The Yellow River Saga [ Epic Cultivation Fantasy Series]

He'd been led to another room after defeating the golem, made of the same luminescent material of the ones that had come before. He was currently seated within, listening to the voice that had guided him this far.

"Unfortunately, the portal to the Inner Sect has been sealed." The voice spoke out, resonating around him.

Yu Chen's eyebrows shot up at the words.

"What do you mean sealed?" Yu Chen asked in disbelief, shocked at the words.

"Sealed. Shut off from the world, closed for business. However you prefer to put it." The voice said, and its tone was offhand, as if speaking about the weather.

Yu Chen rubbed his temples, feeling a headache forming. He looked around the room as he thought over the voice's words. He hadn't gone through all this trouble for nothing had he?

He'd harbored a suspicion that it was the Inner Sect that lay behind the ensorcelled walls he'd seen before, and had hoped that he might find some heavenly treasures in the unspoiled area that no one had entered before.

He asked about it, but the voice cut him off as he began speaking.

"What?" The voice exclaimed in disbelief. "You imagine that to be the Inner Sect? That area is a simple outpost containing the portal leading to the Flowing Eternity Sect." Its tone was filled with amusement as it spoke. "Don't tell me you encountered these ruins and thought the sect was destroyed, did you? Rest assured young disciple, the Sect is perfectly fine, the same as it's been for eons."

It gave a light cough.

"Although you'll have to find another portal to enter from."

Yu Chen's eyes narrowed in suspicion. It was official. There was definitely a headache forming.

"Explain." Yu Chen said shortly, rubbing his temple.

According to the voice, the true Flowing Eternity Sect resided in an actual secret realm, within a dimension entirely apart from the known world. Despite this, they maintained influence through dozens of cadet branches scattered across the breadth of the yellow river. The area they'd been exploring was merely one such branch - a meticulously crafted haven designed to funnel talent into the Inner Sect, allowing it to accumulate a fearsome amount of power.

The key to their plan lay in the time-manipulating formations they'd mastered. The sect employed these arcane constructs across all of their cadet branches, creating pockets of space where centuries passed with every revolution around the sun.

Within these formations an outer sect flourished, drawing in students from the surrounding mortal villages and towns teeming with life, their inhabitants blissfully unaware of the wider world around them. Some of these cadet branches were smaller, like the one he was currently within, while others stretched across vast swathes of land that encompassed kingdoms, and even empires.

Generations of mortals lived and died within these pockets of time, their brief lives nothing more than a small part of the sect's grand design. The most talented in every generation rose up, like cream to the top, and The Flowing Eternity Sect was there to skim them out.

It was an ingenious system they'd created, but Yu Chen's stomach churned at the thought. He had trouble believing it, even as the voice spoke with cold detachment, describing it with an unsettling certainty. The countless lives were nothing more than cogs in an enormous machine, existing only for the purpose of furthering the Sect's grand ambitions.

The sheer power necessary to sustain such a system overwhelmed, and his thoughts spiraled as he tried to grasp the magnitude involved.

Even having created this system, the sect still accepted others, giving no preference to their own. Talent was the only thing they cared about, and as long as you passed their tests, proving yourself worthy, you would learn the truth of the sect and be invited to enter the hidden realm.

Yu Chen had passed these tests, and been invited, not that it mattered. He couldn't get in if he wanted to. He frowned, upset at the news before a thought struck him.

"What about the others?" He suddenly asked, raising his head and looking around. "Did any of them pass the tests?"

"No." The voice replied shortly, and Yu Chen felt his heart drop at the news.

"Although only a few died. Perhaps half, which is a good deal better than usual."

"What happened to them?" Yu Chen asked, looking around.

"Some passed a test or two. One young girl even made it across the river, although she turned around when faced with the golem. In the end they all chose to give up the trials and were ejected back into the outer sect of course. What else?"

Yu Chen clenched his fists, filled with worry. The area directly outside had been swarming with the black-robed men, and he could only hope they'd been ejected to some other area.

With luck Cang Wuji and Ling Xia would survive. Hopefully the others as well.

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His head ached, and he suddenly felt the need for fresh air. He stood up, ready to leave. Perhaps if he hurried, he could reach them in time, before anything dangerous happened.

The voice spoke again.

"Wait." It said, "Don't be so quick to run off."

Yu Chen stopped, waiting to hear what the voice had left to say.

To his surprise a piece of jade materialized out of nowhere, floating in the air before him.

"All members of the sect are expected to practice our techniques." The voice chided gently. "Be sure to train them well. I've also included a map within, it should help point you in the direction of the nearest portal."

Yu Chen reached out a hesitant hand, carefully grasping the piece of jade that had been formed into a delicate coin that was a deep bluish green in color. It was cold to the touch and sparkled as the soft light that suffused throughout the room hit it. He examined the coin as he held it, seeing that the surface was carved with intricate loops that seemed to feed into each other, without beginning or end.

One detail truly caught his attention, a snake curled around the outer edge of the coin, consuming its own tail.

"Prick your finger and pour some blood upon it." The voice said. "This piece of jade marks you as a member of our sect and is soul-bound. You'll never have to worry about losing it."

With a quick movement Yu Chen lifted his hand and viciously bit his thumb, tearing a piece of flesh loose before pressing a bloody thumbprint into the surface of the coin. It flashed, emitting a piercing light that quickly faded away, leaving him blinking in surprise.

It grew warm to the touch, as though his blood had brought it to life.

Yu Chen's hand slightly trembled as he raised it, touching it against his forehead. Closing his eyes, he saw two techniques appear within his mind, alongside a detailed map that showed the nearby land for thousands of miles in all directions. He ignored it for now, examining the technique on the left first.

It turned out to be a sophisticated breathing technique. It was an incredibly intricate one, forming an elaborate tapestry that illustrated the flow of energy, depicting the various channels qi flowed through as it spiralled throughout the body. His eyes widened at the precision involved, the technique demanding precise timing as one breathed in specific intervals. Timing was important with all breathing techniques, but here it was the focal point, seeming somehow more.

Joy filled him as he observed it. The technique was many times more profound than the one he currently used, and he resolved to master it as soon as possible.

The other technique appeared to be a set of Martial Forms, but they were far more complex than the ones he was used to. The thick tome contained thousands of movements, and each one seemed to display an intricate understanding of time and space. Together, the movements formed a silent symphony, as if each motion happened to the beat of an unheard melody, landing perfectly on time without any superfluous effort.

He knew of course that it was more than a simple series of movements. He'd learned with the Condensing Fist that even a relatively simple technique contained unplumbed depths.

This technique went even further, somehow forming a fusion of body, qi and concept.

He'd always considered them to be separate, disparate entities that were unique in their own way. However, he could tell from simply glancing through the technique, that the three were somehow intricately connected.

He felt something there at the edge of his consciousness as he considered this, the vaguest feeling of enlightenment forming. What was the relation between the three? He could see how they fit together. Body provided a form to move, and Qi the energy to drive it. Concepts, concepts were the ideas that guided it, giving it direction. The three melded in his mind, verging on almost becoming one. Almost, but not quite.

It slipped away before he could grasp it.

Still, he was left with a deep sense of profundity. Moments of enlightenment like this were rare for cultivators, but among the greatest of boons. After all, nothing in the world could compare to the realizations that one brought upon themselves. You could lose everything, your treasures and your health, even your cultivation, but as long as you possessed your mind, the things you learned would never leave you.

A mere glance at the technique had brought him to a moment of near enlightenment, how much greater would it be when he practiced it?

He opened his eyes, before bowing his head low, facing in no particular direction.

"Thank you." He whispered.

"No need, you've earned it." The voice replied dismissively. "You're a rather interesting fellow, I'm sure we will meet again one day."

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Yu Chen stumbled as the wall peeled back, a thick wave of qi surging forward and disappearing down the tunnel he'd come from. He stepped out onto the surface, blinking as the bright afternoon light hit him. The tunnel had delivered him into the walled outpost that hosted the portal leading to the Inner Sect.

The tunnel closed behind him, seamlessly merging with the wall and locking him within the outpost. Yu Chen frowned, but it wasn't unexpected.

He wandered the outpost, stepping over scattered rubble as he made his way through the deserted streets. Strangely, despite the scene of devastation and the ruined buildings strewn throughout the area, there were no bodies in sight. In fact, the entire outpost seemed devoid of life entirely. Items lay scattered around - overturned carts and broken pottery - mundane remnants that spoke of what had once been.

The outpost centered on a massive ziggurat that appeared half crushed, appearing as though something colossal had smashed into it. A broken half-circle crowned the once flat-top, whatever purpose it had once served was no longer possible.

Yu Chen's brows furrowed as he glanced at the structure. The voice hadn't elaborated when he'd questioned it about what had happened to the sect, only vaguely stating that the portal was closed. He couldn't suppress a snort now that he saw the crumbling ziggurat. He wasn't so sure about that version of events.

Originally, he'd been in a hurry to leave, hoping to reunite with the others and ensure they weren't in danger. Perhaps it had to do with the memories from his alternate life, but more than ever he treasured the relationships he'd formed, bonds formed in shared bloodshed.

But now it was too late. Time only flowed differently within the area designated as the outer sect. Now that he'd stepped foot inside of the outpost, he'd returned to the same rate as the rest of the world. From his perspective, whatever events had taken place within the outer sect were already over.

Even now, as he walked these streets the sects outside would be gathering their survivors, preparing to head back to their homes. When he hadn't arrived, they'd no doubt considered him lost, another casualty of this strange realm.

Unfortunately, that meant Yu Chen had missed his ride.