The Sea Race was actually a branch of the demon race—specifically, demons who lived long-term in the ocean.
For instance, there was a Dragon Clan in the Demon Domain and another in the East Sea; the dragons of the East Sea were counted among the Sea Race.
The moment the six of them arrived in the marine territory of the Water Vein, everything went dark before their eyes, and they couldn't see a thing. Only as the massive silhouette receded into the distance did they realize what it was.
"That was a whale, a creature found only in the East Sea. It hasn't developed sentience yet."
Continuing on, the group spotted a pod of beings with human torsos and fish tails. Every one of them was female, boasting exquisite facial features and fantastic figures, with sea shells covering their vital areas and eyes of ocean-blue.
"These are the Jiaoren Clan, also known as merfolk. Legend has it they originated from ancient humans and great fish demons intermarrying and taking human form. They prefer to appear in pods. The female Jiaoren go out to hunt while the males stay behind to keep house."
Suddenly, another mermaid swam past, her tail undulating gracefully. Her looks far surpassed even the merfolk they had just seen. Casting a sidelong glance at the group, she continued swimming on.
"Is that a lone Jiaoren? Did she get ostracized?"
"No, that's a senior sister of mine who has a Water Spiritual Root, named Tang Fuling," Bai Ming clarified. "She's currently researching how a Water Spiritual Root can spit out seawater, so lately she's been disguising herself as one of the Sea Race quite often."
Lu Yang grew even more curious. "Is there any difficulty in spitting out seawater with a Water Spiritual Root?"
"Of course there is! A Water Spiritual Root produces water—how could it conjure salt out of thin air?"
Lu Yang conceded that this indeed sounded difficult.
"Wait, that's still not right. What's the point of researching that?"
Bai Ming wore an embarrassed expression. "Family scandals shouldn't be aired in public. Now that you all know, please don't spread the word. If this reaches the ears of the imperial court, it'll be trouble."
"Don't worry, our lips are sealed," Meng Jingzhou promised. And he was telling the truth: to this day, their identities as the Young Cult Master and the four Holy Sons of the Heavenly Court Cult had never been leaked, showing just how strictly they kept secrets.
Of course, looked at another way, it was simply because they feared exposure would put their lives in danger—a pure demonstration of their desire to stay alive.
"Senior Sister Tang loves money. Having heard that peddling illicit salt brings fast profits, she's preparing to smuggle salt."
Meng Jingzhou was rendered speechless.
No wonder she dared not let word reach the imperial court.
"There's so much seawater right here—wouldn't it be easier to just evaporate seawater into salt?"
"Senior Sister Tang said that as a person of principle, she takes full responsibility for her own actions. If she evaporated seawater to sell salt, it would be too easy for the court to trace it back to our sect."
"Good grief, what thorough foresight!" Li Haoran marveled. She had already planned out the consequences down to the aftermath; such meticulous thinking was practically catching up to Qin Haoran.
"Over there is the Turtle Clan, that's the Shark Clan, and that's the Clam Clan." Bai Ming pointed out the origins of each Sea Race group one by one. Seeing that these were guests of the Five Elements Sect, the ocean dwellers nodded in greeting.
There were turtles carrying heavy shells on their backs, sharks with gills still visible on their cheeks, and clam maidens singing melodies.
"It's a pity top-tier sea races like the Dragon Clan and the Kunpeng Clan are unwilling to leave the East Sea to live in our sect. Even when they are willing to visit, it's just to see the world; they take a quick stroll around and head back." Bai Ming felt rather regretful, having never had the chance to see a dragon or a kunpeng.
"The Kunpeng Clan actually begged me to do them a favor once," the Immortal Fairy chimed in. She had naturally met the Kunpeng Clan before; even the Kunpeng Old Ancestor had to be exceedingly respectful in her presence.
*Begged you for what favor?*
*Did they beg you to spare their lives, or ask you to make them taste better when cooked?*
The warning from the Invincible Core made Lu Yang forcefully bite his tongue and swallow the question down.
"Have you ever heard how the world describes the Kunpeng Clan? 'In the Northern Darkness there is a fish, whose name is Kun. The Kun is so vast, none know how many thousands of li across it spans. It transforms into a bird, whose name is Peng. The Peng's back stretches, none know how many thousands of li across.'"
Back in the ancient era, the planets still existed, and the Kunpeng Clan lived on a planet named Beiming.
"I've heard it. What about that passage?"
"Back then, the Kunpeng Old Ancestor came to find me. He said that because weights and measures weren't unified, every race had different scales—especially regarding the standards for a 'li' and a 'meter.' As a result, when people described the Kunpeng Clan, no one could pin down just how long they really were."
"So the Kunpeng Old Ancestor asked whether we, the Five Ancient Celestials, could unify weights and measures. We happened to have that intention at the time anyway, so we agreed to his request."
Lu Yang: "..."
So that was the real story behind that description?
"Why does it feel a bit chilly?" After swimming for a while, Tao Yaoye asked.
Cultivators at the Golden Core stage were immune to normal cold and heat, but they could still sense the ambient temperature.
"Ahead lies the Ice Domain, established with formations by the first Water Vein elder. Over the generations, successive Water Vein elders have reinforced it, making it broader and freezing it thicker and firmer. Not many people visit on regular days. Would you like to go take a look?"
Ice-attribute cultivation methods and divine arts were considered offshoots of the water attribute, and variations like the Ice Spiritual Root were mutations of the Water Spiritual Root. The Ice Domain was similarly a vital site for water-attribute cultivators.
Just as he spoke, a colossal iceberg drifted slowly into view. Before the iceberg, even a giant whale seemed as minuscule as an ant. Ninety percent of the iceberg lay submerged beneath the water, with less than ten percent protruding above the surface.
"Since it's a rare chance, let's go have a look," Meng Jingzhou smiled. On his last visit to the Five Elements Sect, he had been entirely preoccupied with learning spells and hadn't toured the five veins in such detail.
North of the Great Xia Dynasty lay the freezing region known as the Far North. Forget Lu Yang and the other four—scarcely anyone in the entire Dao Seeking Sect had ever been there.
Living creatures were scarce in the Far North, cultivation resources were practically nonexistent, and there was essentially nothing there besides ice. There was simply no reason to go.
The further they swam into the Ice Domain, the more piercing the chill became. Under these conditions, even a Golden Core could no longer fend off the cold completely. Everyone genuinely experienced what true extreme cold meant. Their spiritual energy circulated thirty to forty percent slower than usual, flowing sluggishly and with difficulty.
Yet no one spoke of turning back; all of them pushed forward.
"Alright, let's stop here." Bai Ming could no longer endure the cold either, his teeth chattering.
The others let out sighs of relief. Someone had finally called a halt; they were on the verge of reaching their limits as well.
"Since the Ice Domain was established by the first Water Vein elder, doesn't that mean there's Thousand-Year Cold Ice, Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Ice, and even Hundred-Thousand-Year Cold Ice everywhere here?" Man Gu asked curiously, his eyes gleaming. He had grown up in the west of the continent, where temperatures were high year-round; he had never seen so much ice before.
"Of course there is. Ten-thousand-year and hundred-thousand-year cold ice is all over the place here, but it's completely useless."
"Useless? I heard that Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Ice is extremely valuable!"
Bai Ming waved his hand dismissively, clearing up Man Gu's confusion. "That's all hype generated by unscrupulous merchants with fancy gimmicks. They claim Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Ice possesses historical heritage and ten millennia of frigid essence, making it immensely beneficial for cultivation. It's actually a complete scam, pretending that the older something is, the more valuable it must be. If they bothered to think about it, the spiritual energy we breathe has existed for millions or tens of millions of years—how come nobody tries selling that?"
"And this water, these stones—they're not just a hundred thousand years old; they've been around for millions of years!"
Lu Yang nodded repeatedly from the side in agreement with Bai Ming's points. Catching sight of Meng Jingzhou remaining uncharacteristically silent, he was somewhat puzzled.
"Old Meng, what's wrong with you? Usually, you're the first to speak up at a time like this."
Meng Jingzhou sent a quiet voice transmission to Lu Yang: "Shut up... Our Meng Family was the one that hyped up the Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Ice."
Chapter 534