Is that a Wisp?
chapter-601

The Sky Shifting Sect was located three thousand kilometers from Capivari City. However, its territory was several times larger than that. Even so, they only control a tiny piece of land on the giant planet of Zamaria. Krune came to understand that the Godly Path Realm's planets are generally tens if not hundreds or even thousands of times larger.

Krune didn't go there by himself since he couldn't fly or open Spatial Gates anymore. He could have asked for Zule's help, but using his power might attract some attention and reveal his location. That being said, he simply paid the fee to use the Formations Master Guild Teleport Formation. It teleported both him and Iem directly at the sect's entrance.

Krune and Iem couldn't see the sect. That's because it was surrounded by a protection formation that blocked their vision. Krune could use his Mental Energy, but considering how gigantic the place is, his Mental Energy wouldn't be able to see even a 1/100 of the total. Still, there was another thing that caught Krune and Iem's attention.

As soon as they arrived there, they noticed a crowd with thousands of cultivators and demon beasts. The minimal required level is Divine Path Realm, but that doesn't mean higher ones can't come. As mentioned before, demon beasts gain sentience at the Semi-Divinity Realm. Obviously, all the demon beasts in this place are exactly in that realm or above.

Of course, the majority were humans since they could come with lower cultivations. Nevertheless, Krune was surprised to see so many cultivators and demon beasts trying to enter the sect.

"How come there are so many candidates? Don't they know that the sect is in a war at the moment?"

Iem couldn't help but agree with krune.

"Maybe the sect is offering some reward that makes them ignore the danger."

One cultivator beside them heard their words and laughed.

"Hahaha! Is it serious that you don't know why?"

Krune and Iem looked at him, surprised. Still, they shook their heads.

"We don't. Could this friend explain why this situation happened?"

The guy didn't mind before saying.

"No problem. First, just so that you know, my name is Tulike. Alright, it's not like it is a secret or anything. You were correct; there is a war going on at the moment. I believe you also know why this war is happening, right?"

Krune and Iem nodded.

"Because of the mountain range with the Chain of Top Quality Godly Energy Veins and the Godly Stone Mines around it."

Tulike nodded.

"The reason behind this crowd is exactly that mountain range. At the moment, the three sects are controlling one-third of the mountains' area. As you can expect, battles keep happening on their borders on a daily bases. However, it doesn't change the fact that that area is a cultivation paradise. The concentration and quality of the Godly Energy far surpass common regions."

Tulike continued.

"That being said, just staying there would double if not triple the cultivation speed of everyone. Not to mention that Godly Stones are abundant as well. All three sects have no time to care about the Godly Stones being taken, so everyone takes the chance to mine some for themselves. The sects are seeing it as a way of payment for their efforts during the war. As long as one of the sect takes full control of the mountain range, the little amount of Godly Stones lost will be meaningless."

"You must understand that to mine all the Godly Stones available in that place, at least a few hundred years would be necessary. And that is considering that the mountain range has an owner and is in peace. Can you imagine how trifle the number of Godly Stones those war combatants are taking is? Neither of the three sects could care about this at the moment. They only need more strength to defend and attack."

"Of course, not everyone can enter there, nor will you be free to do whatever you want. First, you have to pass the Sect Test. What use would be there if you were, let's say, a Divinity Realm cultivator but couldn't even fight a Semi-Divinity one? Divinity Realm people and beasts use a lot more energy and need more resources. Who would allow them to use their resources while they can't even fight Semi-Divinity ones?"

"Anyway, with so many rewards, who would care about a little bit of risk? Besides, it's not like the sect can obligate you to fight to the death. If you see that the situation of a battle is dire, you can still choose to flee. Of course, there are always those who can't flee in time or don't want to. So deaths also happen every day. Nonetheless, I can guarantee you that the flux of cultivators and demon beasts coming to knock the three sects' doors will not decrease for the next few years. If anything, it might get bigger and bigger instead."

Krune and Iem finally understood the whole situation.

"I see. Indeed, considering the advantages, no wonder so many want to join the sects. I just wonder how they treat spies and things like that."

Tulike shrugged his shoulders.

"It's pretty apparent, in my opinion. All sides have spies inside their troops. There is nothing any of the sides can do about that. In the end, they can only send several groups to battle and hope that their side is stronger. After all, unless you sent trustworthy subordinates into sneak attacks, most of the big scale battles will happen out in the open. Each side will know very well where and when it will happen."

Krune couldn't help but comment.

"Well, considering the area's size, even if we have tens of thousands of allies, it will be far from enough to control the borders. So having scouts and spies infiltrated is to be expected."

Time passed as Krune, Iem, and Tulike talked. Around one hour later, the sect protection formation opened. Only then did Iem and Krune take a look inside. Unfortunately, they won't be able to fly before the Mortal Rejection Realm, so there was only so much they could see from the ground.

Yet, the little they could see left them shocked. Although most of the building was like they expected, there were a few exceptions. Far, far in the distance, Krune and Iem were able to spot a few huge buildings shining with the color of Godly Stones! Yes, they were made out of Godly Stones! Just how lavish was it? However, most of the other cultivators and demon beasts didn't seem impressed with that sight. Evidently, Krune and Iem were part of the few country bumpkins in this place.

"Now I really believe they don't care about the Godly Stones taken by everyone during the war. If they have enough to make entire buildings with them, why would they care about such a small amount?"

Iem nodded his head vigorously. He was as amazed as Krune.

Soon, several elders came flying from inside the sect. Without a doubt, every single one of them was at least at the Mortal Rejection Realm. They looked at all the candidates that came this month with cold eyes as if they were nothing more than dead meat. They knew that the majority only came to take advantage of the situation of the Mountain Range. Obviously, they hated them. Still, they needed their help, so they could only go forward with the sect test.

"Listen up! We are now going to conduct the Sky Shifting Sect entrance exam. As you probably all know, the first will be a test of your cultivation level. The sect's entrance has a formation that will block anyone at the Void Breaking Realm or below. Just go ahead and enter it. If you don't meet the requirements, you will be automatically teleported back to Capivari City."

The elders didn't wait for the candidates to say anything and immediately returned to the sect. Without another choice, everyone could only step forward.

Krune and Iem didn't mind and moved ahead too. Surprisingly though, they were still able to see one or another flash of Silver Light around them. From the looks of it, those candidates were hiding their real cultivations.

"It seems like the Top Quality Godly Energy Veins are very alluring. A lot of Void Breaking or below also want to go there despite the risks."

Krune and Iem agree with Tulike.

Soon, it was their time to pass through the formation. Krune and Iem were already at the Divine View Realm, so they obviously passed through it without any problems. Tulike didn't encounter any trouble either.

It only took a few minutes for the first test to be completed.

Inside the sect, the elders that had appeared earlier were already waiting. They kept their cold looks as they surveyed everyone.

"Alright. With part of the trash out of the way, we can start the second part. Usually, the sect would make some elaborate test to gauge everyone's traits correctly. However, we don't have time for it. At the moment, we need strength to help during the war."

The elder waved his hand, and suddenly, a formation appeared under everyone's feet. Space around flashed with Silver Light before everyone disappeared. Krune's vision warped for a second before returning to normal. After his vision returned, he was in a separated field with Iem and a bunch of other cultivators. Tulike was also there. He noticed that a collar appeared around his neck as well. There were no demon beasts around this time, though. Krune didn't take long to understand why that was the case.

'Everyone got separated accordingly to their cultivation levels. Demon Beasts only gain sentience at the Semi-Divinity Realm, so there is obviously not a single one here.'

Suddenly, everyone received a Divine Sense message.

"Let's cut to the chase. You will fight against each other. Your objective is to gather ten collars, including your own. As soon as you finish, you will pass the test and be teleported out. You will have one hour to complete the test. If you fail, you will also be teleported back to Capivari City. Alright, that's all. You may start."

Krune and Iem were quite surprised. The sect was really making things very simple. Still, that was good for both of them.

Iem looked at Krune and laughed.

"Well, see you once you complete the test."

Krune laughed as well before nodding.

"Very well."

Tulike was surprised to see their confidence. However, it seemed like they ignored him and went after other targets. From the looks of it, his words back in the entrance made Krune and Iem unwilling to attack him.

"Do they think I'm weak?"

Tulike couldn't help but laugh. He then started the test as well.