On the edge of Yujing Mountain, a group gathered inside a military base. Among them were Xie Tiandao, Yaoguang, Zong Yan, Kong Fang, Xie Yushu, and Xie Yi'er. Several martial paragons who had departed for the Artifact Sect decades ago, and now sought to return to their roots, were also present.

"How did such a massive entity like the Artifact Sect simply vanish?"

"The Artifact Sect was one of the most powerful sects in the entire Great Cangwu World. How could it..." Despair filled the eyes of Xie Tiandao, Xie Yi'er, and the others.

To them, the Artifact Sect was a sacred land of cultivation they had yearned for day and night. It was the perfect divine kingdom held deep within their hearts. The education and knowledge they received from childhood spared no effort in depicting the sect's overwhelming might.

It was the pinnacle of advancement, a lighthouse of civilization. They had been out of contact with the Artifact Sect for decades and had recently heard rumors about its defeat from Leng Tianfeng, so they were somewhat mentally prepared. Yet, hearing the truth directly from the mouths of Xie Yushu and Zong Yan left them feeling utterly despondent. It felt as though a vital pillar of their reality had collapsed.

"Our Artifact Sect was world-renowned for the artifact refinement. In a sense, it was equivalent to the most advanced arms factory in this world," Xie Yushu said in a heavy voice. "When the Lunar Fiend Empire invaded, the Artifact Sect was a primary target for destruction. Other targets included the Pill Sect, which refined vast quantities of medicinal pills to cultivate a steady stream of experts, and the Yang Psyche Sect, which followed the Psyche Dao and could somewhat resist the Lunar Fiend Empire."

Xie Yushu continued grimly, "Currently, only six of the original Ten Great Immortal Sects remain. The Artifact Sect, the Pill Sect, the Yang Psyche Sect, and even the God-Fiend Hall have all become dust in the wind of history."

Four of the Ten Great Immortal Sects were simply gone. It appeared that even though Cangwu emerged victorious against the Lunar Fiend Empire, it had paid a staggering price.

"What is the current situation at the Artifact Sect’s location? And what about our Xie family?" Xie Tiandao pressed, unable to hold back his concern.

"The Xie family..." A flash of agony crossed Xie Yushu’s eyes. "During the first wave of the attack, the sky burned, the oceans evaporated, and the mountains overturned. The city where our main Xie family resided happened to be within the range of the Lunar Fiend Empire’s initial strikes. Aside from a few scattered branches, no one survived."

The faces of Xie Tiandao and Xie Yi'er turned deathly pale. The Xie family is gone?

Yaoguang glanced at them, but he found it difficult to offer any words of comfort. If even the Artifact Sect had fallen, a single family stood little chance.

"The Artifact Sect no longer exists. However, a new sect called the Nine Cauldrons Sect was established on its original lands," Ji Baichuan said. He was a unified martial paragon from the White Tower Federation who had returned to seek his roots.

According to his introduction, Ji Pingtian, who had not returned, was his uncle.

"The former Artifact Sect was corrupt to the core. It was infested with countless parasites, and numerous local factions controlled all avenues of advancement, leaving no path for outsiders like us," the unified martial paragon declared loudly. "They perished under the Lunar Fiend Empire’s assault, while others like the Infinite Star Palace, the Thousand Beast Sect, and the Immortal Alliance rose to power by chance, because their corruption had already pushed them to the brink of collapse. When disaster struck, no one even thought about resisting the Lunar Fiend invaders. Every faction was busy digging up the Artifact Sect's foundations to protect their own interests."

He glanced at Yaoguang. "When a faction like that faces a great catastrophe, if they don't perish, who will?"

Yaoguang looked at him and then at Zong Yan. Beyond him, Xie Tiandao and Xie Yi'er also suppressed their grief slightly and looked up.

"During its most perilous hour, the Artifact Sect issued an order demanding that all subordinate worlds provide powerful spirit treasures—" Xie Yushu began, choosing his words carefully.

Before he could finish, Zong Yan shook his head. "Let me say it."

He let out a long breath. "A century ago, during the era of upheaval, the Artifact Sect demanded the sacrifice of all subordinate worlds to refine the ultimate spirit treasure to combat the Lunar Fiend Empire. They even shouted the slogan: 'Better to die in glory than to live in dishonor!'"

"They meant sacrificing all subordinate worlds and peripheral forces just to preserve the interests of their innermost core circle," Ji Baichuan added coldly.

Zong Yan nodded. "In short, at the final moment, a large number of cultivators from subordinate forces like ours united. We forced the sect master's lineage to abdicate and established the New Artifact Sect. However, the New Artifact Sect lasted for less than twenty years. Those local core figures from the original sect returned to their old ways, forcing cultivators from the subordinate forces onto the front lines while they hid in the rear."

He paused to catch his breath. "Precisely at that time, the Lunar Fiend Empire’s home territory came under attack, and their resistance became fiercer than ever. Amidst this internal and external discord, the Lunar Fiend Empire attacked the New Artifact Sect, and the sect met its end. Less than ten years after the Artifact Sect fell, the Lunar Fiend Empire was defeated. Those men of vision who had resisted the corruption and decadence of the Artifact Sect reunited. They understood that they had to completely erase every mark of the Artifact Sect to bring a new life to that land. Finally, eighty years ago, they founded the Nine Cauldrons Sect."

Yaoguang listened to Zong Yan’s words in silence. Xie Tiandao, after processing the information for a moment, could not help but look at Xie Yushu. "Then, if we go to the Artifact Sect... to Cangwu..."

"The Nine Cauldrons Sect has only been established for eighty years. Although they inherited many assets from the Artifact Sect, every industry is currently being rebuilt. They are in dire need of people. Any person of insight who joins will receive a unanimous welcome. In particular, Sect Master Li Qingshan of the Nine Cauldrons Sect is incredibly broad-minded. He proposed a concept of autonomy, allowing original forces to keep their titles while granting them significant independence and self-governance," Ji Baichuan answered proactively.

"They are essentially subordinate sects," Zong Yan added, capturing the essence of the matter. He continued immediately, "However, obtaining that kind of power is not easy. A sect must possess the combat strength of great cultivators."

Xie Yushu also nodded. "The Nine Cauldrons Sect has only existed for eighty years, and its strength is still a notch below the Artifact Sect at its peak. To this day, the Shiwan Mountains to the south and the islands of the East Sea are still controlled by other forces. They urgently need to recruit powerful forces from all over to strengthen themselves and fully reclaim the territories that originally belonged to the Artifact Sect. Therefore, the treatment they offer is truly extraordinary."

Eighty years was equivalent to the lifetime of an ordinary person. For a newly established nation, such a period was enough to stabilize the situation. However, for a cultivation power, it was far too short.

"If Speaker Yaoguang and the rest of you head to Cangwu, you have two choices. One is to remain within the framework of the Nine Cauldrons Sect, observing for a while before deciding whether to join. The other is to head to the surrounding powers. There are three major sects in the vicinity: the Great Sun Sword Sect, the Star Sea Sect, and the First Yang Sect, which has split into two," Zong Yan said.

Zong Yan continued his balanced assessment. "Among them, the Great Sun Sword Sect is the strongest, while the Star Sea Sect is the weakest. However, the Star Sea Sect is backed by the Immortal Alliance, one of the Six Great Immortal Sects, giving it greater potential. The remaining First Yang Sect is stronger than the Star Sea Sect and is backed by the world's number one sect, the Infinite Star Palace, but it is currently embroiled in a civil war and is quite unstable."

Ji Baichuan spoke up. "Zong Yan, there is one point you seem to have forgotten to mention. Although the Lunar Fiend Empire was defeated, many small factions have infiltrated the surrounding worlds. They used various methods like descent and possession to replace local beings, lurking and secretly penetrating the major immortal sects of Cangwu, causing immense harm."

Ji Baichuan continued, "Currently, many sects are extremely wary of cultivators from the surrounding worlds, some even going as far as cutting off contact entirely. On the rare occasion that someone manages to join those immortal sects, they are ostracized by some. The difficulty for them to attain high positions in the future is significantly greater than that of native Cangwu cultivators."

As he spoke, he straightened his chest. "But our Sect Master Li possesses a mind that embraces all things. Anyone, as long as they pass through the Fiend Detection Platform, can join the sect and enjoy equal treatment. Those with talent and potential can quickly stand out and achieve success. Meng Shishi is the best example. Lord Yaoguang's achievements are even superior to hers; if he can enter the Nine Cauldrons Sect through the Fiend Detection Platform, he might even be directly promoted to a true disciple."

"The Fiend Detection Platform?" Yaoguang asked.

"It is a place every being from the surrounding worlds must pass through when entering Cangwu," Ji Baichuan explained solemnly. "It is a treasure specifically refined by various powerful figures to prevent Lunar Fiends from possessing others and sneaking in. No matter how deeply those Lunar Fiends hide, as long as the essence of their soul is not human, they will have nowhere to hide on the Fiend Detection Platform."

As these words were spoken, Xie Yushu stole a glance at Yaoguang. Yaoguang, however, showed no reaction. Inside and out, he was a pure human.

Still, he scanned the few individuals who had returned from Cangwu. Every person’s words carried their own bias and stance. Xie Yushu clearly harbored feelings for the Artifact Sect, speaking mostly in its favor. Zong Yan’s description was more impartial. Ji Baichuan, a member of the Nine Cauldrons Sect, likely returned to recruit from this world.

"It doesn't matter. Maintaining the Star Gate will take half a year, and calibrating the coordinates will take another half. We have a year to analyze the situation over there," Yaoguang said.

Xie Tiandao and the others nodded in agreement. The Xie family also had to reconsider their attitude toward Yaoguang. Having lost their original backing, they desperately needed to find a new one. Compared to other powers, Yaoguang, with his unfathomable potential and high chance of becoming a great cultivator, was clearly the best choice.

The prerequisite was that he could pass through the Fiend Detection Platform and verify that he was indeed human.

Over the following period, both parties remained there for half a month. During that time, Yaoguang gained a detailed understanding of the specific conditions regarding Cangwu and the Artifact Sect.

After cross-referencing the three accounts, he had to admit one problem. The somewhat powerful sects that possessed deep foundations and had no shortage of disciples were all somewhat wary and dismissive of cultivators from foreign worlds. Even if they passed the Fiend Detection Platform, who could guarantee they weren't nurtured by the Lunar Fiends in secret?

On the other hand, smaller sects with poor internal foundations accepted anyone regardless of background. However, they recruited disciples and followers essentially to use them as cannon fodder to bolster their own strength.

In comparison, the Nine Cauldrons Sect, which was currently being rebuilt and was in dire need of both talent and resources, was indeed the best choice.

Firstly, Sect Master Li Qingshan was remarkably broad-minded, possessing vision and courage far beyond the ordinary. Secondly, the Nine Cauldrons Sect was, after all, established on the foundations of the Artifact Sect, one of the Ten Great Immortal Sects, possessing staggering hidden resources. Thirdly, it was very close. Just across the Star Gate lay the Nine Cauldrons Sect.