The North Sea

The three were buried together. Qin Sang and Qingjun stood before the grave, burning incense in worship. "Senior Sister, have you still not let it go?" Qin Sang turned his head and asked. Just now, during their casual conversation, he had learned the reason behind her strained and distant feelings toward Senior Qingzhu. "If I could never let it go, how could I have achieved my cultivation today?" Qingjun gave a faint smile. "When I was in my teens, I hated him to the bone. "He was devoted solely to cultivation, consumed only with avenging my aunt, nearly mad with obsession. From the moment I was born, only my mother and I had each other to depend on. "I thought he saw my mother merely as a replacement for my aunt, something to make up for his regrets. I hated him for bringing another person into harm's way and fathering me when he didn't even love her. "Yet by the time I was several decades old and had tempered myself in the cultivation world for many years, I came to understand his thoughts. Though I still felt indignant on my mother's behalf, I had gradually made peace with it myself. "When I reached a hundred years of age, and then several hundred, that period of my life had already become an insignificant stretch of the journey. The past had all turned to memories, incapable of stirring further waves in my mind. "My vow to kill Leng Yuntian was more for my mother's sake. "Once one steps onto the immortal path, if others can keep up with my pace, perhaps we can exchange a smile upon meeting and sit drinking together. If they cannot, they are merely passersby in my life. "He was simply someone who came earlier, with a somewhat special identity. "Nothing more." Qingjun turned around and walked toward the small courtyard. Qin Sang fell silent, deep in thought. "If you intend to stay in Peach Blossom Valley to cultivate, so long as you don't damage the peach woods, feel free to pick a spot on the slopes to either side and open up a cave dwelling..." Qingjun's voice drifted back to him. "Thank you, Senior Sister." Qin Sang quickened his pace to catch up. This place was far safer than Yunyouzi's cave dwelling, and the spiritual energy here was vastly more abundant. Qin Sang resolved that once he sent word back to Li Yufu, he would remain in Peach Blossom Valley for his secluded cultivation from now on. Beside them stood a peach tree heavy with fruit. Passing beneath it, Qin Sang plucked a peach. *Crunch!* He took a large bite. It was sweet as expected, yet bore a faint tang of tartness—a unique and memorable flavor. In Qin Sang's opinion, the taste fell slightly short of the one in Nether Valley, and was further inferior to the one at Jianmen Pass. Yet this was the most wonderful flavor in Senior Qingzhu's memories. Qin Sang savored it carefully and smiled faintly. After walking a circuit around Peach Blossom Valley, Qin Sang discovered a small waterfall on one of the hillsides. Elegant and brimming with spiritual energy, it was well-suited for secluded meditation. He swiftly carved out a simple cave dwelling. Reflecting on today's encounters, it truly was beyond expectation. Of course, Qin Sang had always remained clearheaded. Terms like 'senior sister' and 'junior brother' were mere forms of address. Just as Qingjun had said, if he failed to form a Nascent Soul and could not match her pace, he would be nothing more than a passerby. To his surprise, Qingjun had not pressed him about the Canglang Sea. Even so, Qin Sang had been pondering the matter constantly. With the frequent anomalies occurring in both Ziwei Palace and the Hall of Seven Kills, there was no telling what the future would bring. The overall strength of the Xiaohan Realm's cultivation world was far inferior to that of the Canglang Sea. Moreover, the teleportation formation could only be activated when Ziwei Palace emerged, allowing passage between the two worlds—an overly severe limitation. Even if he kept it buried in his heart and told no one... Once he reached the Nascent Soul stage, if he wished to return to the Canglang Sea—whether to explore the Hall of Seven Kills or seek resources from both realms—it would be nearly impossible to manage alone. He would need trustworthy allies. Yunyouzi and Qingjun were both reliable candidates. After attending to these minor matters, Qin Sang returned to the wooden cottage, catching the elegant fragrance of tea. Wisps of steam curled into the air. Qingjun knelt, her crimson gown spreading across the floor. Over a small red clay stove, her fair, delicate hands brewed the tea. Sipping spiritual tea poured by a Nascent Soul cultivator's own hands, Qin Sang felt a sense of unreality. *I truly can't tell which one is the real her,* Qin Sang sighed inwardly. "Do you still remember Chen Yan?" Stirring the flames, Qingjun glanced at Qin Sang. "Of course I remember." Qin Sang nodded, set down his teacup, and leaned forward respectfully. "Back then, when Dongyang Bo plotted against me, it was precisely connected to her. In the Bronze Hall, it was also with her help that I narrowly escaped with my life and broke free of his clutches..." From selling himself into service to establish his foundation, to the Black Pagoda in Ziwei Palace where Dongyang Bo used him as leverage to control Chen Yan... Qin Sang candidly recounted the entire sequence of events. Qingjun surely already knew of his selling himself to establish his foundation. "Oh?" A trace of surprise appeared in Qingjun's eyes. "I wondered how you, a mere False Core stage cultivator, managed to escape right under the noses of two Nascent Soul cultivators. So there was such an inside story? According to what you've said, Chen Yan and Dongyang Bo should have had a falling out long ago. Why did she assist him for so many years after leaving Ziwei Palace before finally departing Shaohua Mountain?" Hearing this, Qin Sang pondered for a moment and said, "Something else must have happened later, perhaps another agreement between them. Chen Yan wanted to rescue her master, while Dongyang Bo seemed to be plotting for a treasure in the Bronze Hall. After I escaped, Dongyang Bo lost any leverage over Chen Yan, so it's not impossible that he compromised with her." Pausing, Qin Sang asked, "I remember Senior Sister mentioning before that Chen Yan wasn't a disciple of Shaohua Mountain. When she left Shaohua Mountain, did she return to her homeland? Did she manage to rescue her master?" "Her master was a great cultivator of the late Nascent Soul stage. If her master had truly been rescued, Shaohua Mountain would hardly be in its current state. With such a powerful reinforcement, resisting the Sin Abyss would also have been far easier for both realms." Qingjun shook her head. "As for Chen Yan, she vanished without a trace after leaving. In all likelihood, she is no longer in the Beichen Realm." "Not in the Beichen Realm? Could she be from an outside realm?" In the past, Qin Sang's cultivation had been lowly, and without sufficient strength, he had never even stepped beyond the Xiaohan Realm, leaving him with only a vague understanding of the cultivation world. From what he knew, the Xiaohan Realm, the Tianxing Alliance, and the Sin Abyss were all part of a vast cultivation realm called the Beichen Realm. Strangely, very few legends from beyond the Beichen Realm ever made their way in. "Indeed. The Four Realms of the North Sea are also known as the Four Islands of the North Sea. "The Beichen Realm where we reside is merely one of them. "The other three realms are called three islands, but in truth they are connected to one another, their collective landmass no less than a vast continent. "Only our Beichen Realm lies isolated across the sea, separated by violent storms. Although passage is possible, it is exceptionally perilous; even a Nascent Soul Patriarch would find it difficult to cross. Hence, the Beichen Realm is rarely influenced by the other three realms. "Those three realms boast no shortage of peak mid Nascent Soul cultivators, and even great cultivators. Their overall strength is a tier higher than that of our Beichen Realm. Chen Yan must hail from one of those three realms, perhaps from some major sect. "What is strange, however, is that no matter how powerful a sect might be, they could never simply turn a blind eye to the disappearance of one of their great cultivators. Her master has been trapped in Ziwei Palace for so long, yet no one has ever come looking." Seeing that Qin Sang knew little of this, Qingjun gave a brief explanation of the Four Realms of the North Sea. Another storm belt! Hearing this familiar term, Qin Sang had long grown accustomed to it and felt no surprise. The Beichen Realm was remarkably similar to the Canglang Sea and the Demon Sea; as expected, it too was a cage enclosed by storms. However, the Beichen Realm could connect to the other three realms; one only had to cross the storm belt to reach them. Moreover, Qin Sang keenly noticed a question: regarding the so-called North Sea, in relation to what was the word 'North' defined?