Chapter 113: The Miasma Forest

Wu Wanren observed the shifting expressions on Liu Junhuai’s face and spoke: "Junhuai, Uncle Wu understands that you feel a trace of guilt, but the vengeance for a mother’s murder is greater than heaven and earth. Furthermore, I am well aware of how the Shen family treated your family since you were young. You must never harbor such guilt again; it could have a severe impact on your future state of mind!"

Liu Junhuai smiled slightly. "It’s fine, Uncle Wu. I only feel that Shen Jin and Shen Bingwen were unworthy of the Shen family. I was kicked out of the family, while those two were always deeply favored. Alas, it is only fitting that the Shen family should face such a tribulation."

Xiao Qingtian continued, "The head of the Shen family has vanished, and that map has naturally disappeared with him. I imagine that after such a heavy blow, the Blood-Killing Alliance will be too preoccupied to concern themselves with that mysterious mineral deposit for the time being. The spies from various sects identified by the captives have not yet been signaled, so the Sect Alliance plans to secretly dispatch disciples to make contact. Only after all the spies are rounded up will the Alliance hold a swearing-in ceremony to formally announce its various duties."

"The struggle against the Blood-Killing Alliance is a long and arduous road. Based on current intelligence, the Blood-Killing Alliance appears to be a super-organization spanning the entire Star-Sky Continent. The establishment of the Western Region Sect Alliance serves as a bridgehead for the cultivation world to formally declare war on them. Soon, all regions will come to discuss cooperation; you could say we are at the very forefront of the cultivation world."

"By the same token, the establishment of the Western Region Sect Alliance will make us a thorn in the side of the Blood-Killing Alliance across all regions. They will certainly not be willing to lose the lower-tier cultivation realm of the Western Region, and their fresh blood will continue to pour in. Only when the Sect Alliance is fully deployed across the entire cultivation world can the foundations of the Blood-Killing Alliance be truly shaken, and only then will the pressure on our Western Region be relieved."

Liu Junhuai nodded in deep agreement. "The Western Region cultivation world will have a period of stable transition for now. As long as the spies within the sects are purged, the foundation of the Blood-Killing Alliance here will be completely destroyed. The interrogation of the captives should focus on tracing the origins of their wealth; severing the source of funding for the Blood-Killing Alliance’s operations is the only logical path."

As the three were talking, Wu Wanren’s master, Jiao Yihan, arrived to report something. Upon seeing Liu Junhuai, he was full of joy.

Xiao Qingtian signaled that Jiao Yihan need not avoid Liu Junhuai. Jiao Yihan then stated, "Report to the Sect Master: just moments ago, a disciple interrogating Ye Qili obtained a very strange piece of information. This Ye Qili stated that the Third Elder of the Sea God Temple, Zhi Kuqian, had once ordered him at Dragon Sacrifice Pool to deliver a letter to the Chu family in the Northern Region. After the recipient in the Chu family opened the letter, they departed on a flying sword."

"Upon learning this, I went to verify it with Zhi Kuqian, but he was evasive and refused to give a direct answer. It was only after Senior Sister Jun Moruo intervened that he finally spoke the truth." Having said this, Jiao Yihan sat down to take a sip of tea.

"That Jun Moruo is the female cultivator who specializes in the art of Gu," Wu Wanren explained in a low voice to Liu Junhuai.

Jiao Yihan calmed himself and continued: "This time, he revealed something truly shocking. The Northern Region’s Chu family is the financial administrator for the Blood-Killing Alliance in the Western Region. The messenger for the Chu family’s orders was Gonghu Changkong. Since Gonghu Changkong is dead, we did not receive this information in time. The letter delivered by Zhi Kuqian at Dragon Sacrifice Pool was exactly what Gonghu Changkong had instructed. The reason it was entrusted to Zhi Kuqian was that he is a distant relative of the Chu family."

"Zhi Kuqian does not know the exact contents of the letter, but he did identify the Chu family’s spokesperson in the Western Region. This person is the Great Hall Master of the Sea God Temple, Jing Mowei, a cultivator in the late Nascent Soul stage."

Xiao Qingtian was struck with alarm. Although Jing Mowei was a late Nascent Soul cultivator, there were many in the Western Region with higher cultivation who could take him down. However, his status as the Great Hall Master of the Sea God Temple was significant; he was the only sect leader identified by the Alliance thus far. There is a vast difference between a leader and a deputy. To make an enemy of Jing Mowei is to make an enemy of the entire Sea God Temple.

What surprised him even more was the involvement of the Northern Region’s Chu family. This family is no simple entity; they could be considered the largest family on the entire Star-Sky Continent, with powerful influence in the Central, Eastern, and Southern regions. By this count, the Chu family holds power in four out of the six regions of the continent.

If the Blood-Killing Alliance has the direct participation of the Chu family, then the Sect Alliance is contending with a giant of the Star-Sky Continent. With the current strength of the Sect Alliance, they are incomparable to such a behemoth. If they do not unite with other regional cultivation sects, it would be effortless for the Chu family to wipe out the organization led by Xiao Qingtian.

Xiao Qingtian shared his concerns with the others, and as the situation of the Sect Alliance seemed less than clear, they all fell into deep contemplation.

After a full half-stick of incense had burned, Liu Junhuai spoke: "In that case, the possibility of a direct link between the Chu family and the Blood-Killing Alliance exists. Since the Great Hall Master of the Sea God Temple is the spokesperson for the Northern Region’s Chu family, then the financial management of the Western Region’s Blood-Killing Alliance is being operated and controlled by Jing Mowei. To eradicate the Western Region organization, the Alliance must take down Jing Mowei. It is imperative to gather more members for the Sect Alliance as quickly as possible; only greater strength can force the Sea God Temple into submission. In my opinion, we should hold a Sect Alliance Conference as soon as possible, expose the sinister deeds of the Blood-Killing Alliance to every corner of the cultivation world, and dispatch more disciples to coordinate with sects in other regions. These steps must be taken simultaneously."

Xiao Qingtian replied: "Junhuai’s suggestion is crucial. Junior Brother Jiao, please assist me in transcribing this recommendation into a formal circular to be distributed to all sects in the Alliance, so that they may quickly mobilize."

Liu Junhuai added, "I have one more suggestion: during the Sect Alliance Conference, publicly execute the captured Blood-Killing Alliance members. The execution should be carried out by members of the sects from which the captives originated, to deliver a shocking display of decisive justice."

Jiao Yihan said, "I believe this is very necessary. During the conference, we could also invite some of the victims to speak, which would have an even more direct effect."

Xiao Qingtian paced back and forth in the room with his hands behind his back, his anxiety clearly visible.

Liu Junhuai took the opportunity to fan the flames: "Senior Xiao, this is also a good thing. Have you not considered that this is a golden opportunity for the Tianji Sect to grow and thrive? Setting aside the new disciples, the influx of reputable orthodox cultivators who will join out of admiration will become the backbone of the Tianji Sect. This time, the Tianji Sect has truly taken the spotlight. A tall tree invites the wind—it is a crisis, but even more so, an opportunity! Furthermore, once this Sect Alliance Conference is successfully held, when the real crisis arrives, your call will be met with a hundred responses. The moment for the Tianji Sect to rise like the sun has arrived!"

Xiao Qingtian, who had been weighing the pros and cons, felt his eyes brighten at these words. Liu Junhuai had struck a chord in his heart, and a surge of passion welled up within him.

Liu Junhuai said, "Since you are busy, Senior Xiao, I will take my leave with Uncle Wu. I will handle the matter of the Yanfu Palace as soon as possible. Also, please give me the list of those twelve people from the Yanfu Palace; I will resolve this myself."

Xiao Qingtian was very pleased. Pulling Liu Junhuai into the Sect Alliance was not merely about adding a single Golden Core stage cultivator; behind him lay a terrifying power in support.

A Tianji Sect disciple delivered the list of the twelve from Yanfu Palace. After exchanging a few words with Xiao Qingtian and Jiao Yihan, Liu Junhuai took his leave.

Inside the high-speed Sky-Piercing Shuttle, Wu Wanren asked, "Junhuai, why did you pull me out? The Tianji Sect is currently at its busiest; the people there haven't rested for days."

Liu Junhuai smiled and said, "Uncle Wu, I need you to help me work as a miner." He then explained the situation regarding the Spirit Crystal mine and concluded, "We can only trust our own people with this. If even a whisper of this leaks out, a great disaster will befall us."

Wu Wanren grew anxious as well. This mine really needed to be excavated promptly, as several others knew of it. Thus, Liu Junhuai was willing to risk the twelve spies from Yanfu Palace escaping to attend to this matter first.

An hour later, Liu Junhuai’s Sky-Piercing Shuttle entered the Crane-Crest Ridge mountain range. He brought Wu Wanren into his Chaos Space, stowed the shuttle, and switched to a flying sword to head deep into the mountains, following the route marked on the map.

With the heaven-defying perception of his Heavenly Consciousness, finding the miasma forest was not difficult.

Holding a leaf of the Barrier-Separation Bamboo in his mouth, Liu Junhuai easily passed through the tens of miles of miasma.

On the outskirts of the endless miasma forest, foul-smelling green drainage ditches crisscrossed like a spider web, leaving almost no place to step.

Liu Junhuai turned back to set up a Confusion Formation on his path to prevent anyone from accidentally wandering in.

The miasma forest was densely packed with trees. Rotten animal carcasses hung from branches and trunks, and venomous spider webs were tangled with snake saliva, appearing exceptionally eerie and terrifying in the dim forest.

The flying sword was of little use here, so Liu Junhuai had to jump from one protruding, drier spot to another.

After walking for an unknown amount of time, Liu Junhuai reached the heart of the forest, where the foul ditches had merged into a vast swamp.

The swamp was covered in algae, and in deeper areas, there were duckweed, water lilies, and reeds. These plants grew, died, and rotted, creating a massive pile of decaying matter.

Dead branches and leaves accumulated under the trees like a thick quilt, but they could not support a person’s weight. Several times, Liu Junhuai nearly sank into the putrid green water.

Venomous snakes and short-snouted green crocodiles were everywhere. Had Liu Junhuai not leapt into the canopy whenever he encountered them, he would not have made it this far even with another day of travel.

Fortunately, his Heavenly Consciousness detected the presence of mineral veins extending from the Spirit Crystal mine at the edge of the miasma forest. His urgency did not allow him to look for other paths.

Even so, it took Liu Junhuai an entire night to walk out of the miasma forest.