What Is a Sect? What Is a Sect, Really!

Outside the gate of the Cloud Sword Mountain Range.

True Person Yun Du, dressed in a white robe, stood at the head of the flying boat, with ten Foundation Establishment cultivators, including Sun Yao, standing behind him with solemn expressions.

These ten Foundation Establishment cultivators have all grown up in the last twenty or thirty years.

Now they are being thrown into war again, and who knows how many more will perish this time...

These are truly turbulent times; the world is not at peace.

Yun Du glanced back at the sect, his gaze filled with complex emotions, which ultimately turned into a soft sigh as he cupped his hands in a distant bow.

"Fellow Daoist Shi, I entrust the affairs of the temple to you."

"If there are any unusual movements, do not act impulsively."

"This scourge Yan Qiu will have to be eliminated sooner or later, but not now. The Upper Sect has its own rules, and those who break the rules all die."

Yun Du's telepathic message reached Purple Firmament Peak, but received no response.

On Purple Firmament Peak, the lightning still flashed, as if it had never changed since time immemorial.

Yun Du a wry smile and shook his head.

Without further hesitation, he made a hand Method Formula, and in an instant, the flying boat transformed into a streak of light, carrying the "loyalty" of White Cloud Temple, and rushed to the front line of the North Sea.

After Yun Du left, White Cloud Temple seemed to remain unchanged.

Inside the council hall of the Sword Cloud Main Peak, an elderly man with white hair and beard, exuding Dao of Wind, sat in the seat that originally belonged to Yun Du.

Yun Tianfan, the third elder of the Yun Clan.

He is also the Grand Elder of White Cloud Temple, with Foundation Establishment Late Stage stage.

His gaze swept down to the several Yun Clan elders standing with their hands at their sides, and his voice was extremely calm. "The abbot's departure will last at least three to five years, and possibly more than ten years. The temple's mundane affairs will continue as before."

"Order all disciples on each peak to diligently cultivate and not slack off."

"Especially the Sun Clan lineage, make sure their people behave themselves and don't forget the rules of White Cloud Temple just because they have the protection of Ancestor Shi."

"Although Ancestor Shi favors the Sun Clan, this loyalty is not eternal."

"Within this White Cloud Temple, there are many who want to replace the Sun Clan. We must not let the Sun Clan family members become too arrogant."

An elder bowed and replied, "Rest assured, Elder, those in charge of the Sun Clan are all intelligent people who know their place."

Yun Tianfan nodded slightly and said nothing more.

Inside the main hall, power was smoothly transferred, and the Yun Clan lineage still firmly controlled the discourse at White Cloud Temple...

Meanwhile, at Bo'an Peak.

Sun Mao, leaning on an ironwood cane, stood atop the mountain, watching Sun Yao depart with the group, his cold, hard face revealing neither joy nor anger.

"Elder brother, Second sister's journey is fraught with peril..."

Sun Lin stood behind him, looking worried.

He now holds the positions of deputy Peak Master of both the Formation and Talisman peaks, and is considered to have some power within the sect, but he is still powerless in the face of the sect's overall situation.

"This is the ancestor's order, and it is the price that the Sun Clan must pay."

Sun Mao turned around and slammed his cane heavily on the ground:

"We are the Ancestor's blades; if the blades are not sharp, we will be discarded. Yao-mei is going to the front lines to establish the Sun Clan's authority and to share the Ancestor's burdens."

"You and I, then, must plant our roots even deeper within this temple!"

He looked at Sun Lin and murmured, "How many of our people have you planted in the Array and Talisman Halls now?"

"Seven people have already joined."

"The main problem is that our clan doesn't have enough manpower. We've already arranged as many capable disciples as possible, but it will still take time for things to blossom and bear fruit."

Upon hearing this, Sun Mao nodded, seemingly satisfied.

This White Cloud Temple, though nominally a Golden Core sect, is in reality nothing more than a community of interests composed of several cultivation Lineage...

It could also be described as an alliance of cultivators.

This is similar to the situation in Hongtian City back then, where the Lin, Ye, and Sun clans lived together, with the three families in a competitive relationship and each acting independently.

However, when dealing with external threats, the stance is unified: to fight the enemy together...

The White Cloud Temple today is the same.

Currently, White Cloud Temple is roughly divided into four factions, with the Yun Clan being the most powerful, holding all the power in the sect and controlling the most interests.

Yun Du was born into the Yun Clan, and he owes much of his birth to the Yun Clan support.

Yun Du was able to seize the Heaven and Earth Qi from the internal struggles, thus successfully reaching the Golden Core. As a result, the Yun Clan soared to prominence and took power!

Below the Yun Clan is the Sun Clan's lineage of beast taming.

Although the Sun Clan joined later, they were protected by Shi Jian, a Golden Core Demon General, so their status naturally rose accordingly.

Although limited by manpower, they were unable to seize more sect benefits.

However, within White Cloud Temple, the Sun Clan family members were considered core disciples, enjoying considerable power and forming their own distinct lineage!

And ranked third.

This is the Zhao Clan lineage, the founders of White Cloud Temple. The Zhao Clan established White Cloud Temple, but unfortunately, after the death of Zhao Qing, a Golden Core True Person, it fell into a period of decline...

Subsequently, due to the chaos caused by Devil Cultivator and Rogue Cultivator.

This led to the Zhao Clan's Foundation Establishment, and their successive downfalls.

This led to a dramatic decline in their power and influence. Now, the Zhao Clan family can only hold the third position in the temple, possessing three second-tier Spirit Vein.

The Zhao Clan, who were in charge of the sect's weapon-refining peak, now only had three Foundation Establishment cultivators left, even more destitute than the Sun Clan...

As for the fourth party...

They were disciples of the sect, as well as several elders from other clans.

The vast majority of the thousands of disciples within White Cloud Temple were mere tenants of the Yun, Sun, and Zhao families...

Cultivating spiritual fields and medicine gardens, caring for spiritual beasts, hunting down Evil Cultivator and Devil Cultivator under one's jurisdiction, or completing various tasks of the sect.

Essentially, it's all about working for three companies...

Ultimately, the vast majority of the profits were seized by the Yun Clan, while the Sun Clan later intervened, all of them exploiting these disciples. However, this is the rule of the cultivation world.

It is understandable that disciples should repay the teachings of the immortal sects.

As for those elders from other clans, they are essentially the most talented and capable among the disciples.

These people are equivalent to high-level thugs in a sect!

For example, among the ten Foundation Establishment cultivators who went on this expedition, six were Foundation Establishment Foundation Establishment elders from other clans.

They are also consumables, but at a higher level.

Those disciples or elders from other clans who are proficient in special skills or have exceptional talent will eventually be recruited and won over by the Yun, Sun, and Zhao families.

For example, by forming alliances through marriage or by providing resource support to win them over.

These methods are for recruiting talent and making it work for you.

All of these elements combined form the prototype of a sect, and also its core operational logic.

Wherever there are people, there will naturally be a world of its own.

Yun Du took away the sect's elite troops. Without him in charge, some people naturally sensed an opportunity and began to make their own moves...

Among them was the Zhao Clan lineage.

Of course, these little things couldn't escape Shi Jian's eyes and ears.

Within the Cloud Sword Mountain Range, countless spirit rats hidden in the shadows silently observe all movements, and no one can escape their surveillance.