Seeking Immortality in a Bizarre World-Chapter 465 - 460 Shenxiao Sect and Samsara Valley_1
"I never thought I’d have a chance to return here!"
The Insect External Incarnation stood in Giant Marsh Market, staring at the moving crowd of Cultivators, and couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration.
His last visit to the market was when he left the Sealed Land. Passing through, he encountered the Seven Fiends Temple and another Sect at war.
The two Great Sects fought relentlessly, causing the market’s Teleportation Array to shut down, rendering it unusable.
He had no choice but to traverse the Black Gold Desert, crossing the area affected by the two Sects’ warfare.
Fortunately, his luck was good; he discovered a Treasure-seeking Mouse and obtained the Mystical Xuan Sha Chopping Sword from the Seven Fiends Temple, benefiting greatly.
This time, passing through Giant Marsh Market, he couldn’t miss the opportunity to solve the problem of his Second Nascent Soul.
"The Seven Fiends Temple... is it still alive?"
According to his knowledge, the Seven Fiends Temple was a Sect whose most powerful Cultivator was only at the Divinity Transformation Stage.
The Seven Fiends Temple’s Cultivation Technique wasn’t bad; it just... wasn’t quite suitable for the environment of the Mysterious Realm.
The seven types of Evil Qi were difficult to obtain, each with its own shortcomings and limitations. The most potent, Killing Sha, required rampant slaughter to acquire—and not the slaughter of those weaker than oneself.
Only by slaying targets of a comparable Realm could one obtain Killing Sha.
The greater one’s strength, the more Killing Sha one gained.
Attacking Cultivators of a similar Realm in the Mysterious Realm? That was courting death.
Who knew when one might provoke an existence one couldn’t afford to offend?
Not long after Jia Ren arrived at Giant Marsh Market, a gaunt-looking young man approached. "Senior, is this your first visit to Heiyuan Market? Do you need a guide?"
"Isn’t this Giant Marsh Market?"
Times had changed, and so had people. The market’s name had changed; it was no longer the familiar place it once was.
The young man smiled faintly and explained, "Senior hasn’t visited the market for a while, have you?"
"The market was renamed Heiling Market thirty years ago."
Market names weren’t changed lightly, as it could lead to a loss of Cultivators.
Usually, such a name change only occurred when the market changed ownership.
"Does Heiling Market belong to the Seven Fiends Temple?"
He still remembered the Seven Fiends Temple seizing this market, so it wouldn’t be surprising if Giant Marsh Market had fallen under their control.
The young man looked baffled for a moment before replying, "Senior, the Seven Fiends Temple was destroyed thirty years ago..."
"Heiling Market belongs to the Dark Spirit Sect."
Destroyed? Was the Seven Fiends Temple so worthless?
He had planned to capture a Cultivator from the Seven Fiends Temple this time and refine them into a Second Nascent Soul. To his surprise, the Sect had already perished.
The change was simply too great...
It was rare in the Cultivation World for a Sect to remain prosperous indefinitely. Even the Lingbao Sect had experienced a period of decline, nearly being wiped out by an alliance of Great Sects.
The Seven Fiends Temple’s Cultivation Technique wasn’t bad, leading directly to the Body Integration Realm. At its peak, the Sect had been prosperous and formidable.
Yet, it had still vanished into the long river of time.
He had originally planned to randomly select some "fortunate" Seven Fiends Temple Cultivator, take them away, and refine them into his Second Nascent Soul.
He felt no guilt about harming Demonic Path Sects that had previously wronged him.
Unfortunately, his luck was just too bad.
The method for creating a Second Nascent Soul required an existing Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator. Those who practiced the Seven Fiends Temple’s Cultivation Technique were the most suitable, which would save a great deal of time.
Anyone who had cultivated the Seven Killings Heart Technique to a profound level would have demonstrated excellent compatibility with it.
If I can’t refine one, so be it. I’ll just have to create a Trickery Path Incarnation instead.
The Second Nascent Soul wasn’t essential. Since he hadn’t obtained one, he couldn’t force the issue.
"No need for a guide. This is your reward!"
He casually tossed ten Spirit Stones to the young man as a reward for the information.
The Insect External Incarnation had no intention of staying any longer and turned to leave.
But before he could get very far, he felt as if he were being watched.
Heart-Mind Sensing!
The Insect External Incarnation silently used Heart-Mind Sensing to probe the thoughts and minds of those nearby.
Heart-Mind Sensing was an extremely useful psychic Divine Skill. It could detect a Cultivator’s thoughts and intentions, making it highly practical.
’Who is this person? Why are they investigating the whereabouts of my Seven Fiends Temple? Capture him first, then interrogate him for information.’
A Seven Fiends Temple Cultivator who had managed to survive by luck?
Just when all hope seemed lost, a new opportunity presented itself!
The Insect External Incarnation feigned ignorance and headed straight for a remote alley.
The pursuer smirked darkly, raised his hand, and a grey Evil Qi surged forth, transforming into Yin Sha Qi that forcibly ’knocked out’ the Insect External Incarnation.
"Hmph. Wait until I bring this person back to the Sect," the pursuer muttered.
He casually took the River Mountain Bag from the Insect External Incarnation, glanced inside, and found only a few hundred Spirit Stones.
"Pauper!"
After thoroughly checking that there were no tracking marks on the body, he carelessly stuffed the Insect External Incarnation into a Ruyi sack and headed towards the Seven Fiends Temple’s meeting point.
The Seven Fiends Temple had weakened, and the Sect had seemingly perished.
In truth, it had only perished in name; in reality, it still existed.
Thirty years prior, someone had targeted Shenxiao Sect Cultivators who were traveling outside, almost killing an Inner Sect Disciple of the Shenxiao Sect. This brought the calamity of destruction upon the Seven Fiends Temple.
To avoid disaster, they had sacrificed some of their members. The remaining Cultivators went underground, silently concealing themselves.
The Dark Spirit Sect was a front established by the Seven Massacres Sect; the Dark Spirit Sect’s "destruction" of the Seven Massacres Sect was merely a ploy to deceive outsiders.
Thirty years had passed, and the Seven Fiends Temple felt the storm had subsided. They were considering whether to revert to their true Sect name.
Recently, for some unknown reason, many individuals inquiring about the Seven Fiends Temple had emerged.
This agitated the sect’s leadership. Their policy became: better to kill the innocent than let a guilty party escape. Everyone asking was to be seized.
The Dark Spirit Sect Cultivator carried the hemp sack, heading straight for the Dark Spirit Sect’s base in the market.
In a Forbidden Spirit Stone House, the sack was opened, and the unconscious Insect External Incarnation was tossed out.
Inside the stone house, there were a dozen or so Cultivators who had suffered a similar fate, all of them directing their gaze upon the Insect External Incarnation.
"Elder, I just caught a Cultivator in Heiling Market who was asking about the Seven Fiends Temple," said the Dark Spirit Sect Cultivator, looking reverently at the Fifth Elder.
"You didn’t expose our true identity, did you? Remember, we are now Cultivators of the Dark Spirit Sect!"
"Find out their identities and deal with them all together."
Accompanied by footsteps, the voice gradually drifted away.
A few brief sentences had sealed the fates of Jia Ren and the Cultivators inside the Forbidden Law Stone House.
The Insect External Incarnation slowly opened its eyes, only to see over a dozen Cultivators inside the stone house looking at him.
"This one has an unfamiliar face. He doesn’t look like a fellow disciple from the Shenxiao Sect, does he?"
Shenxiao Sect?
Observing the dozen or so ’disheveled and dirty’ Cultivators, the expression on the Insect External Incarnation’s face grew increasingly perplexed.
The Shenxiao Sect was no minor sect; it was a top-tier sect on par with the Lingbao Sect, best known for its mastery of thunder techniques and unparalleled in combat.
Their combat prowess far surpassed that of Lingbao Sect Cultivators.
What was going on?
Why would Shenxiao Sect Cultivators be here?
I just wanted to infiltrate the Seven Fiends Temple and, incidentally, select a suitable candidate for my Second Nascent Soul. How did I end up in what seems to be a Shenxiao Sect ’stronghold’ related to the Seven Fiends Temple?
The Shenxiao Sect had high standards for its disciples, each possessing astounding combat power. It didn’t seem necessary for them to go to such lengths, appearing this disheveled, just to deal with the Seven Fiends Temple.
Were they planning to infiltrate the Seven Fiends Temple?
"Ahem, I am just a nameless Loose Cultivator passing by," Jia Ren said.
Several people cast their gaze upon Jia Ren, each activating their Divine Skills.
No matter what methods they used for investigation, Jia Ren was merely a small Cultivator at the Early Golden Core Stage.
The group quickly lost interest.
"The brother who issued this task really has a twisted sense of humor. The Seven Fiends Temple is so trivial it could be easily wiped out, yet he insists on using these methods."
"The Seven Fiends Temple is no simple matter; it has the shadow of Beyond the Heavens behind it. It cannot be treated like an ordinary Divine Transformation Sect."
"Moreover, during its prime, the Seven Fiends Temple even produced Body Integration Realm Cultivators. They were not to be underestimated."
"This mission requires us to take action. Our Martial Uncle is providing support from outside, just in case."
They were using some unknown Divine Skill to communicate. Unfortunately for them, their conversation was completely exposed to him, as he possessed Heart-Mind Sensing.
Should he consider it good luck to be ’rescued’ by the Shenxiao Sect, or bad luck?
The Insect External Incarnation felt a helpless frustration. His original plan was to sneak into the Seven Fiends Temple, catch them unawares, and quietly spirit away a Seven Fiends Temple Nascent Soul Cultivator.
Now, knowing Shenxiao Sect Cultivators were present, likely with powerful protectors lurking nearby, he didn’t dare act rashly for fear of exposing his identity.
What terrible luck.
Perhaps he should continue to feign death!
He didn’t need to get involved in this mess. He just needed to fish in troubled waters and seize an opportunity to abduct a Seven Fiends Temple Nascent Soul Cultivator.
The Insect External Incarnation chose to continue feigning death, while the Shenxiao Sect Cultivators quietly awaited their opportunity, or perhaps orders from their superiors.
Meanwhile, the Seven Fiends Temple was not idle. The Seven Kills True Monarch was entertaining a Cultivator clad in a black robe.
This person’s black robe was embroidered with a valley split into black and white. Had a Shenxiao Sect Cultivator been there, they would have recognized it as the symbol of Samsara Valley, one of the ten great Demon Sects.
Samsara Valley was not inferior to the Shimo Sect; it was also one of the Mysterious Realm’s top-tier Demon Sects, and the Seven Fiends Temple had long been one of its subsidiary powers.
"All the Shenxiao Sect brats are here!"
"There’s also an old fellow at the Lianxu Stage lurking nearby. I’ll deal with him. You handle the Shenxiao Sect brats."
"I hope the Seven Fiends Temple won’t disappoint us."
The Seven Kills True Monarch chuckled dismissively. "No matter how powerful the Shenxiao Sect is, they can’t compare to Samsara Valley."
"Won’t Samsara Valley taking action against the Shenxiao Sect spark a war between the two sects?" The Seven Kills True Monarch assumed the demeanor of a loyal lackey, putting himself in Samsara Valley’s shoes as he considered the implications.
"Don’t worry. Times have changed. The Great Sects dare not easily initiate a high-level conflict."
"The Lingbao Sect and the Shimo Sect are prime examples."
"The Shenxiao Sect has had sparse numbers in recent millennia. If they dare to go to war with Samsara Valley, we’d be only too happy to tear a chunk of flesh from them."
More accurately, Samsara Valley’s intention with this operation was precisely to instigate a war with the Shenxiao Sect.
The Mysterious Realm had developed to a point where the proverbial cake had long been divided.
If one wished to grow and strengthen, one had to devour the corpses of other powerful sects.
In sect wars where strength was significantly imbalanced, the weaker party would be annihilated by the stronger with swift, decisive force.
The Dark Demon Sect was the best example of this.
Only when the strengths of opposing sides were relatively matched did they resort to this mode of warfare.
Sect wars typically began in Secret Realms. Participants were hesitant to easily engage in battles involving those at the Lianxu Stage or higher.
A contest of the sects’ core strengths?
With the Shenxiao Sect suffering from a decline in talent, this was precisely their weakness.
Once the Shenxiao Sect’s vital forces were destroyed, it would take them thousands, perhaps tens of thousands of years, to recover, if ever.
Lacking new talent, the Shenxiao Sect would rapidly decline.
Did the Shenxiao Sect want an all-out war?
Regardless of the outcome of such a war, they would surely be devoured by the other hungry wolves circling them.
