101: Immortal Venerable Qinglian

"It is indeed the spatial Spirit Treasure, the 'illusory rainbow flying cloud bell'."

Wen Qingzhu walked to his side at some point, his tone filled with deep admiration. "The Primordial Spirit manifestation just now was Immortal Venerable Clear Ripple, the youngest of the three Golden Immortal Ancestral Masters of the Bitao Sect and one of only two female Golden Immortals in the Canglang Plane. This illusory rainbow flying cloud bell is her signature Spirit Treasure, and it is extremely famous even in the Outlands. I didn't expect the Bitao Sect to dispatch such a major figure for this National War."

"In previous National Wars, were there no Golden Immortals presiding over the event?"

Su Ling couldn't help but ask.

Wen Qingzhu shook his head and began to detail the foundations of the Seven Great Sects. "The Seven Sects of Canglang all have Golden Immortals, though their strengths vary. The Sword Cultivators of the Qingming Sword Sect are peerless in slaughter and firmly hold the first rank. The Haoyang Sect's yang-attribute Cultivation Techniques are overbearing, ranking them second. The Bitao Sect is inclusive and versatile, ranking third... These top three Sects each have three Golden Immortals."

"Next is the Yangquan Faction, which specializes in the art of balancing Yin and Yang and has two Golden Immortals. The Wuji Sect is the most unique, being both a Sect and an Imperial Dynasty; their Body Refining and battle Formations are world-renowned, and they also have two Golden Immortals. The Wuyun Sect focuses on Formations, capable of becoming a Formation themselves and defeating the strong with the weak; they have only one Golden Immortal proficient in Formations, ranking sixth. The last is the Nightmare Sect, which leans toward the Evil Path and specializes in stealth and assassination; they have the fewest Disciples but are the most dangerous, with only one Golden Immortal presiding."

At this point, Wen Qingzhu's expression turned peculiar. "Speaking of which, the other female Golden Immortal in the Canglang Plane is none other than Immortal Venerable Qimeng of the Nightmare Sect."

Su Ling listened quietly, his fingers subconsciously tightening.

The Seven Great Sects were so unique; this National War would likely be even more perilous than he had imagined.

While they spoke, the Lingwu City fleet approached the illusory rainbow flying cloud bell like arrows released from a bow.

The pair of small bells suspended in the Void Realm were surrounded by faint, shimmering seven-colored light. From a distance, they looked like two pulsing stars, exuding a sense of mystery and eeriness.

Su Ling felt an invisible force suddenly envelop his entire body. The power brought a sense of dizziness from time-space distortion, causing the bells in his vision to expand continuously.

At first, they were only the size of a fingertip, but in an instant, they blotted out the sky. Finally, his vision blurred, and the surrounding scenery changed completely.

All around were clouds and mists as soft as cotton, and above was a sky overflowing with brilliant light. The wilderness was boundless, with only surging colorful clouds, as if he had stepped into an illusory world woven from immortal power.

At the peak of the Bitao Sect's main mountain, the clouds and mist were like gauze, never dispersing throughout the year.

A woman dressed in a pale pink immortal dress stood leaning against a railing. Her skin was whiter than snow, and her eyes held a hint of lazy charm. She was none other than the Bitao Sect's Immortal Venerable Clear Ripple.

Suddenly, her watery eyes narrowed slightly, and she let out a soft sound of surprise.

Just a moment ago, she sensed the immortal power within the illusory rainbow flying cloud bell suddenly tremble. The fluctuation was weak but clear, as if disturbed by an external force.

But when she concentrated her search and covered the feixia bell with her Divine Thought, that trace of abnormality vanished without a trace. The bell continued to emit a steady seven-colored glow, as if the previous tremor had never occurred.

"Was it an illusion?"

Immortal Venerable Clear Ripple raised her hand to brush aside a strand of hair falling by her temple. Her voice was so light it seemed it could be scattered by the wind, yet a hint of doubt remained in her eyes.

"Junior Martial Uncle."

A clear call came from behind, interrupting her thoughts.

Immortal Venerable Clear Ripple turned around and saw a green-robed Cultivator walking slowly toward her.

His posture was as straight as a sword, and the immortal power around him was condensed and restrained.

Although he only had a True Immortal cultivation, he exuded an air of pride that was neither humble nor arrogant.

He was one of the few Sword Immortals of the Bitao Sect, Ye Feibai.

"Feibai, you've come."

A faint smile appeared on Immortal Venerable Clear Ripple's face, and her tone softened slightly. "For this National War of the Seven Kingdoms, the Sect has appointed you as the Supervisor. This suits your upright character, but when you act, try not to be too harsh."

Ye Feibai took a step forward and bowed. His voice was calm yet firm. "Rest assured, Junior Martial Uncle. I only know how to act impartially and will certainly not neglect my duties for personal reasons. How can that be considered harsh?"

He had ascended to his immortal rank a thousand years ago and was already a leader among True Immortals of his generation. The Sword Heart in his bones allowed him to remain clear-headed and self-possessed when facing Golden Immortal Elders, neither fawning nor fearful.

Seeing him like this, Immortal Venerable Clear Ripple shook her head slightly and sighed with a mix of helplessness and amusement, "You... do you know why this National War was chosen to be held in the Nether Prison Plane?"

She paused, and with a light lift of her finger, the illusory rainbow flying cloud bell that had collected the Lingwu City fleet turned into a streak of light and landed in her palm. "The Seven Sects joined forces to attack the Jinhun Realm. Although the overall situation is now settled, there are still many disagreements among the Sects regarding the division of resources within the plane. Setting the National War trial ground here serves two purposes: first, to use the final rankings as a weight for resource allocation; second, to screen these Cultivators for reserve seeds to replenish our bottom-level combat power."

Hearing this, Ye Feibai frowned slightly and pursed his lips. Ultimately, he couldn't help but ask tentatively, "Junior Martial Uncle, could it be that our Sect suffered great losses in the conquest of the Jinhun Realm?"

After his promotion to True Immortal, he had been stationed at the Sect to stabilize his cultivation and had not yet participated in the Outland Battlefield.

Furthermore, the star sea was vast and information transmission was slow, so he knew very little about the war in the Jinhun Realm.

When the various Elders returned to the Sect this time, he sensed something was wrong.

There were as many as seven or eight True Immortal Elders returning. If it were only for the previously appeared Golden Immortals Cave Mansion, there would be no need for so many powerful experts to return simultaneously.

Moreover, with Immortal Venerable Clear Ripple's Golden Immortal strength, dealing with the Sea Race Demon Immortals lingering outside should have been more than enough. Why go to such great lengths?

In recent years, the only ones who had gone out were Immortal Venerable Clear Ripple and their three stationed True Immortals.

Most likely, these Elders had returned to recover from their injuries.

Hearing this, the smile on Immortal Venerable Clear Ripple's face faded slightly, and her tone became heavier. "The power system of the Jinhun Realm is completely different from our cultivation world. The natives there are skilled in Body Refining, and their Physical Body strength is even superior to that of the Wuji Sect Cultivators. High-level experts are extremely difficult to kill."

She gently stroked the feixia bell in her palm, her voice carrying a hint of fatigue. "In the first hundred years of the war, the Seven Sects indeed suffered quite a bit. The loss of bottom-level Cultivators was heavy. Now, we urgently need to replenish fresh blood to maintain control over the Jinhun Realm."

Ye Feibai A chill ran down my spine.

He had trained in the Plane Battlefield and naturally understood this logic.

The victory or defeat of a plane conquest seems to be decided by high-end combat forces like Golden Immortals and Taiyi Golden Immortals, but bottom-level Cultivators are equally indispensable.

The Jinhun Realm governs over a dozen subordinate planes. If they relied solely on Golden Immortals and True Immortals to conquer them one by one, they wouldn't be able to afford the energy.

Furthermore, the Jinhun Realm also possesses Golden Immortal-level combat power.

They are not without the power to resist.

What the Seven Sects want is not a landscape of ruins, but a plane system that can continuously produce resources. Without enough bottom-level Cultivators to station and mine, everything is empty talk.

"However..."

Ye Feibai was still somewhat puzzled. "Are those natives of the Jinhun Realm not worth recruiting? With the strength of the Seven Sects, if we offered benefits, we might be able to win over a portion of them."

"Recruit them?"

A faint look of disdain appeared at the corner of Immortal Venerable Clear Ripple's mouth as she shook her head. "According to the Immortal Court's classification of the various races in the star sea, the natives of the Jinhun Realm mostly belong to the Demon Species. They are naturally cunning and bloodthirsty, taking pleasure in plundering. The word 'loyalty' does not exist in their bones. To subdue them, unless those few 8th-rank Demon Monarchs are willing to cast aside all dignity and accept the Soul-binding Technique to become complete subordinates... but do you think those Demon Monarchs would be willing?"

She paused and added, "If it weren't for the fact that the Immortal Court still harbors the idea of 'using demons to control demons' and does not allow the major Sects to completely exterminate the Demon Species, the Seven Sects would have thoroughly flattened the Jinhun Realm a hundred years ago. How could they have been allowed to drag this out for so many years?"

Ye Feibai finally understood and nodded silently.

Immortal Venerable Clear Ripple glanced at him, a faint smile reappearing on her face. "Alright, let's not talk about these troubling matters. Let's go. It's time to take those little fellows to experience the 'exotic customs' of the Nether Prison Plane."

As she finished speaking, immortal light flashed around her, and she turned into a streak of light, soaring into the sky.

Ye Feibai followed closely behind, and the two figures instantly disappeared into the clouds and mist at the peak of the main mountain.