Chapter 145 - 100: Immortal Sect History

Chapter 145: Chapter 100: Immortal Sect History

In Li Yinsheng’s bedroom.

Shangguan Ling’Er seemed highly satisfied with Li Yinsheng’s astounded expression. After delivering the line, "We are the newcomers," she took a moment to admire his reaction before explaining further.

"A long time ago, the entirety of the Hundred Thousand Mountains was the territory of the Demon Race. Most of the surrounding Mortal Dynasties were merely livestock raised by Demon Fiends for blood sustenance.

"During its peak, the Hundred Thousand Mountains was ruled by a Demon Lord with heaven-defying Cultivation who commanded countless demons. It was practically a forbidden zone for Human Race Cultivators.

"However, after the Demon Lord’s fall, forces of our Human Race began migrating into the Hundred Thousand Mountains one after another.

"The Demon Race was forced into a corner step by step, shrinking back into the inner reaches of the Hundred Thousand Mountains. Now, the periphery is almost entirely occupied by major Human Race factions.

"Some of these factions hadn’t been doing well in the affluent lands of Human Race Cultivators and wanted to snatch a piece of the pie while the demons retreated after their lord’s death.

"But the majority, like the Taihao Immortal Sect, had long since set their sights on the numerous Spirit Veins within the Hundred Thousand Mountains."

Li Yinsheng grew thoughtful. "So, the Taihao Immortal Sect, the Celestial Demon Hall, and the Thousand Insects Valley all originally came from outside the Hundred Thousand Mountains."

"If you trace their roots, they all hail from Human Race territories beyond the Hundred Thousand Mountains," Shangguan Ling’Er nodded. "But the human migration here is also quite ancient history.

"The vast majority of the first factions to enter the Hundred Thousand Mountains have already vanished in the river of time.

"Sects like the Celestial Demon Hall and the Thousand Insects Valley were actually born later, after the Human Race had firmly established a foothold here. They don’t have much connection to the outside world anymore."

"Miss Shangguan, you didn’t seem to mention the Taihao Immortal Sect," Li Yinsheng asked. "Could it be that the Taihao Immortal Sect has existed continuously since it first moved into the Hundred Thousand Mountains?"

"Exactly," Shangguan Ling’Er nodded. "The Taihao Immortal Sect is one of the oldest and most powerful Sects in the outer regions of the Hundred Thousand Mountains.

"As for what the Taihao Immortal Sect was like before it relocated here, I’m not entirely sure either. I’ve only heard a few passing remarks."

Li Yinsheng was a bit confused. "Miss Shangguan, I’ve never seen or heard of the Demon Race in the Hundred Thousand Mountains, and even ordinary demonic creatures aren’t that rampant. Could it be that the Demon Race is entirely holed up in the deepest core of the mountains?"

"Not exactly the deepest core. The Hundred Thousand Mountains are vast beyond measure," Shangguan Ling’Er shook her head. "While the outer region where we reside is expansive, the inner region occupied by the Demon Race is just as large."

As she spoke, Shangguan Ling’Er drew three concentric circles in the air.

"Take this as an example. These three circles represent the three zones of the Hundred Thousand Mountains."

She pointed to the smallest circle in the center. "This is the Demon Race after their territory shrank. They are basically entrenched in the inner region of the mountains.

"This," she continued, pointing to the ring around the small circle, "is the Human Race’s territory. The Major Sects have essentially encircled the entire Hundred Thousand Mountains.

"Although the territories of the humans and demons are shaped differently—one roughly a circle and the other a ring—their sizes are comparable.

"As for the outermost large circle, it represents the many Mortal Dynasties outside the mountains. Anything beyond that is outside the influence of the Hundred Thousand Mountains."

Her fingertip landed on the boundary between the small central circle and the middle ring. "And here is where the Daoist Palaces are located.

"The Daoist Palaces sit right on the border between the human and demon territories within the mountains.

"You could say that it is precisely because the Daoist Palaces—and other major factions with comparable strength—stand at the very frontlines that the Dharma Veins and Daoist Temples in the outer region, as well as the Mortal Dynasties even further out, are able to thrive.

"Of course, the Daoist Palaces exist primarily to fend off the powerhouses of the Demon Race. When it comes to containing the rest of the demons inside the mountains, the Dharma Veins also contribute significantly, though they aren’t on the bleeding edge.

"Further out from them is the area where the numerous Daoist Temples reside. Here, you practically never see any true members of the Demon Race or Demon Cultivators—only some ordinary demonic creatures."

Li Yinsheng nodded. He had experienced this firsthand.

"So the layout of the Hundred Thousand Mountains is roughly the Demon Race occupying the inner region, our Human Race in the outer region, and the numerous Mortal Dynasties on the outermost fringes."

"Once you have the opportunity to visit a Dharma Vein in the future, you’ll understand this even better," Shangguan Ling’Er said. "Cultivators of the Dharma Veins have all, to some extent, engaged in life-and-death battles with the Demon Race."

Li Yinsheng was instantly puzzled. "Since the Dharma Veins are also fending off the Demon Race, why have I never heard of the Daoists from the Daoist Temples participating in the war?

"Even though there are more True Cultivators in the Dharma Veins than in the Daoist Temples, they still aren’t a dime a dozen. They couldn’t possibly look down on the strength of the Daoists from the temples, could they?"

Shangguan Ling’Er nodded and said, "In the past, the Dharma Veins did indeed regularly conscript True Cultivators from the Daoist Temples to help fend off the Demon Race.

"However, according to my master, the demons within the inner region have quieted down significantly over the last century. The Dharma Veins are now able to repel them with their own strength alone, so they rarely draft Daoists from the temples anymore.

"My master told me that back when she was just a Daoist, she frequently fought tooth and nail against the Demon Race. The Dharma Veins and the demons have always been as incompatible as fire and water.

"By the time she became an Elder, it coincided with the inner region demons settling down. That was when the Dharma Veins gradually began having friction with other human factions. The most recent major war the Dharma Veins fought was against the Celestial Demon Hall, not the inner demons.

"So, speaking of which, the Daoist Temples actually lucked into a good era." Shangguan Ling’Er continued, "A century ago, at least half of the Daoists in every temple would spend their years locked in constant battle with the Demon Race.

"Take Shouyi Temple’s current situation, with its ten Daoists and two Grand Daoists.

"At least one Grand Daoist would be deployed to the Dharma Vein frontlines to defend against the demons, and more than half of the regular Daoists would be drafted as well."

She chuckled. "You could even say that the current state of affairs—where every Daoist Temple has at least one Daoist patriarch stationed permanently within its walls—is actually quite a rare phenomenon.

"Most of the time, if a Daoist Temple only had a single Daoist, that Daoist would spend the majority of their time at the Dharma Vein, participating in the standoff against the Demon Race.

"That is why every Daoist Temple now has a tradition where Daoists do not take on the role of Temple Master and ignore worldly affairs.

"Because in the past, Daoists were frequently away from their temples, so naturally, they couldn’t serve as Temple Masters."

Li Yinsheng was hit with a sudden realization. "I thought Daoists ignored worldly affairs because they needed to focus on their Cultivation."

"That’s part of the reason," Shangguan Ling’Er said. "But the primary reason is that a century ago, the Dharma Vein’s conscription of Daoists never stopped. Even if a Daoist wanted to manage their temple, they couldn’t.

"Of course, not being drafted by the Dharma Veins isn’t entirely a good thing for a Daoist.

"The Spirit Veins and resources at the Dharma Veins alone are far beyond what a Daoist Temple can provide, not to mention the opportunities to interact with numerous fellow Daoists.

"Daoists who go to the Dharma Veins see their Cultivation improve much faster. They can also secure more Dharma Vein resources for their own temples, making it easier to cultivate new Daoists.

"Nowadays, the number of Daoists in every Daoist Temple is noticeably lower than it was a century ago. Shouyi Temple is the only exception."

Li Yinsheng wasn’t surprised by this. "Every coin has two sides. It’s perfectly normal for there to be both pros and cons."

"Oh, by the way, everything I just said about the differences between now and a century ago—my master told me all of it!" Shangguan Ling’Er seemed to suddenly remember something and hurriedly added, "I’m certainly not that old myself!"

Li Yinsheng took the opportunity to ask, "Then, may I ask your age, Miss Shangguan?"

A look of pride subconsciously flashed across Shangguan Ling’Er’s face—every time she revealed her age, people would marvel at how young she was compared to her Cultivation.

But in the next instant, she realized that the person sitting in front of her was a total freak who had become a Grand Daoist in his early twenties.

"Why... why are you asking so many questions!" Shangguan Ling’Er’s expression instantly turned hostile.

Li Yinsheng couldn’t help but scratch his head. He wondered what was going on. Whether it was his Martial Uncle or Miss Shangguan, both immediately turned hostile the moment age was brought up. He knew age was a taboo subject for women, but shouldn’t that only apply to mortals? Given his Martial Uncle and Miss Shangguan’s innate talents, both of them should be considered exceptionally young among Grand Daoists. Why would they be so touchy about their age?

Over the following days, Shangguan Ling’Er visited Li Yinsheng daily to explain common knowledge that every Daoist ought to know.

Through these sessions, he also learned the answers to many questions he had been curious about in the past.

For example, the Taihao Immortal Sect’s status in the Hundred Thousand Mountains.

If one were to single out any individual Dharma Vein, it wouldn’t be considered a very powerful faction in the Hundred Thousand Mountains; it would merely be second-rate.

However, if one accounted for the entire Taihao Immortal Sect, along with its three great Daoist Palaces and Twelve Dharma Veins, it was one of the top three strongest factions in the outer regions of the Hundred Thousand Mountains.

All three of these top factions had migrated from the extremely prosperous core of the Cultivation Realm to the Hundred Thousand Mountains, and their lineages had endured ever since.

Beneath these three, there were about a dozen other major factions that could rival—or even slightly surpass—a single Daoist Palace. They were considered first-rate, though still inferior to the top three.

Further down the hierarchy were the second-rate factions like the Celestial Demon Hall and the Thousand Insects Valley.

Shangguan Ling’Er also gave him a brief rundown on the relationships between the Immortal Sect, the Daoist Palaces, the Dharma Veins, and the Daoist Temples.

When the Taihao Immortal Sect first arrived in the Hundred Thousand Mountains, it consisted solely of the Immortal Sect itself and three Daoist Palaces.

At the time, those three Daoist Palaces absorbed a massive number of Loose Cultivators, with each palace eventually forming four Dharma Veins—which became the Twelve Dharma Veins of today.

As the Dharma Veins grew and expanded, they continued to absorb more Loose Cultivators and even integrated some minuscule Loose Cultivator factions, each establishing dozens of Daoist Temples under their banners.

Many of these Daoist Temples actually had almost no connection to the Dharma Vein in terms of legacy or inheritance. They were merely Dao Lineages developed independently by Loose Cultivator Daoists who had been absorbed by the Dharma Veins.

Alternatively, some pre-existing minuscule factions pledged their entire households to a Dharma Vein, completely rebranding themselves to become one of its Daoist Temples.

There were also Daoist Temples founded by Daoists from the Dharma Veins who, for various reasons, chose not to remain at the Dharma Vein permanently, instead establishing their own temples under its name.

Therefore, the network of Daoist Temples under the Dharma Veins appeared highly fragmented, as it was inherently the result of the Dharma Veins integrating numerous Loose Cultivators and minuscule factions.

Furthermore, Shangguan Ling’Er told him that within the entirety of the Hundred Thousand Mountains, there were ten Divine Mountains. All of them were convergences of the region’s spiritual and terrestrial essence.

Five of them were located in the inner region, still occupied by the Demon Race.

Three Divine Mountains were in the outer region, divided among the top three factions, including the Taihao Immortal Sect.

The remaining two were situated right on the border between the inner and outer regions. However, their circumstances were unique; neither the Human Race nor the Demon Race had any established influence upon them.