Chapter 189 – Beyond the Immortal Alliance, Forbidden Land: Mahakala

At the southernmost edge of the Immortal Alliance lies Li Province, home to the Lihuo Dao Academy.

As one of the Four Great Academies of the Immortal Alliance, the central campus area of Lihuo Dao Academy is vast, equivalent in size to a million-person Immortal Alliance city.

Surrounding Lihuo Dao Academy is a massive city with a population of tens of millions, built around the academy and known as ‘Nanli’.

More importantly, Nanli City not only has a large population but also an astonishingly high proportion of cultivators, reaching almost one percent.

In other words, out of Nanli City’s thirty million residents, a full three hundred thousand cultivators live here.

Among them, over ten thousand are students and staff of Lihuo Dao Academy.

The rest are either visiting cultivators or graduates of the academy.

These graduates choose to remain in Nanli City after completing their studies for two main reasons.

On one hand, the city is rich in cultivation resources. Many resources unavailable elsewhere in the Immortal Alliance can be found here, facilitating cultivation.

On the other hand, this place serves as the Immortal Alliance’s gateway to suppressing the Forbidden Land: Great Dark Heavens.

As the saying goes, conquering territory is easy, but holding it is difficult.

The price the Immortal Alliance pays to maintain peace across the Nine Provinces Ten Lands is unimaginable to ordinary people.

To give just one example, Nanli City hosts a specialized cultivator army dedicated to suppressing the Forbidden Land Great Dark Heavens, known as the ‘Vermillion Bird Army’.

This army of one hundred thousand cultivators requires at least Foundation Establishment Stage cultivation as the minimum entry requirement.

Commanders of one thousand, known as Thousand-Household Officers, must be at Golden Core Stage, while Ten-Thousand-Household Generals must be at Nascent Soul Stage.

Within this army of one hundred thousand, there are over a hundred Golden Core Stage cultivators, ten Nascent Soul Stage cultivators, and one Deity Transformation Stage cultivator.

The Vermillion Bird Army alone could sweep through over ninety percent of the schools among the Immortal Alliance’s hundred sects.

Yet such a formidable force must not only guard Nanli City year-round but also rotate batches of cultivators every few years to replenish its ranks.

This speaks volumes about the intensity of the battles here.

Early March, outskirts of Nanli City, Vermillion Bird Great Wall.

“Kill!”

On the Vermillion Bird Great Wall, numerous Vermillion Bird Army cultivators clad in fiery-feather armor fought fiercely against the evil entities emerging from the dark tide below, relying on the wall’s defenses.

The battle was intense and deadlocked.

Although every member of the Vermillion Bird Army was an elite, they were vastly outnumbered by the million-strong horde of dark tide evil entities outside the wall.

Moreover, these evil entities included many at the Foundation Establishment Stage, making them particularly troublesome.

Fortunately, the Vermillion Bird Army’s strength lay not only in the cultivators’ own cultivation levels.

It also manifested in their specialized Magic Treasures and Magical Artifacts, as well as a massive, unique statue atop the Vermillion Bird Great Wall.

This statue depicted none other than the Vermillion Bird, one of the legendary Four Divine Beasts.

Whenever a Vermillion Bird Army cultivator slew an evil entity, the energy within the entity was absorbed by the Vermillion Bird statue.

Part of this energy was used by the statue to maintain the immense Spiritual Power barrier surrounding the Vermillion Bird Great Wall, while another part was fed back to the Vermillion Bird Army cultivators on the wall.

Additionally, the Vermillion Bird Great Wall was equipped with various new weapons developed by the Immortal Alliance’s Spiritual Energy Heavy Industries.

With so many advantages, the Vermillion Bird Army managed to hold the line against the dark tide evil entities, despite being outnumbered over ten to one.The so-called evil spirits are actually a very special type of creature.

Ordinary demons and monsters, regardless of their form, ultimately still possess the concept of “life and death.”

But evil spirits are different.

Evil spirits are more akin to a “law of nature,” similar to natural phenomena like rain, gentle breezes, and the sun, moon, and stars.

Unless the source of this “law” is found, the evil spirits of Mahakala will continue to emerge endlessly, impossible to eradicate completely.

The reason Mahakala is regarded by the Immortal Alliance as one of the Four Great Forbidden Lands is precisely because of a unique rule it contains—the “Black Heaven.”

This Black Heaven is not the ordinary darkness of night but a peculiar anomaly.

In the Forbidden Land Great Dark Heaven, whenever night falls, a special black tide spreads and envelops the area.

Hidden within this black tide are countless evil spirits.

Some of these evil spirits are transformed from Immortal Alliance cultivators who died in Mahakala.

Others are ancient cultivators or creatures.

It is as if their fates are imprisoned by something within Mahakala.

Not only are they unable to transcend, but they are also trapped in Mahakala for eternity, endlessly and without respite.

The danger of the Forbidden Land: Great Dark Heavens is not solely due to the eerie black tide that descends every night.

There are also many unique alien races living within Mahakala.

Over the long ages, these alien races have developed methods to resist the erosion of Mahakala’s black tide.

They even utilize the unique natural phenomenon of the nightly black tide as a barrier to protect their tribes.

Despite this, life in Mahakala remains fraught with peril.

Thus, every alien race that manages to establish a foothold in Mahakala possesses considerable strength.

The most powerful among them are even comparable to the top ten Sects within the Immortal Alliance.

One of the roles of the Vermillion Bird Army is to guard against these alien races.

However, the current battle taking place at the Vermillion Bird Great Wall has nothing to do with the alien races. It is the “Little Black Heaven,” an event that occurs every six months in Mahakala.

The so-called Little Black Heaven refers to the expansion of the black tide from the Forbidden Land: Great Dark Heavens during the months of March and September.

This period is called the Little Black Heaven because the black tide during this time typically only spawns evil spirits at the Golden Core Stage level, which are relatively manageable.

The real challenges are the “Great Black Heaven,” which occurs once every five years, and the “Great Dark Heaven,” which appears once every century.

During the Great Black Heaven that occurs every five years, many evil spirits comparable to Nascent Soul Stage cultivators emerge.

This pales in comparison to the Great Dark Heaven, which occurs only once every century.

During this period, evil spirits at the Deity Transformation Stage level often appear within the black tide.

Currently, only three years remain until the next Great Dark Heaven.

To prepare for this impending great challenge, both the Lihuo Dao Academy and its backing Myriad Enterprises Immortal Sect must make thorough preparations.

If even one of the Four Great Forbidden Lands, Mahakala, is so perilous, the other three forbidden lands outside the Immortal Alliance are even more so.

Compared to the potential calamity that evil spirits from the forbidden lands could bring to the Immortal Alliance, some Demonic Path Heretical Cultivators within the Alliance are hardly a concern.

As long as these Heretical Cultivators have not reached a cultivation level beyond the Nascent Soul Stage, the Immortal Alliance generally pays little attention to them, leaving their handling entirely to the Shanhai Bureau.

The higher one stands, the more one sees, and the more there is to consider.How to prioritize between primary and secondary contradictions is an enduring topic within the Immortal Alliance.

Mosquitoes are certainly annoying, but the jackals and tigers outside the door are even more critical.

Unless all the jackals and tigers outside are dealt with, the Immortal Alliance can focus entirely on dealing with the mosquitoes buzzing around inside the house.

Just as the cultivators on the Vermillion Bird Great Wall thought this round of the Little Black Sky was about to end.

A massive head suddenly emerged from the black tide.

This head was human-like yet not entirely human, with a small, slender horn on its forehead.

Its mouth was exaggeratedly wide, stretching all the way to its ears, making it utterly terrifying.

Upon seeing the enormous head, the nearest Vermillion Bird Army cultivator immediately shouted, “Be careful, it’s a Nascent Soul Stage Mind Control Ghost!”

Shortly after the Vermillion Bird Army cultivator finished speaking, he felt a chilling coldness rise from his back, spreading up his spine to the crown of his head.

Trembling, he turned his head and discovered that the Nascent Soul Stage Mind Control Ghost had already reached the edge of the Vermillion Bird Great Wall.

The hundred-meter-tall Vermillion Bird Great Wall was now slightly shorter than the massive head.

At such close proximity, the Vermillion Bird Army cultivators on this section of the wall could even clearly see the white bones and rotting flesh between the Mind Control Ghost’s teeth.

“Jie jie jie…”

Amid the ghost’s eerie laughter, it lunged toward the Vermillion Bird Army cultivators on the wall.

Due to insufficient energy absorption, the Spiritual Power around the Vermillion Bird Great Wall failed to block the Nascent Soul Stage Mind Control Ghost, and a breach was torn open.

Then, under the horrified gazes of the hundred Vermillion Bird Army cultivators on that section of the wall, the Mind Control Ghost opened its bloodthirsty maw.

In the next moment, a terrifying suction force emanated from its mouth.

Not only were the ordinary Vermillion Bird Army cultivators, who were merely at the Foundation Establishment Stage, unable to resist, but even a Golden Core Stage Vermillion Bird Army centurion among them was utterly powerless to withstand it.

“Wretched beast!”

Just as the nearest few Vermillion Bird Army cultivators were about to be sucked into the Nascent Soul Stage Mind Control Ghost’s mouth, an angry roar echoed from above the crowd.

In the next moment, a blazing spear descended from the sky, piercing deeply into the head of the Nascent Soul Stage Mind Control Ghost.

“Ying!!!”

The Mind Control Ghost let out a piercing shriek and immediately began writhing violently on the ground.

Without giving it any time to recover, a female cultivator clad in armor broke through the clouds, charging swiftly toward the Mind Control Ghost.

She gripped the returning blazing spear with one hand and soon transformed into a massive flaming Luan Bird.

Nascent Soul Stage Divine Ability… Law of Heaven and Earth!

“Screech!”

The Luan Bird avatar let out a long cry, then struck the Nascent Soul Stage Mind Control Ghost with its sharp beak.

The sharp beak was as potent as a Magic Treasure, easily tearing through the Physical Body of the Nascent Soul Stage Mind Control Ghost.

But the Luan Bird avatar’s attack did not end there.

After delivering a heavy blow to the Nascent Soul Stage Mind Control Ghost, it soared back into the air.

As it flapped its wings, countless massive green fireballs materialized around it.

These fireballs filled the sky and, under the terrified gaze of the Mind Control Ghost, descended upon it.

Boom, boom, boom…

Under the barrage of fireballs resembling a meteor shower, not only did the once-terrifying Nascent Soul Stage Mind Control Ghost gradually fall silent amid its screams, but the surrounding ordinary evil spirits also suffered the same fate.After everything concluded, the azure Luan Bird gradually dissipated, revealing a stern-faced, heroic woman within.

As this woman landed on the Vermillion Bird Great Wall, the surrounding Vermillion Bird Army cultivators immediately showed expressions of reverence, respectfully saying, “Greetings, General Qingluan.”

“No need for formalities. Have you found the source of this Black Tide?”

Hearing Qingluan’s words, the chiliarch of this sector’s Vermillion Bird Army immediately stepped forward and said, “We have. It’s in the Bing Sector of the Great Wall. The other generals have already gone to deal with it.”

Upon hearing this, Qingluan Zhenren Jiang Yu nodded calmly.

Just as they were speaking, the Black Tide below the Great Wall suddenly began to tremble violently.

Then, the eerie Black Tide finally began to slowly recede.

Seeing this, everyone knew that this ‘Black Tide’ had ended.

The surviving Vermillion Bird Army cultivators all relaxed their previously tense nerves, their faces lighting up with joy.

Jiang Yu felt the same way at this moment.

While Little Black Sky was relatively easy to deal with, just like the Nascent Soul Stage Mind Control Ghost that had suddenly appeared earlier,

even if it was just Little Black Sky, there was still a possibility of Nascent Soul Stage evil spirits emerging unexpectedly.

Although such occurrences were rare, each time they happened, they caused significant casualties to the Vermillion Bird Army.

Fortunately, she happened to be patrolling this sector and arrived immediately when the Nascent Soul Stage Mind Control Ghost appeared.

Otherwise, the hundreds of Vermillion Bird Army cultivators in this sector would have certainly faced certain death.

But similar situations couldn’t be expected to happen every time.

She couldn’t guarantee that she would always be as timely as she was this time.

Nevertheless, it was good that the matter was temporarily resolved.

In the Vermillion Bird Army camp of Nanli City,

those who had just survived a major battle were both reveling in the joy of having escaped death and calculating their gains from this event.

For the Vermillion Bird Army, the semi-annual Black Tide was terrifying, but it also contained significant opportunities.

First was the cultivation improvement gained from slaying evil spirits.

The Vermillion Bird statues on the Vermillion Bird Great Wall could not only purify the curse power within evil spirits but also transfer this power to the Vermillion Bird Army cultivators.

The higher the cultivation of the slain evil spirit, the greater the enhancement obtained.

Additionally, after an evil spirit died, it would leave behind a special item called ‘Black Crystal.’

This Black Crystal was one of the rare items that could directly enhance a cultivator’s Divine Soul.

However, Black Crystals couldn’t be absorbed directly; they needed to be purified by the Myriad Enterprises Immortal Sect’s ‘Blazing Heaven Furnace’ before cultivators could consume them.

Curse power enhanced cultivation, while Black Crystals enhanced the Divine Soul.

To a large extent, these two factors contributed to the Vermillion Bird Army maintaining its current powerful scale.

They were also why many cultivators were willing to join the Vermillion Bird Army.

Every time one safely survived a Black Tide in the Vermillion Bird Army, the gains were comparable to several years of arduous cultivation in ordinary places.

After several cycles, even some cultivators with average Aptitude could rapidly improve their cultivation relying on ‘Black Crystals’ and ‘curse power.’

Of course, all of this was predicated on not dying in the Black Tide…

In a residential area of the Vermillion Bird Army garrison in Nanli City,

“What’s wrong, Xiaoqing? Didn’t the sect assign you to take over that rascal Yu Tianqi’s mission and take charge of protecting the Young Sect Master? Shouldn’t you be staying by the Young Sect Master’s side? Why do you suddenly have time to call me?”The person on the other end of the phone, Jiang Qing, sighed and said, “It was the Young Sect Master who asked me to call.”

“Sis, are there any Nascent Soul Stage Elders in the sect who are free recently? The Young Sect Master wants the sect to send one or two over.”

“Hmm?”

Hearing the words from the other end of the phone, Jiang Yu sat up from the bathtub, her expression turning serious as she said, “What happened? Aren’t you with the Young Sect Master?”

“What, even you can’t handle it?”

“You know the situation in the sect. The once-in-a-century Great Dark Heaven is approaching soon. Our entire sect is busy preparing for it. Many Nascent Soul Stage Elders have even ended their seclusion early to ensure they are in the best condition to face the Great Black Tide. It’s not easy to spare extra people to send out at the moment.”

“Sis, I understand what you’re saying, but the Young Sect Master said her matter is also very important, as it concerns the Black Lotus Sect.”

“The Black Lotus Sect?”

Although Jiang Yu was far away in Nanli City, she had heard of the Black Lotus Sect.

She knew they were a group of Evil Path Cultivators who worshipped an evil Buddha.

However, in her eyes, the Black Lotus Sect was nothing more than a bunch of rats in the sewers.

It was just that the Immortal Alliance had many important matters to attend to.

If they ever had the time to spare, the Black Lotus Sect would never be able to cause any trouble.

Thinking of this, Jiang Yu spoke bluntly, “It’s just the Black Lotus Sect. As far as I know, only their Leader and Deputy Leader are somewhat troublesome. The rest are hardly worth worrying about. Do we really need to send multiple Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators for this?”

“Enough. The Young Sect Master has made it clear: either send one or two Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators over, or she’ll turn around and go study at the Supreme Purity Dao Palace.”

“…”

Although she still felt the Young Sect Master was making a fuss over nothing, Jiang Yu eventually relented.

“Fine, I’ll relay the message to the sect. Did the Young Sect Master say what she wants to do?”

“She did. She said the Black Lotus Sect might target her friend during the college entrance exams. To prevent that from happening, she wants us to send more people over.”

“Just a possibility?”

“Yes, just a possibility.”

Hearing this, Jiang Yu was momentarily at a loss for words.

To mobilize a Nascent Soul Stage Elder for a mere possibility…

Frankly, it was only because Mu Xiaoye’s identity was special, and after contracting a Sixth Bureau Level exotic beast and achieving a First-Grade Great Dao Immortal Foundation, she had become the most promising Phoenix Calamity Cultivator in generations.

Otherwise, even if she were the Young Sect Master, as long as the Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators were unwilling, they could simply ignore Mu Xiaoye’s demands.

After all, you’re only the Young Sect Master of the Myriad Enterprises Immortal Sect, not the Sect Master of the Myriad Enterprises Immortal Sect.

When faced with unreasonable requests, Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators could outright refuse.

But considering Mu Xiaoye’s importance to the Myriad Enterprises Immortal Sect, both Jiang Yu and the other higher-ups of the sect would do their best to accommodate her requests—as long as they weren’t too excessive.

Clearly, sending one or two Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators on a trip wasn’t an excessive demand.

“Alright, tell the Young Sect Master we’ll send a Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator over before the college entrance exams.”

“By the way, who is this friend of the Young Sect Master? To make her go to such lengths?”

Hearing this, Jiang Qing, who had sounded somewhat resigned earlier, suddenly perked up with interest.”Sis, you’ve hit the nail on the head. Let me tell you, I only found out after coming here that besides Yu Tianqi guarding the Young Sect Master, there’s another young man who’s practically inseparable from her in daily life.”

“What’s more crucial is that I only recently discovered how terrifying that young man is.”

“You know the Young Sect Master’s current situation—she’s practically invincible below the Golden Core Stage and can even confront those above it head-on.”

“But her ‘friend’ is even more outrageous. So far, the Young Sect Master only has one record of single-handedly defeating a Golden Core cultivator while being a lower realm, but her friend has already slain several Golden Core cultivators in a row. I’ve never seen such a terrifying Sword Cultivator.”

“Compared to him, even Luo Changming, Senior Brother to Yu Tianqi, falls short.”

“After all, Luo Changming, once hailed as the top Sword Cultivator of the Supreme Purity Dao Palace, failed to comprehend Harmony Realm sword techniques during the Foundation Establishment Stage, yet the Young Sect Master’s friend managed it.”

“The most crucial thing is the feeling—”

“Oh?”

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yu’s eyes instantly lit up.

She… caught the scent of gossip!

“Xiao Qing, spill the details.”

“Alright, Sis, but you have to promise not to tell anyone else in the sect.”

“Otherwise, if the Young Sect Master finds out I’ve been spreading rumors about her, once she inherits the great enterprise, your little sister will most likely face severe reckoning.”

Hearing the words over the phone, Jiang Yu patted her flat chest and declared confidently, “Xiao Qing, don’t you trust your sister’s character?”

“Rest assured, I promise not to tell a third soul what you say.”

With Jiang Yu’s assurance, the two disciples of the Myriad Enterprises Immortal Sect dove headfirst into gossiping about Mu Xiaoye.

And this chat… lasted the entire night!

(End of Chapter)