69: Taiyi Sect

In the center of Cloud Dream Marsh, the inky black pillar of light, reaching the heavens, was rapidly contracting and dissipating.

By the time Xiao Zhuo rushed out of the cave, only a few shattered afterimages remained in the sky, flickering as if about to vanish.

If not for the miasma, churned by the violent energy into a swirling miasma cloud, slowly rotating around the epicenter of the light pillar's eruption, the terrifying tremors that had shaken heaven and earth would have seemed as if they had never existed.

Xiao Zhuo didn't hesitate, tearing through the thick miasma and transforming into a golden rainbow, shooting towards the source of the light pillar.

With a flash of golden light, he landed on a giant moss-covered rock at the edge of the marsh, his shoe soles squishing out slippery liquid.

His gaze was fixed on the center of the marsh—there, a deep, dark vortex slowly spun, emitting spatial fluctuations that made one's heart palpitate.

A spatial gate!

Xiao Zhuo instantly understood: This was the emergence of a Secret Realm! And it was an extremely powerful Secret Realm!

The terrifying pillar of energy was clear proof; it clearly contained frighteningly powerful Demonic Qi!

He looked around, his Divine Thought spreading out like a tide—there was no one.

"Go in, or not?" Xiao Zhuo's thoughts raced.

Such an earth-shattering commotion would surely attract explorers from both the Human Race and the demons.

He had seized the initiative! Thinking of the ancient beast hide in his storage ring, his Divine Thought swept around again—that's right! The location of this spatial gate was extremely close to the spot marked on the beast hide!

"It's highly likely to be the Sect ruins indicated by the beast hide! But if it's the emergence of Sect ruins, why would such terrifying Devilish Qi erupt?"

The doubt had just arisen when he suppressed it.

Too little information was known; overthinking was useless, better to investigate directly!

With his current cultivation, he could be considered both skilled and daring.

Once his mind was made up, Xiao Zhuo lightly tapped his feet, transforming into a golden light, and unhesitatingly plunged into the dark vortex.

The moment he entered the vortex, the world inverted!

He felt as if he had been shoved into a mad tumble dryer, the world spinning around him.

His protective True Qi fiercely rubbed against the violent spatial turbulence, sparking dazzling flames.

After an unknown duration of spinning, the dizziness abruptly vanished.

Xiao Zhuo steadied his mind and found himself standing before a magnificent mountain gate.

Looking up, a gilded plaque hung high above the mountain gate, with three ancient seal characters radiating a majestic Aura—

Taiyi Sect!

Xiao Zhuo had never heard of this School's name.

The area in front of the mountain gate was empty.

The entire world was not dim; a scorching sun hung high in the sky, emitting a familiar burning heat.

"This... is another world?" A storm raged in Xiao Zhuo's heart.

He suppressed his shock and stepped towards the mountain gate.

"Stop! Who are you? Why do you trespass on my Taiyi Sect?" A cold shout suddenly rang out.

Beside the mountain gate, a translucent phantom abruptly appeared.

"Yin Soul?" Xiao Zhuo's heart tensed, but he dared not act rashly.

The phantom was dressed in Sect Disciple robes; although Yin Qi swirled around him, his expression was solemn as if alive, clearly a diligent gate-keeping Disciple.

The phantom did not attack immediately, seemingly waiting for an answer.

Xiao Zhuo hesitated for a moment, then quietly activated his Soul Perception.

The next moment, the scene before him shook his mind!

In his black and white vision, the Taiyi Sect mountain gate suddenly "came alive"!

Eight Disciple-attired Soul bodies stood guard on either side, and many more phantoms moved back and forth, entering and exiting the gate.

A bustling and prosperous Sect scene!

A flash of insight struck Xiao Zhuo, and he cupped his fists, saying in a deep voice: "Junior Xiao Zhuo of Yuyang Sect, I have long admired the immortal might of Taiyi Sect, and have come specifically to pay my respects."

The Disciple phantom showed a hint of realization at his words, then fell into thought: "Yuyang Sect? Never heard of it... Which Sect is that?"

"Senior Brother Jin," another guard Disciple beside him leaned in and whispered, "Yuyang Sect seems to be one of our subordinate Sects, a second-tier Sect."

The Disciple referred to as "Senior Brother Jin" suddenly understood and looked at Xiao Zhuo: "So that's it. Show me your Disciple token! Are you a Disciple newly sent from a subordinate Sect to study?"

Xiao Zhuo's heart stirred: The other party actually knew of Yuyang Sect! It seemed this Taiyi Sect was indeed an extremely ancient great Sect, and Yuyang Sect was, in its eyes, merely an insignificant subordinate.

Since the other party had completed his identity for him, it was best to go with the flow.

He immediately took out his Yuyang Sect True Disciple token and presented it with both hands: "Senior Brother, please see."

Senior Brother Jin took the token and examined it, confirming it was indeed a direct lineage token from Yuyang Sect. He no longer made things difficult and waved his hand, summoning a Disciple: "It's someone from Yuyang Sect. Take him to the Wendao Hall to settle in."

A Taiyi Sect Disciple quickly stepped forward, smiling genially: "Junior Brother from Yuyang Sect, please follow me."

Xiao Zhuo nodded and followed this Soul body Disciple into the depths of the mountain gate.

"Did Yuyang Sect only send you this time? From your appearance, is this your first time coming to the High Sect to study?" The guiding Disciple was quite talkative, chatting along the way, his words and actions no different from a living person.

Xiao Zhuo grew even more alarmed: All the Soul body Disciples here seemed unaware that they were dead, and even unable to distinguish between the living and the dead!

However, he dared not let his guard down in the slightest—even just the gate-keeping Disciples had Divine Soul strength comparable to Gui Zhen Realm (Return to Simplicity Realm - Cultivation Realm) powerhouses! Along the way, he saw hundreds of Soul bodies at the Sea of Consciousness level!

"If my guess is true, how terrifying must this Taiyi Sect have been in its heyday? Shattering Realm (Cultivation Class) powerhouses were probably not rare here!" Xiao Zhuo's internal alarm bells rang loudly, and he dared not make any probing moves.

He casually chatted with the guiding Disciple, gradually figuring out the status of Taiyi Sect in this "era" and the meaning of "studying."

Taiyi Sect, one of the nine top Sects of its time, was a giant at the pinnacle of the Yuan Realm.

It had over a hundred subordinate Sects, and Yuyang Sect was just an inconspicuous one among them.

Xiao Zhuo knew that the history of Yuyang Sect originated three thousand years ago, but the Sect's records never mentioned having been a subordinate.

Perhaps this less-than-glorious past was intentionally concealed.

Thus, it seemed that the Taiyi Sect, filled with these Soul shadows, was a projection of a certain point in time three thousand years ago!

The so-called "studying" meant that subordinate Sects could send Genius Disciples to the High Sect for advanced training.

During this period, the studying Disciples held the same status as Inner Sect Disciples and were uniformly taught by Inner Sect Elders of the Wendao Hall.

If they gained the favor of an Elder, they even had the chance to directly join Taiyi Sect.

After three years of study or passing an assessment, they could also choose to return to their original Sect.

And the core benefit was being able to choose a Cultivation Technique, Martial Skill, or even a Divine Ability from the open Legacy of Taiyi Sect to cultivate!

"This... is truly a great fortune!" Xiao Zhuo's heart burned with excitement.

The two arrived at a grand courtyard with a plaque hanging that read "Wendao Hall."

Xiao Zhuo was led into one of the quiet rooms to settle in and was informed: Report to the Legacy Pavilion tomorrow at Chen Shi (7-9 AM).

Just as Xiao Zhuo was cautiously exploring this Taiyi Sect, teeming with the dead, outside Cloud Dream Marsh, forces were gathering!

From Jizhou, the Sword Pavilion Old Ancestor Laughing Sword One personally arrived, with his Disciple Xiao Changkong standing solemnly behind him.

The Old Ancestor's face was grave, his gaze like a sword, piercing directly towards the western sky.

Where he looked, a giant black-clad man, three meters tall with a strange vertical pupil on his forehead, was leading six demon kings radiating King-level Aura, standing proudly in the Void Realm.

The dense Demonic Qi and demonic might stirred the winds and clouds, changing their color.

"Laughing Sword One," the vertical-eyed giant named Tong Ge's voice boomed like thunder, carrying blatant provocation, "You dare to leave Jizhou City to join this commotion? Are you not afraid... Jizhou City will turn to ashes in the blink of an eye?"

Laughing Sword One's expression was calm, but his tone was equally sharp: "Tong Ge, since you yourself have come, how can this Old Ancestor be absent? Are you suggesting I should sit by and watch your demon race forcibly seize the Legacy of my Human Race ancestors?"

His words were not false.

The ruins and Secret Realms that had emerged in the Yuan Realm in recent times were almost all Human Race legacies.

The rise of the demons was only a thousand years ago, a mere drop in the ocean compared to the Yuan Realm's long history.

Both sides were at loggerheads, their Qi clashing, with undercurrents surging.

And further away, sounds of tearing through the air came one after another, as four or five more groups of powerhouses from different forces, carrying powerful Auras, were rapidly approaching this contentious area!