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Sea of Bitterness
Shrouding the Heavens: Starting as Ye Fan's Cousin
Biodata
| Feature | Information |
|---|---|
| Name | Sea of Bitterness |
| Original Name | 苦海 |
| Type | Cultivation realm; the first layer of the Sea of Reincarnation and foundation of the Sea of Bitterness Secret Realm 10 |
| Status | Active cultivation stage |
| First Appearance | 7 |
Power Progression
| Stage / Realm / Level | Chapter | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Sea of Bitterness opened | 11 | Jiang Yun uses more than twenty drops of Divine Spring Fluid to open his Sea of Bitterness. It expands from a sesame-seed size to roughly a soybean and initially appears dark, barren, and nearly lifeless. |
| Life Spring Realm | 20 | Accumulated life essence liquefies into a divine spring connected to the Wheel of Life, granting a sustained source of divine power and flight. |
| Divine Bridge Realm | 25 | Jiang Yun forms a segment of a heaven-and-earth divine vein; his Sea of Bitterness, blood, bones, Source Pearl, and Sea of Reincarnation transform. |
| Other Shore Realm | 33 | Jiang Yun’s Demigod Physique transformation extends his heavenly vein to the Other Shore, allowing him to advance directly from Divine Bridge. |
| Dao Palace Secret Realm | 34 | The One-Turn Golden Core completes the Other Shore transformation. Jiang Yun’s Sea of Bitterness turns azure, while the Dao Palace manifests above it. |
Background
The Sea of Bitterness is the initial cultivation realm taught by the Dao Scripture. A cultivator first opens this internal sea, gathers vital essence above it, condenses Divine Patterns, forges a vessel, and develops the Life Spring, Divine Bridge, and Other Shore before entering the Dao Palace Secret Realm 10.
The Sacred Fruits of the Desolate Forbidden Land are particularly effective at opening the Sea of Bitterness. Their energy helped Ye Fan overcome the Ancient Sacred Body’s difficulty in awakening his own Sea, while the Earth survivors’ experiences in the forbidden land caused their Seas of Bitterness to activate and made them desirable recruits for the Yan Kingdom’s cultivation forces 7 8.
Jiang Yun opened his Sea of Bitterness through the Dao Scripture and Divine Spring Fluid. Unlike Ye Fan’s future golden sea and dramatic manifestations, Jiang Yun’s initial Sea was ink-green, silent, and visually unremarkable aside from intermittent lightning 11.
Appearance
Jiang Yun’s Sea of Bitterness changes markedly as his cultivation advances:
- Initially, it is an ink-green, barren sea with no apparent life, while occasional lightning crosses its sky 11.
- As his vital essence grows, clouds, rosy vapors, lightning, waves, and more than twenty Divine Patterns emerge above its surface 18.
- After his transition through the Other Shore and into the Dao Palace, it becomes a brilliant azure sea beneath a mist-covered pure land and the manifesting Dao Palace 34.
Abilities & Functions
Vital Essence and Divine Patterns
The Sea of Bitterness absorbs and accumulates vital essence, which nourishes the cultivator’s body and gradually condenses into Divine Patterns 10.
- Divine Patterns are primitive constructs of vital essence that can be released as weapons; Jiang Yun’s early patterns could pierce trees 13.
- A sufficient number of Divine Patterns can be forged into a personal vessel or artifact 10 18.
- Jiang Yun condensed more than twenty patterns before beginning the refinement of his Bitter Sea artifact 18.
Life Spring
Once life essence condenses into liquid, it forms a Life Spring within the Sea of Bitterness and connects to the Wheel of Life 10 20.
- Produces a continuing supply of divine power rather than limited reserves of vital essence 20.
- Strengthens the body to the point that Jiang Yun’s flesh becomes jade-like and a casual strike carries immense force 20.
- Enables sustained divine-rainbow flight 20.
Divine Bridge and Other Shore
The Divine Bridge extends across the Sea of Bitterness, but reaching the Other Shore requires more than physical resources. The cultivator’s will, divine sense, and spiritual perception must grow strong enough to see through illusions and locate their own path forward 27.
- The Divine Bridge is formed from a condensed divine vein and serves as the route toward the Other Shore 27.
- Other Shore advancement transforms both body and spirit; Jiang Yun undergoes repeated withering and rebirth during the process 33 34.
- Completion of the Other Shore allows entry into the Dao Palace Secret Realm 27 34.
Associated Artifact
- Source Pearl — Jiang Yun’s personal Bitter Sea artifact, forged by merging his Divine Patterns with his Source Space. It can destroy stone, crush trees, gather debris, and store objects in its internal space 18 19.
Known Practitioners
- Jiang Yun — Opens an initially ordinary, dark Sea of Bitterness before advancing through Life Spring, Divine Bridge, Other Shore, and into the Dao Palace 11 20 25 33 34.
- Ye Fan — His Ancient Sacred Body makes opening the Sea of Bitterness exceptionally difficult, but Sacred Fruit energy and Jiang Yun’s Hundred-Grass Liquid eventually allow him to open a golden Sea with two Divine Patterns 7 17.
- Pang Bo and the Earth survivors — Their Seas of Bitterness are activated after surviving the Desolate Forbidden Land, making them potential cultivation recruits 8.