Five Immortal Sects

Chapter 103: The Tianxin Compass

At the valley entrance, Elder Peng and the other two each produced an ancient, triangular object from their robes. The objects were brown with curved edges at the base. As they formed hand seals, all three tossed their objects into the air.

At this moment, Master Yisong from the Pure Land Sect and Immortal Hang Wu from the Grand Profound Sect arrived behind the three, though neither produced any artifacts.

Li Yan kept his gaze fixed ahead. He noticed Yisong and Hang Wu looking upward, their eyes gleaming with a sharp light, he sensed a trace of greed hidden within their expressions.

Being clever, Li Yan pondered the origin of this secret realm and guessed part of the truth.

This realm was first discovered and opened by the Ten-Step Court and the Wraith Sect, who later struck an agreement with the beasts inside. The three brown objects must be the keys to unlocking the realm.

Since the Grand Profound and Pure Land sects joined later, they lacked these artifacts, a fatal disadvantage. Although the secret realm’s gateway would open, many inner areas would remain inaccessible to them.

In the air, the three brown objects quickly combined, forming a circular device resembling a compass. Brilliant light radiated and shimmered across its surface.

At that moment, Master Yisong, Immortal Hang Wu, Elder Peng, and the other two each formed hand seals and extended a finger, five beams of colored light converged on the small compass-like device.

Like a spinning top under force, the compass rapidly rotated, growing larger by the second...

The five continued channeling their power as the spinning compass slowly moved to hover directly above the valley’s entrance. Its rotation gradually slowed until it hung there like a colossal sun.

When the five ceased their energy infusion, the giant compass stopped spinning. Elder Peng glanced at the Sword King below him, who nodded in acknowledgment before turning to address the gathered Foundation Establishment disciples.

“The harvesting trial is now open. You will enter in batches according to your sect. As each person passes beneath the Tianxin Compass, it will leave a mark on them.

“This mark can be sensed through divine sense. If you encounter danger, you may shatter the mark with your divine sense to be immediately teleported out. However, if the mark disappears and the person has not exited, then they are dead!!”

Hearing this, Li Yan found it intriguing. He had not expected that the treasure called the Tianxin Compass would not only open the area but also serve as a life-saving device.

“The Tianxin Compass is also a map. Once activated, it displays the internal layout of the harvesting area and luminous points, each representing a cultivator. Those outside the valley can see the number and positions of cultivators but cannot tell who each light represents.

“To protect those inside, when entering, the compass automatically groups members of the same team into a small zone. The beasts or cultivators in this zone cannot leave, preventing those who enter later from being attacked by the earlier arrivals.

“Only after everyone has fully entered will the elders outside officially activate the Tianxin Compass, marking the true start of the secret realm harvesting trial.”

Li Wuyi’s voice echoed in Li Yan’s mind at the perfect moment, and Li Yan smiled, nodding to his senior brother.

Ahead, the second-rank beasts led by Yin Congfeng began entering. Though visibly excited, under Yin Congfeng’s cold gaze they reluctantly formed a line heading beneath the lush green vine arch at the valley entrance.

The moment the first female-headed wolf beast stepped in, Li Yan saw a green light shoot from the Tianxin Compass above, piercing the green vines and striking its body.

The beast showed no sign of awareness and quickly disappeared into the foliage. Then, a moving green dot appeared on the compass, clarifying Li Wuyi’s earlier explanation.

This green dot quickly circled within a confined area, as if trapped inside a boundary. As more beasts entered, the number of green dots inside this zone steadily increased...

Next, Daoist disciples from the Grand Profound Sect began entering, softening the originally stern expressions of the Grand Profound cultivators somewhat. Clearly, the order of entry had been arranged to give them some respect.

Yet, as a Grand Profound Foundation Establishment disciple stepped beneath the entrance, Li Yan noticed a red beam strike the compass, followed by the appearance of a moving red dot swiftly shifted to a different zone, separated from the green one.

Li Yan realized that the compass used different colors to distinguish cultivators from different sects, with zones arranged from inside out accordingly.

Thus, the rest entered in sequence: beasts, Pure Land Sect, beasts again, Wraith Sect, then Ten-Step Court, taking a full quarter hour.

Once the colored dots on the Tianxin Compass settled into seven distinct zones, the five Core Formation cultivators again sent five beams of light shooting into the compass floating above the valley entrance.

A buzzing sound filled the air.

The compass then shot seven massive beams of light into the sky. The beams transformed into seven arrow-like rainbows that shot from the heavens down into the valley.

The colored dots within the seven zones of the Tianxin Compass began to surge and scatter, some moving steadily toward each other, others darting swiftly in various directions...

The harvesting trial had officially begun!

Li Yan watched the massive Tianxin Compass hovering over the valley entrance. The Wraith Sect’s marks were black, and in one section of the compass, forty-nine black dots started spreading outward in all directions.

Some clusters of three or four black dots rushed together in a certain direction, while four or five moved slowly and cautiously. Even some solitary black dots broke away alone.

Their directions varied, but almost all were rushing toward the outer areas. It seemed their intent was to create distance from enemies before making any moves.

Li Yan also noticed that most of the red, brown, and purple dots, likely the colors representing the three beast teams charged directly toward zones occupied by other colors. If his memory was correct, these were probably aiming to eliminate the human cultivators first.

Among these three colors, a few dots also separated from the main groups and headed straight outward. Li Yan guessed these were more intelligent beasts entering to seek treasures.

“Alright, from now on, life and death are up to fate. We’ll wait outside for a month,” Elder Peng said as he returned, addressing a group of Qi Condensation disciples. He then joined seven other Core Formation elders who gathered nearby to exchange messages silently.

Li Yan noticed their gazes frequently flickering toward the other sects and the three beast teams. The other sects’ Core Formation cultivators similarly returned to their camps and conferred cautiously, all displaying a wary vigilance.

Li Yan wondered why each sect sent so many Core Formation elders. Beyond the five required to open the passage, were the extras just for show? Or were they meant to guard against treachery from the other sects?

What Li Yan didn’t know was that ever since the harvesting trial shifted to being dominated by mainly Foundation Establishment cultivators, the passage opening was overseen by Core Formation cultivators. Initially, both cultivators and beasts only dispatched a few Core Formation elders, just enough to open the trial gate.

But then something very strange happened. After one harvesting trial, nearly half the Core Formation elders who came out were lost, a devastating blow given how precious any Core Formation elder is to a sect.

The Grand Profound Sect and Ten-Step Court each lost three Core Formation elders inside the realm, while Wraith Sect and Pure Land sects had two elders gravely wounded, almost unable to even open the passage to return.

In the end, the four sects had to combine forces, gathering ten Core Formation elders at the Ten Step Court passage to jointly reopen the return portal.

According to returning elders, one night after Foundation Establishment cultivators had entered the harvesting area, twenty elders and three third-rank beasts guarded outside beneath the Tianxin Compass.

Suddenly, a thick fog rose sharply, quickly enveloping the area. Even divine senses were blocked, with Core Formation cultivators’ perception limited to only about a foot beyond their bodies.

Then, they were ambushed one by one. Luckily, Pure Land and Wraith sect elders sensed the danger early and formed small Luohan Tiger and Four Symbols formations. Though none died, four elders were seriously injured.

The Ten-Step Court relied on sharp flying swords and brute force, and Grand Profound Daoists formed a small Heavenly Gang formation. One was overly confident, the other suffered a broken formation, and both suffered heavy losses, six Core Formation elders died in that battle.

The fog appeared and vanished within less than fifteen minutes, and the attackers inside it disappeared without a trace.

The remaining elders of the four sects were furious, blaming high-level beasts in the secret realm. The three third-rank beasts that appeared, though badly wounded had not been killed, a very suspicious outcome.

No matter how strong, three beasts should not surpass twenty Core Formation elders.

The four sects nearly attacked the three beasts on the spot. The beasts initially tried to explain, but seeing their disbelief, their ferocity surfaced, preparing to fight desperately.

In the end, a Buddha from the Pure Land sect spoke to stop the fight, and a Wraith Core Formation elder mediated. Since those two sects had suffered fewer losses, they stayed calm.

They knew that even if they killed the three beasts here, their remaining Core Formation elders and all Foundation Establishment cultivators inside would be trapped with no way out alive.

Since then, the four sects stayed united, taking turns forming teams to remain on guard. Though they competed secretly outside, in these moments they were tightly allied.

The three beasts, despite their resentment, never called others for reinforcements, which heightened suspicion. Given their previous brazen behavior, many suspected a hidden top-tier beast lurking nearby.

Until the harvesting trial ended, the strange fog never returned, nor did any beast ambush.

Once all Foundation Establishment cultivators emerged, the four sects’ Core Formation elders dared not linger, they didn’t even tally the harvesting results before quickly gathering everyone and rushing toward the Ten-Step Court’s exit.

Along the way, cultivators remained tense but were not intercepted by beasts, causing doubts to creep into their minds.

After they finally exited, they reported immediately to the Nascent Soul ancestor of Ten-Step Court, who then gathered elders from the other three sects for a meeting.

Because nothing like this had ever happened before when Nascent Soul ancestors led the expeditions.

(Chapter End)

Missed yesterday's update, something came up ;-;