Eternal Life Starts from Tai Chi

Chapter 359: Merak Sacred Land

Taiyin Heaven was extremely dangerous. Though the first group to enter brought out many Spirit Medicines, they suffered heavy casualties within the Secret Realm.

Whether it was the Mist Beasts, the River-Crossing Deceit Fish, or the Grassland Earthworms, the trials were incredibly difficult. Each trial passed came with a reward, but of the more than one thousand people who entered, only a few hundred made it out. Most of those survivors were masters at the Inner Refining Grandmaster Level.

Most of those at the External Refining Iron Bone Realm perished within.

The Cyan Yuan Sect’s situation was no different. Only Gu An, two Inner Refining Elders, two Direct Disciples at the External Iron Bone Refining level, and one Steward also at the External Iron Bone Refining level made it out. The rest never emerged.

After every trial, participants were given the choice to leave, so not many people ventured deeper.

The Cyan Yuan Sect Leader, Liu Xuan, also learned of the situation inside Taiyin Heaven from Gu An and the others. Based on their progress, they were still a long way from Taiyin Heaven’s true treasure hoard.

Those who entered and chose to leave would have no opportunity to enter again, as Taiyin Heaven would reject anyone who had given up.

"To venture deeper, one must have sufficient Cultivation and a measure of good luck. Otherwise, you’ll be forced to give up along the way."

Liu Xuan gazed at the hazy curtain of light, deeply regretting his premature breakthrough. ’Otherwise,’ he thought, ’Taiyin Heaven would have been my greatest opportunity.’

’My Cultivation was at the Peak of Internal Refining of the Five Viscera. I should have been able to venture much deeper.’

Divine Constable Jin Feihua of the Six Gates, the Saint Son and Saintess of the Taiyin Evil Cult, the Saintess of the Supreme Sect, the Saintess of the Celestial Fragrance Sect—none of them had come out yet.

According to the information from Gu An and the others, these individuals had undoubtedly pressed on.

"Disciples at the External Iron Bone Refining level have no real reason to enter. The Mist at the very beginning is fraught with danger. If you encounter an Exotic Beast, it’s nearly impossible to survive."

Gu An sighed with emotion. Though he had brought many Spirit Medicines out of the Secret Realm—including several Superior Spirit Medicines and even one Top Level Spirit Medicine—he was keenly aware of the dangers lurking within Taiyin Heaven.

And those were just the trials in the outer regions. It was hard to imagine what sort of crises one might face by venturing further in.

"Two of our three Supreme Elders are in seclusion. The remaining one, Elder Li, will come and make an attempt. But this Little World is no longer a prize the Cyan Yuan Sect can contend for."

"The major Holy Lands and the Imperial Dynasty have already dispatched their people, all of them masters at the Inner Refining of the Five Viscera level. Even if one of our Supreme Elders comes, the best they can hope for is to see if they can stumble upon some minor opportunity."

As Liu Xuan spoke, he felt a deep sense of dissatisfaction. It wasn’t that the Sect had gained nothing from Taiyin Heaven, but their haul fell far short of his expectations.

However, the appearance of Taiyin Heaven had brought the Cyan Yuan Sect other, unexpected windfalls.

The Merak Sacred Land, for instance.

"Our Founder originally came from the Merak Sacred Land. He traveled to the Great Zhou Imperial Dynasty and established the Cyan Yuan Sect, but he always dreamed of the Sect one day returning to the Holy Land."

"This time, the Saintess of the Merak Sacred Land came to the Cyan Yuan Sect and proposed that we could return to their fold, establishing our own peak within the Merak Sacred Land’s Grotto Heaven."

Liu Xuan continued, relaying the latest news.

Quite a few people within the Cyan Yuan Sect knew their Founder hailed from a Holy Land, as it was recorded in the Sect’s annals.

But for the Saintess of the Merak Sacred Land to seek them out personally was still a surprise.

Still, it was easy enough to guess the reason.

"And you agreed, Sect Leader?"

Gu An asked, looking at Liu Xuan.

"I didn’t refuse."

"Taiyin Heaven appeared within the sphere of influence of three major Holy Sects—the Supreme Sect, the Celestial Fragrance Sect, and the Taiyin Holy Sect. All of them also have ties to the Great Zhou Imperial Dynasty, which is why they are permitted to seek opportunities here."

"The Merak Sacred Land, however, is quite distant. According to the agreements between the various Holy Lands, they are forbidden from entering Taiyin Heaven. Their solution is to have the Cyan Yuan Sect rejoin them, thereby giving them a legitimate reason to enter."

Liu Xuan explained the specifics of the situation.

The Merak Sacred Land hadn’t sought them out simply because he had been promoted to Bone Marrow Cleansing Grandmaster. The Cyan Yuan Sect had a Grandmaster of that level in the past, and the Holy Land had made no move then.

Their coming now was clearly for the opportunities within Taiyin Heaven; their motive was transparent.

In a way, this was also an opportunity for the Cyan Yuan Sect, since Taiyin Heaven had appeared within their sphere of influence.

The opportunities they could gain by competing directly were limited, but rejoining the Merak Sacred Land offered a much higher ceiling for growth.

The Merak Sacred Land had Martial Saint masters, legacies that surpassed even the National Guardian Martial Saint level, and a Grotto Heaven for Cultivation. The Spiritual Qi there was abundant, allowing them to cultivate all sorts of Spirit Medicines. In short, they had no lack of Cultivation Resources.

For example, the Bone Marrow Cleansing Spirit Fruits they had spent a fortune to collect, and the Bone Marrow Cleansing Pills refined from them, were plentiful in the Merak Sacred Land. They cultivated the fruits themselves.

Grown in a land rich with Spiritual Qi, the fruits could be harvested every few years and refined into elixirs for breaking through to new Realms.

Their Grandmaster Cultivation path was also perfectly complete, allowing for up to a Third Bone Marrow Cleansing and Tempering. Reaching the absolute peak of the human body held immense appeal for Liu Xuan.

Although he had cultivated to the Bone Marrow Cleansing Grandmaster Realm, the Cultivation Technique he possessed was incomplete. In fact, it wasn’t just the Cyan Yuan Sect; virtually none of the major Sects within the Great Zhou Imperial Dynasty possessed a method to break through to the level of National Guardian Martial Saint.

This was precisely why the Bone Marrow Cleansing Grandmaster from Night Listening Sea Tower had insisted on venturing into the Thousand Feather Secret Realm—he hoped to find an opportunity there to break through to National Guardian Martial Saint.

Even a simple legacy Cultivation Technique was an incredibly rare treasure for the major Sects, making any risk worthwhile.

After breaking through to the Bone Marrow Cleansing Grandmaster Realm, Liu Xuan had been filled with ambition, eager to enter Taiyin Heaven and seize his own opportunities. If his Cultivation level hadn’t barred him, he would have stepped inside long ago.

Now, the appearance of the Merak Sacred Land presented him with a new path.

The opportunities within Taiyin Heaven were illusory for him anyway. Once the Imperial Family and the major Holy Lands made their moves, a sect like Cyan Yuan would be utterly insignificant.

These powers had National Guardian Martial Saints in their ranks and numerous Bone Marrow Cleansing Grandmasters. Before such might, the Cyan Yuan Sect was nothing.

If they were specifically targeted, the Cyan Yuan Sect wouldn’t last long at all.

Furthermore, the experiences of Gu An and the others proved that the opportunities one could obtain just by entering Taiyin Heaven were bound to be limited.

They couldn’t even pass the initial trials, let alone what lay beyond.

Especially with the Imperial Family and the major Holy Lands sending their elites into Taiyin Heaven, trying to snatch an opportunity to break through to Martial Saint from a crowd of such powers would be next to impossible.

Even if he did obtain it, the Cyan Yuan Sect would be unable to protect it.

The moment the Holy Lands and the Imperial Family made their move, the outcome was already set in stone.

It was just like the Thousand Feather Secret Realm in Silver State. The major Sects had joined forces, allowing only a small number of Loose Cultivators to gain a few scraps while the vast majority of Cultivation Resources and legacies fell into their own hands.

The current situation was much the same, only this time, the major Sects had been replaced by the major Holy Lands.

The lion’s share of the rewards would inevitably fall into the hands of those Holy Lands.