Chapter 375 - 372: A Pathetic Disparity
However,
though their lineage was ancient, it was said that the Divine Travel Realm experts of the Four Major Clans had ascended through special, unorthodox means, not through a proper Immortal Cultivation Technique.
As a result, their path forward was severed, and they had lost all potential for further advancement.
Furthermore, their combat strength was only around the Early Stage of the Divine Travel Realm.
In the Tian Nan Domain’s Immortal Cultivation Realm, any power with a Divine Travel Realm expert was still considered a top-tier, first-class force.
But among them, the clans were at the very bottom.
And this was the reason why,
despite being major clans with ancient local lineages,
they ended up being suppressed by the outsider Seven Extremes Sect and White Bone Sect.
In fact,
over the years,
it had always been the Seven Extremes Sect and the White Bone Sect keeping the Four Major Clans down.
Relying on the immense power of the Seven Extremes Ancestor and the White Bone Ancestor, they had forced the Four Major Clans into a continuous retreat, compelling them to offer annual tributes of manpower and resources.
But with the invasion from the Tian Nan Domain,
these old enemies
had now banded together in an alliance,
to jointly resist the allied forces of the Tian Nan Domain, led by the Dragon Cloud Sect.
Compared to these six factions,
the one sect was far more mysterious.
Its full name was the Netherworld Sect.
It was exceptionally secretive;
not even its own members knew the location of its headquarters!
Even in a barbaric place like the Nanyue Territory, it remained shrouded in mystery, its movements hidden, leaving outsiders with little to no information.
And this sect’s origins were quite extraordinary.
Its connections ran deep...
Most importantly,
rumor had it that
after the Yuqing Immortal Sect destroyed the Xiangshan Sect three hundred years ago, a portion of the survivors fled south
and joined the Netherworld Sect!
This point, in particular,
was of great concern to Shen Changchuan.
Because of its secretive nature, Shen Changchuan felt strongly that it was the hidden mastermind, the final boss pulling the strings behind everything.
’Sigh... I should focus on increasing my strength as much as possible for now.’
’Perhaps only by reaching the Divine Travel Realm will I have the power to influence the tides of this war...’
He sorted through the various pieces of information he had gathered.
Shen Changchuan couldn’t help but sigh to himself.
Faced with these major powers,
he once again felt like a helpless ant, caught in forces beyond its control.
’But then again, if I want to advance to the Divine Travel Realm, I’ll most likely have to pay a visit to the Yuqing Immortal Sect.’
’Back when we fought over the Dream Traveling Immortal, Mo Lingfeng lost to me and said we would fight again during the Immortal Sect’s entrance competition.’
’But now five years have passed, and there’s been no news of the Yuqing Immortal Sect recruiting disciples. Did something happen? Have they stopped accepting new members?’
’I wonder if this has anything to do with them suddenly ordering the Dragon Cloud Sect to attack the Nanyue Territory...’
Shen Changchuan’s thoughts began to wander.
But in the end,
he shook his head,
casting aside all the stray thoughts in his mind.
Those matters were too distant.
’I should focus on taking the next step!’
For example,
first breaking through to the Soul Emergence Fourth Layer.
A few days later,
some good news arrived.
A portion of the spoils obtained from the two Demon Cultivators, Xiong Banqing and his companion, had been sold.
Since sneaking into the Tian Nan Domain,
the two had wiped out an Immortal Cultivation Town and ten villages, amassing a significant amount of loot.
And all of it
had fallen into Shen Changchuan’s pocket.
The Spiritual Objects and resources they had plundered from slaughtering the various large villages were all items usable by relatively Low Level Cultivators.
As such, they were quickly absorbed by the market.
However,
the prices for these items were not very high.
After adding in the various unidentified elixirs for healing and Cultivation and selling them through the Ten Thousand Spirits Pavilion,
Shen Changchuan received a total of only 100,000 Lower Grade Spirit Stones and 300 Middle Grade Spirit Stones.
For a Soul Emergence Fifth Layer and a Soul Emergence Fourth Layer Cultivator,
this was truly not a large sum.
However,
if he waited a while longer,
once the harder-to-sell items like the Demon Artifacts were sold, Shen Changchuan would undoubtedly receive much more.
After all, those Soul Emergence Level Magical Artifacts
were not something ordinary people could afford.
It would take time for word to reach the ears of those who needed them.
But at this moment,
he clearly didn’t have time to wait.
Because the large group of Qi Introduction Realm Cultivators heading to Barbaric City had already assembled,
and all that was missing was him, their Escort.
...
"Is everyone here?"
In the crowded square,
Shen Changchuan descended from the sky, riding his sword light.
He spoke to the Outer Sect Steward standing at the front, who was responsible for organizing the group.
"Reporting to Senior Brother, there are eight hundred people in total for this journey. Three hundred are Outer Disciples of our Dragon Cloud Sect, and five hundred are Loose Cultivators who registered for the mission from outside. Everyone is present!"
The Outer Sect Steward hastily cupped his fists in salute to Shen Changchuan.
"Good. Thank you for your hard work."
"Senior Brother is too kind! I don’t deserve such praise!"
The young man trembled with excitement.
It couldn’t be helped.
The so-called Outer Sect Stewards were actually just Outer Disciples from previous batches who had earned enough Contribution Points and seniority to take on the role.
Becoming an Outer Sect Steward didn’t mean much; it only signified that he had entered the Sect a few years earlier.
His Cultivation was only at the Qi Introduction Ninth Layer Peak,
and now he was facing Shen Changchuan, a legendary prodigy who, while at the mere Ninth Layer of Qi Introduction, had defied the heavens to slay a Soul Emergence Realm expert.
It was rumored that now, he could even easily annihilate experts at the Soul Emergence Middle Stage. This was the kind of genius, the kind of monster of a talent he was talking to.
To receive praise from such a person—
how could he not be thrilled?
"Senior Brother, this is the roster!"
As he spoke,
the young Steward respectfully handed the roster to Shen Changchuan with both hands.
Shen Changchuan casually glanced at the roster while also sweeping his gaze over the assembled Cultivators below.
The ones standing in neat, square formations and wearing uniforms were the Sect’s Outer Disciples.
The other five hundred were a motley crew, their ranks disorganized.
’Whatever,’
’they’re all Loose Cultivators from the outside. I can’t expect too much from them.’
’As long as their morale is high enough, it should be fine.’
Shen Changchuan gave them a brief look-over.
He noticed that the faces of many were a mixture of apprehension and excitement.
This was normal.
For Loose Cultivators, the legacy of Immortal Techniques was not something easily obtained.
Immortal Cultivation Resources were even rarer.
Now, the Dragon Cloud Sect was offering Immortal Techniques and Immortal Cultivation Resources as rewards, and those who performed great deeds could even join the Sect directly.
With so many benefits on the line, it was a gamble worth taking!
Shen Changchuan understood this in his heart.
He might sometimes complain to the heavens about his own background as the son of a concubine—unlike the legitimate heirs of great figures, who had no shortage of Heavenly and Earthly Treasures and could eat Spirit Pills like candy, he had to rely on himself for almost everything on his path of Cultivation.
But in reality, his starting point was already better than at least ninety percent of all Cultivators!
In the real world,
people like Wang Xiao’Er from Qing City represented the vast majority in the Immortal Cultivation Realm!
An Immortal Cultivation Family was, after all, still part of the Immortal Cultivation World.
No matter how little importance they were given,
they would at least have the opportunity to come into contact with the Path of Immortal Cultivation, a chance at Qi Introduction Spirit Awakening, and access to a complete Immortal Cultivation education and lineage...
But all of this,
was something utterly unattainable for Loose Cultivators from the bottom rung of society.
Between a Loose Cultivator of mortal origin
and the Noble Family Descendants,
there existed a tragically thick barrier from the very beginning.