The Modern Martial Immortal

Chapter 272: Yunchuan

The Fission Realm cultivator who had been locked in place by Yaoguang’s psychic thought did not dare show the slightest negligence. He immediately revealed himself and bowed from afar. "I am Fang Yueming of the Fang family. Greetings to the exalted immortal."

"Where is the original owner of this city?" Yaoguang asked.

"Uh... Eight months ago, the Dark Light Sect and the Cloud Sword Sect went to war. When the defeated side withdrew, they pillaged everything east of the Yunchuan Mountains. The thirty-six cities suffered devastating losses. Of the major families, fewer than one in ten survived. Everyone in the Luo family of Huaigu City, from those in the Heavenly Fire Realm down to those in the Foundation Building Realm, was slaughtered to the last..."

"Heavenly Fire?" Yaoguang paused, momentarily confused.

After a moment, he realized that Heavenly Fire Realm was this world’s term for the Fission Realm.

They referred to the Fission Realm as the Heavenly Fire Realm and the Fusion Realm as the Eternal Light Realm. Otherwise, there was little difference.

The reason he had previously used the term Fusion Realm was simply that the description in the Primordial Creation Art translated more clearly that way in the Great Cangwu World.

After all, every civilization had its own terminology. Many terms used on the North Sea Star differed entirely from those of the Great Cangwu World.

As for this Fission Realm...

The "eight months" mentioned by the Heavenly Fire Realm cultivator followed the North Sea Star’s method of timekeeping. It was just that, in Yaoguang’s mind, he had instinctively interpreted it as the eight months he was familiar with. However...

"Something’s wrong!" Yaoguang glanced at him. "Wasn’t the strongest figure in Huaigu City a battle immortal who had formed a Radiant Sun Golden Core? When did it become the Luo family’s domain?"

"A Radiant Sun Golden Core battle immortal?" The cultivator who called himself Fang Yueming froze for a moment, then seemed to think before replying, "Are you referring to Ancestor Qi Chixin of the Qi family? He did rule Huaigu City for a time, but six years ago, his Golden Core was deliberately destabilized by someone, and he died. Fearing retaliation, the Qi family scattered and fled. After that, the Liu family took over the city. But their family head offended a passing great figure and was exterminated along with his entire family. Only then did Huaigu City fall under the Luo family’s control..."

Yaoguang fell silent for a moment after hearing this.

According to Wan Liugui, he and the Radiant Sun Golden Core agent maintaining this fallback route had made contact once every ten years.

The last contact had been seven years ago?

Just one year after that contact, the Radiant Sun Golden Core had already been killed, and in a mere six years, Huaigu City had changed hands three times!

The speed at which families were wiped out exceeded the speed at which sects could be established.

But considering that most forces on the North Sea Star had not grown gradually, but had instead gathered from countless great worlds, such intense competition naturally kept the star vibrant. There were simply too many external sources flowing in.

"That Qi family Golden Core cultivator was secretly accepted as a disciple by Wan Liugui within the Artifact Sect... In terms of seniority, he would even be considered Li Hanqiu’s junior brother. And since he had been entrusted to guard the fallback route, his loyalty was unquestionable..." Yaoguang’s gaze fell on Fang Yueming. "Who killed him? The Liu family?"

"N-No. It was the previous rulers of Huaigu City, the Ran family..." Fang Yueming did not dare conceal anything. "After Perfected Master Qi arrived, he established a small sect and taught cultivation. But because he failed to pay sufficient tribute to the Ran family, they attempted to assassinate him. However, they did not expect that he was actually a Radiant Sun Golden Core cultivator. The Ran family was defeated with heavy casualties. Yet Perfected Master Qi was... somewhat pedantic... and benevolent. He did not exterminate them completely. Some members escaped. One of their geniuses, Ran Tianchi, later entered the Cloud Sword Sect as a disciple of its sect master. After achieving success in cultivation, he returned and killed Perfected Master Qi..."

As he spoke, Fang Yueming could not help but feel regret.

During Qi Chixin’s rule, Huaigu City had experienced its most peaceful period.

On one hand, a Radiant Sun Golden Core battle immortal ruling a small city in the Yunchuan Mountains was more than sufficient.

On the other hand, that peace was also due to Qi Chixin’s lenient governance.

During his twenty-four years of rule, the city had grown from a small settlement of forty thousand to a medium-sized city of one hundred thousand.

But in recent years, with repeated massacres, exterminations, and collateral destruction, combined with constant raids and plundering by the Dark Light Sect, Heavenly Water Pavilion, and Cloud Sword Sect from deeper within the Yunchuan Mountains, the population had fallen back to sixty thousand.

Of course, this referred only to cultivators. Those who could not even leave the protection of the city’s array were not counted as part of the population. No governing body cared about whether they lived or died.

"The Cloud Sword Sect..." Yaoguang pondered briefly. "How strong is it?"

"Very strong!" Fang Yueming answered without hesitation.

But after a moment, he glanced fearfully at the Void Disk suspended in the sky, spanning nearly five kilometers in diameter, and hurriedly lowered his head in humility. "Of course, it cannot compare in the slightest to the sect you belong to, exalted immortal."

"Tell me about the Yunchuan Mountains and the Cloud Sword Sect," Yaoguang said.

"It would be my honor," Fang Yueming replied.

With a flick of his hand, he cast a water mirror technique, projecting a map.

"The Yunchuan Mountains lie south of the Great Shang Immortal Dynasty. To the north is the Great Shang, to the east the Thirty-Six Caves, to the west the Immortal Martial Sect, and to the south the Chaotic Star Sea. Because the region lacks valuable resources and borders the pirate-infested Chaotic Star Sea, the Great Shang Immortal Dynasty only nominally governs the Yunchuan Mountains. It treats the region as a buffer zone with the Immortal Martial Sect, collecting taxes once every ten years but exercising no real control. As a result, the land is ruled by several major sects, with the Cloud Sword Sect being the largest force east of the Yunchuan Mountains."

"The Great Shang Immortal Dynasty and the Immortal Martial Sect..." Yaoguang was familiar with both thanks to the information obtained by Susan and the other cultivators who had returned to the Great Cangwu World.

The Great Shang Immortal Dynasty was the legacy left by Human Emperor Shang Tang after he attained immortality.

In recent years, it had declined and could no longer rival sects like the Taiyi Immortal Sect. However, it was said that a Void-Shattering Realm expert still guarded its imperial capital.

The Immortal Martial Sect, on the other hand, was the inheritance of Emperor Pan Wu.

Its founder could no longer be traced, but because every generation had Void-Shattering Realm experts, it had always remained one of the top powers on the North Sea Star.

As for the Cloud Sword Sect, he had never heard of it.

Fang Yueming organized his thoughts and continued, "Originally, the Dark Light Sect, the Heavenly Water Pavilion, and the Cloud Sword Sect maintained a three-way balance east of the Yunchuan Mountains. But ten years ago, the Cloud Sword Sect’s supreme elder, Long Wuyin, had a breakthrough and formed a Blazing White Golden Core, shattering that balance—"

"Wait!" Yaoguang suddenly interrupted him, looking at him in surprise. "A Blazing White Golden Core?"

"Yes, a Blazing White Golden Core!" Fang Yueming’s face filled with envy. "If not for Supreme Elder Long’s advanced age, with such cultivation, he might have become an inner sect disciple of the Immortal Martial Sect. Even so, in recent years, he has been in contact with them, hoping to become one of their officers."

He paused briefly before adding, "You should know that on the North Sea Star, survival without ties to a top-tier power is nearly impossible. With such backing, other forces will at least think twice before killing you. Without it, unless you are personally strong, you are nothing more than prey. Anyone can exploit you, and you can be erased at any moment, without the slightest guarantee of survival."

Yaoguang knew as much.

The reason middle- and lower-tier forces frantically exploited smaller factions and rogue cultivators was precisely to grow strong enough, as quickly as possible, to attach themselves to a top-tier power.

Even the slightest connection would suffice. Without ties to a top-tier force, one was like duckweed without roots, unable to gain any stable foothold on the North Sea Star.

"That’s enough. Wait here. I may have more questions for you shortly," Yaoguang said.

Fang Yueming did not dare show the slightest dissatisfaction. He stood obediently in place, not even daring to move.

Soon, Yaoguang returned to the Void Disk and relayed everything he had learned to Li Hanqiu.

After hearing the report, Li Hanqiu’s expression darkened slightly. "Junior Brother Qi actually..."

"He was too soft-hearted." Yaoguang let out a quiet sigh. "He had only just arrived at the North Sea Star and hadn’t yet adapted to its environment. That’s what led to his death."

Li Hanqiu nodded in silence, then looked at Yaoguang. "Take this as a lesson."

They themselves had experienced countless storms and trials. But Yaoguang had always remained in the rear while in the Nine Cauldrons Sect, practically raised in a sheltered environment.

"I know." Yaoguang nodded. "I’ll adapt to the environment of the North Sea Star as quickly as possible."

"Then start with the Cloud Sword Sect." Li Hanqiu’s expression turned cold.

"The Cloud Sword Sect?"

"Exactly. Ran Tianchi is a disciple of their sect master. There’s no way this matter is unrelated to them. Otherwise, how could he have killed Junior Brother Qi? And after his death, the Cloud Sword Sect moved against the Dark Light Sect. Their actions prove that they were eliminating unstable elements in the Yunchuan Mountains, ensuring nothing would go wrong when they went to war with the Dark Light Sect..." Li Hanqiu paused briefly before continuing, "Of course, this is only my speculation. But often, even suspecting something is enough to justify action. Not to mention..."

His gaze shifted toward the millions gathered within the Void Disk behind him.

With nearly a million people packed into such a small space, it had become unbearably crowded. They urgently needed territory to settle and survive, and the Cloud Sword Sect was a perfect target.

"The law of the jungle. That is the rule of the North Sea Star." Li Hanqiu reminded him.

"I know." Yaoguang nodded again. "But this matter will likely require you to act personally."

"Good. It will also serve to display our strength, so that no fools dare set their sights on us." Li Hanqiu gave a slight nod. "After all, among the million people we brought, far too many are below the Foundation Building Realm. On the North Sea Star, they are far too fragile to withstand any turmoil."

"Then let’s move," Yaoguang said, pausing immediately after as something occurred to him. "Bring that local with us. He will help us better understand and integrate into the Yunchuan Mountains."

"Alright. Do as you see fit," Li Hanqiu replied.

Yaoguang immediately descended from the Void Disk and said to Fang Yueming, "We intend to establish ourselves in the Yunchuan Mountains and require some forces at our disposal. Is the Fang family willing?"

Fang Yueming froze. Then his eyes widened in disbelief, as if a massive fortune had suddenly fallen into his lap.

He did not know what kind of power stood behind these people, but the mere fact that they could pilot a five-kilometer-wide flying artifact at high speed across the North Sea Star proved they were anything but ordinary.

At the very least, they likely had Void-Piercing Realm combat power backing them!

And now, such a force was willing to take in the insignificant Fang family? Unprecedented ecstasy flooded his heart.

"I am willing! The Fang family is willing!" Fang Yueming bowed deeply to Yaoguang. "The Fang family, all 1692 of us, will from this day forward follow your command, and obey your every order."