Sea of Bitterness

Biodata

Power Progression

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.

The Sea of Bitterness remains important even after a cultivator enters later Secret Realms. Its Life Springs, vessels, accumulated vitality, and phenomena provide the foundation for later transformations of the Sea of Reincarnation and can continue nourishing the body, divine sense, and personal artifacts 20 34 57.

The Source Ring’s passive gathering of heaven-and-earth essence can assist ordinary cultivators in opening their Seas of Bitterness. Its widespread use therefore lowers a major threshold to entering cultivation, although the effect varies greatly according to the ambient essence of the user’s location 350.

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.
• Once the nine Life Springs form, a huge central spring eye and eight smaller springs erupt across the seabed, filling the sea with immortal radiance and inexhaustible vitality 94.
• The Demon Emperor’s Sacred Heart can dye the sea vivid scarlet with blood radiance, while later Chaos Green Lotus bloodline changes produce a golden inner sea in which a small Green Lotus grows amid Chaos mist 120 122.
• As Jiang Yun’s cultivation and bloodline mature, the Green Lotus becomes increasingly real and links the Sea of Bitterness with his other Secret Realms 304.

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.
• Jiang Yun possesses nine Life Springs rather than the ordinary single spring. Their central-and-eightfold arrangement gives him an extraordinary reserve of life essence and divine power 94 102.
• The nine springs can sustain burdens that would drain an ordinary cultivator dry, including the Demon Emperor’s Sacred Heart 103.

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.

Phenomena and Bloodline Manifestations

Exceptional foundations can cause the Sea of Bitterness and Sea of Reincarnation to develop phenomena that reflect a cultivator’s Dao, bloodline, and future potential.

• Jiang Yun’s Sea of Reincarnation manifests the phenomenon Stars Shining on Azure Heaven, while its foundation contains nine Life Springs 102.
• The Demon Emperor’s Sacred Heart absorbs life essence from the springs, then returns sacred blood and vitality that temper Jiang Yun’s body to an exceptional degree 103 104.
• Jiang Yun’s Chaos Green Lotus bloodline causes a Chaos-shrouded Green Lotus to germinate in his sea. The lotus later becomes increasingly substantial as his bloodline and Secret Realms evolve 122 304.
• The Sea of Bitterness Secret Realm represents the cycle of life and death in Jiang Yun’s understanding. This insight guides his effort to create a Sea of Reincarnation scripture and complete reincarnation within the Source World 402.
• Jiang Yun can use his Sea of Bitterness as a foundation for containing and refining unusual energies, including Starfire created from the fusion of strange Reincarnation Road substance and primordial flames 677.

Sacred Heart Nourishment

The Sea of Bitterness can house and nourish exceptionally powerful living treasures when its Life Spring foundation is sufficient.

• The Demon Emperor’s Sacred Heart resides in Jiang Yun’s largest Life Spring, where the nine springs continuously supply it with life essence 102 103.
• The Lihuo Divine Furnace, Black Gourd, and Immortal King Phenomenon help prevent the heart from monopolizing the central spring source or destabilizing Jiang Yun’s Sea of Bitterness 103.
• In return, the heart releases sacred blood energy that strengthens Jiang Yun’s flesh, bones, and vitality; prolonged nourishment restores it to its peak condition 103 120.
• The heart’s blood essence also supports Jiang Yun and Yan Ruyu’s joint cultivation, allowing energy from his Sea of Bitterness to enter and benefit Yan Ruyu’s own sea 120.

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.
  • It responds almost as an extension of Jiang Yun’s will within roughly one hundred meters 19.
  • It floats above Jiang Yun’s Life Spring and is intended to eventually incorporate Emperor Runes and develop into a minor world 20.
  • After Jiang Yun reaches the Dao Palace Fifth Heaven, the Source Pearl rises from the Sea of Reincarnation into the Dao Palace for further nourishment. Jiang Yun plans to inscribe an emperor-level formation within it to improve both its offense and defense 57.
  • The pearl contains Elixir Essence that Jiang Yun can use to nourish the Demon Emperor’s Sacred Heart and strengthen the feedback it provides to his Sea of Bitterness and physical body 103.

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. His later foundation develops nine Life Springs, the Stars Shining on Azure Heaven phenomenon, the Demon Emperor’s Sacred Heart, and a Chaos Green Lotus manifestation 11 20 25 33 34 94 102 122.
• 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.
• Yan Ruyu — Possesses the Sea of Bitterness phenomenon Golden Lotus Growing in the Sea of Bitterness, a vast blue sea filled with golden lotuses that carries powerful vitality and Dao principles 106.
• Heavenly Venerable Lingbao — His historical Sea of Reincarnation is described as a boundless black ocean containing falling stars, so immense that even the starry rivers of heaven could not fill it 92.
• Pang Bo and the Earth survivors — Their Seas of Bitterness are activated after surviving the Desolate Forbidden Land, making them potential cultivation recruits 8.