Wilderness of Ten Thousand Waters

After Yang Zhengshan dealt with these miscellaneous matters, he went to Hengshan Sect and Taoyuan Mountain again, where he exchanged words with Qihe Zhenjun and Zhongli Yue, mainly to discuss trade between both sides.

Everything else could be halted, but trade with these two major forces could not stop. Not only could it not stop, it had to be expanded to earn greater profits.

As trade continued over the years, Hengshan Sect placed increasing importance on the goods supplied by the Yang Family.

The war in the Southern Region continued, and showed a tendency to grow increasingly fierce. Hengshan Sect had even sent its disciples into the fray personally. Moreover, the Struggle for Authority had only just begun and had yet to reach its most intense and tragic stage. Hengshan Sect would still need even more supplies in the future.

The supplies provided by the Yang Family were not particularly abundant, but they were all of excellent quality. Therefore, Hengshan Sect valued its trade dealings with the Yang Family more and more.

After Yang Zhengshan spoke with Qihe Zhenjun, Qihe Zhenjun once again provided the Yang Family with an order—one with more varieties and much larger quantities.

This order was enough to keep the Spirit Source Land busy for more than a decade.

As for Taoyuan Mountain, the volume of trade had not increased. In fact, it would even decrease.

On Taoyuan Mountain, inside the Tea Room.

Zhongli Yue poured Yang Zhengshan a cup of tea and said helplessly, "The situation in the Wanhua Mountain Range and the Western Regions is growing increasingly chaotic. Our Wanbao Trading Company's business is becoming harder and harder to conduct."

"It isn't that I'm unwilling to do business with Brother Yang. It's just that the Wanbao Trading Company is currently unable to sell so many goods!"

The Wanbao Trading Company had seven trading houses in total across the Wanhua Mountain Range and the Western Regions. They were located in True Sun Immortal City, Qinglin Immortal City, Qingli Immortal City, Jiujiang Immortal City, Cuihai Island, Yinhuai Mountain, and Taoyuan Mountain.

True Sun Immortal City had changed hands several times and had long since fallen into decline. Although Great Sun Mountain still concealed abundant resources, few people were now willing to remain in True Sun Immortal City to search for them. Everyone had been frightened out of their wits by the Wuchang Ghost Sect and the Wanhua Demon Court.

The two forces had fought back and forth, dragging an unknown number of innocent people into the conflict. As a result, Great Sun Mountain had become sparsely populated, and trade in True Sun Immortal City had grown increasingly depressed. The Wanbao Trading Company's business there had also become increasingly difficult.

Qinglin Immortal City was somewhat better. It lay in the central part of the Wanhua Mountain Range and had always belonged to the Wanhua Demon Court. However, the Wanhua Demon Court had also been shaken by unrest over the past several decades. Although Qinglin Immortal City had not been damaged, its commercial environment had still been greatly affected.

The Wanbao Trading Company's branch in Qingli Immortal City had only been established several decades ago. At that time, Baiyun Immortal City still existed. As the largest and most prosperous Immortal Cultivator settlement in the western part of the Yunxiao Mountain Range, it was only natural for the Wanbao Trading Company to establish a trading house in the city.

However, because the Wuchang Ghost Sect had attacked the Yunxiao Mountain Range, Qingli Immortal City had also been heavily affected. Even Yun Fan and Yun Bi had defected to the Yang Family, let alone everyone else.

Although the Wuchang Ghost Sect had ultimately failed to seize Qingli Immortal City, the Wanbao Trading Company's business there had still fallen into decline.

Jiujiang Immortal City lay in the southern part of the Wanhua Mountain Range and was in much the same situation as True Sun Immortal City. It had changed hands several times in just a few decades, and Jiujiang Immortal City had become utterly desolate.

Cuihai Island was in the Ming Sea, the territory of the Deep Sea Profound Palace. Yinhuai Mountain was in the Southern Frontier, near the location of Yellow Springs Hall. Both places were commercial centers established under the protection of major forces.

Cuihai Island relied on the Deep Sea Profound Palace, while Yinhuai Mountain relied on the former Yellow Springs Hall.

Although these two places were still relatively peaceful for the time being, the poor overall environment had caused the Wanbao Trading Company's business to plummet.

Therefore, among the trading houses currently under Zhongli Yue's jurisdiction, the best one was the Wanbao Trading Company beneath Taoyuan Mountain.

With him personally stationed there, none of the surrounding forces would come looking for trouble. In addition, with unrest raging everywhere, many cultivators had taken the settlement beneath Taoyuan Mountain to be a safe harbor.

The settlement beneath Taoyuan Mountain had grown increasingly lively, and the Wanbao Trading Company's business there had also improved steadily. However, Taoyuan Mountain alone could not make up for the losses of the other six Wanbao Trading Company branches.

"I see. It's fine—sell as much as you can. In addition, we need a large quantity of low-grade resources. I hope Brother Zhongli can help provide some!" Yang Zhengshan said with a smile.

"That's easy. Whatever Fellow Daoist Yang needs, you can purchase directly from the shops below," Zhongli Yue said with a smile.

"By the way, if Brother Yang wants to sell more supplies, you can go take a look at Wanbao Immortal City. Its commercial environment is far beyond what Taoyuan Mountain can compare with!" he reminded him.

Yang Zhengshan nodded. "I've long admired Wanbao Immortal City. I've been planning to go there and have a look recently."

He had originally planned to go to Wanbao Immortal City after leaving Taoyuan Mountain. Zhongli Yue's suggestion happened to fit his itinerary perfectly.

"Hehe, Xia Yi is currently in Wanbao Immortal City. Brother Yang will be able to meet her there!" Zhongli Yue said.

Yang Zhengshan nodded slightly. "When the time comes, I'll definitely pay Fellow Daoist Xia Yi a visit!"

The two chatted casually for a while before Yang Zhengshan took his leave.

After leaving Taoyuan Mountain, he flew all the way toward Wanbao Immortal City.

The Central Region had no imperial dynasties or kingdoms, only sects and great clans. Of course, there were ordinary people in the Central Region as well, but they all belonged to sects and great clans.

Great sects, small sects, immortal clans, great clans, and ordinary families pressed down layer upon layer, forming a densely interwoven ruling structure throughout the Wanhua Central Region.

In fact, ordinary people in the Central Region were fairly well provided for. If all they wanted was Enough to Eat and Warm Clothes, it was easy for them to achieve that.

Few Immortal Cultivators would bully ordinary people, and even fewer would take the initiative to slaughter them.

However, the Immortal Dao flourished in the Central Region, and the Martial Dao flourished just as much. Few people were willing to remain ordinary for their entire lives. Everyone wanted powerful strength, and everyone envied the Immortal Cultivators who flew through the skies. They had no Spirit Aperture and could not become Immortal Cultivators, so they chose to become Martial Artists instead.

The spiritual energy density in the Central Region was fairly high, making it no great difficulty for ordinary people to become Martial Artists.

As long as they possessed a decent cultivation method, basically anyone could reach the Innate Realm.

Thus, the Central Region was a Place of Hidden Dragons and Crouching Tigers where Innate Martial Artists were as common as dogs and Golden Bodies walked everywhere. In this regard, it was quite similar to the Spirit Source Land. High spiritual energy density and abundant resources greatly lowered the difficulty of becoming an Innate Martial Artist, giving many people the opportunity to become Martial Artists.

However, Divine Soul Realm Martial Artists were still relatively rare. Although Divine Soul Realm Martial Artists could not be considered experts in the Central Region, they were still skilled practitioners, and they could manage to bully Foundation Establishment Cultivators.

Wanbao Immortal City was located in the western part of the Wanhua Central Region, east of the Wanhua Mountain Range and north of the Hengshan Mountain Range. The area was an incomparably vast plain.

Ordinarily, plains were regions with sparse Earth Veins and scarce Spirit Veins. Yet the Wilderness of Ten Thousand Waters, where Wanbao Immortal City stood, was an expansive Blessed Land.

Although the Wilderness of Ten Thousand Waters had no high-grade Spirit Veins, it possessed countless rivers. The sources of those rivers all lay in the Wanhua Mountain Range and the Hengshan Mountain Range, and every drop of water in them contained spiritual energy.

Although this River Water could not compare with the Spirit Spring Water that poured out of Spirit Veins, under the irrigation of the rivers, every patch of land in the Wilderness of Ten Thousand Waters could be considered a Spirit Field.

As a result, the spiritual energy density of the Wilderness of Ten Thousand Waters was even higher than that of the Wanhua Mountain Range and the Hengshan Mountain Range.

Simply put, although the Wilderness of Ten Thousand Waters did not have many high-grade Spirit Veins, its average spiritual energy density was exceptionally high.

This created a situation in which Immortal Cultivator forces were found everywhere across the Wilderness of Ten Thousand Waters, as were Spirit Fields and Immortal Cultivation Families.

It could be said that one could cultivate Spirit Rice and Spirit Fruit Trees simply by reclaiming any random patch of land here.

The entire Wilderness of Ten Thousand Waters stretched for ten thousand li and was roughly as large as the Spirit Source Land, but its population reached one billion.

The Wilderness of Ten Thousand Waters was the most densely populated, commercially prosperous, and Immortal Cultivator-heavy region in the entire Myriad Flower Domain.

Moreover, the Wilderness of Ten Thousand Waters was also a Place of Hidden Dragons and Crouching Tigers. Many Immortal Cultivation Families here had been passed down for several thousand years, or even more than ten thousand.

Many Immortal Cultivation Families that appeared utterly inconspicuous might have had a Golden Core Ancestor among their forebears. Many Immortal Cultivation Families that looked perfectly ordinary might enshrine Spirit Artifacts passed down from their ancestors.

Even many forces that people overlooked might conceal a Golden Core cultivator.

Yang Zhengshan concealed his aura and flew slowly over one town after another, looking down at village after village. He encountered vast numbers of cultivators who were likewise flying through the sky.

He could not help sighing at how many Immortal Cultivators there were here.

However, there were many conflicts here as well.

Not long after entering the Wilderness of Ten Thousand Waters, he encountered a large-scale brawl.

More than a hundred cultivators and Martial Artists were fighting fiercely above a river. Among them were even four Foundation Establishment Cultivators.

Yang Zhengshan simply stopped and stood atop the clouds, looking down at the battlefield below.

This should have been a clash between two great clans. One side had three Foundation Establishment Cultivators, while the other had only one. However, that one possessed Foundation Establishment Peak Stage cultivation, though he had little Lifespan remaining.

Three Foundation Establishment Cultivators surrounded and attacked the Foundation Establishment Peak Stage elder. The elder was extremely powerful, but two fists could not fight four hands, and he was instead firmly suppressed by the three Foundation Establishment Cultivators.

Above the South Water River.

Pei Lun glared at Shi Yuansheng in front of him with grief and indignation. "Boy Shi, do you really intend to leave not the slightest bit of room for consideration?"

The grievances, resentments, and loves between the Pei Family and the Shi Family had continued for a thousand years. The Pei Family had once been a powerful force in the Wilderness of Ten Thousand Waters, but over the past thousand years, the Pei Family had declined continuously. By now, it had declined to the point of having no successor.

A thousand years ago, the Shi Family did not yet exist here. At that time, the ancestor of the Shi Family had been a Personal Attendant beside a member of the Pei Family.

Later, with the Pei Family's support, the Shi Family established its own clan. However, at that time, the Shi Family had merely been an appendage of the Pei Family.

Later still, the Shi Family grew increasingly prosperous while the Pei Family declined further. Gradually, the status of the two families became equal. However, because of the affection left behind by their ancestors, their relationship remained close, and they could be considered allies.

It was only two hundred years ago that the Pei Family's decline could no longer be halted. Only then did the Shi Family develop ulterior motives: to annex the Pei Family and replace it.

One family was east of the river, while the other was west of the river. It truly fulfilled the saying, "Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river."

No, more accurately, it was a thousand years east of the river and a thousand years west of the river.

For the previous thousand years, this place had belonged to the Pei Family east of the river. For the next thousand years, if nothing unexpected happened, it would belong to the Shi Family west of the river.

The workings of fate were truly capricious.

"Senior Pei, it isn't that I refuse to show consideration. It's that you don't know when to advance or retreat!" Shi Yuansheng said in an even tone.

"You—" Pei Lun's face filled with fury. He was just about to say something when Shi Yuansheng's attack interrupted him.

"There are some things I don't want to say, but there are also some things you shouldn't pretend not to see! For all these years, your Pei Family has held itself high above others. Do you still think my Shi Family belongs to your Pei Family as an appendage?" Shi Yuansheng's tone turned cold.

Arrogance came from inheritance. The Pei Family's arrogance came from a thousand-year family history, and it displayed that arrogance to the fullest when dealing with the Shi Family, simply because the Shi Family's ancestor had once been a servant of the Pei Family.

In the past, the Shi Family could endure the Pei Family's arrogance. After all, the Shi Family had owed the Pei Family a great deal. But now, the Shi Family no longer owed the Pei Family anything. More importantly, the Shi Family had already surpassed the Pei Family.

Did the Shi Family still have to honor the Pei Family as its master?

Pei Lun looked at him coldly. "A frog at the bottom of a well. Do you think this is enough to place your Shi Family above my Pei Family? Hmph, my Pei Family has been passed down for a thousand years. How could it possibly be compared with the likes of you?"

Clearly, Shi Yuansheng's accusations were not groundless. Yet Pei Lun still harbored an arrogance that he should not have had.

Yang Zhengshan listened to their exchange from the clouds. After hearing the other curses and angry rebukes as well, he roughly understood the origins of the two families.

He would not judge who was right or wrong. Or rather, this was something that could never be measured through simple right and wrong.

The rise of the Shi Family would inevitably threaten the Pei Family, and the Pei Family would inevitably suppress the Shi Family to preserve its family enterprise.

The conflict between the two sides was not about right or wrong, but about strength.

On the battlefield, Pei Lun suddenly took out a Green Bamboo Staff. The staff was four chi long, with eight joints along its body. Its tail was flat, while the grip at the head was carved into a dragon's head. No, more accurately, the entire bamboo staff was a Dragon. It was just that the Dragon's head was somewhat flat, making it look as though it had been carved separately.

At first, Yang Zhengshan had not paid attention to the bamboo staff. But when Pei Lun swung it toward Shi Yuansheng, his eyes suddenly narrowed.

The bamboo staff swept out a streak of green light. Some sort of Dao Intent seemed to be contained within it. When the manifested Dao Intent landed on Shi Yuansheng, his entire body trembled, and terror appeared on his face. Then, stalk after stalk of Bamboo Shoot suddenly sprouted from his body.

The Bamboo Shoots grew rapidly, crowding together in the blink of an eye, yet they continued growing. Soon, Shi Yuansheng was submerged beneath a thicket of Green Bamboo, forming a green sphere over three zhang long.

Yang Zhengshan's expression suddenly turned solemn at the sight.

What was this?

It wasn't a Magic Treasure or a Spirit Artifact. It seemed more like some sort of divine ability!

But how could a Foundation Establishment Cultivator possess such a divine ability? No, Foundation Establishment Cultivators could possess divine abilities. They simply couldn't unleash their full power.

That person below definitely didn't possess a divine ability. He had merely borrowed the power of that bamboo staff!

But how could a bamboo staff possess such might? Was that Vitality Devouring?

He stared blankly at the bamboo staff in Pei Lun's hand. At that moment, the staff radiated a lustrous green glow, as though it were filled with vitality. It did not resemble a broken piece of bamboo at all.

"It isn't Vitality Devouring. It's Vitality Seizure. It's just that the person doesn't possess such a divine ability, so he's Unable to Obtain vitality to heal himself! In fact, he seems to have lost some of his vitality as well!"

"Lost vitality? No, what he lost wasn't vitality. It was Lifespan!"