The Jade Cauldron Domain is vast, and even though it doesn't span tens of thousands of miles like the Medicine King Domain, it still possesses the grandeur of a major domain.
Such a vast area could not possibly be entirely occupied by the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect.
He was merely the nominal overlord of the region.
Within the domain, the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect is the leader, and there are six other Golden Core Sect, collectively known as the Jade Cauldron Seven Sects.
Below them are numerous sects, both large and small.
Besides these, there are also gathering places for independent cultivators, mainly in immortal cities and Marketplace.
It is a large immortal city, possessing high-level Spirit Land, and its strength is no less than that of an ordinary Golden Core Sect.
The Marketplace, however, was rather peculiar.
Within the entire Jade Cauldron Domain, there are over a thousand large- Marketplace.
Small Marketplace were even more numerous, like carp crossing a river.
Wherever Spiritually Flourishing Land, or along major transportation routes, there will always be cultivators who step forward to organize Marketplace of all sizes.
Some well-developed Marketplace will gradually attract the attention of sects, and sect industries will gradually move in.
Great River Market is a very rare exception among the countless Marketplace.
It does not prosper because of people, but because of the place.
Facing the Million Mountains of the Eastern Wasteland, it holds a strategic position.
In addition, with abundant resources, it gradually gained popularity.
In contrast, the other nearby Marketplace, apart from Snow Lotus Market which holds the same strategic position, are just ordinary Marketplace.
In terms of distance, it is quite far from Great River Market.
Even the second closest Mount Tai Market, is still a distance of eight thousand miles of wasteland.
Eight thousand miles—that sounds like a very long distance.
But for Foundation Establishment Cultivator, it's just a matter of flying at full speed for a day or two.
The reason why no one usually crosses between the two places like this is because.
The main reason is that there are large areas of wasteland in the middle.
Towering mountains such as Nanwa Snow Mountain and Ninefold Mountain stand in the middle of the landscape.
There are many demonic beasts inside, including even Third-Order Demon Beast that roam freely. Even Foundation Establishment Cultivator need to be on guard.
As for independent cultivators in the Qi Refining Stage, and even ordinary people...
This stretch of eight thousand li is quite long.
Most of the independent cultivators who came to Great River Market in the past either came with merchant caravans or relied on the ships of the Great River Gang.
Very few people managed to make it across on foot.
With four factions now involved, their progress is naturally slow.
In the previous three days, we had only covered a third of the distance.
The middle section of the journey, being isolated on both sides and unsuitable for travel at night, will actually slow you down more and more.
But even the longest distance is always getting shorter.
Just like no matter how far the ocean is, the river will eventually reach it.
Day 5.
Luo Chen stood on the deck, facing the gentle breeze.
As the waves rolled and the water vapor pattered on my face with the gentle breeze, it was Pure Qi.
"How long is it from Mount Tai Market?"
Qin Liangchen beside him laughed, "It'll be soon. Once we get past this gentle section of the river, we can just go downstream. It should only take a day or two!"
So fast?
Luo Chen thought it would take a long time.
However, thinking back to when the Dao Discussion Stage Platform opened, so many Marketplace gathered there.
It is clear that the distance is not actually that far for cultivators.
The reason they are moving so slowly now is ultimately because there are just too many people traveling.
So many people, all mobilized together.
This will inevitably lead to a lot of unnecessary trouble.
"It seems like it took you a long time to send Little Hu to the Fallen Cloud Sect back then?"
When his son was mentioned, Qin Liangchen's face softened.
He remarked with emotion, "It did take a very long time, almost half a year!"
"You must have passed through quite a few places along the way, right?"
"That's true. Our first stop was Mount Tai Market, followed by Moon Corridor Market. We tried to avoid the territories of the Cultivation Family along the way, taking many detours... Finally, we stayed in Thousand Leaves City for almost half a month before the Fallen Cloud Sect to accept disciples."
Luo Chen asked curiously, " Thousand Leaves City? I remember it was also a celestial city, wasn't it?"
"That's right! It ranks seventh among the ten immortal cities of the Jade Cauldron Domain. It's a place where Qi Refining Qi Refining are as numerous as clouds, Foundation Establishment cultivators are as plentiful as rain, and Golden Core Immortal appear from time to time."
In Qin Liangchen's words, it seemed that Thousand Leaf Immortal City was the true Cultivation World.
A remote little place like Great River Market is just an ordinary town.
In such a place, as long as one has enough wealth, there is no need to worry about cultivation resources.
Unlike Great River Market, where even with Spirit Stone, you can't buy what you need.
Furthermore, the presence of High-Grade Spirit Vein within it naturally attracts a large number of independent cultivators to settle there.
Over time, various forces and organizations will emerge.
Around a super immortal city, there are dozens or even hundreds of large and small Cultivation Family.
"To be honest, this kind of environment is actually more suitable for the development of our Luo Tian Association."
Qin Liangchen sighed, then shook his head.
"Unfortunately, Thousand Leaf Immortal City is too far from us. Moreover, it's extremely close to the Fallen Cloud Sect, which is currently in a war-torn area."
Luo Chen seemed to be deep in thought.
He asked pointedly, "What about Sky Wave Immortal City?"
Qin Liangchen paused for a moment, then answered instinctively.
"It's actually closer. If we don't consider taking a detour, it would only take a month or two to get there from the Flowing Light Market direction."
What is the situation?
Looking at Luo Chen, a thought popped into Qin Liangchen's mind.
He wouldn't want to move Luo Tian Association all the way to Sky Wave Immortal City, would he?
Verbally, he continued to answer Luo Chen's questions based on his own understanding.
" Sky Wave Immortal City is different from Thousand Leaf Immortal City. The latter was mainly built by the Fallen Cloud Sect and three other sects. But Sky Wave Immortal City was jointly funded by the Jade Cauldron Seven Sects, and its geographical location is not in the heart of the sect's territory. Now..."
Qin Liangchen is one of the few members of the Luo Tian Association who has traveled far from home in recent years.
His vision and knowledge far surpassed those of the other local cultivators.
From him, Luo Chen gained a general understanding of the situation in the Jade Cauldron Domain.
Each of the seven major sects controls a super immortal city that is nominally their own.
In addition, they jointly funded the construction of three super immortal cities in relatively important locations.
This is how the pattern of the ten immortal cities in the Jade Cauldron Domain was formed.
The Connecting Cloud Commerce Alliance, which Luo Chen was very familiar with, was actually headquartered in Sky Wave Immortal City.
The nearest sects are the three major sects: Ailao Mountain, Ice Fortress, and Hundred Flowers Palace.
Nominally, the Jade Cauldron Domain belongs to the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect.
In reality, it is a system of one large and six small entities that effectively govern the country.
For example, Snow Lotus Market belongs to Ice Fortress, while Mount Tai Market is under the jurisdiction of the Flame Alliance.
Great River Market is different; it's more like an enclave, remotely controlled by the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect.
Sects use celestial cities and Marketplace to control and utilize the resources within their respective territories as much as possible.
Moreover, they will also carve out vast territories in places devoid of spiritual energy, allowing a large number of mortals to thrive and multiply there.
Mortal realms, Marketplace, Cultivation Family, immortal cities, Golden Core Great Sect cultivators, and Nascent Soul Upper Sect.
Layer upon layer, they eventually built the prosperous Jade Cauldron Domain we see today.
While the two were chatting...
Luo Chen's expression suddenly changed.
Qin Liangchen, standing beside him, was filled with doubt, when a huge commotion erupted from ahead.
"It sank! It sank!"
"Time to go down!"
"My God, what kind of monster is this!"
Splash splash splash...
The roar of towering waves resounded loudly.
"Go and join them!"
Luo Chen left Qin Liangchen with those words and leaped into the air.
A white cloud landed at his feet, dragging him upwards.
Soon, he saw what was happening ahead.
A massive whirlpool, hundreds of feet in diameter, was slowly rotating in the wide Lancang River.
Although it is said to be gradual, in reality, from taking shape to spreading, it only takes a moment.
When Luo Chen looked over, he saw that the large Magic Tool ship at the front had already sunk more than halfway into the water.
The activated defensive formation vanished into nothingness before it could even hold for a single breath.
Thousands of cultivators flew out of the ship in terror.
But for some reason, no matter how they flew, they couldn't escape that huge vortex.
Some cultivators who were lucky enough to reach the riverbank were pierced by terrifying water arrows.
It seems that leaving is prohibited at this time.
" Third-Order Demon Beast!"
Luo Chen's expression changed drastically, and his gaze suddenly turned to Wang Haichao, who had already exited the cabin.
" Gang Leader Wang, what's going on?"
Not only him, but Li Yixian and Nangong Jin were also sent flying, their faces deathly pale.
Facing the three tense people, Wang Haichao, apart from a solemn expression, seemed not to be too worried.
He transmitted his voice, saying, "It's alright. This beast is gentle by nature. As long as it's full, it won't cause any trouble."
"Are you full?"
What kind of explanation is this?
Luo Chen's face was extremely gloomy as he stared at the large ship that was gradually being swallowed up.
The Qi Refining, still struggling in the vortex, kept shouting for help.
"Help me!"
"Please help me!"
"There's Demon King! He eats people!"
" Gang Leader Wang, I've paid my ticket! Please save me!"
" Wang Haichao, you'll go to hell for standing by and watching someone die."
On the Dragon Whale Ship, Wang Haichao watched this scene indifferently.
He turned a deaf ear to the raging insults, as if he couldn't hear them at all.
"I need an explanation!"
Luo Chen said in a chilling tone, as if he came from the Nine Netherworlds.
If their ships were at the front of the fleet, wouldn't it be the Luo Tian Association cultivators who are now going to feed the demonic beasts?
Even he would have a hard time escaping the overwhelming Demon Qi!
Not only him, but Li Yixian and Nangong Jin also stared at Wang Haichao with icy gazes.
Wang Haichao turned around and forced a smile:
"Now that we've formed an alliance, how could I possibly harm you?"
"I only had a guess about the appearance of the Swallowing River Toad; I wasn't very certain, which is why I didn't tell you beforehand."
guess?
What kind of speculation would lead Wang Haichao to arrange for the first three ships of his fleet to be occupied by fleeing cultivators?
Luo Chen suppressed the anger in his heart.
Getting angry now would be pointless.
" Swallowing River Toad?" Nangong Jin suddenly asked.
Wang Haichao nodded. "It is indeed Third-Order Demon Beast, the Swallowing River Toad. This demon cultivates by swallowing rivers, lakes, and seas, and absorbing the essence of the sun and moon. Its temperament is quite gentle."
How did it end up here?
"This all started when Pang Renxiong came to Great River Market for the second time."
"Um?"
Wang Haichao said, "Do you remember? When he came that time, he acted recklessly wherever he went. He even caused the Nanwa Snow Mountain to collapse, and this Swallowing River Toad had always hibernated in the Nanwa Snow Mountain. Now that the Nanwa Snow Mountain is no longer what it used to be, the Swallowing River Toad has lost its habitat and wanders in the Lancang River all day long."
"This time, with so many of us traveling together, there's a high chance we'll attract its attention."
Li Yixian remained dissatisfied, "You could have explained in advance that we could have taken a detour. Why be so heartless as to send so many rogue cultivators to feed the Swallowing River Toad?"
"Take a detour?" Wang Haichao scoffed.
Li Yixian felt embarrassed by his mockery.
It was Nangong Jin spoke up to warm things up.
"Taking a detour is even more dangerous. The Nine Camphor Deer over there at Ninefold Mountain leads a herd of deer and is a genuine Tier 3 Beast King."
The Nine Camphor Deer is not the gentle, Demon Deer like the Fuzhu Deer deer.
They live in groups, and ordinary carnivorous monsters dare not approach them easily.
The three people's telepathic communication seemed to take a long time.
It only took a few breaths in reality.
After swallowing a ship full of rogue cultivators, the enormous vortex gradually shrank.
The raging curses that filled the air gradually fell silent.
Only the remaining ships were left in terror.
Luo Chen watched this scene with a heavy heart.
With keen eyesight, it seemed as if they could see through the murky river water to spot the enormous Swallowing River Toad dwelling at the bottom of the river.
swirl...
"No, he's not full yet!"
Almost the instant Luo Chen uttered his words...
The whirlpool, which had been shrinking, began to expand rapidly again, sweeping towards the nearest large ship.
The immense Demon Qi spread out, pressing down on the Qi Refining Stage above, rendering him unable to move.
They watched as the large ship was dragged step by step into the whirlpool.
Without hesitation, Luo Chen unleashed a massive amount of spiritual power, using Attraction Art to hold the large ship in place.
This scene stunned everyone.
Li Yixian hesitated for a moment, then used his Attraction Art to barely hold the stern of the boat.
However, how could two Foundation Establishment cultivators possibly withstand the power of the Demon King?
" Wang Haichao, Nangong Jin, what are you waiting for? Why aren't you making a move?" Luo Chen roared, his voice suddenly reaching everyone's ears.
Nangong Jin instinctively offered to help.
With his help, the speed at which the ship was swallowed up was slowed.
Wang Haichao frowned as he looked at Luo Chen, "I never imagined that you, Pill Dust Master, were such a philanthropist!"
Luo Chen stared directly at him without fear, "Who knows how many more people it needs to eat to be full? Without these rogue cultivators, the journey ahead will only be more dangerous."
"With the strength of the four of us, it's not possible..."
"Then feed it!"
Luo Chen said decisively.
Wang Haichao was taken aback. How do I feed him?
"Didn't the Li Family and the Nangong Family bring a large number of domesticated demonic beasts? Aren't the flesh and blood of these demonic beasts more than two ounces of flesh from our Human Race?"
"But..."
Li Yixian and Nangong Jin also looked hesitant, as these were all family assets.
Luo Chen took a deep breath and stared intently at Wang Haichao.
"Since you collected so much money from their tickets, you have an obligation to do everything you can to protect them."
"Take out some Spirit Stone and buy two demon beasts."
"Don't try to bargain, Wang Haichao. Just look at those people!"
The ruthless Wang Haichao subconsciously glanced at the cultivators from the Great River Gang.
They were all pale-faced and huddled behind the stern of the boat.
Moreover, some people even tried to escape, completely lacking the confidence to unite and fight the Demon King together.
Moreover, many people look at me with the same venomous gaze they would give to a snake.
He shuddered.
The lives of rogue cultivators are indeed worthless!
However, if too many rogue cultivators die, it will only cause others to feel sorry for him, and even the people of the Great River Gang will lose faith in him.
The great momentum that he had painstakingly built up as the leader of the alliance may vanish in an instant.
Even if he manages to reach another safe place, he will surely end up all alone.
This time, he couldn't refuse.
Soon, with the consent of Li Yixian and Nangong Jin,
The cultivators from both sides took out a large amount of meat from the monsters, some dead and some alive, from the ship's cabin and from their Spirit Beast Bag.
Using his spiritual power, he carried the monster meat and threw it into the giant vortex.
One, two... ten, a hundred... the number soon exceeded a thousand tamed monsters.
This is already the maximum number that the two companies can take away.
Only then did the vortex begin to slowly shrink.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Luo Chen used both hands simultaneously, unleashing a torrent of powerful spiritual energy. With Great Perfection Attraction Art, he forcefully pulled the large ship of the rogue cultivators at the edge back.
Huff... Huff...
Luo Chen took two deep breaths, not caring about the gazes of the rogue cultivators.
Stepping on the gentle breeze, they quickly arrived at the front.
" Pill Dust Master, you've really caused me a lot of losses this time!" Wang Haichao said quietly.
Luo Chen sneered, "Then you could have simply not paid that amount of Spirit Stone back then."
"Well..."
Li Yixian approached with lingering fear. The number of tamed demonic beasts far exceeded that of Human Race cultivators, numbering over a thousand.
Even so, it was barely enough to satisfy the appetite of the Swallowing River Toad.
If they hadn't listened to Luo Chen, not only would they have lost that one boatload of people, but they might have lost two more boatloads as well.
Following the order, it's highly likely that Wang Haichao's Dragon Whale Ship and the Li Family's ships will be next.
Given Wang Haichao's personality, he must have the means to escape briefly by piloting Magic Tool ship.
Wouldn't that mean it would be the Li Family's turn?
"Are you full?" Li Yixian swallowed, looking at the vortex that had shrunk to the size of a washbasin, with blood-red bubbles constantly rising to the surface.
Wang Haichao hesitated and said, "We should be full!"
"If it's not full, I'll help it get full!"
Luo Chen waved his hand, and hundreds of jade bottles suddenly appeared.
Under his spiritual control, a large number of Jade Marrow Pill fell into the vortex like rain.
His gaze fell on one of the pink jade bottles. Luo Chen's heart stirred slightly, and he smashed it, letting it fall into the river.
Nangong Jin's eyes widened as he watched this scene.
" High-Grade Jade Marrow Pill!"
" Luo Chen, are you crazy?"
The other two Foundation Establishment cultivators were also taken aback.
In just a short while, tens of thousands of Spirit Stone were spent!
But the results are also very significant.
Soon, the vortex disappeared as it was filled and expelled by huge bubbles.
A huge shadow slowly sank and rose underwater.
Only then did the oppressive force that had enveloped heaven and earth completely dissipate.
"Walk!"
With a wave of his sleeve, Luo Chen returned to the large ship of the Luo Tian Association, like a weary bird returning to its nest.
Without further hesitation, Wang Haichao immediately gave the order.
The fleet set off instantly, speeding away from the area along the rushing river.