The Modern Martial Immortal

The Yin Lunar Sect was one of the Six Great Fiendish Dao Sects. Its territory bordered the Heavenly Dao Sect and the Taiyi Immortal Sect on the outside, and the Heavenly Fiend Sect within, making it the Fiendish Dao power that had the most frequent contact with the Heavenly Dao Sect.

Because of that, the Heavenly Dao Sect’s intelligence on the Yin Lunar Sect was also the most detailed.

Apart from its sect master, Yue Wuying, the Yin Lunar Sect had fifteen Void-Shattering fiendish cultivators.[1]

Of those fifteen, three resided underground and one was in seclusion, leaving only eleven active. Those eleven had included the Eight Desolations and Dark Fiend Lords , who had fallen first, and the Soul Slayer and Foolish Soul Fiend Lords, who had just perished. Only seven remained available.

Counting the sect master, that made eight Void-Shattering cultivators in total.

It was precisely upon learning of the loss of two more Void-Shattering cultivators that the Yin Lunar Sect had hastily convened this full assembly to discuss the situation they now faced.

Naturally, there was little trust between fiendish cultivators. Even though a fiend sovereign who had achieved Dao Integration loomed above them all, maintaining some sort of balance among them, it was rare for one Void-Shattering cultivator to set foot in another’s territory.

Even this meeting was being conducted through something akin to virtual projection. Aside from Yue Wuying, who was presiding over it, none of the other seven grand elders arrived at the sect’s headquarters to attend in person.

”Just now, the Foolish Soul and Soul Slayer Fiend Lords met with misfortune. According to my intelligence, the two of them had received a plea for help. Bu Zhou, a supreme elder of the Heavenly Dao Sect, and Yaoguang, lord of the southern domain, had intruded into our territory one after another, forcing the two of them to move to intercept them.” Yue Wuying was recounting the course of events. ”From this, we can infer that the two supreme elders have most likely perished at the hands of Bu Zhou and Yaoguang.”

”This is outrageous! They trespass into our territory and dare to kill our people. Do they really think every Fiend Lord of the Yin Lunar Sect is made of clay, soft enough to be kneaded and shaped at will? If we cannot answer with a decisive counterattack, what face will we have left to stand on the North Sea Star? With what authority will we be able to hold together one hundred and eight states?” A Void-Shattering fiend lord immediately made his stance known.

”I know By Zhou. He is a Void-Shattering cultivator who manage to climb the ranks purely on age and seniority. Even if Foolish Soul or Soul Slayer, could not match him, they would have had no trouble withdrawing and preserving their lives. But I cannot see through Yaoguang, the lord of the southern domain!” a Void-Shattering fiend lord in a long azure robe deduced cautiously.

”What is there to see through? Haven’t we already uncovered the truth behind the deaths of Eight Desolations and Dark? The Heavenly Dao Sect laid a trap and lured us into it. After losing those two Void-Shattering fiend lords, our sect’s strength was badly damaged, and the Heavenly Dao Sect would naturally seize the chance to put pressure on us. The deaths of Soul Slayer and Foolish Soul are the best proof of that. If we still do not respond with the fiercest possible counterattack, I’m afraid the entire sect will be torn apart and devoured piece by piece,” another fiend lord followed.

”Word outside has it that to claim the sect master’s seat, Yaoguang, the lord of the southern domain, killed Jing Yuntian, who had firmly backed Zong Wenxian, then defeated Zhen Xuanyuan and Gu Li fighting together. His cultivation shakes the heavens... From that, our earlier speculation, that Yaoguang already possessed Void-Shattering Realm combat power back at the Void-Refining Realm, is most likely true. If so, then it stands to reason that the Eight Desolations and Dark Fiend Lords would fall after being caught in a level 13 array presided over by a Void-Shattering cultivator.” The azure-robed fiend lord glanced at Sect Master Yue Wuying as he spoke. ”I suspect that even Soul Slayer and Foolish Soul died at his hands. After all, he has now reached the Void-Shattering Realm, and his achievements already include defeating Zhen Xuanyuan and Gu Li together...”

”Enough, Golden Lion. Such talk is fine to listen to, but surely you don’t actually believe a Void-Shattering cultivator with a mere century of cultivation could possess that kind of strength? If he had really reached a level rivaling a Dao Lord candidate in only a hundred years, then even the Penglai Dao Lord, the greatest genius the North Sea Star has produced in over a hundred thousand years, would not be fit to be mentioned in the same breath,” Yue Wuying said with a wave of his hand.

”Countless people witnessed Yaoguang’s battle against Zhen Xuanyuan, Gu Li, and Jing Yuntian with their own eyes, including our hidden agents—”

The Golden Lion Fiend Lord was about to say more when Yue Wuying cut him off. ”The Heavenly Dao Sect has the Golden Book Venerable watching over it. Time and again we have planted hidden agents there, and nearly all of them have been dug out. To this day, our highest-placed agent has never risen beyond the rank of true disciple, and if the Heavenly Dao Sect’s upper echelon wished to stage a performance, fooling true disciples who have not even reached the Void-Piercing Realm would be all too easy.”

He swept his gaze across the assembly. ”What matters most now is figuring out the Heavenly Dao Sect’s aim...”

At that moment, one fiend lord suddenly spoke up. ”According to my sources, just a short while ago the entire Heavenly Dao Sect mobilized, following a direct order from Zhen Xuanyuan. They have made no outward declaration, but their experts and resources have all been placed under control. They are clearly preparing for a great battle...”

”A great battle? Zhen Xuanyuan, what is he trying to do? Does he really think we fear them?” The fiendish cultivator seated in the chief’s seat sneered.

He was the chief supreme elder of the Yin Lunar Sect. He called himself Blood Nether, though the outside world called him the Blood Fiend, and he was also the direct disciple of the Black Lunar Fiend Sovereign, the greatest backer of the Yin Lunar Sect.

Over the past several thousand years, the Yin Lunar Sect and the Heavenly Dao Sect had clashed on a large scale three times, and each time he had been the one to face Zhen Xuanyuan. All three battles had ended without a victor. But it should not be forgotten that fiendish cultivators specialized in preserving their own lives rather than head-on combat.

If Zhen Xuanyuan could not defeat Blood Nether in open battle, that was effectively a loss for him. If the two sides fought to the bitter end, the one left standing would surely be Blood Nether.

”The Heavenly Dao Sect should not go to war with us at a time like this,” a supreme elder said. ”According to our information, the Heavenly Dao Sect has come into fierce conflict with the Light Divine Race in the starry sky. Zong Wenxian called on four—no, now that Bu Zhou has returned, three supreme elders from the sect to oppose the Light Divine Race, while the Light Divine Race has come out in nearly full force, with eight divine sovereigns on the battlefield. Under such circumstances, how would the Heavenly Dao Sect dare start a war against us?”

”As it happens, I do have a piece of news that cannot yet be confirmed,” said the Void-Shattering cultivator who had spoken first. ”A disturbance broke out in the Eternal Lamp Hall, where the Heavenly Dao Sect keeps its soul lamps. According to my agents, who risked everything to find out... a supreme elder’s soul lamp has gone out.”

”The Heavenly Dao Sect has lost another supreme elder?”

The news brought a gleam to many eyes, delight plain on their faces. ”Who? A supreme elder on the outer battlefield, one deep in the stellar core, or Bu Zhou or Yaoguang, the ones who intruded into our territory?”

”I don’t know. It is still being investigated,” the fiend lord replied.

”There is no need to investigate.” Yue Wuying raised a jade talisman in his hand and said gravely, ”It was Bu Zhou! According to the latest report the Foolish Soul Fiend Lord took Bu Zhou down with him. The two perished together in one of the border states.”

”Bu Zhou?”

”Damn it! His death is one thing, but he had to cost our sect a powerhouse as well!”

”In that case, that Yaoguang is not as strong as Golden Lion claimed. Defeating Zhen Xuanyuan and Gu Li one against two? If he really had that kind of strength, Bu Zhou would never have died in a two-on-two.”

Fiend lord after fiend lord voiced their own judgments and theories.

”No wonder the Heavenly Dao Sect is mobilizing in such force. Bu Zhou, direct disciple of the Central Heaven Dao Lord, is dead. If the Heavenly Dao Sect still sat idle, no one would be able to shoulder that responsibility. But their main force has already been drawn off to the outer battlefield. My guess is that this commotion of theirs is no more than bluster, a show of strength meant to deter the surrounding powers from making any rash moves,” the Blood Nether Fiend Lord said calmly. ”Even if they intend to take revenge, they will wait until Zong Wenxian and the other supreme elders return from the outer battlefield. Otherwise, if they were to go to war with us now, they would be certain to lose.”

The other fiend lords nodded in agreement.

”If that is really so, should we not take advantage of the Heavenly Dao Sect’s weakness to reclaim the thirteen states we lost to the southern domain?” the Golden Lion Fiend Lord asked.

”No.” Yue Wuying waved his hand. ”With Bu Zhou dead, the Heavenly Dao Sect is bound to send word to Perfected Lord Jinghong, who guards the stellar core! Almost certainly, Perfected Lord Jinghong will personally emerge to avenge Bu Zhou! In the coming days, we must be on full alert!”

He continued earnestly, ”The Heavenly Dao Sect right now is like a wounded wolf. It looks weak, but this is exactly when it is most vicious. Unless we have the power to kill it in a single blow, closing in on it now would cost us a big chunk of flesh.”

”But letting such a golden opportunity slip by hardly seems right either,” the Golden Lion Fiend Lord said with a frown.

The Blood Nether Fiend Lord pondered for a moment. ”I will make a trip to the stellar core and ask my senior brother to keep a close watch on Perfected Lord Jinghong. If Perfected Lord Jinghong makes a move, we immediately move from offense to defense. But if that old perfected lord shuts himself in seclusion, trying to grasp his last chance to become a Dao Lord... then to say nothing of anything else, reclaiming the thirteen states the southern domain seized from us, or even taking an additional thirteen, would be no difficult task. After all, the dead Bu Zhou was not the only one who invaded our sect. There is still Yaoguang, the lord of the southern domain!”

At that, he gave a cold laugh. ”Invade my sect, kill two of my sect’s fiend lords, and pay no price? Does the world really take our sect for a pushover?”

”Then we will trouble you, Elder, to take a trip to the stellar core.” Yue Wuying nodded. ”The Heavenly Dao Sect is at its weakest right now. No matter how much it bares its teeth, it cannot hide the fact that it is strong on the outside and weak within. The only one left for us to fear is Jinghong. So long as Jinghong does not emerge, we can run rampant through the Heavenly Dao Sect!”

The Blood Nether Fiend Lord nodded slightly.

Unfortunately, the Gate of the Immortal Realm was rooted in the stellar core, and the flow and dispersal of the laws within it made contact between the stellar core and the outside world extremely difficult. Communication jade talismans and similar tools simply did not work there. He would have to make the trip in person.

”There is no time to lose. I will set out at once.” With that, the Blood Nether Fiend Lord’s figure vanished.

Watching him depart, Yue Wuying likewise admonished the assembled fiend lords to stay on guard in the days ahead, while also gathering manpower in preparation to storm the southern domain, retake the thirteen states, and even expand their territory by thirteen more.

That admonition had gone on for less than a few minutes, however, when one of the fiend lords, the Eerie Night Fiend Lord, suddenly froze. Then she gave a cold laugh. ”That Yaoguang really has a death wish. Bu Zhou just died, and he seems to have lost his mind... He has actually come killing his way into my territory! Continue your discussion, everyone. I will be back shortly.”

With that, her figure vanished from the conference chamber.

1. There can be a connection between Yue Wuying’s name and the Yin Lunar Sect, though it is not clear from the author at this point whether that is the case. Yue Wuying can also translate to Moon/Lunar and Shadowless. ☜