Chapter 474: A Sudden Change Leads to Removal from the Mundane World
The Extreme Path Demon Sect was suddenly annihilated by the Sect of Commoners, causing a huge shock throughout the Southeastern Domain Cultivation World.
With the deliberate propaganda of the Red Dust Demon Sect, Wei Cangsheng, the Sect Hierarch of the Sect of Commoners, and the Qing Holy Maiden, Physician Qing, became known as ambitious individuals eager to unify the Southeastern Domain.
In response, the Sect of Commoners did not refute the rumors, but the Venerable Cangsheng and Yu Qingtan's incarnation, the Qing Holy Maiden, did not proceed with the plan to directly eliminate the Red Dust Demon Sect next.
The main issue was that Venerable Aotian of the Red Dust Demon Sect was a cultivator in the late stages of Divine Transformation, which was not easy to deal with, and moreover, the Sect of Commoners needed time to digest the fruits of victory from annihilating the Extreme Path Demon Sect.
For cultivators within the domain once controlled by the Extreme Path Demon Sect, the Sect of Commoners first conducted a scrutiny. Those who committed atrocious crimes were executed on the spot, those with lesser offenses who did not surrender were sent to mine, and those who hadn't committed many misdeeds and did not wish to join the Sect of Commoners became loose cultivators.
For example, the Murong Family, where the former Young Sect Master Murong Haokong was from, was steeped in evil deeds. Most of their cultivators were killed, including Murong Yuanzhong who lent "Xu Kexin" high-interest loans.
The pride of the Extreme Path Demon Sect, Chu Jianyang, who fell from grace and resisted desperately, was slain on the spot; Jinxiu Heavenly Saber Li Qingxuan became a loose cultivator; Feng Huan the Witch married Ye Rujun from the Red Dust Demon Sect.
The Jade Foot Witch Bai Junjun was deliberately released by the Qing Holy Maiden and went to the Blood God Cult. She had intended to help Fang Ling with plans for the Extreme Path Demon Sect, only to find that the sect was directly eradicated.
As for the Xu Family, where "Xu Kexin" belonged, they faced retribution after "Xu Kexin" mysteriously vanished after the battle. Most cultivators were executed and a few had their cultivation disabled and were banished to the Mortal Realm.
A year later, which is the Lichuan Calendar year 7120, the Venerable Cangsheng received news that the Venerable Aotian of the Red Dust Demon Sect, along with Venerables Laiqian, Falling Wood from the Extreme Path Demon Sect, and Bingyu had directly gone to the Central Domain.
Meanwhile, the Venerables Jiuling, Overcute, Ox-Horse and Hanqing Venerable, Zhao Hanqing, Yue Lan Venerable, Bian Hongyao and the core members of the Red Dust Demon Sect went underground, scattering and concealing their identities, some even fleeing to other domains.
It turns out, Venerable Aotian, after the battle with the Venerable Cangsheng and the Qing Holy Maiden, was extremely worried. Although his cultivation had not advanced for decades, he had an instinct that both the power of Venerable Cangsheng and the Qing Holy Maiden would continue to increase.
If he could not defeat them now, the longer he waited, the less likely he would be able to withstand them.
Consequently, Venerable Aotian made a decision contrary to the traditions of his ancestors and headed directly to the Central Domain.
Since it is generally only cultivators in the Mid Stage of Divine Transformation who can withstand the spatial forces of the teleportation formation to the Central Domain, Venerables like Jiuling and others stayed in the Outer Realm.
They planned to wait until the Venerable Cangsheng and the Qing Holy Maiden, these formidable figures, also went to the Central Domain, and then they could attempt to revive their sect.
The Venerable Cangsheng, having received the news, felt some disappointment, but still immediately sent troops to the Red Dust Demon Sect and within a mere month, completely captured all of its territories.
In response to this situation, the higher-ups of the Cangqiong Sword Sect and Star Moon Sect came to discuss with the Fairy Qingtan of the Wendao Sect whether they should get involved in this matter and profit from the chaos. Yu Qingtan naturally refused.
Venerable Wu Di of the Cangqiong Sword Sect became even more convinced of his speculation that Fairy Qingtan of the Wendao Sect and the Qing Holy Maiden of the Sect of Commoners were the same person, which made him feel even more frustrated.
After absorbing the territories of both the Extreme Path Demon Sect and the Red Dust Demon Sect, the Sect of Commoners suddenly became the strongest force in the Southeastern Domain, and the number of its sect members quickly expanded to over ten billion.
By the end of the year, the Venerable Cangsheng had reached an agreement with the Wendao Sect, Cangqiong Sword Sect, Star Moon Sect, All-World Academy, the Huangs, and the Blood God Cult. The main terms were that the Sect of Commoners would not expand its domain further but was allowed to develop its congregation throughout the entire Southeastern Domain.
Initially, the Venerable Cangsheng indeed intended to unify the Southeastern Domain directly, but faced opposition from the Qing Holy Maiden. Knowing the true strength of the Qing Holy Maiden, he did not persist.
Under the influence of the Sect of Commoners, the lives of the lower-tier cultivators in the Southeastern Domain underwent significant changes.
First, the vast majority of cultivators have moved into the Immortal City, instead of living in shantytowns outside the city as many of the lower classes did previously.
Second, the phenomenon of cultivators bullying others on the basis of their Cultivation Level or background has nearly ceased, and practices such as keeping slaves and indentured servants have been abolished; the retainers and miners from Cultivator Families have all switched to a system of employment.
Lastly, while the quality of one's Spirit Root still affects a cultivator's path, the widespread use of the Five Elements Technique has significantly reduced this impact. Most cultivators must now earn their Cultivation Resources, but these can generally be acquired with effort.
As the first Supreme Elder of the Wendao Sect, the Supreme Elder of the All-World Academy, and the founder of the Five Elements Technique, Fairy Qingtan, in collaboration with the Qing Holy Maiden from the Sect of Commoners, has established Cultivation Academies in various major cities of the Southeastern Domain, guiding the cultivation of those at the bottom ranks.
In fact, these two personas are the same person; therefore, Yu Qingtan is almost universally known within the Southeastern Domain Cultivation World, with her Charm Points and Affection Value steadily growing.
In the year 7121 of the Lichuan Calendar, Shen Wanning embarked on a journey to other realms alone and encountered a series of fortuitous events, returning as a Divine Transformation Early Stage Cultivator.
In the same year, with the help of a Seventh Stage Treasure—the Innate Xun Wind Pearl—obtained from Yu Qingtan's lottery draw, Venerable Shenfeng of the Wendao Sect broke through to the Divine Transformation Mid Stage.
Over the years, Yu Qingtan's Cultivation Level has not advanced an inch, but she has made significant progress in her understanding of the Dao and mastery over Dao Techniques.
She planned to break through to the Void Refinement Stage in the Outer Realm before entering the Central Domain.
Normally, this would be impossible, as attempting such a breakthrough in the Outer Realm would invite a terrible heavenly tribulation, which was said to leave little chance of survival.
However, Yu Qingtan had the Heavenly Decree Deceiver, so she didn't need to worry about this issue.
To break through to the Void Refinement Stage, the basic requirement is to condense an Origin True Body. Additionally, a sufficient amount of Immortal Crystals and an opportunity for breakthrough are needed.
When Yu Qingtan broke through to the late stage of Divine Transformation, she used approximately two hundred Immortal Crystals. According to ancient records and her own calculations, a typical cultivator would need about one thousand Immortal Crystals to break through to the Void Refinement Stage, while she would likely need around two thousand.
In terms of Body Refinement, to break through to the Void Refinement Stage of Body Refinement—transitioning from the Golden Body Realm to the Soul Merging Realm—would also require about two thousand Divine Crystals' worth of resources.
Yu Qingtan has amassed nearly enough Immortal and Divine Crystals from sources such as the Demon Race, the Sea Clan, the Extreme Path Demon Sect, and system lottery draws.
Yet, she hasn't sensed even a hint of the breakthrough opportunity. Yu Qingtan is not in a hurry; she has plenty of time now.
One day in the year 7123 in the Lichuan Calendar, while Yu Qingtan was performing her daily cultivation, she suddenly felt an emptiness in her heart, as well as a sense of restlessness, without knowing why.
She used the secret Hongluan divination to calculate her situation, with the result indicating minor misfortune. After checking herself thoroughly, she still could not find anything amiss.
In the end, she opened the system panel, and her pupils suddenly contracted.
[Name: Yu Qingtan]
[Age: 39/9500]
[Cultivation Level: Divine Transformation Late Stage, Body Refinement Divine Transformation Late Stage]
Her lifespan, which had reached ten thousand years at the peak of the late stage of Divine Transformation, had suddenly fallen by five hundred years.