733 The Holy Crest Sect! (1/2)

The Holy Crest Sect was a minor sect that was affiliated to the Divine Sovereign Justice Sect, one of the three great sects in the Divine Eye civilization. Its influence and clout were insignificant to the Divine Sovereign Justice Sect, and it had fewer than a thousand followers. However, the Holy Crest Sect had a few unique strengths in refining artifacts. The sect's Grand Supreme Elder also possessed great cultivation. He had achieved the Soul Conduit realm many years ago and had always paid proper tribute to the Divine Sovereign Justice Sect.

That was why the missions assigned to the Holy Crest Sect during the occasional large-scale hunt were generally easy ones that weren't very dangerous yet yielded relatively generous rewards.

The Holy Crest Sect would also conduct frequent raids to replenish its inventory. This ensured that their heavy consumption of resources when refining artifacts remained sustainable, that life remained comfortable, and that time in the sect was passed in a rich and relatively meaningful way.

Unfortunately, the Holy Crest Sect's luck had taken a turn for the worse when they had come across some powerful opponents during the last raid a few months ago. As a result of the failed raid, they had not only been unable to gather new resources but had lost their own in the fight. In general, the Divine Sovereign Justice Sect wouldn't provide aid for independent raids conducted by their affiliated sects. Unless the latter presented the former with vast resources beyond their normal tribute, the Divine Sovereign Justice Sect wouldn't interfere. The Holy Crest Sect was left to their own devices.

The Holy Crest Sect had suffered heavy losses from the raid, and the fact that the season for making tribute every year was approaching made things worse. Everyone in the sect was plagued by worry. They tightened their belts while their hunger for resources—for refining artifacts and cultivation—intensified and reached its climax.

Inner sect disciples often went out and employed all means and ways to resolve their need for resources. Some made their artifact refinement services available to others, while others joined other sects. Some began fighting amongst themselves. Others, like Long Nanzi, wandered the lands in search of opportunity.

Despite the dire situation they were in, the Holy Crest Sect was still a sect that had been standing for two thousand years. It had built a sizable store, and that was evident; its mountain gates were constructed from black-ink soil and were situated on the fifth mountain ring on the Divine Eye planet.

The center of the planet was a basin where the royal residence stood. The residence was closed to the public permanently. The royal grounds were surrounded by eight vast mountain ranges that circled the royal residence like eight huge powerful dragons. Each mountain range was separated by vast stretches of land. Some said that the land between each mountain range could form an entire world. They weren't exaggerating at all!

The inner three rings were occupied by the three great sects. They had colonized part of the mountain range. The exercise appeared to be for the benefit of the planet, so the sects could better defend the planet. But their true objective was to imprison the royal family and exert pressure on the royalty.

The outer fourth to eighth rings were occupied by smaller sects. The nearer one was to the inner rings, the richer the Spirit Qi, and the more ideal their location.

The Holy Crest Sect was located on the fifth ring. Most of their buildings were crafted from black-ink soil, a type of soil that had the ability to absorb Spirit Qi and form Spirit Stones. Both had been a result of the hard work of Holy Crest Sect pioneers.

Outside the sect's gates stood an enormous statue. It towered thousands of feet and was crafted from Spirit Stones that had been compressed to their limits. Wang Baole couldn't help but gasp when he saw the statue. It was beyond anything he had seen in the Solar System.

And this is just a minor sect? Wang Baole blinked. Long Nanzi's memories told him that the Holy Crest Sect wasn't only a small sect, it was currently facing some troubles. The statue before Wang Baole's eyes seemed to tell another story though. He had no idea of its worth, but he was sure that the money earned from selling it would definitely help the sect tide through its current financial crisis.

Questions filled Wang Baole's head as he continued racing towards the Holy Crest Sect. As he approached, he stared at the enormous statue again, then licked his lips. After, he turned towards the sect. Black buildings, palaces big and small, in the thousands, filled his sight.

The sect was the combined size of three Upper Academy Islands of the Ethereal Dao College. Its population was almost pitiful though. He could see a hundred or more people bustling around in the distance. Beyond that, there didn't seem to be many more people. It gave the impression that the entire sect only consisted of those hundred or so people.

Wang Baole watched as they hurried along in their own affairs, a strange look settling on his face. He suddenly understood what Long Nanzi's memories had been describing regarding the sect's current situation.

Because… almost everyone in the sect was tearing down their residences at great speed. They appeared practiced at this and were dismantling the buildings into their basic components without damaging anything in the process…

There were frequent cheers rising in the air, sounding like words of encouragement.