Chapter 678: Chi Jiaozhu

When Sect Leader Chi saw the intelligence report, he showed no outward reaction, but a cold sweat broke out. It turned out that Sect Leader Yun, whom he had met at the barbecue restaurant, was actually an Immortal, meaning the Heavenly Court Sect had two ancient Immortals.

Why bother trying to internally divide the Heavenly Court Sect for profit? It would be better to simply join them. Now, the Nine Nether Sect was solely focused on barbecue, leaving no one to distract the imperial court. Several times, the Blazing Sun Sect's attempts to stir up trouble were nearly discovered by the court. If this continued, they were bound to be exposed.

Sect Leader Chi made several copies of the intelligence report and distributed them, so the high-ranking members could see the true strength of the Heavenly Court Sect. With two Great Immortals at its helm, the Heavenly Court Sect could easily overthrow the Great Xia Dynasty. They were clearly on a completely different level than demonic cults like theirs, which were constantly pursued by the Great Xia.

The Blazing Sun Sect's high-ranking members were evidently also shocked by Sect Leader Yun's power. This was clearly not someone they were qualified to scheme against. They feared that before they could even begin to scheme, they would be wiped out, leaving not even a wisp of their souls.

"Another Immortal? The Ancient Heavenly Court is truly terrifying."

"Remember the Phoenix Ancestor? Her status as one of the Four Sovereigns implies that the other three are also demi-immortals."

"I heard from the Nine Nether Sect that the Ancient Heavenly Court's enemies were the Four Ancient Immortals. If they weren't lying, the Ancient Heavenly Court probably has other unrevealed powers."

"So, we should just defect to the Heavenly Court Sect? That's absurd! Are we to just hand over our sect's foundation simply because the Heavenly Court Sect is powerful?"

"Do they, the Heavenly Court Sect, believe in the power of the sun? Can they help us spread our faith and make everyone worship the sun's power?"

"It's not handing over our foundation; it's just seeking protection. It's not as serious as you think!"

"Not serious? I fear that by then, we won't have a choice!"

The high-ranking members fell into a heated argument, each holding firm to their own views.

The oldest elder, stroking his beard, slowly said, "The Ancient Heavenly Court certainly possesses great power, but this doesn't mean we must pledge allegiance to them. The Blazing Sun Sect has its own pride. How can we live under the thumb of others? If we were to defect to the Heavenly Court, it's uncertain whether we would become true members or mere cannon fodder!"

This elder's statement received widespread agreement.

"Indeed, we cannot entrust our destiny to others."

"Furthermore, as long as we achieve results in our research and make the world believe in the power of the sun, we can then emulate the ancient ancestors. We can use the power of faith to imbue the sun with life. With the supreme Sun God as our protector, our sect might not be weaker than the Heavenly Court!"

The founder of the Blazing Sun Sect was an archaeologist. He discovered that in an even more ancient era than the Four Ancient Immortals, when early humans were exploring cultivation systems, their faith imbued objects of belief with life, which they called "gods." This also became the inspiration for developing the "Divine Transformation stage." From its inception, the Blazing Sun Sect set the goal of drawing power from the sun, spreading its greatness, making everyone believe in the sun, and allowing the sun to become a true deity.

Sect Leader Chi also felt there was some truth to what was said.

"Since your opinions cannot be reconciled, perhaps we can each take a step back and approach the Heavenly Court Sect by making contact with Saint Son Long Jingzhou? How does that sound?"

This time, Sect Leader Chi's proposal received unanimous approval from the high-ranking members.

After the meeting concluded, Sect Leader Chi let out a long breath, finally relieved. "I wonder when this life as a sect leader will end," he mused.

When he was a young cultivator, his favorite thing was to gaze at the stars and moon at night, but his cultivation level was too low then to see them clearly. By chance, he discovered that objects appeared larger when viewed through two lenses. Based on this discovery, he invented a telescope that could clearly see the stars.

After applying for a patent, he heard about an astronomy enthusiast group nearby and followed the clues to find them. Only after joining did he realize it was a demonic cult. Once one joined a demonic cult, there was no escaping; leaving meant death. He had no other choice but to obediently join.

Initially, he wanted to keep a low profile and live out his days peacefully. However, when the high-ranking members learned he had invented a telescope, they deemed him a talent, nurtured him extensively, and rapidly promoted him. Before he knew it, he had risen to the top ranks. Once he reached the high ranks, he figured he would just coast through life like that. Yet, when it was time for the Sect Leader election, he was surprisingly elected with a high number of votes, the reason being that his bald head resembled the sun.

At the time, he even comforted himself, thinking that being the Sect Leader was good; at least no one would boss him around. Then he discovered that the position of Sect Leader was a huge trap. While it sounded prestigious, in plain terms, it meant being a sacrifice. Whenever the Blazing Sun Sect suffered major setbacks—such as failed solar research or several strongholds being dismantled by the imperial court—the high-ranking members would deem it a punishment from the sun and demand the Sect Leader be offered as a sacrifice to the heavens.

This wasn't simply a matter of the Sect Leader bowing a few times to the sun. It meant the Sect Leader personally becoming the offering, sacrificing himself to the heavens. This, he heard, was a tradition established by the first Sect Leader. Taking the Sun Ascent experiment as an example, if it failed again, he would likely be the next one to "ascend to the sun."

He had been promoted from the high ranks to Sect Leader too quickly and hadn't had the chance to inquire about what happened to his predecessor. Only after becoming Sect Leader did he learn that originally, the sun alone dominated the sky, and stars were mere phantoms. The Blazing Sun Sect had always considered this a symbol of the sun's greatness. Then one day, the stars ceased to be phantoms and became real celestial bodies, and the sun was no longer the sole entity in the sky. This event caused panic within the Blazing Sun Sect, who believed it to be an inauspicious omen, and consequently sacrificed the previous Sect Leader.

Sect Leader Chi was filled with dread upon hearing this, fearing that the high-ranking members would sacrifice him for the same reason. Fortunately, they remained somewhat rational and didn't continuously sacrifice their leaders. The high-ranking members were all at the Integration Stage, and the most senior elder was even at the Tribulation Transcending Stage. He was utterly powerless to resist.

During his tenure, he encountered several major events that required the Sect Leader's sacrifice. He managed to survive safely, thanks to his own methods. He invented the telescope, and patent fees poured in, bringing him great wealth. According to regulations, he had to pay taxes. Whenever a Sect Leader's sacrifice was demanded, he would deliberately avoid paying taxes, prompting the imperial court to arrest him. Unaware he was a demonic cult leader, the court simply treated him as an ordinary Integration Stage cultivator who had evaded taxes. Typically, such cases resulted in decades of imprisonment. After a few decades, he would be released and resume his role as Sect Leader, and the high-ranking members would no longer mention sacrifices.

"If only I could defect to the Heavenly Court Sect," he thought. The Heavenly Court Sect would surely be safer than this wretched place.

He pulled out a token—a Blazing Sun Token, which, like the Nine Nether Token, allowed for long-distance communication. During his last meeting with the Heavenly Court Sect, he had given each of their members a token. "This one should belong to Saint Son Long Jingzhou."