The South Sea

Though Bai Rong's wooden handcart was unpretentious in appearance, it was by no means slow. In little more than a month, they had already penetrated deep into the Southern Border, galloping along on a gale of verdant wind without pausing for a single breath. Only as they flew deeper into the wilds did a handful of demons appear to intercept them. Leading them was a wolf demon with a blue face, protruding fangs, and fiery red hair, looking quite different from those of Jiangnan. Bai Rong snapped twice and barked, "Your grandfather is the White Fox of Mount Li! Which blind fool dares block my way?!" The wolf demon's expression shifted at once. When that lupine face furrowed in dismay, it looked even uglier. Widening all four of its eyes, it raised its voice: "So it is Fox Grandfather! Offended... we have offended you... Since the two grandfathers have crossed the ridge, why not sit a while at my great king's cave? This little demon will bring hot tea and treat Grandfather to a few blood buns." Bai Rong glanced at him and asked suspiciously, "Which godforsaken mountain corner does your great king hail from, to dare invite me to sit?" The four-eyed wolf demon said respectfully, "He is none other than General Heisun, under the command of Mount Lord Bifu, dwelling on Heiqi Ridge..." "Scram, scram, scram! So noisy!" At the mention of Mount Lord Bifu's name, Bai Rong's face changed. With a wave of his hand, he hurled the demon ten paces away, snapping, "Just a monkey, full of endless hassle!" The two demons were sent tumbling head over heels by the demonic wind he whipped up, groaning in pain. Scrambling to their feet, they called out, "Grandfather, be careful! Near the ridge are Wu folk who excel at transformation, utterly crafty and deceitful..." Bai Rong had already sped miles away, yet the two demons were still shouting 'Grandfather, Grandfather' behind them, seeing them out of the mountains the whole way. Li Zhouwei fell into deep thought. Bai Rong stole a glance at him and said with some embarrassment, "What sort of uncouth local monsters are those? I don't know them at all! Don't overthink it; it's merely that when our demon kind passes through another's territory, it's customary to exchange a greeting or two..." "I see." Li Zhouwei noticed the strange note in his tone. Sweeping his golden eyes over the forested mountains below, he paused slightly and asked, "Mount Lord Bifu must be a Violet Palace grand demon? What is his background?" "Well..." Bai Rong fumbled several fruits out of his robes and handed them over, only to find he was a step too slow to stop his mouth. He could only say, "This Mount Lord Bifu... is called Can Lufu. He is a descendant of the Nine Sons of the True Chi, tracing back to the Eighth Prince... whose corpse is still wedged beneath the present-day Zhulu Sea. "Because of that, even though Can Lufu is a flood dragon, he never dares set foot in the East Sea. He just nests here in the Southern Border, throwing his weight around and colluding with those other grand demons. He is an old scoundrel as well." 'Can Lufu...' Li Zhouwei felt a jolt in his heart upon hearing this name, finally understanding where the embarrassment on Bai Rong's face had come from. 'Demon King of the Southern Border, peak Violet Palace Mount Lord Bifu, Can Lufu.' 'Our ancestor was precisely refined into elixirs by him...' Bai Rong knew full well that Li Tongya's brother had been refined by Can Lufu, which was why he had steered clear immediately. Only now, having flown out of that mountain range, did he dare speak in detail, lowering his voice: "Can Lufu is a grand demon on the same level as my master, and he was also a demon king friendly with Chi Wei back then... After all, he is a descendant of the Eighth Prince, extraordinarily formidable." Watching the mountains recede farther and farther into the distance, Li Zhouwei engraved this Mount Lord Bifu indelibly into his memory, yet his tone betrayed little reaction as he merely asked, "Is this senior's true form a Clearwater Flood Dragon?" "Indeed." Seeing this, Bai Rong breathed a sigh of relief and replied, "If the dragon kindred hadn't refused to acknowledge him, he would be considered some dragon king or other by now. Moreover, he knows alchemy, so he commands some modest respect in the Southern Border. "Four hundred years ago, he was already in the mid Violet Palace realm... Back then, he led demons to attack the newly established Qingchi Sect, and Chi Wei likely got to know him around that time." Li Zhouwei kept this in mind. Bai Rong advised, "It happened hundreds of years ago... let it pass... Can Lufu is a seasoned old demon, an elite among the Violet Palace. Even my master couldn't beat him." Li Zhouwei smiled and agreed. Only then did Bai Rong truly relax. Pointing to the mountains near and far, he patted his chest and said, "Ordinary cultivators heading for the South Sea have to detour through the East Sea, but you don't need to. If you ever go to the South Sea in the future, just ride the wind straight through. If any mountain or valley patrol dares stop you, just slap them aside!" Li Zhouwei said softly, "Wouldn't that offend those mount lords and generals...?" "Of course not!" Bai Rong laughed heartily and replied, "You saw it just now. As we came along, which little demon didn't call me grandfather? These enlightened minor demons have no hope of reaching Foundation Establishment; they are purely errand-runners. That's only because I'm from the fox tribe; if I were a tiger or leopard, I could snatch them up at will and drive them like beasts without any issue." The sea gradually emerged in the distance. With that oppressive atmosphere behind them, Bai Rong's spirits lifted. The waters of the South Sea were deeper in color, and the climate was sweltering. The Lüfang Continent had already appeared before their eyes, its trees deep dark green, towering into the clouds. Bai Rong, however, took a turn and headed east. The seawater gradually shifted to an emerald hue, signifying that they had reached the Zhulu Sea. The Zhulu Sea lay at the southernmost edge of the East Sea and to the east of the South Sea, adjacent to the southern waters. Bai Rong had a lazy temperament; once he reached the edge of the Zhulu Sea, he moved no farther. He casually caught a minor demon, sent it down to notify the patrolling demons of the sea, and turned the cart around to head back: "That Dingjiao fellow will catch up on his own. Let us take the lead." He drove the wind back. Li Zhouwei gazed into the distance. The eastern islands of the Lüfang Continent were scattered like stars on a chessboard, sparsely populated. Though covered in dense jungle, scarcely any cultivators could be seen taking flight or landing. "It is quite different from the East Sea." Not a single island in the East Sea was left unoccupied; how could they be left vacant like this in the South Sea? Bai Rong glanced at him and said softly, "The cave abodes and traveling palaces of South Sea cultivators are all beneath the sea. These islands are the rear gardens of great powers, strictly guarded by formations, used for growing spiritual items, gathering qi, and converging spiritual veins... "As for mortals, they all live on great continents like Lüfang and the Song Continent, scattered in pockets roughly the size of the State of Yue." Li Zhouwei nodded. The seabed of the South Sea was not occupied by the dragon kindred, making it thousands of times vaster than the surface. It was a world unto itself, so there was naturally no need to live above water. Furthermore, the South Sea's ties with the interior lands were not as close as those of the East Sea. With the Southern Border blocking the way, heading inland to gather qi meant crossing nearly the entirety of the Zhulu Sea, with dangers along the route easily imagined. Preserving local islands for gathering qi was thus all the more crucial. "Further south lies Danrong Wuluo, where Buddhist and demonic cultivators are more prevalent..." The name Danrong Wuluo reminded Li Zhouwei. Li Qinghong had once mentioned that an elder of their family was cultivating there... seemingly an illegitimate son from the Yuan and Qing generations. 'Once this business with the dragon kindred is settled, it will be a good opportunity to tour Danrong Wuluo and meet that elder... With the death of the family's senior, I wonder if he even knows.' Li Zhouwei and Bai Rong traveled for the better part of a day, riding straight down into the sea. Directly ahead lay a vast white seabed dotted with corals, bright as day. Houses and streets were densely clustered, bearing a striking resemblance to the Tail Under Nation of years past. A thin barrier of light enveloped the seabed, evidently a market. Bai Rong looked full of enthusiasm, immediately putting away his handcart, donning a cloak, and descending toward the market. Li Zhouwei dropped down alongside him. The grand formation of this market merely kept the seawater out. Passing through it, not a soul came forward to attend to them; the crowds bustled back and forth through the thoroughfares. "Let's browse a bit! The dragons will arrive here within three shichen at most!" Bai Rong eagerly looked around in all directions, buying seashells here and corals there. The cloak on his back concealed his cultivation level and obscured his demon identity, allowing him to move about like a fish in water. Li Zhouwei strolled casually, first buying a map to peruse. Seeing that he possessed Foundation Establishment cultivation, the vendor offered the item, scrambled away in terror, and did not even dare accept any spirit cowries. Li Zhouwei held the map and examined it for a moment. "What a coincidence—the territory of the South Sea's Miao family!" Judging from the map, the Miao family's domain was remarkably vast, ranking among the top few major factions in the South Sea. Even the Zhulei Market they were currently in and the Zhulei Cave beneath their feet belonged to the Miao family. 'Thunder techniques truly are wonderful things... Almost everyone in the South Sea cultivates demonic arts, which are countered by thunder techniques to varying degrees. Though the Miao family does not have many direct bloodline members, their territory is vast—all because the suppression of demonic arts by thunder techniques is simply too overwhelming!' He cast a casual glance around. Demonic cultivators met his eyes everywhere, and blood-qi items were ubiquitous. Looking closer, eight or nine out of ten of these blood-qi items were actually refined from demons; human elixirs were prohibitively expensive. 'The South Sea has few people but many cultivators, a chaotic mix of Buddhist, demonic, immortal, and Wu paths. Mortal populations are rare commodities... Most demonic arts have been altered repeatedly, reworked to consume demons instead.' He walked a circuit. Quite a few mortals bustled through the market as well, smiling cheerfully and calling out 'My Lord.' Two children in a corner were chattering animatedly, unexpectedly discussing Violet Palace divine abilities. Li Zhouwei reviewed this in his mind and understood in an instant: 'The mortals of the South Sea live within undersea formations, and most share kin ties with cultivators... On the one hand, their numbers are small, so their lives are preserved; on the other hand, having connections with cultivators makes them less susceptible to being harvested.' The land of the South Sea could not compare to the interior. In Jiangnan, a single mu of land could feed several mouths; even the laziest family could scatter seeds on the ground and soon have no worries about food or drink... That was how they could sustain the annual attrition of the Three Sects and Seven Gates. The East Sea likewise had few people and many cultivators, but the East Sea had immense inflows of spirit rice and blood qi from northern and southern cultivators inland, so it was not starved of resources. The South Sea was far more troublesome. Aside from those few large continents, the remaining mortals could only live within undersea formations, dwelling alongside cultivators day and night. 'Speaking of which... the South Sea, renowned throughout the world for its demonic cultivators... actually possesses a remarkably stable order... Mortals rarely face sudden slaughter. Their lives are intimately bound to cultivators, they have a clear understanding of cultivation, and they need only serve the cultivators...' He could not help showing a somewhat satirical smile. 'The common folk of the Buddhist lands are gaunt and sallow, yearning for death from birth. The masses under immortal sects are shrouded in dust and ignorance, quietly waiting to be harvested. Yet in this southern demonic sea, people know why they live and why they die, with the Great Dao of cultivation right by their sides.' Li Zhouwei was himself the master of a lake and had seen all manner of human nature. Having always heard that the South Sea was overrun by demonic cultivators, seeing it with his own eyes now prompted these reflections. Then an insight struck him: 'Yet the reason these people don't act is simply that there are too few mortals to make it worthwhile... Forced by necessity, they can only capture demons to refine pills, which gradually became a habit. If given the chance to go to the inland or the East Sea, where gold lies everywhere, they would probably slaughter more fiercely than anyone.' Just as he was quietly observing the extreme model of immortal-mortal coexistence in the South Sea, seeking elements that might benefit his own clan, Bai Rong returned carrying an armful of shells and coral. Pulling out a sparkling blue conch, he stuffed it into Li Zhouwei's arms and laughed, "My cave has plenty of little foxes. It wasn't easy getting out for a trip, so I had to bring them back some treasures—and I couldn't leave you out!" Li Zhouwei accepted it with a smile. The conch was merely an Embryonic Breathing grade magical artifact, used to manipulate seawater. Thanking him, he saw no reason to rebuff the fox's goodwill and casually slipped it into his robes. Bai Rong beamed from ear to ear at once, humming and muttering under his breath, before saying softly, "I heard my ancestral grandmother say that when she came to the South Sea back then, there weren't so many demonic arts and blood-qi items here. This area was still quite desolate. After the Miao family rose, demonic arts across the entire sea suddenly multiplied, and they were all exceptionally high-quality arts." "Oh?" Li Zhouwei immediately sensed something unusual and furrowed his brows. "This junior has heard that the South Sea has long been known for demonic cultivators across the waters..." Bai Rong sneered and replied, "In the earlier days, though there were demonic arts, they were merely common, run-of-the-mill goods. There were also plenty of Wood Virtue, Earth Virtue, and Water Virtue techniques... There were even several immortal sects. Now, not a single one can be found. Isn't that all the Miao family's fine handiwork!" Putting the pieces together, Li Zhouwei understood how the Miao family's vast power in the South Sea had come to be: 'What a ruthless method. Spreading high-grade demonic arts in places of constant struggle like the East Sea and the South Sea... once unleashed, the consequences are anything but simple... 'Nearly half of demonic arts require no gathering of qi... so long as one consumes enough blood qi. 'The Miao family kept a tight grip on thunder techniques and qi-gathering formulas, resting easy, while spreading convenient, low-threshold, rapid-progress demonic arts throughout this vast territory, instantly squeezing out all other arts until none practiced them... 'Their own direct line then relies on immense resources to cultivate thunder techniques. Which of them wouldn't crush their opponents when stepping outside?' He shook his head, pondering inwardly: 'No wonder they say the Miao family is a clan of thunder cultivators yet also of the demonic path. Whether they consume blood qi themselves remains unknown... but such a move speaks volumes of their methods.' While Li Zhouwei was deep in thought, Bai Rong had already started muttering again: "Lad, the demon calamity in Jiangnan mostly originated from the Xuemo Dharma Book, which was also the Miao family's... The Jinyu Sect borrowed the Miao family's technique... That Jinyu Sect... they are all fond of scheming against others. Just look at their path: today they stand alone among the Three Sects, while the Seven Gates fear them like tigers, proving how formidable they are!" Hearing this passage, Li Zhouwei reacted immediately, thinking to himself: 'He is dropping hints to warn me...' The Jinyu Sect did not actually have any major conflict with his family; their relations were even quite good. During all those years the Li family gathered qi in the desert, not a single person had dared disturb them—something Li Zhouwei could hardly believe happened without Jinyu's authorization. What was more, rumor had it that Li Tongya and Zhang Yun were good friends, and the disciples of the Jinyu Sect were quite courteous toward the Li family... Yet since Bai Rong had offered the warning, Li Zhouwei could only quietly take note of it, saying modestly, "This junior has taken it to heart!" Bai Rong glanced at him, seemingly worried that pressing the point might provoke displeasure, and asked a few pleasant questions. Just then, howling winds rose above the sea, emerald waves surged to the heavens, and the clanking of iron chains rang out. Boom! A massive Bishui scale beast gradually manifested above the seabed. A dazzling, luxurious palace floated in the ocean, its immense dark shadow rapidly blanketing the entire market, causing the radiant night-luminescent pearls below to dim. The passing cultivators looked up one after another, staring dumbfounded into the sea. Conch horns blared with a deafening roar, and a familiar proclamation echoed from the waters: "The august carriage of Chengbilongzi of the Clear Sea and Limpid Pond is here—"