Chapter 13: The Millennial Sect, Jiuli

[Environmental Investigation and Defense Bureau, Liangzhou Branch Report]

[In response to headquarters’ directive, our office launched a raid two days ago on two suspected “Peach Blossom Spring” strongholds within the city. The following is the report on the operation’s outcome.]

[During the operation, a suspected cultivation group was discovered. After review by the public security system, they have been transferred to our bureau. Application for Operation No. 4 is currently under approval...]

[A total of 192 first-class special operatives were mobilized for this mission, with nine casualties. Detailed information is as follows... Special funding has been requested for compensation and medical subsidies. Prompt approval is requested.]

Within the secure data room, the glow from the computer screen illuminated a face creased with deep frowns. Lu Zhenhai swiped his mouse, scrolling through one operational report after another, his eyes growing ever darker.

When it came to the Peach Blossom Spring matter, the government machinery had shown commendable efficiency. Within days of receiving the order, dozens of overt and covert blitz operations had been launched throughout Liangzhou City, involving nearly five figures in personnel numbers. In terms of scale, it was unprecedented, if not outright historic.

As the saying goes, a crafty rabbit has three burrows; the Peach Blossom Spring, however, must have at least three hundred. Despite such a vast-scale sweep, the Environmental Sanitation Bureau had not captured a single core member of the enemy.

Upon understanding the situation, the Beijing headquarters issued an urgent supplementary directive, demanding that all units be granted expanded authority to conduct thorough investigations into all related intelligence.

As head of the Liangzhou branch, Lu Zhenhai fully comprehended the implications of this order.

The card reader at the door beeped approval, and several agents entered the room. Their badges, hanging from their chests, identified them—all were second-class special operatives, the lowest rank being B-grade.

“Team Leader Lu, the clearance for reviewing the intelligence has been granted,” said the lead agent, holding a document stamped with the national seal.

“The clearance is valid for twelve hours. During this period, personnel on the list may take turns accessing all materials related to the ‘Peach Blossom Spring,’ with the highest clearance level being Top Secret.”

“Twelve hours... that’s truly unprecedentedly long,” Lu Zhenhai nodded. Without further ado, he took the document and pushed open the secure data room door, where several elite agents were already waiting outside.

Ten minutes later, they stood before a sealed confidentiality chamber. The door bore no label except for a bright red sign that read: “No Entry Without Invitation.”

One by one, they verified their identities. The thick, iron-soundproof door slowly creaked open, revealing the interior.

The confidentiality chamber resembled a study, though small, housing several filing cabinets and a desk for document review. On the desk lay neatly arranged files of varying types—from yellowed parchment scrolls to modern printed papers—all bearing the red stamp of “Top Secret.”

The slightest leak of information at this level warranted a military tribunal. Even the seasoned Lu Zhenhai could not help but adopt a serious demeanor. He stepped forward, his gaze sweeping over the documents before finally settling on an unassuming stack of printed papers.

“What is this?” he asked the archivist beside him, pointing to the two large characters printed on the pages: “Jiuli.”

“As you can see, this is the sect history of the Jiuli Sect—of course, a replica,” the archivist replied. “According to our verification, the last time the Peach Blossom Spring appeared was during the Northern and Southern Dynasties. Several prominent Central Plains cultivation sects united to oppose it; the Jiuli Sect was among them. This historical record is included in their sect history and is probably the most detailed account we can find.”

The Jiuli Sect was one of the oldest existing sects in China, said to have originated in the Western Han, flourished during the Sui and Tang dynasties, and at its peak was the leading power in the Central Plains cultivation world, with influence spanning beyond the modern boundaries of China. Even after centuries of ups and downs, it remained a formidable force.

More importantly, among the many powerful sects, Jiuli was one of the few openly supportive of the government’s cause. It not only provided a wealth of cultivation techniques and spiritual artifacts to the government but also supplied the initial batch of out-of-system cultivators during the early years of state formation. It was arguably a cornerstone supporting China’s cultivation system, and even the Environmental Sanitation Bureau’s establishment owed some credit to it.

Lu Zhenhai had long known of Jiuli’s high status, always ranking near the top on the government’s list of allied sects. Any disciple arriving would be treated at least with a deputy division level’s respect.

He had previously harbored some reservations, feeling this was preferential treatment for the ancient cultivation traditions. But only now, upon seeing this replica of their historical record in person, did he truly understand why they merited such status.

Much like secular dynastic histories, major cultivation sects often revised their own chronicles. Unlike mundane histories, however, sect histories inevitably detailed their own elders’ cultivation paths and legacies, thus generally regarded as internal secrets not to be shared publicly.

Now, Jiuli’s willingness to share part of their sect history with the authorities was tantamount to a major power disclosing military secrets—an unprecedented act revealing much about their relationship.

“Let’s start with this,” Lu Zhenhai said, stepping forward to pick up the documents.

Even apart from the Peach Blossom Spring task, having the opportunity to peruse the millennia-old history of a major sect was exceedingly rare. Clearly, he was not alone in thinking so. The moment he lifted the files, several agents gathered around, passing the documents among themselves.

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The history had been specially translated and was not difficult to read. Wearing gloves, Lu Zhenhai gently turned the first page. Beneath the cover was an ink inscription: “Jiuli, Year of Yimao to Year of Wuji.”

Next to the ink characters, a pen annotation read: “AD 384–602.”

Cultivators’ perception of time differed from mortals’, and sect histories used various dating methods: the celestial stems and earthly branches system, sect-era year names, or references to the birthdays of great elders. Studying these was challenging.

After several errors, the Environmental Sanitation Bureau assigned dedicated revision personnel to correlate sect internal dating methods with the Gregorian calendar for easier study.

The lengthy history mostly described sect personnel changes, and the wars and alliances between cultivation sects. The bureau agents tacitly skipped the minutiae, focusing only on key points related to the “Peach Blossom Spring.”

[AD 386: The Peach Blossom Spring’s demonic forces grew increasingly rampant, controlling half of the Central Plains by manipulating the Jin dynasty. Its followers numbered over a hundred thousand, feared by many cultivation sects.]

[To resist the demons, Jiuli and the Eight Great Sects retreated north of the Central Plains, supported the Tuoba clan’s rise to emperor, establishing the Northern Wei dynasty to consolidate their territory.]

“One hundred thousand followers? Isn’t that figure exaggerated?” someone immediately remarked. “Today, even the largest sect outside the system, the Taiping Sect, counts only a few tens of thousands of disciples. What was the population of the Central Plains during the Northern and Southern Dynasties? Could Peach Blossom Spring really gather so many cultivators?”

Lu Zhenhai flipped through the pages as he answered: “Historically, Peach Blossom Spring was not a single sect or force, but an alliance. It involved not just Central Plains cultivation sects, but also Buddhist orders, nomadic tribes, and even some demon clans. That alone sets it apart from ordinary sects.”

“Besides, remember that cultivators often live for centuries. These hundreds of thousands may be an accumulation over several hundred or even a thousand years. During that time, mortal dynasties may have changed several times.”

“Speaking of dynasties, it says Jiuli and a faction of Central Plains sects supported the Northern Wei, but I recall the Northern Wei was initially controlled by the Xianbei people.”

Another asked, “During the Five Barbarians’ upheaval, Central Plains cultivation sects and foreign barbarian deities were at each other’s throats. Why then would they accept the patronage of foreign mortal rulers?”

“Do you care what breed of hen lays your eggs?” Lu Zhenhai replied. “To ancient cultivators, mortal dynasties were like hens—tools to offer incense and define territorial boundaries. As long as the purpose was served, they didn’t care about the breed of the worshipper.”

This explained why ancient cultivation sects generally abstained from internal palace political struggles. No matter how royal families changed, as long as the new monarchs offered incense, cultivators remained indifferent.

Conversely, mortal dynasties often adjusted themselves to suit their occult patrons. For instance, during the Five Barbarians’ upheaval, Han regions under barbarian sect control often showed signs of barbarization. Northern Wei was the opposite, enforcing aggressive sinicization policies, especially under Emperor Xiaowen, who changed surnames and customs to align with the Central Plains sects.

This was the historical trend, and even a sect as friendly to mortals as Jiuli could not escape its influence, only gradually shifting views later.

“Enough talk. Time is limited; read on,” Lu Zhenhai said, though his eyes never left the scrolls, his mind racing to absorb every detail.

[AD 420: The Jin dynasty’s fortune waned, offering scant tribute, angering Peach Blossom Spring. They killed the emperor, established the Song dynasty, and opposed us across the Yellow River.]

[AD 450: Peach Blossom Spring dispatched forces northward along three routes... Defending cultivators and mortal troops fought fiercely, killing nearly ten thousand, forcing the enemy to retreat to the Yangtze River.] (Note 1)

[AD 479: Peach Blossom Spring changed its ruling house again, renaming Song to Qi. The sects conferred and decided to launch a surprise attack... The enemy deployed over a dozen ‘Waterwalking Nascent Soul’ cultivators by the Fei River, flooding the area. Our sect members were overwhelmed and retreated.] (Note 2)

[AD 482: The Eight Great Sects negotiated peace with Peach Blossom Spring, pledging mutual non-interference.]

[AD 507: Peach Blossom Spring attempted further expansion. The Eight Great Sects sent elite forces south to attack, while the Wei dynasty mobilized a million troops to battle at Shaoyang Island... A crushing defeat ensued, elite forces routed, accompanied by countless mortal casualties.] (Note 3)

[AD 534: Three of the northern Eight Great Sects defected, surrendering lands west of the Qinling Mountains to Peach Blossom Spring, forming the Qi dynasty, creating a pincer against the south. We convened to discuss countermeasures with the remaining four sects...]

As the pages turned, the room grew silent. No one spoke; all were silently absorbing the little-known history.

During the Wei and Jin periods, Peach Blossom Spring had risen from southern Central Plains, secretly controlling the Eastern Jin. When the Eastern Jin weakened due to internal strife and failed to offer tribute, Peach Blossom Spring forcibly changed its guise, assassinating Emperor Gong of Jin and installing the Song dynasty.

Over the next century, it similarly established the Song, Qi, Liang, and Chen southern dynasties, absorbing various supernatural forces to tightly control southern Central Plains.

Under Peach Blossom Spring’s pressure, the remaining major sects retreated north, uniting their territories to form the Northern Wei, opposing the enemy in a stalemate lasting over a century.

However, as the enemy grew stronger, northern sects saw defections, resulting in the Northern Wei splitting: those resisting the enemy moved west to become Northern Zhou, while defectors formed Northern Qi—Jiuli belonging to the former. (Note 4)

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Were Qin Jiajia here, she might shudder at the terrifying influence of cultivators: dynasties founded at their behest, royal authority resting on offerings to them. The rise and fall of countless dynasties hinged on the will of great sects behind the scenes. Emperors were but ants in their palms—a chilling thought indeed.

But those present were battle-hardened veterans, like voracious readers of countless web novels—such tropes had grown stale; the ending was predictable from the start.

Historically, the weakest at the outset, Northern Zhou, ultimately destroyed Northern Qi and Southern dynasties, renamed the state Sui, ending the era of disunity after over four centuries.

From the transcendent perspective, this history represented the Jiuli Sect and allied sects’ miraculous reversal, crushing Peach Blossom Spring, restoring order in the cultivation world—a legendary feat from any angle.

With beginning and end known, the question remained: what about the process?

[AD 563: The Zhou dynasty’s eastern campaign failed. Surrounded by enemies and rebels, our sect’s refuge shrank to the Western Sichuan region—a dire struggle for survival.]

[The sect leader issued urgent orders, exhausting internal resources, recruiting talents and strong scattered cultivators from all directions, regardless of origin, seeking only to defeat the enemy.]

“…Is this a desperate gamble?” someone finally spoke up.

In ancient views, scattered cultivators were often seen as the lowest rung, always begging to be admitted by major sects. Jiuli’s large-scale recruitment of such scattered cultivators could only be explained as a desperate measure.

No one expected success from this approach, and subsequent records confirmed their doubts.

Within a year, only about a hundred came to Jiuli’s aid, mostly at the Qi Refinement or Foundation Establishment stages, barely affecting the overall situation. Even reading the text conveyed Jiuli’s dire straits, waning fighting spirit, and a pervasive sense of impending doom.

Until a special entry appeared.

[AD 564: Word reached the northwest of a scattered cultivator single-handedly slaughtering over a dozen Peach Blossom Spring sects, causing widespread terror.]

[The sect sent agents to investigate, learning his surname was Zhou, Daoist name Wuqing, thus called Zhou Wuqing.]

Suddenly, the room’s atmosphere lifted.

For over a hundred years, the southern and northern forces had battled without clear victory, with Peach Blossom Spring gaining the upper hand, making them feel oppressed. Now, a heavenly savior had arrived, jolting everyone awake.

Though Peach Blossom Spring’s scale made a dozen small sects insignificant, Zhou Wuqing’s single-handed achievements radiated immense power.

Could this be the turnaround point? The thought crossed everyone’s minds as they leaned forward eagerly.

[The sect leader deliberated with elders for days, sending thirteen disciples bearing heavy gifts to invite him to join.]

[The following month, the disciples returned, reporting they were expelled by Zhou Wuqing.]

“He… refused?”

The group exchanged silent glances.

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Note 1: The second Northern Expedition of Yuanjia, 11th year of the Taiping Zhenjun era, Northern Wei.

Note 2: Battle of Shouyang, 3rd year of the Taihe era, Northern Wei.

Note 3: Battle of Zhongli, 4th year of the Zhengshi era, Northern Wei.

Note 4: After the Northern Wei split, it briefly existed as Eastern and Western Wei, later becoming Northern Qi and Northern Zhou, understood in this novel’s worldview as a regime change overseen by the secret sects.

Because the history of the Jin and Northern and Southern Dynasties is relatively obscure, many details are omitted to maintain narrative pace. Similar treatment will be given to other lesser-known periods later. We ask for understanding from history enthusiasts.