Chapter 98: "Great Xia's Prison"

Chapter 98: "Great Xia's Prison"

Not long after Chen Qiu left, Ji Taiping, the Great Xia's First Sword Cultivator, arrived in the skies above Autumn Far City, his voice hoarse with suppressed anger and urgency.

"Please, I request an audience with the City Lord of Autumn Far City."

The Great Xia's First Sword Cultivator.

A title pursued by the younger generation of Heaven's Pride, it didn't guarantee invincibility. Among the 365 major cities in Great Xia, most City Lords were of Golden Core Cultivation, and they carried the fortune of Great Xia.

Their strength was not to be underestimated, although it was highly unlikely that he could defeat them. But as representatives of the Great Xia Nation, he couldn't directly intrude into Autumn Far City without restraint, or he would be no different from an evil cultivator.

At this moment, Chen Qiu and the others had long fled. As for Liu Zide, although he didn't run as fast as Chen Qiu's group, he wasn't slow either. Using the random teleportation talismans they had purchased beforehand, they had already escaped Autumn Far City under the cover of night and were now on their way to Yuncheng, having changed their appearances.

The plate that had just been served shattered into pieces, and everyone scattered in different directions.

However, what remained was like dandelion seeds, spreading across the 47 major cities of Xuzhou, taking root and sprouting. It only needed a few days to ferment, and then it would explode into a terrifying public opinion that no one had ever seen before.

This topic of conversation was like a spiritual drug; as long as you talked to someone, it would spread.

The City Lord's Mansion had the responsibility of controlling public opinion, but for a moment, they were also engrossed in it, not realizing that this thing needed to be controlled.

At this moment—

Chen Qiu and his group had already arrived at a cliff within Xuzhou's borders.

"We're here."

The scholar looked down at the cliff shrouded in mist with a hint of nostalgia. "Back then, I was still a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, and I spent most of my time cultivating here before venturing into secret realms to seek opportunities."

Great Xia consisted of ten provinces, and Xuzhou was one of them.

It was also the northernmost province.

Historically, provinces often implied barren land, and Xuzhou was no exception. The spiritual energy here was relatively thinner compared to other provinces, and the frequency of secret realms appearing was also lower. The land was less fertile, and heavenly treasures were scarce.

Many famous sects and their headquarters were located near the capital, also known as "Capital State."

The spiritual energy there was much denser, and some heavenly caverns and blessed lands had spiritual energy concentrations more than twice that of Xuzhou. Naturally, cultivation progress was much faster there than in Xuzhou.

"Xuzhou's territory is vast. From the easternmost to the westernmost point, it would take a Foundation Establishment Sixth Layer cultivator flying on a sword approximately three days and three nights to cross, assuming they didn't stop along the way and their spiritual energy didn't run out."

"However, traveling from the northernmost to the southernmost point would only take a day."

"The capital is located south of Xuzhou, and Xuzhou and Capital State are adjacent on the Great Xia map. To the south of Capital State, there are eleven provinces, and most of them are also located south of Xuzhou."

"People often collectively refer to the area north of the capital as the North Province and the area south of the capital as the South Province."

"The concentration of spiritual energy in the South Province is not much different from that of Capital State, which is why the South Province also frequently produces Heaven's Pride."

The scholar sat cross-legged on the cliff, his gaze piercing through the mist as he spoke softly, looking north. "To the north of Xuzhou, and outside the Great Xia map, lies an endless desert."

"I've heard that a Peak Core Formation Sword Cultivator once ventured there for exploration. Three months later, he returned severely injured, claiming that he hadn't even reached the edge of the desert. Moreover, he sensed an extremely terrifying Nascent Soul presence in a certain area. That Nascent Soul's divine sense merely swept over him, and it was enough to inflict severe injuries."

"That desert was named the 'Endless Desert'."

"No one knows where the desert ends, nor what lies beyond its edge. All we know is that within the Endless Desert, there resides a Nascent Soul cultivator."

Fat Dragon nodded thoughtfully. "Does Great Xia not have any Nascent Soul cultivators?"

"No."

The scholar shook his head. "I can confidently affirm that Great Xia absolutely does not have a single Nascent Soul cultivator. Otherwise, Great Xia would have immediately proclaimed it to the world, not for any other reason but to inform the unknown entities around us that Great Xia also has Nascent Soul cultivators, and we can coexist peacefully."

"Is that possible?"

Fat Dragon furrowed his brows in confusion. "To establish a sect recognized by the Heavenly Dao, the sect leader must have at least Early Golden Core Cultivation. Great Xia has so many sects; even if we exclude the ones that are just for show, there should be three to four hundred Golden Core cultivators, right?"

"Additionally, there are 365 major cities in Great Xia, and almost every City Lord is of Golden Core Cultivation. Even if we count three hundred of them..."

"Plus some Golden Core solitary cultivators, and some Great Elders and clan leaders from prominent families..."

"No matter how I calculate it, there should be over a thousand Golden Core cultivators. How is it possible that none of them have achieved Nascent Soul?"

". . ."

The scholar didn't speak immediately, his expression unreadable as he fell into a rare moment of silence. After a while, he shook his head and said softly, "No, there isn't a single Nascent Soul cultivator."

"I'm not sure about the specific reason, but I know that Great Xia is even more troubled by this matter."

"As for the Golden Core City Lords you mentioned in Great Xia's main cities, at least seventy percent of them are pseudo Golden Core cultivators."

"These people are mostly those who have been stuck at the Foundation Establishment Peak for a long time, unable to break through. After submitting to Great Xia, they were able to use the imperial edict to take up official positions, carrying a strand of Great Xia's national fortune. With this strand of national fortune, they were able to smoothly break through to the Golden Core Stage.

"Although they have reached the Golden Core Stage, their cultivation is mostly stagnant here, and it's difficult to make further breakthroughs. Moreover, once their official positions are revoked, the Great Xia will reclaim its national fortune, and their cultivation will immediately drop back to the Foundation Establishment Peak."

"But even so, these Golden Core cultivators who carry the national fortune of Great Xia are still quite formidable among their peers."

"In the past, Great Xia relied on this method to instantly win over a large number of Golden Core cultivators, thereby establishing its dominant position among the hundred sect families."

"The nation leads, and the sect families assist."

Chen Qiu's eyes narrowed slightly as he thought, "Is the Official Road of Great Xia not an array designed to counter Nascent Soul cultivators?"

"Yes."

The scholar smiled and said, "Great Xia was quite interesting back then. Since they couldn't produce Nascent Soul cultivators, they spent a tremendous amount of manpower and resources. Under the leadership of a Peak Core Formation Array Cultivator, they spent decades constructing this grand array, exhausting the national treasury."

"It is said to be capable of slaying Nascent Soul cultivators in their early stages."

"Initially, because it was the first time a Peak Core Formation Array Cultivator was arranging this Nascent Soul National Array, the cultivator's cultivation and computational power couldn't keep up, increasing the difficulty by several dozen times. This led to many flaws, such as the fact that blood droplets on the array's meridians would cause a breach in the array's defenses."

"Hence, the saying 'Tread the Official Road, Slay Nine Generations' came into being."

"Although it was a flaw, at that time, there was much turmoil, and this edict attracted many cultivators from neighboring countries to come and pledge their allegiance. It was a case of turning a disaster into a blessing."

"Great Xia recognized the benefits and gradually added some improvements, such as stones that could sense spiritual Qi fluctuations and arrays beneath the Official Road to enhance speed."

"After hundreds of years of continuous refinement, the flaws have long been eliminated, and the law is no longer as harsh as it once was."

"But perhaps Great Xia overthought it."

"So many years have passed, and this Nascent Soul Grand Array, which almost depleted the national treasury at the time, has never been activated. Not a single Nascent Soul cultivator has ever set foot in Great Xia's territory, or rather, it seems like the Nascent Soul cultivators completely ignored Great Xia and never even came close to its borders."

"Many now say that the grand endeavor was a waste of national resources."

The scholar looked north and continued his introduction, "In the Endless Desert to the north of Xuzhou, there are still many Monster Race tribes living there. They are genuine Monster Races with spiritual intelligence, unlike the Demonic Beasts we usually kill, which only possess brute strength."

"Monster Races have their entries in the Multiverse."

"Unlike Demonic Beasts, Monster Races have their own intelligence."

"Those Monster Races constantly harassed Xuzhou in the past, seemingly intending to occupy it. But they were suppressed by General Yu, the most prestigious general of Great Xia at the time. After seventeen sweeps over thirty years, they gradually fell silent."

"Monster Races live in tribal communities, and different races do not live together. They are in a predator-prey relationship, even within the same race, where they form tribal communities based on bloodlines."

"They are a disunited bunch, and if they don't provoke Great Xia, they are left alone. But if they do, the desert can be stained red with blood."

"Although Great Xia dares not venture deep into the desert, they can still slaughter Monster Races at its edges without issue."

"What about the east?" Fat Dragon curiously looked east. "What lies to the east of Great Xia?"

"The sea."

The scholar spoke softly, "It's the Endless Sea. That Peak Core Formation Sword Cultivator, renowned for his speed, was severely injured in the Endless Desert. After being rewarded by His Majesty and recovering from his injuries..."

"He was ordered to explore the eastern sea."

"Three months later, he returned severely injured, having failed to find the sea's end. He only saw numerous archipelagos in the depths of the Eastern Sea, with signs of human habitation. But before he could investigate further, he sensed a Nascent Soul cultivator and suffered the same fate."

This time, before Fat Dragon could ask more, the scholar continued, "After his injuries healed, His Majesty rewarded him again and sent him to explore the west."

"He saw a hundred countries, all small nations. It is said that they were once a large empire but fragmented into a hundred smaller states after a period of turmoil."

"Even combined, their territories are not as vast as Great Xia's."

"During the turmoil in the hundred countries, many refugees fled north to Xuzhou and sought asylum in Great Xia. They traveled along the Official Road without incident. Beyond the hundred countries, that Peak Core Formation Sword Cultivator saw a mountain that seemed to reach the heavens."

"The mountain range was perpetually covered in snow, and despite being at the Peak Core Formation Stage, he couldn't fly over the mountain peak. As he flew higher, he felt an intense sense of oppression rising in his chest, as if the heavens themselves were pressing down on him."

"If he insisted on flying over the peak, he would likely perish before reaching the summit."

"The mountain range stretched for millions of miles, perhaps even longer."

"Since he couldn't fly over it, he had to go around. But after flying for a month, he still hadn't reached the end. Just as he thought he was about to see the end, he sensed a Nascent Soul cultivator."

"And once again, he returned severely injured."

". . ."

Fat Dragon's expression turned peculiar as he interrupted, "I think I can guess what you're going to say next. Is this Peak Core Formation Sword Cultivator going to be rewarded by His Majesty again, recover from his injuries, and then be sent south, only to return severely injured once more?"

"No."

The scholar shook his head. "Indeed, after returning severely injured, this Peak Core Formation Sword Cultivator received another reward from His Majesty. After recovering, he was sent south once more, as per His Majesty's command..."

"In the southernmost part of Nanzhou, there lies an ice plateau."

"This ice plateau is perpetually covered by an extremely thick layer of ice. The deeper you go, the colder it gets, and it's perpetually shrouded in dark clouds for millions of miles, with not a trace of light. It's so dark that you can't see your fingers in front of your face, and there's no sign of life at all."

"A Golden Core Sword Cultivator was sent to investigate the south."

"This time..."

"He didn't return severely injured. After nearly a century, he still hasn't come back. Unless he's so attached to the environment of the ice plateau that he doesn't want to leave, which is highly unlikely, he's most likely dead there."

". . ."

Chen Qiu remained silent for a moment, his expression calm, before speaking in a low voice.

"To the north lies the Endless Desert, and to the south, the Endless Ice Plateau."

"To the east is the Endless Sea, and to the west, the Endless Snow Mountains."

"There's a Nascent Soul cultivator guarding the north, west, and east. Although there's no news from the south, it's highly likely that there's also a Nascent Soul cultivator stationed there."

"It seems that Great Xia is like a giant prison."

"Mhm."

The scholar suddenly seemed to have thought of something and laughed meaningfully, "Indeed, it's like a prison. For a long time, there's been a saying in Great Xia..."

"The reason why no one in Great Xia has been able to reach the Nascent Soul stage is because of the restrictions of this prison, not allowing the emergence of Nascent Souls."

"But how to break out of this prison is a difficult problem."

"I'm not in a hurry, but I wonder if those Golden Core peak old monsters, whose lifespans are almost exhausted, are anxious. They should be so worried that they can't sleep peacefully by now."

". . ."

Chen Qiu shook his head and stopped talking about this, "These places are too far away from us. Let's go down."

"Okay."

The bearded warrior beside them, upon seeing the scholar's gaze, didn't hesitate and immediately sprinted forward, plunging straight down into the depths of the cliff.

After a few breaths.

Chen Qiu and the others arrived at the bottom of the cliff.

The scholar pointed to the constantly flowing clouds above and introduced with a smile, "This place is absolutely safe. It's a secret base I discovered a long time ago."

"Do you see the clouds flowing above the canyon? Once you touch those clouds, the spiritual energy in your dantian will be instantly frozen, and you won't be able to use your spiritual power for a hundred breaths."

"That's why, apart from my brother, it's difficult for others to reach the bottom of this canyon."

"This place is a thousand feet above the ground. Even if a Foundation Establishment Cultivator falls here without being able to use their spiritual power, they would still get injured. Even if you managed to come down injured, how would you get back up is another problem."

"Those clouds not only freeze the spiritual energy in your dantian but also sever the spiritual connection between you and your flying sword."

"It does sound like a nice place."

Chen Qiu surveyed the surroundings of the canyon. The area below was relatively spacious, with reddish-brown soil on the ground, scattered with weeds and fallen leaves. Under the moonlight filtering through the clouds, it felt quite pleasant.

Not far away, there was an abandoned thatched cottage.

This must be the Foundation Establishment cave abode the scholar mentioned.

He had thought it would be a simple pit dug into the rock face, but it didn't seem that crude.

Moreover, deep in the canyon, there was a stream with an unknown source, constantly emitting a cool breeze. The water was crystal clear, and one could even see many plump fish swimming in it.

It had to be said.

This place was indeed an excellent spot for secluded cultivation.

Chen Qiu quickly found a suitable spot for himself. Near the stream, there was a half-human-sized oval stone. He walked up to the stone, jumped onto it, and sat cross-legged to test it out.

"Mhm, perfect."

"Hmm."

After exhaling a breath of turbid air, he closed his eyes tightly, placed his palms naturally on his knees, and circulated his Heart Technique to consolidate the realm he had just broken through that night. Then, he prepared to finish the remaining Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pill to further improve his cultivation.

He must quickly improve his cultivation to gain some sense of security.

Although it's extremely difficult to advance in the Foundation Establishment stage, there aren't many bottlenecks. However, reaching the Foundation Establishment Peak and breaking through to the Golden Core stage presents a significant challenge. If one's Dao Foundation is unstable, has hidden injuries, or other factors, it's challenging to break through.

Nevertheless, the Foundation Establishment Peak is still a long way off for him.

He has only reached the fourth layer of the Foundation Establishment stage.

However, with these Heavenly Dao Cultivation Pills in his possession and the ones he will produce daily in the coming days, his cultivation progress will be incredibly fast in the following period, hundreds of times faster than the average Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Seeing that Chen Qiu had entered a state of cultivation.

Fat Dragon and the others instinctively lowered their voices as they cleaned the dust inside the thatched cottage and cleared the surrounding weeds while chatting.

"Hey, scholar, did Liu Zide give you a copy of those Memory Stones? Let me see what he recorded."

"Yes."

When it came to this matter, admiration appeared on the scholar's face, "I kept multiple copies of each scene. Take a look."

"The one with the Nine Bulls Power and the Nine Yin Strength, it's true, I saw it for the first time.

"I was once Great Xia's first Sword Cultivator. I can say that I've seen and heard more than ninety-nine percent of Great Xia's population, and this is not an exaggeration. But this... I've never seen anything like it. It even requires a specialized assistant to operate, otherwise, it's completely inaccurate."

"And this one, an abandoned child of a family who was never shown any respect, obtained a Seven-colored Entry after breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Stage and then went on a killing spree. This doesn't make any sense at all. The probability of obtaining a Seven-colored Entry at the Foundation Establishment Stage is almost as low as the probability of a scroll dropping from the sky."

"But Liu Zide said, 'Logic? According to logic, the fate of those abandoned children from disrespected families is to be oppressed for their entire lives, and then they give birth to side branch descendants who will continue to be oppressed. Do you think they would like that?'"

"Indeed."

Fat Dragon nodded in deep agreement, then took out a large pile of Memory Stones from his embrace and examined each one carefully, all the while making sounds of admiration.

Under the moonlight.

In the depths of the canyon, the group was in a harmonious state. When the night grew late and everyone was asleep, Fat Dragon caught several plump and fat yellow fish and sat by the stream to roast them.

There was a sense of seclusion, as if they had left the bustling cultivation world and entered a secluded paradise.

In the darkness of night.

At the edge of the Endless Desert, near Xuzhou.

A brown bear, standing about nine feet tall with white spots on its fur, was currently giving instructions to its tribe members. They were planting Spirit Rice deep in the desert. Many larger brown bears listened to the commands and buried the Spirit Rice seeds in the sand, then urinated on them as if it were a form of irrigation.

The temperature in the desert dropped significantly at midnight, and the bear urine wasn't instantly absorbed by the scorching sand, but it didn't seem like it would be effective either.

"Son."

At this moment, a larger brown bear stood beside the smaller one with white spots on its fur. It spoke in a human language with a deep voice, "You can't grow Spirit Rice in the desert. Your plan is doomed to fail."

"I understand your desire to lead the Brown Bear Clan to unite and leave the desert for a land of abundance."

"But..."

"It's impossible to grow Spirit Rice in the desert."

"Father."

The smaller brown bear, clearly not yet fully grown, had strange glints in its eyes. It opened its large mouth and laughed, "I told you a long time ago that the Monster Race can only unite to oppose Great Xia. Do you remember?"

"I remember, but the Monster Race can never unite."

"The Monster Race is destined to unite. All monsters are aware that they must unite to oppose Great Xia and step onto that fertile and cool land."

The smaller bear's voice carried a sense of fatigue, "But just as you have tried, father, the Monster Race cannot unite due to various historical reasons."

"So I need to create a miracle for the Monster Race, a huge miracle, to unite them. At least, the Brown Bear Clan must unite."

"Alright."

The larger bear, the strongest among them, shook its massive head, "You've always been smarter than the other clan members. Perhaps you do have a way. Go ahead and do as you say."

"But I can assure you that Spirit Rice will never grow in the desert."

"Especially when you water it with bear urine."

Then, he turned and walked to the side, using his bear claws to discipline the lazy clan members.

After his father left.

The smaller brown bear stood up with a determined and dreamy look on his face. He gazed into the distance at the Xuzhou land of Great Xia, which was shrouded in clouds and mist, exuding a sweet fragrance.

Several months ago, he had transmigrated. When he opened his eyes, he found himself in the body of this brown bear.

From initial discomfort to gradual adaptation, he had become accustomed to this powerful body.

The Brown Bear Clan—every newborn clan member was born with the cultivation base of the fourth layer of Qi Condensation Stage. Upon reaching adulthood, they naturally entered the peak of Qi Condensation, and with a little cultivation, they could break through to the Foundation Establishment Stage.

He was currently at the sixth layer of Qi Condensation, and he still had four months until adulthood.

By then, he would become a formidable brown bear.

Moreover, he had a pretty good Entry:

Entry Name: Bloody Claws

Entry Level: Green

Entry Effect: Your beast claws will become sharper and harder, and they will improve as your cultivation base increases.

This Entry made his beast claws incredibly sharp.

Initially, he thought he was the only one with this Entry, a golden finger from his transmigration, and he kept it a secret. He almost got killed by his father, who thought he was a Heaven's Pride without an Entry, and was about to roast him for meat.

In a panic, he revealed his Entry and barely saved his life.

Later, he learned that every monster could randomly obtain an Entry during the Qi Condensation Stage. After breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Stage and each subsequent major cultivation stage, they could choose one out of two random Entries.

The Human Race was similar.

However, humans could choose one out of three random Entries.

He once asked his father, who was also the chief of this Brown Bear Clan.

His father shook his head, indicating that he didn't know, and said that it had always been this way.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end