Grudges Between Two Sects

Setting aside their respective positions, Liu Yuanchen rather approved of the Soaring Immortal Sect's plan.

Although supporting Half-Demons might result in raising an ungrateful traitor.

As long as Half-Demons cultivated the Beast God Transformation, however, their conflict with pure-blooded Demon Race members would be irreconcilable.

Once the Half-Demons grew strong, their hatred for the Demon Race would undoubtedly run deeper than their hatred for the Human Race.

The Beast God Transformation required the essence blood of pure-blooded Demon Race members for cultivation, so the Demon Race would never sit back and allow the Half-Demon faction to rise.

As long as the pure-blooded Demon Race still had the strength to fight, they would desperately suppress the Half-Demons.

Unless either the Half-Demons or the pure-blooded Demon Race was completely defeated, neither side would have the leisure to deal with the Human Race.

Even if one side achieved complete victory, its internal losses would be unavoidable, and the process would be extremely long.

The Demon Race and Half-Demons had originally been one family. Turning them into two families locked in mutual hatred meant the Human Race would profit immensely no matter the outcome.

"Master, I think the Soaring Immortal Sect's plan is quite good. Why is our Eight Desolations Pavilion at odds with them?"

Zhao Hong sighed softly. "If it were only about this plan, our Eight Desolations Pavilion naturally would not oppose it.

"Explaining the grudges between the two sides involves far too many matters.

"I happen to have nothing to do today, so I'll tell you about it and help you understand our Eight Desolations Pavilion better."

Liu Yuanchen felt somewhat excited upon hearing this.

During his trip to Qinghe Town, even the Myriad Treasures Trading Association had treated him with great courtesy.

That alone showed that his own sect was far from ordinary.

However, he knew very little about exactly what made the Eight Desolations Pavilion extraordinary.

Zhao Hong continued, "I previously showed you the history of the Earth Immortal Path. You should know that in ancient times, the Human Race cultivated the Physical Body Path.

"They were forced to seek new methods of cultivation only because resources were scarce.

"Some cultivators abandoned the Physical Body Path and explored the Qi Refinement Path and Divine Path.

"Yet for a very long time, the Physical Body Path remained orthodox."

"Some Physical Body Path cultivators also discovered its flaws and began working to improve it.

"These people established many factions, and our Eight Desolations Pavilion was one of them."

"And the Soaring Immortal Sect was originally part of our Eight Desolations Pavilion as well.

"The two sides eventually went their separate ways because of a conflict of paths.

"When Extraterritorial Lifeforms invaded, that battle was extraordinarily brutal and shattered the largest Earth Vein in the Origin Spirit Realm.

"The Earth Vein Baleful Intent surged forth without first being transformed by Spirit Veins.

"Along with the influence of the Human Race, Demon Race, and Extraterritorial Lifeforms that died in battle, it gave rise to all manner of strange things.

"Even the land across a radius of more than a million miles was turned into barren wasteland.

"After that battle, the Origin Spirit Realm's potential declined drastically, and those who came later could no longer cultivate to the realm of true immortality."

Liu Yuanchen asked, "Master, was the place where the battle against the Extraterritorial Lifeforms took place not far from here?"

Zhao Hong nodded. "Exactly. Tens of thousands of years ago, the Red Wasteland was a treasured land for cultivation.

"After that battle, it became what it is today.

"The heart of the battlefield lies at the very center of the Red Wasteland.

"The Black Mist on Blackcloud Ridge was formed from Earth Vein Baleful Intent mixed with the resentment and other energies of powerful experts who died in battle.

"By the time it reaches our area, the Black Mist has already grown very weak and will not greatly affect cultivators.

"But a hundred thousand miles east of here, merely inhaling one breath of that Black Mist would be enough to cause minor qi deviation.

"If not for that, how could there be no warfare when the Red Wasteland lies on the border between Human Race and Demon Race territory?"

Liu Yuanchen nodded, gaining a deeper understanding of the Red Wasteland.

Zhao Hong asked, "Where was I?"

Meng Tieshan reminded him, "Those who came later could no longer cultivate to the realm of true immortality."

"Oh, then let's continue.

"The Human Race is not absolutely incapable of immortality, but the conditions are exceptionally harsh.

"Divine Path cultivators abandon their physical bodies and receive investiture from the Divine Court.

"As long as their incense offerings never cease, they can live forever.

"But deities require incense offerings to sustain themselves, which means they are constrained by commoners, by the Divine Court, and by mortal dynasties.

"With so many old women hanging over their heads, what meaning is there in immortality?"

"Qi Refinement Path cultivators who reach the Immortal Ascension Realm can, through certain methods, gain an unlimited lifespan.

"But every fifteen hundred years, they must endure a Thunder Tribulation.

"These Thunder Tribulations become more terrifying each time, and eventually there will come a day when they cannot withstand one.

"Those who truly cannot endure it find a Grotto-Heaven and Blessed Land to hide in and never emerge again. That allows them to evade the Thunder Tribulation.

"After all, a Grotto-Heaven and Blessed Land is also part of the world, and it is relatively fragile.

"If the Thunder Tribulation is too terrifying, it may destroy the Grotto-Heaven and Blessed Land, damaging the entire world.

"This world must avoid harming itself, so it can only spare those Qi Refinement Path cultivators.

"But once they emerge, death is certain."

"Our Earth Immortal Path cultivators fare no better.

"By opening up Grotto-Heavens and Blessed Lands, we can regulate Earth Veins and give rise to new Spirit Veins.

"Grotto-Heavens and Blessed Lands cannot separate from the Origin Spirit Realm, so they are also part of the Origin Spirit Realm.

"Having more Grotto-Heavens and Blessed Lands benefits the entire world.

"Earth Immortal Path cultivators render service to the world, so Thunder Tribulations do not descend upon them.

"But to achieve immortality, they must merge their physical bodies with their Grotto-Heavens and Blessed Lands.

"Once they reach that point, they can never again stray far from their Grotto-Heavens and Blessed Lands."

"At the time, some of our Eight Desolations Pavilion forefathers believed that we should do everything possible to repair the damaged Earth Veins and restore the Origin Spirit Realm to its former glory.

"Even those unwilling to be bound by Grotto-Heavens and Blessed Lands insisted on improving the Physical Body Path through other means.

"But the Soaring Immortal Sect's forefathers believed that the Demon Race was too powerful, and defeating them alone would take tremendous effort.

"As for repairing the Earth Veins, who knew how long that would take?

"Furthermore, the Earth Immortal Path was bound by Grotto-Heavens and Blessed Lands, leaving absolutely no hope of advancing further."

"Thus, they abandoned the Earth Immortal Path and Physical Body Path and focused on the Qi Refinement Path.

"The Origin Spirit Realm had been invaded by powerful Extraterritorial Lifeforms, proving that many other worlds existed beyond it.

"Rather than remain in the Origin Spirit Realm, they might as well cultivate in higher worlds.

"Furthermore, the cultivation world had always possessed legends of immortals ascending after shedding their mortal forms, so they made ascension their goal.

"After that, the conflict between the two branches gradually deepened.

"Those cultivators who advocated ascending to higher worlds withdrew from the Eight Desolations Pavilion and founded the Soaring Immortal Sect."

"At that time, the Earth Immortal Path was still incomplete, and the Divine Path had yet to develop, so the Qi Refinement Path dominated alone.

"As a Qi Refinement Path faction, the Soaring Immortal Sect naturally prospered.

"They also used their influence to suppress the Eight Desolations Pavilion.

"The Eight Desolations Pavilion was no weakling either, so both sides plotted against each other in secret.

"Over time, their grudges accumulated ever deeper, forming the current opposition between the two sects."

"More than ten thousand years ago, the Divine Path established the Divine Court, surpassed the Qi Refinement Path, and became the Human Race's orthodoxy.

"To suppress the Qi Refinement Path, they elevated the Earth Immortal Path very highly.

"As a Qi Refinement Path faction, the Soaring Immortal Sect naturally suffered severe suppression.

"As a Qi Refinement Path faction, the Soaring Immortal Sect placed enormous importance on researching Immortal Seeds.

"Some more extreme disciples even used living people as test subjects in their research on Immortal Seeds.

"With the Divine Court fanning the flames, the Soaring Immortal Sect became branded as a faction of evil cultivators and suffered a crushing blow.

"Later, the Soaring Immortal Sect threw caution to the wind and directly joined the alliance of evil cultivator factions—the Myriad Gods Sect."

After listening to Zhao Hong's account, Liu Yuanchen sighed. "In that case, it really is a pity that the Soaring Immortal Sect ended up where it is today.

"They were originally one family. Even if their ideals differed, they could have stayed apart and gone their separate ways. Why did they have to become bitter enemies?"

Zhao Hong nodded. "Isn't that so? Many cultivators in our Eight Desolations Pavilion still cherish the bonds of the past.

"Some of the older people on the Soaring Immortal Sect's side also remember old ties.

"But after so many years, it is already impossible to eliminate the divide.

"Unless someone can cultivate to a higher level and prove the other side's ideals wrong.

"Otherwise, the two sects will continue fighting forever."

"Is the Demoncloud Sect also part of the Myriad Gods Sect?"

Zhao Hong's face filled with disdain. "The Demoncloud Sect is merely a faction founded by a bunch of nobodies, and its inheritances are all local Red Wasteland trash.

"They are completely unqualified to join the Myriad Gods Sect.

"Put it this way: if the weakest minor faction in the Myriad Gods Sect sent out one expert, they could massacre the entire Red Wasteland.

"It is only because the Human Race's upper echelons deliberately wish to arrange matters in the Red Wasteland that the Myriad Gods Sect has come to make trouble.

"As an evil cultivator faction, the Demoncloud Sect naturally became the best choice for support from the Myriad Gods Sect.

"The ones currently supporting the Demoncloud Sect are mainly the Blood Bat Sect under the Myriad Gods Sect.

"Those bastards drink human blood to cultivate. If you encounter Blood Bat Sect members in the future, do not let them die too easily."

"As for the Soaring Immortal Sect, they merely came to join the commotion and gather some research materials along the way.

"There are not many Soaring Immortal Sect members in the Red Wasteland, only He Daoheng and several of his fellow disciples.

"Their branch is relatively moderate. Although they refuse to submit to our Eight Desolations Pavilion, they still have their limits.

"If you encounter people from the Soaring Immortal Sect and can defeat them, just show some restraint."

After learning about the Soaring Immortal Sect and Demoncloud Sect, Liu Yuanchen asked several more questions about cultivation.

Afterward, he left the cave abode and headed for the Technique Transmission Hall.

After becoming a direct disciple, he was qualified to visit the third floor of the Technique Transmission Tower.

Liu Yuanchen had previously heard that the inheritances stored on the third floor of the Technique Transmission Tower were all extremely important to the sect.

Many cultivation methods were lower-level versions of the sect's core inheritances.

Anyone who mastered one of these cultivation methods and made a name for themselves was almost guaranteed to become an elder.

When he arrived before the Technique Transmission Tower, the old steward guarding the entrance was still the same one he had met last time.

Liu Yuanchen took out his direct disciple token, and the old man glanced at it.

His expression immediately became much more amiable.

"Becoming a direct disciple at such a young age, your future is limitless.

"Direct disciples may select cultivation methods from the first three floors of the Technique Transmission Tower. Go on up."

Liu Yuanchen nodded and headed straight for the third floor.

The various inheritances stored on the third floor were far fewer than those on the first two floors.

Many of the inheritances on the first two floors did not belong to the Azure Elixir Sect at all.

They were usually inheritances that disciples obtained while traveling outside and sold to the sect.

Although such inheritances were not systematic, they still supplemented the sect's inheritance collection.

Liu Yuanchen went straight to look for Wind-Thunder attribute spells. Although, after cultivating the Azure Ape Forest-Piercing Technique, he no longer had much need for Wind-Thunder attribute spells.

He had nevertheless developed something of an obsession with Wind-Thunder attribute spells.

The Azure Elixir Sect's founding ancestor had been a wood-attribute cultivator and had also placed considerable importance on Wind-Thunder attribute spells and cultivation methods.

Among the sect's core inheritances were Wind-Thunder attribute cultivation methods.

Furthermore, these cultivation methods came with Wind-Thunder attribute spells.

Unfortunately, if one did not cultivate the corresponding cultivation method and instead practiced only the included spells, their power would be greatly reduced.

In the past, he certainly would not have passed up such spells.

But after cultivating the Azure Ape Forest-Piercing Technique, he was no longer lacking offensive methods.

He had no interest in such flashy but impractical spells.

He did not intend to switch cultivation methods, so he simply wandered through the spell section.

There were not many Wind-Thunder attribute spells here either. After searching for a long while, he finally found a fairly decent spell.

The spell was called Wind-Riding Evasion. Its name sounded impressive, but its actual effects were mediocre; at most, it could only be cultivated to the Late Sea of Qi Realm.

Although it was called Wind-Riding, it could not allow one to fly on the wind. It merely used the power of wind to execute an evasion technique, though its speed was indeed extremely fast.

However, Wind-Riding Evasion was not particularly flexible, did not pair well with offensive or defensive spells, and was even less suitable for concealing one's figure.

Its greatest advantage was simply its speed.

As long as one had sufficient spiritual power, traveling over three hundred li in one Shi Chen at full speed would not be a problem.

Even Qi-Nourishing Realm cultivators using a second-rank low-grade Swiftstride Talisman could not reach such speed.

When fleeing for one's life, this spell was still extremely useful.

Liu Yuanchen had Wood-Shadow Evasion for concealing himself, the Forest-Piercing Escape Art for use in battle, and now Wind-Riding Evasion, which specialized in speed.

If nothing else, his ability to escape was now completely maxed out.

Taking Wind-Riding Evasion also resolved a knot that had lingered in his heart for years.

Since he would cultivate the Earth Immortal Path in the future and would not focus on spiritual power, there was little point in learning more Wind-Thunder spells.

Afterward, he went to the Divine Farmer Art section.

It had already been confirmed that his spiritual power contained the special energy capable of granting sentience to plants.

He already had the Yi Wood Origin-Nourishing Art to cultivate spirit plant seeds, but lacked a specialized method for continuously nurturing spirit plants that had already matured.

What he sought was precisely a Divine Farmer Art capable of continuously cultivating spirit plants.

After searching the Divine Farmer Art section for a while, he found a suitable spell.

This spell was called the Jia Wood Withering-and-Flourishing Art, and it could inject spiritual power into spirit plants.

That spiritual power could be stored within the spirit plants and accelerate their growth.

Although this spell accelerated spirit plant growth, it merely supplied a great deal of spiritual power suited to their growth, like giving the spirit plants a little fertilizer.

Although spirit plants grew quickly, they still grew naturally.

Unlike Ten Thousand Woods Become a Forest and the Entangling Art, it did not forcibly accelerate the growth of spirit plants.

Therefore, this method of speeding up spirit plant growth had no side effects on the plants themselves.

Furthermore, the Jia Wood Withering-and-Flourishing Art could extract the spiritual power from spirit plants, causing them to wither and die.

When managing a Spirit Field, it could be used to remove particularly stubborn weeds.

Liu Yuanchen had no need for this function. He could already draw out the life force of vegetation, and its effect was far stronger than this.

In truth, this spell was not particularly sophisticated. It simply achieved miracles through brute force, relying entirely on piling up spiritual power.

Yet for Liu Yuanchen, it was the most suitable spell.

His spiritual power contained a special energy that could enhance the spiritual intelligence of vegetation. This spell could pour a great deal of spiritual power into spirit plants, allowing them to absorb it slowly.

Using this spell to cultivate spirit plants would allow them to absorb even more of that special energy.

Liu Yuanchen's Spirit Realm continuously replenished his spiritual power, and he could never use it all up. At last, he had found a use for it.

.