236: Bloodfire of the Four Clans

Early in the morning, the mist over the Yunxia Mountains had not yet dispersed, and crystalline dew drops condensed on the light membrane of the Formation in Qingxi Valley.

Su Ming, dressed in the green robes of an Outer Sect Disciple and with the Formation Peak iron token hanging at his waist, walked out of his Immortal Cave with a solemn expression.

Today was his first lesson after being promoted to the Outer Sect. According to the iron Laws of the Sect, all newly promoted Disciples, regardless of talent or background, were required to go to "Chuan Dao Peak" to listen to the "Records of Yunyin's Ten Thousand Years".

"Master, what do you think this first lesson will be about?" Su Ming asked in his Sea of Consciousness while putting on his Dharma robes and attaching the iron token.

His Qingyun boots stepped onto the ground without a sound; he had already integrated the "Breath Concealment Art" into his daily movements.

"What will it be about?" Lin Yu's phantom sat in the ring with his legs crossed, his voice carrying a cold indifference that understood the ways of the world. "It certainly won't be teaching you Confucian platitudes or morality and righteousness. If the entire Cloud Hidden Sect truly believed in that, they would have been gnawed down to nothing long ago. In my opinion, this first lesson is to teach you to recognize—what kind of meat grinder this world is; and what kind of 'the weak are prey to the strong' situation you are in."

Su Ming's footsteps faltered slightly, then returned to normal. His figure, like a wisp of green smoke, swept out of the Immortal Cave, merged into the morning mountain mist, and sped towards Chuan Dao Peak.

The main hall of Chuan Dao Peak was as magnificent as a palace of gods.

Hundreds of black jade pillars, each requiring several people to embrace, rose from the ground to support the lofty dome. The dome was no ordinary object; it was paved with "Zhou Tian Star Evolution Jade" and was currently rotating slowly, simulating the real trajectories of the galaxy outside and casting down a cold, clear radiance.

Hundreds of newly promoted Disciples were already standing solemnly in the main hall. No one spoke; there was only the sound of faint breathing and the rustling of robes. An invisible pressure permeated the air, as if a giant beast were lurking in the shadows, staring at every fledgling that had just entered the Sect.

Suddenly, the star map on the dome brightened abruptly!

It was not a gentle light, but a bolt of scorching white lightning that tore through the silence of the hall and struck fiercely onto the central high platform!

Rumble—the sound of thunder rolled, making people's eardrums ache and their blood and Qi churn. Many Disciples turned deathly pale and staggered backward.

As the lightning light dissipated, one more person appeared on the high platform.

His purple robes fluttered, and his white hair was like snow. His face was lean like an ancient pine, showing no signs of aging, save for a pair of eyes that were terrifyingly bright. Where his gaze swept, it felt as if tangible Sword Qi were scraping against the skin, the stinging pain reaching straight to the Divine Soul.

"This old man is Gu He, in charge of Outer Sect instruction, and also holding one-third of the authority over criminal Law."

His voice was not loud, but it sounded like metal clashing against metal, each word striking the hearts of the crowd. "Today's first lesson will not be about breathing exercises, nor will it impart any techniques. I only ask you one question—"

He paused, his gaze like lightning, piercing every face below, whether terrified, confused, or feigning composure.

"Do you know what land you are standing on? Do you know what you will be facing?"

Before the words had even faded, Elder Gu He suddenly waved his sleeve!

The star map on the dome dimmed instantly, replaced by a massive light curtain that covered the sky. It was not a static painting, but moving, real footage filled with the aura of blood and slaughter!

Scene One: The Human Race border, Tianfeng Plain.

In the image, the land was scorched for a thousand miles, and the smoke of battle had not yet dispersed. Countless Human Race Cultivators, dressed in the garments of various Sects and the armor of Dynasties, were locked in a desperate struggle with a tide of Yao Beasts.

Sword Qi crisscrossed, cleaving hills; Magic Treasures roared, blasting out deep craters. But more often, sharp claws tore through protective spiritual light, and fangs bit through necks, hot Yao Beast blood and Human Race blood splashing together, dyeing the earth a strange, dark red.

A hundred-zhang-tall Red-Eyed Violent Ape beat its chest toward the sky, its roar collapsing half a city wall. It casually grabbed a rune war chariot and hurled it into the Human Race Formation like a pebble, sending flesh and blood flying.

"This is a recorded image of the 'Tianfeng Plain Battle' from eighty years ago," Elder Gu He's voice was cold, devoid of any emotion. "The opponent was the 'Red Rock Tribe' of the Ten Thousand Yao Ancestral Court. In this battle, the coalition of our Human Race's three Sects and seven factions lost seventeen Golden Core Cultivators, over three hundred Foundation Establishment Cultivators, and countless Qi Refining Disciples. Only then did we manage to hold those three medium-sized Spirit Stone mines."

The hall was deathly silent, to the point where one could hear a pin drop. Many Disciples began to chatter their teeth.

Scene Two: The Dark Abyss, Ghost Cry Ridge.

The scene changed abruptly; Yin winds howled, and ghost fires flickered.

Amidst the thick, impenetrable grayish-black Yin Qi, there were countless twisting shadows.

Some were shaped like skeletons, clad in tattered armor; others were merely blurry black shadows, emitting soul-piercing demonic sounds.

The Human Race Cultivators formed Formations, with Buddha light, thunder techniques, and Pure Yang True Fire illuminating a corner as they fought against endless ghosts and Yin soldiers. One Cultivator was pierced through the chest by an invisible ghost hand; his face instantly turned ashen, his blood essence and Divine Soul were sucked dry, and he fell to the ground as a mummified corpse. On the other side, a Ghost General wielding a rusty giant axe shattered a golden light barrier with a single blow; Yin Qi eroded them, and several Cultivators screamed as they dissolved into pus and blood.

"This place is an Yin vein node on the border of the 'Beimang Ghost Domain' under the jurisdiction of our Cloud Hidden Sect. The forces of the Ghost Race from the Netherworld are constantly trying to erode the world of the living, plundering living souls and blood Qi to strengthen themselves. Guarding this place requires rotating a batch of Disciples every ten years, and the casualty rate is... thirty percent."

Some female Disciples could not help but cover their mouths, letting out suppressed sobs.

"The Ghost Race. The Dominator of the Netherworld. Their numbers... are the greatest." Elder Gu He said this, looking deeply at the Disciples below. "When Mortals die or Cultivators fall, if their obsession does not dissipate and the Opportunity arises, they enter the Ghost Dao. It is filled with Yin Qi and has many taboos regarding the world of the living. Remember, do not easily provoke Cultivators who practice the Ghost Dao, and even more so, do not casually step into Yin-Sha forbidden lands."

Scene Three: Colorful and radiant, yet fraught with crisis.

The image switched to a breathtakingly beautiful Secret Realm. Spiritual mushrooms radiated clouds, ancient trees exhaled auspicious energy, and spiritual springs bubbled. However, a team of Human Race Cultivators attempting to collect "Earth Heart Fire Lotus" had just approached the edge of a magma lake when the flames within the lake spontaneously condensed into a humanoid figure of fire. With a wave of its hand, terrestrial fire shot into the sky, instantly vaporizing two Foundation Establishment Cultivators. In the distance, a seemingly harmless thousand-year-old ancient vine suddenly erupted, its vines like coiled dragons, binding a Golden Core Cultivator tightly and sucking him dry into a mummified corpse.

"The Spirit Race, the remnants of the Ancestral Land of All Spirits. Formed from the essences of heaven and earth, they appear auspicious but are actually xenophobic. Their physical bodies and their Origin are supreme materials for Alchemy and Artifact Refining, which is why they are often coveted. However, hunting the Spirit Race means enduring their innate Law backlash and their endless, life-or-death pursuit."

Elder Gu He waved his hand, and the four tragic scenes on the light curtain froze and appeared side-by-side.

"Look clearly!"

His voice was like a great bell, shaking the main hall with a rustling sound.

"This is the world where you will exist! It is not the carefree immortal land from storybooks, but a Shura slaughterhouse where four races stand together, intertwined with blood and fire!"

"Human Race, Yao Race, Ghost Race, Spirit Race! The struggle for territory, the seizure of resources, the debate of Dao lineages—it has never ceased! That you can sit here and listen safely today is not because of the mercy of the Heavenly Dao, but because our ancestors of past generations used their flesh and blood as walls and their Divine Souls as torches, carving out this foothold for our Human Race in this jungle!"

His gaze was like a torch as he swept across the crowd below: "Why cultivate immortality? Why seek longevity? If you cannot even protect the land beneath your feet and the kin beside you, even if you live for a thousand autumns and ten thousand years, you are nothing but a walking corpse dragging out a miserable existence, sooner or later to become the blood food and resources for other races!"