Chapter 333

"Xin Shibo"

Two disciples of the Sunset Sect, a senior monk and a first-rank cultivator, flew up close and immediately bowed respectfully.

"You must be Wang Yu, disciple of the Four Symbols Sect," said the monk, standing atop a giant sword, smiling broadly. "I am Xin Geng of the External Affairs Hall, specifically in charge of sect exchanges."

"So you're Brother Xin," Wang Yu replied, scanning the monk with his spiritual sense and sensing he was also a Foundation Establishment cultivator; he promptly returned the bow.

"Hahaha, Brother Yu, you're too polite. First, come with me to the External Affairs Hall to hand in your assessment mission, then I'll arrange your lodging. I've heard you cultivate a fire-based scripture—here in the Sunset Sect, you'll thrive like a fish in water, no less than our own disciples." The monk grinned, then led Wang Yu forward through the air.

"This place is truly extraordinary—so abundant in fire spiritual energy, far surpassing ordinary spiritual domains. Do all your sect disciples cultivate fire-based scriptures?" Wang Yu urged his wooden boat to keep pace, asking with a hint of curiosity.

"Not all our disciples cultivate fire-based scriptures, but when we select new disciples, we prioritize fire elemental affinity above all else, so most choose fire-based scriptures to cultivate—this yields twice the results with half the effort." The monk replied as he propelled his giant sword forward.

In moments, the two crossed the mountain range beneath them; ahead, the air grew even hotter, and below appeared a massive valley surrounded by barren hills.

Wang Yu glanced into the valley, and his eyelid twitched.

The front half of the valley was entirely red wasteland; the rear half revealed a towering city reaching into the clouds.

The entire city was built of stone, its expanse nearly filling half the valley, with outer walls standing fifteen to sixteen zhang tall.

More astonishing still, above the massive stone city floated unknown pale red clouds, bathing the entire city in the hue of sunset.

Within the city, two even taller walls could faintly be seen, dividing it into three zones: outer, middle, and inner.

At the very center stood a man-made tower as massive as a mountain peak, its upper half vanishing into the red clouds.

This was Tianyang Valley—the mountain gate of the Sunset Sect!

Wang Yu had never before seen a city this vast in the cultivation world.

Though its area could not compare to the megacities of Blue Star, housing millions, this city could easily accommodate hundreds of thousands of residents.

Yet, as far as he knew, the total number of Sunset Sect disciples was only around ten thousand.

Xin Geng seemed to notice Wang Yu's astonishment and spoke slowly again:

"Beneath Tianyang Valley lies a large Yanjing ore deposit, also the convergence point of four second-rank spiritual veins. Thus, our sect built this Tianyang City and established our mountain gate here."

"The outer zone houses the mortal relatives and servants of inner and outer sect disciples; the middle zone is for outer sect disciples to cultivate; only inner sect disciples and Foundation Establishment elders may reside in the inner zone."

"As for that Sunset Tower, it houses the dwellings of our true disciples and the four Golden Core ancestral elders."

"The spiritual energy available in the three zones and the Sunset Tower varies greatly in purity. As a visiting true disciple, as long as your assessment mission is satisfactory, you may reside within the Sunset Tower—something every disciple in our sect envies. Even I, Xin, only have a cave dwelling in the inner zone."

"Your sect's construction of such a magnificent city is truly awe-inspiring," Wang Yu praised repeatedly.

"Actually, Brother Yu, I've heard of your reputation. They say you once dominated the demonic disciples in the Jialan Secret Realm, hailed as the top Qi Condensation cultivator among the four sects. Some even claim you held your own against Zhu Wuyan—could that be true?" The monk turned his head to glance at Wang Yu, then suddenly smiled.

"Those are old stories from over a decade ago—mostly exaggerations. But is Zhu Wuyan really that famous now?" Wang Yu replied with a smile.

"Heh, he ascended to Foundation Establishment and immediately slew three Foundation Establishment cultivators, including one mid-stage—how could his fame not be huge? Now some even call him the Little Demon Lord, clearly treating him as the successor to that man of the Demon Luo Sect." Xin Geng chuckled, his expression slightly complex.

"That man of the Demon Luo Sect?" Wang Yu's eyes widened slightly.

"Surely Brother Yu doesn't know about that man?"

"He's our four sects' true enemy—the very cause of your Four Symbols Sect's expulsion from Tongzhou!" This time, Xin Geng looked genuinely surprised.

"I've long been secluded in strict cultivation and only recently achieved Foundation Establishment, so I'm unfamiliar with certain secret rumors. I'd appreciate your guidance, Brother Xin," Wang Yu said, inwardly startled but keeping his expression calm.

The monk hesitated, then thought for a moment before speaking:

"If that's the case, it's understandable. The truth about that man of the Demon Luo Sect is known only to Foundation Establishment and above in our four sects; Qi Condensation disciples are always kept in the dark. Since Brother Yu wishes to know, I'll tell you."

"That man of the Demon Luo Sect refers to their chief elder, the Tianluo Demon Lord. Long ago, he reached Golden Core perfection and was infamous throughout Yu State, his demonic aura overwhelming."

"But in recent years, rumors have spread that this Tianluo Demon Lord has secretly formed a Nascent Soul and is now secluded within the Demon Luo Sect, consolidating his fourth-rank realm. The day he emerges will be the day the demonic factions of Yu State launch their offensive—and our Great Ming Four Sects appear to be his prime target."

"As for the Black Soul Sect and the Joy Palace, they're merely his foot soldiers."

Tianluo Demon Lord!

Demon cultivator, Nascent Soul!

Hearing this, Wang Yu's heart shook violently; for the first time, he truly understood the plight of his Four Symbols Sect, and murmured:

"So that's why the three demonic sects dared invade Great Ming Prefecture—they've got a Nascent Soul cultivator."

"You needn't worry too much," Xin Geng said, seeing Wang Yu's alarm, and offered reassurance. "Our four sects haven't abandoned Great Ming Prefecture—our Golden Core ancestral elders must have some countermeasures ready."

"True. A Nascent Soul cultivator wields such vast power—if we had no means to restrain him, our four sects would have fled long ago."

"But why does Master He refer to him as 'that man of the Demon Luo Sect'? Is there some taboo?" Wang Yu nodded, then asked with lingering doubt.

"Brother Yu, you may not know: it's said that once a cultivator attains Nascent Soul, they gain the ability of blood-heart resonance. Rumor has it that repeatedly uttering their name or true name might suddenly trigger their blood-heart awareness."

"Whether true or not, you wouldn't want to draw the attention of a Nascent Soul cultivator just because of a careless name, would you?" Xin Geng replied solemnly.

"Naturally. In such matters, it's better to believe than to doubt." Wang Yu's heart tightened, and he nodded vigorously.

At that moment, the two had flown into the valley.

"Puff."

A vast expanse of red light patterns suddenly appeared in the nearby void, rippling outward and enclosing Wang Yu and the monk.

"Brother Yu, wait a moment—this is the outer barrier of our sect's protective array." The monk halted his giant sword, pulled a white token from his robe, and tossed it into the nearby red light patterns, where it vanished in a flash.