Netherworld Sect

In the boundless Mortal Realm, there are five major regions: the Wind God Continent, the Barren Moon Continent, the Forgotten Continent, the Verdant Continent, and the North Ice Continent. Each region is vast and boundless, and few people can leave their own continent in their lifetime.

This is partly because each continental region is too vast to imagine. Furthermore, adjacent continental regions are separated by hundreds of millions of miles of unknown, perilous lands. This is also why each continent cannot invade each other.

These unknown, perilous lands are either lifeless wastelands, endless primeval forests filled with miasma, scorching deserts where high temperatures can ignite everything, or vast snowfields where extreme cold freezes thousands of miles. Within these perilous lands, there are countless second and third-tier ferocious beasts, and even some fourth-tier advanced primordial beasts reside deep within. To cross two continental regions is like a fool's dream.

However, there are no absolutes. There is one type of person who still has a chance to traverse continental regions: the Cultivator. However, they must be a top-tier Cultivator. Upon reaching the Nascent Soul Stage, the Nascent Soul cultivator will possess immense power capable of moving rivers and filling seas. But even then, they are not absolutely certain, because the distance between continental regions is too vast, unknown dangers arise one after another, and fourth-tier primordial beasts are equivalent to human Nascent Soul Stage cultivators. How many can one person defeat?

Barren Moon Continent, since the ancient primordial era, has seen Immortal Spirit Realm experts shatter the void and arrive here, gradually establishing branches and leaves. Over hundreds of millions of years, large and small sects have sprung up, some gradually developing and growing, while others slowly disappear into the long river of history. The large eat the small, the strong devour the weak, rising and falling, prospering and declining.

On this Barren Moon Continent, there are thousands of sects, large and small. They can be roughly divided into unranked sects, third-rate sects, second-rate sects, and first-rate sects.

Unranked and third-rate sects have hundreds of people at most, and only two or three cats and dogs at the least. Their highest cultivation is only one to two or three Foundation Establishment cultivators, or even the entire sect is composed of Qi Condensation Stage cultivators.

Second-rate sects often have thousands or even thousands of cultivators. There are several or a dozen high-level Golden Core cultivators in the sect. These types of sects are often the most active in the world and are the main intermediate force in the Cultivation World.

On this continent, there are only four first-rate sects. They divide this continent into four major domains, and they control the fate of this continent. Whether it is the establishment and change of mortal dynasties, or the division of resources and the classification of sect levels in the Cultivation World, they are all managed by these four sects.

They are the Supreme Mystery Sect, the Pure Land Sect, the Ten Paces Institute, and the Netherworld Sect.

The Supreme Mystery Sect believes in the Taoist Three Pure Ones, the Pure Land Sect transforms into Buddhist Arhats, the Ten Paces Institute flies swords for thousands of miles, and the Netherworld Sect specializes in driving poison and using insects, as well as assassination.

Each of the Four Great Sects has several Nascent Soul old monsters who have cultivated for thousands of years guarding them, as well as dozens of high-level Golden Core cultivators. Their combat power is terrifyingly abnormal, and they have thousands upon thousands of Foundation Establishment and Qi Condensation Stage disciples. The foundation of the sect is incomparably deep.

However, few of these major sects walk among the mortals. Perhaps they only swarm out when exotic treasures are born or a great calamity descends. Usually, they either close their doors and concentrate on cultivation, or explore unknown perilous lands to find opportunities, pursuing the path of longevity.

In the west-central part of the Barren Moon Continent, the continuous mountains are covered layer upon layer with dense vegetation. Towering trees grow vigorously into the sky, their canopies covering the sky and the sun, layer upon

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layer, boundless and endless.

The Netherworld Sect, one of the Four Great Sects, is located here. It is composed of five peaks arranged in the shape of a mountain. The four peaks are arranged side-by-side on two sides, two peaks on each side, with the last peak located in the center and rear. The buildings on each peak basically face south and back north.

Each mountain peak occupies a vast area and soars into the clouds. The two peaks on the west side are called "Small Bamboo Peak" and "Inseparable Peak"; the two peaks on the east side are called "Four Symbols Peak" and "Spirit Insect Peak", and the mountain peak in the center and rear is called "Old Lord Peak".

At this time, immortal cranes and spiritual birds are constantly circling and flying on Old Lord Peak. Jade buildings and carved railings, pavilions and towers, flowing water and mist linger and flow, and winding paths lead to the misty places.

Inside the huge palace on the top of Old Lord Peak, more than a dozen people are standing in two rows, talking.

The person at the head sits in the center of the palace. This person is about seven feet tall, with long eyebrows and wide eyes, a fair and solemn complexion, and a gleam of light in his eyes. He is about fifty years old, dressed as a Taoist priest, with black hair tied in a bun, secured with a jade hairpin, and a horsetail whisk hanging diagonally on his arm.

The dozen or so people below him are sitting in two rows, some tall, some short, some fat, some thin, some ugly, some handsome, some male, some female. They are all wearing dark green robes. Upon closer inspection, only the cuffs are embroidered with gold patterns that are either the same or different.

"Then let's just leave it at that for this five-year competition. This afternoon, we'll issue the rewards for the top ten all at once." The old man dressed as a Taoist priest at the head waved his sleeve, picked up the horsetail whisk hanging on his other arm, and gently waved it, speaking.

With this wave, the cuff revealed a golden cauldron-shaped pattern embroidered on it, but this cauldron pattern was a ferocious beast's mouth facing the sky, which made people feel that it was quite inconsistent with his Taoist appearance.

"Yes, Sect Leader," the people in the two rows below responded in unison.

"This time, only four people from Junior Brother Wei's Small Bamboo Peak participated in the top ten, and two of them won places. Compared to our disciples who participate in the dozens or hundreds, it's embarrassing."

At this time, a Blue-Robed Scholar with a three-stranded long beard, about thirty years old, smiled and said to one of the people opposite him. He had a face as white as jade, narrow eyes, and wore a scholar's crown. His cuffs were embroidered with a golden snake-shaped object, in a gaping, fanged state. As his sleeves moved, it was as if a living thing was swimming, its fangs opening and closing. This person was the Blue-Robed Scholar who issued the order to capture Military Advisor Ji some time ago.

The person he was looking at was sitting opposite him in a lower seat. That person was about seven feet tall, slightly fat, wearing a scholar's turban, with pure and bright eyes under thick eyebrows, thick lips and no beard, and was about twenty-seven or eight years old. He gave people a feeling of purity and harmony. His cuffs were embroidered with a section of golden bamboo. At this time, he was looking at the scholar with a smile on his round face.

After the scholar finished speaking, some other people also nodded.

A beauty of about forty years old, after hearing this, smiled charmingly, "Senior Brother Feng is right, Junior Brother is always like this, how can I teach a group of disciples?" With her every word and action, her beautiful eyes looked around, full of watery waves, truly exuding all kinds of amorous feelings. The dark green robe did not appear wide on her body, but instead highlighted her curvy figure. When she spoke, her round body swayed gently, and the white and smooth light at her neckline flashed from time to time, radiating charm.

Seeing this, many people present quickly lowered or turned their heads, secretly cursing, "Damn enchantress, just talk, what kind of sorcery are you using?"

The solemn-faced old Taoist priest at the head was also a little embarrassed. This junior sister of his did not distinguish the occasion, and every time she opened her mouth, she had to be captivating.

"I say, Junior Brother Wei, you just let go and do nothing all day long. You might as well just open up and accept disciples, while we have thousands of people up and down the peak." Another burly man with dark skin and a golden compass embroidered on his cuffs spoke.

"Junior Brother Wei, if everyone did like you, wouldn't my Netherworld Sect only have two or three cats and dogs left after a thousand years?" A woman with mediocre looks, but with eyes like unmelting ice, also spoke with a gloomy expression. Her cuffs were embroidered with two tiny insects tightly embracing each other, even strangely.

Looking at the people below verbally criticizing the fat youth, the solemn-faced old Taoist priest at the head half-closed his eyes, thinking, "Junior Brother Wei, it's like this every time after the big and small competitions. Can't you take the initiative to shoulder the important responsibilities of the sect? It makes it seem like you're the most idle among the brothers, not asking about anything, and making us exhausted. You also have a share in this sect." Thinking of this, he couldn't help but sigh in his heart.

After a burst of discussion, some people spoke, while others stroked their beards and smiled, or remained silent and narrowed their eyes to observe. The person called Junior Brother Wei was not annoyed by what others said about him. After everyone gradually finished speaking, he smiled and said, "Hehe, Senior Brothers, Elders, it's been over two hundred years since I formed my core, and you're still holding on to me like this. I'm the last to enter the sect, and I just can't get rid of this lazy nature. Master gave Small Bamboo Peak to me in the first place, and I didn't want to take it, but he had to force it on my head. I also started to accept disciples widely like the other four peaks, but in the end, didn't they all go to your four peaks? Only a few were left. I really don't know how to manage it." As he spoke, he spread out his hands.

"Didn't we send elders to help you manage it? In the end, even the elders didn't want to go anymore. You should at least ask about the elders who were sent. You're good, you and your wife go into seclusion for ten or twenty years, and don't ask about anything. Elders also need to cultivate, and each of them needs to have a plan and an arrangement for doing things. You don't ask about anything." Someone complained.

"Hehe, I'm now handing over the affairs of Small Bamboo Peak to my eldest disciple to manage. Things like these big competitions and ranking matches require selecting candidates from thousands or hundreds of miles away. Just thinking about that pile of people gives me a headache." Junior Brother Wei looked unwilling.

He paused, his face becoming serious, "By the way, Senior Brother Feng, I heard yesterday that the 'Spirit Insect Peak' Enforcement Hall brought back a person. Is it really a 'Fractured Poison Body'? This is no ordinary matter."

The scholar with the golden snake embroidered on his cuffs immediately looked bad. This involved something that their peak did not want to mention, and it had been a thorn in their side for the past few years. Although the traitor was dead, they had lost a lot of face. This was the first time since the sect's inheritance that the original copy of their technique had been stolen.

The solemn-faced old Taoist priest sighed in his heart when he heard this, "This Wei

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Junior Brother, changed the topic again. This lazy nature can't be helped." However, when he heard about this matter, he also turned to look at the scholar.

"Junior Brother Feng, yesterday was because of the competition, and also because I heard that the boy who was brought back was also dying and needed treatment, so I didn't ask about it. Is there such a thing?"

The others saw that Sect Leader Senior Brother had also begun to inquire about other matters, and knew that the matter of "Junior Brother Wei" had ended again. They all smiled and shook their heads. This was originally just idle talk. Small Bamboo Peak would have been changed long ago if it was going to be changed. Just now, they just wanted to reprimand this lazy and gentle Junior Brother. Of course, a group of elders next to them were happy to watch their brothers make a fuss. Cultivation occasionally needs to be ridiculed like mortals.

They all looked at the scholar called Feng. The scholar's slender fingers tapped on the armrest of the chair a few times, as if organizing his words.

"Lian Shan has been a traitor from the peak for twenty years. We have been sending people to hunt him down. Until last year, we got the whereabouts of this person. After he betrayed the peak, he should have been looking for opportunities and entered a Cave Mansion of a Golden Core cultivator who was alive before. But Lian Shan was destined to have no luck. He was injured by the cave's protective formation and escaped. He died outside the cave. His storage bag was also shattered, and the items inside were also destroyed and scattered. But no fragments of the sect's technique Jade Slip or books were found. Therefore, it was judged that the technique was not damaged and may have been obtained by someone else.

In fact, if it had been damaged and destroyed, this matter would have ended. Anyway, what we wanted was this person's life and to find the whereabouts of the original copy of the technique.

Later, after investigating around the Cave Mansion, we learned from some Rogue Cultivators that the technique may have been obtained by someone from the 'Seeker Lineage'. I believe everyone is clear about the 'Seeker Lineage'. They spend their lives pursuing the path to immortality and dare to cultivate any sect's Immortal Technique they obtain. Therefore, the Enforcement Hall started with the medicinal materials needed when entering the technique and finally found it in the Imperial Dynasty, millions of miles away. There, they found a Military Advisor in the border army who may have cultivated the technique and had cultivated to the peak of the third level of the Qi Condensation Stage.

Because it involves some rules between us and mortals, the Enforcement Hall had to act cautiously. After investigation, this person had also purchased some of the medicinal materials required for entering the technique, and he had only appeared there six or seven years ago. In addition, based on some of his physical appearance and characteristics, it can be inferred that he is the person from the 'Seeker Lineage' who obtained the technique. From his usual appearance, he is forcibly cultivating it. This may be because he lacks medicinal materials.

The reason why he came to the army again can also be deduced from his apprenticeship in the army. He somehow obtained the Spirit Absorption Art and may have been fantasizing about using this method to remove the Fire Poison in his body. But his Mana is low, how can he find a suitable person? So he is looking for people with Spirit Root in the army. But this person is also considered to have great luck. He actually found two mortals with Spirit Root one after another, and both have wood attributes."

Speaking of this, he couldn't help but sigh, "We have to spend a lot of effort to find one person with Spirit Root among mortals, but he found them one after another like this. He really has great luck."

Everyone else nodded when they heard this.