Dreary Sea.
The Great Void above the heavens began to crack like shattered porcelain. An immense tree, emerald green and patterned with dragon markings, coiled upward to support the sky, dragging something enormous down from above.
Vast torrents of jia wood qi cascaded down like waterfalls, watering the tree and sending the dragonwood into another frenzy of growth. It almost filled the southwestern corner of the Southern Sea, its interwoven branches and leaves blotting out the sky and sun, with scattered daylight falling through the gaps.
The jia wood qi washed through the broken fragments of secret realms scattered across the surrounding waters. Rays of divine ability light sprang forth, sweeping away all the Foundation Establishment cultivators still fighting within. Those who failed to escape in time had jia wood energy invade their dharma bodies, puncturing them with tens of thousands of holes before they burst into bloody mist.
The towering dragonwood dragged the grotto-heaven down. Azure Leaf Sky resembled a luminous pearl wrapped in countless azure leaves. Immense pressure descended, rapidly shattering the great formation outside the grotto-heaven.
Ten thousand rays of Golden Light shot out from within. A white sun could faintly be seen hanging high inside the grotto-heaven, with a tree standing beneath it, while mighty torrents of Sunfire erupted outward.
The entire dragonwood swiftly burned away to drifting ash. The vast grotto-heaven in the Great Void opened completely, revealing glimpses of lush green forests and jade-colored palaces within, while waves of Dao resonance drifted out.
The radiance of many divine abilities faintly manifested in the Great Void, but no one acted rashly. They all seemed to be waiting for something.
Black Marsh lay where the western and southern seas met. There was no barrier of fire here, only flowing Ren water.
These waters had once belonged