1 Chapter 1

A group of nine cultivators stood before a decrypted village. Their colourful billowing robes did not match the background in which they stand. If a person from another world saw these groups of cultivators, they'd thought these were not a group of cultivators following the route of dao enlightenment. But a group of power rangers cosplayers.

There were three women, one wearing soft pastel pink robes, her name, Wu Jinjing. "This place seemed quite…"

"Depressed," Another woman in pastel green robes supplied. She's known as Luo Huifang. "This place is far more depressing than my friendly ghosts I kept around. Even they were far more vigorous at night."

Breaking the unspoken tradition of wearing pastel colours for robes was a woman, Lai Meihui. In saturated red robes with purple gradients. "It's too lifeless, how am I to cultivate when there is no one to cultivate with?" The woman rests her fingers on her cheeks, sighing over her damned fate.

"Oh, feeling itchy are you, little sister Meihui? Would you like one of my ghosts to help you… cultivate?" Luo Huifang, offered. While smiling knowingly.

Lai Meihui snorted. "Thank you for the kind offer, elder sister Huifang. Alas your ghosts are too frail, if I clamped on them too hard with my thighs," She shifted her legs, a tint of red crept through her cheeks. "They'll die for sure this time and sent for their next cycle of reincarnation."

Seemingly in agreement the woman in green, Luo Huifang, gave Lai Meihui a small nod. "Little sister is right."

A woman in pastel pink robes spoke, "Ah, that's too bad. I had finished a special concoction to help you while cultivating elder sister Meihui." The corners of the woman's lips were hooked gently, giving many an impression of spring breeze.

For the two elder women this smile made cold sweat trickle down their necks, the two solemnly faked a cough.

"May I know the effects of the concoction, little sister Jinjing?" Lai Meihui remained calm.

At the question the woman in pink, Wu Jinjing, beamed like sunshine. "If one were to apply it on their body, it would make them feel extremely warm and comfortable! I've only tested the concoction on horses, and their reactions were quite severe." Wu Jinjing made a motion with her hands, as if she was stroking a certain family jewels. "The horses were extremely… excited."

Luo Huifang forced a laughter out of her lips, caught on with her sister's intentions, Lai Meihui followed suit. The three women laughed, two were forced, one was genuinely happy.

Luo Huifang and Lai Meihui wished to unburry themselves from the very grave they had pitted themselves within. Both women shared a look from the corner of their eyes and sighed.

We're saved!

To the side the six men pretended that the three women had a very normal girl's talk.

A man wearing silver sophisticated robes with hints of black, Feng Delun pinched the bridge of his nose. "Who had the grand idea to persuade eldest brother to build our sect in this Barren realm?"

"That would be me, elder brother Delun!" A shameless man in blue robes, Lan Jianhong, came forward.

Feng Delun buried his face into his palm.

"Yes, I can imagine that it was you, Jianhong. Who told eldest brother to settle in this barren place." One man in sleeveless grey robes, Jie Qiqiang, chuckled.

Lan Jianhong, cheered. "I knew you had faith in me Qiqiang! This whole realm is extremely suitable for us to build our future sect!"

Jie Qiqiang shook his head and muttered something along the lines of "never having faith" in Lan Jianhong.

"Yeah," A man in dark red robes, Jiang Xiaotong, scoffed. "You're only dragging all of us here because it means you'll have the entire realm to 'decorate' for yourself."

Another man, Jin Liwei, donning light yellow robes with a sheen of golden to the fabric, surrounded with floating abacus, books, brushes, and inkwells, was busy calculating on his floating abacus. Each time a calculation was finished his floating pen would write his calculations down.

A man in brown robes, Li Jiayi, asked, "How's the budgeting Liwei? Just how expensive is Jianhong's project this time?" His words were muffled from yawning.

Jin Liwei, casually answered, "We'll need to raid three hidden realms the previous dynasty had left to cover our spending."

Li Jiayi, who was sleepy a moment ago, woke up. "Which dynasty?"

"Of course it's the fallen Da dynasty. Which other dynasty rivals their riches?" Jiang Xiaotong questioned.

Li Jiayi grimace. "I'm certain the Shu dynasty riches would suffice for us to build a sect."

Jin Liwei broke Li Jiayi's hope. "Unless Jiayi is willing to part ways with the books, I'm sure we'll—"

"Preposterous!" Li Jiayi cut.

"I knew you'd say that, that's why it's best if we raid the Da dynasty secret realms."

Li Jiayi was not pleased, he did not wish to give up the idea of going into the Shu dynasty secret realms. But if raiding the Shu dynasty secret realms meant giving up the knowledge their extensive collection of books provided, he rather they strived to clean the Da dynasty secret realms instead.

Jie Qiqiang patted Li Jiayi on his shoulder. "Don't worry Jiayi, you'll get your books someday."

"We should ask the villagers, and investigate the realm. See if there is anyone who might be against us building our sect here." Feng Delun suggested.

Lai Meihui curled her brows. "In a realm like this? I think they would be grateful we even built our sect here, or call us insane. If our sect could survive with no spiritual energy."

Lai Meihui made a good argument, they all looked accusingly towards Lan Jianhong. The man was the one responsible for their current predicament. Forgiving Ming Yongnian the idea to build their sect here.

The Barren realm barely has any spiritual energy. A highly concentrated spiritual energy environment was critical to a cultivator's growth. With the Barren realm barren of spiritual energy no cultivator could cultivate. No plant life could live. There were barely any trees or greenery as far as their eyes could see. And they could see miles and miles away.