Daily life of a cultivation judge-Chapter 1138 - Thirty two minutes
1138: Thirty two minutes
1138: Thirty two minutes
“What happened?” Yang Qing softly asked.
Xia Fang smiled bitterly.
“The same thing that happens to most other organizations…”
“We angered someone we shouldn’t have, and we’ve been paying the price ever since,” she added, the bitter smile tugging at her lips.
She took a few breaths to calm herself before continuing.
She hadn’t been alive back then—neither had her grandfather—but every Xia clan member, because of the suffering they had endured since, likely replayed the memory of those years in their minds constantly, all imagining the same thing.
How would things have turned out if that incident had never happened?
The shame, the indignation, the endless struggle—they might have never known any of it.
Xia Fang would likely not have been born into an environment where fear, worry, and anger were her constant companions—emotions that weren’t just hers, but ones shared by almost every member of the Xia clan.
“Disaster just had to strike us at the peak of our power, when we had eight late-stage palace realm experts, our clan patriarch at the time was one of the most talented figures the Xia clan had ever produced,” Xia Fang began, the pained, pitiful smile still lingering on her face.
“Many in the clan believed he would be the first in our history to break through to the domain realm…”
“The clan back then was buzzing with excitement all around, and it seemed like the only way we could go from that moment forth was…
up,” said Xia Fang.
“We had strength, and we were reproducing talents by the year, to the point that our neighbors looked at us in fear and awe, while our allies fawned at us more, and some of those above us whom we revered started to slowly acknowledge us,” Xia Fang explained.
“You must know of the Silver Crane Sect?” asked Xia Fang.
Though she posed the question, her tone made it clear she felt certain Yang Qing knew of them—unlike his reaction when it came to her clan or the Violent Feather Sword Sect.
Her assumption proved correct when Yang Qing nodded and answered, “I do.”
Yang Qing felt relieved that, this time, Xia Fang brought up an organization he had heard of—unlike before.
The Silver Crane Sect was a rank two sect with a rich history that stood out even against other rank two organizations.
The reason for that was the sect had been around for close to 300,000 years, with records suggesting it could have existed far longer—especially given its rumored association, which was the main reason Yang Qing knew about them, aside from their rank.
The reason Yang Qing knew about them was because they were rumored to have been a subsidiary sect of an ancient sect called the Sanctuary Four Wings Manor—a sect that shared the same reputation as the Frozen Serenity Scripture in that, during its heyday, it was as powerful as a Holy Land.
The Sanctuary Four Wings Manor was comprised of four halls, each named after a mythical bird: the Vermilion Hall, the Silver Roc Hall, the Yuan Hall, and the Hong Bird Hall.
Each hall, individually, was said to possess power on par with the most prominent rank one sects of the present day.
Even in terms of territory, the comparison held—each hall controlled regions as vast as those governed by modern rank one powers.
In essence, the Sanctuary Four Wings Manor was like four rank one organizations operating under a single banner while still holding enough power and influence to function independently.
The Silver Crane Sect was rumored to have been one of the subsidiary sects attached to the Silver Roc Hall, whose specialty lay in all things related to speed.
Of course, that relationship had never been proven and remained a matter of speculation.
But given how long the Silver Crane Sect had endured, many were inclined to believe it.
The sect itself never officially confirmed or denied the rumors, which only fueled the mystery further.
Yang Qing leaned toward believing they did, in fact, have ties to that legendary manor—after all, there’s no smoke without fire.
The most convincing piece of evidence supporting that belief was the sect’s extraordinary longevity.
Three hundred thousand years was far too long for a sect that had never produced a single soul formation expert in its entire history to still be standing.
There had been no shortage of rank-one organizations, with soul formation experts, that failed to exist beyond 100,000 years, yet the Silver Crane Sect, without a single soul formation expert, had not only reached that milestone but thoroughly exceeded it.
No, for them to have survived this long, they had to possess something extraordinary to rely on beyond mere luck.
And when it came to the extraordinary, nothing fit the description more perfectly than the legacies of a Holy Land, even of a fallen one at that.
The Frozen Serenity Sect alone was proof of that.
Their fragmented arts had been enough to support the rise of countless rank three organizations.
So, it wouldn’t be far-fetched to think the Silver Crane Sect’s survival stemmed from their connection to the Sanctuary Four Wings Manor—no matter how much time had passed or how distant that relationship had become.
After all, the Silver Crane Sect wasn’t the only organization rumored to have ties to the once-mighty Sanctuary Four Wings Manor.
Yang Qing knew of another organization which, unlike the Silver Crane Sect, had a confirmed and undeniable relationship with that long-lost Holy Land.
The organization in question was the rank one Thousands Hall Battle Pavilion.
While it had been formed by various cultivators pooling their skills together, the lynchpin figures who established its foundations and propelled its rise—three of them, to be exact—had ties to the Vermilion Hall of the Sanctuary Four Wings Manor.
This hall was widely known as the “combat hall” of the ancient Holy Land.
Yang Qing wasn’t sure about the exact nature of their relationship with the Vermilion Hall.
Perhaps it was a subsidiary connection like the one the Silver Crane Sect was rumored to have.
Regardless, it was undeniable that even in its absence, the Sanctuary Four Wings Manor had contributed to the rise and endurance of one of the most powerful rank one organizations of the present day.
And if the Silver Crane Sect’s rumored connection turned out to be true, that would mean the ancient manor had supported yet another formidable, long-standing organization.
The only question left in Yang Qing’s mind was why Xia Fang had brought up the Silver Crane Sect.
Do they have a relationship?
Yang Qing wondered before shaking his head and dismissing the thought.
No, no—if they had any real connection, they wouldn’t be as down in the dumps as they are.
Still, he couldn’t entirely brush aside the idea.
There were countless cases where powerful organizations became indifferent to the struggles of others they were once connected to—no matter how long those ties had existed.
Maybe it was the same with the Xia Clan and the Silver Crane Sect.
The clan might have had—or still had—a relationship with the sect.
Perhaps the sect knew about their troubles but chose not to interfere.
Whether that was true or not, only Xia Fang could answer.
“Our clan’s founder was once one of their disciples, but he left the sect after something went awry with his cultivation and he was left crippled,” Xia Fang began.
“When he expressed his desire to leave and start a family, the sect granted his request and even provided him with resources to fulfill it.
Those resources became the foundation on which our clan was built,” she continued.
“Even after his death, the relationship between our clan and the sect continued.
One of his children even joined the sect using a token he had been given—a token that allowed his descendants to undertake the sect’s entrance examination at any time of the year, without having to wait for the dedicated periods the sect sets aside for those exams,” explained Xia Fang.
“Of course, even with that privilege, not many passed the exams.
A few did, but as with most sects, the moment they joined, they ceased to be members of the Xia Clan and became disciples of the Silver Crane Sect.
Despite that separation, a connection remained between us—though it was a thin one, with our clan being little more than one of the sect’s charity projects.”
Though her words seemed like a jab at her own clan, Xia Fang’s expression and tone suggested otherwise.
She looked and sounded genuinely thankful.
“Slowly but surely, we grew from a charity case into a power that could stand on its own.
Eventually, at the height of our strength, when one of our clan patriarchs was favored to reach the domain realm, our relationship with the Silver Crane Sect shifted,” said Xia Fang.
“They didn’t exactly see us as equals—which is understandable.
Even if our patriarch had succeeded in reaching the domain realm, we still wouldn’t have been worthy to sit at the same table as them—but…” Xia Fang paused briefly, searching for the right words.
“The way my grandfather put it, he said it was like the Silver Crane Sect ‘saw us’ for the first time,” she continued.
But the slight furrow in her brows suggested she felt her explanation still missed something.
“It was like, for once, they stopped seeing us as just the descendants of one of their disciples and began to recognize us as our own entity—the Xia family.
If that makes sense…” Xia Fang said as she smiled awkwardly, feeling unsure whether her explanation portrayed the picture well.
“It does,” answered Yang Qing with an assuring smile.
His response drew a visible look of relief from Xia Fang.
However, that feeling became short-lived as her gaze soon turned somber
“But alas, as the clan was reveling in the glorious future that awaited, it forgot one thing—fate always has the last say when your strength isn’t enough to defy it.
And ours, as strong as we were, wasn’t yet at the fate-defiant level,” Xia Fang somberly said, as her tone and spirits went low.
“We had sown some long-forgotten grudge about a thousand years earlier—one so inconsequential that the person responsible had forgotten all about it.
At least, until the day of its harvest came.
And when it did, it became an unforgettable memory for every Xia clan member since,” Xia Fang said, a pained look crossing her face.
“At the peak of our strength, we were decimated by a single individual,” she continued, her tone trembling slightly.
“Seventeen…” she murmured, her eyes clouded with fear, disbelief, and sorrow.
“Seventeen palace realm experts,” she repeated, staring blankly at her teacup.
“Eight of them at the late stage, with one possessing the talent to reach the domain realm—yet all of it was shattered in thirty-two minutes by a single person,” she said, shaking her head as if the memory itself was still too much to comprehend.
“Can you believe that?” Xia Fang asked, lifting her gaze to Yang Qing.
Her expression was bleak, and a grim, bitter smile tugged at her lips.
“Just one person… He destroyed everything.
And even now, tens of thousands of years later, we’re still haunted by an act that took only thirty-two minutes.”
Her voice dropped lower, heavy with the weight of lingering anguish.
“Thirty-two minutes was all it took to damn thousands of my clan members—trapping us in a fate where living felt more agonizing than death itself…”
CREATORS’ THOUGHTS
Daynightdreamer
Happy new month everyone and thank you for your continued support..
It really means a lot to me..
also I realize I haven’t been updating everyday..
in part its to avoid burning out and the other is because I have been working hard to re edit the earlier chapters which ended up with me redoing some of them..
Im currently at chapter 59 slowly working my way onwards..
goal is 300 chapters at the moment
