To the north of the endless land lay a vast sea, known as the North Dark Sea.
The North Dark Sea was dotted with countless islands. Qianqiu Island was one of the most inconspicuous among them.
More than ten years ago, Immortal Juhua, a Loose Immortal of several million years' standing whose name had spread far and wide, came here and announced that he would take on a disciple on this unknown island. His arrival brought the island, which spanned more than a thousand miles, to life.
Above the North Dark Sea.
With a "whoosh," space rippled, and a black-robed young man appeared high in the sky out of nowhere.
Beneath his feet stretched the boundless North Dark Sea.
"Qianqiu Island." Lei Zhan turned and gazed into the distance, at a huge island tens of thousands of miles away. "Senior Big Bear was right. There really are still plenty of cultivators left on Qianqiu Island."
Ten thousand miles was not far. A Wanxiang True Person could reach it in the time it took to drink a cup of tea.
In the brief moment since Lei Zhan had appeared in the sky, he had already seen several groups of cultivators flying toward Qianqiu Island.
After taking him as his sole disciple, Immortal Juhua had hidden the Water Mansion without a trace. Even so, many cultivators remained on the island, unwilling to leave for the faint, fleeting chance of a connection.
After all, Immortal Juhua stood among the very strongest in the Great Xia Dynasty.
Word of his public search for a disciple had spread long ago. Countless Xiantian and Purple Mansion cultivators from great tribes had been tempted, to say nothing of the cultivators from small tribes who had next to nothing.
For a Loose Immortal to live for several million years was nothing short of a miracle. A cultivator's three calamities and nine tribulations grew more severe with each passing one. He had lived far too long; even ordinary Earth Immortals and Loose Immortals knew his tribulations must have reached a terrifying level. He might not even survive them, much less some Celestial Immortals.
The longer Immortal Juhua lived, the more everyone in the Great Xia Dynasty understood how fearsome he was.
"Mm. I'd better get moving." Lei Zhan gave the island one last glance, then looked away. His master, Immortal Juhua, had publicly declared that he would take only one disciple.
A great many Xiantian Beings had entered back then, and most had died in those two corridors. Only a small number had been lucky enough to escape with their lives. But Lei Zhan had appeared only after six or seven years. It was hard to say whether any forces hostile to Immortal Juhua had been keeping an eye on the survivors.
If they guessed the truth—or even merely suspected it—then his position as the person "most likely" to become Immortal Juhua's disciple would make his situation far less pleasant.
"It's a shame I can't use disguises like that yet." Lei Zhan shook his head. Still, he was only an obscure Purple Mansion cultivator; for now, no one would pay him any attention.
With a thought, a black flying vessel the size of his palm appeared in Lei Zhan's hand.
"Go." Lei Zhan gave it a gentle toss. The flying vessel, a top-grade Human Rank magic treasure, left his hand and transformed in an instant into a huge black-sailed ship.
"Since I've decided to venture deeper, I'll keep heading north." Lei Zhan oriented himself, then piloted the ship. It became a streak of black light and flew toward the distant reaches of the boundless sea.
The North Dark Sea, North Sea City.
Far out in the North Dark Sea, at least several million miles from land, stood a vast island. Though it was called an island, it was practically a small continent.
This was the heart of the fief held by the Baili Clan, the North Sea Marquis's clan—one of the 3,600 vassal lords. It was North Sea Commandery City.
The North Dark Sea had once been a stronghold of gods and demons. But over countless years, as the Xia Emperor brought the entire Great Xia World under his rule, his armies had captured, imprisoned, or slaughtered countless gods and demons in battle.
Once the North Dark Sea had been pacified, the Baili Clan, the North Sea Marquis who had long followed the Xia Emperor in his campaigns across the realm, was granted a fief there. But the North Dark Sea was so vast that even an ancient clan like the Baili Clan, with its Celestial Immortals, could hardly claim to control all of the North Sea.
The area they held most firmly under their sway stretched only ten million miles around North Sea City.
And even that was just one corner of the North Dark Sea.
Inside a vast palace in North Sea City, Water Mirror spells formed countless mirrors that floated in the air, scattered at different heights and angles until they nearly covered the entire ceiling.
Below the countless water mirrors, a large number of cultivators were gathered.
"Swish."
The instant the Yellow-Haired Great Bear had teleported Lei Zhan into the sky above the North Dark Sea, the faint ripple in space had been caught by one of the countless water mirrors in the huge palace.
"Hmm? A spatial fluctuation? It's near Qianqiu Island."
"Precise location: ten thousand miles north of Qianqiu Island. A very faint spatial fluctuation appeared there."
"A spatial fluctuation? Qianqiu Island concerns Immortal Juhua, a Loose Immortal of several million years. The North Sea Marquis ordered us to keep a close watch on it. Investigate at once."
"Yes."
The cultivators gathered below swiftly acted. Before long, they had locked onto a huge black-sailed ship.
"Since Immortal Juhua, a Loose Immortal of several million years, took a disciple, there have been no other anomalies in the area. His cave abode vanished without a trace as well."
"Six years have passed. Apart from a few lucky survivors, everyone else died in the trials. Since then, there have been no further spatial fluctuations nearby. The owner of this suddenly appearing sailing ship could very well have some connection to Immortal Juhua..."
Soon, this insignificant tidbit of news was turned into an intelligence report, added to the records concerning Qianqiu Island, and quickly sent away.
This was a surveillance post belonging to the Baili Clan, the North Sea Marquis's clan, responsible for monitoring the entire North Sea Prefecture. Of course, when necessary, they would also sell such intelligence to interested parties, provided they had permission.
Naturally, six or seven years later, a spatial fluctuation this inconspicuous would ordinarily have been overlooked by the Baili Clan's surveillance personnel. It was only because the North Sea Marquis had ordered them to pay close attention that it was noticed.
At the same time.
Inside a towering mountain in North Sea City, eight hundred miles tall, another vast array of water mirrors filled the entire sky.
"The Baili Clan just sent word. There was a spatial fluctuation ten thousand miles north of Qianqiu Island."
"Quick! Get the message out!"
"Seven houses want this information, and three of them have offered a hefty price..."
"Yes! Send it out at once!"
Half a month later.
A black-sailed ship flew through the clouds and mist. From high above, the boundless North Dark Sea merged with the sky at the horizon.
Were it not for cultivators' powerful souls and the occasional islands that surfaced, they could easily have lost their way in this vast sea.
Even so, new beings—and cultivators—continued to arrive in the North Dark Sea without end.
The Great Xia World was incomparably vast. The God-Devil Era alone had left behind countless ruins. Now that the era had only just ended, the four great seas where the greatest numbers of gods and demons had once made their homes drew cultivators from every direction, one after another. The North Dark Sea was one of them.
Crash, crash—
On the black-sailed ship's deck, a handsome young man in black robes sat cross-legged, strands of azure seawater circling around him. This young man was Lei Zhan, who had left the Water Mansion half a month earlier.
The seawater surged and roiled, white waves churning. An unfathomable Dao enveloped the entire ship.
After a long while,
Lei Zhan dispersed the azure seawater circling around him and slowly opened his eyes.
"No wonder every cultivator goes out to adventure and temper themselves," Lei Zhan said with a sigh. "Back in the Water Mansion, I had my master, Immortal Juhua, to guide me, the help of the Star Hall, and the Black Bead subtly improving my comprehension... but it was still just building castles in the air."
"I've been out for only half a month. Just flying above the North Dark Sea has already greatly improved my understanding of the Dao of the Azure Sea. If I keep this up, it won't be long before I fully comprehend the Dao of the Azure Sea."
Lei Zhan had always had exceptional talent for the Dao of the Azure Sea, and it was the first Dao he had comprehended. Even now, among all the Daos he had comprehended, it was the one he had delved into most deeply.
"But I can't just drift aimlessly across the sea forever."
Lei Zhan stood and looked down at the boundless ocean below. He soon made up his mind.
"From my current heading, if I keep going deeper, I'll pass by North Sea Commandery City. I've been taking my time, flying in fits and starts, and have covered only a little over six hundred thousand miles."
"If I come across another island, I'll stop for a while and get some food and drink."
Street-Pavement Diary, Part Two
Please follow! Please follow! Please follow!
The Xia Emperor divided the realm into 3,600 commanderies and mentioned the four seas too. The four seas were so vast—how could they possibly be left entirely alone? The original story didn't say much, so I've expanded on it. New plotlines take a lot of thought, so writing them is slow.
This chapter is a transitional one, linking what came before with what comes next. It's a bit of a filler chapter, but it can't be left out.
There's one more thing: Immortal Juhua's trials killed so many people. Sure, Xiantian Beings and Purple Mansion cultivators might not be worth much, but everyone who dared to come was a heaven's favorite. Even if they weren't all heaven's favorites, wouldn't the tribes behind them have something to say?
And what about the great tribes? The Shenrong Clan, for example. Even if they had no Celestial Immortal who could beat Juhua, surely it would've been easy enough to arrange something for their disciples!
But as long as Juhua was alive, those tribes wouldn't bully the weak. After all, once everyone started throwing their weight around, the game was over. If someone fell to an opponent of the same level, they could say they'd been too confident, that jade needed carving to become a fine vessel, and that they weren't going to hold a grudge.
But if someone started using their greater strength to bully the weak, well, the Magic Treasure Spirit of the Thousand Ox Sword mentioned in the original story that, in his later years, Juhua had spent a great deal of materials refining a huge seal. He loved smashing people with it. The kind where you just bash them with a brick.
A brick shows no mercy!
All right, none of that is the point!
Let me sum it up for everyone: Please follow! Please follow! Please follow!