Chapter 1614: A Succession of Surprises

Inside the cave residence, Li Yan met the messenger—a handsome young Daoist who looked to be only twenty-one or twenty-two years old. His cultivation was impressive, having already reached the late-stage Nascent Soul Realm.

Once the visitor revealed his identity, Li Yan learned that he was actually Chongyangzi’s youngest disciple. Li Yan had heard a bit about Chongyangzi’s three disciples. Chongyangzi himself had only entered the Void Refining Realm about a century ago. Among his students, only the eldest was at the initial-stage Spirit Transformation Realm, while the other two were at the late-stage Nascent Soul Realm. However, they were core disciples of the Pure Yang Hall, so they were on a completely different level than the Nascent Soul cultivators of a third-rate sect.

The young Daoist handed Li Yan a jade slip and told him that if he had any questions about its contents, he could provide detailed answers. Li Yan realized that Chongyangzi hadn’t just sent a message; sending a disciple in person carried deeper meaning. It suggested that some things could not be written in a jade slip. But Li Yan’s requests were the same as those he’d given to Jia Fugui—only two things. It shouldn’t be so complicated.

Hearing that Chongyangzi had sent someone, Li Yan assumed it was about his requests. But the young Daoist’s warning made him wonder if it was something else entirely.

‘Could it be something else?’ Li Yan thought as he took the slip, but his Divine Sense quickly entered it.

To Li Yan’s shock, the slip Chongyangzi had gone to such lengths to deliver contained only a single sentence: “Guī Qù Lái Xī has appeared in Ghost Sound City to the north!”

Seeing the name Guī Qù Lái Xī, Li Yan’s body jolted. Despite his guesses, he hadn’t expected news of the association to appear one after another following Jia Fugui’s report. Meanwhile, news of the passage to the lower realm remained stuck at the dragon-elephant tribe.

But where was this Ghost Sound City in the north? Li Yan looked at the young Daoist. “Fellow Daoist, Senior Chongyangzi’s slip mentions Ghost Sound City in the north. Where is that?”

The young Daoist smiled. Though he didn’t know Li Yan, the fact that his master had sent him personally and given so many instructions meant this man was likely very close to his teacher.

“Senior, Ghost Sound City is extremely far from here, which is why you haven’t heard of it. it is a city belonging to the Mocha Palace. Although it is far from the Broken Army Sect, logically you should already be privy to information regarding that sect. I assume the Pure Yang Hall decided not to tell you yet because your sect is currently in the middle of a rapid expansion…” The young Daoist began to explain.

The superior sect of the Pure Yang Hall was the first-rate power, the Moji Dao Sect. As a first-rate power, the Moji Dao Sect naturally needed to seize cultivation resources, which inevitably led to friction with other first-rate powers, often culminating in open warfare. This was unavoidable whether one was a bottom-tier sect or a first-rate superpower.

Among all the rivals of the Moji Dao Sect, there was a sect called the Mocha Palace, which was also a first-rate power. They were mortal enemies with the Moji Dao Sect, and their conflict had never ceased since it began.

The Mocha Palace was a lineage of ghost cultivators, a rare type of sect within the Immortal Spirit Realm. However, unlike soul cultivators who were often hunted for their techniques, few sects were willing to provoke them. This wasn’t because ghost cultivators were stronger than soul cultivators, but because their techniques weren’t mysterious—they were simply too cruel. Their cultivation was often bloody and involved things most people found unacceptable, such as dealing with corpses or living in tombs.

Furthermore, the Mocha Palace was a fully established power, unlike the Soul Suppression Palace. They feared no one. Their internal cohesion was incredibly high and they were extremely xenophobic. Consequently, few outsiders could enter their territory. Those discovered were usually killed, which meant information about their lands was scarce. Cultivators from distant regions knew almost nothing about them.

The territories of the Moji Dao Sect and the Mocha Palace overlapped, with many shared borders. Major battles broke out frequently, leading to constant slaughter. The reason was always the same: more resources. Since their strengths were comparable, the conflict had reached a stalemate. In many border regions, massive numbers of cultivators were permanently stationed, forming entire armies.

The scale of a first-rate power was beyond Li Yan’s imagination. Even a behemoth like the Malevolent Spirit Sect in the lower realm—with its terrifying overall strength—would only be comparable to a fourth-rate sect in the upper realm. The only thing they had in common was a massive number of disciples; the high-end combat power of the Malevolent Spirit Sect was far inferior to even a newly promoted third-rate sect like the Broken Army Sect.

In the confrontation with the Mocha Palace, third-rate sects under the Moji Dao Sect were required to send Spirit Transformation or even Void Refining cultivators for rotation duty. However, new sects like the Broken Army Sect were exempt for the first five hundred years. This was a form of protection, allowing them to focus entirely on development. During this time, the Pure Yang Hall would slowly inform them about the Mocha Palace so they could prepare. Since the Broken Army Sect had only been third-rate for a decade, they hadn’t received any news yet.

Ghost Sound City in the north was a border garrison city of the Mocha Palace. There were vast numbers of cultivators there, which naturally drew many merchants looking to make a fortune. However, most of the shops there were run by ghost cultivators. Any other merchant had to be approved by the Mocha Palace. Therefore, there weren’t many outside shops. This was similar to the Moji Dao Sect’s border cities. While both sides allowed some outside powers to set up shop, they strictly forbade any outsider from operating in both territories simultaneously. They feared spies. Every outside merchant had to undergo rigorous vetting.

Chongyangzi had put in considerable effort to learn about Guī Qù Lái Xī from a scout who had once infiltrated Ghost Sound City. He had also confirmed that the shop wasn’t run by ghost cultivators but was an outside human power. Whether Guī Qù Lái Xī had shops in other Mocha Palace cities was unknown. However, this news confirmed that there were definitely no Guī Qù Lái Xī shops within the Moji Dao Sect’s territory. This was why Chongyangzi, being part of the Moji Dao Sect’s network, hadn’t found the news sooner.

The young Daoist provided all this information without Li Yan even needing to ask, anticipating his questions. Li Yan realized the true reason Chongyangzi had sent his disciple. Information about the Mocha Palace was kept from the Broken Army Sect to avoid disturbing their peace. It was core confidential information that couldn’t be leaked before the Pure Yang Hall made it public. Thus, Chongyangzi hadn’t put it in the slip but had his disciple deliver it orally.

“Does Senior Chongyangzi mean that I can go for rotation duty early?” Li Yan asked, realizing the implication.

“That is my master’s meaning. But he asked me to relay a message: he knows you are anxious, but even with this information, he doesn’t recommend you go for rotation duty. It is too dangerous. You would have to infiltrate Ghost Sound City. The death rate for Spirit Transformation scouts is as high as sixty to seventy percent! Therefore, he hopes you will consider it carefully, or perhaps wait until you reach the late-stage Spirit Transformation Realm. By then, the Broken Army Sect will be required to send people anyway.” The young Daoist said, clearly having thought it through.

“If I go for rotation duty early, does it count toward the sect’s future obligations?” Li Yan asked.

“It will count toward your sect. But… my master would have to find someone to pull some strings. Because the Broken Army Sect isn’t technically eligible yet, the Pure Yang Hall usually fears that a fledgling third-rate sect would perish prematurely.”