Chapter 454: The Chaos of the Northern Plains

"In the Northern Plains,"

"The Zhengmo Alliance, the Dari Sect, and numerous smaller cultivation families and factions are escalating their battles; both sides are draining their vassal forces to the last drop."

"Foundation Establishment families conscript all Foundation Establishment and Qi Condensation cultivators; Jin Dan families conscript all Jin Dan and Foundation Establishment cultivators, leaving not a single root behind."

"Time and again, Foundation Establishment or Jin Dan factions are exterminated for refusing conscription or because their patriarchs flee—entire mountains left dead, or wiped out in retaliatory strikes by rival factions as warnings; the entire Northern Plains is in chaos, with countless cultivators dying almost daily."

Dong Cang said with a solemn expression.

As for mortals, they remain as they always have; unless needed, Zhengmo and Dari cultivators do not harm them, for they hold no value beyond consuming magic power.

"Isn't it said that the smaller families of the Northern Plains favor the Dari Sect?"

Jiang Ding frowned slightly in surprise.

The top-tier families of the Northern Plains strictly seal off the path to Nascent Soul formation, using collateral branches as blood food, ruthlessly suppressing any smaller faction daring to covet the Nascent Soul, showing extreme brutality both internally and externally.

"Broadly speaking, yes."

Dong Cang nodded, then shook his head: "Those Jin Dan with ambition naturally lean toward the Dari Sect, even though the Dari Sect's methods are equally tyrannical and bloody."

"Those without ambition, with no hope of advancement, remain obedient and largely loyal."

"Because the Dari Sect treats smaller factions poorly too—indeed, due to rising new powers, their exploitation is even harsher—but they offer a clear path upward; once loyalty is confirmed, they even grant Nascent Soul Gong Fa, generously so."

"Yet there is one exception: collateral branches of Zhengmo Alliance families have seen a great number of rebellions, and their treatment of the main line is horrific—skinning and stuffing with straw, lighting soul lamps, and more—prompting some Northern Plains families to intensify suppression, add more restrictions, and begin promoting outsiders, fully enslaving their collateral branches."

"Over the past hundred years, the intensity of war has risen annually; now they are nearly digging up the roots of the smaller factions."

"What do you mean?"

Jiang Ding's expression turned thoughtful.

"The war's intensity has risen every year for over a hundred years, with no end in sight—but there must be a limit."

"Even the Nascent Soul great sects, far stronger than us, and even with the Northern Plains' immense wealth, are not infinite."

Dong Cang said with a solemn expression: "The cultivators and mortals of the Master Tushan Dao Lue Ge believe that, within as little as ten to twenty years, or as long as another hundred years, the Northern Plains war will undergo a phase shift."

"Whether this change brings victory to the Zhengmo Alliance, the Dari Sect, or someone else—this exceeds our level; without relevant intelligence, we cannot judge."

Dao Lue Ge.

Established over thirty years ago out of necessity, it recruits outstanding ministers and generals from the imperial courts of Tu, Yue, and Chu, as well as talented cultivators, aiming to study major trends within the Cultivation World.

Whether it's useful is unknown, but it still offers some reference value.

It's better than those cultivators who only know fighting and killing, shutting themselves away to cultivate without caring about the outside world.

"Ten to twenty years to a hundred years… isn't that short?"

Jiang Ding murmured to himself.

He had some confidence in the Dao Lue Ge; these were people trained according to the methods of the Immortal Sects, and at least regarding grand trends, they held some reference value.

'Short?'

Dong Cang's body trembled.

"How many casualties have there been?"

Jiang Ding asked.

In the Northern Plains, even Jin Dan cultivators cannot protect themselves, let alone Foundation Establishment cultivators—even if slightly stronger than their peers, if they don't provoke trouble.

"In the forty-two years since, seventeen sisters have died in battle."

Dong Cang spoke briefly and plainly, with no emotional fluctuation.

Cultivators fight and die daily, competing for opportunities, spiritual stones, and heavenly treasures; they have been fortunate enough—no worries over spiritual stones or Gong Fa, no oppression, no one deliberately sending them to die.

Such treatment already surpasses ninety percent of Foundation Establishment cultivators in the world; their sacrifice is only right.

"Take good care of their families."

Jiang Ding fell silent.

This is the fate of cultivators.

He often risks his life in battle; these women must do the same. No one is born entitled to be supported by others without giving anything in return.

As for the issue of leaks:

First, their soul cores bear soul restrictions that prevent the leakage of secrets, whether active or passive.

Second, the Heavenly Light Shining Sun Sword Scripture they cultivate—its name and content—were custom-designed by the Immortal Sect's Academy of Sciences, heavily incorporating this world's existing Gong Fa and Immortal techniques; its name is entirely different. Even if they were captured by a Nascent Soul cultivator of the Dari Sect, that cultivator could find no trace of the Immortal Sect.

At most, they'd assume it was another Northern Plains magnate's lucky heir, like Dong Xue Dong Xue Liuyun, who unearthed some ancient legacy.

Greed might arise, but alarming a Soul Transformation cultivator is utterly impossible.

"Yes!"

Dong Cang, Gong Gong Caiyu, and the other maids bowed deeply, then retreated slowly.

After the maids left, Jiang Ding's form shimmered and changed into that of an ordinary-looking young man.

Without a background or someone to shield him, being too outstanding is a disaster—it draws too many enemies' killing intent, triggering relentless pursuit and encirclement.

Otherwise, they cannot sleep, fearing they will dream of their own deaths centuries later, their clan annihilated.

Posing as a late-stage Jin Dan or Nascent Soul cultivator is ideal; such cultivators possess such power, and it's perfectly ordinary.

Zizizi…

The Level-Two Supreme Electromagnetic Light Wave Invisibility and Silence Technique emitted faint flickers of electric light—signs of spell instability due to mismatched magic power.

Reducing the input magic power, the hazy image stabilized once more.

"The Level-Three spell must be resolved."

Jiang Ding frowned.

At present, Jin Dan cultivators cannot see through it—but against a Nascent Soul cultivator, it's like the Emperor's New Clothes; concealment is no concealment, as if naked.

His figure vanished.

He flew out of the Demon Palace and circled Master Tushan Xiancheng once more.

His divine sense swept over the surrounding shops, auction houses, cave dwellings, and other places; no formation or spell concealment was of any use at all. Once again he confirmed that Master Tushan Xiancheng was still the same as the reports passed up from below, with nothing being concealed from superiors.

It was just that Jin Dan cultivators were a few fewer, only about seven or eight Jin Dan, and the remaining Jin Dan cultivators were nowhere to be found.

This was normal enough.

Jin Dan cultivators were always restless, let alone that this place was actually not suitable for cultivation.

According to the intelligence from Tushan Xiancheng, every twenty years they would head to the border region between Chu Country and Tu Country to attend the underground auction held by Huaxuedian, exchanging for some demonic Dao items and things banned by Tushan Xiancheng.

As for why it was at the border, naturally it was because they did not really trust Huaxuedian, this demonic Dao sect, and could retreat into Tushan Xiancheng's jurisdiction at any time.

"I hope you all aren't evading taxes."

Jiang Ding Zi murmured.

He landed on a hidden formation, the light on his body flickering several times, his figure shifting within the teleportation array, quickly crossing tens of thousands of kilometers and arriving at the border of Chu Country.

(End of this chapter)