Chapter 287

Chapter 287: Remembering the Great Chaos

Shen Sang Ruo continued, pointing at the insects: “They are Giant Beetles. They can Miniaturize many things. After we get back to Ninghua Sect and set those Spirit Vein ores in place, we can have them restore the ores to their original size.”

Seeing the chatting slow down, Daoist Wu Wei and Immortal Lord Chang Li finally walked over. Fang Yu and the other three tactfully stepped away, leaving only the original seven members of Ninghua Sect.

Daoist Wu Wei asked in a low voice: “Sang girl, when you fought that Great Devil, did you discover anything?”

When Shen Sang Ruo told the other sects about the Heretic Cultivators’ plot, Ninghua Sect had barely taken part in the open debate. They had waited for this moment for a careful, private talk. Ninghua Sect’s situation was special, and they knew more.

Shen Sang Ruo could not reveal Ninghua Sect’s true origins. The Heretic Cultivators had not quieted down yet, and exposing that secret would only harm Ninghua Sect.

Immortal Lord Chang Li spoke evenly: “We can basically confirm that the Great Devil in Starfield Plain was the leader of the Devil Cultivators during the Great Chaos, Ya Lan. He was a troublesome opponent. How did you defeat him?”

Back then, there were not many Devil Cultivators in the Radical Faction, but Ya Lan was skilled in Soul Methods. He bewitched many in the Conservative Faction and swayed nearly two thirds of the Devil Cultivators into joining the chaos. In a fight with him, if you were the least bit careless, you would be confused by him. Countless cultivators died at his hands.

Shen Sang Ruo told them the short version: “When I shot the modified Phoenix Feather Arrow at Ya Lan, he pulled my soul into another space. With the help of a mass of Divine Soul Power, I devoured him.”

She lifted her hand. The Luan Feather Fan floated up and reshaped into a bow, then settled back into her palm. Cool green feathers meant wind, and the red Phoenix Feather Arrow meant fire. The two powers sat in perfect harmony.

Immortal Lord Chang Li’s eyes flashed. Shen Sang Ruo drew and loosed the Phoenix Feather Arrow from the Feather Bow. It roared out with a wave of heat, hit the target, and then flew back into her hand on its own.

She said earnestly: “I only managed it thanks to Master’s Heart-Guard Feather. Without it, I might not have found a way.”

Daoist Wu Wei sighed with real feeling: “It was because you are strong enough. You refit the Luan Feather Fan in such a short time.”

Ye Huai and the others could only envy her. [If only we were Avian Clan. We would give our own Heart-Guard Feathers to Junior Sister. One arrow is not enough. See, she even has to reuse it.]

Immortal Lord Chang Li looked to her again: “After you devoured Ya Lan’s soul, did anything feel off?”

She answered plainly: “There seems to be a wisp of Devil Qi beside my Nascent Soul, but the flames shaped from my Spiritual Power are suppressing it. It is not a big problem. Do not worry.”

They all nodded. “Good.”

Shen Sang Ruo then asked what had been on her mind: “Ya Lan was sealed inside Starfield Plain. The Barrier Ward around him and that Formation by the Spirit Veins were laid by the one who sealed him. Master, what happened ten thousand years ago? Who did the sealing?”

Immortal Lord Chang Li’s voice turned distant: “The Heretic Cultivators allied with the Devil Cultivators. The Heretic Cultivators attacked Ninghua Sect, and the Devil Cultivators attacked another sect called Taichu Sect.”

Daoist Wu Wei took over the tale: “Taichu Sect and our sect were the two most powerful sects in the Cultivation World at that time. If they broke our two sects, they could pocket the whole Cultivation World.”

He paused and added: “I just remembered. The old site of Taichu Sect is not far from here. Maybe they fought Ya Lan to this place and then used the last of their power to seal him.”

The “old friend” Daoist Wu Wei had mentioned earlier was an old fellow from Taichu Sect. At the end of the chaos, Ninghua Sect could barely take care of itself and had no chance to check on Taichu Sect. Now it seemed likely Taichu Sect paid with their entire sect to wound and seal Ya Lan. Taichu Sect did not have Ninghua Sect’s good luck.

From the few words Ya Lan let slip, Shen Sang Ruo had guessed the same ending: Taichu Sect was probably wiped out.

The air grew heavy. Everyone felt it in their chests. Because of this, they needed to break the Heretic Cultivators’ scheme as fast as possible. Only then would they not fail the blood of the people of Taichu Sect.

Shen Sang Ruo laid out what else she had learned: “Ya Lan said the Heretic Cultivators were the ones who asked to ally with the Devil Cultivators back then. They might have begged for the alliance.”

She continued, reasoning it through: “That means whatever they were planning would also benefit the Devil Cultivators. Their interests did not clash. And if they really started planning that long ago, then maybe their attack on the Cultivation World, and their failure and disappearance later, were part of their plan too.”

Ye Huai summed it up: “Junior Sister means they hid on purpose? To make us lower our guard, so their plan would be easier to cover up.”

Shen Sang Ruo’s voice went firm: “From what we know, that is very likely, and their plan worked. We only noticed signs of it now, ten thousand years later.”

“They hid somewhere in the Cultivation World to rest and recover. When the time was right, they would attack the Cultivation World with full force and take it in one go.”

“I also think they did more than just hide. If they only wanted to hide, they would not have pretended to try to take the Cultivation World back then. They must have used that chance to do something else.”

She looked from Master to Sect Master to her Senior Brothers and Senior Sister and asked carefully: “Back then, did the Heretic Cultivators or the Devil Cultivators do anything unusual?”

Immortal Lord Chang Li and the others thought hard. Afraid to miss any detail, they retold everything from start to finish. But overall, there was nothing strange. The two main forces attacked Ninghua Sect and Taichu Sect, and the scattered groups raided other places in the Cultivation World. The plan was tight. Their actions were organized and fast. Nothing looked off. No one suspected it was a feint.

With no clue there, Shen Sang Ruo turned to another question: “Back then, did almost the whole Cultivation World suffer from the Heretic Cultivators’ crimes?”

Immortal Lord Chang Li nodded: “Yes. The battles at Ninghua Sect and Taichu Sect were simply the fiercest.”

“Then why is there no record of any of it in the Cultivation World now?” Shen Sang Ruo pressed. “Even top sects like Flying Cloud Sect and Heavenly Sword Sect know nothing.”

She had first thought the chaos only covered Ninghua Sect. In that case, it would make sense that no one else knew. But if the whole Cultivation World had been dragged into it, then even after ten thousand years, something should have been recorded.

Su Xi Yu guessed in a low voice: “Did the Heretic Cultivators tamper with everyone’s memories back then?”

To stop anyone from finding clues, erase all memory, and make it foolproof.

Shen Sang Ruo’s eyes sharpened: “That should be it.”

Song Wei Yan fumed: “Those Heretic Cultivators are disgusting. Cunning, nasty, and they never go away.”

Immortal Lord Chang Li ended it with a clear plan: “The good thing is we have noticed something wrong. For now, let us act according to the leads we have. If we can find where the Heretic Cultivators are hiding, their plot will be more than half broken.”