Along the way, several fiend cultivators and groups of bandits attacked Li Shenrong and Jessi, but all of them were swiftly dealt with by her.
"Sure enough, chaos has descended. Bandits and evil cultivators are running amok."
The sects and clans that used to uphold rules and order were either destroyed or busy saving themselves.
Jessi and Li Shenrong arrived before a broken cliff. It seemed as if the entire land had been uprooted by some unfathomable force. The strongest sect of the eastern territory was no more, only a vast, gaping pit remained.
Some fortunate elders and disciples knelt on the ground, crying uncontrollably. Ninety-five percent of the sect's population had perished. Jessi felt a tug of pain in her heart. For a moment, she felt powerless and despair.
"We had hundred thousand disciples…. But everyone died…." Her voice was incoherent as crystal clear tear drops fell down.
Li Shenrong remained expressionless. He offered no words of comfort. His gaze stretched far into the distance, lost in thought.
Wiping her tears, Jessi said softly, "I always thought I never belonged to this world. I considered myself an outsider, a temporary visitor. Who knew my feelings had long been tied to this land? This pain… it feels like I've lost something precious." Though she tried to hold back her tears, they still overflowed.
Li Shenrong withdrew his gaze and looked at her fair beautiful face. "Your heart considered it as your second home. As you stayed here and accumulated karma, you entangled yourself with it, thus this feeling."
"Even so… I never thought I'd cry like this. It's embarrassing," she whispered.
"It's good that you did," Li Shenrong replied, his tone carrying a deeper meaning. "It means your heart is still alive."
"Lord, what about you? You seemed to be unrestrained by seven emotions and six desires."
"Me…" Li Shenrong paused for a moment before replying quietly, "Even if I told you, you wouldn't understand."
Jessi didn't press further. By now, the surviving elders and disciples had gathered behind her, bowing respectfully.
"Sect Master…" the Grand Elder's eyes were red.
Jessi remained silent. She didn't know what to do anymore. She had always dreamed of reaching the Demi-God realm and leaving this world behind. She planned to pass down the sect's inheritance and depart once her duty was complete. Yet now, even though she had achieved that long desired realm, but the sect was gone. She felt guilty and unfulfilled at the same time. When she glanced at the face of the elders and disciples she couldn't bear to say that she had always wanted to leave.
They waited for her command. To them, Jessi was still the pillar of the Locust Sect. Even if the foundation was gone, as long as she remained, the sect could rise again. After all, she was the only Demi God in the east.
"Let's create a sect," Li Shenrong said suddenly.
His words stunned everyone. Then came a wave of joy and hope. Jessi looked at him in surprise; she had never imagined he would be interested in founding a sect. With someone like him presiding, even a newly established sect would soon become a dominating force.
"That's fantastic! Under lords protection, the sect would thrive." The elders spoke, his eyes full of sparkle. The others nodded eagerly, already imagining the rise of a glorious new sect.
"Lord, since you'll be the master of the sect, you should name it yourself," Jessi said with a smile.
Li Shenrong thought for a moment, then said, "Illusory Dao Sect."
From that moment, the Illusory Dao Sect was born.
He chose Ghostly Ridge as the sect's ancestral ground. Everyone was confused by his decision, why pick a place filled with death and destruction? As far as the eye could see, the land reeked of decay because the great calamity had started from this very place.
"Lord, this place…" Jessi frowned. Even someone of her cultivation felt uneasy after staying there for only a short time.
Keep in mind, a sect's ancestral ground is extremely important. It was a vital area, a root. So people would chose the best place filled with rich spiritual energy and large earth vein to create the ancestral ground.
"Worried about the death Qi?" Li Shenrong asked.
Jessi nodded.
"Just watch…" He walked forward and took out a massive pile of materials, so vast it looked like a small hill. Precious herbs, spiritual metals, rare minerals, and luminous jewels shimmered in the dim light, each more valuable than the last. If anyone saw this, their jaws would drop to the ground in greed.
Jessi herself was shocked after seeing the pile of materials.
She watched as he picked up the materials one by one. Sometimes he placed them on the ground, sometimes buried them deep below, and sometimes turned metals into powder and scattered them across the land. It appeared random at first, but with her keen perception, Jessi soon recognized the underlying pattern. Her eyes brightened as she realised he was laying down a formation.
Three days passed before the first pile was used up. Then, to her disbelief, Li Shenrong took out another. He had already covered several hundred miles, yet he continued without rest.
"What kind of formation is this…" Even someone like her felt dizzy just watching. Before, she wouldn't have dared to imagine such a vast formation but during the battle she witnessed many things that she had previously thought impossible.
"Finally… it's done." Five days later, Li Shenrong stood up and stretched. His face was slightly pale.
"Sigh, my cultivation isn't high. Fixing a formation like this still puts a toll on me." Li Shenrong complained in his heart.
Then he made a hand seal as his finger tips glowed with golden light. "Open!"
The countless materials sank into the earth, merging into glowing diagrams that spread for miles. A blinding light erupted, sweeping away the dense death qi that had tainted the land. An invisible net rose from beneath the surface, forming a vast sphere of shimmering white light.
Li Shenrong continued to make hand signs as changes appeared inside the sphere. An earth crust started to rise rapidly, creating a tall mountain which seemingly touching the cloud. Rich spiritual energy started spreading out in all directions within the light sphere. Rivers and lakes formed, small hills placed themselves neatly one over another, trees that could blot out the sky stuck together, creating a thick forest. Everything happened within an hour.
Jessi stood there, speechless. "This… can be done like this?" Her understanding of the world was collapsing once again.
Li Shenrong just smiled without explaining.
Then he gathered some soil from the tallest mountain and personally crafted a square shaped hall at its foot. Jessi noticed how meticulous he was, shaping every detail with care. She offered to help several times, but he refused each time.
When he finally finished, she asked, "Lord, what is this hall for? It looks ordinary."
Li Shenrong sealed the door with a metal rod, his expression calm and satisfied. "This shall be the ancestral ground of the Illusory Dao Sect," he said. His gaze lingered on the square hall. "As for this, make sure no one ever opens its door."
Jessi didn't ask further and nodded respectfully. The rich spiritual qi refreshed her mind as she sighed inwardly. "Only someone like him could create such a place."
When the disciples and elders entered the ancestral ground, they were left in awe. None could believe this paradise was now their home.
"Sect Master, this is…" The Grand Elder looked at Jessi in disbelief.
She smiled. "From now on, this will be our new home." After a pause, her tone turned solemn. "But only core disciples may enter and cultivate here. Grand Elder, you will oversee the expansion and management of the outer territory."
The Grand Elder clasped his fists. "Of course. I shall live up to your expectations."
Under his guidance, the construction of the Inner Sect began, towering peaks were carved from the earth. Each mountain was infused with spiritual veins to house future halls and cultivation chambers. Rivers were redirected and widened, the tributaries were connected with the source which was inside the ancestral ground. Forests of rare spirit trees were transplanted, of course it was given by Li Shenrong. The highest peaks were reserved as abodes for the Elders, while the surrounding ridges became the residences of inner disciples, each space carefully planned to harmonize with the flow of qi. As for the outer part of the sect, it was built similar but roughly.
To protect all of it, Li Shenrong layed powerful formations throughout the land. The ancestral ground became the heart of an invisible network of defense. If danger approached, the formations would activate, shrouding the Inner and Outer Sects under a veil of illusion.
If someone were to get a view of the Illusory Dao sect from the sky, they'd just see the outer part of the sect. The inner part of the sect would be obscured.
The creation of the Illusory Dao sect was announced. Responsibility of recruiting and injecting new blood to the sect was left for the grand elder.
"Illusory Dao sect will recruit disciples!" This news spread out like wild fire.