When it came to the "Invisible Needle," both the Taoist and the others had long heard of its great reputation!
This treasure was forged from the essence of five metals, combined with its creator's unique formless evasion technique. It could come without a shadow and leave without a trace, striking people down invisibly. It was truly terrifying beyond measure.
It was said that even cultivators at the Nascent Soul stage found it headache-inducing to deal with, and this was one of the main reasons this old man had been able to bully others with impunity.
Even though what they had obtained was merely a talisman duplicate of the Invisible Needle, its miraculous invisibility effect still made it a life-saving treasure. At the very least, cultivators at the Core Formation stage would be utterly helpless against such an oddity.
"Very well, I'll take Senior Qiong's word for it. I accept the bet!" After a brief mental calculation, the Taoist saw nothing amiss and agreed.
Patriarch Li, upon thinking of the enormous benefits of winning the bet, gritted his teeth and tacitly agreed as well.
"Slap."
"Slap."
The three of them each exchanged a pair of high-fives, truly sealing the wager.
"Senior, why are you here? Could it be that you are leading the Masked Moon Sect's delegation?" Just as the three were about to separate, the Taoist suddenly thought of something and asked this question.
"Me lead them? Would they feel at ease with that? Our sect's leader this time is that girl Nishang. I just came to take a look. To see whether any formidable new disciples have appeared among the various sects!" Senior Qiong glared at him and said irritably.
"Now that I've seen them... they're quite ordinary! I bet if there really were disciples with decent talent, your junior uncles and such wouldn't bear to let them come. They'd hoard them like treasures in their hands. But they don't even think! Without going through a few major occasions, what use is talent? When they run into those demonic and heterodox cultivators, they'll be slaughtered like little lambs!"
This old man seemed deeply critical of how all the sects did things, wearing an expression that said, "You're all dead wrong."
Patriarch Li and the others showed no change in their expressions upon hearing this, but inwardly they were grumbling endlessly.
"You old monster make it sound so easy. Is it easy for any of our sects to recruit a disciple with decent talent? Send them to participate in this practically suicidal trial? Do you think we're idiots? Besides, where can't one go to witness a few grand occasions? Why must it be this Blood Forbidden Zone?"
Of course, these words could only stew in the bellies of the two men. They would never dare utter a single word of it in front of this person. Otherwise, wouldn't they just be asking for trouble? The two of them were very shrewd in that regard.
Naturally, this once again verified the simple truth of the cultivation world: whoever has the bigger fist has the truth.
Disciples from both sects heard every word of these three people wagering on their expedition to the forbidden zone. They could not help but stir restlessly, their expressions各异 and appearing quite peculiar.
Naturally, no one was foolish enough to jump out and directly accuse the three of wrongdoing. Even if there were such people, they could only harbor their indignation in silence. Otherwise, a mere twitch of a finger from those above would snuff out the lives of these cultivation novices.
Patriarch Li watched the other two leave, then turned and swept his gaze across the faces of the Yellow Maple Valley disciples before him. Then, with a cold voice, he spoke words that left Han Li and the others greatly stunned.
"I know that you feel, using your life-or-death expedition as a wager seems far too disrespectful to you. If it were someone else, they might find plenty of excuses to justify themselves. But I, Li, have always scorned such things! I will tell you plainly the true face and cruelty of the cultivation world, as a kind of advice from me."
"Listen well. In the cultivation world, whether it's the righteous sects or the demonic factions, all of them pursue defying the heavens and weeding out the weak. The only difference is that the righteous sects advocate gradual progress, letting things develop naturally, with gentler cultivation methods — but they often wield the banner of 'eliminating demons to protect the Dao' as cover for despicable deeds. Most of them are假仁假义, hypocrites and伪君子. The demonic sects, on the other hand, pursue explosive growth in magical power, obsessed only with overwhelming cultivation techniques. Their cultivation process is excessively vicious and cruel, full of opportunistic shortcuts. Though they claim to follow their hearts and show their true nature, in reality, as their techniques advance, they gradually become extreme, lose their humanity, and even turn utterly bloodthirsty and merciless."
"But regardless of what the righteous and demonic factions — or any other cultivation sects — say in principle, what they actually practice is the law of the jungle. We cultivators are not mere mortals! Cultivators of higher realms treat those of lower realms as insects. One wrong word and they'll kill you with a single strike — it happens all the time."
At this point, Patriarch Li paused for a moment. His tone seemed to hold disdain for both the so-called righteous and demonic factions alike. This attitude left the disciples before him somewhat confused. One bolder disciple could not help but speak up:
"Patriarch, is our Yellow Maple Valley a righteous sect or a demonic sect?"
"Heh heh! Neither righteous nor demonic. The other six sects of the Kingdom of Yue are all the same." He curled his lip and said with a cold sneer.
"You're all young and haven't been in the sect long, so you haven't been told the history of the cultivation world in the Kingdom of Yue!"
"Over a thousand years ago, our Kingdom of Yue was like everywhere else — righteous and demonic factions stood opposed. At that time, our Seven Great Sects were nothing but insignificant minor sects. To survive, we had no choice but to play the fence-sitter between the two sides, leaning whichever way the greater power blew. The great sects of both factions looked down on us utterly! But later, the righteous and demonic factions fought a devastating war. They sent forth all their experts, and after that battle, their strength was so severely drained that they could no longer suppress minor sects like ours. Before long, our seven sects joined forces and uprooted them both, wiping out their lineages entirely to prevent them from ever rising again."
"Many of the techniques you study now are, in fact, war spoils left behind by the righteous and demonic factions from that era. This also established the dominance of our Seven Great Sects within the Kingdom of Yue. Should any righteous or demonic sect ever attempt to invade, our seven sects would immediately join forces to repel them, giving them no chance to gain a foothold. Therefore, the techniques passed down by our seven sects include those from both righteous and demonic traditions, as well as some unique to ourselves. In terms of allegiance, we belong to neutral sects."
As Patriarch Li spoke, a look of self-satisfaction could not help but creep across his face.
"You all have stayed within the valley cultivating diligently. Even those who have left the gates have only wandered within the tiny confines of the Kingdom of Yue, never coming into contact with the true cultivation world, let alone witnessing its dark and bloody side. But in other places, righteous and demonic factions — as well as the five great cultivation traditions of Buddhism, Daoism, Confucianism, demons, and spirits — all coexist. The chaos far exceeds what you can imagine. Practices such as killing people for their treasures or annihilating entire clans and sects are commonplace. And in most places, it is actually the demonic side that holds the upper hand, casually killing to establish dominance, steeped in blood."
At this point, his expression turned solemn, appearing very grave. But then his face softened slightly, and he added with cold detachment:
"Enough. I've given you this little wake-up call to keep you from getting complacent. Remember: in the cultivation world, if your strength is inferior, don't spout nonsense about wanting to be respected. So-called respect can only exist between cultivators of comparable strength. Otherwise, you're simply courting death! Heh heh, these words — I wonder how many of you who survive the next few days will truly understand them?"
Han Li and the others had long since been left gaping, utterly stunned. This entire revelation was far too unexpected for all the disciples.
"Now I should discuss the bet. You all heard it — this wager is extremely important to me! If I win the bet, I will not be stingy with rewards. Every disciple who helps me win will be generously rewarded. Those who contribute the most may be taken under my personal tutelage after reaching Foundation Establishment."
The Yellow Maple Valley disciples had not yet even digested the earlier "candid advice" when they were immediately electrified by the incredible promise that followed.
Being taken in as a personal disciple by a Core Formation cultivator — what did that mean? In the entire Yellow Maple Valley, only a scant dozen or so people had ever enjoyed such fortune. This was truly an opportunity that came once in a thousand years!
Seeing the crowd before him grow excited, each one eager and ready to prove themselves, Patriarch Li allowed himself a slight smile, greatly satisfied.
As long as he won the bet, taking on three or four additional nominal disciples would be a trivial matter. He could just casually place them somewhere, pass down some superficial techniques, and be done with it.