Chapter 76: The Survivors

Flying through the sky, Gu Yuan looked around the Inner Sect as he made his way toward the teleportation array.

Once again, the Inner Sect was thriving, as if no war had happened here only a month ago. The sect’s ability to recover so quickly was rather impressive, and Gu Yuan couldn’t help but admire how adaptable the disciples and elders were as he continued on his path.

There were only two people in the Black Desolation Sect whom Gu Yuan considered friends: Deacon Zhao and Lin Hao.

Of the two, he was more concerned about Deacon Zhao. Lin Hao didn’t seem like someone who would die that easily, but Deacon Zhao was only a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Gu Yuan wanted to know whether he had returned to the sect and, if he had, whether he had survived the war.

He decided to look into the aftermath of the war once he had his answer

But where the teleportation array used to stand, nothing remained.

What’s going on? He wondered, just as a passing disciple called out, "Senior Brother, the barrier between the Inner Sect and Outer Sect has been lifted. If you want to go there, you can simply fly over."

"Apparently, the Moon Fairy decided to stop using the array formation that separated the Inner Sect from the Outer Sect. She plans to make quite a few modifications to the sect, and she has only just started."

The disciple spoke with the familiarity of someone who had probably given that explanation dozens of times already.

Gu Yuan nodded and handed him a middle-grade spirit stone before changing direction.

Before reaching the outer sect, he had to pass one of the Black Desolation Sect’s five peaks, Blackstone Peak. There, Gu Yuan saw hardly anyone. Its disciples had probably died along with their peak master, at the hands of the twins...

Gu Yuan soon reached the Outer Sect.

The level of destruction here was on an entirely different scale from what he had seen in the Inner Sect. Nearly everything had been destroyed, including Deacon Zhao’s forge.

Still, Gu Yuan didn’t jump to conclusions simply because the forge was gone. He asked the people nearby whether anyone had seen Deacon Zhao.

Fortunately, someone had.

Deacon Zhao was alive, and not only that, he seemed to be in better and more vigorous condition than before. He was currently supervising several disciples as they worked to rebuild the forge.

With a smile on his face, Gu Yuan walked toward him.

He had been planning to greet the man normally, just as he always did, but the moment Deacon Zhao saw him, the older cultivator burst into laughter.

"Gu Yuan! I see you’re safe!"

Before Gu Yuan could say anything, the enthusiastic Deacon Zhao rushed forward and pulled him into a firm bear hug.

"Can you feel my cultivation? It’s all thanks to you," he said, finally letting go.

Indeed, Deacon Zhao had successfully broken through to the Golden Core Realm.

But was it really because of the Nine-Revolution Recovery Pill Gu Yuan had given him? Gu Yuan was certain it wasn’t.

The pill had helped repair Deacon Zhao’s injuries and strengthen his foundation, but it shouldn’t have been enough to directly push him into the Golden Core Realm.

They moved to a relatively intact building and sat facing each other.

Clearly in a great mood, Deacon Zhao began telling him about everything that had happened after he took the Nine-Revolution Recovery Pill.

He had left the sect in search of a fortuitous opportunity and ended up stumbling upon a small secret realm with a group of other cultivators. After an exciting adventure inside, he had managed to obtain a certain pill that ultimately helped him break through to the Golden Core Realm.

"Oh, I also found this token, but I don’t know what it’s used for, so I haven’t refined it yet."

Deacon Zhao took out a token and placed it on the table.

The moment Gu Yuan saw it, his expression became slightly strange.

It was the same token Lin Hao had shown him before.

Once again, he smelled the scent of a conspiracy.

"It’s better if you don’t refine it," Gu Yuan advised.

Deacon Zhao’s expression changed slightly before he nodded. "Then you keep it."

He clearly trusted Gu Yuan’s judgment. If Gu Yuan said it was better not to refine the token, then there was probably a good reason for it.

Gu Yuan had initially intended to refuse, but after thinking for a few seconds, he decided to accept it.

If it later turned out that this so-called Origin-Seeking Emperor inheritance wasn’t dangerous, he could simply return the token to Deacon Zhao.

"Anyway, did you participate in the war? What was the situation like here in the Outer Sect?" Gu Yuan asked.

Deacon Zhao’s expression immediately became awkward.

"I only returned two weeks ago, so I wasn’t here during the war."

Apparently, after hearing that the sect was at war, Deacon Zhao had immediately made his way back. Unfortunately, by the time he returned, the war had already ended.

Deacon Zhao seemed to feel somewhat guilty about that, but Gu Yuan saw it differently.

"You were lucky. Otherwise, who knows what could have happened during the war," he said.

The war this time had been short, lasting no more than ten days, but its intensity had been extraordinary. Gu Yuan hadn’t participated in the war that had taken place on the grounds of the Crimson Flame Sect and continued for years, but he was certain that the battle a month ago had been far more violent.

Deacon Zhao’s next words only confirmed his thoughts.

"Maybe you’re right, and I was lucky. After all, nearly half of the Outer Sect disciples died."

Gu Yuan’s expression fell slightly.

"You don’t need to make that face. Being a disciple of a sect means sharing its fate," Deacon Zhao said.

He took out a bottle of wine and poured a cup for Gu Yuan as they kept talking.

Deacon Zhao also had some news about the prisoners that Gu Yuan was curious about.

The Cloud Azure Sect had been released after paying a surprisingly modest price.

The cultivators of the royal family had nearly all been executed, with the exception of Princess Wei Ruyan.

Apart from them, some of the other cultivators had also been released, while others had been executed. The remaining prisoners were kept in the Shadow Prison and would only be released once someone came forward to pay their ransom.

As for how the sect decided which prisoners received which treatment, no one seemed to know. The criteria had apparently been decided entirely by Sect Master Ji Yue.

Maybe I should ask her about it later.

Gu Yuan continued drinking with Deacon Zhao, putting the matter aside for now.

-----

Far away from the Black Desolation Sect, and even farther from the Great Han Kingdom, in the Qin Dynasty, the Cangming Sect.

Inside one of the sect’s halls, a cultivator with a sharp aura sat facing two old cultivators.

"First Shen Wuchen died, and now Zhao Tianshu has died as well. On top of that, the Crimson Slaughter Saintess is attacking one sect after another. Her targets are clearly the forces that participated in the previous attack on the Black Desolation Sect."

"What do you think? Should we try to take revenge again?"

"So we can end up like Zhao Tianshu? We underestimated those demonic sisters, and this is the result."

"It’s better for us to stay here and prepare for when she comes."

One of the remaining two pillars of the Cangming Sect advocated a more cautious approach, but the other clearly disagreed.

"And what evidence do you have that she will come here? We should go against her immediately! The dignity of the Cangming Sect cannot be violated."

The argument continued for some time before a loud shout finally silenced them both.

"Enough!"

The Cangming Sect Master looked at the two of them before speaking.

"Did you find out anything about the origins of those two sisters?"

"It’s said that she faced a Heavenly Tribulation before the battle, but can we be certain that it was truly a Heavenly Tribulation? Until now, those two demonic sisters have never been cornered enough to reveal their true limits. They have always emerged victorious, and in every battle, they have held the upper hand."

He paused before continuing.

"Are they really only at the Embryo Realm, simply talented enough to fight above their cultivation realm? Or is there something else? Can you guarantee that they are really only at the Embryo Realm?"

Both men fell silent.

Indeed, the origins of the two sisters were far too mysterious.

They had suddenly appeared and joined the Black Desolation Sect, but what about before that? Where had they come from? Were they really who everyone assumed them to be?

"Was there any Ji Family around?" the Sect Master suddenly asked.

"No. I’ve never heard of a Ji Family in the Azure Plains Region."

"Then what about outside the Azure Plains Region?"

"That’s..."

The man couldn’t answer.

The Sect Master frowned slightly before speaking again.

"For now, let’s stay put and prepare for the woman’s eventual visit."

"Contact the Heavenly Sword Sect as well. If the situation becomes serious, maybe we can have them come and mediate."

His expression became solemn.

"We cannot allow the inheritance of the Cangming Sect to be cut off in our generation."

The remaining two pillars of the Cangming Sect looked at each other before finally nodding.