Chapter 1573: Arrival

More than a month later, they saw in the distance a massive, blood-red sect gate. The gate was shrouded in churning black and red clouds. Vaguely, one could see that it was about four or five li wide, its height unknown as it pierced the sky. Within the black and red clouds that seemed to be roiling in the wind, three crimson blood-eyes, like those of a giant, would occasionally be revealed, appearing and disappearing. In the haze, it gave one a sense of being both far and near. These were the three crimson characters for “Blood Lantern Sect”!

Li Yan looked at the scene before him with a sense of déjà vu. He had been in the Immortal Spirit Realm for over two hundred years now. The last time he came, he was still at the Nascent Soul Realm. He had flown here alone, a journey that also took nearly two months. And when he saw the Blood Lantern Sect’s gate again, he had already walked through life and death in the “Earth-True Domain.”

Just as Li Yan and his group approached the sect gate, the three large characters shot out rays of blood-red light, piercing through the black and red clouds. Like a Divine Giant looking down upon the mortal world, three giant blood-red eyes protruded, scanning the group.

Li Yan remembered that the last time he came, he had felt an immense pressure from the sect gate. At that time, his qi and blood had felt as if they were about to solidify, directly shaking his mind. But now, seeing it again, he no longer felt that suffocating pressure. This wasn’t just because his cultivation had greatly increased. The puppet Green Cloud Sparrow under his feet had also long been emitting rays of green light, resisting it. This wasn’t Shangguan Tianque deliberately being confrontational. If he didn’t do this, the three Nascent Soul cultivators, Yu Banjiang and the others, would only feel a wave of discomfort and wouldn’t have any major problems. But those Golden Core disciples would likely lose their minds, their blood frozen into icicles…

And just as they drew near, a figure suddenly flashed in front of them. The person shouted sternly, “Who dares to charge the sect gate!”

Shangguan Tianque stood at the head of the Green Cloud Sparrow, his expression as usual, but his voice was loud and clear. “I am Shangguan Tianque of the Broken Army Sect, here on the order of the Upper Sect for the sect promotion assessment!”

As he spoke, the Green Cloud Sparrow also came to a halt, hovering quietly in mid-air. Not long after his voice fell, a person appeared in front of the Green Cloud Sparrow. It was a middle-aged man dressed in a blood-red robe, with a cultivation of only Mid-stage Nascent Soul. After seeing Shangguan Tianque’s group, a flash of blood-red light disappeared from his eyes. Of course, he had already seen the visitors clearly before, and he had also received instructions from above. For such a large group of people to head straight for the sect gate without any reservation, it could only be the Broken Army Sect or the Bright Flame Sect.

“Then please present your token!” The middle-aged man in the blood-red robe waited until his Divine Sense had swept over each person on the other side before speaking faintly. But his tone held no hint of respect despite the four people in front of him being Spirit Transformation cultivators. Instead, he sized them up and down.

Regarding this person’s attitude, the faces of Shangguan Tianque, the other three, and the three Nascent Soul cultivators, Yu Banjiang and his group, showed no change. This was something they had expected. After all, the Broken Army Sect’s visit this time could be said to be for the purpose of breaking away from the Blood Lantern Sect. To suddenly lose a sect with several Spirit Transformation cultivators, it would be strange if the other party were happy. How could they give you a pleasant expression! Even a person with a loyal and honest nature like Yu Banjiang, who had seen much of the world, would not haggle with the other party over such a small matter. It was just that the Golden Core disciples behind them were filled with dissatisfaction. They were now excited and proud of their sect’s rise. A mere Mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, not even a great late-stage cultivator, dared to speak to their several Supreme Elders in such a manner. Even according to cultivation level, he should have come forward and bowed. But since Shangguan Tianque and the others in front said nothing, they could only be secretly angry.

Upon hearing this, Shangguan Tianque pondered for a moment. “Fellow Daoist, please present your sect’s token!” He couldn’t just take out the token given by the Pure Yang Hall based on a single sentence from the other party. He also needed to verify the other party’s identity first.

After hearing this, the middle-aged man in the blood-red robe gave a cold smirk. He raised his palm and quickly flashed it before putting it away. He believed that with the cultivation of Shangguan Tianque and the others, they could naturally see it clearly. Shangguan Tianque and Ren Yanyu were, of course, very familiar with the Blood Lantern Sect’s token. A sweep of their Divine Sense confirmed the aura emanating from it.

Without waiting for the other party to speak again, he unhesitatingly waved his large hand, and a pale yellow jade slip flew out, drifting towards the other party. Seeing this, the middle-aged man in the blood-red robe immediately raised his hand to grab the pale yellow jade slip. And as he raised his hand, his entire body surged with Spirit Power, clearly using his full strength. Although he spoke so impolitely, he was certainly very wary of a Spirit Transformation cultivator in his heart. It was just that he knew the other party wouldn’t dare to do anything to him here, but it was possible for them to make him suffer a hidden loss.

Instantly, he poured his full strength into his hand. But in the next moment, when his fingers touched the jade slip, he was shocked. He didn’t find anything unusual at all. The other party had just casually tossed it over, but he had almost, in a moment of lost strength, crushed the jade slip to pieces. Looking at the faces of Shangguan Tianque and the others, there was still no change, not even a hint of ridicule. For a moment, the middle-aged man in the blood-red robe felt that perhaps he had been overthinking things.

However, with so many people in front of him just quietly watching him, he didn’t have time to think too much. His Divine Sense directly entered the jade slip, and he quickly withdrew it…

After the Broken Army Sect’s token had been verified, the middle-aged man in the blood-red robe had no reason to make things difficult for them anymore. Subsequently, he led the group into the sect, and then the man disappeared.

Greeting them was a graceful Golden Core female disciple. This woman, on the other hand, had a smile on her face. After bowing, she led the group inside. For four Spirit Transformation and three Nascent Soul cultivators, the other party had only sent a Golden Core disciple to greet them. The Blood Lantern Sect’s attitude towards them was already clear. But the expressions of Shangguan Tianque and the others remained unchanged. They even smiled at the Blood Lantern Sect’s female Golden Core disciple…

Shangguan Tianque’s group flew continuously within the Blood Lantern Sect, but the female Golden Core disciple in front just led the way with her head down, without stopping or explaining anything to them. After flying for about a quarter of an hour, a plaza appeared in their line of sight!

At this moment, the plaza was already packed with people, which made the members of the Broken Army Sect frown. This plaza was huge, covering an area of about three hundred li. As the Broken Army Sect group swept their gaze over it, they found that although it wasn’t completely filled with people, there were at least tens of thousands of them. The cultivation levels of these people varied, and there were even Qi Condensation stage junior cultivators. Judging from their attire, they were all disciples of the Blood Lantern Sect.

Needless to say, these people were definitely here to watch the battle. For the other party to allow even Qi Condensation stage junior cultivators to watch such an event, it immediately made the people of the Broken Army Sect unhappy. Even the usually silent Li Yan frowned.

‘The Blood Lantern Sect’s actions are quite petty. Not to mention us, even if a Golden Core disciple makes a move, what can those Qi Condensation and Foundation Establishment cultivators of the Blood Lantern Sect see clearly? What can they understand? This is clearly a deliberate act to make the Broken Army Sect feel dissatisfied and agitated…’ Li Yan thought to himself.

Although the Bright Flame Sect faced the same situation, their mentality was different. They were not subordinate to the Blood Lantern Sect, so they naturally understood the meaning behind it, and might even feel a sense of schadenfreude. But since Shangguan Tianque didn’t speak up, everyone from the Broken Army Sect remained silent, though the expressions of the disciples were not very pleasant.

Soon, they flew over the plaza to a high platform floating in the air, about five or six hundred zhang above the ground. In the area near the high platform, which naturally had a good view, many Nascent Soul cultivators had appeared. Li Yan’s Divine Sense just briefly swept over and saw that there were no less than fifty or sixty Nascent Soul cultivators there. However, here, Li Yan and the others saw that besides the Blood Lantern Sect’s attire, there were also cultivators from the Seven Tigers Alliance.

At this time, the high platform was also divided into front and back sections, with more than twenty people already seated there. Li Yan saw at a glance Chongyangzi sitting in the front area, along with four other cultivators around him. Among those four was the demonic-looking youth from the Pure Yang Hall whom Li Yan and the others had met before. The other three also had terrifying auras faintly surging from them; they were also three Void Refining Realm experts.

And the remaining people were all Spirit Transformation Realm cultivators, all sitting in the area behind them. Among those people were more than ten Spirit Transformation cultivators, dressed in the attire of the Blood Lantern Sect and the Seven Tigers Alliance respectively. The remaining few Spirit Transformation cultivators were actually dressed in the attire of the Pure Yang Hall, which meant that the people who had come from the Pure Yang Hall this time were not just Void Refining Realm cultivators.

The female disciple of the Blood Lantern Sect who had led the way brought the Broken Army Sect group to the front of the high platform and then bowed to Shangguan Tianque and the others. “Seniors, you may proceed onto the high platform. The seniors from the Pure Yang Hall have already arrived!” After speaking, she flew away on her own.

Shangguan Tianque and the others naturally had to go and pay their respects to Chongyangzi and the other Void Refining Realm experts first. Without hesitation, they immediately led their people and flew towards the center. As he flew, he simultaneously sent a voice transmission to Li Yan and Mu Guyue. “Among the few Void Refining cultivators, that tall, thin, silver-haired old man is the Supreme Great Elder of the Blood Lantern Sect, Wu Gouzi. He also succeeded in breaking through a hundred years ago and is their only Supreme Elder. I know most of the Spirit Transformation cultivators here; they are basically the Spirit Transformation cultivators of the Blood Lantern Sect. And now it seems there are also quite a few cultivators from the Seven Tigers Alliance. This means that the cultivators at Nascent Soul and above from the Seven Tigers Alliance have also come to watch! I haven’t seen any cultivators from the Bright Flame Sect yet. They probably haven’t arrived.”

Shangguan Tianque said quickly. Unlike Li Yan, who had only been here once, he and Ren Yanyu were relatively familiar with the Blood Lantern Sect, so they knew many of its members. However, they were not familiar with the cultivators of the Seven Tigers Alliance, though they did know some of the powers under the Seven Tigers Alliance. The main reason was that the Broken Army Sect was not qualified enough. It was already good enough to be able to visit the Blood Lantern Sect a few times. The Seven Tigers Alliance would not let you enter at all.

As for the people from the Bright Flame Sect, Shangguan Tianque also knew them. Even if he hadn’t known them before, he had obtained their portrait jade slips and other information while gathering intelligence over the years. Among those Spirit Transformation cultivators, not a single one from the Bright Flame Sect was to be seen. And there were no other Nascent Soul or Golden Core cultivators on the high platform. Unlike their own group, which had been led here, this meant that they had arrived a bit early.

After hearing this, Li Yan and Mu Guyue couldn’t help but sweep their gazes towards the tall, thin, silver-haired old man. At that moment, he also stopped his conversation with the person beside him and looked over as well. Li Yan felt a stabbing pain on his body when the other’s gaze swept over him. Fortunately, the other was only scanning the four of them and did not deliberately stare at any one person. And he paid even less attention to the group of people behind them, led by Yu Banjiang. Otherwise, those people might have had difficulty even breathing at this moment.

The silver-haired, tall, thin old man had eyes like a hawk and thin, tightly closed lips, giving people a very sinister feeling. ‘The foundation of the Blood Lantern Sect is indeed extraordinary. They are also a third-rate sect, but a Void Refining Realm expert has already appeared!’ Li Yan thought to himself. Even without getting the information from Shangguan Tianque’s words, he could vaguely sense that the other’s cultivation should be at the Initial-stage of the Void Refining Realm.

Although he was surprised by the Blood Lantern Sect’s foundation, Shangguan Tianque had also said that this was their only Supreme Elder. Otherwise, if they had three Void Refining Realm cultivators, it was very likely that they would also apply to a first-rate sect for a promotion. And from this old man named Wu Gouzi, one could also see that a sect like the Blood Lantern Sect was a true top-tier third-rate sect. This was not something a sect like the Broken Army Sect, which had just thought of being promoted, could compare to.

On the high platform, seeing Shangguan Tianque and the others fly over, the others who had been conversing also looked towards the group.

“Shangguan Tianque leads the sect’s disciples to greet all seniors!” Shangguan Tianque led the group directly to the front of Chongyangzi’s group of five and immediately gave a deep bow. Li Yan and the others also bowed to the five of them. The Golden Core disciples of the Broken Army Sect didn’t even dare to raise their heads, all of them paying their respects with a grand bow. With their cultivation level, how could they easily see a Void Refining Realm cultivator?