NOVPUBA few miles away from the Dark Marsh, there was a small village where the young White Bone Heavenly Venerate, in order to treat his mother’s illness, discussed with a few fellow villagers and decided to venture into the Dark Marsh to pick medicinal herbs.
No one expected that they would never return.
That day, a thick fog arose in the Dark Marsh, so dense that it hardly dispersed, and the group of them got lost within it.
By the time the fog finally lifted, they were completely trapped in the Dark Marsh.
Within, dangers abounded, not to mention the scarcity of food and water; just the deeply hidden marshes and various kinds of poisonous creatures were enough to terrify anyone who heard of them.
The young White Bone Heavenly Venerate and his fellow villagers struggled to survive for seven days in there until they accidentally fell into a swamp.
His companions watched as his body gradually sank into the swamp, believing him to be certainly doomed.
Unexpectedly, seven days later, a skeleton crawled out from the swamp—it was the White Bone Heavenly Venerate.
It turned out that the Dark Marsh was not naturally formed, but rather a result of a powerful being’s body corrupting the land after he chose to sit and transform there.
Before dying, that powerful being also left his inheritance in it.
The White Bone Heavenly Venerate was the one who acquired this inheritance, and from then on, his name was slowly forgotten by the world; only the name White Bone Heavenly Venerate remained.
After gaining the inheritance, the White Bone Heavenly Venerate thrived in the Dark Marsh.
He began his cultivation step by step while also looking for bright white gleaming stones to construct a dwelling.
Thus, the cultivation of the White Bone Heavenly Venerate rapidly improved, and thanks to the bright white gleaming stones, even in the Dark Marsh, his dwelling shone conspicuously.
From then on, anyone who mistakenly entered or got lost in the Dark Marsh received assistance from the White Bone Heavenly Venerate.
Using the White Bone Heavenly Venerate’s dwelling as a core, they began to build houses around it.
As their numbers grew more and more, generations of people began to live there.
One day, when the White Bone Heavenly Venerate’s mastery over his vein techniques was complete, he evolved the Dark Marsh completely.
This was the precursor to White Bone City, which after hundreds of years of continuity, expanded in scale and eventually even gained recognition from the Vast Immortal Sect.
The White Bone Heavenly Venerate also became the legitimate ruler of the place.
......
Xu Zimei and her companion arrived at the front of White Bone City on the morning of the second day.
The vast city loomed like an upturned cover on the land.
Though the city was made of bright white gleaming stones, each stone was meticulously carved, resembling real bones.
The city had two gates, one to the south and one to the north.
In the early morning, the dust-closed city gates slowly opened, and the city came alive with activity.
When Xu Zimei and her companion entered the city, they found it extraordinarily bustling, with the streets and vendors on both sides filled with noise.
"Let’s just take the Teleportation Array to Heaven Blue City," Xu Zimei said.
The Divine Emperor nodded without objection.
When the two arrived at the central square of White Bone City, where the Teleportation Array was located,
they found that the Teleportation Array to Heaven Blue City was still under construction. 𝓷ℴ𝓋𝓅𝓊𝒷.𝒸𝓸𝓶
"What’s going on?" Xu Zimei asked the person in charge of the Formation.
"Recently, there was a conflict in Heaven Blue City, and the entire city was almost destroyed, including the Teleportation Array there,"
said the person in charge: "They are constructing a new Teleportation Array, and it’s not usable right now."
Hearing this, Xu Zimei furrowed her brows slightly and asked, "How much longer will it take?"
"It’s almost ready. The emergency repairs during this period are coming to an end. It’s estimated that the connection will be restored by tomorrow," the person in charge replied.
...
Xu Zimei turned her head towards the Divine Emperor and said, "Then let’s rest here for today and head out tomorrow. There’s no rush."
They found an inn at a tavern in the city, booked their rooms for the night, and prepared to take a stroll within the city.
White Bone City was quite a large city, extensive in area, and among the territories of the Vast Immortal Sect, it was one of the top cities.
The city was divided into four areas, and in the middle of these areas, there lay a misty square constructed of white bones.
Unlike the square where the Teleportation Array was located, this square had a history almost as ancient as White Bone City itself.
When Xu Zimei and her companion arrived at the square, they noticed it was surrounded by many people.
The crowd had nearly sealed off the entire square.
"What’s going on here?" Xu Zimei asked, looking at the person beside her.
"Mountain River Sect is recruiting new disciples, and the younger generation from the entire city is competing in the square," the person next to her explained with a smile.
"Mountain River Sect?" Xu Zimei nodded slightly. She had not heard of this force, which suggested it was probably an ordinary third-rate power in the Tianluan Domain.
In fact, there were countless forces in the Yuan Central Continent, but only those like the Imperial Rule Immortal Sect were well known to the public.
However, not everyone could be sent into the Imperial Rule Immortal Sect without decent aptitude. A force like the Mountain River Sect that existed was heaven for the other martial artists.
"Since there’s nothing else to do, why not go take a look at what’s happening," Xu Zimei suggested.
The two squeezed into the crowd and saw that in the center of the square,
two youths were competing against each other, their moves fierce, each aiming for the other’s vitals. Although their cultivation levels were not high, merely around the Condensing Vein Realm, they were still fundamentally solid compared to ordinary people.
On a platform to the side, an elder could be seen sitting on a chair made of bones.
The elder’s presence was formidable, he was dressed in a gray robe embroidered with mountain and river landscapes.
Five young men and women, all in gray robes, stood beside him.
When the competition between the two youths ended, one of the young men in gray robes stepped onto the stage.
He looked around at everyone on the square and said, "Today is the last day our Mountain River Sect will be recruiting disciples here.
We hope everyone will actively sign up and participate. Anyone who can last until the final three will be able to join our Mountain River Sect directly.
If you have outstanding talent, you might even become a Direct Disciple of Elder Qinghe."
Hearing the young man’s words, some more youths stepped up to prepare for the competition.
Xu Zimei actually didn’t like this method of recruiting disciples; after all, because of different backgrounds and the resources enjoyed from childhood, a person’s current potential and talent could not be distinguished through combat.
Xu Zimei initially glanced over and was about to leave when suddenly she heard an exclamation from beside her.
"Young Master Xu."
Xu Zimei turned her head and saw a woman looking at her with a joyful face.
The woman was dressed in a white robe, and it was none other than Bai Yaoyao, one of the students from Heavenly Dao Academy whom she had encountered in the ruins previously.
"Miss Bai, how come you are here?" Xu Zimei asked with a smile.
"You still remember me, Young Master. I need to thank you for trapping the master and saving us as well as the master," Bai Yaoyao said joyfully.
"We brought the master here to have his injuries treated."
