Chapter 82: Realizing One’s True Fate

The closer the ship descended toward the ground, the stronger the vibrations became.

When the ship reached about fifty meters above the ground, Li Deng deactivated the formation. The moment the barrier began to fade, the ship started emitting pitiful groans. Metal groaned and scraped against metal, wooden surfaces began to creak and slightly deform. The vibrations grew stronger and stronger. The closer they got to the ground, the more this massive structure shook.

'What the hell is this? What a piece of junk...' Standing on the deck, An concentrated Qi into his legs to dampen the vibrations and keep himself from falling.

Looking around, he smirked at the pale faces of the disciples, who were doing everything they could to maintain their dignity and avoid falling face-first onto the deck. Only a few among the entire crowd couldn't handle the strain and sat down, waiting for the ship to finally land so they could stand confidently again.

WHOOOSH!

Finally touching down, he felt the ship, under its immense weight, sinking deeper into the ground, unable to stop.

When it came to a complete halt, the disciples around him exhaled in relief. The last few seconds had been the most unpleasant. Many who had managed to stay standing until then finally gave in and collapsed onto the deck with pale-green faces.

'Perhaps their reaction is so strong because of their still-fresh soul wounds.' Looking around and seeing more and more disciples collapsing even after the ship had finally stopped vibrating and shaking, people sat down from exhaustion and tried to recover quickly.

'And how are they supposed to function inside the Sacred Land? This is absurd…' Watching over a third of the disciples already sitting and trying to recover, he glanced at Lua Mou and Li Deng, the two Golden Core elders.

Neither of them even paid attention to the seated disciples, as if they didn't exist.

'They're not even hiding anymore that they want to use most of the disciples as meat shields for the chosen ones... Righteous Sect, my ass... So many speeches about one big family, all for one and one for all. But in reality, we haven't even entered the Sacred Land yet, and they already don't care about the disciples or their condition. They're not even trying to hide it anymore...'

"Get up! Now! Follow me!" Lua Mou barked sharply and rudely. She waved her hand, and the starboard side began to reconfigure. A staircase extended from within the hull.

Waiting for the staircase to lower all the way to the ground, Lua Mou cast a cold glance at the disciples who were still sitting, despite her order.

Feeling her gaze twisting their very bones, the disciples forced themselves to stand on trembling legs with still-pale faces and slowly began to follow the others.

Descending from the ship, An continued following the group. Looking around, he suddenly saw two figures fly out from the other ship and head straight toward Li Deng, who was moving to meet them.

….

"Miss Deng, what a pleasant surprise to see you here!" A cultivator in beige robes, with a long black beard and long flowing black hair, greeted Li Deng.

"Could it really be you? Lord Golden Blade! What an unexpected meeting!" Seeing who stood before her, Li Deng smiled sincerely.

'Hmm?! No way... He managed to break through to the late stage of Golden Core? So fast... Damn old man! The informants said he had hit a cultivation wall!' Flying closer, she suddenly felt pressure emanating from Golden Blade. From that pressure, she immediately understood that he had only recently made a breakthrough. Comparing his energy to her own, she felt that the previous gap between them had widened again, as she had been unable to take the next step to break through from the middle stage to the late stage.

"Ho-ho! It's been a long time since anyone called me that! Ho-ho! I thought my days of serving the Emperor were long behind me, but no... Even here, in this world, the younger generation still remembers my name…" With a warm smile on his face, Golden Blade grew nostalgic, reminiscing about old, forgotten times.

"Miss Deng, I greet you. I am Zua Dvou, Peak Lord of Clear Lake, from the Primordial Purity Sect!" Floating beside Golden Blade was a man who appeared no older than twenty-five, with blue eyes and wavy hair, dressed in blue robes with white rose-petal inlays.

Turning to him, Li Deng actually blushed upon seeing his face, 'What's wrong with me? How could I lose control... It's like I'm a teenager again...'

Quickly composing herself, she returned the gesture of respect with a warm smile on her face.

"Ho-ho! Miss Deng, please forgive my younger brother Zua! He cultivates a charm technique! Ho-hu!" Golden Blade, having not missed the redness on Li Deng's cheeks, quickly explained while slapping Zua Dvou on the back.

"I apologize, Miss Deng. My technique is on the verge of breaking through to a new horizon. I'm afraid that if I hold back, it could cost me my future progress!" Clasping his hands in a gesture of respect, Zua Dvou bowed slightly, sincerely apologizing.

"Think nothing of it. I understand completely! Progress in technique at our realm is extremely difficult, and who knows how many such opportunities we'll be granted..." She likewise clasped her hands in respect and accepted his apology.

'Hmm… He's clearly cultivating a dual technique... Perhaps I can use this opportunity to break through the bottleneck in my cultivation. It might also be nice to shake off the rust. When was the last time I had any fun? I don't even remember…' Looking at Zua Dvou, a barely noticeable glint of greed flickered in her eyes.

….

Walking in the crowd behind Lua Mou, An felt increasingly unpleasant sensations from the demonic energy around him. The closer they approached the pillar of light, the higher its concentration became.

'Wait... Doesn't that mean the entire Sacred Land is packed with demonic energy, and cultivating inside is essentially impossible? For ordinary cultivators, for everyone around...' Looking at the massive pillar of light and watching the energy practically pouring out of it, he suddenly frowned.

'That means cultivation cycles will take much longer, and I won't be able to use pills for a boost. This could create a dangerous situation... Damn.'

About two kilometers from the group of Primordial Purity Sect disciples, Lua Mou raised her hand and stopped.

"A few parting words. First: don't even think about cultivating inside unless you want to ruin your dantian and turn into a filthy demonic abomination..." Stopping, she rose slightly into the air so everyone could see her. With a stern gaze, she swept her eyes across the crowd.

"Second: stay together. That's the only way you'll survive. Third: obey the core disciples' orders without question. Again, for your own good. Fourth, and most importantly: conserve your Qi! Because of the demonic energy, I don't advise recovering through meditation... Again, unless you want to become demonic bastards... Here!"

At the end, she waved her hand, and a large chest flew out of her ring, landing next to Mo Fan.

"Core Disciple Mo Fan will be in charge of the Pure Qi pills. Use your Qi wisely, and after each use, Mo Fan will distribute vials of pills to you. So watch your energy expenditure... Disciple Mo!" She turned and looked Mo Fan in the eyes, gesturing toward the chest.

"As you command, Elder Lua Mou!" Activating his ring, Mo Fan stored the chest and, crossing his arms over his chest, showed a gesture of respect.

'Damn... They didn't just brainwash everyone on the way here; they also made sure no one could disrupt their plan to use living shields... Now, with the realization that you can't freely use your Qi, I think anyone who had even the slightest thought of rebellion now has only one option left: obey and submit. Now four people, or rather, Mo Fan, has over a hundred slaves who will be ready, or rather forced, to follow his every command... Righteous Sect, my ass.' Standing near the back of the crowd, An heard and saw everything, especially the faces of some disciples near him.

The moment the chest appeared and she pointed to one of the core disciples who would control the pills, the disciples' faces fell. Some frowned; others clenched their fists until their knuckles turned white from anger and despair.

'The closer we get to the Sacred Land, the more real this becomes. All those inspiring speeches about family and friendship and similar nonsense lose their effect... The closer we get, the more fear begins to grow inside you, the faster you realize the fate your beloved Sect has prepared for you.' Having observed the fallen faces of the disciples, An lowered his head slightly.

Scanning everyone from above and seeing the pale faces from the realization of what awaited them, Lua Mou smiled. She turned and continued flying slowly forward.

"Follow me!" Waving her hand, she picked up the pace slightly.

After several minutes of brisk walking, the crowd finally stopped not far from the Primordial Purity Sect group, literally a hundred meters to their side.

Hovering in the air, Lua Mou watched the pillar of light with interest.

"Stand still and wait. When we activate the altar, you must enter immediately without hesitation. Understood?" In a cold voice, she asked the question, and all her attention was fixed on the independent disciples who were not associated with the core groups.

The disciples had no choice but to nod. There were no more burning shouts, no one eager to rush forward. Complete silence reigned around them.

Seeing the disciples' state, Lua Mou merely snorted and, rising into the air, flew straight toward the other Golden Core cultivators.

Standing with the dejected crowd for a while, An walked to the edge of the group.

Stepping out of the crowd and walking a few dozen meters away, he sat down on the ground and began examining the massive pillar of reddish light.

'Judging by the altars at the base, this structure is constantly maintained, which means it was built after this Tomb... Most likely by the Demonic Sects.' Looking at the base, he saw a construction of stone and metal. Four massive pillars, each holding a sphere with a toxic-red color. In the center was a huge square platform, completely covered in runes.

'Hmm, judging by the Qi flows, the energy inside the spheres synchronizes with the energy flying out of the pillar of light... Perhaps this is necessary to make teleportation more stable?' Knowing nothing about formations and runes, he could only rely on his intuition and his understanding of Qi itself.

Raising his gaze and looking at the pillar itself, he untied his pouch from his waist and brought it closer to his face. Slightly opening it, he began to compare the information emanating from the pouch and the pillar.

'No way? So this pillar is something like a spatial object? Ha! I understand nothing!'

'If this pillar consists of particles, then it isn't an object. But at the same time, it carries the characteristics of a spatial object?' Frowning, he tied the pouch back to his waist and, sitting more comfortably, rested his chin on both hands and began examining the Qi flows flying out of the pillar, trying to understand how it all worked.

'This is clearly something like a door to the Sacred Land... But most likely, because of the enormous distance to the land itself, cultivators can only enter through teleportation altars. Then why does this pillar carry spatial characteristics... Oh! So due to certain conditions, the internal space, which is the Sacred Land, touches our world, and because of the intersection, two different spaces connect, opening a tunnel through which one can travel between them?' Sitting and straining his mind to its limit, An felt someone approaching from behind. But being deep in thought, he didn't pay it any attention.

'Ah... I really should listen when people explain things... Most likely, all of this was discussed, and I missed it again...' He continued reading the Qi from the pillar of light.

"Excuse me?"

'Then why is the connection possible only at a specific time? Is this intentional? Or are there some laws that limit constant contact?'

"Hello?"

'Nonsense... Then where exactly is this second space located? Somewhere in outer space? Or is the world, like Qi, composed of layers, each new layer a new space...'

"Hey!"

'Then how many of these layers are there? And why don't conflicts occur between such mini-worlds... Oh? And can they even be called mini-worlds? Or are they just enlarged spatial pouches?'

"Ha! Can you even hear me?"

'Wait, then, if this world is an enlarged pouch, then this pillar of light is something like a broken part? A torn corner? Hmm...'

"Ah!!"

"What?" Unable to tolerate the buzzing near his ear, An interrupted his strange thought process and looked at the person standing beside him.

"What do you mean, what?! I've been standing here for several minutes, shouting at you! And you're deliberately ignoring me! Ha!" Unable to contain himself, seeing the expression on An's face, the man snapped back.

An examined the young man standing before him, with golden hair and black eyes, wearing white robes with a blue tint, and a foolish and even strange expression on his face.

"I am Gen Lo! An inner disciple of the Primordial Purity Sect! A pleasure! You are Disciple An, aren't you? Just An, without an ancestral name?" With naive eyes, Gen Lo showed a gesture of respect and stared at him without looking away.

'What the...' Looking at his foolish expression, An nearly rolled his eyes.

"No, honored Gen Lo. I am Hu Yu. A disciple, Hu Yu. Heir to the great mystical Hu clan!" An slightly raised his chin and turned his head away, gazing at the horizon, creating the portrait of a warrior nostalgic for his long-forgotten and lost family.

"Oh?! Oh… But how? But, but judging by the description, you clearly fit! Tattered clothes covered in strange stains and small holes, unkempt hair hanging slightly below the chin, distant green eyes, and constant alchemy stains on the skin, especially on the hands." Standing next to An, Gen Lo carefully examined him, listing features and counting on his fingers.

'Eh?! Do I really look like that? I just changed my clothes recently…' Raising his hand before his eyes, he pulled up the dirty and even torn blue robe and looked at his skin. His entire arm was covered in stains, residual sediment from pill refinement.

Examining the stains on his arm, he pondered. 'It is strange, actually... When I first arrived here, my old habits regarding hygiene remained. I washed in the lake and even washed my face from time to time. But the more I cultivated, the more I devoted myself to alchemy and studying Qi itself, the less I cared about such things. Hygiene... Although my skin is covered in sediment from pill preparation, it's not dirt. It's concentrated energy in the form of particles… My body doesn't even produce sweat on a daily basis and has no typical human odor due to the absence of many organs. So, in essence, I'm smeared and smell like the pills I refine… It's not dirt. Though, who am I trying to fool.'

'What's the point of looking good? Being neat? Being well-groomed? When all you feel from people is disgust and contempt simply because of the brand on your neck... Because you have no clan or family behind you... If I dressed immaculately, would all the young masters start respecting me? Don't make me laugh. Though again, these are just excuses for my nature...'

"Hey!"

"Hmm? What?" An raised his head and glanced at Gen Lo.

"I'm saying! You're definitely Disciple An, the genius who achieved the status of Master Alchemist!" As he began speaking, his voice even perked up, but toward the end, remembering that the cultivator sitting before him had denied being that alchemist, Gen Lo added with slight uncertainty. "Right?"

"Ah! I know who you mean! Yes, I know him. Well, I've heard of him. As you can see, I'm also an alchemist." Pointing at the stains on his hands and clothes, An smiled innocently.

"As for what he looks like, I'm not sure. I've never met him. They say he's constantly in closed cultivation. So... Whether he's here or not, I don't know that either." At the end, he began shaking his head, showing disappointment with his whole demeanor.

"Oh, really? That's sad... I really wanted to meet him... Eh, oh well! Brother from the Heavenly Soul Sect! Sorry for bothering you and taking up your time! I'll be going..." After thinking for a moment, Gen Lo clasped his hands at his chest and, showing a gesture of respect, turned around. He had only walked a few meters when he suddenly spun back and shouted. "Oh! I almost forgot! If you do happen to meet him, tell him that Gen Lo, an inner disciple of the Primordial Purity Sect, sends his regards and eagerly looks forward to meeting him!" Having shouted everything he wanted, he turned and ran back to the crowd of his Sect.

"Creepy..." Exhaling, An raised his gaze and noticed that many around him, from his own Sect, were looking at him strangely.

Not bothering to think about the reason and not wasting time on foolishness, he decided to quickly cultivate his soul technique while there was still time before the Sacred Land opened.