The Situation in the Chu Kingdom

Seeing him agree, Lin Zixue smiled like a blooming flower. "Then it's settled! Tomorrow afternoon, at the main entrance of the Pill Pavilion. Don't be late."

In high spirits, Lin Zixue added, "Oh, right. Alchemist Li, you may not be very familiar with Falling Cloud City or this Treasure Pavilion yet, so I'll give you a brief introduction to keep you from being at a loss when the time comes."

"I was just about to seek Senior Sister's guidance." Li Chengjie put on an attentive expression.

Li Chengjie's understanding of Falling Cloud City was indeed limited. There was never any harm in gathering more information.

Lin Zixue cleared her throat and began, "This 'Treasure Pavilion' has no simple origins. It isn't an asset of our Flowing Cloud Sect. It is said to be backed by the 'Four Seas Merchant Association,' a massive merchant organization that conducts business across several countries. Rumor has it that there are even Nascent Soul Ancestors overseeing it! That is precisely why the Treasure Pavilion can stand firm in Falling Cloud City and throughout the entire Chu Kingdom. Its auctions are quite credible as well, and the quality of the items it puts up for sale is guaranteed."

"Nascent Soul Ancestors!"

Li Chengjie's heart jolted.

To Li Chengjie as he was now, those in the Foundation Establishment Realm were already existences he had to look up to. Golden Core stage cultivators were even legendary great powers. As for the Nascent Soul Realm...

That was simply an existence as distant and unreachable as the bright moon!

The Treasure Pavilion's background truly ran unfathomably deep.

"Exactly." Seeing his surprise, Lin Zixue smiled. "Only with such deep backing can it move with ease among all the various factions. Take our Chu Kingdom, for example. It is currently divided, more or less, into two major camps."

After a pause, Lin Zixue continued, "Our Flowing Cloud Sect, along with cultivation families such as the Wen Family and the Tan Family within the kingdom, are all members of the 'Righteous Path Alliance' and count as righteous factions. To the north lies the territory of the Blood Fiend Cult and its Affiliated Factions. They are genuine Devil Dao Sects, ruthless and sinister in their methods. The two sides frequently clash along the border. It is said that the chaos around Qingshi Market a few years ago had the Blood Fiend Cult's shadow behind it."

Though shocked, Li Chengjie could not help but feel a trace of doubt. He frowned slightly and could not resist asking:

"Senior Sister Lin, forgive my ignorance. I... when I was at Qingshi Market before, I vaguely heard that the Chu Kingdom was dominated solely by our Flowing Cloud Sect?

How could a Devil Dao faction capable of contending with the sect have emerged now, forming a standoff between two major camps?"

This had indeed been a misconception of his all along.

In a place where low-level Rogue Cultivators gathered, such as Qingshi Market, the Flowing Cloud Sect was the heavens—an indisputable colossus. Things like the Blood Fiend Cult and the Righteous Path Alliance were far too distant from them, and information was exceedingly scarce.

Hearing this, Lin Zixue showed no surprise. Instead, she nodded in understanding and patiently explained, "It is perfectly normal for Alchemist Li to have such doubts. Throughout most of the Chu Kingdom, especially in outlying regions like the former Qingshi Market, our Flowing Cloud Sect truly is the unquestioned overlord, representing the orthodox order of the Chu Kingdom. But strictly speaking, the claim that 'the Chu Kingdom is dominated by one power' is actually internal propaganda from our Flowing Cloud Sect, meant to stabilize people's hearts."

Lin Zixue gathered her thoughts before continuing in a measured tone. "In truth, the Chu Kingdom has vast territory. To the north lies the boundless Ten Thousand Miasma Mountain Range. Its environment is harsh and poisonous miasma fills the air, but it has also nurtured many Yin Attribute Spirit Veins and unique Cultivation Resources because of this.

Around three or four hundred years ago, the Blood Fiend Cult, whose sect had been wiped out, quietly rose to prominence deep within those mountains. Their techniques were bizarre. They excelled in controlling corpses and ghosts, refining souls and conducting blood sacrifices, stopping at nothing in their actions. They developed at an astonishing pace."

"By the time our Flowing Cloud Sect noticed its threat, the Blood Fiend Cult had already grown into a formidable force. Its Sphere of Influence had firmly entrenched itself in the Ten Thousand Miasma Mountain Range and vast northern territories, creating a north-south standoff with our Flowing Cloud Sect. For resources, land, and disputes over Dao Lineage, the two sides have endured endless friction and conflict for centuries. Large-scale wars have broken out several times, with victories and defeats on both sides, yet neither has been able to eradicate the other completely."

Li Chengjie listened, utterly absorbed. This was the truer, crueler landscape of the Cultivation World—not the simple supremacy of a single sect.

"Then what about the 'Righteous Path Alliance'?" he pressed.

"Faced with the Blood Fiend Cult, this shared and powerful Devil Dao enemy," Lin Zixue explained, "our Flowing Cloud Sect alone would suffer grievous losses even if we could win. Thus, about two hundred years ago, led by our Flowing Cloud Sect, all cultivation families within the kingdom unwilling to submit to the Devil Dao were joined together, along with several like-minded Rogue Cultivator factions, to establish the 'Righteous Path Alliance.' Its purpose was to unite all righteous forces and resist the Blood Fiend Cult's encroachment together. The Wen Family and Tan Family in the city are both pillars of the alliance. And our Flowing Cloud Sect is naturally its leader."

So that was it!

Li Chengjie suddenly understood.

The Flowing Cloud Sect was still the ruler of the Chu Kingdom, but it was not without challengers.

Its so-called "sole dominance" only held true after excluding that troublesome Devil Dao neighbor in the north.

And the Righteous Path Alliance was an alliance formed by the Flowing Cloud Sect to consolidate its internal strength in response to that challenge.

"So the chaos at Qingshi Market, and even its eventual abandonment..." Li Chengjie said thoughtfully.

"Yes." Lin Zixue's expression grew somewhat solemn. "Qingshi Market was located along the border. Though it was nominally under our Flowing Cloud Sect's control, the Blood Fiend Cult's infiltration and harassment never ceased. That great turmoil some time ago was said to have been caused by the Blood Fiend Cult secretly backing certain bandit cultivators and rebellious factions, intending to throw the border into disorder and test our sect's response.

After weighing the matter, the sect decided to abandon some outer outposts and shrink the defensive line in order to concentrate its strength and avoid needless expenditure."

This explanation unfolded a broader, more intricate picture before Li Chengjie.

Li Chengjie was no longer merely a Rogue Cultivator struggling to survive, nor a lowly apprentice in the Pill Pavilion. He had been placed within a vast world where righteousness and devilry stood opposed, where two great camps battled fiercely against one another.

Before the tide of the age, an individual's fate seemed so insignificant—yet a single choice could still change it completely.

"Thank you, Senior Sister, for clearing up my doubts." Li Chengjie thanked her solemnly. "In that case, the peace of Falling Cloud City is all the more hard-won."

"Yes." Lin Zixue sighed. "It is precisely because the sect and the Righteous Path Alliance stand behind us that we can cultivate in relative peace in the rear. So increasing our strength is not only for ourselves. In a sense, it is also to protect this hard-won peace. Every border conflict requires vast quantities of pills, Talismans, and Dharma Artifacts. The responsibility borne by our Flowing Cloud Pill Pavilion is also very heavy."

"Enough, these great matters are not something we can worry about for now." Lin Zixue cast off the somewhat heavy topic and smiled again. "At tomorrow's auction, we should focus more on actual treasures! Perhaps there will be a fortunate opportunity that can help Alchemist Li take another step forward?"

Li Chengjie smiled as well, suppressing the turmoil in his heart. "I'll borrow Senior Sister's auspicious words."

(With fellow Daoists urging me to update, I'll definitely write ten thousand words a day.)