Xuantian Immortal Cultivation Record

Of the sixty-odd people who took the trial, only seven persevered to the end. If Zhang Yuanjing, a Core Formation cultivator, wasn't counted, then only one-tenth actually passed the trial.

The robust middle-aged man seemed quite satisfied with this. After giving a low-voiced instruction, he had a follower lead them eastward to the border of the Shuofang Kingdom to wait.

Once a dozen or so small teams had gathered, a Foundation Establishment stage demonic cultivator, along with a dozen Blood Refining stage members, escorted them southward.

This journey lasted half a year.

They arrived at the bank of a large river and boarded a giant ship. There were already thousands of new disciples like them on board. Those responsible for guarding them included a dozen Foundation Establishment stage demonic cultivators, the strongest of whom had late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivation.

They waited on the ship for about a month, and gradually several thousand more people arrived. Once the giant ship was full with ten thousand people, it set sail against the current, heading straight south.

This giant ship was specially made, equipped with profound formations and driven by demon stones. It was extremely fast, capable of traveling over ten thousand miles a day.

The disciples on board were protected by the formations, so they did not feel any discomfort.

Zhang Yuanjing had long since transmitted a message to Fire Crow Daoist, explaining the direction of travel so that he could follow from behind. Fire Crow Daoist instructed him to be careful, to escape immediately if there was danger, and if he couldn't be contacted, to wait in Yundu City.

Thus, he traveled with the giant ship for several months. Along the way, it made multiple stops to pick up new disciples from various countries, and the number of people on board reached over thirty thousand.

Although Zhang Yuanjing knew that not everyone could cultivate demonic techniques, the fact that they recruited tens of thousands of disciples at once, even if only one-tenth remained in the end, was enough to shock the Daoist sects.

The scenery on both sides of the river gradually became desolate. Greenery became scarce, and wilderness became abundant. Later, it was simply barren, with even sandstorms raging, resembling a desert.

After traveling nearly two million miles, a huge mountain range appeared on the horizon, like a crouching giant dragon, cutting the entire land in two.

From a distance, the mountain range was just a mass of dark shadows, but upon closer inspection, one could see scattered patches of green, with sparse vegetation.

Zhang Yuanjing eavesdropped on the demonic cultivators and learned that this mountain was the Boundary Mountain, stretching five million miles east to west and covering hundreds of thousands of miles north to south, known as the Southern Domain's Heavenly Barrier.

The river turned southwest several hundred miles north of Boundary Mountain. The river originated in the western section of Boundary Mountain, where the terrain was higher and the mountains more treacherous.

However, the giant ship docked at a wharf at this turning point. The tens of thousands of people on board disembarked in batches and walked along a wide road towards the mountains directly south.

After entering the mountains, a thin layer of turbid energy floated in the air, which was quite uncomfortable for these Holy Church disciples who had not yet begun cultivation.

The ground gradually had small green or yellow plants, all born from turbid energy, exuding a desolate and even gloomy aura.

After traveling a hundred miles, they entered a deep valley with a radius of dozens of miles. A fire vein was born beneath this valley, and no grass grew on the ground. The air was hot, but because the fire energy was strong, the turbid energy did not reach it.

Hundreds of large stone houses were built in the valley, simple in style, sturdy and durable.

Apart from a few used for storing supplies and conducting special training, most were residences, divided into dozens of rooms of various sizes.

Zhang Yuanjing, like the other new disciples, was assigned to a stone house. The stone house he lived in housed fifty people, guarded by two Blood Refining stage disciples of the Candle God Church.

All Candle God Church disciples, or rather, devotees, who entered the valley for training lived together in this valley. They usually received teachings from Blood Refining stage minor Dharma Masters, and for three days every ten days, a Foundation Establishment stage Great Dharma Master would lead them to the mountains deep within the Boundary Mountain to absorb turbid energy for cultivation.

These devotees, newly learning the Candle God Church's techniques, could not stay under the erosion of turbid energy for long, so they needed to use Holy Fire Valley as a place to rest, relieve pain, exercise their muscles and bones, and progress gradually.

This was a long process, and the pain experienced during Blood Refining would increase day by day. Only those who could endure this training were qualified to become true members of the Candle God Church and have the opportunity to go to the main altar to pay respects to the image of the divine beast.

After entering the valley, Zhang Yuanjing thoroughly investigated the valley. There was only one Saint Core stage demonic cultivator here, but he was not usually in the valley, only showing up when there were important matters.

Usually, three Foundation Establishment Great Perfection demonic cultivators acted as stewards, jointly handling various matters. Below these three, there were a dozen or so late-stage Foundation Establishment demonic cultivators as deacons, and the remaining fifty or so mid- to early-stage Foundation Establishment demonic cultivators served as Great Dharma Masters, responsible for training disciples.

Zhang Yuanjing pretended to cultivate during the day, and at night he sneaked into the stone houses where the Foundation Establishment demonic cultivators lived to eavesdrop on their conversations. Most of it was trivial matters within the church, and occasionally they talked about rumors from the main altar, but no one mentioned the word 'church master,' nor did they talk about Soul-Bewildering Valley.

He had sneaked into the stone house where the three stewards held meetings several times, but he was unlucky and did not catch them in a meeting. These three spent most of their time cultivating, only occasionally coming out to handle some affairs, and they each issued orders without involving the others.

Time flew by, and Fire Crow Daoist had not contacted him, presumably because he had not followed. After three months, the Candle God Church cultivator guarding the stone house where they lived announced to them that an assessment would be held in seven days. They would be graded based on their cultivation progress, divided into six grades. The worst grade, 'Unranked,' would be directly expelled. The other five grades, the top three grades were considered qualified and could receive the second stage of training. The fourth and fifth grades could be extended for one to three months, and those who still failed the assessment would also be expelled.

Zhang Yuanjing was a Daoist Qi Refiner, without a trace of turbid energy in his body. Once assessed, he would definitely be 'Unranked.' Moreover, it would be difficult to hide his pure spiritual energy.

Knowing that his time was running out, one night he entered dozens of Foundation Establishment residences in a row, knocking all these cultivators unconscious, and then checked their storage pouches one by one.

He opened and read all the books and letters, and saw many shady things, but none of them were related to the purpose of his trip.

In the end, he had to grab a Foundation Establishment Great Perfection cultivator, fly out of Holy Fire Valley, and hide in a mountain forest hundreds of miles away.

He woke this person up and said, "Fellow Daoist, I have no malice, I just want to ask where Soul-Bewildering Valley is. If you show me the way, I won't hurt your life."

This person looked to be in his forties, not very tall, with a square face that looked very gloomy.

He glared at Zhang Yuanjing for a long time before asking, "Did you kidnap me to this place? What about the others in the valley?"

Seeing him so calm, Zhang Yuanjing's heart sank, and he said expressionlessly, "That's right, I kidnapped you. The others don't know what happened."

"Are you a Daoist cultivator?"

Zhang Yuanjing asked, "What makes you say that, Fellow Daoist?"

"If it were a rogue demonic cultivator, he wouldn't call me 'Fellow Daoist!'"

"What should I call you then?" Zhang Yuanjing's question was equivalent to admitting that he was a Daoist cultivator.

This person chuckled and said, "Naturally, a heretical cultivator. My Candle God Church occupies this area, and all demonic cultivators must be registered in our church's roster, otherwise, they will be regarded as heretics and exterminated. Therefore, if you were a rogue demonic cultivator, you wouldn't be so polite to me!"

Zhang Yuanjing nodded and said, "I see, I'm enlightened. I am indeed a Daoist cultivator, only seeking opportunities. Tell me the location of Soul-Bewildering Valley, and I will let you return!"

"Are you looking for Soul-Bewildering Valley for the 'Yin-Yang Eye' Secret Realm?"

"That's right!" Zhang Yuanjing followed his words and said, "Everyone says that the Yin-Yang Eye Secret Realm in Soul-Bewildering Valley has great opportunities for Daoist cultivators. I wonder if that's true?"

This person laughed loudly and said, "Fellow Daoist came to find Soul-Bewildering Valley, so you must have already learned about the Yin-Yang Eye Secret Realm. Would you turn back just because I said there were no opportunities? If you want to find Soul-Bewildering Valley, I can show you the way, but I can only show you the way, not get close to it!"

"Why is that?"

"This is my church's prohibition. Violating this order is equivalent to betraying the church." This person spoke decisively, without any room for negotiation.

"Then how do I know if what you say is true or false?"

This person rolled his eyes and said, "That's your own business, it has nothing to do with me!"