Ye Qin, Hou Qianji, and Tie Dandan arrived at the great fissure, where Spirit Stones and various ores were concentrated, about ten li from the peak. They began collecting Fire Spirit Stones and assorted glittering fire ores from the Fire Crow nests nestled in the cliff faces on either side of the fissure.
The great fissure no longer presented the immense spectacle of tens of thousands of Fire Crows obscuring the sky, as it had two years prior. The few remaining Crows posed little threat to them now.
Ye Qin had visited this area several times before, gathering Fire Spirit Stones for his cultivation.
Hou Qianji and Tie Dandan were ecstatic. Clinging to the cliffs, they scrambled to pick the dazzling Spirit Stones and ores from the Fire Crow nests. These were currency, pure and simple. Having spent years in the Red Cloud Sect, they had never encountered such a bounty of Spirit Stones. However, lacking storage bags, their cloth pouches quickly filled to capacity, unable to hold any more.
Ye Qin remembered the several storage bags he carried and handed one to each of them, urging them to gather everything, especially the Fire Spirit Stones. Every Fire Crow nest yielded one or two low-grade Fire Spirit Stones.
“There are quite a few Fire Crow eggs in this nest too! Senior Qin, should we take these eggs as well?” Hou Qianji called out loudly after pulling a large egg marked with red floral patterns from a certain nest.
Tie Dandan also unearthed a Fire Crow egg from a nest. His crimson eyes fixed on it; without a word, he smashed the shell open, tilted his neck back, and swallowed the entire contents in one go. He tossed the shell aside and grumbled, “Damn, that’s satisfying. I spent a whole year drinking Fire Crow blood and eating Fire Crow flesh in that cave, my mouth blistered from the heat. The taste of this Fire Crow egg is excellent.”
“Do you know how to tame Fire Crows?”
Ye Qin stood by one side of the great fissure, holding a Fire Crow egg, and asked Hou Qianji.
“Little one used to belong to a family whose descendants were disciples of the Beast Spirit Gate, so I know a little about taming spirit beasts. Once hatched, a Fire Crow egg yields a first-tier spirit bird. It’s a bit small and can’t be ridden, and its combat strength isn’t high. However, Fire Crows are extremely spiritual; once trained, they can be used for reconnaissance. Moreover, they are omnivorous—feeding them grass seeds and ordinary shredded meat is enough. They are incredibly easy to keep. Even if I don't use them myself, selling these Fire Crow eggs at the market in the Chaos Lands will fetch a good price.”
“Very well, take these Fire Crows along.”
Ye Qin instructed Hou Qianji and Tie Dandan to thoroughly search every single Fire Crow nest without missing anything.
Subsequently, he summoned a flying sword, stepped onto it, and dove hundreds of zhang down into the deep chasm of the great fissure. He wanted to see if there was anything special beneath the fissure—a place where tens of thousands of Fire Crows had once nested should possess some unique quality.
Watching Ye Qin soar on his sword, Hou Qianji and Tie Dandan were consumed with envy. Yet, they understood that unless they one day reached the Foundation Establishment stage themselves, they likely wouldn't experience the sensation of riding a sword.
Ye Qin spent nearly an hour exploring the deep recesses of the great fissure, and to his slight disappointment, the bottom of the chasm held only a dark, rushing river, occasionally broken by the leap of large fish. Nothing truly unique was found. The Fire Crow colony must have nested here simply for easier hunting.
Just as he was investigating the chasm, he suddenly heard a burst of clamor and shouts from above the great fissure.
Thirteen or fourteen black-robed cultivators had appeared near the fissure at some point. The leader, a black-faced man with a scar, was at the ninth level of Qi Condensation, the highest cultivation among the group.
Judging by their attire, these dozen or so cultivators were all from the Red Cloud Sect.
“Hou Qianji, Tie Dandan, you two have some nerve! I thought you were dead. I never expected you to be hiding here enjoying yourselves! After a year without returning to the main altar to report, if I hadn't led the brothers here for a patrol, I’d never have known you were hiding out. Tell me, why haven't you two returned to the main altar?” the Scarred Man demanded, his face grim.
“Yuan Scar, how did you find this place?”
Hou Qianji scrambled back up the cliff, looking somewhat surprised. However, when he saw a second-tier Fire Crow perched on the shoulder of the scarred cultivator, he understood immediately. Fire Crows are highly spiritual; once they fixate on something, it is hard to escape their sight. The scarred man was a turncoat disciple of the Beast Spirit Gate, skilled in training Crows.
Tie Dandan slowly climbed up the cliff as well, showing little regard for the group of cultivators.
“How did I find you? Someone in our Red Cloud Sect violated the precepts by failing to return to the main altar and acting independently. As an Enforcement Disciple, I naturally had to investigate,” the Scarred Man sneered. His gaze suddenly fixed on the storage bags at Hou Qianji and Tie Dandan’s waists, revealing a flicker of avarice. “You two can either return with us now to face the sect's disciplinary action, or refuse? If you refuse, don't blame me for executing you on the spot.”
Hou Qianji and Tie Dandan knew this situation could not end peacefully. The Red Cloud Sect's rules were severe; cultivators who remained absent without permission for so long would at least be skinned alive, if not executed. They immediately drew their spirit swords and spirit blades, standing back-to-back, their eyes blazing with fierce resolution. Having fought desperately against Fire Crows in the cave for nearly a year, they instinctively chose to fight.
The Scarred Man and the dozen or so black-robed cultivators behind him paused when they saw the pair preparing to resist, then burst into loud laughter. “Are you two planning a rebellion?!” “These fools, do they think they can defeat us?” “Looks like they want to die!”
They had ample reason to scoff.
Among their dozen Qi Condensation cultivators, four or five were at the ninth level, with the rest at the seventh or sixth level. Any two of their members could easily overpower Hou Qianji and Tie Dandan. This fight was entirely without suspense.
“Damn it, I haven't wanted to serve the Red Cloud Sect for ages! Yes, we’re rebelling, what can you do about it, come and get your Grandpa Tie!” Tie Dandan roared, clutching his spirit blade.
“Overestimating yourselves! Kill them!”
Cultivator Yuan’s face darkened. With a cold sneer, he waved his hand, and four or five figures immediately charged out from among the cultivators behind him, lunging toward the pair.
However, to their surprise, in the hasty assault, they failed to immediately subdue Hou Qianji and Tie Dandan.
In truth, Hou Qianji and Tie Dandan were constantly subjected to ferocious attacks by dozens of Fire Crows in the mountain cave, making this kind of close-quarters fighting commonplace and honing their skills to near perfection. Although they were no match for the entire group of dozen-plus black-robed cultivators, they could certainly hold off four or five of them for a brief time.
When Ye Qin emerged from the deep chasm, he witnessed Hou Qianji and Tie Dandan locked in chaotic combat with four or five of the black-robed cultivators.
He didn't know the exact situation, nor did he care to understand; he simply frowned, flicked his hand, and his Golden Sword transformed into a twenty-zhang-long streak of rainbow light that shot across. The black-robed cultivators attacking the Hou-Tie duo couldn't evade in time; before they could even utter a sound, they were shredded by the Golden Sword. With a thwack, blood splattered, and they tumbled to the ground.
“It’s a Foundation Establishment cultivator!”
“Bad! Run!”
The remaining eight or nine black-robed cultivators gasped in shock and retreated in terror. They never imagined there was a Foundation Establishment cultivator here, and one who certainly wasn't merciful. They scattered like startled birds, fleeing desperately. After running only a few dozen zhang, several more flashes of rainbow light appeared, cutting down several more black-robed figures.
The last four or five black-robed cultivators stopped in despair. Those who could survive in such a place were shrewd individuals and instantly grasped the gravity of the situation. Showing extreme prudence, they immediately dropped their spirit artifacts, threw themselves onto the ground, and cried out for mercy, “Senior, spare us!” “We were blind and have offended you, Senior!”
Ye Qin recalled his flying sword and ignored them, turning directly to Hou Qianji. “Go question them separately. Find out what movements the Red Cloud Sect and the Chaos Lands have made over the past year.”
“Yes, Senior, I will interrogate them right away!”
Hou Qianji immediately agreed. He delivered several hard kicks to the four or five black-robed cultivators prostrate on the ground, dragging them one by one behind nearby boulders. He felt a surge of satisfaction, simultaneously admiring his foresight in aligning with a new patron early on, and resenting these cultivators who had been so arrogant moments ago but now groveled like dogs.
After about half an hour, Hou Qianji returned and reported to Ye Qin.
“Senior, I have the answers. The fighting ahead is fierce. Two months ago, the Red Cloud Sect Master transferred the sect’s final batch of sequestered Foundation Establishment cultivators to the front lines. Only two Dharma Protectors remain guarding the main altar. Furthermore, the major sects in the Chaos Lands have also dispatched the vast majority of their main forces to the Spirit Mist Cultivation World. Senior, what should we do now?”
“Are all their testimonies the same?”
“They were interrogated separately; their accounts align perfectly, with no discrepancies,” Hou Qianji stated with certainty. “Also, those people were useless; I have already dealt with them.” Having said that, he cautiously glanced at Ye Qin’s expression, worried that Ye Qin might resent him for venting personal anger and summarily executing those black-robed cultivators.
Ye Qin evidently paid the matter no mind.
He fell silent for a moment, a slight worry surfacing. The cultivators of the Chaos Lands launching a full-scale attack on the Spirit Mist Cultivation World suggested they had considerable confidence in their gamble. He wondered how the battles in the Spirit Mist Cultivation World were going and if they could hold on. He was particularly concerned if the Green Pill Sect could guarantee its own safety; if the flames of war reached the Green Pill Sect, it would be disastrous.
However, his own cultivation was still too low. The Spirit Mist Cultivation World held countless cultivators like him at the early Foundation Establishment stage. The Green Pill Sect alone boasted over two hundred Foundation Establishment cultivators, and adding the Foundation Establishment cultivators from the major sects and families brought the total to no less than four or five thousand, with over a hundred Golden Core cultivators.
Even if he wanted to rush back to the Green Pill Sect, it wasn't something he could do on a whim. The journey was incredibly long; traveling alone would take more than half a year, and he might run into the main forces of the enemy cultivators. For now, he could only take things one step at a time.
“Let’s go. We’ll head to the Chaos Lands to see for ourselves!”
Several days later, three figures traversed the intensely scorching Flame Mountain Range, which spanned thousands of li, and entered the Chaos Lands. Over these last few days, Ye Qin had gained some understanding of the situation in the Chaos Lands based on Hou Qianji’s explanations.
The Chaos Lands were a rugged expanse of perilous mountains spanning over one hundred thousand li, replete with extremely dense forests, vast swamps shrouded in poisonous mist, and inhabited by all manner of ferocious demonic beasts. Calling this area a land of harsh mountains and toxic waters would not be an exaggeration.
The complex terrain of the Chaos Lands made concealment easy, which is why defectors, rogue cultivators, and wicked cultivators from the Green Pill Sect, the Sky Dome Origin Cultivation World, and the Ten Thousand Moon Lake Cultivation World preferred to hide here. Over time, a large number of cultivators had gathered, predominantly wicked cultivators who excelled in vicious fighting and dark sorcery, forming sects large and small.
Among them, the Five Great Sects—the Black Tortoise Sect, the Demon Buddha Sect, the Red Cloud Sect, the Ghost Wolf Sect, and others—were all led by one or two Golden Core cultivators as their main and deputy leaders, possessing the greatest strength. The remaining forces were headed by Foundation Establishment cultivators, with lesser influence.
Although the Chaos Lands offered easy concealment, they suffered from a severe lack of resources: insufficient Spirit Stones, medicinal herbs, and ores. Development and growth were difficult. Furthermore, lacking secular nations, the area could not naturally cultivate cultivators; its population relied entirely on external arrivals to sustain itself.
The collective strength of the Golden Core cultivators from the Five Great Sects of the Chaos Lands did not even equal the number of Golden Core cultivators in a single sect like the Green Pill Sect of the Spirit Mist Cultivation World. In terms of territory and resources, the Chaos Lands were far inferior to the Spirit Mist Cultivation World.
However, during this current turmoil in the cultivation world, the ambitious cultivators from the Sky Dome Origin Cultivation World and the Ten Thousand Moon Lake Cultivation World sought to suppress the Spirit Mist Cultivation World. The cultivators of the Chaos Lands merely wished to take advantage of the situation to gain some benefits, unwilling to remain in that wretched place any longer. This desire fueled their impulse to launch a massive invasion into the Spirit Mist Cultivation World and seize territory.