The frontier, Azure Lake.
The grasslands, a weave of green and black, stretched beyond sight, cattle and sheep roaming across them. At their center lay a vast, boundless blue lake, its waters glittering, as immense as the sea. Frontier geese often flew overhead, and silver fish leaped from the water.
Traces of struggles between many factions marked the lakeshore. Mortals and cultivators alike mostly followed a mixture of Li-Liao customs, with no shortage of remnants left by other foreign peoples.
The western reaches of Azure Lake were heavily influenced by the West Kang Plains. Wind-horse flags left by Zhangzhung were everywhere, along with five-colored scripture banners densely printed with sutras, incantations, and auspicious symbols. The skulls of boys and girls lay scattered over stone cairns of every size.
To the east lay the vast Dai Territory, where the Northern Wei Tuoba had first risen to power. Beyond the ancient capital of Shengle were the two regions of Yan-Yun, guarded respectively by the Tai Zhen and Azure Radiance sects.
Together, these formed the basic battle lines between Li and Liao.
The Great Void above Azure Lake abruptly shattered. A luminous white fist blasted out, fierce winds howling as the lake waters churned.
A young man in a pure white robe emerged, his sleeves covered in intricate patterns of suns, moons, dragons, and serpents. His handsome face carried an air of authority. With only a casual strike, his surging blood qi condensed into a long rainbow that shot straight into the heavens.
It was Feng Yan. His expression was calm, and his wounds had long since vanished. With the divine ability Rebirth from a Drop of Blood, few injuries in the world could trouble him.
He rode the wind straight south.
South of the lake lay the ruins of the ancient Qiang,