Chapter 1620: Assigning Tasks

After flying for half the time it took to drink a cup of tea, the square mist-filled areas finally began to disappear. However, the massive gray-white plaza still stretched out ahead. Mu Guyue raised her head and caught Li Yan’s eye. Both saw a flicker of surprise in the other’s gaze.

‘If those mist areas are all filled with Green-Armored Soldiers, and if we calculate a hundred people per square… plus those Spirit Transformation experts… the strength of the Moji Dao Sect is terrifying. Just how deep is their foundation? How many sects like Pure Yang Hall are under them?’ Li Yan thought.

He then thought of the Soul Suppression Palace. Despite having two Body Integration experts, if compared to the entire “Earth-Truth Realm,” the overall strength of the Soul Suppression Palace was likely still inferior to the Moji Dao Sect.

After another dozens of breaths, the boundless plaza reached its end. Several jagged mountains appeared, separating the plaza from the rear of the city.

“The Green-Armored Soldiers you just saw have been rotated back from the front lines. Those cultivators have fought the ghost cultivators for too long; their minds have been invaded to varying degrees. The killing intent and the ghostly aura they’ve accumulated have not yet dissipated. Often, a single disagreement leads to immediate violence. Thus, when they are rotated back for rest, they are not kept in the center of Ghost-Severing City but are stationed here in the South City. The South City is the retreat path of Ghost-Severing City. Among the Moji Dao Sect’s many border cities, this one is situated further back. Even if the Mocha Palace strikes here, they can only attack from the other three directions; the South City won’t see combat easily.”

“But since it is the retreat path, it must be heavily guarded. Typically, this is where the resting soldiers are stationed. Firstly, it keeps them from causing trouble in the city; secondly, those mist areas are Purging Arrays designed to cleanse the baleful aura in their hearts. Once their state of mind settles, they will be reassigned. The gray-haired elder you saw is a commander of several of these units. Only someone like him can suppress those cultivators who have lost their sanity. Otherwise, had we merely glanced at them earlier, they would have attacked.”

Reaching the end of the plaza, Elder Zhou’s voice explained the situation. This left those like Li Yan, who were here for the first time, slightly stunned. Hearing his words, the expressions on many faces became complicated. Some even felt a flicker of panic at the thought of “losing one’s mind.”

‘Just how horrific must the slaughter be to make a cultivator lose their sanity? Even a Golden Core cultivator has many lives on their hands…’ Li Yan pondered.

“Senior Zhou, will we also end up like that?” A Spirit Transformation cultivator asked after a moment of silence. Pure Yang Hall had warned them before they came, and they had gathered news, but clearly, much had been withheld. To prevent premature panic, Moji Dao Sect forbade some information from being revealed too early.

“That… is not certain. Our confrontation with Mocha Palace takes place in the East, West, and North. The Northern direction is the most intense area of conflict. Consequently, the Yin energy there is the densest, and the slaughter is the most horrific. While there isn’t combat every day, every major battle is relatively brutal. After each clash, many cultivators are left with missing limbs, or even only their Nascent Souls or souls remaining.”

“However, you need not worry too much. Moji Dao Sect has vast resources to help people restore their bodies, or even retrieve souls and perform possession. With such abundant resources, you can be restored to your original state. Thus, as long as you don’t perish on the spot, most situations are manageable! As for your state of mind, you’ve all traveled and trained outside; whose killing intent hasn’t grown stronger over time?”

Elder Zhou gave his answer after some deliberation. He tried to speak lightly even as he gave them a clear understanding. But his words—even to someone like Mu Guyue who had commanded armies—made their eyes flicker. His words hinted at a cold and brutal reality: they were treated like unintelligent beasts or puppets. As long as you didn’t die, Moji Dao Sect would “fix you up” so you could be thrown back into the slaughter.

Li Yan’s face remained calm, but that was just his usual mask. Inwardly, his shock grew. ‘Restoring injuries is one thing, but even soul restoration can be done? And if a cultivator only has a Nascent Soul left, according to natural laws, a person can only possess a body once in their life. Once that second body is lost, that Nascent Soul can only exist in that form forever. Most cultivators would choose to enter reincarnation instead. Does Moji Dao Sect possess a secret technique for multiple possessions…’

Following the explanation, some cultivators felt even more panicked.

“You want to use the sect’s resources to reach Great Perfection, yet you don’t want to exert yourselves to protect the sect? Do you expect a glorious, paved road to the heavens? Hmph!”

Alliance Leader Ding, who hadn’t spoken since they arrived, suddenly let out a cold snort. His voice was full of mockery, snapping the panicked cultivators out of their thoughts. They lowered their heads. Harsh as his words were, they were the truth. There was no such thing as a free lunch.

As Elder Zhou led the group through the jagged peaks, a different scene appeared. Buildings were scattered like stars on a chessboard—pavilions, streets, and shops. The city was divided into two major regions by a wide, straight road. The East was filled with people and a variety of buildings of different sizes and heights. The West, however, was filled with rows of neat military barracks.

These barracks were built from an unknown ebon material, looking like black iron blocks cast into the earth. They stretched out in perfect lines, looking cold and grim. In the center of the barracks, far off in the distance, a structure pierced the clouds. As they sped forward, Li Yan realized Elder Zhou was leading them toward that soaring building. It covered about three hundred square miles and its height was unknown, appearing majestic and dignified.

Within the barracks, teams of Green-Armored Sentries in bright armor marched across the ground. In the sky, dark silhouettes flew past like migrating geese—these were teams of cultivators flying either toward the Black Tower or out from it. Five miles before the tower, Elder Zhou’s group descended. They didn’t fly straight in like the others but walked along a major road toward the tower.

“Once you arrive, deacons from the Pure Yang Hall will register you. You will receive your identity tokens and be issued spirit stones, pills, and talismans. These items will be given to you every month. The grade of the pills and talismans is generally quite good, though they might not be exactly what you want. However, in this Black Tower, various resources are for sale. You can use spirit stones or military contribution points to exchange for them using your token, though there are no discounts. You can also rent alchemy or forging rooms here. There is also a Mission Hall. Missions are ranked by Blue Star, Red Star, and Purple Star. Missions are posted by the army or individuals, but you can only take personal missions during your rest periods. You can obtain unimaginable benefits through these missions. You will learn more about this soon.”

“I will depart after I lead you to your place. If you need me, find the Pure Yang Hall deacons here; they will lead you to me. However, you had best resolve your own problems. I will only intervene if the interests of Pure Yang Hall disciples are unfairly treated. Otherwise, do not blame me for being heartless; my influence here is also limited. After you are registered, your assignments will be handled by the higher-ups; it isn’t something Pure Yang Hall can entirely control. Of course, Pure Yang Hall elders are involved in the assignments for every sect, so our disciples won’t be treated unfairly. If you are lucky, you might be kept here to guard the walls or maintain arrays. But the most likely scenario is that you will join a unit, like becoming a scout in the Beacon Camp or a formation master in the Artifacts Camp!”

Elder Zhou said no more and strode toward the massive gate at the base of the tower. He was speaking the truth; he had much to do and couldn’t spare energy for trifles.

Over an hour later, within a section of the tower, only Li Yan, Mu Guyue, and a dozen Spirit Transformation cultivators from Pure Yang Hall remained. The Moji Dao Sect disciples had been taken away immediately upon arrival. Elder Zhou and Alliance Leader Ding had also left together. Li Yan’s group was handled by a middle-aged cultivator with a goatee and a younger man. They registered everyone and issued storage rings.

Li Yan checked his ring; it contained the items Elder Zhou had mentioned. Finally, the goateed cultivator beckoned to Li Yan and Mu Guyue.

“You two follow me. We shall see how your deployment is assigned. The rest of you follow Deacon Liu!”

Li Yan and Mu Guyue had no objections. This was likely Chongyangzi’s arrangement. Under the gaze of the other dozen cultivators, they were led away. A short while later, they emerged from a room. The deacon’s expression was sour, while Li Yan and Mu Guyue looked normal. The deacon sent a telepathic message as they walked.

“Because many places are undergoing rotation changes and you two arrived unexpectedly, your luck… cannot be considered good. Many places are demanding personnel. Those dozen cultivators before you certainly won’t be staying in the city either. You two are being sent directly to a front-line Beacon Tower. However, the situation isn’t too bad. It aligns with the general direction Chongyangzi requested—the Western border. The ghost cultivators there are much weaker. Had you gone to the Northern border where the two sects meet, the battles there would be truly fierce!”

The deacon felt helpless; he had accepted benefits to look after them.

“We are deeply grateful to you for this arrangement,” Li Yan and Mu Guyue nodded. They had seen the deacon trying his best to secure a “cushy” job in the city for them. Chongyangzi’s plan was to leave them with more free time. Being in the city was safer, with only a chance of being sent to the front. In the city, they would have time to investigate their own matters.

But the deacon was powerless; they were being sent to the front lines immediately. However, they weren’t separated. They were being sent to a Beacon Tower on the Western border. That direction faced Ghost-Voice City, which brought Li Yan closer to his goal.

What struck Li Yan as strange was that he was once again a squad leader, and Mu Guyue was his deputy. They were to choose four Nascent Soul and fifty Golden Core cultivators from the Moji Dao Sect to be their subordinates. They were going to replace the cultivators at a Beacon Tower so they could return for rest. Seeing their calm faces, the deacon finally felt a bit better. In truth, even without Chongyangzi’s request, as a Pure Yang Hall deacon, he would have looked for a good job for his subordinate sects. But casualties had been high recently, and many front-line cultivators were suffering from severe mental issues and desperately needed rotation. Otherwise, they might snap and slaughter their own comrades.