Gan Kingdom's Zhiyang Prefecture, Five Aggregates Sect

Aboard the flying vessel, Elder Ao looked over the crowd. It seemed their emotions had more or less settled.

"Elder Ao."

The Rogue Cultivators lowered their heads and cupped their hands. They had all felt that gaze.

"The sect has paid such a great price and is willing to dispatch a flying vessel to transport you all because it hopes each of you will keep a scale in your hearts."

Ao Gu said in a deep voice. Some ugly words had to be spoken first. "No matter the size of a sect in the Cultivation World, every person must contribute. I hope you will not squander your time and will abide by the Sect Rules."

"We shall heed Elder Ao's instruction."

The Rogue Cultivators were shaken inwardly. The rules of killing for treasure and every man for himself lest heaven and earth destroy him no longer worked within a sect.

Understanding flashed through Chen Xun's eyes. A sect was not a place for loafing around; this was what they called annual contributions.

Since it gave you a vast platform where you could cultivate in peace, you naturally had to give back to the sect. Everyone understood that in their hearts.

They had climbed step by step to where they were as Rogue Cultivators. None of them were fools.

Ao Gu scrutinized the group, then nodded faintly. Though these Rogue Cultivators did not possess high aptitude, they were the main force in the Nandou Mountain Secret Realm every twenty years. They dared to fight and kill, and they had plenty of tricks up their sleeves.

The elders could not bear to send the sect's promising seedlings to risk their lives. That was why every sect recruited powerful Rogue Cultivators every year, no matter the cost—just to clear the path for those fine seedlings.

"Good."

Ao Gu nodded expressionlessly, then said no more. He sat cross-legged at the front, while the few Five Aggregates Sect disciples behind him also sat down and began cultivating.

"Fellow Daoist."

A monkey-thin man walked toward Chen Xun. His face was fair and clean, his features rather handsome, and he possessed Qi Refining Eighth Level cultivation.

Chen Xun and Black Bull sat at the stern of the vessel. He looked at this future senior brother and smiled as he nodded.

"My name is Ji Kun. From now on, we will be fellow sect brothers. I came to bother you, and I hope Fellow Daoist will not mind."

Ji Kun cupped his hands and smiled. He glanced around. The other Rogue Cultivators were either highly cultivated or gave off an aura that warned strangers away. This one seemed easier to get along with.

"My name is Chen Xun. So it is Senior Brother Ji—long have I admired you, long have I admired you. Please, have a seat."

Chen Xun patted the space before him and spoke openly, then looked at Black Bull. "This is my family's ancestral Black Bull, Qi Refining Second Level."

"Moo~~" Black Bull sprang up from its crouched position and let out a cry toward Ji Kun.

"It is actually a spirit beast. Greetings, Junior Brother Bull." Ji Kun sat cross-legged with a smile. He did not really understand the sect's rules, so he simply addressed it however he pleased.

Yet hearing Chen Xun call him Senior Brother gave him a strangely floating feeling. After being a Rogue Cultivator for so long, he had finally joined an organization.

"Moo~~" Hearing someone call it Junior Brother, Black Bull's eyes lit up with delight, and it mooed again.

"Hehe, I wonder which hall Junior Brother Chen intends to join? The Five Aggregates Sect has a vast system and many factions, but the Sect Rules may be written wrong—yet we must not choose the wrong path in life."

"Oh? Could it be that Senior Brother Ji has some inside information? I know absolutely nothing about the Five Aggregates Sect."

Chen Xun looked at Ji Kun with an impressed expression. Good fellow, this guy clearly had someone in the sect.

"Junior Brother Chen is overthinking it. I merely asked the Five Aggregates Sect disciple who invited me. It is not worth mentioning."

Ji Kun hurriedly waved his hand, though the corners of his mouth unconsciously curled into a smile.

"Does the Five Aggregates Sect have many people?" Chen Xun asked in confusion. The martial sects he had seen only had around a thousand members.

Ji Kun raised a hand and mysteriously held up five fingers.

"Five thousand people?!" Chen Xun cried in shock, turning to Black Bull, which stared back at him just as stunned.

So many cultivators—after living all these years, they had not seen that many cultivators even combined.

"Haha..." Ji Kun felt incomparably pleased at Chen Xun's expression and shook his head again.

"Five hundred people? That is a little too few." A trace of disappointment appeared in Chen Xun's eyes.

"Junior Brother Chen, it is over fifty thousand people."

Ji Kun took a deep breath and spoke slowly. Unexpectedly, upon hearing this, Chen Xun rolled his eyes and fainted.

"Junior Brother Chen!!"

"Moo~~!!"

Not long after, Chen Xun came around. A monstrous wave rose in his heart as he said in shock, "Senior Brother Ji, fifty thousand cultivators?!"

"Indeed. When I heard it, my reaction was not much different from Junior Brother Chen's."

"Wouldn't the Ten Great Immortal Sects of Gan Kingdom be in the heavens?"

"Of course. And not only Gan Kingdom—apparently, cultivators from other countries are also among the Ten Great Immortal Sects."

Ji Kun spoke with emotion. It could be said that all the outstanding cultivators of Gan Kingdom were within the Ten Great Immortal Sects. Who knew how wonderful that place must be?

"Old Bull, did you hear what Senior Brother Ji said? This is knowledge—this is vision!"

Chen Xun spread one hand as he spoke. Black Bull had already been dumbfounded by what it heard and kept nodding. It had thought Nine-Star Valley was the sky of cultivators.

"However, for outer sect disciples like us with no backing, joining the Outer Sect Deacon Hall is the best choice."

Ji Kun said solemnly, "Though we would carry out some dangerous missions, the contributions are considerable. We can exchange them for many treasures, gain real combat experience, and rapidly improve our cultivation."

Chen Xun understood. After saying so much, Ji Kun had come to recruit him. They were already forming cliques so quickly.

"Very well. I will certainly consider Senior Brother Ji's words. If I decide to join the Outer Sect Deacon Hall, you will be the first person I seek out."

Chen Xun cupped his hands and spoke solemnly, his eyes filled with sincerity.

"Good, then I will not disturb Junior Brother Chen and Junior Brother Bull." Ji Kun cupped his hands with a smile and departed in a carefree manner, going off to seek more fellow Daoists.

"Moo~" Black Bull called out at Ji Kun's retreating back.

Chen Xun's expression was calm. He would not make any decision based solely on Ji Kun's one-sided words, and the Outer Sect Deacon Hall also clashed with his own ideals.

With Black Bull by his side, he did not want to fight and kill within the sect. After finally finding a place with order, he only wanted to live happily.

Still, everything would have to wait until they reached the Five Aggregates Sect.

Buzz—

The entire flying vessel continued onward through the air, while the hearts of all the Rogue Cultivators aboard grew increasingly uneasy.

Zhiyang Prefecture lay in the Northern Frontier of Gan Kingdom. Its lands were mostly plains and great rivers, with countless wild beasts. The people there were bold and fierce, and many were chivalrous folk.

Yet within Zhiyang Prefecture stood several magnificent and mysterious mountain ranges. The Jade Bamboo Mountains were one of them, ranked second within the prefecture.

They lay in the western part of Zhiyang Prefecture, while the most magnificent and majestic range in the prefecture—the Cold Cloud Mountains—stood in its eastern part.

The Jade Bamboo Mountains stretched for tens of thousands of miles, their end invisible at a glance. They were shrouded in dense fog year-round. Countless commoners had become lost within them, only to return claiming they had witnessed immortal traces.

Though the mountains were immense, few people ventured there. Countless folk legends had arisen from them, and even the authorities had issued proclamations forbidding mortals from entering.

Within the mountains, towering peaks rose and fell in endless succession. Cliffs and precipices were wrapped in clouds and mist, ancient trees pierced the heavens, and mountains nestled against rivers, adding layer upon layer of mystery.

Yet none of the people of Zhiyang Prefecture knew that this was actually where the great cultivation sect—the Five Aggregates Sect—was located.

An endless, fantastical grand formation had been continuously strengthened and improved by generations of Five Aggregates Sect elders, and it had long since vanished from the Mortal Realm.

Within the formation, pavilions and towers had been built throughout the mountains. More than a dozen majestic great halls stood atop the various peaks, overlooking the entire Jade Bamboo Mountains.

Among the lofty mountains and ridges, dense cave dwellings could be found everywhere. From time to time, divine light flashed through the mountains, and spiritual energy pressed upon the air.

Whoosh!

Whoosh!

Countless uniformly dressed Five Aggregates Sect disciples rode flying swords through the low sky. Their expressions were tense, and they looked exceedingly busy, racing against every second of their limited lives.

High above in the sky, several flying vessels passed by. After a month of travel, Chen Xun and the others had finally arrived.