Chapter 477: The Origins of the Shenxiao Sect

The journey proceeded without obstruction.

Wherever the carriage passed, it drew astonished glances from the outer sect disciples.

The sight of a Thunder Marsh White Tiger pulling the carriage was exceedingly rare in the outer sect, for this Thunder Marsh White Tiger was a fourth-rank spiritual beast, its strength formidable enough to rival a human cultivator who had reached the fourth rung of the ladder.

It was born with mastery of a single Dao art, and each advancement unlocked new Dao arts from its bloodline.

During thunderstorms, it could even ride lightning and fly through the clouds.

Such a spiritual beast pulling a carriage.

Naturally, the passersby in the Eastern Courtyard buzzed with speculation, guessing the carriage's occupant must be of extraordinary status—a true scion of a top-tier cultivation clan within the outer sect, immensely noble in rank.

Yu Ke sat inside the carriage, gently lifting the curtain to look out.

He saw many female cultivators casting envious glances, or pointing at the male cultivators traveling alongside.

The male cultivators grew uncomfortable, lowering their heads with embarrassed expressions.

This scene reminded Yu Ke of his past life, when he'd encountered "sports cars" roaring down a "commercial street," and couples gazing with envy while scolding their boyfriends for being inadequate.

Vanity!

Whether in the cultivation world or the mortal realm, one could never escape such trivialities.

The Eastern Courtyard was bustling, filled with cultivators busy purchasing cave dwellings or relocating residences to secure better cultivation environments.

Moreover, many shops specialized in selling rare spiritual herbs, their fragrances filling the air.

In contrast, the Western Courtyard he had previously visited was mostly filled with taverns and banqueting halls.

Gazing at the vibrant scenes of the Eastern Courtyard, Chen Jingqiu sighed deeply:

"Everything about the Shenxiao Sect always seems both innovative and grounded in reality."

Wang Yunxi heard this and agreed:

"The Shenxiao Sect has endured for millennia across the Three Zones precisely because of its unique strengths. Countless former senior disciples who left the sect still yearn for their days of cultivation here."

Yu Ke knew little of the outside world; his memories held only fragments of life in the Luoshui Yu Clan.

Yet to him, the Shenxiao Sect felt strangely familiar.

Chen Jingqiu, however, had traveled widely across the Three Zones since childhood and possessed broad experience.

So!

Yu Ke asked: "May I ask, Elder Brother Chen, what do you mean by that?"

Chen Jingqiu turned his head, his gaze gentle as he looked at Yu Ke.

"Elder Brother Yu, you've likely never left the Great Zhou Divine Dynasty, correct? You know little of the other major zones or other sects?"

Yu Ke nodded, unembarrassed.

Chen Jingqiu said: "Do you know of the Lotus Leaf Sect in the Southern Region?"

"I've heard of it. Its prestige in the Southern Region rivals that of the Shenxiao Sect in the Three Zones."

Chen Jingqiu said: "The Lotus Leaf Sect, located in the Southern Region, is a ten-thousand-year-old great sect that controls three zones. Do you know how they select disciples?"

Yu Ke shook his head; his memory held no such record.

Seeing this, Chen Jingqiu no longer teased, and spoke directly:

"The Lotus Leaf Sect's ancestral patriarch is the Immortal Lotus True Person. Every ten years, on his birthday, he opens the sect gates wide across Lotus Leaf Continent to recruit disciples."

"In the southern frontier, half the population consists of demonic or mixed-blood races. They must climb a sheer cliff two thousand six hundred zhang high. Only iron chains are available for gripping; no spiritual power may be used—only raw physical strength. Those who succeed within ten days are taken in as lowly servants."

Yu Ke nodded; compared to the Shenxiao Sect, this was harsh.

The Shenxiao Sect accepted all who possessed cultivation potential, seemingly indifferent to a disciple's origin.

The sect's teaching principle:

"Teach without discrimination. Whoever seeks the Dao may enter our gate."

Chen Jingqiu turned and asked: "Elder Brother Yu, what do you think becomes of these mixed-blood races once they become lowly servants?"

Xie Wanwan answered first: "They probably have a chance to advance, like in the Shenxiao Sect?"

Chen Jingqiu shook his head gently, his tone grave:

"Though called lowly servants of the same sect, they are more like slaves."

Xie Wanwan's face showed surprise.

Yu Ke, however, seemed to have anticipated this; in this cultivation world, individual power was limitless, and the strong could tower above all others.

Chen Jingqiu continued: "Four thousand years ago, the Lotus Leaf Sect nearly perished. Had it not been for aid from other sects, it would have vanished long ago."

Wang Yunxi interjected: "You mean the Demon Emperor's Catastrophe?"

Chen Jingqiu nodded, his voice heavy:

"Four thousand years ago, a celestial stone monkey emerged and was taken in as a lowly servant by the Lotus Leaf Sect. But it suffered endless humiliation within the sect, eventually stealing the secret techniques 'Three Lives Great Art' and 'Nine-Colored Golden Body,' then breaking through to a legendary realm, declaring itself Demon Emperor."

"It gathered nine Demon Saints in the Southern Region and nearly annihilated the Lotus Leaf Sect. Only the united intervention of sects from all regions managed to seal it within the Southern Region."

Hearing this, Yu Ke couldn't help but smile.

He marveled: it seemed that in any world, "monkeys" always forged their own legends.

"Other great sects are much the same. For example, our neighboring Dan Ding Dao Sect even uses ordinary mortals and low-rank cultivators as test subjects for their medicines. Recently, a potion furnace leak caused a plague that killed hundreds of millions of low-rank cultivators and mortals."

"And in the Northern Region, the demonic sects craft the Ten Thousand Soul Banner from infant souls."

Here, Chen Jingqiu's tone shifted abruptly: "Yet, in stark contrast, our Shenxiao Sect has coexisted peacefully with mortal nations for ten thousand years. Within the Shenxiao Sect, high-rank cultivators who kill mortals are punished by thunderous justice—this is an iron law."

"When the sect issues a summons, disciples across the Three Zones respond without hesitation, uniting to exterminate those who violate sect rules."

"It is said that when the Shenxiao Sect was first founded, other great sects regarded this system as heretical and jointly boycotted it."

But that Shenxiao Ancestor wielded supreme divine power, striking across the nine great regions with a single sword to slay a great transcendent, thereby intimidating all four directions and securing his foothold.

Yu Ke now understood why Chen Jingqiu had called the Shenxiao Sect unique.

Preconceived notions.

Yu Ke had always assumed the cultivation world was as harmonious as the Shenxiao Sect.

But reality was otherwise.

The outside cultivation world remained a cruel world of "the strong devour the weak."

Seen this way, the Shenxiao Sect truly stood apart among the great sects.

Even cultivators of ordinary talent had a chance to become lowly servants—and eventually advance.

Within the sect, there was no such thing as slavery; all were addressed as fellow disciples.

For example, Sister Li Qingshui rose from lowly servant to true transmission disciple.

Chen Jingqiu smiled: "Elder Brother Yu, there's another sect anecdote: it's said this Shenxiao Ancestor came from the lower realm?"

Lower realm!

Yu Ke's face showed no change, but his heart was shaken to its core.

Within his mind-sea, the Kunxu Cauldron seemed to sense his inner turmoil and began to ring.

"Dong—"

The great sound was silent, instantly calming Yu Ke's agitated spirit.

Mostly because this news, combined with the "ascension" lore of his first life's world—Lu Chen's world—

Made it impossible for him not to be stunned.

Yu Ke spoke calmly:

"The Shenxiao Ancestor came from the lower realm?"

Chen Jingqiu smiled: "Just a legend—don't take it as truth."

"Beneath this great world lie three thousand middle worlds, and each middle world contains three thousand small worlds—though this is merely a figure of speech; small worlds number in the trillions."

"The founder of the Shenxiao Sect remains a mystery—even his name is unknown, which is why some suspect he came from the lower realm. All we know is that he was always accompanied by one disciple."

"That disciple's name was Yunxiao."

Hearing this, Xie Wanwan's eyes lit with excitement. She asked: "Could this be connected to the Yunxiao Immortal of the Shangqing Line?"

"Yes. This Yunxiao was the first patriarch of the Shangqing Line. Every generation of Shangqing Line's mountain master inherits the name Yunxiao."

Yu Ke's expression remained unchanged, yet he pressed further:

"Can one still ascend from the lower realm today?"

Chen Jingqiu paused, then replied:

"In ancient times, Ascension Platforms connected the lower realm. But after external demons invaded Tianxuan Continent through these platforms—"

"The ancestors of the Sui Era used the great technique 'Severing Heaven and Earth' to seal off the ascension routes. Since then—"

"Ascension from the lower realm is forbidden!"

Though Yu Ke's face remained calm, his mind churned with countless thoughts.

He thought of the two worlds from his simulation.

Wasn't Lu Chen's world also one where ascension was impossible?

And wasn't Master Xie Guan's teacher sailing the seas in search of ascension methods?

Could the Kunxu Cauldron be a lower realm?

But ascension had been sealed since the Sui Era.

Chronologically—

The Sui Era was the oldest, followed by the Ancient Era, then the Upper Ancient Era.

In the river of time, the Sui Era was among the most ancient, when cultivation was at its peak and transcendent beings were countless.

It was also called the "Unknowable Era."

All "Hidden Immortal Sites" in this age were deeply entwined with the Sui Era.

Just as Yu Ke fell into thought.

The carriage had stopped before the entrance of Hongyun Merchant House.

Xie Wanwan's voice interrupted him.

"We've arrived, Yu Shixiong."

Chen Jingqiu, Yu Ke, and the others stepped down from the carriage and arrived at the entrance of Hongyun Merchant Association.

The carriage drivers of the merchant house, who rode the Leize White Tigers, all showed fear and dared not approach.

These drivers were all miscellaneous disciples of the Shensiao Sect; though they had seen many spiritual beasts, they had never encountered a White Tiger so fierce.

Only after Chen Jingqiu instructed Mingzhu to cooperate did they manage to guide the White Tiger to the parking spot.

Yu Ke turned back and saw the princess of the Jiao People Kingdom standing quietly beside the carriage, her expression calm.

Yu Ke's group entered the grand hall, where immediately a maid stepped forward to greet them, and a manager from the first-floor association took charge of reception.

"May I ask if any of you have a familiar attendant?" the manager asked politely.

Yu Ke remembered the maid who had received them yesterday.

"Mi Die."

Upon hearing this, the manager immediately ordered a maid to summon Mi Die. Soon, the maid returned to report that Mi Die was currently attending to Brother Ding Zhao and others.

The manager frowned slightly; after all, they could not offend their customers, and Ding Zhao was one of their branch's key clients, as well as an inner sect disciple.

Yu Ke, however, dismissed it: "We already rented the cave dwelling yesterday; today we only need to check in. No need to trouble anyone."

The manager explained: "Please wait a moment, my esteemed guest. The previous tenant just vacated, and we are currently preparing the cave dwelling."

Yu Ke was not in a hurry, so the four of them wandered casually through the merchant association.

The uppermost level of Hongyun Merchant Association was where the association's proprietor resided.

The manager ascended slowly via a cloud-ladder to the top floor and gently knocked on an elegant door.

"What is it?"

From behind the door, a cool female voice came through.

The manager dared not delay: "Madam, today a distinguished guest arrived riding a Leize White Tiger. I come to report—his surname seems to be Chen."

Beyond daily operations, Hongyun Merchant Association actively sought to cultivate connections with Shensiao Sect disciples.

One who used such a spiritual beast as a carriage must be extraordinary; that was why the manager had come to report.

The room fell into a brief silence, and the voice murmured to itself:

"Chen? Rides a Leize White Tiger? Could this be that one from the Chen family who returned to Shensiao Sect?"

"Come in."

Only then did the manager dare open the door, bowing his head as he entered, refusing to look up.

Inside, the woman who had spoken sat beside a table, aged about twenty-seven or twenty-eight.

She wore a long, flowing blue gauze dress that trailed on the floor, tall and slender, her black hair coiled into a knot, with a bamboo hairpin slanted through her misty, cloud-like coiffure.

Beneath delicate willow-browed eyebrows, her narrow, phoenix-like eyes exuded elegance and detachment.

This woman was Liu Xing, proprietor of Hongyun Merchant Association.

The manager was about to report when he noticed another person in the room and silently stepped aside.

Behind Liu Xing stood another woman, dressed in a pale purple long dress, slightly taller than Liu Xing.

Her snow-white shoulders shimmered faintly beneath sheer gauze, her features exquisitely carved like a painting, especially the tiny black mole beside her peach-blossom eyes, adding a touch of alluring charm.

One in blue, one in purple—one cold, one soft and seductive.

If Yu Ke were here, he would instantly recognize the woman in purple as the Second Miss of Zuijiang Yue.

Liu Xing spoke softly: "There are no outsiders here. Speak freely."

"What does this person look like?"

The manager described: "His appearance is exceptionally handsome, rare even among outer sect disciples. He wears a red cord around his waist, with a dragon-head seal hanging from it."

Upon hearing this, Liu Xing's brows slightly furrowed. She turned to look at the woman beside her in purple.

"Sister Youlan, that dragon-head seal must be the water seal of the Eastern Sea Dragon Clan. It seems this man truly is Chen Jingqiu, famed as the First Storm of Luoyun Peak."

The blue-clad woman was Xia Youlan; her face also showed surprise.

"Chen Jingqiu is among the top ten of the younger generation across the Three Zhou. If he doesn't perish prematurely, becoming a True Person is within reach. I never imagined the Chen family would send him for the opening of Yunxiao Immortal's mountain."

The manager continued: "This distinguished guest riding the Leize White Tiger travels with four others—two men, two women—apparently accompanying one of them."

"This person rented a cave dwelling in our association yesterday and has come today to check in."

Liu Xing lifted her head slightly and asked: "Who is this person?"

"His surname is Yu, name Ke. He is from the Great Zhou Divine Dynasty and currently a fourth-year outer sect disciple."

Xia Youlan's beautiful eyes flared sharply, her tone noticeably sharpening:

"Yu Ke!"

"Sister Youlan, what's wrong?"

Liu Xing asked curiously—just moments ago, even the name Chen Jingqiu had not stirred her so deeply.

(End of Chapter)