The Northern Sea.
Glaciers piled high, and the cold sea stretched without end. Winds blowing down from the far north cut like swords and sabers, scouring the gray-brown permafrost of the wasteland. Several snow foxes native to the Northern Plains huddled in a low crevice, relying on their fur to withstand the bitter cold of this desolate realm.
Xu Xuan stood within the Great Void, his Spirit Sense shifting as he silently surveyed his surroundings.
He had first traveled to the Eastern Sea, following the route opened by the Immortal Dao and passing through Penglai. Only after another long journey had he reached this edge of the Northern Sea.
Riding lightning all the way, he crossed the frozen wasteland. Gradually, more cultivators appeared ahead, most of them at Fetal Breath or Qi Refining, walking across the permafrost and glaciers to gather spirit treasures.
Xu Xuan took a cursory look and found that most came from the Liao Lands. Their clothing bore traces of foreign styles, and their cultivation lineages were a hopeless jumble. One glance was enough to tell that they were rogue cultivators with no backing whatsoever.
The Northern Sea was a harsh environment, but it produced a fair abundance of spirit treasures, especially those of the cold yin and shock thunder paths. There were even many rare treasures difficult to find on land.
The Liao Lands were fairly close to the Northern Sea, so lesser cultivators often crossed the wasteland to gather treasures here.
Liao people and Li people don't look all that different.
Xu Xuan felt a stir of emotion. Back when he was still a mortal, he had heard his elders say that the people of the Liao Lands were monsters with horns on their heads and tails behind them, fond of eating human flesh. Yet