NOVPUB……
Starting from Qingluo Garrison in Longzuo Commandery of the Great Qian, passing through the Unfrozen Harbor, and crossing thousands of miles along the southern part of the Northern Ice Wasteland's unfrozen ocean, one can reach the Extreme North Commandery of the Northern Zhou.
Compared to other routes, this is the safest route to the Northern Zhou. Although it requires crossing the Northern Ice Wasteland and encountering numerous ice floes along the way, it avoids the unpredictable risks of directly crossing the ocean, such as hurricanes, sea beasts, whirlpools, sea fog, and other hazards.
The Northern Ice Wasteland, though desolate and bleak, still has scattered human and barbarian settlements for resupply and economic refuge.
The [Muzhen Continent] where the Northern Zhou is located is different from the [Frontier Continent] where East Qian is located. It is long and narrow, with the widest east-west distance being just over thirteen thousand miles, while the longest north-south distance is nearly a hundred thousand miles, making it vast, equivalent to more than thirty percent of the main continent of Cold Moon.
On the Muzhen Continent, there are four human nations, divided into two camps of immortals and demons, with a total of over forty commanderies developed.
Compared to the countries on the Frontier Continent like East Qian, Western Jin, and Southern Qin, where the human race has been developing for less than ten thousand years and still has room for growth, conflicts are relatively few.
On the Muzhen Continent, the earliest records of development can be traced back over twenty thousand years. The lands suitable for human habitation and reproduction have long been occupied, leading to numerous conflicts and frequent wars among the four nations.
Not to mention the countries belonging to the two opposing camps of immortals and demons are like water and fire, even the two countries of the immortal dynasty camp, the Northern Zhou and the Great Xia, have numerous open and secret conflicts, often resulting in internal friction and disputes.
The Northern Zhou Kingdom has a total of thirteen commanderies, and its national strength is relatively strong among the four countries.
To the south of the Northern Zhou is a commandery called [Nanwan Commandery].
Nanwan Commandery is located in a bay, known for its towering cliffs and numerous islands. Due to its poor resources, hot climate, frequent hurricanes, and tsunamis, the population is sparse, and development is slow.
As a commandery, the total population of Longzuo Commandery in the Great Qian is nearly a hundred million, but the total population of Nanwan Commandery in the Northern Zhou is less than fifteen million.
Deep in the bay of Nanwan Commandery, there is a place called [Ghost Sea of Reefs], where cliffs stand like forests, and countless hidden reefs lie beneath the sea. It is a dangerous area with frequent ghostly wails in the fog.
The Ghost Sea of Reefs is rich in natural resources, with many low-level marine resources, but it is too dangerous, and few people venture there. Only some desperate rogue cultivators form teams to try their luck, either to get rich or to lose their lives.
At this moment.
A seemingly old wooden fishing boat was cautiously navigating through the Ghost Sea of Reefs.
On the side of the boat, the word "Li" was painted in colorful paint, indicating that its owner was the Li Clan, an eighth-grade family living on nearby islands.
To make a living, the "Li Clan of Hu Island" has long been active on the outskirts of the Ghost Sea of Reefs, surviving by catching spirit fish, collecting coral and shellfish, and even farming abalone on the reefs.
Although the work is dangerous, with the family's generationally inherited maps and the experience accumulated by their ancestors as references, they can barely make ends meet, allowing this small eighth-grade family to continue struggling on, without daring to dream of advancing to a seventh-grade Celestial family.
"Reporting to the Master."
On the deck of the fishing boat, Li Dinghai respectfully saluted a young man with an extraordinary demeanor and cautiously said, "In another dozen miles, after passing the [Broken Sword Cliff], we will be beyond the range of my Li Clan's activities."
He was the second ancestor of the Li Clan of Hu Island, with early-stage Lingtai Realm cultivation.
Although he was just over a hundred years old, compared to the two-hundred-year lifespan of the Lingtai Realm, he could still live for a long time. However, due to years of exposure to the elements and hard labor, he appeared quite old.
The man beside him wore a jade crown and a Basalt robe, with bright eyes and sharp eyebrows, exuding an elegant demeanor.
Upon hearing this, he calmly and gently said, "Old Ancestor Li, just continue to navigate according to the map markers. If we encounter danger, we will do our utmost to ensure the safety of you and your clan members. Regardless of success or failure, the benefits I promised to your Li Clan of Hu Island will not be lessened."
This handsome young man was Wang Shouye, the seventh in the "Shou" generation of the Wang Clan, the Great Qian's Pill King, and the family alchemist whom Wang Shouzhe had high hopes for.
Wang Shouye was now over a hundred and ninety years old, ninety years older than Li Dinghai, yet he still appeared as a handsome young man in his twenties or thirties, a stark contrast that was beyond comparison.
"Yes, Master."
Li Dinghai smiled bitterly in his heart and had no choice but to continue directing his clan members to steer the boat toward their destination.
Although Wang Shouye's attitude was very gentle, it was still difficult for a small eighth-grade family to refuse a request from a Purple Mansion Master.
After all, the most powerful cultivator Li Dinghai had ever seen in his life was only at the Celestial Realm. To him, a Purple Mansion Master was already a lofty, unattainable existence.
Moreover, this group of people exuded an aura of grandeur and majesty, clearly indicating that they were of great significance, far beyond just a Purple Mansion Master. If they truly had the intention, they could easily wipe out the Li Clan of Hu Island with a flip of their hand.
"Rest assured, Old Ancestor Li." Seeing Li Dinghai's bitter expression, Gu Hanyu, standing on the other side, smiled and comforted him, "My junior brother Shouye has always been true to his word. Although you must take some risks on this journey, the Li Clan of Hu Island will surely rise because of it."
She was still dressed in that simple white robe, like a lotus emerging from water, pure and flawless.
Hearing her words, Li Dinghai's heart instantly burned with passion.
Indeed, the rewards this time were extremely generous, and they included some spirit pills that were difficult to buy even with money. If the Li Clan managed things properly, they might seize this opportunity to cultivate a clan member at the Celestial Realm.
By then, the family could rise to the seventh grade, and the Li Clan of Hu Island would be reborn.
Of course, all of this was based on the premise that the other party "kept their promise."
Driven by both fear and hope, Li Dinghai naturally exercised extra caution and care, guiding the fishing boat safely toward the destination.
As the fishing boat sailed, a graceful and strikingly beautiful woman stood at the bow.
Her face was veiled, obscuring her features, and only her black and red long dress fluttered in the sea breeze, like a blooming black peony.
She rarely spoke, but she would suddenly remind them at critical moments: "Three miles ahead, there are several hidden reefs. I suggest veering to the right."
"Please be cautious; the fog is thickening ten miles ahead. Proceed slowly."
"Oh? There's a large fifth-grade spirit blood eel hidden among the rocks a few miles away. I'll catch it for Young Master Shouye to replenish his energy."
This woman was none other than Jiang Qingxue, once known as the "Red Enchantress Demon Envoy," now one of the Wang Clan's revered members.
As a Divine Realm cultivator, she was considered a prominent figure even in the immortal dynasty, and in such a remote corner of the world, she was akin to a celestial being descending to earth.
With her vast divine sense navigating the way, the group traveled safely and smoothly, reaching their destination.
It was a misty and seemingly desolate sea area.
The vast mist rolled over the sea, as if draping layers of veils over it, making everything in sight appear vague and indistinct. Only at noon did the view become somewhat clearer, revealing some rocks appearing and disappearing with the waves.
Upon seeing this sea area, the Pill Cauldron Master, who had been mostly silent and resting with closed eyes throughout the journey, suddenly became invigorated.
With the support of Gu Hanyu, he stood up excitedly and said, "This is it, this is it. After nearly seven hundred years, my Pill Cauldron has finally returned. Old Ancestor Li, how many days until the great tide on August 16th?"
"There's still a month," Li Dinghai replied honestly.
"Good, then we'll wait for a month."
The Pill Cauldron Master had already explained the things to be mindful of on this trip to Wang Shouye and the others. Once he gave his instructions, everyone understood and found a place to settle down and wait.
In fact, they had been in the Northern Zhou for quite some time, but they had not entered the ruins because the time was not right.
The origin of the ruins discovered by the Pill Cauldron Master was extremely mysterious, and the entrance was also very hidden. It could only be accessed at a specific time. If the time was not right, even if they reached the location, they could not enter the secret realm.
And the great tide a month later was the only opportunity in nearly a hundred years to enter the secret realm.
For a while, the entire fishing boat fell silent.
The Pill Cauldron Master leaned against the stern, once again falling into a state of silent contemplation.
For most of the journey, the Pill Cauldron Master remained extremely silent. Although he said nothing, Wang Shouye and the other disciples knew the reason behind it.
In Longzuo Commandery, everyone only knew the Pill Cauldron Master as a rogue cultivator. But in reality, he was a native of the Northern Zhou, and his family belonged to a fifth-grade family.
Due to various reasons that he was not at liberty to disclose, he left his family and became a rogue cultivator. In desperation, he formed a team to venture into the [Ghost Sea of Reefs], where all his companions perished, but he miraculously survived and had a fortuitous encounter.
With this fortuitous encounter, he eventually made his way to the Great Qian and rose to the Purple Mansion Realm, becoming the renowned rogue cultivator, Pill Cauldron Master.
Now, this was his first return to the Northern Zhou in hundreds of years, and it must have stirred up some memories.
A month passed quickly.
As the great tide arrived as scheduled, the "ghost fog" on the sea surface grew thicker and thicker, soon becoming more than ten times denser.
However, at this moment, a miracle occurred. At the marked location on the map, a reef island rose instead of being submerged, gradually rising more than ten feet above the sea level.
"Shouye, leave Jiang Qingxue and the two family guards to guard the boat," the Pill Cauldron Master said with burning eyes. "The rest of you, come with me into the water."
As a place of Void inheritance, the normal target of inheritance is the Purple Mansion Realm. Jiang Qingxue entering would be of no use and would only displease the spirit artifact.
Naturally, Jiang Qingxue had no objections.
After making some arrangements, Wang Shouye entered the water with his fellow disciples and master.
They were all accomplished Basalt cultivators, with profound energy swirling around them, easily keeping the seawater at bay, as if using a water-repelling technique.
The Pill Cauldron Master, like an old horse familiar with the way, was the first to dive more than ten feet deep into the sea.
After feeling around the reef for a moment, he merged his body forward.
Instantly, a subtle spatial ripple spread out, and he disappeared from everyone's sight.
Seeing this, his disciples' eyes lit up, and they followed suit, entering the spatial rift attached to the reef.
Wang Shouye felt the space around him twist, and in the next moment, the scenery before his eyes had completely changed.
His feet were on a piece of damp, flat mud, and he could hear the sound of waves crashing against the rocks in the distance. The sky was bright and clear, with the sun shining brightly, and the gentle sea breeze brushed against his face, carrying a faint salty sea scent.
Clearly, he was standing on an island.
In front of him was a large medicinal garden.
The garden was filled with spiritual herbs, but there was no organization, with herbs of various levels growing randomly and chaotically throughout the garden. Some were even crowded together in large patches, and some of the less resilient herbs were on the verge of withering due to insufficient spiritual energy.
Only a few spiritual fields near the center showed signs of formation restrictions, and the herbs planted there appeared much more orderly, with at least the species not being so chaotic.
Clearly, this garden had been abandoned for a long time, and it was unknown how many years it had been left unattended.
In some biographical novels, it's often written that the protagonist enters a ruin and discovers a garden filled with ten-thousand-year-old spiritual herbs left by a senior master, leading to a windfall and meteoric rise.
But in reality, if the authors of such biographies had a better understanding of spiritual herbs and plants, they wouldn't have such unrealistic fantasies.
Spiritual herbs and plants also have a lifespan limit.
Not all spiritual herbs are better the older they are, and not all spiritual herbs can live for tens of thousands of years without withering. Although the lifespan of spiritual herbs and plants is much longer than that of human cultivators, it is ultimately limited.
Generally speaking, the higher the grade of the spiritual herb, the longer its lifespan.
Spiritual herbs that can live for several thousand years are relatively common among fifth and sixth-grade herbs, while those that can grow for ten thousand years or even tens of thousands of years are mostly found among seventh-grade and above herbs.
Once they exceed their lifespan, spiritual herbs will naturally wither and reproduce, unable to live forever.
Therefore, even though this garden was filled with spiritual herbs, most were still of lower-grade varieties, with varying ages, and some were even seedlings that had only grown for a few decades.
However, even so, the value of this garden was still immeasurable.
After all, even without ten-thousand-year-old herbs, herbs that are several thousand years old are already extremely rare and valuable.
With a glance, Wang Shouye spotted a few Xuanhuang Li trees.
These trees belong to a long-lived species, capable of living for nearly ten thousand years. Once the tree age exceeds three thousand years, they can produce fifth-grade Xuanhuang Li spirit fruits, which can significantly improve physique and nourish the body, especially suitable for male cultivators.
Fifth-grade spirit fruits are rare treasures, even having some effect on Divine Realm experts.
Among the Xuanhuang Li trees in front of him, some were only a few feet tall, while others reached over ten feet, with one tree clearly over three thousand years old.
There were likely many similar spiritual herbs in the garden, but the exact quantity and value would need to be determined through detailed identification.
As for whether there were any ten-thousand-year-old spiritual herbs in the garden, it was still uncertain. After all, the garden had been left unattended for too long, and it was too chaotic, with various spiritual herb auras mixed together, creating a dazzling array of flickering spiritual lights that made it impossible to distinguish them in detail.
Even if there were ten-thousand-year-old spiritual herbs hidden inside, they might not be discovered immediately.
Seeing this scene, Wang Shouye remained relatively composed, but the rest of his fellow disciples had their eyes turn green with envy.
Although everyone was now quite wealthy, the abundance of spiritual herbs still greatly challenged their worldview.
The rotund and wealthy-looking Qian Xuefu couldn't resist the temptation and reached out to grab a nearby thousand-year-old spiritual herb.
Wang Shouye quickly stopped him, sternly reminding him, "Senior Brother Qian, hold your hand, don't lose your composure."
Qian Xuefu, shaken by his voice, instantly snapped back to reality.
He awkwardly saluted Wang Anye, "Thank you, Junior Brother, for the reminder. I was being reckless."
"Hmph, useless thing," the Pill Cauldron Master, with his hands behind his back, glared at Qian Xuefu with extreme dissatisfaction, "If these spiritual herbs could be picked at will, would I have waited until today?"
"Master's scolding is justified," Qian Xuefu apologized again, blushing.
"Master, we are all alchemists, and it's normal to lose control when we see top-grade spiritual herbs," Wang Shouye interjected to smooth things over.
"Shouye, you are the protagonist this time," the Pill Cauldron Master said solemnly, "With your bloodline aptitude and prospects, gaining the recognition of the senior in the treasure tome should not be difficult. By then, this entire garden will theoretically be yours to inherit. However, I hope you won't forget your fellow disciples and share some benefits with them."
"Rest assured, Master," Wang Shouye quickly replied, "We fellow disciples have always had a deep bond, like siblings, and I will not forget them."
After years of getting along, the Pill Cauldron Master had great trust in Wang Shouye's character and nodded, "The greatest fortune of my life as the Pill Cauldron Master is having you all as my disciples, especially Shouye, whose future is limitless. Now, it's up to you."
With that, the Pill Cauldron Master stopped looking at them and instead bowed deeply towards the distance, "Junior pays respects to the senior spirit artifact. Junior has fulfilled the senior spirit artifact's trust and finally found an outstanding disciple qualified to inherit the treasure tome."
In the garden where they stood, there was a small path, and at the end of the path, the outline of a building could be seen.
It was a very typical alchemy room, with running water introduced at the entrance, small windows on all four sides of the roof for ventilation, and sculptures of four divine beasts on the eaves, bearing the distinct style of the Shenwu period.
The Pill Cauldron Master bowed towards that building.
However, after half an incense stick's time, there was still no response.
Seeing this, the Pill Cauldron Master bowed again and repeated his earlier words, but still, there was no response.
He frowned slightly but reassured everyone, "Perhaps the senior spirit artifact is resting. Let's wait a while before calling on him again."
"Yes, Master," everyone replied, waiting as instructed.
Meanwhile, outside the ruins' space, a flying carriage was cutting through the sky, swiftly heading towards this sea area through the mist.
The flying carriage had a simple and heavy design, with a spacious cabin, and was pulled by two seventh-grade Azure Luan birds.
In flight, the Azure Luan birds were graceful, their azure feathers shimmering in the sunlight, appearing elegant and noble.
The driver, an elderly man, exuded a restrained and unfathomable aura, highlighting the extraordinary status of the passengers.
The interior of the flying carriage was lavishly decorated, with thin and airy silk curtains hanging, and a red copper incense burner on a low table crafted into a floral pattern, with intricate craftsmanship. The curling smoke created an atmosphere reminiscent of a legendary celestial palace garden.
The faint fragrance filled the entire cabin, like a serene valley orchid, tranquil and distant.
Such exquisite craftsmanship could only be accomplished by the most skilled artisans, and even in top three-grade families, it would be considered valuable and not casually used in a carriage. Yet, in this flying carriage's cabin, several similar exquisite items were casually placed. n𝚘𝚟pub.𝚌o𝚖
This indicated that the owner of the flying carriage must be of extremely high status.
On one side of the cabin, a young woman in a black starlight brocade long dress sat by the window, gazing at the Ghost Sea of Reefs shrouded in layers of mist.
Her face was veiled, obscuring her features, with only a red mark like cinnabar on her forehead, making her skin appear even fairer and more delicate, like white porcelain.
The soft light enveloped her, and her black starlight brocade dress refracted strands of starlight, like reflections of stars, ethereal and beautiful, with a dreamy quality akin to the night.
Opposite her sat an elderly woman also dressed in black.
Her hair was neatly coiled atop her head, but her hair was already graying, and her skin was shriveled and wrinkled, making her look extremely old.
"Luojia," she said in a hoarse voice, looking at the young woman, "This is the last time I'll indulge your whims. Otherwise, if His Majesty holds us accountable, how could this old woman and my family withstand the Emperor's wrath?"
"Rest assured, Ling Nanny," the young woman's voice was cold yet melodious, "After years of investigation and intelligence gathering, I am ninety percent certain that the final resting place of the True Lord of the Mysterious Pill is here."
"I believe you and am willing to help you," Ling Nanny looked at her indulgently, "I know you want to fight for your destiny. But you must promise me that if you succeed in inheriting the Mysterious Pill Treasure Tome this time, that's fine. But if you fail, you must obediently return to participate in the matchmaking event, and everything must be prioritized for the greater good."
This woman was none other than the famous Princess Luojia of the Northern Zhou royal family, the future Princess Luojia.
The various young talents converging on the Northern Zhou to marry her would never dream that Princess Luojia, the center of the vortex, was also planning and striving for her own future.
"Yes, Ling Nanny, I will listen to you."
Princess Luojia answered decisively, her calm eyes filled with unwavering determination and confidence.
After preparing and planning for so long, she finally confirmed the location of a treasure tome.
This time, she was determined to obtain the [Mysterious Pill Treasure Tome]!
……
