Chapter 413 - 411: Great Wild Marsh

Chapter 413: Chapter 411: Great Wild Marsh

Beyond the Central Domain, the world is divided into the Four Domains, with the Eastern Domain reigning supreme.

Not only is it home to a Super Sect that once produced a Divinity Transformation Great Power, but the Demon Race Holy Land Lankao Mountain also resides within this domain.

When the Central Domain first experienced a major population boom among Cultivators and Spirit Lands grew scarce, the Eastern Domain was the primary choice for relocation.

The Northern Domain is bitterly cold, offering little room for Cultivators to develop, and its path is blocked by the Endless Sea of Suffering.

The Southern Domain is plagued by frequent eruptions of Earth Fire and continuous toxic miasmas. Its depths teem with countless insects and venomous serpents, making it difficult to pioneer.

In Ancient Times, the Western Realm was a battlefield where several top-tier Great Powers clashed. A protracted war, measured in centuries, directly shattered the land’s Spirit Veins, extinguishing all signs of life.

It is said that these were Great Powers who would be considered experts even in the Upper Realm. Their Supreme Divine Techniques shifted mountains and rivers and severed the flow of Spirit Veins.

Of the Four Domains, the Western Realm is the most sparsely populated, and most Sects would not choose to establish themselves there.

However, Loose Cultivator Organizations have flourished in the Western Realm.

But due to the unique environment, each faction is separated by vast distances, forming its own independent territory.

The Eastern Domain’s Cultivation resources are second only to the Central Domain’s. It is vast and bountiful, a magnificent spectacle in its own right.

It also borders the Outer Sea, enjoying exclusive access to maritime trade routes for the exchange of goods.

In terms of prosperity within the Cultivation Realm, it is just a step below the Central Domain, but it far surpasses the other three.

The Huang Clan of the Great Wild Marsh was now in its sixth generation, one of the most ordinary Cultivation Families in these waters.

They couldn’t compete with those above them; in the Great Wild Marsh, there were the "two Sects and three families," referring to the Sects and Cultivation Families presided over by Core Formation True Men.

But they were more than sufficient compared to those below them. Their skill in raising Spirit Fish allowed the Huang Clan to live quite comfortably among the Foundation Establishment Level Cultivation Families, let alone compared to mere Loose Cultivators.

The vast, sprawling marshland, having expanded severalfold after floods, now supported countless low-level Loose Cultivators.

It was often said that if you casually cast a spell into any reed bed in the Great Wild Marsh, you’d startle at least a few Qi Refining Loose Cultivators.

This was mainly because the Great Wild Marsh was rich in resources. Destitute Loose Cultivators with no property to their name could salvage Spirit Fish and gather aquatic plants in the unguarded waters. Every now and then, they could earn a few Spirit Stones—just enough to scrape by.

"The clan elder said hundreds fewer Silver Thread Fish have returned to the Bai Gou River Section this year. He wants us to go take a look... You two, pick up the pace, or we won’t get there before noon."

"Brother Guang, I heard you traded for a Barrier-Breaking Pill from the clan last month. Are you preparing to break through to Late-Stage Qi Refining?"

"A Late-Stage Qi Refiner at twenty-five... that’s outstanding in our clan! In a few years, when the elders pick the Foundation Establishment Seeds, you’ll have a real shot, Brother Guang!"

The three young men, clad in straw raincoats and leaning on long poles, waded awkwardly through the shallows.

Over ninety percent of the Great Wild Marsh consisted of such waterways. The so-called roads were merely routes through shallower currents or across hardened mudflats.

A single heavy rain would make these paths vanish, turning the area into a vast, watery expanse.

The Cultivation Families of the Great Wild Marsh mostly lived in waterside docks. Clan members spent their lives aboard ships, which allowed them to easily travel between various territories and oversee their assets.

Only the few Core Formation Level powers had the ability to turn mud to stone, transport mountain-like boulders from afar, and construct a true Mountain Gate.

Alternatively, they might inherit a predecessor’s Water Mansion and expand it into a headquarters.

Huang Tingguang’s parents were both mortal Tanka People who made a living by fishing under the clan’s protection. Unfortunately, they encountered a vicious Demon Fish that capsized their boat, killing them both.

He was soon discovered to possess Three Spiritual Roots Talent and was brought into the Huang Clan Ancestral Hall to grow up alongside a group of other Immortal Seedlings who also had Spiritual Roots.

After coming of age, he joined the clan’s patrol team to guard their fisheries.

The Huang Clan members with Spiritual Roots were grouped into generations spanning a 60-Year Cycle. Among his peers of the "Ting" generation, Huang Tingguang was considered above average.

If he could successfully break through to the Qi Refining Seventh Layer, he could at least reach Qi Refining Great Perfection before age fifty and make one attempt at Foundation Establishment.

For the Huang Clan, which only had three Foundation Establishment Cultivators in total, successfully reaching that stage was a paramount honor. One would be respectfully addressed as a senior throughout these waters.

Barring only the few Core Formation Ancestors, they would be considered a truly significant figure.

The two younger clan brothers at his side looked at him with envy and a hint of fawning admiration.

In the Great Wild Marsh, Cultivation Families were a dime a dozen, and competition for every stretch of water and every last pool was fierce.

The Huang Clan’s limited resources had to be invested in the members with the highest chance of achieving Foundation Establishment. A single wrong choice, a waste of precious resources, could mean no new Foundation Establishment Cultivator for decades. Stories of a Cultivation Family losing all its fisheries and Spirit Pools and rapidly declining as a result were all too common.

"I wouldn’t dare dream of being a Foundation Establishment Seed. Ting Shi is already at the Eighth-Layer Qi Refining before even turning twenty, and he’s from the direct lineage. He’s guaranteed one of the Foundation Establishment Pill quotas. With so many disciples in our generation competing for the single remaining spot... the odds are too slim. I’ll be satisfied if I can just get my hands on a Foundation Establishment Spiritual Object when the time comes."

Huang Tingguang wasn’t old, but his upbringing had made him mature beyond his years. It was this steady temperament that had earned him the appreciation of one of the clan elders.

"Let’s just focus on our work. I heard the Mi Family provoked some passing senior. Their Water Dock was destroyed, and their two Foundation Establishment elders and a hundred other clan members were all killed... But that means their territory is now up for grabs. Rumor has it our clan might get one of their mud pools—the one they used for raising Spirit Snails."

"We heard about that too! They say the Water Dock was split right in half! The surviving Mi Family members all scattered. The Mi Family is nothing but an empty shell now!"

The two younger clan brothers shuddered, clearly shaken by the news.