Chapter 2211: Returning to the True Spirit Realm

Kill! (杀)

The huge kill(杀) character was written on the beast skin scroll. On the entire beast skin scroll was a single character. However, this character gave people the feeling of facing a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood. 

Although it was only a character and not a cultivation method, Zhao Hai knew that it wasn’t as simple as that.

Wei Tiande must have seen that Zhao Hai had good perception. So he specially wrote this character for him. It can be said that Wei Tiande wrote this character with his essence and qi. He placed his understanding of the dao into the character. If Zhao Hai could comprehend the character, he would be able to learn Wei Tiande’s techniques much easier. He would get twice the result with half the effort.

However, Zhao Hai also knew that he couldn’t comprehend this character at this time. Therefore, he stored the beast skin scroll and then shifted his attention to the jade slip.

In the jade slip was information about one sect in the Demonic Faction. This sect was called the Forbidden Path Sect. The sect might have a strange name, but its strength wasn’t a joke. The sect’s name pertains to wanting to achieve Buddhahood but wasn’t allowed.

They wanted to become a Buddha, but their path was blocked, so they could only become Demons. This name was given because the Forbidden Path Sect’s first Sect Master, which was its founder, was actually a Buddhist priest.

Monk Wuhua was the founder of the Forbidden Path Sect. He wasn’t a member of the Demonic Faction at the beginning. He was born in the Heavenly Horse Temple in the Righteous Faction. The Heavenly Horse Temple was one of the top Buddhist Sects in the Righteous Faction. Monk Wuhua was a disciple of the sect.

But for an unknown reason, Monk Wuhua left the Heavenly Horse Temple and turned evil. He practiced a cultivation method called the Demon Buddha Lotus Body. This method was quite formidable, but it was particular with the process. Unlike the orderly methods of the Buddhists, Monk Wuhua’s method broke Buddhist rules. This drove him into the Demonic Path. By practicing the Demon Buddha Lotus Body, Monk Wuhua’s body became overbearing.

Moreover, looking at the cultivation method’s name, it was a body cultivation method. After further tempering of the body, the cultivator would become a Demon. And they would become one of the most powerful Demonic Cultivators.

Zhao Hai had some impressions of the Forbidden Path Sect. He has seen some of the sect’s information in the Tyrant Blade Sect’s records. Cultivators of the Forbidden Path Sect were one of the opponents that the Tyrant Blade Sect’s disciples were the least willing to meet. This was because disciples of the Forbidden Path Sect were very strong. Most importantly, their bodies are formidable.

Because disciples of the Forbidden Path Sect practice the lotus body, their bodies aren’t only strong, their recovery power is also formidable. Against a cultivator against the Forbidden Path Sect, if a cultivator were to trade blows, they would be the one killed in the end. This was because disciples of the Forbidden Path Sect have more than three times the recovery power compared to normal cultivators. As their cultivation becomes stronger and stronger, their recovery power also increases. They might even reach the point where they could recover missing limbs.

And because the cultivation method of the lotus body was formidable, their resiliency was also astonishing. Therefore, in the True Spirit Realm, the Forbidden Path Sect is also called the Undying Sect.

In Zhao Hai’s opinion, the Forbidden Path Sect couldn’t be truly regarded as a Demonic Sect. Instead, they should be a mix between a Buddhist and Demonic Sect. After all, their cultivation method was based on Buddhist practice. Then they broke away from the Buddhist Path and turned Demonic. It’s precisely because of this that their cultivation method was so strong.

Zhao Hai hadn’t fought against someone from the Forbidden Path Sect. Although he spent some time in the Demonic Faction’s territory, he didn’t have contact with the Forbidden Path Sect. Therefore, it came as a surprise that the Battle Corpse Sect would send him to the Forbidden Path Sect to gain information.

Thinking of this, Zhao Hai couldn’t help but smile bitterly. He didn’t expect that he would sneak back into the True Spirit Realm after sneaking into the underground world. 

Zhao Hai stayed inside his room for the rest of the day. Next morning, Zhao Hai arrived outside Wei Tiande’s room. Just as he was about to announce his arrival, Wei Tiande’s voice came, “Come in.” Zhao Hai complied and entered Wei Tiande’s mansion.

Upon entering Wei Tiande’s room, Zhao Hai stared. This was because besides Wei Tiande, there were two other people inside. Both were dressed in gray cultivator robes. Their faces looked fatigued, just like any other rogue cultivator in the True Spirit Realm.

Although he was stunned, Zhao Hai immediately gave Wei Tiande a greeting, “Master.”

Wei Tiande gave a nod. Then he gestured towards the two people and said, “These two will go with you to the True Spirit Realm. You’ll be a group of three. You have to take care of each other. You will head this mission, and they will listen to you. Remember, we need to understand what is happening in the True Spirit Realm. The more accurate, the better. However, you must make sure that you don’t expose yourself and have your safety as the highest priority. Understood?”

Zhao Hai and the other two nodded. Then Wei Tiande looked at Zhao Hai and said, “This is Ma Long, and this is Liu Cai. This is my disciple Zhao Ling. After arriving in the True Spirit Realm, if there’s anything, you have to discuss it with yourselves and solve it. However, Zhao Ling will make the final decision. If anyone dares to disobey him, I’ll personally wring their neck.”

The other two cultivators nodded. They were very aware of Wei Tiande’s temperament. Wei Tiande was a man of his word. If they really disobeyed Zhao Hai, Wei Tiande would certainly kill them.  

Wei Tiande looked at the three and then said, “You aren’t the only ones being sent to the True Spirit Realm. However, you have to remember that if you meet someone you know in the True Spirit Realm, only give them a casual greeting. You will enter the True Spirit Realm with different goals. So, you shouldn’t know each other. At most, greet them like any other cultivator. Understand?”

The three nodded. Wei Tiande stood up and said, “Come with me.” Then he walked out. While they were leaving, he handed the three a jade slip each and said, “Remember the contents of the jade slip as soon as possible. Do not forget.” The three received the jade slip and looked inside. The three couldn’t help but stare. Inside the jade slip wasn’t anything special. Instead, it was information about their new identities.

Their names remained the same, but their status has completely changed. They were supposed to be members of a cultivator clan. They came out together to seek jobs.

Seeing such detailed arrangements, Zhao Hai couldn’t help but sigh. He was now aware of how careful the ghost cultivators were when infiltrating the True Spirit Realm. It was definitely not easy for them to arrange such identities in a short period of time. Zhao Hai even suspected that these people really did exist. There might really be such a cultivator clan in the True Spirit Realm. And this cultivator clan might be a nest for ghost cultivators.

Zhao Hai didn’t say anything and just silently noted down the contents of the jade slip. Then Wei Tiande waved his hand and said, “Remember the contents, then destroy the jade slips.” Zhao Hai nodded. And with a small force, he crushed the jade slip. Zhao Hai rubbed his hand as the jade slip turned into powder.

Ma Long and Liu Cai also crushed their jade slips. Then the three followed behind Wei Tiande. Before long, the group arrived in front of a door. There were two people standing in front of this door. Seeing Wei Tiande and the others, the two guards immediately went into attention. Wei Tiande took out a command token and handed it over. After the two cultivators looked at the command token, they allowed the four to enter the room.

As soon as the four entered the room, Zhao Hai and the others were stunned. Inside the room was a transmission formation. Wei Tiande looked at the three, and then said, “This transmission formation leads to the True Spirit Realm. Its exit is an ordinary village, it’s one of our gathering points in the True Spirit Realm. The people in the village are all sent by the sect. They have lived in the village for several generations, so nobody suspected it. Don’t interact with the people in the village and just leave. It doesn’t matter where you rest, but don’t rest in the village. Once your mission is completed, return to the village and come back through the transmission formation. Understood?”

The three nodded. Wei Tiande waved his hand, and the three went up to the transmission formation. Looking at the three, Wei Tiande said, “Remember what I’ve said. Do not expose your status and protect your life.” Everyone nodded. Then Wei Tiande activated the transmission formation. After a flash of white light, the three vanished.

Meanwhile, in a common village in the Forbidden Path Sect’s territory, a flash of white light appeared before three people appeared in the room. The room was made out of stone and there was only a staircase leading to a building. Seeing this, Zhao Hai understood. They should be in a room underground.

Meanwhile, Ma Long and Liu Cai were sizing up the surroundings, Zhao Hai said, “There’s no need to look around. There’s nothing else to see. Let’s go.” Ma Long and Liu Cai complied. Then they followed Zhao Hai upstairs.

The staircase didn’t go straight to the top. There were several twists and turns until they reached a stone door. The stone door couldn’t be seen from outside. Only when one was walking up would they see it. Most importantly, the stone door opens automatically. As soon as Zhao Hai and the others walked over, the door opened. And once they go to the other side, the door closes by itself. Even if they wanted to open it, it would be impossible.

The group walked for several minutes before coming upon a small stone room. The room looked like an ancestral hall, containing several tablets. An old man was currently cleaning the hall. The three came out from behind a statue. The old man kept cleaning as though he didn’t see them. He didn’t even spare them a glance.

Ma Long and Liu Cai were about to say something, but Zhao Hai raised his hand and said, “Continue walking.” Then the group walked out of the ancestral hall and avoided as many people as possible. At the same time, everyone they met acted like they didn’t see them. It was as if the three were phantoms just walking through the village.

Upon leaving the village, Zhao Hai gave it one last look. The village had more than 200 families. Its location was quite remote. Not many people would come to this place.

Ma Long and Liu Cai also looked at the village, as though wanting to imprint it in their minds. Zhao Hai knew what they were thinking. They were afraid that they would forget the village. If they did, then they would have no way to get home. They would have to stay in the True Spirit Realm forever.

For ghost cultivators, being stuck in the True Spirit Realm wasn’t a good thing. In the underground world, they have their own sects. But in the True Spirit Realm, they were only rogue cultivators. Compared to being a disciple of a sect, rogue cultivators have less resources and cultivation methods. This wouldn’t be good for a cultivator’s progress.

Most importantly, if they stayed in the True Spirit Realm, there was a possibility that their identity would be discovered. Once such a thing happens, they could only wait to be killed. Therefore, they needed to remember the village. Even if they forgot their names, they should not forget the village.

Looking at the village once more, Zhao Hai turned his head and said, “Let’s go.” After that, they walked up the mountain beside the village. Although Ma Long and Liu Cai didn’t understand why they were climbing a mountain, they followed behind Zhao Hai. They knew that Zhao Hai’s status in the Battle Corpse Sect was higher than theirs. Moreover, Wei Tiande said that they needed to listen to Zhao Hai no matter what.

Zhao Hai was aware of what the other two were thinking. As they walked up the mountain, he said, “This village is a gathering point of the sect. Master said that we must leave as soon as we arrive. It has something to do with the location of the village. It’s built in the mountains and its location is very remote. There are no cultivators in the village, but it has still developed to have 200 families. This shows that there are no dangers around the village. In other words, there are no precious materials around, which means that it’s not attractive to cultivators.”

“If we use the road to leave and be seen by other cultivators, they might doubt our identity. Therefore, we can’t use the main road to the village. We need to head up the mountain and find an official road on the other side. Only in this way can we protect the small village.”

Upon hearing Zhao Hai, Ma Long and Liu Cai immediately understood why they were climbing the mountain. At the same time, they became more confident in Zhao Hai. They didn’t even think about using the mountain to hide where they arrived from. This only meant that Zhao Hai was more capable than them.