Chapter Seventy-Three: What Does He Know?

Wang Changsheng’s expression instantly darkened.

“Everything needs to be explained, why doesn’t he just go himself?” Wang Changsheng muttered irritably, “Fine, let’s go to Cloud Palace Peak then.”

“Hmph!”

With a cold snort, Wang Changsheng continued, “What else did they instruct? Tell me everything at once.”

“That’s all… Steward Wang, that’s all. Elder Yun only said those things,” Chen Shangyi replied immediately.

“Are you sure that’s all?” Wang Changsheng pressed.

“Really, that’s all!” Chen Shangyi said, “Elder Yun said, go to Cloud Palace Peak first. After showing goodwill, it will benefit our alliance with the Li Family of Shangyang.”

“He says it’s beneficial, so it must be?” Wang Changsheng said in a deep voice, “He doesn’t know a damn thing!”

Despite his sharp words, Wang Changsheng finally decided to go to Cloud Palace Peak.

If they could forge a good relationship with Cloud Palace Peak and avoid being targeted by them, it would indeed remove a major threat for the Corpse Refining Sect. Furthermore, it would help with their future alliance with the Li Family of Shangyang.

Yet, as Wang Changsheng saw it, if they could first ally with the Li Family of Shangyang, considering the combined strength of the Li Family and the Corpse Refining Sect, Cloud Palace Peak would surely not dare to target them, and would face even greater pressure.

There were advantages either way, so Wang Changsheng was indifferent. What he truly cared about was the matter of going to the Wild Temple. As for the Li Family and Cloud Palace Peak, he wasn’t worried at all; even if they failed in their mission, their lives wouldn’t be at risk.

More critically, not just Wang Changsheng, but even the Corpse Refining Sect itself knew nothing about the main base of the Li Family of Shangyang. They had no idea where it was! But Cloud Palace Peak—at least they knew its location.

“Let’s go, bring the Cloud Boat over, we’ll head straight to Cloud Palace Peak,” Wang Changsheng said softly.

Chen Shangyi looked at Wang Changsheng, his expression awkward.

“Steward Wang… Our Corpse Refining Sect… seems, seems not to have a Cloud Boat…” Chen Shangyi admitted, embarrassed.

“What do you mean ‘seems’? Is it there or not?” Wang Changsheng snapped.

After hearing Wang Changsheng’s words, Chen Shangyi replied firmly, “There isn’t one.”

Wang Changsheng: “…”

“Then why does Cloud Palace Peak have a Cloud Boat?” Wang Changsheng wondered.

Back at Cheng Tian Realm, when Cai Ling and the others went there, they rode Cloud Palace Peak’s Cloud Boat. The sight had stunned Wang Changsheng! The Corpse Refining Sect claimed to be comparable in strength to Cloud Palace Peak, so Wang Changsheng had assumed they wouldn’t lack such things.

“They… they have more people…”

After pondering for a long time, Chen Shangyi could only offer that answer.

Though Chen Shangyi hadn’t traveled, he knew about Cloud Boats—those were formidable in the cultivation world, and such basics were taught even in the Corpse Refining Sect.

“That counts as a reason?” Wang Changsheng said.

Cloud Boats were indeed large and could carry many people, as Chen Shangyi said. Cloud Palace Peak had more disciples; by sheer numbers, the Corpse Refining Sect’s cultivators were far fewer.

But Cloud Boats weren’t just for ferrying people. At critical moments, they were strategic assets.

For Wang Changsheng, riding a Cloud Boat out would be the first step toward impressing the Cheng Tian Realm with an air of grandeur.

Yet before things even began, they were already falling short?

“Set out as soon as possible, stop dawdling!”

Just as Wang Changsheng was grumbling, a voice rang out—it was Elder Yun, returning.

“Elder Yun, without a Cloud Boat, you expect us to walk?” Wang Changsheng protested.

There was no point asking Chen Shangyi; an elder was needed, and Elder Yun had just come back.

Wang Changsheng refused to believe that a sect as powerful as the Corpse Refining Sect wouldn’t have a Cloud Boat.

“We do have Cloud Boats!”

Elder Yun replied, “But what do you need them for?”

“Of course, to… uh… to get there! Cheng Tian Realm is so vast, I can’t fly, it’ll take a hundred or two hundred years to walk to Cloud Palace Peak!” Wang Changsheng said.

“Our Cloud Boat was destroyed before the mountain was sealed, when it was attacked by the Wild Temple’s Cloud Boat. Not a trace remained. Afterwards, the sect sealed the mountain, no one went out, so what need for Cloud Boats? We never bought another,” Elder Yun explained.

Wang Changsheng: “…”

Thinking carefully, it did make sense. The sect had sealed itself away, hidden from the world, and had no use for Cloud Boats.

“When traveling, Shangyi can take you along,” Elder Yun said impatiently. “Hurry up, there are disciples outside to see you off.”

Wang Changsheng reluctantly left the hall, only to see coffins everywhere, making his skin crawl.

“The whole Corpse Refining Sect must be out in force!” he muttered.

Outside the main hall, coffins lined the square, each guarded by a disciple, making Wang Changsheng shudder.

In all his time at the sect, the biggest gathering he’d seen was when the seven bells rang atop the mountain and every disciple assembled—but then, there were no coffins, and it was lively.

This send-off, however, was solemn and silent. Wang Changsheng led the way, and every disciple saluted as he passed.

This trial, with Chen Shangyi and Wang Changsheng, numbered twelve in all. For these disciples, it was the first time experiencing such a solemn scene, and they were nervous.

When he reached the edge of the square, Wang Changsheng murmured, “Is it really necessary to be so grand? It’s as if we’ll never return…”

The eerie sight unsettled him; every disciple carried a coffin. It felt less like a send-off and more like a funeral.

What could he say? The sect’s customs and culture were truly fearsome.

Hearing Wang Changsheng’s mutter, Chen Shangyi whispered, “This trial is especially important—it’s the first time disciples have descended the mountain since the sect emerged, so it’s a grand occasion. It may never happen again.”

Wang Changsheng nodded.

For the sect, their group was significant, like pioneers venturing out to explore the state of the cultivation world, gathering intelligence to inform the sect’s next moves.

“In any case, I doubt our journey will be peaceful. Everyone needs to stay alert and be cautious,” Wang Changsheng said.

Chen Shangyi nodded in understanding and passed the warning to the other ten.

“Let’s go!”

With a flourish of his sleeve, Wang Changsheng led the eleven disciples away toward the sect’s gate.

Once outside, the eleven disciples summoned their coffins and each sat atop their own.

“Steward Wang, come here!”

At that moment, a disciple called out to Wang Changsheng.

He glanced at the speaker—he looked familiar, but not too well-acquainted.

“If only Old Xian and Old Quan could come along,” Wang Changsheng sighed; he was more familiar with them.

“No need!”

Wang Changsheng said immediately, “Elder Yun told me Shangyi would take me.”

He looked at Chen Shangyi, who beckoned him over. Wang Changsheng sat on the coffin—as soon as he was settled, the eleven coffins took flight, heading into the distance.

Looking back at the increasingly blurred gates of the Corpse Refining Sect, Wang Changsheng’s face was tinged with emotion.

“Let’s hope we return safely,” he said.

He had lived in Cheng Tian Realm for so many years—ever since Little Ash abducted him to the Corpse Refining Sect, he had never stepped outside. Though his cultivation had improved, in terms of the realm itself, his abilities weren’t even enough for self-preservation.

This trial wasn’t just a test for the sect—it was a trial for himself.

As one of the first pioneers, Wang Changsheng knew well: they were opening new lands, facing an uncertain future, and death could come at any time. What’s more, the sect’s position in the cultivation world was precarious.

Previously forced to seal itself, now emerging, their old enemies and rival sects would surely target them again. Wang Changsheng and his companions would be their first targets.

“Shangyi!” Sitting atop his coffin, Wang Changsheng patted Chen Shangyi’s shoulder and asked, “For this trial, what are the cultivation levels of the other brothers? Tell me, so I can be mentally prepared.”

Fortunately, Chen Shangyi knew Wang Changsheng’s cultivation was insufficient, so he shielded him from the fierce winds with true essence, allowing them to converse.

“Steward Wang, for this trial, I am at the third level of the Core Formation Realm,” Chen Shangyi said, his voice entering Wang Changsheng’s mind without turning his head. “Besides me, there are three brothers at the second level and seven at the first level.”

“Damn!”

Hearing this, Wang Changsheng couldn’t help but exclaim.

Now he understood: after reaching the Core Formation Realm, one could pursue the Golden Core Path and attain true cultivation. Once someone achieved the Golden Core Path and became a true cultivator, they would be among the strongest in Cheng Tian Realm.

That meant Chen Shangyi and the others, already at Core Formation, qualified to pursue the Golden Core Path.

“Impressive!” Wang Changsheng remarked.

“No need to worry, Steward Wang. Though the sect has been sealed for years, the disciples’ cultivations are generally quite high,” Chen Shangyi continued. “Even if resources are scarce, there’s enough for cultivation if used sparingly.”

Of course, their cultivations would be high! Only a few hundred people, sealed away for years, unable to leave—not much else to do but cultivate.

“How about the disciples’ strength?” Wang Changsheng pressed.

“They are quite formidable. Among peers, they rarely meet their match. With corpses to aid them, even challenging higher realms is not a problem,” Chen Shangyi said. “Rest assured, Steward Wang. Within the same realm, our disciples can easily take on two opponents at once.”