The immortal is beside me

Chapter 13: Millennium Sect, Jiuli

【Report from the Environmental Investigation and Defense Agency’s Liangzhou Branch】

Following headquarters' request, our office launched a surprise raid on two suspected "Taohuayuan" strongholds in the city the day before yesterday. The results of the operation are reported as follows.

[During the operation, a suspected spiritual practice group was discovered. The case has been transferred to our office after investigation by the public security system. The application for Operation No. 4 is under review.]

A total of 192 Class A Special Enforcement Officers were mobilized for this operation, with 9 casualties. The details are as follows. We have applied for special funding for compensation and sickness allowances. Please respond as soon as possible.

In the confidential computer room, the computer's fluorescent light reflected a frowning face. Lu Zhenhai slid the mouse through the action reports, his eyes becoming increasingly gloomy.

In the case of Peach Blossom Spring, the government machinery demonstrated its expected efficiency. Within a few days of receiving the order, dozens of blitzkrieg operations, both overt and covert, were launched within Liangzhou City, involving nearly five figures of personnel. The scale of the operation was unprecedented, if not unprecedented.

As the saying goes, a cunning rabbit has three burrows, but this Peach Blossom Spring must have at least three hundred. Despite such a large-scale investigation, the Environmental Sanitation Bureau hadn't apprehended a single key member of the opposing team.

After understanding the situation, the Beijing headquarters urgently issued additional instructions, requiring all units to delegate their authority and conduct a comprehensive and thorough investigation of the relevant intelligence.

As the head of the Liangzhou branch, Lu Zhenhai naturally knew the meaning of this order.

The card reader in front of the door made a beeping sound indicating that the verification was passed. Several specialists opened the door and walked into the room. The work badges hanging on their chests showed their identities - all of them were second-class task force members, and the lowest rank was B.

"Captain Lu, the review permission for the intelligence has been approved."

The leading commissioner held up a piece of paper with a red national seal. "This document is valid for 12 hours. During this period, the individuals on the list may take turns accessing all materials related to 'Taohuayuan.' The highest access level is top secret."

"12 hours is truly unprecedentedly long."

Lu Zhenhai nodded, without further ado, took the paper and pushed open the door of the computer room. Several elite specialists were already waiting outside.

Ten minutes later, they stood in front of a sealed, confidential room. There was no label on the door, only the bright red words "No Trespassing" (No Trespassing).

Several people went through identity verification one by one, and the thick iron soundproof door slowly opened, revealing the scene inside.

The confidential room is arranged like a study, but it is very small, with room for only a few filing cabinets and a table for reference. Several rows of screened documents have been laid out on the table, ranging from yellowed parchment scrolls to modern printing paper. The only common feature is that each document is stamped with a red seal marked "Top Secret".

Anyone who leaks even a single word about a document of this level will be brought to court-martial. Even a seasoned veteran like Lu Zhenhai couldn't help but look serious. He walked slowly forward, his eyes sweeping across the documents on the table, and finally stopped at a seemingly ordinary stack of printed paper.

"What is this?" He pointed at the two words "Jiuli" copied on the paper and asked the archivist beside him.

"As you can see, it's the history of the Jiuli Sect—of course, it's a replica."

The archivist said, "After investigation, it turns out that the Peach Blossom Spring last appeared during the Northern and Southern Dynasties. Several Central Plains immortal sects once joined forces to fight against it, and the Jiuli Sect was one of them. This history is included in their sect history, which is probably the most detailed record we can find."

The Jiuli Sect, one of the oldest extant sects in China, is said to have originated during the Western Han Dynasty and flourished during the Sui and Tang Dynasties. At its peak, it even became the leading force in the Central Plains' immortal cultivation world, with a sphere of influence once larger than the entire territory of present-day China. Even in modern times, thousands of years later, despite the ups and downs of its power, it still maintains its dominance.

More importantly, among the many powerful sects, Jiuli Sect is one of the very few extraordinary forces that openly expresses support for the government. It not only provides the government with a large number of skills and spiritual weapons, but also sends the first batch of non-institutional monks to the official in the early days of the founding of the country. It can be said that it is a mainstay supporting China's cultivation system, and even the completion of the Environmental Sanitation Bureau has its contribution.

Before this, Lu Zhenhai knew that the Jiuli Sect had a very high status and was always at the top of the official list of allies. Any disciple who came would receive courtesy above the level of a director.

Originally, he had some complaints about this, thinking that it was preferential treatment for the ancient cultivators, but it was not until he saw the replica of the history book with his own eyes that he truly understood why they were able to obtain this status.

Like the chronicles of mortal dynasties, the major sects of the cultivation world often revise their own annals. However, unlike ordinary history, these sect histories often cannot avoid the cultivation paths and inheritance of the sect's great masters, and therefore, in most cases, they are considered internal secrets and not passed on to outsiders.

Now, the Jiuli Sect is willing to share part of its sect history with the official. This behavior is no less than the disclosure of military secrets between major powers, and its connotation is evident.

"Let's start with this." Lu Zhenhai stepped forward and picked it up.

Even putting aside the Peach Blossom Spring mission, the opportunity to read through the millennia-old history of a major sect was incredibly valuable. He was clearly not the only one thinking this way. As soon as he picked up the stack of documents, several specialists gathered around him, passing them around the table and reading them one by one.

The annals had been specially translated, making them easy to read. Lü Zhenhai donned gloves and gently flipped open the first page. Beneath the cover was a line of ink writing: "Jiuli Year Yimao to Year Wuyi."

Next to the ink writing was a note written in pen: 384-602 AD.

Immortal cultivators have a different understanding of time than ordinary people, so the way sect histories record time is also varied. Some use the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches as the calendar, some use the sect name as the era name, and some use the birthdays of great men as a reference. This makes research very difficult.

After several errors occurred, the Environmental Sanitation Bureau simply assigned special revision personnel to align the chronology of the sect's internal documents with the AD time to facilitate study.

The entire history book was quite long, mostly describing the personnel changes within the sects, as well as the wars and alliances between immortal sects, both large and small. The members of the Executive Bureau tacitly skipped over the trivial details and focused solely on the key parts related to "Peach Blossom Spring."

In 386 AD, the evil spirits of Peach Blossom Spring became increasingly rampant, holding the Jin Dynasty hostage and controlling half of the Central Plains. Their followers numbered in the hundreds of thousands, and many immortal sects feared them.

To resist the evil spirits, the Jiuli and the eight major clans retreated to the north of the Central Plains. They accepted the Tuoba clan's incense and established him as emperor, establishing the Great Wei Dynasty to consolidate their territory.

"Hundreds of thousands of disciples? Is that number wrong?" Someone immediately caught on to the phrase. "Now, excluding the cultivators within the system, the Taiping Sect, the largest sect in the country, only has 10,000 or 20,000 disciples, right? How many people were there in the Central Plains during the Northern and Southern Dynasties? How could Peach Blossom Spring alone attract so many cultivators?"

As Lü Zhenhai flipped through the book, he said, "Historically, Peach Blossom Spring wasn't a single sect or faction, but rather an alliance. Not only the Central Plains immortal sects, but also Buddhist sects, the grassland barbarians, and even some demon tribes had connections with it. This alone makes it unmatched by ordinary sects."

"And don't forget, monks are monsters who can easily live for hundreds of years. These hundreds of thousands of people may seem like a lot, but in reality, they are the result of hundreds or even thousands of years of accumulation. In that time, the mortal dynasty may have changed several times."

"Speaking of dynasties, it says here that the Jiuli and a group of Central Plains immortal sects supported the Northern Wei, but I remember that the Xianbei people were in power at the beginning of this dynasty, right?"

Someone else asked, "During the Five Barbarians' Invasion of China, the Central Plains Immortal Sects and the foreign barbarian gods fought each other to the death. Why are they accepting incense from mortals of foreign races now?"

"Do you care what breed of chicken the eggs you eat come from?" Lu Zhenhai asked. "In the minds of ancient cultivators, the mortal dynasty is like that hen, merely a tool for them to channel incense and offerings and define their territory. As long as their goal is achieved, they don't care about the breed of the offerings."

It is for this reason that the sects have basically not interfered in the palace political struggles throughout history. No matter how the royal family changes, as long as the new monarch is still willing to offer incense, the monks will not care.

Conversely, to accommodate the supernatural forces behind the scenes, mortal dynasties of different races often undergo self-improvement. For example, during the Five Barbarians' Invasion of China, Han Chinese regions ruled by barbarian sects often showed a tendency to assimilate to the barbaric state. The Northern Wei Dynasty, on the other hand, vigorously pursued a policy of sinicization from its founding, especially after Emperor Xiaowen came to power, when he adopted Han surnames and customs to appease the Central Plains immortal sects behind him. This was the prevailing trend of thought in ancient times, and even sects as friendly to mortals as the Jiuli Sect could not escape this historical context, and only gradually shifted their perspective later.

"Okay, stop chatting. Time is limited. Let's finish watching first."

While Lu Zhenhai was talking, his eyes were constantly looking at the history books. His brain was working at its limit, trying to remember as much information as possible in the limited time.

In 420 AD, the Jin Dynasty was declining and its tribute was minimal, causing discontent in the Peach Blossom Spring. They then killed the Jin Emperor, gave him a new name, and established the Song Dynasty, confronting us across the Yellow River.

In 450 AD, Taohuayuan sent people north to attack along three routes... The monks defending the area fought hard against the ordinary troops, killing nearly 1 enemies and forcing them to retreat to the Yangtze River. (Note )

In 479 AD, the Peach Blossom Spring changed its name again, from Song to Qi. After consultation, the various sects decided to attack the enemy by surprise. They sent a dozen water-traveling Yuanying cultivators to stand by the Fei River, using the flood to attack. The sect members were unable to resist and had to retreat. (Note 2)

In 482 AD, the Eight Sects came forward to negotiate with Taohuayuan, pledging not to interfere with each other.

In 507 AD, Taohuayuan wanted to expand again. The eight major clans gathered their elite troops and marched south to attack the enemy. The Wei Dynasty led an army of one million to follow them. They met the enemy at Shaoyang Island and were severely defeated. The elite troops fled and countless soldiers accompanying them were killed and wounded. (Note 3)

In 534 AD, three of the eight great northern clans defected, and the area west of the Qinling Mountains fell into the hands of the Peach Blossom Spring. The Qi Dynasty, now under attack from the south, held a meeting with the remaining four clans to discuss strategies for dealing with the enemy.

As the pages turned, the noise in the room gradually died down. No one spoke anymore. Everyone silently gazed at the lines of text, savoring that little-known history in their hearts.

During the Wei and Jin dynasties, the Taohuayuan, originating from the southern Central Plains, controlled the Eastern Jin Dynasty behind the scenes. After the Eastern Jin Dynasty declined due to civil strife and was unable to provide tribute, the Taohuayuan forced a change of allegiance, dispatched troops to kill Emperor Gong of Jin, and established a new dynasty, the Song Dynasty.

Over the next hundred years, it used similar methods to successively support the four major southern dynasties of Song, Qi, Liang, and Chen, while absorbing extraordinary forces from all sides and firmly controlling the entire southern Central Plains region.

Under the oppression of Taohuayuan, the remaining major tribes in the Central Plains had to retreat to the north collectively, unifying their autonomous territories into one, forming the Northern Wei Dynasty to confront it. They fought back and forth with the enemy and the stalemate lasted for more than a hundred years.

However, as the enemy grew stronger, some of the northern sects began to defect. The final result was that those who persisted in resisting the enemy retreated to the west, while the defectors occupied the east. The Northern Wei Dynasty was thus divided into two, namely the later Northern Zhou and Northern Qi. The Jiuli Sect belonged to the former. (Note 4)

If it were Qin Jiajia who was present, reading this record, she would inevitably be horrified by the terrifying influence of immortal cultivators: the establishment of dynasties was at the behest of immortal cultivators, and the majesty of monarchs relied on their offerings. Countless dynasties throughout history rose and fell at the whim of the immortal sects behind them, with even emperors being mere ants in their clutches. The thought is truly chilling.

But those standing here now are all veterans who have been through many battles, just like old bookworms who have read a lot of online books. They have seen too many similar routines and are no longer interested in them. They can guess the ending just by looking at the beginning.

Judging from historical results, the Northern Zhou Dynasty, which started out the weakest, eventually destroyed the Northern Qi Dynasty and the Southern Dynasties, changed its name to Sui Dynasty, ended the chaotic Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, and achieved unification after more than 400 years.

From an extraordinary perspective, this period of history corresponds to the Jiuli Sect and other immortal sects' desperate counterattack against the Peach Blossom Spring, rectifying the internal and external affairs, and reshaping the order of the Central Plains cultivation world. No matter which angle it is called a legend.

Now that we know the beginning and the end, the only thing left to explore is the process.

In 563 AD, the Zhou Dynasty's eastern expedition failed. Enemies and rebels attacked from both sides. Our clan only had Xichuan left to live in. This was a critical situation for our survival.

The Sect Master issued an urgent order, dispersing all the sect's resources and recruiting talented and powerful individuals from all corners of the country. No matter their background, they were only to defeat the enemy.

".Is this a desperate attempt to find a cure?" Seeing this, someone finally couldn't help but speak out.

In the ancient concept, independent cultivators were often regarded as the bottom of the world of immortal cultivation, and they could only beg for acceptance from the big sects. However, Jiuli began to recruit independent cultivators on a large scale at this time, which can only be explained as desperate efforts to find a cure.

No one would be optimistic about such medical skills, and the following records also prove this.

Over the course of a year, only a few hundred individuals joined the Jiuli sect, most of them at the Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment stages, making little difference to the overall situation. Just reading the text reveals the Jiuli sect's current stalemate, their fighting spirit fading, and a sense of impending doom permeating the sect.

Until a special line of records appeared.

In 564 AD, it was reported that a rogue cultivator in the northwest had single-handedly slaughtered dozens of sects in Peach Blossom Spring, causing great shock to the people.

The sect sent someone to investigate and learned that his surname was Zhou and his Taoist name was Wuqing, hence the name Zhou Wuqing.

Everyone in the room was cheered up.

For over a hundred years, the northern and southern factions had been locked in a fierce battle, with the Peach Blossom Spring side showing an increasingly clear advantage, which had made them somewhat depressed. Suddenly, a powerful figure appeared, waking everyone up.

Although the size of Peach Blossom Spring is such that a dozen small sects are just the tip of its iceberg, this mysterious cultivator named Zhou Wuqing has achieved this level of power on his own, and his terrifying strength is so obvious that it can be seen through paper.

Could this be the turning point? The same thought crossed everyone's mind, and they subconsciously craned their necks, eagerly looking down.

The Sect Master discussed with the elders for several days and sent thirteen disciples with valuable gifts to find the person and invite him to join the sect.

The following month, the disciple returned to the sect, claiming that Zhou Wuqing had expelled him.

"He... refused?"

Several people looked at each other in silence.

Note 1. The Second Northern Expedition of Yuanjia in the th year of Taiping Zhenjun in the Northern Wei Dynasty

Note 2. Battle of Shouyang in the third year of Taihe in the Northern Wei Dynasty

Note 3. Battle of Zhongli in the fourth year of the Zhengshi reign of the Northern Wei Dynasty

Note 4. After the Northern Wei Dynasty split, it briefly existed as the Eastern Wei and Western Wei. Later, due to internal power transfers, it became the Northern Qi and Northern Zhou. In the world view of this book, this can be understood as a change of generations led by the immortal sect behind the scenes.

Because the history of the Two Jin Dynasties and the Northern and Southern Dynasties is relatively unpopular, many details would slow down the story if they were written out in detail. Therefore, we can only make some simplifications and changes while ensuring that the general context is correct. Some unpopular periods to be written about later will also be handled in a similar way. I hope the history masters will forgive me.

(End of this chapter)