Sect Master’s Immortal Journey

It has been almost twenty years since Meng Zhang's secluded cultivation to impact the Primordial Spirit realm. During these two decades, the days of Taiyi Sect have been difficult. Acting Sect Master Niu Dawei has been in charge of all Taiyi Sect affairs during these years. He faithfully followed Meng Zhang's instructions before his seclusion, keeping a low profile and shrinking the sect's activities.

Rumors about True Monarch Jin Li's serious injury have been escalating, and Meng Zhang, Taiyi Sect's Sect Master, has remained absent for a long time. Various unfavorable rumors have spread from the Demon Wind Gobi to the Endless Sea of Sand and throughout the entire Jiuqu League, creating a turbulent atmosphere.

Although New Beast King Mountain couldn't openly attack Taiyi Sect due to Jiuqu League rules, they have been making covert moves continuously. They have taken advantage of Taiyi Sect's repeated concessions, becoming more and more brazen in their actions.

Taiyi Sect's territory has been significantly reduced, and New Beast King Mountain has employed various means to occupy parts of the Demon Wind Gobi that once belonged to Taiyi Sect, taking control of many spirit veins and mineral deposits.

As a Primordial Spirit sect, New Beast King Mountain has numerous ways to deal with Taiyi Sect without resorting to direct confrontation. Niu Dawei has endured it all and refrained from any retaliation. Instead, he withdrew Taiyi Sect's disciples from the peripheral regions and strengthened control over the core area.

News of New Beast King Mountain targeting Taiyi Sect spread like wildfire, and many opportunists sought to take advantage of the situation. They made moves, overt or covert, hoping to profit from Taiyi Sect's weakening position.

Since the defeat of the Sea Clan army, many cultivation forces have entered the newly acquired Demon Wind Gobi. Previously, they hesitated to create trouble due to Taiyi Sect's protection by True Monarch Jin Li. However, with Jin Li's seclusion and Taiyi Sect's vulnerability, these forces started causing chaos, seizing resources and even fighting amongst themselves, turning the Demon Wind Gobi into a chaotic place.

In the Endless Sea of Sand, the Yellow Lotus Sect East River Branch and Fire Cloud Sect saw an opportunity to encroach on Taiyi Sect's interests. Taiyi Sect used to have a significant territory in the Endless Sea of Sand, with its foundation built among the various forces of the Hanhai Alliance. However, facing the relentless pressure from Fire Cloud Sect and Yellow Lotus Sect East River Branch, Taiyi Sect lost most of its territory in the area, retaining only a small region near the old mountain gate.

The Hanhai Alliance, established by Meng Zhang, showed signs of instability. Though they haven't openly rebelled, many members began secretly communicating with outsiders to secure their own paths and might even turn against Taiyi Sect when the time is right.

As the acting Sect Master of Taiyi Sect, Niu Dawei is neither incompetent nor cowardly. He knows that facing a Primordial Spirit sect like New Beast King Mountain, Taiyi Sect's strength is not enough to match theirs. Thus, he chose to retreat step by step and endure as much as possible.

However, Niu Dawei has not been idle. He has been doing his best to protect Taiyi Sect's core interests and, when necessary, reluctantly sacrificed some secondary benefits.

Although Taiyi Sect's power has been shrinking, it has not been without progress over the past twenty years. They employed every method to recover from the losses of the previous major battle. Several Guardian Spirit Generals have almost fully recovered from their injuries, and most of the Gold Core Daoist Masters have regained their combat capabilities. Furthermore, five years ago, a junior cultivator successfully formed their core, adding another Gold Core Daoist Master to Taiyi Sect.

Replacing low-level cultivators has been relatively easy, as Taiyi Sect could provide Foundation Building Pills and Lesser Foundation Building Pills, ensuring a steady supply of Foundation Building cultivators. Even though they suffered heavy losses, Taiyi Sect's ranks would be replenished soon enough.

While New Beast King Mountain has been pressuring Taiyi Sect, they haven't launched a direct attack. Their two Primordial Spirit True Monarchs understand that although Jin Li True Monarch retreated, she has not been killed. They fear retaliation from her in the future and are hesitant to take drastic actions.

Their primary goal is to gradually encroach upon Taiyi Sect's territory, specifically the main areas of the Demon Wind Gobi, but not to completely annihilate Taiyi Sect. This is not only the customary way of conduct among righteous sects but also takes into account the various factions within the Jiuqu League. If New Beast King Mountain were to destroy Taiyi Sect outright, they might face significant retaliation from other powerful Primordial Spirit sects within the Jiuqu League.

Taiyi Sect's high-ranking members are well aware of this game's rules and have been skillfully navigating it. Despite being at a disadvantage and retreating step by step due to the insurmountable gap in strength, they believe that as long as Meng Zhang breaks through to the Primordial Spirit realm and successfully emerges from seclusion, the situation can be reversed.

For now, Taiyi Sect's high-ranking members focus on preserving their strength and delaying as much as possible. They are not concerned about minor losses and refuse to engage in short-term conflicts with New Beast King Mountain.

New Beast King Mountain has long held an absolute advantage, but there is still a long way to go before achieving its strategic goals. Such conflicts are destined to be protracted, and New Beast King Mountain is accustomed to this form of struggle.

Of course, there are always some impatient individuals within New Beast King Mountain who have lost their patience and devised some quick and short-sighted tactics. They started sending people to act on behalf of Jiuqu League's name, summoning all the top-level members of Taiyi Sect to the Yuantu Great Prairie.

Since the previous defeat, the extraterritorial Barbarian Clan has been confined to a small area, but these fierce and aggressive barbarians never accept defeat. Occasionally, they concentrate their forces to launch attacks on Jiuqu League, causing heavy casualties on both sides. Moreover, small-scale conflicts and skirmishes have never ceased.

New Beast King Mountain's idea is to call all the top-level members of Taiyi Sect to the frontlines and let them slowly perish in the struggle against the extraterritorial Barbarian Clan. Once that happens, Taiyi Sect will be left with only low-level cultivators, unable to escape New Beast King Mountain's control.

Implementing such a decision within Jiuqu League is not easy, as New Beast King Mountain needs to persuade other high-level members, resort to various means of bribery, and offer benefits in exchange for support. Additionally, some upright individuals in Jiuqu League dislike such selfish and despicable methods and are not easily swayed.

Despite the difficulties, New Beast King Mountain has already started making significant progress towards its goal. Taiyi Sect lost its powerful protector, Jin LiTrue Monarch, when she entered closed-door cultivation. Even some so-called friends turned their backs on Taiyi Sect. Even True Monarch Azure Mist, who had a close relationship with Jin LiTrue Monarch, distanced themselves and provided no help to Taiyi Sect.

Taiyi Sect sent a Gold CoreDaoist Master to act as an elder in Jiuqu League, but this elder had no real power and was isolated by others, making it difficult to gather information.

Unbeknownst to Taiyi Sect, New Beast King Mountain had already been active for a long time and made significant progress. Informed individuals could see that Taiyi Sect's situation was dire, and it was only a matter of time before New Beast King Mountain took them down.

After twenty-four years of closed-door cultivation, one evening, the gloomy clouds in Demon Wind Gobi were about to bring rain. However, suddenly, the dark clouds dispersed, revealing a sea of red clouds. The setting sun, which had been descending in the west, suddenly brightened with an intense light.

A huge red sun hung high in the sky, seemingly pausing for a moment before appearing to dance joyously with golden crows. After some time, the red sun continued to set, and a bright crescent moon rose, radiating a cool moonlight.

The changes in the sky and the surging spiritual energy were the signs that a Primordial Spirit True Monarch was about to be born. The nearby Gold CoreDaoist Masters were few in number, and besides Taiyi Sect's Sect Master Meng Zhang, there seemed to be no other candidate capable of achieving Primordial Spirit True Monarch in Demon Wind Gobi.

As Meng Zhang broke through into the Primordial Spirit stage, a giant figure appeared in the sky above Taiyi Sect's gate, looking down at everything below. This giant figure resembled Meng Zhang, representing his Primordial Spirit.

The figure fluctuated in size before quickly stabilizing into a human-sized form—this was the typical appearance of a Primordial Spirit True Monarch. To maintain a colossal human-like manifestation, one would need at least a Mid Primordial Spirit Cultivation Base.

Although Meng Zhang had just entered the Primordial Spirit stage and couldn't maintain the giant form for long, his Primordial Spirit was exceptionally condensed, almost substantial. Unlike Yin Spirits, even if a Primordial Spirit leaves the fleshly body, it can continue to exist.

In the presence of the other Gold CoreDaoist Masters, Meng Zhang's Primordial Spirit roamed freely, entering and exiting the mountain gate, then appeared before the gathered Taiyi Sect high-level members.

"Congratulations, Sect Master, on achieving Primordial Spirit..." The high-level members cheered.

Niu Dawei, Meng Zhang's eldest disciple, An Xiaoran, the second disciple, and An Moran, the third disciple, were especially excited and kneeled in reverence.

"Congratulations, Master..." they said.

Meng Zhang graciously accepted the congratulations with a satisfied smile and waved his hand.

"It will take some time before I end my closed-door cultivation and receive visitors. However, you are free to spread the news of my Primordial Spirit achievement. There should be many speculations outside about the commotion I caused. I want to see which small fry will come looking for trouble," Meng Zhang declared.

His Cultivation Base had reached the Grand Completion, and he needed someone to test his abilities.

The Primordial Spirit True Monarch manifestation in the sky indicated Meng Zhang's accomplishment. The fluctuations in spiritual energy would undoubtedly be sensed by other cultivators, especially those well-informed. Taiyi Sect had successfully birthed a Primordial Spirit True Monarch, which brought anticipation, excitement, and envy from various corners of the Cultivation World.

This marked a significant turning point for Taiyi Sect, and the stage was set for a confrontation with New Beast King Mountain. The wheels of fate had been set in motion, and a tumultuous future lay ahead for both factions.

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