Beyond the Four Regions: the Northern Spirit Sea and Northern Spirit Sect

A cold wind blows, scattering petals across the courtyard, a flurry of blossoms chasing the crimson dawn. Do not ask Chen Jun of his sorrowful white hair; how many times in life can one share such moments?

Below the Yin Spring, after seeing Xu Wei off, Chen Dengming sat guard inside the Yin Cave for seven days and seven nights until he was certain that Xu Wei's Soul Body had completely sunk into the depths of the Yin Spring before he left with a reluctant Zhu Xun.

"Old Zhu, judging from your reluctant expression, do you also want to enter the underworld?"

Before Zhu Xun into the Soul Guiding Banner, Chen Dengming asked in surprise.

Zhu Xun immediately shook his head like a rattle-drum, his usually fearless, bell-like eyes now revealing a look of terror.

Chen Dengming frowned, that unpleasant feeling welling up in his heart again.

Zhu Xun is Fierce Ghost; fear should never be a factor in his being.

But every time the topic of sending Zhu Xun to the Yin Spring was mentioned, Zhu Xun would become fearful. He asked him in detail, but couldn't get any answers.

"Perhaps hell truly exists Below the Yin Spring? If Fierce Ghost like Old Zhu were to descend into hell, wouldn't he suffer all sorts of torments and meet a terrible end?"

Given the current situation, Chen Dengming could only think about it with a relatively optimistic attitude.

Xu Wei isn't Fierce Ghost; perhaps she'll be treated better after she goes down there.

In any case, as long as Xu Wei's soul doesn't completely dissipate in the end, Chen Dengming feels relieved and takes it all in stride.

Everyone must die eventually, but his lifespan was very, very long, and he had already made preparations to see off many old friends in their final days.

In fact, it wasn't just Xu Wei, but also Qiangzi, and even He Yingyu.

He had already prepared himself mentally and accepted it calmly.

But all he wanted to do during this process was to make the outcome as satisfactory as possible, so that he could let go of his worries.

"Fellow Daoist, if you wish to uncover the secrets Below the Yin Spring, perhaps only upon reaching the Nascent Spirit Transformation, or even the Dao Integration stage, will it be possible."

At this moment, Divine Sense reminder came from the spirit of the Little Array Spirit inside the Soul House.

"Spirit Transformation, Union with the Dao"

Chen Dengming shook his head and smiled, "That's all too far away. My next step is to aim for the realm that you, Ling'er, once reached. Whether there is the Dao Integration realm above the Spirit Transformation is still unknown."

At least for now, judging from the four domains alone, it seems that the Spirit Transformation is already the pinnacle of existence.

Little Array Spirit said, "Since the collapse of the five most orthodox immortal lineages, Dao Integration experts in the Four Domains have become almost legendary."

"Perhaps it exists, perhaps it doesn't; it might be encountered outside the four realms."

Chen Dengming asked curiously, "Ling'er, what are you thinking about? Do you know the path to the Four Domains?"

He had already figured it out through the map of the four regions in the Longevity Sect's Scripture Pavilion. Beyond the four regions were the four seas, called the Southern Cloud Sea, the Western Demon Sea, the Northern Spirit Sea, and the Eastern Immortal Sea, which corresponded to the South Region, the West Region, the Northern Region, and the East Region, respectively.

The real-life Penglai Immortal Island, a sacred mountain possessing a complete Earthly Immortal Orthodox Lineage, exists in the Eastern Immortal Sea.

Perhaps within that immortal mountain, there exist powerful beings at the Dao Integration level.

However, it is said that thousands of years ago, the five major lineages of the Four Regions encountered problems. After the lineages were broken, the Four Regions were isolated from the Four Seas.

As for how the isolation will be implemented, Chen Dengming is currently unclear.

Perhaps the Nascent Soul Ancestor within the sect are aware of this.

The Little Array Spirit replied shyly, "I... I might have known the way out of the Four Domains before, but I don't anymore."

Chen Dengming was speechless. Intermittent amnesia, and here comes this trick again. This really is the Little Array Spirit's all-purpose way of replying.

"When I return to my sect, if I encounter the Third Ancestor, perhaps I can ask her about it."

Chen Dengming responded.

Now, as a Dao Child of the Longevity Sect, he has an opportunity every two years to consult with the Nascent Soul Ancestor within the sect about Daoist methods or related knowledge of the Daoist tradition.

This is a benefit that no other Golden Core Elder in the sect, besides the sect leader Xing Huiguang, can enjoy.

Of course, whether the ancestor has the time is another matter.

However, the Longevity Sect has three Nascent Soul Ancestor besides the First Ancestor. If one of them is too busy, it's impossible for all three to be too busy.

He has already met the Third Ancestor and the Second Patriarch.

The eldest, who is said to have been a contemporary of the First Ancestor, has never been seen.

"Cultivators of the Longevity Sect all have long lifespans, and Nascent Soul Ancestor have even longer lifespans; they all live to be very old. Cough cough, it's still quite difficult to even meet one."

Chen Dengming took out the Longevity Token from his Storage Bag and touched it.

It's unknown which ancestor's spirit was infused into this Longevity Token.

Last time it was the Second Patriarch, this time it might be the Third Ancestor.

After returning to Lüoshan City.

Chen Dengming then sent a telepathic message to Steward Wu of the sect's Merit Hall, requesting that he spend two thousand Sect Contribution to exchange for two sets of the third-tier array plates of the [Kanli Tongwei Xuan Turtle Array], and instructing Sang Tianrong to personally deliver them to the southern border.

He planned to use a set of array plates to seal off the Yin Spring Cave in Yin Ghost Mountain, to prevent others from eyeing the Yin Spring and taking over the place.

The other set of array plates serves as the Mountain Protecting Formation for Lüoshan City.

This is a time of frequent friction and war between the North and South.

Once cultivators from the Northern Region swarm in like locusts, it's hard to guarantee that some won't become interested in Yinquan and Lüoshan City.

However, both places are far from the border of Brocade Workshop, thousands of miles away, so they are still safe for the time being.

That's all Chen Dengming can do. How things develop from here on out depends on Black Wind and Qiangzi's management.

After leaving the Black Cloud Leopard and two flying python mounts in Lüoshan City, he quietly fled alone to the Mingyun Mountain Range, which are close to the front-line Battlefield.

Now that he has broken through to the Golden Core stage, he plans to return to the South and enter the Ancient Human Immortal Palace to try and obtain another Dao Script.

With each additional Dao inscription, his Human Immortal Way Power becomes even more abundant.

After activating the Human Immortal Physique, the duration of its effect will be greatly extended.

If there are benefits to be gained, then we should get them as soon as possible.

Although he has now confirmed through communication with the Third Ancestor that the same lineage can be divided into several transmissions.

The Human Immortal Orthodox Lineage that he obtained was only the Dao lineage of the mind, which differed from the Dao lineage of power obtained by the Sha Star.

However, it is hard to guarantee that the Sha Star will not become interested in his mental cultivation after obtaining the complete lineage of power.

Given the domineering nature of this Sha Star, it's entirely possible that he would do something similar.

One hour later.

Chen Dengming bypassed some Southern Region cultivators who were patrolling in the air and gradually ventured deeper into the high sky above the Mingyun Mountain Range.

Using his Heavenly Eye, he quickly spotted the cultivators from the Southern and Northern Region lurking in the Mingyun Mountain Range below.

The Mingyun Mountain Range have changed dramatically in appearance.

Many forests were burned, leaving a scene of devastation after numerous battles.

Even now, small groups of cultivators from both the North and South are still occasionally fighting and killing each other in the mountains.

Chen Dengming couldn't understand the point of these small-scale battles.

In terms of resources, there aren't many resources within the Mingyun Mountain Range.

Perhaps both sides are still testing each other, training their troops, and waiting to discover each other's weaknesses, or if they obtain favorable intelligence, they will launch a large-scale attack and invasion.

In the rear, Brocade Workshop had also been transformed into a temporary battlefield stronghold, where Xia Shunyuan, Golden Core Elder of the Cloud Rain Sect, led his team to oversee the defense and blockade the border.

Chen Dengming descended from the sky, summoned the Myriad Gold Pearl, which transformed into an inconspicuous golden pearl the size of a melon seed.

Then, he made a hand seal and used the Golden Escape Technique to enter the bead, quickly falling towards the still undamaged snow-capped peak.

The ground on the mountainside was covered with congealed blood and messy footprints.

There was no body found.

After confirming that there was no one else around, Chen Dengming immediately darted out of the golden bead and slipped through the mountain crevice into the southern entrance.

A layer of light film appeared.

His figure quickly disappeared into the light membrane.

Soon, a familiar sense of pressure and rejection swept over my entire body.

It even made him feel the golden core in his chest shaking.

It seemed to be squeezed by an incomparably powerful force, about to crack open.

He quickly mobilized his Dao power, achieving a state of perfect Unity of Heaven and Man, and sensed the outline of the Ancient Human Immortal Palace. Only then did the feeling of being strongly suppressed and rejected diminish rapidly.

Suddenly, everything went blurry before my eyes, and icy pool water surged towards me from all around.

He was already at the bottom of the pool.

Chen Dengming mobilized a Core Power and instantly burst out of the pool.

Normally, a Core Power would be enough to travel a great distance, but this time it was completely depleted as soon as he emerged from the pool, forcing Chen Dengming to continue channeling his Core Power.

His expression changed slightly. He flew to the shore, his magic boots landing on the decaying leaves. He stood there, frowning as he felt the loss of his Core Power, secretly alarmed.

His Core Power was being depleted at a rate more than ten times faster than when he was in the Foundation Establishment Realm.

If it weren't for the Spiritual Qi emanating from the Ancient Human Immortal Palace, with which he had already established contact, to replenish his losses, his Core Power would have already been reduced by half.

"The suppression of Golden Core Cultivator in this Daoist land is too strong. It's almost completely suppressing them to the Foundation Establishment level. No wonder that old dog Han Yongxu was so weak last time."

Chen Dengming was terrified.

Fortunately, he possessed the Human Immortal Way Power protecting him, and could also Ancient Human Immortal Palace to return the Core Power that had been devoured.

Otherwise, they wouldn't be able to withstand this kind of suppression at all.

Chen Dengming's expression shifted, and he suddenly looked at the woods ahead, his figure flying over there.

They then discovered the corpses of several Qi Cultivation Cultivator lying on the ground.

Judging from their clothing and appearance, they were clearly cultivators from the Northern and Southern Regions. They were all dead, and their bodies were highly decomposed. They had fought each other before their deaths, and both perished.

In this Curse land of the South, if these cultivators dare to fight each other, they will only deplete their Spiritual Qi even faster.

"The entrance to the Southern Path has finally been discovered, but for the time being, no cultivators have occupied the area outside the entrance."

It's estimated that all those who discovered the entrance are already dead; for the time being, no cultivator from either the North or South has truly discovered Nanxun's existence.

Chen Dengming frowned, then breathed a sigh of relief.

Just by looking at these highly decomposed corpses, one can tell that these people have been dead for about half a month, but no more than two months.

Even for cultivators, in a place like Nanxun where Spiritual Qi is scarce, a corpse will gradually turn into bones after more than two months of death.

In the past half month, someone did indeed go out to spread the word, and cultivators from both the North and South regions had already entered the Southern Search in large numbers.

Even if more cultivators enter Nanxun, they will not gain any advantage.

However, the discovery of a Mustard Seed Realm inevitably arouses the curiosity of high-level cultivators.

At that time, many Rogue Cultivators will be sent in as cannon fodder to test the waters, which will inevitably cause damage to Nanxun. For the people of Nanxun, this will be a catastrophe.

From a public standpoint, Chen Dengming does not want his hometown to repeat the mistakes of the past.

Personally, he didn't want the Human Immortal Orthodox Lineage to be targeted by more beings like the old man behind the evil spirits.

Chen Dengming took to the air and flew within a radius of a thousand miles for half a day.

After confirming that no fish had escaped, they returned to rest near the entrance of the pool.

At this point, he had confirmed that within the territory of the Human Immortal Orthodox Lineage, even the Immortal Celestial Dao Power was suppressed, and the Heavenly Eye could not be used.

This also means that when he tries to enter the Ancient Human Immortal Palace to compete for the Dao Inscriptions, he will not be able to use the Immortal Celestial Dao Power as an aid.

He can only use the Law Technique Divine Ability of the Human Immortal Way to fight against the Sha Star. He cannot even use Law Treasure, but he can simulate Law Treasure with his Divine Sense to make them work.

This was all expected.

He calmed his mind, and soon his sharp and clear intellect gradually settled down.

In a state of oneness with Unity of Heaven and Man, the soul soared towards the Ancient Human Immortal Palace.

At the same time.

The news of Chen Dengming's defeat of Zhuang Fangyu, the leader of the Cold Extreme Gate, gradually spread.

The Hidden Dragon Ranking has been updated again.

Chen Dengming, the Longevity Dao Child, defeated Zhuang Fangyu, Golden Core Mid Stage cultivator, upon entering the Golden Core realm, adding another brilliant achievement to his record and ranking twenty-fourth on the Hidden Dragon List.

This seemingly minor change in ranking has attracted the attention of numerous sects and cultivators across the four regions.

Chen Dengming, the Longevity Dao Child, still possesses the strength he displayed when Reverse Kill Golden Core stage to fight beyond his level. Moreover, his cultivation breakthrough speed is also fast, and his future potential is beyond doubt.

As for Zhuang Fangyu, he has now become a stepping stone for the Longevity Dao Child and a laughing stock. His prestige on the border battlefield has plummeted, and he has been ridiculed by many cultivators from sects in the Southern Region.

"A bunch of blind fools, daring to mock me? Just wait until you provoke that Longevity Dao Child, and I'll beat you to a pulp. If I don't, I'll take his surname, Chen."

Inside the former residence of the Hu family, Cultivation Family on the frontier, Zhuang Fangyu, his face grim, flung away the Sound Transmission Jade Talisman in his hand and snorted and cursed.

These former fellow cultivators and old friends, seemingly sending messages to inquire about each other's well-being, could not, with his Martial World experience, fail to discern the subtle mockery and ridicule lurking in their words.

Even the greetings from the Grand Elder of the Wind Hành Sect seemed to him mostly to be polite and insincere.

They said that if he needed it, the sect would step in and strongly condemn the actions of the Longevity Dao Child.

What good is just condemnation?

He's been internally remorseful for days.

Wind Hành Sect's attitude, it's clear they won't impose any severe sanctions on Longevity Dao Child over this matter.

In fact, Zhuang Fangyu's situation is quite easy to understand.

His petty actions on the battlefield were ultimately for personal gain, as anyone with eyes to see clearly.

The elders of the Wind Hành Sect are not stupid. They will not let the sect rashly get involved because of his personal interests, unless they have a clear advantage.

However, having already sworn an oath to the Dao, he dared not rashly violate it and accuse Chen Dengming of disobeying the war order and seizing the battlefield, thus this advantage vanished.

However, ever since he personally experienced Chen Dengming's abnormally strong strength, he no longer harbored any thoughts of revenge.

The most valuable quality in a person is self-awareness.

Just then, a Sound Transmission Jade Talisman that hadn't moved for a long time suddenly began to shine.

"Hmm? Why did he contact me at such a sensitive time?"

Zhuang Fangyu frowned, a cold glint flashing in his eyes, and doubt appeared on his face.

After a moment's hesitation, he first activated a Sound-Image Pearl to record the information, then took out a jade talisman and used his Divine Sense to investigate.

A Divine Sense emanated from the jade talisman.

"Brother Zhuang, more than thirty years have passed in the blink of an eye. I have been so engrossed in the way of the sword that I have become oblivious to the affairs of the world. I only recently emerged from seclusion and learned of your deeds, and I am deeply indignant."

A flash of anger crossed Zhuang Fangyu's eyes. He coldly snorted and transmitted his voice, "Geng Shouyi, it's been over thirty years since we last met. Your foul mouth hasn't changed at all. If we meet on the Battlefield, I, Zhuang, will test whether your sword is still as sharp as your mouth."

Now that we are at war between the North and South, you dare not cross the border to fight me, but instead resort to empty words. Is this the swordsmanship you have been studying for over thirty years?

A burst of laughter emanated from within the jade talisman. "Not at all, Brother Zhuang. I did not intend to ridicule you; I merely wish to show you a clear path. This will not only remove the Longevity Dao Child who insulted you, but also help you advance your cultivation further."

"Oh?"

Zhuang Fangyu scoffed, "So the Northern Region Alliance sent you as a middleman to persuade me? You're seriously underestimating me."

"Since Brother Zhuang doesn't want revenge, why not think about a path to further breakthroughs in the future?"

Zhuang Fangyu coldly replied, "I've been stuck at the bottleneck of the Golden Core Mid Stage for many years. If I could break through, why would I allow you to waste your breath here? Even the Wind Hành Sect couldn't do it, so you think you can do it for me?"

"I can't, but there is one sect, one thing, that can do it. You should have heard of the Northern Spirit Sect. They used to come from the Northern Spirit Sea."

Zhuang Fangyu was taken aback, his pupils contracting slightly.

This sect, which had been out of the public eye for a long time, has suddenly reappeared. It is rumored that this sect has a deep-seated feud with the Five Elements Sword Sect, but now they have joined forces.

I'm quite far from reaching 150 monthly passes, so I don't think I can add an extra chapter today. I've added extra chapters many times before even when I didn't meet the requirement! But today I'm taking the high-speed train back to my hometown, so I might slack off if I don't meet the requirement. If I do meet it, I'll still work overtime. Please understand, everyone.