Chapter 65
Translator: T_Fan
Planks torn from the bottom of the ship spilled across the surface of the sea. An Ironback Sea Crocodile thrust its head through the shattered hull and opened its jaws, spewing dark green poison mist mixed with seawater.
“Spread out!”
At Ge Tianxiong’s shout, two more columns of water erupted behind the merchant ship. Two more Ironback Sea Crocodiles emerged from the spray.
Lee Hyun was about to check their positions when he felt a slight movement inside his spirit-insect pouch. The fuzzbees, which had been quiet until moments ago, had suddenly grown restless.
‘Hm?’
Before he had time to wonder why, the green poison mist came rolling toward them on the wind.
When the mist touched the body-protecting spirit light of a local cultivator who had moved ahead, the surface of the spirit light immediately began to corrode with a hiss. As the man hurriedly retreated, several streams of flame sprang from Lee Hyun’s fingertips.
Fwoosh–
The long flame threads crossed through the air, forming a loose net. The poison mist thinned for a moment when it collided with the flames, but the green fog, heavy with seawater, kept surging in behind it.
Rather than forcing the net of fire to spread wider, Lee Hyun thrust his left hand forward.
Boom!
The broad Qi Sphere Barrier violently swept away the poison mist and droplets of seawater. For a moment, the view between the group and the demon beasts cleared.
“Now!”
A Biluo Sect cultivator shouted the word and hurled a jade-colored ring. The ring expanded in midair and wrapped around the neck and forelegs of the largest Ironback Sea Crocodile at once. As the beast twisted its body in resistance, fierce sparks flew from the ring’s surface.
Another Biluo Sect cultivator sent several flying swords at the eye of a smaller crocodile.
Clang!
The sword tips bounced off its tough eyelid, but while the creature’s eye was closed, a local cultivator circled around and slashed its foreleg.
Ge Tianxiong descended straight toward the large Ironback Sea Crocodile. A saber light nearly ten zhang (about 33 m) long shot from his thick saber and crashed down onto its armored back with a thunderous roar.
Craack–
Fragments of shattered armor flew in every direction. The crocodile violently shook its head, tearing free of the jade-colored ring, then slapped the surface of the sea with its tail and twisted toward the water.
But Lee Hyun’s sword light pierced through the curtain of water it had thrown up.
Swoosh!
The first sword light cut off its escape route, and the second mercilessly pierced the softer joint between the plates of its back armor.
As the Ironback Sea Crocodile’s body listed to one side, Ge Tianxiong’s saber fell once more onto its shattered back armor.
Crunch!
With the sound of bones breaking, blood and green fluid sprayed into the air.
Once the largest beast fell, the other two did not last long.
One tried to flee underwater, only to be overturned belly-up by the combined assault of the Biluo Sect cultivators. The other attempted to burrow beneath the ruined merchant ship, but Lee Hyun’s sword light severed both of its forelegs.
Ge Tianxiong’s final descending blow split its head open.
The surroundings fell silent.
…
Three demon-beast corpses floated on the surface of the sea. As shattered planks and pieces of dark blue armor drifted among the waves, the group began moving the corpses onto a broad nearby reef.
Lee Hyun was hauling one of them up when another faint vibration came from his spirit-insect pouch.
Buzz. Buzzz.
‘Why have they been acting like this since earlier? Could there be spirit insects inside these demon beasts?’
Lee Hyun stepped back several paces and fired sword light at the Ironback Sea Crocodile’s belly. Its abdomen split open, spilling hot blood and entrails.
Lee Hyun used the Qi Sphere Barrier to push away the splattering filth and fishy stench, then used the Condensed-Essence Grasping Hand to pull the incision apart.
Ge Tianxiong came over and peered inside.
“Is there anything useful? That one over there didn’t have a demon core….”
“Let’s check the venom sac first.”
Lee Hyun alternated between the Aura-Reading Art and Poison-Discerning Art. It was not difficult to distinguish the organs where toxic qi had gathered densely, and their shapes mostly matched what he had read in the Record of Marine Demon-Beast Materials.
However, something he had never seen in the jade slip was attached beneath the venom sac.
It was a small pouch. From within its thin membrane came faint fluctuations of spiritual power distinct from the demon beast’s residual demon power.
He carefully cut through the surrounding flesh, revealing a long, pale insect.
Threadlike tissues extended from its head and tail into the demon beast’s body. Whenever the insect twisted, the strands squirmed along with it.
“A parasitic spirit insect?”
Ge Tianxiong’s expression changed. Hearing him, the other cultivators gathered around the corpse as well.
Lee Hyun carefully examined the spirit insect’s aura. Perhaps because its host was dead, its spiritual power was rapidly weakening, but it was unquestionably a Tier-2 spirit insect.
‘It’s somewhat similar to the Life-Bound Gu of Qianyang Kingdom….’
He thought of the Meridian-Linking Jade Silkworm and the spirit insects he had brought back from beneath the Anling Kingdom’s royal palace, but its appearance was not exactly the same as any of them.
One of the Biluo Sect cultivators pointed to the flesh beside the spirit insect.
“It doesn’t seem to have gotten in there naturally.”
Two tiny silver needles were embedded there. A faint pattern ran along the fine thread connecting the needles.
Without touching the needles, Lee Hyun cut away the surrounding tissue along with them. He placed the entire piece into a jade casket, affixed a sealing talisman, then looked over the remaining corpses.
“We should inspect the others as well.”
…
Similar traces were found in the other two. The spirit insect in one had been sliced apart by sword qi, while the other had already stopped moving.
Even so, the tissues connecting them to the demon beasts’ bodies and the tiny silver needles remained intact.
Ge Tianxiong placed the three jade caskets side by side and stared at them for some time.
“I’ve heard that the gu warriors of Qianyang Kingdom carry spirit insects inside their bodies.”
A Biluo Sect cultivator nodded.
“I was thinking the same thing. But I don’t know whether they use the same method on demon beasts.”
Lee Hyun looked away from the sealed jade caskets.
“For now, I think we should send them back to the sect headquarters. We can’t hastily conclude that this is Qianyang Kingdom’s doing.”
“Let’s do that.”
The group recorded the location where the beasts had been captured, their appearance, and the properties of their poison mist.
After returning to Jinghai Fort, they handed the jade caskets and records over to the cultivator in charge at the External Affairs Court.
They decided to sell the remaining demon-beast corpses to a local merchant guild.
After selling all three corpses, Lee Hyun’s share came to thirty mid-grade spirit stones.
He briefly considered taking some of the bones to use in making bone puppets, but the cultivators were already discussing a price for the corpses as a whole, so he did not go out of his way to ask for them.
After fighting Tier-2 demon beasts himself, he felt that it would not be particularly difficult to hunt them alone whenever he needed bones.
…
A little over a month later, word arrived that the sect headquarters had received the specimens and records.
However, no separate instructions concerning the matter were issued to the cultivators at Haimen Port. Nor did they learn what the sect headquarters had discovered.
…
A few days later.
Clouds hung low over the sea. Black reefs stretched in a long chain among the waves, and not a single ship could be seen beyond them.
Lee Hyun landed on the highest reef.
As his divine sense swept through the cracks between the submerged rocks, it caught a long, thick presence.
‘Down there?’
He flicked a finger, sending a small ball of fire between the rocks. A moment later, an explosion rang out and a column of water shot upward. Beneath it, a body covered in blue scales writhed.
A thick sea serpent raised its head. It was an Azure-Scaled Sea Serpent.
According to the Record of Marine Demon-Beast Materials, it was a demon beast with sturdy vertebrae and scales that could be used as materials for magic tools. The spiritual pressure coming from the creature before him had reached the late Tier-2 level.
“It’s fairly large.”
The Azure-Scaled Sea Serpent opened its jaws, and a compressed stream of water shot out at tremendous speed.
Swoosh!
Immediately after Lee Hyun stepped aside, the upper portion of the reef where he had been standing was sliced clean away.
The water pressure was formidable, but Lee Hyun had no intention of giving the beast time to catch its breath.
He kicked off the reef and rapidly closed the distance. The Profound Gate Sword traced an arc through his hand, and the sword light split gracefully, throwing the Azure-Scaled Sea Serpent’s senses into disarray.
Crack-crack-crack!
The flashing sword light split apart the sea serpent’s tough scales. The instant it thrashed in pain and struck the surface of the sea, Lee Hyun had already reached the side of its neck.
Slice–
Finely honed sword qi slipped smoothly through the gaps between its vertebrae.
Thud!
The enormous head plunged into the seawater first, followed by the body, which struck the surface with a tremendous splash while spraying blood.
‘The swordsmanship I’m used to really is more comfortable.’
Lee Hyun put away the Profound Gate Sword and reviewed the brief exchange. For now, the One Ultimate, Six Swords he had honed over many years was still far more familiar than the Great Unity Heavenly Dipper Sword Art.
Just then, the fuzzbees inside his spirit-insect pouch began moving restlessly. Lee Hyun hauled the Azure-Scaled Sea Serpent’s corpse onto the reef and examined it, eventually detecting a spirit insect beneath its neck.
This one also contained an insect connected to the body through flesh and thin strands of tissue. Two small silver needles were embedded beside it as well.
He removed the tissue to which the spirit insect was attached along with the surrounding flesh and sealed it in a jade casket. He then took out six flying swords and began dismantling the Azure-Scaled Sea Serpent’s corpse.
He first collected the bile and usable scales, then separated and sealed the parts whose toxicity and medicinal potency needed to be examined individually.
Once the remaining flesh had been stripped away, a thick, long spine was revealed.
The pale, solid bones were permeated with resilient demon power. Even scraping them with a blade left only a shallow scratch.
‘These bones are good.’
They also matched the qualities described as desirable in the Profound Yin White Bone True Scripture. Properly processed, there was more than enough material to make an entire puppet. Lee Hyun sorted and collected the bones according to their intended uses, washed the traces from the reef with seawater, and left.
After that, he continued making occasional trips out to sea while avoiding other people’s notice. After several hunts, a sizable pile of Tier-2 demon-beast bones had accumulated inside his storage pouch.
Not every Tier-2 demon beast carried a spirit insect. Even so, if he hunted several, he would usually find one or two, and each time Lee Hyun collected the spirit insects.
…
Tunnel No. 3.
When Lee Hyun took out the jade caskets, balls of golden fur crowded around his arms and shoulders. Their buzzing grew noticeably louder before he had even finished undoing the seals.
Buzzz–
“Wait.”
Lee Hyun washed a stone bowl with the Spirit Rain Art, then placed the spirit insects inside.
Those still alive twisted their bodies and tried to crawl toward the edge, but there was no escaping the fuzzbees circling the bowl.
As the three existing Tier-2 fuzzbees approached first, Lee Hyun stopped them.
“Don’t eat everything yourselves. Share.”
Squeak squeak!
The moment he moved his hand away, the small golden swarm descended upon the stone bowl.
A short while later, the bowl was spotless. The fuzzbees, their bellies swollen round, landed one by one on the earthen floor nearby. A few simply sprawled out and went to sleep.
Lee Hyun examined their auras one after another. There was no noticeable change yet.
‘I’ll have to keep bringing more.’
He then inspected the spirit fields, water tanks, bamboo supply pipes, and other facilities before taking out Bonefuzz No. 1.
Lee Hyun examined the bone puppet’s shoulders and chest. There was an issue that had bothered him ever since he first placed a fuzzbee inside it.
Was having a fuzzbee operate a Six-Armed Bone Puppet with six arms and two legs really the best approach?
‘Maybe it’s about time I changed its shape.’
…
A few days later, a Foundation Establishment artifact refiner stationed at Jinghai Fort came to the Pill Refining Pavilion.
He opened the jade bottle Lee Hyun handed him, examined the contents, and nodded.
“This will be more than enough. It’s much clearer than the last batch.”
“Warm it first, then use it a little at a time. If you pour it all on at once, you may damage the surface of the spirit material.”
“Understood. You’ve saved me some trouble.”
The jade bottle contained a liquid Lee Hyun had produced by refining demon-beast venom. The artifact refiner intended to use it while processing materials for a magic tool.
As Lee Hyun watched him put away the jade bottle, he asked several questions that had been troubling him about joining spirit materials and connecting restrictions.
One question led to another, as each answer raised a new doubt. The conversation grew somewhat lengthy, but the artifact refiner did not seem to mind, since it also gave him a chance to confirm the properties of the material he intended to use.
After that, whenever Lee Hyun spent time with formation masters or talisman makers, he also took opportunities to ask questions and discuss formation inscriptions, talisman inscriptions, restrictions, and related matters.
“Fellow Daoist Li, you’ve had quite a lot of questions lately.”
“There were parts I couldn’t understand just by reading on my own.”
“We ask you plenty about alchemy ourselves, so it benefits us both.”
…
After returning to his quarters, Lee Hyun took out the jade slips containing the Profound Yin White Bone True Scripture, Introductory Guide to Soul Stone Inscription, and Spirit-Concealing Formation. Beside them, he opened the book containing Guo Zhenming’s annotations.
Reading them again while recalling the explanations he had heard from artifact refiners, formation masters, and talisman makers, he gradually began to understand passages he had previously memorized without even knowing what they meant.
‘At this point, I think I could modify Bonefuzz No. 1 or build a new Bonefuzz based on its structure….’
Producing the formation devices and formation plate for the Spirit-Concealing Formation was still beyond him. He would need to become both a Tier-2 formation master and an artifact refiner for that, and such a goal remained far out of reach.
…
Tunnel No. 3.
Lee Hyun laid out the demon-beast bones.
The clear, gentle Primordial True Qi gathered over his hand gradually took on a gloomy quality before transforming into Profound Yin White Bone True Qi.
As he wrapped the bones in that true qi and refined them, faint smoke rose from their surfaces. The remaining impurities fell away, and the rough surfaces slowly became smooth.
Following the method recorded in the inheritance, Lee Hyun cut the bone materials and shaped the surfaces that would be joined together.
…
Three months later, in Tunnel No. 3 once again.
Bonefuzz No. 1 stood before Lee Hyun, looking completely different from the Six-Armed Bone Puppet it had once been.
The body that had once stood upright like a human had been replaced by a rounded torso about two chi (about 66 cm) long. A low head was attached to the front, and three pairs of legs extended from either side of its body.
The puppet looked just like a wingless fuzzbee!
Replicating the beating of wings, however, was difficult. For flight, Lee Hyun intended to adapt the existing restrictions and draw power from spirit stones instead.
The fuzzbee inside pressed itself against the bone plate beside the soul stone. A moment later, the joints began clicking, and the legs moved one after another.
At first, Bonefuzz took cautious steps one at a time. Before long, it began walking across the cavern.
Unlike when it had controlled the Six-Armed Bone Puppet, its movements were extremely nimble!
“Oh….”
Bonefuzz stopped in front of Lee Hyun and raised one of its forelegs. From inside its torso came a cry that sounded almost boastful.
Squeak squeak!
Lee Hyun smiled and nodded.
“Does this body suit you better?”
Squeak!
…
Once the first modification succeeded, the next projects became much easier. Over the following few months, Lee Hyun built Bonefuzz No. 2 and Bonefuzz No. 3 in succession.
During that time, the fuzzbees also began to change. As he continued feeding them the spirit insects he brought back from each demon-beast hunt, one fuzzbee after another began showing signs of breaking through to Tier 2!
Like the three that had broken through before them, they dug small holes in the cavern walls and disappeared inside. When they finally emerged after being out of sight for some time, both the glow surrounding their fur and the aura emanating from their bodies had changed.
The fuzzbees that became Tier-2 spirit insects grew considerably stronger.
However, there was a limit to how much spiritual power their tiny bodies could contain, so they were still nowhere near strong enough to play a major role against Foundation Establishment cultivators, Tier-2 gu warriors, or demon beasts.
Even so, there were plenty of uses for them. For one thing, there were now more fuzzbees capable of controlling Bonefuzz puppets.
They would also be a great help if Tier-2 spirit insects ever invaded the spirit fields.
…
By the time his assignment was nearing its end, the number of Tier-2 fuzzbees had already surpassed fifty. Along one side of the cavern stood ten bone puppets in a row, from Bonefuzz No. 1 through Bonefuzz No. 10.
He could obtain bones through hunting, but soul stones and the spirit materials required for inscriptions did not simply appear on their own.
Between purchasing the materials he lacked and remaking failed components, a considerable portion of the spirit stones he had earned from hunting had been spent.
When Lee Hyun opened the covers on the puppets’ torsos, the fuzzbees swarmed toward them. Those that made it inside settled into position, while the ones that arrived too late circled the open covers.
Click. Click-click.
The ten bone puppets rose one after another. Watching a line of identical bone puppets move together gave them something of the grandeur of an army!
Lee Hyun watched them with satisfaction for a while before turning toward the fuzzbees still waiting for their turn.
“They do look impressive… but they cost too many spirit stones.”
He held out his hand, and the fuzzbees that had failed to secure a Bonefuzz landed on his arm.
“I’ve thought about it, and making one for every single one of you is a little much. All the spirit stones I earn hunting demon beasts would disappear just like that….”
Squeak squeak!
The fuzzbees cried out in unison. Lee Hyun instructed the ones already riding inside the puppets to give up their places after a set amount of time. For now, they had no choice but to compromise by taking turns.
Once he had built up a reasonable number, Lee Hyun’s attention shifted to Bonefuzz’s performance. Walking and running had become fairly natural, but aside from ramming enemies with their bodies or legs, the puppets had no proper means of attack.
‘Should I equip them with magic tools?’
He quickly shook his head.
‘Giving every Bonefuzz its own magic tool seems excessive. It would be better to build in a technique that can hit an enemy from a distance. If I can apply the same spell formula to multiple Bonefuzz puppets, that should reduce the work later on.’
Lee Hyun recorded the idea and decided to devote more time to researching it.
…
Then, one day.
Masked cultivators gathered in the underground stone chamber beneath Dongshun General Store in Shiwan Market. Wearing his Badger mask, Lee Hyun sat in the seat of honor and listened to their reports.
The topics varied widely, from relocating vein seats and admitting new members to rising prices in certain cultivator markets. Lee Hyun asked additional questions whenever necessary.
‘The south will only become more turbulent… and even considering the day I eventually leave the Danxiao Sect, it would be better to establish a foothold in the north ahead of time.’
Once the reports were finished, Lee Hyun spoke.
“From now on, our Two Heavens Society will expand its influence northward. Establish contact bases there as well, and look for ways to increase both our membership and the number of vein seats.”
Black Crow raised his head.
“Do you mean the Xuan Kingdom?”
“Starting there would be fine, and you may also investigate other nations farther north. Compared to the forces the Two Heavens Society will one day encompass, our current scale is only the beginning. You will have to become its great pillars.”
Lee Hyun slowly looked around at the members.
“Approach this as though you are laying the foundation for an empire where even your descendants will serve the Two Heavens Society and many families will live for generations. Plan and carry out the details according to your individual circumstances.”
At that moment, Red Crab spoke as if he had been waiting for the chance.
“So the time has finally come. I knew such an order would be given one day. It must mean the Two Heavens Society has already grown so large in the south that there is nowhere left for us to expand.”
‘Hm?’
“In that case, we’ll need to establish ourselves in the north as well so we don’t fall behind the other existing members. Thank you for giving us this opportunity.”
“Of course. There is no need for further expansion southward at present. But even as our influence grows, our chain of commands and reports must never be severed. Manage the organizations under your charge properly, and do not neglect the rules for maintaining secrecy.”
Black Crow examined the map spread before him.
“I know several members who travel to the Xuan Kingdom for trade. I’ll use them to begin expanding into a few cultivator markets there.”
“Do so.”
“However, it will take time to establish ourselves.”
Lee Hyun nodded.
“There is no need to rush. Whether it takes ten years or a hundred.”
The members cupped their hands in unison.
“We shall carry out your command.”
***
Two years had passed since Lee Hyun was dispatched to Haimen Port.
When he first discovered spirit insects resembling Life-Bound Gu inside the Ironback Sea Crocodiles, he had wondered whether it might lead to friction with Qianyang Kingdom.
However, nothing else occurred that required Lee Hyun’s involvement. The sect headquarters remained silent.
When the replacement alchemist arrived from the sect headquarters, Lee Hyun went through the Medicinal Ingredient Storehouse, pill furnaces, ledgers, and records of the Pill Refining Pavilion with him as part of the handover.
On the day before his departure, he held a modest drinking gathering with the Foundation Establishment cultivators he had befriended, sharing spirit wine with them.
…
Ten days later, Danxiao Sect.
Accounting and reports began as soon as he arrived.
Once he finished, he climbed halfway up Yanxia Peak. Halls and small pavilions appeared here and there among the ancient pines, and Tan Yunsheng greeted him while seated on a broad stone terrace.
“Dongsan, you’ve worked hard. Rest for about seven days first.”
“Thank you.”
After his rest, Lee Hyun returned to his familiar routine.
Once he completed his regular alchemy duties, he cultivated his cultivation art in Qingyu Ravine and studied various arts whenever he had time. He also continued wrestling with the problems in the Puppet Art that he had been unable to solve at Haimen Port.
Occasionally, he was dispatched to Haimen Port again. Each time, he participated in demon-beast subjugations and performed his alchemy duties, but at least while Lee Hyun was there, no particularly major incidents occurred.
Meanwhile, the Two Heavens Society gradually expanded northward.
In the beginning, even though it operated through separate cells, Lee Hyun, as society head, had known most of its members. But as each organization admitted new members, who then formed smaller organizations of their own, that began to change.
Now, there were quite a few members whose names and areas of operation were all he ever received in reports. Rather than trying to personally keep track of every lower-ranking member, Lee Hyun focused on ensuring that communication with the leaders of each organization remained intact.
As attendance at the central meetings increased, he stopped gathering everyone at once and instead divided them into several groups for their reports.
The rules and operating procedures that had been refined through trial and error since the days of the Qutian Society proved enormously helpful in keeping the Two Heavens Society together.
The greater its influence became, the more rules its members had to follow. Yet thanks to those rules, members who had never even seen one another’s faces could operate across different regions while remaining connected as a single organization.
***
It was the forty-eighth year since Lee Hyun had returned to the Danxiao Sect after completing his first assignment at Haimen Port.
The cultivation chamber in Qingyu Ravine.
Thump.
The light of the Qi-Gathering Formation flared violently once, then subsided. Only after the spiritual power in his lower dantian stopped surging did Lee Hyun slowly open his eyes.
“Done!”
It had been almost thirty years since he reached Stage 5.
Lee Hyun was in an excellent mood.
He observed his body for a moment, then took out a wooden board from his storage pouch for the first time in ages. He erased several characters he had carved there long ago and added a new record.
【Realm: Foundation Establishment Stage 4 → Stage 6 (lower dantian)】
【Spiritual Power: 1,452 → 1,548】
…
A few days later, in the communal Alchemy Hall of Yanxia Peak.
When Lee Hyun entered, two Foundation Establishment cultivators who had been preparing medicinal ingredients rose to their feet.
“Greetings, Senior Brother Li.”
Lee Hyun nodded and was about to pass when one of them cautiously held out a jade bottle.
“Senior Brother, could you take a quick look at this?”
“What is it?”
“My refined medicinal liquid keeps turning cloudy.”
Lee Hyun opened the jade bottle and examined the state of the medicinal liquid and the medicinal potency remaining within it.
“The medicinal ingredients you used didn’t contain enough moisture. You dried them too much.”
The young cultivator hurriedly wrote it down. After explaining a few more things to the two of them, Lee Hyun went farther inside.
Liu Zhengyuan, who had been organizing a list of medicinal ingredients, looked up and widened his eyes. His sideburns were now streaked with white.
“You’ve reached Stage 6. Congratulations, Senior Brother.”
“Thank you.”
…
Lecture Hall.
Lee Hyun entered and took his usual seat near the front.
‘It’s been a long time.’
As he adjusted the end of his sleeve, he looked down at the back of his hand. Through his disguise method, he had made it look somewhat thinner than before.
He had mixed white into his hair as well and deepened the wrinkles around his eyes.
Li Dongsan was now 167 years old. Even for a Foundation Establishment cultivator, that was no longer young.
When Tan Yunsheng entered, the disciples rose in unison. After taking his usual seat of honor, his gaze settled on Lee Hyun.
“Dongsan. I heard you’ve reached Stage 6?”
“Yes, Master.”
“Well done. Don’t overexert yourself while stabilizing your realm.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
Tan Yunsheng and Lee Hyun’s fellow disciples congratulated him on reaching Foundation Establishment Stage 6, but none of them attached much significance to it.
At his age, there was no hope of breaking through to Golden Core from Foundation Establishment Stage 6. For an ordinary cultivator with a triple spiritual root, it was the expected outcome.
Li Dongsan had now become one of Yanxia Peak’s core disciples, but practically no one expected him to one day become a pillar of the sect.
His fate was no different from that of most Foundation Establishment cultivators.
When Tan Yunsheng began his lecture, Lee Hyun cleared away his stray thoughts.
About half a shichen (about one hour) later.
A disciple in the back row was about to raise his hand with a question when a streak of light flew in from outside the Lecture Hall.
It was a voice-transmission talisman.
Tan Yunsheng stopped speaking and caught it. As the talisman burned away at his fingertips, his eyes closed briefly. When he opened them again, his expression had changed.
“We’ll stop here for today.”
One disciple cautiously asked,
“Master, has something happened?”
“There has been a major clash in southern Cang Kingdom.”
Tan Yunsheng’s voice dropped.
“A Nascent Soul Elder of the Wangu Sect returned gravely wounded after fighting cultivators from the Nanming Twelve-Sect Alliance. Because of that incident, an envoy sent by the Wangu Sect has just arrived at our sect headquarters.”
Someone quietly drew in a breath.
A Nascent Soul cultivator had been gravely wounded?
Everyone present was a Foundation Establishment inner disciple. Not one of them was a fool.
If the Wangu Sect of Cang Kingdom fell, Kun Kingdom to its north would be next.
If war broke out among Tier-4 cultivation nations, Foundation Establishment cultivators would be little more than moths flying into a flame!
The disciples could feel the clouds of war gathering over Kun Kingdom. A creeping sense of foreboding rose into their chests.
The relaxed atmosphere in the Lecture Hall grew heavy with tension.
Tan Yunsheng rose from his seat.
“For the time being, anyone who needs to leave the sect is to inform me first.”
The disciples stood and bowed. Tan Yunsheng left the Lecture Hall at a faster pace than usual.
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