Chapter 709 - 709: Faction on Human Empire
"Ghost Valley at its peak was recorded to have over a billion cultivators, with territory spread across three star systems.
But that was at its peak. Based on the latest recorded information, they only had one planet left.
The planet was under lockdown, and there were no records of people going in or out."
Alex mumbled as he checked the information.
The two of them were now sitting in one of the popular cafes in the city, not far from the place where Beatrice had just been ambushed. Alex had suggested they stay there for a while, just in case they found someone suspicious.
Logically, Ghost Valley should already have people inside the local authorities.
It was the easiest way to get information and keep control over things without exposing themselves too early.
Mingyue sat across from him, stirring the drink in front of her without touching it.
"So they still have some backbone left," she said calmly.
Alex nodded. "Yes, and it seems the vampires are backing them."
He tapped the screen again and narrowed his eyes.
"It makes sense to hide on a locked-down planet like that. People are less likely to think they would hide there."
Alex had already considered this before, but factions like Ghost Valley were too numerous. He did not have the resources to check them one by one.
"I wonder if they had a specific reason for choosing Ghost Valley."
Mingyue looked out the window.
Outside, the street looked normal. People walked by. Cars moved along the road.
Everyone was busy with their own life, not realizing that huge trouble was already brewing in the city.
"Ghosts and life force. One studies the soul, while the other studies the thing that makes it. It seems like a good combination."
Mingyue finally picked up her cup and took a sip.
"So what are you thinking? You should have guessed this already."
Alex leaned back in his chair. "I think Ghost Valley is only one part of it. We are still missing something here."
Using a sect that specialized in ghosts to improve their study of life force was a good idea, but the gap in understanding between the vampires and Ghost Valley was too large.
That was why Alex had never paid much attention to Ghost Valley before.
Mingyue's eyes turned slightly colder.
"That soul golem I fought, maybe that is the reason."
Alex nodded.
"Yes. It seems Ghost Valley is not that simple."
He opened his interface again and started searching for the reason Ghost Valley had been shunned.
A few moments later, more lines of information appeared on the screen.
Alex's gaze moved across them one by one.
"Found it."
Mingyue did not speak. She simply looked at him and waited.
Alex's finger moved down the page.
"Ghost Valley's fall started long ago, not long after the Progenitor War ended, during their golden era.
The empire won that war, but it was only a winner on the surface. The war left too many wounds. Too many powerhouses died in the war.
The regions were already unstable, and after the war ended, the pressure holding everything together started to weaken."
Mingyue listened quietly.
Alex continued.
"That was when many factions began to rise."
He turned the screen slightly so Mingyue could see part of it.
"Ghost Valley was one of them. At that time, they were not the only ones.
There was also the Crimson Star Court, which controlled bloodline arts and body refinement.
The Nine Void Pavilion, which focused on spatial routes and smuggling between star systems.
The Black Wheel Monastery, which used karma and corpse refinement.
The Thousand Beast Ridge, which raised war beasts on ruined planets.
There was also the Heavenly Sand Alliance, a loose group of merchant clans and rogue cultivator armies."
Mingyue's eyes moved over the names.
"So the empire could not suppress all of them at once."
Alex nodded. "It could not. Not in that state.
At first, these factions fought each other more than they fought the empire.
They stole planets, raided resource planets, and attacked transport lines.
One month they would cooperate to break an imperial fleet, and the next month they would turn on each other over mines and inheritance ruins."
His finger tapped a section of the report.
"The Crimson Star Court worked with Ghost Valley for a period of time. One provided blood essence and living bodies.
The other handled souls and resentful spirits. Together they created battlefield weapons from cultivators who had just died."
Mingyue's expression did not change, but the air around her grew colder.
She had heard something similar before on Blue Jewel Planet. It was a different sect, a different scale, and a different timeline, but the gist was the same. The power to use death, creating an invisible army that kept growing.
Alex went on.
"The Nine Void Pavilion also cooperated with them.
Ghost Valley needed hidden routes to move people and resources. The Pavilion needed protection for its smugglers.
The Black Wheel Monastery fought Ghost Valley at first, then later traded techniques with them in secret. Thousand Beast Ridge sold captured beasts and corpse material to both sides.
Even the Heavenly Sand Alliance got involved by moving forbidden materials through neutral territory."
He let out a quiet breath.
"The whole era was chaos. The empire was still strong enough that none of them dared to declare themselves openly, but weak enough that all of them thought they had a chance."
Mingyue placed her cup down. "And Ghost Valley grew in that chaos."
"Yes."
Alex looked back at the oldest section of the records.
"Ghost Valley was one of the fastest-growing factions after the war. Their methods were cruel, but very effective.
Every battlefield gave them more souls. Every broken world gave them more yin land.
Their inheritance also suited unstable times. Fear, death, resentment, wandering spirits. The more chaotic the era became, the stronger they grew."
He paused for a second.
"But that was not what made everyone turn on them."
Mingyue's gaze sharpened slightly.
Alex's finger stopped on one final section.
"This is the event."
The file was damaged in several places, but enough remained to piece it together.
"Back then, Ghost Valley launched something called the Ten Night Soul Tide."
Mingyue narrowed her eyes. "What is that?"
Alex stared at the screen for a moment before answering.
"They attacked an entire star system at once, to harvest all the souls."
His voice became colder.
"They planted massive soul formations across dozens of worlds, including neutral worlds, rebel worlds, and even some of their own allied territories.
When the formations activated, they dragged out the souls of the dead buried in those lands, but that was only the beginning.
The formations also started pulling at the souls of the living."
Mingyue's fingers lightly tapped the cup.
"As cruel as that was, I do not believe that was the cause of their fall."
Alex continued.
"Civilians, mortals, the elderly... yes, you are right. Their deaths would bring condemnation, but not enough to make everyone shun them.
The problem was that on one of those planets, there was a ceasefire meeting held by the empire."