Chapter 53: Soaring Over the Four Peaks

Chapter 53: Soaring Over the Four Peaks

At this moment, Li Yan was flying through the sky or more precisely, being flown through the sky by Li Wuyi.

Li Yan gazed curiously downward. The scenery beneath his feet grew smaller and smaller, then quickly blurred as it sped past behind them.

After they had stepped outside the house, Li Wuyi produced a small object shaped like a bamboo slip. He gave it a flick toward the sky while muttering a few words, and the item instantly expanded with the wind, growing to about three zhang in size.

Only cultivators who had reached the Foundation Establishment stage could fly through the air using only their spiritual power. Those still in the Qi Condensation stage could only achieve flight with the aid of spirit artifacts, spirit treasures, or magic tools.

Spirit treasures and magic tools were generally out of reach for most cultivators. Having even a slow, basic flying spirit artifact was already considered a luxury.

Li Wuyi had already reached the late stage of Foundation Establishment. He could fly at great speed on his own, but now that he was carrying Li Yan, he couldn't very well carry him on his back or drag him by the hand. Thus, he brought out this flying magic tool he hadn't used in quite some time.

His plan was to take Li Yan to Old Lord Peak to receive his sect entry items before returning to Little Bamboo Peak to formally greet their master.

But then he thought, since he already had Li Yan with him, he might as well take the opportunity to show him the general layout and features of a few of the sect's major peaks.

The mountain they had just been on was Spirit Insect Peak, belonging to the Yu-surnamed cultivator who had brought Li Yan to the sect.

They hovered for a while at mid-mountain on this peak.

According to Li Wuyi, he couldn't fly to the summit, there were aerial restriction arrays in place. Only the Master and the other elders were permitted to enter by flight. Moreover, each mountain peak was vast in scope; flying one full circle around even a single peak would take considerable time. So, just getting a general idea of the place would suffice for now.

Li Yan watched as celestial cranes, peacocks, and unfamiliar spirit birds occasionally glided by their side. Looking down, he saw rooftops with flying eaves and flowing tiles, narrow winding paths, creeks, and trickling springs, a dreamlike scene he had never even imagined before.

He saw many people coming and going in various places around Spirit Insect Peak. They paid no mind to the two figures in the sky above, as if such sights were utterly routine. Most of them wore dark green robes similar to those worn by Li Wuyi. Occasionally, a few individuals appeared in different attire.

One man rode atop a ferocious beast that resembled a crocodile, its entire body covered in scales and armor. When the beast noticed Li Yan and Li Wuyi overhead, it raised its massive head, its bulging eyes glaring menacingly at them as it roared and lashed its tail.

Another person had a toad crouched on his shoulder, its skin full of black warts. The creature opened its mouth and spat out thick slime, but just before the drool landed on the man's clothes, its long tongue shot out and swept the mucus back into its mouth.

Yet another figure had several colorful centipedes crawling out from his robe sleeves, wriggling and weaving around his body before burrowing back into his collar. The next instant, they emerged again from the hem of his robe or the folds of his trousers, continuing their eerie circuit.

There was even a seductive woman whose earlobes were adorned with tiny, delicate green snakes. These snakes would occasionally lift their heads and flick their tongues, and the woman, with a soft smile, would gently guide the little snake's head to her lips and kiss it.

Each bizarre sight sent chills down Li Yan's spine. Goosebumps rose all over his body as a feeling of dread crept in.

"Could Little Bamboo Peak also have such disgusting cultivation methods…"

The thought made him feel as though thousands of insects were crawling across his skin. He couldn't suppress a shiver.

Li Wuyi noticed the look of disgust on Li Yan's face and chuckled.

"Junior Brother, the name of the peak is 'Spirit Insect Peak.' Their main practice here is raising various spirit insects and beasts found throughout Heaven and Earth. Man and beast complement each other, their combat power is far beyond others of the same cultivation stage."

"These things? They're full of poison and malice! Where's the spirituality in that?"

Li Yan grumbled internally but said nothing aloud, seeing that his senior brother was still smiling kindly at him.

Gazing at Li Wuyi's face, Li Yan suddenly looked puzzled, as if remembering something.

"What is it, Junior Brother? Why are you staring at me like that?"

Seeing the expression on Li Yan's face, Li Wuyi felt momentarily taken aback, as if he had become one of those bizarre creatures below.

"Well, Senior Brother… Don't take this the wrong way, but… Didn't you say earlier that you're seventy-four years old this year?"

Li Yan recalled a conversation they'd had when Li Wuyi was encouraging him. Back then, he had said something that came to mind again now, especially as his youthful face looked barely older than Li Yan himself.

Seventy-four years old! In the village, someone that age would be a doddering elder who could barely walk, someone who might sit down one day and never get back up.

"Haha… I see! Yes, of course, it's true. I joined the Wraith Sect when I was ten, and reached Foundation Establishment at nineteen, after which I followed our Master. It's been several decades since then, and yet here I am, still stuck in the late Foundation Establishment stage. Sigh… truly shameful."

He didn't seem to mind at all. What followed was more a heartfelt sigh than complaint. He still had over a hundred years left to him, but if he couldn't form his Golden Dan in that time, his only path forward would be entering the cycle of reincarnation.

A hundred years might seem long, but to cultivators like them, it could pass in just a few secluded cultivation sessions.

Li Yan, of course, had no idea what thoughts lay behind his senior brother's words. A wave of astonishment surged in his heart.

"Are Immortal cultivators really this powerful? Among mortals, reaching sixty was already considered old age. But in cultivation, someone in their seventies could be in the prime of youth…"

For the first time, Li Yan felt a budding excitement toward the path of cultivation. Unnoticed by him, a subtle transformation had already begun in his heart.

Moreover, he had overlooked another detail in Li Wuyi's words, forming a Foundation in just nine years. It wasn't just that he missed it; it was that he lacked the knowledge to grasp its significance.

To call such a person "Heaven's chosen" wouldn't be an exaggeration. Generally, those who managed to reach Foundation Establishment within thirty years were already considered exceptional. However, if one only achieves Foundation Establishment after the age of thirty, then in most cases, their hopes of forming a Golden Dan in this lifetime are almost nonexistent.

The stages of early, middle, and late Foundation Establishment each required far greater effort than simply advancing through the Qi Condensation stage. Many cultivators spent their entire lives stuck at early Foundation Establishment.

As they spoke, the two had already flown several hundred li away from Spirit Insect Peak, and ahead appeared a massive, yellow-hued mountain that reached into the clouds, its depths unfathomable.

As they drew closer, Li Yan realized the yellow mist was not natural but a strange substance somewhere between fog and cloud. It wrapped around the mountain layer upon layer like clothing, not drifting away, completely obscuring the view of the mountain's surface.

"This is Four Symbols Peak. The disciples and elders here are masters of formations. What you're seeing is their great mountain-guarding formation, a layer of mist constantly shifting.

"And not just in appearance, within it lies ever-changing poison. Every quarter of an hour, 1,080 different poisons are generated. This cycle continues for twelve full hours, constantly reshuffling in new combinations without repeating.

"Once that cycle is done, the entire sequence of poisons is randomized again. Trying to break through it is unimaginably difficult.

"Each poison may interact with others present at the same time, causing a chain reaction. Whether that reaction is deadly or nullifying is completely unpredictable.

"The antidote to one poison might be found nearby, but that other antidote might itself be a deadly combination formed by earlier poisons. One wrong move, and your life could be snuffed out before you realize it.

"We're just making a brief pass here. If you're ever interested, Junior Brother, Master can give you an entry token to experience it personally.

"Just keep in mind, the brothers and elders here tend to be… eccentric. Be careful how you speak, or you might end up tasting a bit of hardship."

Li Yan listened in stunned silence, filled with awe but oddly not fear.

He couldn't help but be amazed, one thousand and eighty kinds of poisons in just a single quarter-hour, and none repeated within a twelve-hour cycle. Just how many lethal toxins had the Wraith Sect mastered? The sheer depth and might of an ancient sect's legacy left him in awe.

What he didn't care about, however, was that after hearing what Senior Brother had said, he had already decided never to set foot on this peak again. A single misstep here could lead to unbearable suffering, or worse, death.

Besides, he had never had the slightest interest in learning the Dao of Formations. What was the point of coming here?

After circling for a while, the two of them once again took flight and headed toward the opposite side. Another half-hour passed, and a massive, grey-hued mountain came into view.

This peak, at least, was not shrouded in mist. Its landscape was clearly visible. The entire mountain was covered in towering vegetation that resembled countless sharp swords, each roughly four or five zhang tall.

These plants typically clustered in groups of a dozen or more, all pointing skyward, the clusters spaced barely two feet apart. Each sword-like stalk resembled a cactus brimming with dark greyish-black fluid.

The whole mountain resembled a gigantic hedgehog, dense and bristling. Just looking at it made Li Yan's skin crawl.

"Could it be that the sect I've joined not only sounds like an evil cult, but even its cultivation grounds are this bizarre?"

Thinking back to the other peaks he had seen, one teeming with venomous beasts and poisonous insects, another shrouded in toxic mists, it wasn't hard to believe. And now this grey-black monstrosity, like a hedgehog carved of shadow and poison? The sword-like plants clearly weren't anything good.

"This is Boundless Peak. It's primarily used for Gu cultivation on the path to immortality. Those plants up there are the preferred nesting grounds for most Gu insects, so we shouldn't get too close.

"If we accidentally disturb them, those Gu will erupt from the sword-thistle clusters like a black tide.

"Some of them attach to flesh, feeding directly on blood and sinew. For a typical Qi Condensation cultivator, just four or five of these on the skin could reduce them to a skeleton in a few breaths' time.

"Others burrow through the eyes, ears, and nose, devouring the organs from the inside until not even bones remain, only an empty skin fluttering in the wind.

"Of course, some Gu are latent types. They hide in the heart or burrow into the brain, slowly feasting on blood or marrow...

"What I've told you are just the common varieties. Those lunatics have bred countless twisted and sinister strains. I've been in the sect for decades and have gone to the Four Symbols Peak more than ten times as often as I've dared come here. Cough, cough..."

At this, a spasm twitched across Li Wuyi's otherwise refined and handsome face, as if he had remembered something unpleasant.

"As long as you understand, let's move on."

Without waiting for Li Yan's reply, Li Wuyi activated his flying magic tool and sped away. After hearing all that, Li Yan had no desire to linger either.

Just as Li Wuyi flew off, several figures hidden among the sword-thistle vegetation noticed his flight magic tool. At the base of one cluster, a stunning young woman in red, appearing to be around sixteen or seventeen, sat cross-legged. Her eyes followed the departing figure, and she let out a soft murmur.

"Huh? That magic tool just now, wasn't it that brat Li Wuyi's? But who was the other one? Why did they leave so quickly? I was hoping to share some wine and compose a few verses with him."

She pondered a moment, then smiled faintly.

"Forget it. I'll go find him in a few days. That little guy's almost ripened; can't afford any delays!"

Her crimson dress fanned out around her fiery figure, accentuating her voluptuous form and revealing a swath of smooth, snowy skin at the neckline.

Murmuring to herself, she glanced at a nearly invisible silken thread coiled in her palm, then closed her eyes once more and pressed her jade-like hands onto the plant cluster before her.

In the air, Li Wuyi seemed to sense something. His mana surged wildly beneath his feet, and the flying magic tool suddenly accelerated like an arrow released from the bowstring.

This sudden burst of speed drew a curious glance from Li Yan. Since meeting this Senior Brother, he had always found him approachable and unflappable, never startled by anything. Why the sudden loss of composure?

Li Wuyi noticed Li Yan's gaze but feigned ignorance, eyes fixed straight ahead.

"Junior Brother, just ahead is Old Lord Peak, the main administrative center of our sect. The Sect Master resides here as well. Halls like the Duty Hall, the Mission Hall, teachings and competitions are all held here."

With his spiritual power in full throttle, it took them only the time to brew a cup of tea to reach the main peak of the Wraith Sect, Old Lord Peak. Along the way, Li Wuyi had introduced it in detail.

Except for Little Bamboo Peak, each mountain had its own Law Enforcement Hall and its own Scripture Pavilion. Each peak specialized in different attributes and managed their own techniques accordingly.

Disciples from other peaks could borrow scrolls too, but the cost of doing so was significantly higher than borrowing from one's home peak.

Old Lord Peak, however had an extra hall, that was the Duty Hall, which handled both internal and external affairs of the sect. For instance, Li Yan had come here today to collect his initiation items.

Other activities, like the monthly Dao lectures were also held here. On such days, Foundation Establishment cultivators from each peak would come to preach, allowing disciples to gain insight and enlightenment.

Occasionally, even Core Formation cultivators would appear. When that happened, the area would be packed, with cultivators flying through the skies in droves.

There were also the grand competitions: one every five years for all Foundation Establishment cultivators below mid-stage, and another every ten years for mid to late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators. These too were held here.

The Sect Master, a renowned alchemy grandmaster, was also the peak lord of Old Lord Peak. But unlike other sects, the alchemists of the Wraith Sect were a different breed.

Other sects refined pills in the traditional sense, immortal elixirs to aid cultivation, detoxify, heal injuries, prolong life, or cure illness.

The Wraith Sect's Old Lord Peak, while also capable of those, was notorious for something else: crafting deadly poisons, pills, powders, invisible mists, even plague vapors capable of spreading across vast regions.

Standing before the Duty Hall and surveying the surrounding buildings and the steady flow of people, Li Yan finally felt a sliver of comfort.

At last, this looks like what a proper sect should be.

Most of the cultivators here looked normal, and though some still brought venomous beasts with them, their presence had clearly been reined in.

Even the beasts themselves seemed unusually docile, as if suppressed by some mysterious means.

Yet, like the other peaks, this one too pulsed with spiritual energy. Li Yan could feel it, each breath he took made him feel so comfortable, he nearly moaned aloud.

(Chapter End)