Chapter 1694: Taking Root in the Sect (Part One)
Wei Zhongran felt that their circumstances were too complicated to explain in the open. He sent a brief voice transmission to Da Cen, intending to explain the details after they left the gate. Otherwise, Da Cen would be left in a daze—how could his grand-disciple have reached Spirit Transformation?
With Ancestor Lu’s presence, more and more cultivators passing through the gate were beginning to notice the group.
Ancestor Lu let out a cold snort. If she wanted to hear Wei Zhongran’s transmission, she wouldn’t have missed a single syllable. She turned to Mo Qing. “Let’s go.”
She had been curious about the unfamiliar faces, but now that Da Cen was here to claim them, she didn’t care. As long as her disciple had arrived, the rest was for the gate guards to handle. She wouldn’t have come at all if she hadn’t been notified that her lower-realm disciple had arrived today. Without another word, she turned and flew toward the interior.
Mo Qing hurriedly called out to Da Cen, “I will settle my affairs at Old Gentleman Peak first and find you for a chat later!” He bowed to Li Yan and the others before chasing after his master.
“Aside from Da Cen’s disciple, you met the others after you ascended?” Ancestor Lu asked, picking up speed.
After a moment of hesitation, Mo Qing told her the truth. He also intended to report the recent crisis in the lower realm. This was the plan he, Wei Zhongran, and Li Yan had agreed upon; the matter concerned the very survival of the lower-realm sect. It was possible Gu Jiuqi’s message hadn’t reached them yet.
On the other side, after a few sentences from Wei Zhongran, Da Cen’s face became a mask of shock. He cast a peculiar look at Li Yan and said, “Let’s talk at Little Bamboo Peak.”
The group took flight.
As Da Cen led them toward their home peak, Ancestor Lu, flying toward Old Gentleman Peak, suddenly paused and turned back toward Mo Qing with a look of surprise.
“You say that Li Yan had already ascended once? And that he returned to the lower realm? And tell me everything about those mysterious cultivators who appeared at the sect. The Chimera Emissary’s message hasn’t arrived. If what you say is true, this is no small matter. I must know every detail. I will verify this with Su Changyang later. I expect Li Yan will report this to Little Bamboo Peak as well!”
In the main hall of Little Bamboo Peak, Da Cen led the group into a side room. The hall here was many times larger than the one in the lower realm—it was a massive, sprawling palace. With Da Cen leading them, no one blocked their path, though many cast curious glances at the group.
Here, Wei Zhongran and the others finally understood what it meant to have “low cultivation.” This was a gathering place for sect experts. The unshielded auras of Spirit Transformation cultivators could be felt at every turn, disrupting their own flows. Li Yan casually waved his sleeve, shielding Li Zhaoyan.
Once inside the side room, Da Cen shut the door.
“Very well. I have questions. Once we clear this up, you can handle your registration; your tokens need to be updated. There are also specific rules of the upper realm you must understand. Why did you bring a Golden Core girl? Did she ascend with you, or is she from the upper realm? And Zhongran, you say Li Yan reached Spirit Transformation in the upper realm? What is that all about?”
Da Cen’s questions came in a rapid-fire sequence.
Wei Zhongran explained that everyone here had a Malevolent Spirit Sect identity, including the beast cultivator. He confirmed that Li Yan was indeed his disciple but had broken through in the upper realm. This left Da Cen utterly confused, but he chose to trust his disciple. Wei Zhongran had always been a reliable man with extraordinary potential, which was why Da Cen favored him.
With that assurance, Da Cen took them back to the heart of the peak. Fifteen minutes later, after Wei Zhongran finished his summary, Da Cen finally understood the bizarre situation.
First, Li Yan was indeed the Foundation Establishment youth he remembered, and he had accidentally ascended to the Immortal Spirit Realm once before. Though it was a stroke of bad luck initially, it had become a blessing; with the stronger laws and abundant resources of the upper realm, he had reached Spirit Transformation early. It was an envious stroke of immortal fortune. Had Wei Zhongran ascended earlier, he might have reached that realm as well. But moving from Spirit Transformation to Void Refinement was far more difficult—even Da Cen was still struggling in that stage.
Second, the Golden Core girl was Wei Zhongran’s granddaughter. No wonder Li Yan had risked so much to bring her. But it was a reckless gamble; a Spirit Transformation master could easily perish in the passage if things went wrong.
What truly shocked Da Cen, however, was Li Yan’s potential. ‘The Limb-Severing Poison Body? The records don’t say it can mutate to this extent. Reaching Golden Core or Nascent Soul is already shocking… but Spirit Transformation?’ He was skeptical. He didn’t fully understand the constitution, but this seemed surreal.
But seeing how calmly Wei Zhongran spoke of it, Da Cen—a sharp-witted man himself—realized the truth. Wei Zhongran likely knew or suspected Li Yan had an even greater secret that led to his success. But he didn’t want to say, and he didn’t want to pry. As long as Li Yan was his disciple and loyal to the sect, that was enough. This was similar to how Da Cen knew Wei Zhongran had dual Dantians; he had discovered it by accident and pretended it didn’t exist until Wei Zhongran brought it up.
“Master, there is another major matter to report. Ancestor Mo Qing will also be reporting this to Old Gentleman Peak!” Wei Zhongran’s expression turned solemn as he prepared to reveal the lower-realm catastrophe.
“Oh? A matter so large Mo Qing has to report it too?” Da Cen set aside his thoughts and listened intently.
Half an hour later, Da Cen’s face was grim.
“Eight mysterious cultivators, two likely from the upper realm… but I’ve heard of no power in the upper realm targeting the sect so aggressively in recent years. And the sect shouldn’t have sent anyone down—though that might be above my level of knowledge. We have enemies, but what grudge could drive someone to sever our lower-realm inheritance?”
Da Cen’s mind raced. He couldn’t be certain if the sect had sent anyone besides the Chimera Emissary. He quickly reviewed all known enemies of the Malevolent Spirit Sect but couldn’t find a likely candidate.
“Did you not perform a soul-search?” he pressed.
“I… when I returned, there were already casualties. I thought a powerful enemy was at the gate and didn’t think twice; I only wanted to kill them as fast as possible. The Chimera Emissary knows of this. Only afterward did we realize no one knew why they attacked or where they came from,” Li Yan said, rubbing his hands awkwardly.
“That is the truth. The battle lasted only seconds before deaths occurred. When Li Yan struck, the Emissary shouted for him to leave a survivor, but Li Yan was too fast. His appearance was so sudden it left us all in a daze; none of us Nascent Souls had the time to warn him!” Wei Zhongran added helplessly.
Da Cen looked at Li Yan. “Did you use the Limb-Severing Poison Body?”
“In that situation, I had to give my all,” Li Yan replied.
“Aside from the two who could seal the sect, did you find any clues from the other six?” Da Cen asked. He already knew the answer but wanted the specifics for his own report. The six were dead, but they must have left something.
“The Emissary and I checked their belongings. Their treasures and pills were mediocre. Based on their techniques, we judged them to be from small realms. But neither of us could determine which ones. I haven’t traveled the lower realm much, and the Emissary said his main body mostly stuck to the top continents. He couldn’t place them either. However, we can confirm they weren’t from the same sect; their techniques were not from a single lineage…”
Da Cen frowned. This news was both useful and useless. They knew someone was targeting them, but that was always the case for any sect.