Demon Sword Sect’s Undercover
Chapter 85 - 85 84 A New Journey

85: Chapter 84: A New Journey 85: Chapter 84: A New Journey Just as Hou Niao had anticipated, less than three days after he reported his successful Breakthrough, he received a dispatch from the Marshal’s Office, ordering him to set off for Yinling immediately to reinforce the Cultivation Power there.

Yinling is a very special place, not describable as a town because there are not many humans residing there; they mostly live scattered in villages.

Yet, in terms of area, it is even larger than most towns and thus can be considered a county, one of the thirty-nine territories under the jurisdiction of Da Feng Plain.

Da Feng Plain has three places that are considered the least desirable from any aspect, namely Bimu Hill, Black Swamp, and Yinling.

Each is overrun by demons and monsters, with human forces weak.

Owing to the limited value of these territories and their sparse population, the Jin City branch of the Quanzhen Sect has not taken the effort to purge these areas of their nefarious inhabitants, or rather, it has done so several times without enduring success, as the saying goes: wildfires cannot be extinguished, and once the spring breeze blows, they flare up again…

In Yinling, as its name implies, the most abundant are the Soul Ghosts, followed by some monsters wandering the fields, and lastly, it is a stronghold for bands of human thieves; naturally, these bandits usually don’t rob the local residents, not because they are kind-hearted, but simply because the locals are too impoverished; they tend to rob the surrounding areas and then use Yinling as their stronghold.

Serving in this place, the danger of the environment is secondary; the biggest problem is poverty!

A Cultivator slaughtering demons can actually be lucrative, as every part of their body is exchangeable for money; risking one’s life could lead to some income, which motivates action.

But with ghosts, what is there to gain?

There’s nothing palpable from the dead, purely giving without receiving, who would be willing to struggle here?

One cannot even maintain the most basic of resources.

Of course, the Quanzhen Sect won’t forever confine a Cultivator to this place – that would be tantamount to declaring the end of that Cultivator’s Daoist Path.

Generally, those who come here, aside from being punished for some misdeeds, are here on rotational duty, for a term of three years.

Anyone who gets rotated to this place is without exception a troublemaker or an ignorant greenhorn, much like Hou Niao.

The dispatch stated that he should set out immediately, meaning they didn’t want him dallying around in Jin City.

He was already prepared; in order not to give certain people anything to criticize, he accepted the order and left, and he did so with style.

In fact, Jiang Nanying and Yu Xinglie had just departed yesterday, while Ma Rujun and Zong Qian hadn’t even received their transfer orders.

When the two of them arrived at Hou Niao’s courtyard, they found the gate firmly shut, the lock hanging on the door, with no sign of anyone present.

Ma Rujun sighed, “Brother Hou has quite the temper!”

Zong Qian, however, was filled with admiration, “Living by his own principles, not bowing to the powerful, admirable!”

Another figure appeared, and upon seeing him, the two were overjoyed beyond expectation.

It was Wang Mian, who had just emerged from his closed-door Cultivation, the last among the six to achieve Breakthrough.

However, there was no trace of shame on his face; instead, he was brimming with energy and fighting spirit.

“What’s happened?

Where are the other brothers?” he asked.

After Ma Rujun briefly filled him in, Wang Mian burst into loud laughter, “Brother Hou has found where he belongs!

Yinling?

Not a bad place, indeed a fine place to ‘hone one’s sword against ghosts!’ I shall apply to go to Yinling and keep Brother Hou company.

What say you two?”

Ma Rujun looked sheepish; he already had his assignment lined up, having invested much effort and didn’t wish to join these crazed fellows.

Zong Qian, however, remained unfazed,

“The quota for Yinling is full, you can’t go there!” he said.

Wang Mian glared at him, “Brother Zong, it seems you have your post decided, where are you planning to luxuriate then?”

Zong Qian smiled slightly, “It’s settled.

It took a lot of effort, but it’s Black Swamp!”

Upon hearing this, Wang Mian left abruptly, “So you leave Bimu Hill for me?”

Ma Rujun watched the two frolic and curse, carefree and unrestrained, and for the first time felt the gap between them and himself.

It wasn’t in their tangible strength, but in that proud and ambitious spirit; if such people could persist and survive, their future achievements would certainly surpass his own.

But could he do what his friends could?

After all, people are different.

Six individuals, based on their current choices, seemed to be split into two distinct directions.

If one were to delve deeper…

…Hou Niao rode alone, with a single horse and sword, departing from Jin City to the west, leaving without a second glance at the city’s splendor behind him; did he hope that when he returned, he would no longer be a pawn, but the player of the game?

Well, at least to become a somewhat more significant pawn.

The first town west of Jin City was Qixia Town, followed by Dingyuan City, then Miao Gao Town, past the Ancient Stone Wall, where Yinling lay; on the other side of Yinling was Wei Country’s Cangwu State, belonging to another Daoist Sect branch.

As a Quanzhen cultivator, he had no trouble passing through checkpoints, no one would cause him difficulties, so his journey was exceptionally smooth.

Throughout his travels, he observed and heard that life on Tianfeng Plain was still quite good.

The Quanzhen Sect, though strict, left the civil society ample space to develop, as the cultivators’ demands did not overlap with mortals’.

In both Shan Country and Anhe, it was rare to see cultivators exploiting the common people—a characteristic of this world.

After ten days, he entered Miao Gao Town, clearly remembering that the Dugu Family seemed to have established their base here.

But he wasn’t interested in seeking them out; in his eyes, they were not his kind of people.

Miao Gao truly lived up to its name, with enchanting landscapes and outstanding talents; the mere name of the place highlighted the significance of this large town in Tianfeng Plain.

Whether it was human geography, historical legends, or its economy and trade, it was at the forefront among the thirty-nine towns of Tianfeng Plain.

It was hard to imagine such a prosperous land lying so close to the ominous Yinling.

The key lied in the Ancient Stone Wall!

Historically, in the region of Yinling, there had been several major human conflicts, back before the revival of the Heaven and Earth Spirit Mechanism.

Without cultivation power, wars between human armies were particularly bloody, with casualties reaching hundreds of thousands being nothing out of the ordinary.

Of course, after the revival of the Heaven and Earth Spirit Mechanism, such wars ceased to occur, as bellicose emperors could no longer overlook the barrier of cultivators.

But the revival of the spirit mechanism was all-encompassing.

Humans benefited, and so did other species; such as fish and turtles in the water, wild beasts in the mountains, creatures in the swamps, and of course, the resentful spirits from ancient battlefields that had lingered for thousands of years.

Once nourished by the spiritual energy, they transformed into Soul Ghosts.

The source of Yinling’s Soul Ghosts was inexhaustible—endlessly spawning, impossible to eradicate—plunging the entire region into a haze of gloom, evoking the wrath of both the heavens and the people.

In establishing their dominion, the Quanzhen Sect carried out several major acts for the common people, one of which was a grand undertaking beneficial to humankind: they encircled all of Yinling with a stone barrier, fortified it with formations that continuously flowed to prevent those Soul Ghosts from wreaking havoc.

The geography of Yinling included a side tightly bordering a desert, where the intense heat prevented passage; another side was obstructed by Yin Mountain, impassable, and one side belonged to the territory of Wei Country.

Only Miao Gao Town here had raised the Ancient Stone Wall and formation, which over a thousand years had led to the town’s prosperity but made the interior of Yinling even more desolate.

Hou Niao now stood upon the Ancient Stone Wall, gazing into the distance with deep reflection.

…The ancient path of Yinling bathed in the setting sun, a crippled traveler mourns over a fallen nation.

Blood scattered by the western wind as apes cry to the moon, a spirit so vehement that Emperor Bai’s sword frosts over.

The loyal souls follow the passing of a dark steed, and the remains of the brave lie amidst the fragrance of lush grass.

Travelers, unaware of the sorrowful dance, mistake the vibrant spring for festooned jealousy’s adornment.