Chapter 35: A Twist in the Mountains—The Spirit Ship's Route Reopens

Wasteland Domain was a vassal territory of the Southern Heaven Immortal Cultivation Realm.

In the Middle Ages, the cultivation civilization of this region flourished, giving birth to Nascent Soul sects of great renown.

But the wheel of time turned, and the tides of ages shifted.

That once-glorious civilization was submerged in the flow of years.

In those days, cultivators of the Spirit Severing stage roamed everywhere; Nascent Soul cultivators were as common as dogs.

But now, even in the Southern Heaven Immortal Cultivation Realm, Spirit Severing cultivators are but legends, and a Nascent Soul cultivator is the pillar of a great sect.

One can well imagine what a tremendous opportunity it would be for the three great cultivation sects of Chu if a relic from the Middle Ages were to be discovered.

Chu... No—the entire Wasteland Domain has long yearned for a Nascent Soul.

If the relic contained opportunities related to the Nascent Soul, it would make sense for the three sects of Chu to seal off the market.

If word leaked, aside from Chu, the neighboring cultivation nations—Yue, Wu, Chen—would never allow the three sects of Chu to monopolize the excavation.

Further afield lay the Myriad Stars Sea to the north, islands scattered like stars, with even more cultivators than all the countries of the Wasteland Domain combined.

In Shen Lian’s mind, he weighed the lives of itinerant cultivators against the possible Nascent Soul opportunity.

The scale broke under the weight.

In the eyes of the Golden Core sects—

He was unworthy.

No, not only he, but the lives of all itinerant cultivators amounted to nothing.

“Damn it, the Anti-Miasma Pills have gone up again—fifteen spirit stones a bottle now.”

“Whatever, at least we can still buy them. Let’s get out of here and lie low for a while.”

“It’s best not to linger in the market. If things go wrong, the Azurewater Sect will silence us all.”

“Brother, you’re exaggerating. Besides, who says that relic from the Middle Ages is even real?”

“Exactly, I think it’s not so mysterious. If Azurewater were going to act, they would’ve done so already—why wait till now?”

“Better safe than sorry—let’s hide out for a bit. At worst, we’ll just have to feed the bugs out there a few more days. Let’s go to that hidden canyon we found last time.”

Shen Lian cautiously extended his spiritual sense, eavesdropping on the cultivators’ conversations in the street, hoping to glean more information for his analysis.

“Brother, Yunmeng Market is in the same state as ours—looks like we can’t get back from there either. Are we really going to have to cross the wilds?”

“It’s fine. At worst, we’ll get a few more fellow Daoists together and cross the wilds as a group. That’s better than being trapped here.”

...

Through his spiritual sense, Shen Lian realized he was not the only one feeling anxious.

Many itinerant cultivators had sensed something amiss and were making their own escape plans.

In fact, when the price of Anti-Miasma Pills first rose, some cultivators had already started stockpiling supplies.

The weight of the sects bore down too heavily on the itinerants.

A relic from the Middle Ages was a chance for the sects, but for itinerants, it could spell disaster.

Itinerants were a wild and unruly bunch, but also cautious, well-versed in the supreme art of making a swift exit.

...

Deep within the Miasma Cloud Mountains.

Tremors periodically rumbled from the depths of the earth.

The Golden Core patriarchs of the three sects stood in separate locations, each on guard.

It was Real Person Jinyang of the Sunblaze Sect who spoke first, a sharp light in his eyes.

“If you ask me, we should just kill all these itinerants. We’re deep in the wilds—no one would ever know.”

Real Person Jiuling frowned but said nothing in rebuttal.

His gaze turned to the depths of the cave, where a tattered, golden-glimmering array flickered.

This was a fourth-grade restriction.

When it was laid down, the array had been intricately linked with the earth veins, its formation so subtle that remnants still lingered to this day.

Though its power was greatly diminished, it was not something Golden Core cultivators could break through in a short time.

It would require all manner of resources from the sects.

Whatever was inside that fourth-grade restriction was likely of the Nascent Soul level.

“The wild mountains are rife with miasma. We’ve sent over ten thousand itinerants into the wilds. Do you think you can kill them all?” Real Person Xuanling snapped coldly.

“Our disciples report that some itinerants have already begun hiding in the miasma-laden forests. Don’t underestimate these ants of the Qi Refining stage—they have a keen sense of danger.”

“We Golden Core cultivators are not omnipotent. If we make too much noise and draw out the hidden great monsters and savage beasts of the wild, how will we deal with that then?”

“This place is ten thousand miles from Chu, shrouded in miasma, crawling with monsters. Do you really think those Qi Refining ants can make it back?”

Jinyang retorted, but his tone had lost much of its former edge.

Letting the itinerants scatter into the wild was like fish swimming into the sea.

In the end, even for Golden Core cultivators, it would be impossible to scour the endless wilds clean of infiltrating itinerants.

And if a few of these itinerants got lucky and made it back to Chu, the secret would be out.

Then the three sects’ dreams of quietly amassing a fortune would shatter.

“Truth and falsehood are always intertwined.” With a wave of his hand, Jiuling sent several broken corpses of Qi Refining itinerants flying from the ruins.

These past days, many itinerants had come to the Miasma Cloud Mountains seeking opportunity, only to be secretly killed by them.

The three patriarchs surmised that the earth veins connecting this mine and city relic were extensive, and the sudden abundance of spiritual energy in the three great markets was due to their attacks on the restriction, causing a chain reaction.

“Since we can’t keep it secret, let the itinerants come to seek their fortunes. Toss them some broken artifacts or ores, make it look like a second-grade relic. That’s not difficult.”

Xuanling nodded. “And we should lift the lockdown on the markets. Letting the itinerants leave on spirit ships is easier to control than letting them scatter into the wilds.”

“If the spiritual energy in the market can’t be concealed, then put out the word—we’ll expand the market into a city.”

“For safety’s sake, everyone who leaves on a spirit ship should be eliminated en route,” Sunblaze’s patriarch said coldly.

...

Night had fallen.

Shen Lian was preparing for cultivation.

Today, he had managed to buy both a Fire Spirit Fruit and a Yaoyang Flower—two elemental treasures that could help him nurture the energies of fire and earth.

Over the past days, he had also acquired a first-grade superior Breath Concealment Array, a first-grade superior Profound Earth Fusion Array, and a large stock of various cultivation and daily necessities.

He was planning to head deep into the wilds, find a secluded place, and carve out a cave-dwelling as a backup hideout.

As for second-grade arrays, pills, and other resources, none were for sale in the market.

The Azurewater Sect had no intention of letting itinerants advance to Foundation Establishment—Qi Refining cultivators were sufficient for pioneering the wilds.

At that moment, his messenger talisman lit up.

Ong Xia’s voice sounded.

“Brother, I have good news for you. The sect has decided to lift the lockdown—no more restrictions on itinerants traveling to and from the Chu Immortal Realm.”

“After re-examining the spiritual vein beneath the market, we found a large section that had been hidden. The vein is of high second-grade quality, almost third-grade.”

“Therefore, the sect has decided to rebuild the market and establish a true frontier city here, with three more cultivation markets opening around it.”

“The Miasma Cloud Mountain relic has been verified as dating from the Middle Ages, but it’s not of high grade—just a mining city. The sect will no longer prevent cultivators from exploring it, and the Administrative Hall has even posted related tasks.”

“So, you can rest easy now, brother. My advice is not to hurry back. The sect is about to build a city and open up new lands—they’ll need vast numbers of Anti-Miasma Talismans. It’s the perfect time to accumulate spirit stones.”

“Once you’ve saved up enough, you can buy a top-quality Foundation Establishment cultivation method outright. Wouldn’t that be wonderful?”