Ten Thousand Mountains

The Ten-thousand-mountains, of course, do not actually consist of ten thousand mountains or a vast area spanning ten thousand miles. In reality, it is divided into three mountain ranges, comprising forty main mountain Main Peak and hundreds of precipitous peaks, stretching for thousands of miles from east to west.

Ink Bamboo Mountain's activity area was mainly in the eastern section, from Tianyu Mountain to Nanyu Mountain, a total of fourteen mountains, covering a distance of 6,500 li in the eastern mountain range.

Originally, the entire Ten-thousand-mountains were the border of the Twelve Countries of the Immortal Palace, which should have been guarded by the Li Country of the Immortal Palace and the Nangong Immortal Family.

However, after so many years of repeated attacks and internal strife within the Xuan Sect God Sect, the power of the Immortal Palace has long been weakened.

Moreover, after the False Moon was high in the sky, the cultivators of the Three Great Sects in the Central Plains were all eliminating demons at their own doorsteps, and basically no one was going to travel all the way to the mountains in the south to search for treasures. The pressure on the Nangong Family to guard the border immediately increased, and they simply could not withstand the counterattack of so many demons, so they retreated all the way.

Especially after the Black Lotus Sect Rebellion, of the Ten-thousand-mountains, only the eastern section was closest to the Central Plains, so the fourteen mountains were still in the hands of the Immortal Palace, while the rest of the mountain ranges were seized by demons.

Unfortunately, the Nangong Family later became embroiled in the power struggles within the Three Enclosures of the Immortal Palace. In order to focus on the internal war, the previous Immortal King of the Nangong Family reached an agreement with Ink Bamboo Mountain, granting it ten of its mountain peaks as a Daoist temple in recognition of its merit in the campaign against the Black Lotus Sect. Meanwhile, the main force of the southern border-guarding immortal army was withdrawn to the Central Plains to participate in the war, leaving the pressure of defending the desolate lands of the Ten-thousand-mountains to the rogue cultivators of Ink Bamboo Mountain.

Of course, this was actually a well-thought-out plan. After all, the four treasure mountains rich in resources—the Phoenix's Nest Cave, Nanyu Fei Mountain, Lunzhě Mountain —are still controlled by the Nangong Family, who have arranged for many Nascent Soul Stage Immortals and Golden Core Immortals to guard them.

The other ten are all barren mountains and treacherous waters, teeming with demons and monsters. They are only strategic locations that must be guarded to protect the gold and jade mines and the Phoenix Nest. Now, these burdens have been dumped on the people of Ink Bamboo Mountain. When monsters come, these cannon fodder rogue cultivators will be the first to resist. We can sit back and watch, saving time and effort. Isn't that wonderful?

However, the Nangong Family later lost in the Central Plains, which led to the fall of the previous Immortal King and the removal of their position as guardians of the Li Country the Immortal Palace. Meanwhile, Ink Bamboo Mountain rose to prominence, producing three Divine Transformation: the Mountain Master and the Senior Brother. This made Ink Bamboo Mountain too powerful to control, and only now has the Nangong Family been forced into a dilemma. To say that the Immortal King at the time was short-sighted and allowed rogue cultivators to become too powerful is just hindsight.

Therefore, Ink Bamboo Mountain and the Nangong Immortal Family have coexisted in a delicate balance over the years due to pressure from various forces such as demonic beasts and the Central Plains.

In short, these ten mountain ranges in the eastern section of the Ten-thousand-mountains can now be considered training grounds for disciples of Ink Bamboo Mountain who have just achieved the Golden Core Stage, for regular leveling up, monster hunting, and accumulating initial funds.

Now that Li Fan has reached the Golden Core realm, he can do missions for his sect. The locations of relevant maps, dojos, resources, and spiritual veins are naturally not hidden from him, and he directly obtains the intelligence and maps accumulated by the sect over the years.

Li Fan glanced at the map. Judging by the terrain alone, the mountainous terrain from west to east was roughly...

Tianyu Mountain, Daoguo Mountain, Danxue Mountain, Fashuang Mountain, Mao Mountain, Fei Mountain, Yangjia Mountain, Guanxiang Mountain, Chicken Mountain, Lingqiu Mountain Lunzhě Mountain, Yumu Mountain, and Nanyu Mountain. These are the fourteen great mountains.

Among them, the Nangong Family occupied Danxue Mountain, Fei Mountain, Lunzhě Mountain, and Nanyu Mountain, which divided the Daoist temple of Ink Bamboo Mountain into four parts.

The southeasternmost Nanyu Mountain is fed by the Lun River, which flows into the South China Sea. The river basin has formed a fertile plain. This vast land, rich in gold, jade, phoenixes, and spiritual plants, is the largest core territory of the Nangong Family outside the Twelve Countries. As a result, many immortal troops are stationed on Nanyu Mountain. During the battle at Tiantai Mountain, Nangong Wushuang and the rogue cultivators from the South China Sea probably flew from here on the Vermilion Bird to intercept them.

Twelve hundred miles west of Nanyu Mountain lies the Lunzhě Mountain Mine, occupied by the Nangong Family. It contains abundant gold and jade veins, as well as rare Heavenly Treasure such as Qinghuo, Baijiu Grass, and Blood Jade. It is also a key location where the Nangong Family has deployed a large number of troops.

However, this area of 1,200 miles is teeming with demons and monsters. Only Yu Gao and Yu Mu mountains have the Yushan guarded by cultivators from Ink Bamboo Mountain. The other mountains and caves are filled with demons. Therefore, the area between these two mountains is one of the most fiercely contested battlefields between Ink Bamboo Mountain, the Nangong Family, and the demons.

The Yushan in Ink Bamboo Mountain can be understood as a map recommended for monster-hunting and combat only after one has reached the Golden Core stage.

The area of Yangjia Mountain, Guanxiang Mountain, Chicken Mountain, Lingqiu Mountain, which Li Fan was patrolling this time, covers about two thousand miles and is under the control of Ink Bamboo Mountain. It is not only a place for early-stage Golden Core disciples to train, Chicken Mountain has mineral veins, Guanxiang Mountain has forests, Yangjia Mountain has Spiritual Spring, Lingqiu Mountain has the Flame Pool and Wind Cave. There is also a valley in the south of the mountain called Zhonggu, which leads directly to Lei Marsh.

Therefore, Ink Bamboo Mountain established a Daoist temple in Zhonggu, connecting the east, west, south, and north. It was precisely because of the management of the numerous resource points in these four mountains that Ink Bamboo Mountain was able to rise to prominence.

Five hundred li west of Yangjia Mountain is the Fei Mountain Gold and Jade Mine of the Nangong Family, Fei Mountain is the Phoenix Nest of the Nangong Family's Danxue Mountain. A thousand li between these two mountains are Ink Bamboo Mountain's Fashuang Mountain and Mao Mountain.

However, west of Fei Mountain lies a place teeming with powerful demons and numerous evil spirits, making it quite dangerous.

The disciples of Ink Bamboo Mountain are well aware of the powerful Divine Transformation Jade Toad Granny of Yaoguang Cave, who resides at the bottom of the Fanshui River in the Fashuang Mountains. She is truly a thorn in the side of Ink Bamboo Mountain. However, this toad is, after all, a Divine Transformation for a long time, and she is very cunning. She often comes out to eat people. When she sees that she has attracted something powerful, she will dive into the water and escape to the South China Sea along the river. She is very troublesome.

Ink Bamboo Mountain couldn't spare the manpower to capture it, so they set up the Nangu Valley in the Southern Valley of Mao Mountain to fight against the demons of Yaoguang Cave, vying for the caves on both mountains, and guarding against Jade Toad Granny sneaking into the heart of the four mountains to the east and destroying the resources of the Middle Valley Dojo. Therefore, although they were not afraid of the demons of Yaoguang Cave, Jade Toad Granny was powerful, so it was basically safer to send a cultivator who had reached the Golden Core stage or even the Nascent Soul.

A thousand miles further west from Phoenix Nest on Danxue Mountain lies the westernmost point of this mountain range, Tianyu, where the two mountains have been crossed.

Among them, the Tianyu Mountain Dojo is the first pass guarding the myriad demons of the West Mountain. It is currently guarded by the eldest disciple of the mountain lord's lineage, a great cultivator in the Transformation Stage, the Tianyu God.

Basically, Tianyu Mountain is now deep in the heart of the demon realm, surrounded by powerful monsters on all sides. It is a high-difficulty map that only those at the peak of the Nascent Soul can venture into.

Therefore, according to the training route of the disciples of Ink Bamboo Mountain, they generally cultivate to the Golden Core Perfected Realm, centered around the Zhonggu Middle Valley Dojo in Lingqiu Mountain. After that, they would occasionally go to Yushan or Lei Marsh to hunt down great monsters and try to break through to the Nascent Soul Stage. After breaking through, they would go west to Tianyu Mountain to help their senior brother guard the mountain gate and seek the opportunity to become a Daoist and transform into a Divine Transformation.

Of course, if you're even bolder, you can come directly to Li Fan... cough cough cough...

Therefore, it can be seen that with these ten mountains and four major training grounds, Ink Bamboo Mountain basically has all the maps for leveling up and grinding monsters from the early Golden Core stage to the Nascent Soul Stage. As a result, the disciples of Ink Bamboo Mountain really don't need to go north to Kunlun or the Twelve Countries of the Central Plains to compete with the Three Great Sects for resources.

The Nangong Immortal Family is currently in a state of decline and needs the help of Ink Bamboo Mountain to protect its four treasure mountains. They cannot be suppressed too much, and in order to secure core resources, they even reluctantly accepted the loss of offerings from the Li Country. As a result, Ink Bamboo Mountain can focus on maintaining its disciples' cultivation expenses and has been able to rise rapidly without any major problems.

Therefore, Li Fan's first stop after leaving the mountain Golden Core Stage was the Middle Valley Dojo in Lingqiu Mountain.

This time, Li Fan simply went out to explore the map, scout the way, and casually complete some quests to level up. He didn't invite Kun and Jianyi along. He casually sent a mechanical bird back to deliver a message to Fuling. He didn't need to cook dinner for himself. Instead, he went to the Immortal Cuisine Shop outside Lou Guan Tower and bought some rice used by Golden Core Stage cultivators.

Because his current mood cap is 2000 points, but it can only fluctuate by one point at a time, he usually has to rely on eating Golden Core Stage food to increase it daily. However, since it's only one point at a time, he doesn't need to eat anything too fancy; he can just buy the cheapest immortal food.

After inquiring with Fuling, Li Fan learned that among the immortal dishes for each realm, the cheapest was glutinous rice. The glutinous rice used at the Golden Core Stage cost about five or six hundred coins per dou (a unit of dry measure), which, although a hundred times more expensive than ordinary rice, was still much cheaper than a single steamed bun that cost one guan (another unit of dry measure)...

What is glutinous rice? It's a type of japonica rice.

The so-called "six grains" mentioned in the saying "When the king provides food, he eats six grains and serves six kinds of sacrificial animals, and the diet should be appropriate: beef is suitable for rice, mutton for millet, pig for sorghum, dog for sorghum, goose for wheat, and fish for other kinds of food" refers to one of the six grains. It is not only consumed by practitioners, but is also commonly used by Human Dao for sacrificial offerings.

It is true that besides the Tai Su Dao and Tai Ji Dao, there is also the cultivation path of Fengshen in this world. The civil and military officials of the Twelve Countries cultivated the Fengshen Dao. While alive, they held high positions in the imperial court, and after death, the king could record their names on the Investiture of the Gods and bestow them with the spiritual energy of the mountains and rivers.

Although these cultivators of the Investiture of Gods were relatively weak and could no longer cultivate after being conferred as gods, they were still considered mountain and water gods who could summon spiritual veins in their respective regions. Therefore, Ink Bamboo Mountain also used secret methods to confer titles upon some wild mountain gods on the mountain peaks it occupied and built altars and temples for them.

The sect also provided a method for worshipping the gods. For example, if Li Fan went to a remote area and got lost or was attacked by demons, he could scatter a handful of sacrificial rice to summon the local mountain god who was at the beck and call of the Daoist priests of Ink Bamboo Mountain to come and help him.

Besides, these grains can also be rubbed together with the Qi of Heaven and Earth and fed to two carp. Indeed, you eat them, I eat them, and the fish eat them too. Of course, the Kun (a mythical fish) also eats them. It's very convenient.

Then he saw the 'battle robes' provided by Ink Bamboo Mountain for Golden Core Stage cultivators in the Immortal Heavenly Clothes next door. The Purple Sash Immortal Clothes worn by Old Zhang and the eunuch, both Golden Core cultivators. It was said to be a benefit from the sect, the first set each disciple received after achieving Golden Core, custom-made for them, and only charged at cost price—very generous, only 25,000 strings of cash for a set...

Li Fan then exclaimed, "Oh ho ho, this is a really damn good price!"

He decided not to think too much about it and spent all the spare change he had. He bought more than five bushels of rice and put it in his Storage Jade pendant, planning to eat it for a year or two. He then squatted in the newbie map, farming a bunch of junk to sell, and exchange it for a sect set first.

So Li Fan walked out of the rice shop, still wearing the sect's black robe and brown fur coat, with a fire-avoiding robe he bought in Yanzhou over it. It's such a pity that Qingyang Old Demon blew one of his robes away, cough cough.

Her hair was tied up in a bun with a crown, and a long sword box made of black jade was strapped diagonally to her back, containing the Black Sword 'Demon Slayer'. She also carried a short sword box made of yellow jade in her bosom, which contained the flying sword 'Sky Piercer'.

Three Storage Jade rings hung from his belt, a goldfish bowl that needed to be fed frequently was hidden in his right sleeve, and a set of plates and spoons was hidden in his left sleeve.

Looking around, there was nothing else I needed to prepare (mainly because I didn't have the money).

Li Fan also made a hand seal, stamped his foot, and said, "Unsheath!"

Then, a dark shadow flew out from the sword casket behind him with a clang! The four-foot-long sword, like a black snake, circled Li Fan three times, its Sword Qi stirring up sand and stones, like a storm, instantly engulfing Li Fan's figure within it. Then, it transformed into a streak of black light and shot straight up, carrying him straight into the sky, leaving a sword rainbow of ink mixed with black gold in the sky, flying rapidly southward.

As Li Fan used the sword-riding techniques taught in the Ruyi Sword Scripture to fly, he mentally assessed the situation. It was indeed a bit slow; it couldn't compare to Nascent Soul Stage level cultivator, and it wasn't even as fast as Zhang Jiugao's small golden sword...

The Black Sword Slays Ghosts. According to the Profound Heaven Sword Intent and his secrets, this sword was forged by Yao Xuanzhou based on the Black Sword hanging in front of the Scripture Pavilion. He probably intended to make it into a standard flying sword bestowed upon disciples by the Ink Bamboo Mountain. Therefore, its shape is a relatively traditional ceremonial sword, which is large and heavy. You can even use it as a magic sword, holding it in your hand to summon wind and rain, and to summon thunder and lightning.

On the bright side, with its three feet and five inches in length and eight facets, it's possible to forge a considerable number of sword imprints. Yao Xuanzhou did indeed add many sword imprints that could be interpreted as enhancing attack and defense, so the sword's power is truly impressive. It can be rated as a low-to-high seventh-grade sword simply based on its materials and power. Whether used for daily tasks like exorcising demons, long-term sword flight, or assisting in rituals, it's an honest, reliable, and solid helper.

However, if you're thinking of fighting someone, forget it. It's too cumbersome. It's fine for bullying those with trash swords, but if you were to duel with the core disciples of the Three Great Sects, that sword would be the last thing you see... Yes, it's that absurd. When it comes to killing, power isn't the main thing. Slitting a throat and beheading is the same as blasting someone to dust. Do you really think you have a health bar to grind down?

However, Yao Xuanzhou was not unaware of this principle, but his focus was also very clear. After all, as the abbot and a master swordsman, he knew that the disciples of Ink Bamboo Mountain often went to the Ten-thousand-mountains to exorcise demons. He himself almost died in the Lei Marsh. Therefore, what he needed most was not a divine weapon that was good at killing and fighting, but a tough and reliable partner that could withstand frequent battles.

Profound Heaven Sword Intent also believed that the initial flying sword was meant to be used for training until it broke, and he had no objection to making the Demon-Slaying Sword more solid.

After all, if you're going to kill someone, you can use another sword to finish the job.

Pitian, this is another extreme, it is the speed of the sword, so fast that according to the meaning of Profound Heaven Sword Intent, there is no need to use any fancy sword moves or techniques, just pierce the heart and cut off the head with one sword.

Of course, the flaws of Pitian are very obvious. It is clear that it sacrifices toughness in pursuit of sword speed, and it will probably break after a few uses. However, Profound Heaven Sword Intent also said that this is simply for Li Fan to use to protect his life. He can use it to practice Ghost Slayer on ordinary days.

After all, Yao Xuanzhou was still a newcomer. Even with Xuan Tian's guidance, he couldn't achieve perfection right away. He could only go to extremes. His seven-inch Heaven-Splitting Sword, with its extreme speed alone, could be rated as a lower-middle-grade seventh-rank sword.

Moreover, according to the boasts of the Profound Heaven Sword Intent, this is only because both swords have obvious flaws, so they can at most be rated as lower-middle level, not even reaching the middle tier. If we really talk about sword speed, the Pi Tian sword can probably rival a top-grade flying sword!

After listening to Xuan Tian boast about these two magical treasures for three months, Li Fan was indeed itching to try them out. He really wished that some fool would jump out and kill him to test whether the sword was sharp or not!

Unfortunately, on their way to the Middle Valley Dojo on Lingqiu Mountain, they didn't encounter any demons or monsters. They only met a flock of owls with human-like faces, four eyes, and ears. They looked strange and flew away while chirping. They seemed like simple wild animals, not monsters at all. It would be a waste to use them for testing swords.

What a disappointment...