Chapter 20: Chapter 20 Behind the Scenes_1

Translator: 549690339

Chaotic Domain,

A sprawling mountain range stretches for tens of thousands of miles, brimming with spiritual energy, with cranes soaring in flight.

Here, superficially, there are the mountain gates of several major Sects. These Sects do not get along with each other, engaging in incessant skirmishes, yet, they secretly belong to the same force.

Deep underground in the heart of the mountain range, several voices were in conversation.

“The White Lotus Cult failed, unable to throw Daqian Empire into turmoil, and even lost three Hollow Realm Masters.”

“Dead is dead, being able to probe some of the Daqian Empire’s underlying strength, their deaths were not in vain.”

“With the White Lotus Cult gone, we’ll just set up another one in a few years. On the upside, the young girl Tianxiang has broken through to the Myriad Phenomena Realm, a pleasant surprise.”

“Shall we recall her and make other arrangements?”

“Let it be, let her stay incognito in the Daqian Empire for now. In a few years, we will provide her with some manpower to rebuild the White Lotus Cult.”

“…”

The voices of several terrifying powerhouses continued to exchange, showing little concern for the White Lotus Cult. However, they still placed great importance on the breakthrough of Wu Shenglaomu to the Grandmaster Wanxiang.

When Wu Shenglaomu left the Chaotic Domain, she was at the peak of the Hollow Realm. Unexpectedly, she made her breakthrough in the Daqian Empire within three to four years.

This was a truly terrifying force, lurking in the shadows, already covertly controlling one-third of the Chaotic Domain’s powers, yet seemingly non-existent on the surface.

…

Daqian Empire.

On the frontier of Huozhou, near a manor close to Qingzhou, within a village.

In a certain civilian household, a sound close to chanting echoed, loud enough, yet no passerby outside heard a thing.

“Life is like a prison, all beings suffer; the cycle of reincarnation never ends, troubles are ceaseless; pity us mortals, a god descends; the White Lotus incarnate, the people overturn their fate; Wu Shenglaomu, from the homeland of true emptiness.”

After the prayer ended, the secret room fell into silence. It was a long time before a voice was heard.

“Sect Hierarch, what should we do next?”

The speaker was a middle-aged man in a white robe, looking somewhat perplexed.

In front of him was a barefoot young girl, her face veiled by a light scarf, making it hard to discern her features. Behind her, three halos flickered in and out of existence, each of a different hue, as if a Heavenly Immortal graced the earth.

These two were none other than Wu Shenglaomu and the Dharma King of the White Lotus Cult, having escaped from the battle in Huozhou City.

No one would have guessed that Wu Shenglaomu was actually a young girl. In people’s minds, Wu Shenglaomu should have been old and wrinkled, with a benign countenance (or a ferocious one).

“There’s nothing we need to do, just lie low here for ten years to heal. If discovered, we’ll move. After ten years, we will travel to Leizhou to preach. I believe the Sect will give us plenty of support.”

Wu Shenglaomu spoke indifferently, clearly unperturbed by the failure to disrupt the Daqian Empire. She knew very well that the White Lotus Cult could never subvert Daqian; at best, it could only stir up the situation. When Daqian struck like thunder, the White Lotus Cult would be wiped out.

But the mission of the White Lotus Cult was complete, having probed some of the underlying foundations and attitudes of the Daqian Empire.

Actually, she did harbor some grievances; being sent to establish the White Lotus Cult in the Daqian Empire seemed like a good opportunity to gain merit, but the risks were too high.

If it weren’t for her breakthrough to the Myriad Phenomena Realm two years ago, becoming a Great Grandmaster, the White Lotus Cult would have truly become cannon fodder, with no one able to escape. Even so, only the two of them were left.

The other followers either perished directly or were seized and thrown into the dungeon. Wu Shenglaomu didn’t have the slightest intention to rescue them, as those captured were not high-level core members and unaware of the true origins of the White Lotus Cult.

“Very well.”

The Dharma King of the White Lotus Cult sighed and said nothing more, following behind the Mother of Myriad Phenomena for safety’s sake. Otherwise, he feared he wouldn’t be able to escape the pursuit of the Daqian Empire.

In a secret chamber, the Mother of Myriad Phenomena looked in the direction of Leizhou, a glint of sharpness flashing in her eyes.

Her willingness to come to the Daqian Empire was partly due to personal reasons, and it was also why she was able to make rapid breakthroughs to the Myriad Phenomena Realm, becoming a Great Grandmaster.

She once had a great opportunity, obtaining a fragment of a Cultivation Technique which, despite its incompleteness, was still of lower grade Heaven Rank, showing how extraordinary this technique was.

A lower grade Heaven Rank Cultivation Technique was one that directly pointed to the True Martial Realm, which meant that as long as she was sufficiently talented, she could use this technique to break through to the True Martial Realm.

Her talent was naturally exceptional; even within that mysterious major power, she was considered a rare genius. At a young age, she had cultivated to the peak of the Hollow Void Stage, and this was because she was being restrained, not wanting her technique to be discovered.

This technique was related to faith. As long as she could gather a sufficient number of believers and obtain their faith, she would be able to make rapid breakthroughs in her cultivation.

In the Chaotic Domain, she dared not to spread her religion widely, but once in the Daqian Empire, she no longer had as many concerns.

The White Lotus Cult spread rapidly across five or six manors, which was also due to her, for after obtaining faith, she directly broke through to the Myriad Phenomena Realm.

Although the White Lotus Cult later affected an even wider area, in order to test the Daqian Empire, she didn’t have the luxury of time to slowly proselytize. The faith was sparse and couldn’t provide her with much assistance.

Now, she lay in hiding. As long as she could endure the initial pursuit of the Daqian Empire, the pressure would be much less later on, and she would be able to go to Leizhou to secretly spread her religion.

If she could develop most of Leizhou into believers, her strength would soar to the peak of the ninth layer of the Myriad Phenomena Realm. If she could take over the entire Leizhou, she might even break through to the True Martial Realm in one fell swoop and become a core high-ranking member of the mysterious forces, no longer at the mercy of others.

Even if the situation arose, leading to another encirclement by the Daqian Empire, she could quickly flee Leizhou and enter the territory of the Yinyang Sect.

The Yinyang Sect would not assist the Daqian Empire in encircling her; they might even offer help.

…

Lingjun City.

Han Mansion.

Han Li looked at the invitation letter in his hand, lost in thought.

Two to three years had passed since the calamity of the White Lotus Cult, and as he was preparing to take new concubines, he received this invitation letter.

It was sent by someone in the Innate Realm. Han Li took one glance at it and accepted it.

“A Loose Cultivator gathering?”

After some hesitation, Han Li decided to attend.

Although the disturbance caused by the White Lotus Cult had been quelled, the seeds had already been sown. The Daqian Empire was filled with undercurrents; panic spread everywhere, and everyone felt insecure.

Cultivators backed by major powers were relatively fine, but Loose Cultivators were fraught with worry. If another calamity like the White Lotus Cult were to erupt, it could easily affect them.

Thus, Loose Cultivators from various areas began to move closely together, holding markets and gatherings, exchanging information and trading, taking what they needed in preparation for any potential disasters that could occur later.

The Loose Cultivators from Fengyang Manor were no exception.

This time, the one inviting Han Li was one such gathering, with participants all being Loose Cultivators of the Pihai Realm. With everyone at the same level, it was less likely for incidents of killing for treasure to occur, offering a sense of security.

Han Li thought the same way. A gathering for Loose Cultivators of the Pihai Realm would be a good opportunity to trade for various items he needed such as pill formulas and refining blueprints, which he could produce and then sell back to them.

Han Li felt he had quite a knack for business.

Besides, he was at the Gangyuan Realm. Those Pihai Realm Loose Cultivators didn’t pose a threat to him. He was the only one who could kill and claim their treasures. Of course, he wouldn’t normally do such a thing, unless… he truly couldn’t resist.