In the following days, while Li Weiyi and Zhao Meng practiced cultivation, they also diligently studied the language and writing of this world, determined to master it as soon as possible. As they drew nearer to Nine Li City, the surface of the Sui River grew broader, like a vast mirror-like lake.
Passenger ships, painted pleasure boats, and huge warships all sailed by as if a thousand sails passed in a grand procession. After nightfall, every ship hung either bone lamps or lanterns adorned with paintings of courtly ladies.
Their light shone on the water, the sky sprinkled with countless stars, and the river, filled with song and dance, presented a scene of prosperity and peace. The entire Sui River ran north to south through the Lingxiao Shengjing, its main channel flowing through the lands of the Seven Prefectures.
Due to the numerous tributaries and lakes, the water resources were abundant and transportation convenient, with influence reaching over a dozen prefectures. Thus, the might of the Sui Sect came into being.
They not only cleared away the dangerous water demons, departing spirits, water bandits, and other perils lurking in the Sui River basin to ensure the smooth development of shipping but also controlled the discourse in waterborne trade, earning vast amounts of silver coins.
Over the course of several hundred years, Sui Sect, which once served as a mere assistant body under the Nine Li Tribe in charge of trade and transportation, leaped to become a giant force in the Lingxiao Shengjing. Their influence and prominence even increasingly overshadowed the Nine Li Tribe.
At this moment, Li Weiyi and Zhao Meng stood at the railing on the bow deck, looking out. Many ships sported wind flags bearing the character “Sui.” The passenger ship they were on was no exception.
Li Weiyi asked, “What are you thinking about, senior brother?” With impassioned enthusiasm, Zhao Meng replied, “The great river flows eastward, its waves washing away all that is old. The heroes of countless ages, they’re now making their mark on the present!”
Li Weiyi laughed, “Are you quoting a poem?”
“Something like that! We, as men, must make a name for ourselves. In this world, we have to accomplish great things. Why not strengthen the Chan Sect until it grows even mightier than Sui Sect? Then, when our senior sister hears the famed name of the Chan Sect, she might even come looking for us on her own,” Zhao Meng said.
Li Weiyi replied, “That makes sense, but we must first secure our footing in this world.” Suddenly, a deep rumbling sounded. A splash rang out! …
On the wide river, the water churned violently, surging into towering waves. A monstrous water demon, resembling a giant python or a blue flood dragon, swiftly moved across the river. At times its head appeared above the surface, at others its tail splashed about.
Locked to its body were thick chains inscribed with constantly shifting scriptures, and the other end was attached to a brightly lit, ornately decorated ship. Before long, it caught up, keeping pace with the passenger ship where Li Weiyi and Zhao Meng stood, barely two or three zhang apart.
Up close, the water creature that looked like both a python and a flood dragon was more than twenty meters long, about as thick as a water barrel, with broad blue fins on its back and an imposing aura.
On the opposing ship, there were clusters of attendants and servants, with maidservants dressed in brightly colored garments, embroidered with exquisite skill.
“Is that a flood dragon?”
Zhao Meng asked, his eyes showing no fear at all – rather, he was clearly intrigued. Flood dragon blood was very scarce in his eyes.
“It’s a Qing Chi. Its internal flood dragon blood is very thin.”
At that moment, Li Ling walked along the corridor. Her injuries had nearly fully healed, she was now dressed in a fresh outfit with a jade hairpin in her hair. To the other passengers on the ship, she appeared like an ethereal fairy; all eyes were on her from afar.
From a luxurious ship about three zhang away, a man and a woman stepped onto the deck and waved at her.
“Little Li Ling… it’s me, Yang Yun!”
A splash!
The young man exuded a surge of divine aura. In one graceful leap, as if stepping on the air itself, he covered the three-zhang distance and landed solidly on the ship where Li Weiyi and his companions stood. Yang Yun was only a year older than Li Ling.
He wore a brocaded robe that spoke of wealth and nobility, yet he was far from a playboy. Judging by the divine aura he had just released, he was far more formidable than both Yan Qingqing and Fang Tong. His eyes shone with delight, revealing none of the joy he felt inside.
With excitement he said, “When Qingxi and I were at Demon Pass, we heard you were injured, so we rushed here day and night following the Qing Chi. We finally caught up. Thank heavens, looking at your current condition, it seems your injuries are no longer serious.”
Li Weiyi paid no heed to the pleasantries and reunions on the other ship; his attention was drawn to the woman on the opposing vessel with the Pure Immortal Body. She was a few years older than Yang Yun and Li Ling, taller, and carried none of the naïveté of youth.
Her clothes were finely embroidered, stamped with scripture, and draped over her was a light blue ruqun beneath a pale cyan inner garment. It was not her beauty or her graceful demeanor that captivated Li Weiyi, but the mystery and depth of her cultivation.
He watched as she raised a finger and a wisp of white divine qi began to weave between the two ships, forming a cloud bridge. Then, in the gentle river wind, she stepped lightly, crossing the bridge gracefully. Her elegance left an impression, enchanting countless onlookers on the nearby vessels, promising that tonight many would have sweet dreams.
Yang Qingxi walked to where Li Ling stood, and then her timeless, ice-cold beauty slowly melted into a warm smile.
“All of you are injured too, yet you’re still out here enjoying the cool breeze? How is it that your servants are taking care of you?”
Her gaze fell sternly upon Zhao Meng and Li Weiyi. Though Zhao Meng was of a large build, in this world full of eccentric species, there were all kinds of beings, and the Yang siblings did not show the slightest trace of surprise at her remark.
Just like the twenty-plus-meter-long Qing Chi, which was merely used to pull the boat for them. Not wishing to offer further explanation, Li Weiyi and Zhao Meng were about to leave when Yang Yun, ever the hospitable one, having heard that they served Li Ling, immediately pulled out a Yongquan coin and handed one to each of them.
This coin was equivalent to ten thousand copper coins! With such generosity, the two naturally found it hard to refuse. They accepted it with repeated thanks.
“There’s nothing much to be thankful for—it’s only two Yongquan coins. Not long ago, when I broke through the Eighth Spring Wind Mansion, the cumulative rewards from the Sect, my family, and the Prefectural Governor’s office came to fifty thousand silver coins. Though it might be a bit less, it was a free handout; if it’s free, why not take it,” Yang Yun laughed.
“That’s true.”
Li Weiyi and Zhao Meng, of course, echoed their thanks, tucking the coins safely away before quickly departing from the deck. In the corridor, they encountered Zhao Zhizhuo.
“Why do you guys look so happy?”
Zhao Zhizhuo asked curiously.
“Quickly go pay a visit to your Fourth Miss at home; I guarantee you’ll be just as happy,” they replied with a laugh and then went on merrily.
After their laughter faded, a deep silence fell over them. They realized that, in the end, they themselves were the ones who seemed to be the most laughable. How could it be that a boy of only sixteen or seventeen had already attained the Eight Springs level, his cultivation far exceeding theirs?
In this world, there were too many geniuses, too many experts. No wonder others treated them like mere servants. Perhaps the servants of others were even stronger.
The so-called superior talent might only be the threshold for practicing martial cultivation and divine arts. Zhao Meng said, “I hope that one day we can hand out Yongquan coins as casual tips for our servants. Only then will we truly have status and dignity.”
Back on the bow deck, Li Ling smiled and said, “You Sui Sect have truly got your ears to the ground. I only showed up briefly at Demon Pass, yet you managed to learn my exact whereabouts.” Yang Yun replied, “When little Ling is injured, the servants below must of course report it to us.”
Yang Qingxi sensed the hidden meaning in Li Ling’s words and did not wish to dwell further on the subject. She asked, “I heard that during your coffin salvage, you were attacked by the Buddha Duel Bandits. Did your brother get hurt?”
“If Qingxi wishes to be my sister-in-law, then you’ll have to put in more effort, because my brother seems to have someone he likes now,” Li Ling winked and laughed.
Not long after, Yang Qingxi and Yang Yun took their leave and returned to the Qing Chi ship. Yang Yun originally did not intend to part ways, wishing instead to accompany Li Ling, but Yang Qingxi had forcibly taken him away.
The next morning Li Weiyi had just risen when Zhao Zhizhuo came to visit, informing him that at the latest they would reach Nine Li City by noon. Standing at the railing and gazing out, one could see a mountain range stretching across the west bank of the river.
Peaks crowded together, wrapped in swirling mists and clouds, it looked like a thousand-li wall propping up the heavens and the earth. When the river came close to the mountains, the water appeared dark, as if the peaks might suddenly collapse upon it.
When the river was farther away, one could see that the mountains were layered with danger and profound steepness. Zhao Zhizhuo said, “The Mung Mountain range marks the border on the western side of Li Prefecture. It is said that every peak in the range houses the tomb of an ancient emperor.
The legend of the Mung Mountain Emperor Tombs comes from this very fact.”
“Once you cross over the Mung Mountain range, you enter the endless realm of the departed—a land where life ceases… at least, a forbidden zone for humans.”
Li Weiyi knew of the realm of the departed. Legend had it that this ghostly domain was boundless, so vast even that even those in the Changsheng Realm wouldn’t be able to reach its end.
“Does that mean Nine Li City is separated from the realm of the departed by only this Mung Mountain range?”
Li Weiyi found it hard to understand why Nine Li City should be built in such a dangerous place.
“It wasn’t always so! A thousand years ago, the Nine Li Tribe once ruled over the Nine Prefectures, and the entire Lingxiao Shengjing stretched over three hundred prefectures. The first person of Lingxiao, Chan Hai Guanwu, was even able to strike fear into the realm of the departed. It was that cataclysmic disaster that caused ninety percent of the Lingxiao Shengjing to be swallowed by the realm of the departed, leaving only twenty-eight prefectures behind,” Zhao Zhizhuo sighed and did not wish to elaborate further.
Back in their cabin, Li Weiyi inquired about the remnants of the stone coffin and the spiritual position of their predecessor. After listening, the two fell into a long silence. They themselves did not know the reason.
When they had left, Lingxiao Shengjing was still thriving. Clearly, the current situation had taken even them by surprise. Even before the passenger ship reached the dock, on the riverbank and in the sky, armed cultivators riding on strange beasts or flying birds appeared frequently.
They came to investigate, constantly shuttling back and forth. Cang Li had already been waiting at the dock. Accompanying him were young and talented figures—most were scions of influential families, prodigies of the Academy, or the cherished daughters of the Sect.
Each arrived riding exotic beasts or luxury vehicles, all with Cang Li at the helm. For a millennium, the Cang Li Tribe had never before seen such a genius.
With a Pure Immortal Body, having broken through the Nine Springs and reached the Five Seas Realm, his innate talent and cultivation speed, if placed in a thousand other clans or sects, would definitely mark him as the “first successor” or “second successor” representing his lineage across the lands.
A young luminary like him naturally had countless followers in Nine Li City.
When we speak of a thousand prominent families or sects, we refer only to those who have thrived for at least a thousand years, who not only possess tens of thousands of superior talents in the divine arts and martial cultivation but also command influence over millions of people—the three conditions all being essential.
As Zhao Meng remarked, “I hope that one day we too can use our Yongquan coins to casually tip our servants. Only then will we have real status and dignity.” On the bow deck, Li Ling smiled and said, “You Sui Sect really have your ears everywhere.
I only made a brief appearance at Demon Pass, yet you learnt my exact whereabouts.” Yang Yun added, “When little Ling is injured, how could the servants not report it to us?”
Yang Qingxi, aware of the hidden meanings in Li Ling’s words and not wanting to delve further, asked, “I heard that during your recent coffin salvage, you were ambushed by the Buddha Duel Bandits. Was your brother injured?”
“If Qingxi wants to be my sister-in-law, you’ll have to worry a bit more, because it seems that my brother has found someone he fancies,” Li Ling said with a playful wink.
Before long, Yang Qingxi and Yang Yun took their leave, returning to the Qing Chi ship. Yang Yun originally had no desire to leave, wishing instead to journey with Li Ling, but he was forced along by Yang Qingxi.
The next morning Li Weiyi had just woken when Zhao Zhizhuo visited, informing him that they would reach Nine Li City by noon at the latest. Standing by the railing and gazing out, he saw that along the riverbank, a mountain range stretched across the west side of the Sui River.
Peaks jutted upward, enshrouded by clouds and mist, like a thousand-mile wall holding up the sky. When the river passed close by the mountains, its surface grew dark, as though the massive peaks might suddenly come crashing down. When it was far from the mountains, one could clearly see the layers upon layers of rugged and deep peaks.
Zhao Zhizhuo said, “The Mung Mountain range is the border of Li Prefecture to the west. It is said that in the mountains, each peak is the tomb of an ancient emperor. That is how the legend of the Mung Mountain Emperor Tombs began.”
“Once you cross the Mung Mountains, you enter the endless realm of the departed—a forbidden zone for life…and at least for humans.”
Li Weiyi, who had some understanding of the realm of the departed, recalled that the legend said it was limitless, so vast that even masters of the Changsheng Realm could not penetrate its farthest reaches.
“Doesn’t that mean that Nine Li City is separated from the realm of the departed by just this Mung Mountain range?”
Li Weiyi found it hard to understand why Nine Li City should be built in such a dangerous place.
“It wasn’t always that way! A thousand years ago, the Nine Li Tribe ruled the Nine Prefectures, and the Lingxiao Shengjing spanned three hundred prefectures. The first person in Lingxiao, Chan Hai Guanwu, was powerful enough to dominate the realm of the departed. But it was that apocalyptic disaster that caused ninety percent of the Lingxiao Shengjing’s lands to be swallowed by the realm of the departed, leaving just twenty-eight prefectures,” Zhao Zhizhuo said with a long sigh, unwilling to say any more.
Back in the cabin, Li Weiyi questioned the remnants of the stone coffin and the spiritual position of the departed predecessor. After listening to his explanations, the two fell into a long silence. They too could not fathom the reasons.
When they had first departed, the Lingxiao Shengjing was still flourishing. Clearly, the current developments had taken everyone by surprise. Before the passenger ship had reached the dock, armed cultivators riding strange beasts or flying on avian mounts were frequently seen on the shore and in the sky, coming and going to investigate.
Cang Li had long since been waiting at the dock. Accompanying him were many talented young figures—most were children of prominent clans, leading figures of the Academy, or the celebrated daughters of the Sect—each riding on exotic beasts or luxury chariots, all led by the banner of Cang Li.
The first genius in a thousand years from the Cang Li Tribe was by no means a mere figurehead.
With his Pure Immortal Body, breaking through the Nine Springs and entering the Five Seas Realm, such innate talent and rapid cultivation, if placed among other families or sects that had existed for tens of thousands of years, would undoubtedly mark him as the “first successor” or “second successor” representing his lineage and carrying forth its influence across the world.
A young figure of his caliber naturally commanded countless followers in Nine Li City.
When we speak of families and sects with influence numbering in the millions, it means they have not only maintained a thousand years of heritage, but also have tens of thousands of superior-talented martial cultivators and divine artists, and command the allegiance of tens of millions of people—three essential criteria.
That is why Zhao Meng said, “I hope that one day we can casually use our Yongquan coins to tip our servants. Only then will we have true status and dignity.” On the bow deck, Li Ling smiled and said, “Your Sui Sect really do have timely news.
I only made a brief public appearance at Demon Pass, and you already knew my exact movements.” Yang Yun said, “When little Ling is injured, how can the servants not report it to us?”
Yang Qingxi knew that Li Ling’s words carried unspoken meanings, and not wanting to continue discussing the matter, she asked, “I heard that during your coffin salvage this time, you were attacked by the Buddha Duel Bandits. Was your brother injured?”
“If Qingxi wishes to be my sister-in-law, then you’ll have to put in a little extra effort, because it appears my brother has found someone he fancies now,” Li Ling said with a playful blink.
Before long, Yang Qingxi and Yang Yun excused themselves and departed, returning to the Qing Chi ship. Yang Yun originally did not wish to leave, wanting to accompany Li Ling, but was forced along by Yang Qingxi. The End of This Chapter.