The Ghost Spirit Sect

As soon as Han Li stepped onto the third floor, several strands of spiritual sense swept over him, causing him to tighten his guard internally.

These people all had magic power at around mid Foundation Establishment—far stronger than him, a mere early Foundation Establishment cultivator. The four years of secluded cultivation in his cave had only brought his mana close to the threshold of mid Foundation Establishment. There was still a single pane of paper unbroken, a fact that left him a little regretful.

Still, he supposed it was only natural. After all, reaching the brink of mid Foundation Establishment in just four years was already far faster than most. And that last layer of paper was his first bottleneck since Foundation Establishment—something that could not be breached with mere medicine. It would also require a certain measure of karmic opportunity.

Otherwise, no matter how many pills he consumed, they would only deepen his existing mana. The realm itself would remain out of reach.

As these thoughts crossed his mind, Han Li took a general survey of everything on the floor.

Everyone on the third floor was a Foundation Establishment cultivator. But they were clearly divided into two camps. The first group was dressed in a style Han Li knew well: the cultivators of the Seven Great Sects. The other group wore a motley mix of garments, clearly composed of cultivators from foreign nations.

There were only five Seven Great Sect cultivators, all seated at the same table, talking in low voices and appearing fairly close. The foreign cultivators, by contrast, numbered seven or eight, but they mostly sat alone or in pairs, sipping tea with cold expressions, not exchanging idle words or gossip.

The contrast between the two groups—one lively, one still—gave Han Li the impression of a quiet, hostile standoff.

His arrival naturally drew the attention of the other cultivators. After the initial scan, everyone else turned to look at him. Without hesitation, Han Li walked toward the table of the Seven Great Sect cultivators. After all, he was one of them.

The moment he moved, the other cultivators withdrew their gazes, acting as if he were beneath notice. The seven assembled cultivators stood up with welcoming smiles on their faces.

Han Li’s Yellow Maple Valley robes made introductions unnecessary. Every one of them recognized the sect uniform.

“Han Li of Yellow Maple Valley. Greetings to you, fellow elder brothers and elder sister,” Han Li said, deliberately lowering his posture. Of the five people before him, three were at mid Foundation Establishment, and the other two were early Foundation Establishment like himself.

“Junior Han! I am Wufazi of the Clear Void Sect, and this is my junior brother, Wuyouzi. These three are Senior Brother Wu of Spirit Beast Mountain, Senior Brother Ba of Giant Sword Sect, and Junior Sister Fang of Heaven’s Fortress Sect,” said the older of the two Daoists at the table, returning the greeting politely and making simple introductions.

“Since Junior Han is here, why not try the Yan Clan’s famous Snow Bell Tea? This teahouse serves this fine vintage exclusively to visiting cultivators,” said the middle-aged cultivator from Spirit Beast Mountain, a man who wore a smile easily. Once Han Li sat down, he picked up the teapot set on the table and poured him a cup of mist-wreathed spirit tea.

Han Li nodded, acknowledged the gesture with a slight smile, and took a small sip.

Regardless of whether the man’s cordiality was genuine, everyone had to maintain appearances.

“Excellent tea,” Han Li said, unable to help praising it even though he was not particularly discerning about such things.

As soon as the tea entered his stomach, a glacial chill rose from his abdomen, followed by an overwhelming fragrance lingering on his lips and tongue that lingered long after. The aftertaste was endless.

Hearing this, the Wu cultivator’s smile grew a little warmer.

“Junior Han, your face is unfamiliar. Which honored master of Yellow Maple Valley recently took you in as a personal disciple?” asked the ordinary-looking Fang girl, who appeared to be in her twenties, in a straightforward manner.

“My master is Li Huayuan. It has only been a few years since I established my foundation and was formally taken under his wing. I hope you will all offer me your guidance and advice,” Han Li replied, his expression earnest.

“We are hardly in a position to offer guidance. Let us say we exchange views. Since Junior Han has been accepted by Uncle Li and sent to handle things on his own at such a young age, you must have your own remarkable qualities. There’s no need to belittle yourself,” said the middle-aged man from Giant Sword Sect. He looked honest and forthright, but his words were surprisingly polished, leaving Han Li a little impressed.

Han Li naturally demurred with a few modest remarks. Apart from the short, thin, silent Wuyouzi, who remained mum, Han Li quickly warmed up to the other cultivators.

“What were you all discussing just now?” Han Li asked casually, steering the conversation toward the main issue after the polite exchanges.

“Nothing much. We were all trying to guess why so many foreign cultivators have suddenly appeared at Yanling Fort. It is rather unusual. Although the Qiankun Pagoda Talisman Treasure is valuable, it cannot have this much drawing power,” Wufazi answered, his expression suddenly becoming serious.

This happened to touch on the very question puzzling Han Li. He nodded in agreement.

“We discussed it for a while but could not figure it out. We do not think it is likely that some rare treasure is about to appear here. If that were the case, more than just Foundation Establishment cultivators would have come. Core Formation masters would have flocked here long ago, and things would not be so calm. As for other reasons, none of them explain it either,” said the woman from Heaven’s Fortress Sect.

“Let us stop guessing blindly. In two days, when the Treasure-Seizing Assembly begins, everything will be revealed. I am more uneasy about those Ghost Spirit Sect cultivators who showed up today. That group does not seem ordinary. For them to push back the Yan Clan’s disciples repeatedly is really unexpected. Does anyone know their background?” the middle-aged Wu cultivator asked with a frown, his usual smile entirely gone. He seemed genuinely troubled by those cultivators.

This question left most of the table, including Han Li, exchanging blank glances.

Most of them had only heard of this sect for the first time. From its name alone, they could tell it was not a good organization. Nine times out of ten, it was a demonic sect. The question was which nearby nation it hailed from—and why the Yan Clan, the local power, was so wary of it that, despite having so many disciples injured, they had not immediately retaliated. The sect’s ferocious reputation must be considerable.

But if most were clueless, there was one exception. This was Wuyouzi, who had not spoken the entire time. He alone had not changed expression, appearing to know something about the Ghost Spirit Sect. This sparked a glimmer of hope in the others.

“Junior Brother, you know of the Ghost Spirit Sect?” Wufazi asked, quite surprised. He knew this junior brother of his did not care much for socializing but loved flipping through all kinds of books and scrolls. Perhaps he did know something.

“Ghost Spirit Sect. One of the Six Demonic Sects of Tianluo Nation. They specialize in commanding ghosts and demons, are also skilled in poison arts and certain shadow techniques. Although they are ranked the weakest among the six sects, they are still a third stronger than our Yue Nation’s strongest sect, Moon-Masking Sect.”

Wuyouzi raised his head, finished these few sentences coldly, and then clamped his mouth shut again. But these brief words were enough to make the others’ expressions shift drastically.

“A demonic sect from Tianluo Nation? That explains why the Yan Clan is swallowing their pride. That is a superpower several times larger than our Seven Great Sects combined. In this region, aside from the Righteous Alliance of Fengdu Nation, no other nation’s cultivation forces can withstand their invasion alone,” said the Giant Sword Sect man, his face paling.

“Are you sure? Why would such a large force suddenly come to Yue Nation just to attend such a minor treasure-seizing assembly?” the Fang woman asked, unable to believe it, a note of suspicion in her voice.

“The Southern Skies Manuscript, Volume Two, Chapter Four,” Wuyouzi said flatly.

“Ah…” The woman frowned at first, then a moment later understood his meaning.

This was a reference to a set of classic texts kept by all the major sects. They specialized in describing the customs and strange tales of various nations in this region and touched on cultivation world affairs. But because the collection was vast, the woman had only skimmed a few volumes before growing bored and setting them aside. Could the matter of the Ghost Spirit Sect really be found in those books?

Perhaps sensing that more than just the female cultivator was confused, Wuyouzi reluctantly added:

“That portion of Volume Two does not cover only the Ghost Spirit Sect. The other five demonic sects are also briefly introduced there.”

Seeing Wuyouzi’s certainty, the others finally believed him. Beyond sheer shock, they all began to seriously consider the meaning behind the Ghost Spirit Sect’s sudden appearance at the Yan Clan’s doorstep. Han Li rubbed his nose out of habit and sank into deep thought.

Was the Six Demonic Sects of Tianluo Nation preparing to invade Yue Nation in force?

No. Between Yue Nation and Tianluo Nation lay two smaller states: Jiang Nation and Chariot Nation. If there was to be an invasion, the two smaller nations would have to be pacified first. Though small, those two nations had cultivation worlds of no mean strength, matching the combined might of the Yue Seven Great Sects. No matter how fierce the Six Demonic Sects were, they could not swallow two nations without a sound.

Furthermore, the Righteous Alliance of Fengdu Nation was eyeing them from the side. Surely they would not give the demonic path free rein to expand their power.

After mulling it over, Han Li finally ruled out the worst-case scenario.

(Fellow Daoist readers, if you have monthly tickets, do throw one our way!)

(Chapter End)