The cultivation world was divided into ten great cities, each controlled by one of the most powerful factions in existence.
All ten cities were built upon the same colossal earth vein, known as the Heavenly Conqueror Dragon Earth Vein. It stretched beneath the land like a giant dragon, with ten towering mountains rising along its length. The spiritual qi gathered around these mountains was far denser than anywhere else in the world, making them the most desirable places for cultivation.
Twenty thousand years ago, the earth vein had been discovered by a cultivator who would later become known as the Heavenly Conqueror.
At the time, he was already the strongest cultivator in the world. After defeating his rivals and bringing the entire cultivation world under his control, he received the title of Heavenly Conqueror. It was a name earned through strength, not granted out of respect.
He established his cultivation ground on the Dragon Earth Vein and eventually broke through to the Void Transformation Realm, leaving the mortal world behind and ascending to a higher domain.
After his departure, the most powerful factions moved their strongholds to the ten mountains. As the years passed, their settlements grew into enormous cultivation cities, each governed by a different faction with its own laws and customs.
Although they shared the same earth vein, the ten cities were far from united. Their rulers competed for resources, influence, and control over the surrounding regions. Conflicts between them were common, and disputes over valuable treasures could easily turn into bloody wars.
Nevertheless, the cities also became the main trading centers of the cultivation world. Cultivators traveled from far and wide to purchase rare resources, exchange treasures, and seek opportunities to advance their cultivation.
Among the ten great cities, Blood Moon City was the most unusual.
The city remained shrouded in darkness throughout the year, and dense Yin Qi filled its streets and alleys. It naturally attracted devils, ghosts, and cultivators who practiced sinister cultivation methods.
Unlike the other nine cities, Blood Moon City belonged to no faction.
No single power had managed to establish control over it, and its inhabitants followed a simple rule: strength determined everything. Killing, robbery, and bloodshed were ordinary occurrences, and those who lacked the strength to protect themselves rarely lived long.
In a neglected corner of the city stood a small establishment called the Free Heart Inn.
A man sat alone beside one of its windows, watching the street outside. The light from a few lanterns barely penetrated the fog, leaving most of the surroundings hidden in darkness.
He was Liang Yifei.
He sat quietly, waiting for his guests.
Before long, five men entered the inn. They exchanged no greetings and walked straight toward his table, taking their places around him.
Liang Yifei glanced at each of them before speaking.
"It is not too late to reconsider."
None of the five answered.
They had not come this far without understanding the risks. Each had already lost something that could never be recovered, and none of them had any intention of abandoning the chance to settle their debts.
Seeing their expressions, Liang Yifei said nothing more. He opened his spatial ring and took out five black formation disks, handing one to each man.
"Your destinations have already been decided. Each of you will travel to one of the ten great cities and place the formation disk at the location we discussed. Once everything is ready, I will contact you. Do not activate the formation before receiving my signal."
The five men examined their disks and put them away.
After confirming their instructions, they left the inn one after another.
Liang Yifei watched them disappear into the fog.
All five had once been promising cultivators. Under different circumstances, they might have joined powerful factions, acquired valuable inheritances, and built reputations of their own.
Instead, they had all become enemies of people they could not afford to offend.
In the cultivation world, having talent was useful, but it offered little protection against someone with greater power and influence.
Li Gang was the first of them.
He had once lived peacefully with his dao companion, until the day he returned home and found her dead.
It did not take him long to discover who was responsible. An elder of the Divine Phoenix Sect had taken an interest in her rare physique and killed her when she refused to submit.
The laws of Rising Flame City prohibited murder, but those laws meant little when the offender was a Nascent Soul cultivator from the very faction that ruled the city.
Li Gang sought help, only to discover that no one was willing to stand against the Divine Phoenix Sect. Those who knew the truth either avoided him or advised him to forget the matter.
He could do nothing but remain beside his dao companion's body, his hands clenched as he struggled to contain his anger.
Then he sensed someone behind him.
A cold voice came from the shadows.
"What would you be willing to do for revenge?"
Li Gang turned around. After a brief moment, he began to laugh. His laughter grew louder, but there was nothing joyful about it.
"Anything," he replied. "As long as I can kill him, I will do anything."
The stranger was Liang Yifei.
He took out a thin sheet of paper and placed it before Li Gang.
"I can help you get your revenge, but you must understand that the price may be your life. If you accept, leave some of your blood essence on this contract."
Li Gang did not ask any questions. He forced several drops of blood essence from his body and let them fall onto the paper.
He had already decided what his life was worth.
Guan Wei had brought his misfortune upon himself through his own arrogance.
Once, he had believed that his talent made him superior to other cultivators. He spoke carelessly, offended elders of the Heavenly Conqueror Sect, and even insulted the sect's founder.
The consequences were immediate.
The sect sent its disciples after him, and he barely escaped with his life. His injuries were severe enough that he spent a long time recovering, unable to cultivate properly.
When he finally emerged from seclusion, he received another piece of bad news.
His own sect had been exterminated in retaliation for his actions.
Whether the Heavenly Conqueror Sect had intended to destroy the entire sect from the beginning or had simply used the incident as an excuse no longer mattered. Guan Wei had lost everything, and the survivors, if there were any, had scattered.
He became a wandering cultivator, moving from place to place and avoiding the attention of powerful factions.
Eventually, he encountered Liang Yifei and accepted the same contract as Li Gang.
Zhang Lie had once been a disciple of the Hidden Moon Sect.
His life changed when a group of bandits attacked his sect without warning. The attack was swift and brutal, leaving the sect in ruins. Zhang Lie survived only because he happened to be away when the slaughter began.
For a long time, he believed that ordinary bandits had been responsible.
Later, he discovered the truth. The attackers had been agents of the Heavenly Thunder Palace, the faction that controlled Thunderbolt City. They had disguised themselves as bandits to conceal their identities while seizing a treasure belonging to the Hidden Moon Sect.
The treasure was all they had wanted. The lives they destroyed meant nothing to them.
Zhang Lie had neither the strength nor the connections to challenge the Heavenly Thunder Palace. He could only conceal his identity and wander the cultivation world, waiting for an opportunity to avenge his sect.
That opportunity appeared when he met Liang Yifei.
Han Zhi had been a talented disciple of the Dragon Terrace Sect, which ruled Dragon Terrace City.
His troubles began when he was accused of stealing a priceless artifact from the sect treasury. Despite his repeated denials, the evidence presented against him was enough for the sect to declare him guilty.
He was expelled, and a bounty was placed on his head.
Han Zhi knew that the accusation was false, but proving his innocence was beyond his abilities. The sect had already made its decision, and no one was willing to risk offending it on his behalf.
He fled Dragon Terrace City and spent the following years moving between remote settlements, constantly watching for pursuers.
Eventually, he encountered Liang Yifei and accepted his offer.
Li Xin's situation was different from that of the others, but the result was much the same.
He had been a disciple of the Green Lotus Sect when he fell in love with a woman from the Immortal Jade Sect, the faction that controlled Myriad Fantasy City.
Their relationship was discovered, and the Immortal Jade Sect decided that the woman had violated its rules. She was executed, leaving Li Xin with no chance to save her.
His pleas were ignored. His status as a disciple was revoked, and he was publicly humiliated before being cast out of the Green Lotus Sect.
After losing the woman he loved and the sect he had once called home, Li Xin had little reason to remain where he was. He left and became a wandering cultivator, carrying his hatred with him.
When Liang Yifei approached him, he accepted the contract without hesitation.
The five men had different backgrounds, but their circumstances had brought them to the same point. Each had suffered at the hands of someone more powerful, and none possessed the strength to settle their grievances alone.
Liang Yifei had offered them a chance to change that.
In exchange, they had agreed to follow his instructions, knowing that the arrangement could cost them their lives.
For now, they would travel to the ten great cities and place the formation disks where he had instructed them.
The rest would depend on Liang Yifei's plan.
And he had no intention of allowing it to fail.