as quickly as possible and join a top power. Even establishing a mere connection was worthwhile. Without ties to a top power, one was like rootless duckweed, unable to truly claim a foothold on Beihai Star. "Very well. Wait here for now. I will have more questions for you shortly," Yaoguang said. Fang Yueming dared not voice the slightest complaint, obediently remaining where he stood, not even daring to move freely. Before long, Yaoguang returned to the Void Disk and shared the information he had gathered with Li Hanqiu. Upon hearing the news, Li Hanqiu's expression darkened. "Junior Brother Qi actually..." "He was softhearted," Yaoguang sighed. "Having just arrived on Beihai Star, he hadn't yet adapted to the environment here, which ultimately led to his demise." Li Hanqiu nodded silently, then looked at Yaoguang. "Take this as a cautionary tale." They were relatively fine, having weathered many fierce storms. But Yaoguang... Back in the Nine Cauldrons Sect, he had always remained in the safe rear. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he had grown up in a greenhouse. "I understand," Yaoguang nodded. "I will strive to adapt to the environment of Beihai Star as quickly as possible." "Let's start with this Yunxiao Sword Sect, then," Li Hanqiu said coldly. "The Yunxiao Sword Sect?" "Indeed. That Ran Tianchi was a disciple of the Yunxiao Sword Sect's sect leader. There is no way this matter was unrelated to the Yunxiao Sword Sect; otherwise, how could he have killed Junior Brother Qi? Moreover, the Yunxiao Sword Sect moved against the Xuanguang Sect only after Junior Brother Qi died. Such actions were in themselves clearing away volatile elements in the Yunchuan Mountain Range to avoid mishaps when going to war with the Xuanguang Sect..." At this point, Li Hanqiu paused. "Of course, this is merely my speculation. But in many cases, once a suspicion forms, that is reason enough to act. What's more..." He glanced behind him at the nearly one million people within the Void Disk. With a million people crammed inside the compact Void Disk, space was far too tight. They urgently needed territory to settle down and establish their lives. The Yunxiao Sword Sect would do nicely. "The strong prey upon the weak—such is the rule of Beihai Star," Li Hanqiu reminded Yaoguang. "I understand," Yaoguang nodded. "Though I'm afraid you will have to take action personally for this matter." "It will serve as a fine display of our strength, lest any blind fools get ideas about us," Li Hanqiu nodded slightly. "After all, among the million people we brought, far too many are below Foundation Establishment. On Beihai Star, they are too fragile to withstand any turmoil." "Then let us be off," Yaoguang said. Then, a thought occurred to him. "Let's take along this local so we can better understand and integrate into the Yunchuan Mountain Range." "Fine, arrange it as you see fit," Li Hanqiu said. With that, Yaoguang descended from the Void Disk once more and said to Fang Yueming, "We intend to establish a foothold in the Yunchuan Mountain Range and require local factions to serve at our beck and call. Is the Fang clan willing?" Fang Yueming froze for a second, his eyes widening in disbelief that such an immense stroke of good fortune would suddenly land right in his lap. He had no idea of the true strength behind these people, but... The fact that they could fly a dharma artifact ten li in diameter at high speeds across Beihai Star proved that this was by no means an ordinary faction. If he had to guess... They might even have Void Piercing-level combat power holding the line! Right now, an existence with Void Piercing combat power was actually willing to take their petty Fang clan under their wing?! An unprecedented wave of euphoria surged through his heart. "I am willing! The Fang clan is willing!" Overwhelmed with excitement, Fang Yueming bowed all the way to the ground before Yaoguang. "Every member of the Fang clan—one thousand six hundred and ninety-two souls in all—shall heed the immortal's commands as law from this day forth, entirely at your disposal!"