Chapter 2283: The Ancestor of the Void Spirit

Otherwise, he would show no mercy.

Dong Rui, standing nearby, chuckled, "First, tell me, how many people are there in Qixia Sect?"

"'The Celestial Centipede confessed there are thirty-one members in the sect,' Liu Qingdao said, keenly aware of the difficulties inherent in a sect's seclusion. 'An immortal sect in seclusion cannot sustain too many people.'"

In ancient times, a major immortal sect might number thousands or even tens of thousands, exuding grandeur. However, this number would sharply decrease during later periods of seclusion, as each immortal and cultivator consumes a large amount of spiritual energy or mystic crystals in their secluded cultivation grounds.

Sects originally chose long-term seclusion due to insufficient spiritual energy. The number of people brought into a small grotto-heaven was limited, and as the situation within these grotto-heavens grew more severe, many more people would be expelled or simply disappear.

Even the former True Master Qianhuan, one of Mount Ling's leaders, whose spirit-gathering array absorbed Flashgold spiritual energy to supply his small grotto-heaven, only had a few hundred Illusion Sect disciples within the Upside-Down Sea. For Qixia Sect to have around thirty members is not a small number among the sects that have emerged from seclusion and interacted with Canyan State.

Having fewer members is also one of the main reasons why newly emerged immortal sects now find it difficult to contend with great nations.

"'When Mount Ling was founded, Qixia Sect was one of its original elders. However, it constantly remained in seclusion, ignoring worldly affairs and only periodically sending personnel to Mount Ling. Thus, its relationship with Mount Ling was not as close as that of the former Illusion Sect,' Liu Qingdao mused. 'I recall that Qixia Sect's sect master's surname is Yuan, and they must have been in seclusion for a very long time. Most of the cultivation techniques, grand formations, and magical artifacts of the immortal masters of Yuanshan are known to have been inherited by Qixia Sect, including many ancient treasures. Therefore, they still possess significant assets.'"

Dong Rui snorted from the side, "Who knows how many immortal sects we've dealt with over the years."

The endless emergence of immortal beasts and monstrous spirits has always been a major headache for various nations to manage. Although Canyan cannot force all sects into submission and make them obedient, it has maintained a delicate balance in dynamic management and has also discovered unique ways of interacting with them.

They know when to apprehend, when to release, and when to manage. Flexibility is key when dealing with extraordinary powers.

For thousands of years, 'managing immortal sects' had always been Mount Ling's responsibility. But now, the three great powers are doing a better job.

Liu Qingdao's expression turned serious. "Mr. Dong, Qixia Sect is different from all those previous sects. Its predecessor, Yuanshan Sect, was the origin of Void Spirit Art."

"'Hmm?' Dong Rui was surprised. 'Void Spirit Art originated from Yuanshan?'"

He Lingchuan also raised an eyebrow.

With the resurgence of spiritual energy in the world, many magical techniques and divine abilities that had disappeared during the Middle Ages returned to the human realm. The Void Spirit is highly representative of these, combining divine abilities with spirit and beast-controlling arts to refine a "Void Spirit" — a summonable entity that can be both ethereal and tangible.

In the Coiling Dragon World, military commanders of the Great Wind, such as Hu Min, would more or less refine one or two Void Spirits. These could fight, stand guard, and help their masters block hidden arrows shot from behind.

However, the Void Spirits they refined were not powerful enough, because the quality of the base material for such entities is crucial.

Liu Qingdao then continued, "That's right. Seven thousand years ago, a craze swept through the immortal realm: spirit-controlling arts, ghost-controlling arts, and puppet arts exploded. Many powerful beings even sought to refine external incarnations based on these. The Sixth Sect Master of Yuanshan Sect, Revered Master Fuguang, drew upon the strengths of various paths and spent three hundred years researching and developing Void Spirit Art. This allowed Yuanshan to instantly become one of the most powerful immortal sects of its time, a position it maintained until around the time of the Sky Demon invasion."

He Lingchuan nodded. Yuanshan's ability to become one of the six great immortal sects that created the "Oasis" and sheltered the world's living beings was sufficient proof of its power.

"Unfortunately, Yuanshan suffered immense losses while resisting the Sky Demons and maintaining the Oasis, making it impossible to continue. However, the later Qixia Sect inherited Yuanshan's legacy, including not only the secret art of refining Void Spirits but also several of Yuanshan's powerful Void Spirits!"

So, this was the key point. He Lingchuan asked him, "Are you sure?"

"'Approximately thirteen hundred years ago, during the mid-Middle Ages, Qixia Sect was in constant conflict with the Misty Sect of Gale Plain. The Misty Sect's mountain-guarding spirit beast, the Wind Demon, was birthed from the subterranean Zi-Wu Divine Wind and was quite formidable. Qixia Sect had no choice but to summon one of Yuanshan's most powerful Void Spirits, the 'Titan God,' severely injuring the Misty Sect.'"

He Lingchuan stroked his chin. "So, they have at least the Titan God?"

He had personally walked through Wind Demon Mountain, the Misty Sect's stronghold. The Zi-Wu Divine Wind emerging from underground was truly like wind blades and frost swords; it could strip a living person down to a skeleton in a few breaths, and after two more gusts, not even bone fragments would remain.

The great Wind Demon had already disappeared, but the small Wind Demon unleashed by Fu Shanyue back then still caused utter devastation to Baoshu State's treasure transport team. Yes, that small Wind Demon is now working for Ju City, so He Lingchuan was well aware of its power.

It wasn't easy for Wei'an City to deal with the Wind Demon, let alone the Titan God, which is even more powerful?

"'Void Spirits can reside within magical artifacts and sleep for many years, consuming little during this period.' This is one of the reasons why many immortals like to refine Void Spirits. 'Therefore, Qixia Sect likely still possesses these powerful sect-guarding treasures.'"

He Lingchuan remained silent.

Dealing with such an immortal sect requires utmost caution, especially since they are right beside the city, and the damage they could cause would be too great.

He was contemplating what method Canyan should use to minimize Qixia Sect's destructive potential, should Wei'an City and the sect fall out.

Dong Rui said coolly, "They do keep them very cautiously."

"They probably remembered the lesson of Yuanshan's decline and won't easily exhaust their strength."

"'So that's why they used such conservative wording to obstruct me, without even showing their faces?' He Lingchuan asked. 'Where is their sect's stronghold?'"

"'Qixia Sect has relocated multiple times. Approximately four hundred years ago, their sect was on Beichen Mountain in western Mou State, but after that, their location became unknown,' Liu Qingdao added. 'If an immortal sect enters seclusion, they usually don't let outsiders know their specific location.'"

"'Cutting off Wei'an City's water supply is a demonstration of power against Canyan,' He Lingchuan said, his eyes glinting. 'They are holding Wei'an City hostage; what do you think they want?'"

"'From our past dealings with so many sects that emerged from seclusion, what they want is nothing more than territory, resources, and people,' Liu Qingdao analyzed. 'Using the Titan God is too costly; it requires massive amounts of mystic crystals. Unless absolutely necessary, Qixia Sect should not bring it out.'"

Even immortal sects have to calculate their costs. Especially those that have been in seclusion for over a hundred years and whose mystic crystal reserves are not abundant, they must understand how to live within their means.

He Lingchuan understood his unspoken meaning:

It would be best not to push Qixia Sect to the point of a desperate struggle that harms both sides, because then Wei'an City would suffer the most.

Liu Qingdao volunteered, "I have met Sect Master Yuan several times before, so I will depart for Wei'an City at once."

"Qixia Sect chose to cut off the water supply to threaten Wei'an City. This indicates they observed and prepared early, and didn't just rashly start a conflict the moment they emerged from seclusion."