novelapdf Chapter 83 The Struggle Between Land and Water
Chapter 83 The Struggle Between Land and Water
All the opportunities and chances in this world are never just luck falling from the sky. If you don't have anything that others find admirable, why would Tai Xuan Dao give you this command token?
"The Tai Xuan Dao has been passed down for tens of thousands of years. If we trace its origins, it comes from the Lingxu Realm. What kind of chosen ones haven't they seen? What kind of spiritual treasures haven't they possessed? Whether they'll even look at my meager possessions is still uncertain."
"We still need to gather more information about the Tai Xuan Sect to see if it's a good place to go. After all, joining the wrong sect is no different from marrying the wrong person; it's a lifelong matter."
After Li Ya understood this key point, he exhaled a breath of stale air and turned his thoughts to the records of the Fishing Platform in the East China Sea.
Since his trip to Dugu City, Li Ya has also been intentionally collecting information in this area.
Zhongzhou is surrounded by the sea on all sides. Originally, all four seas were battlefields. However, in the last ten thousand years, except for the east, the sea tribes in the other three places have been subdued. Only the strongest sea tribe in the East Sea is still putting up a stubborn resistance.
The reason is nothing more than resources.
The Azure Lotus Realm is larger in the sea than in the land, with the sea accounting for 70% of its territory and 80% of its spiritual resources gathered in the deep sea.
The term "sea race" is a collective name for all sea creatures, referring to the sea forces led by dragons.
Among the sea creatures, dragons are the royal family, followed by a few other royal families such as merfolk, sea yakshas, and giant whales.
The sea creatures are blessed with a unique environment, with deep-sea spiritual veins crisscrossing and rich in spiritual energy, several times that of the land.
The sea creatures are numerous and their reproduction rate far exceeds that of humans.
Merfolk are skilled at controlling the tides, sea yakshas are adept at fighting and bloodthirsty, and giant whales possess unparalleled physical strength. Among the myriad sea creatures, they are naturally close to waterways, possessing powerful bodies and unique advantages.
Although the path of cultivation in the Central Continent is fraught with difficulties, the number of cultivators is increasing. The spiritual materials used for cultivation are measured in years, unlike rice which ripens several times a year. Land resources are inevitably becoming scarce with each use.
Therefore, the human race began to venture out to all corners of the world to collect resources, and conflict between the two races was inevitable.
Initially, the sea creatures did have the upper hand. Because of the separation between land and water, they launched a war, mobilizing the strength of hundreds of millions of races from all over the world to attack the Central Continent. The defenses organized by Baiyujing were once in ruins.
The entire coastal territory, spanning thousands of miles, fell to the enemy; prosperous cities collapsed; cultivation sects were uprooted; and countless mortal dynasties were utterly destroyed.
In those years, countless human prodigies followed one after another, sacrificing their lives for their cause, and countless nameless cultivators were buried in the sea, pushing this defensive line outwards, recovering lost territory, until the South Sea, West Sea, and North Sea were pacified.
Nowadays, the primary task of the mountain and water deities along the coast of Zhongzhou is to monitor the aquatic creatures at the estuary and in the sea. If there is any unusual activity, they can kill them on their own without reporting to Baiyujing.
It's truly a case of "better to kill the innocent than let the guilty go free." Thanks to this swift and decisive approach, the South China Sea, the West China Sea, and the North China Sea remain peaceful to this day.
All the remnants of these three aquatic tribes surrendered to the East China Sea, strengthening the aquatic tribes there.
The war on Diaoyutai in the East China Sea has lasted for a thousand years. The blood feud between the two sides is irreconcilable and can only be resolved by the extinction of one race.
A cultivator once used a sharp sword to split open the rocks of Diao Ao Terrace. The rocks were all blackish-red, already soaked with the blood of the two races.
Now, Baiyujing governs the sects in the Central Continent. Major sects like Taixuandao send their core disciples, elders, and protectors to guard the defense line, and they also need to bring their own full complement of Dao soldiers.
Even less prestigious sects and families, while not required to send troops, are obligated to transport elixirs and spiritual materials to Diao Ao Terrace annually as a matter of custom.
"With power comes obligation; though the social hierarchy in Middle-earth is rigid, this principle is still commendable."
Under Bai Yujing's leadership, a military merit system was in place at Diao Ao Terrace for a thousand years.
Slaying sea creatures, repairing magical artifacts, refining elixirs, transporting supplies...
As long as you contribute to the slaying of the sea creatures, you can gain merit.
The thousand merits Ning Xuanqi mentioned were truly not to be underestimated. Killing one Foundation Establishment Sea Clan member would earn one hundred merits, while killing ten Foundation Establishment Sea Clan members would only earn one thousand. This was far too much of an overestimation of himself.
Here, morality and conscience are disregarded, and the methods of the Yonghe Sect are not followed. As long as one can kill the sea creatures, one can gain merit. Of course, internal strife is strictly prohibited.
According to Bai Yujing, as long as one has enough merit, one can go directly to Bai Yujing's treasury to select secret treasures. Even the Golden Core cultivators of Bai Yujing can be hired as henchmen.
"Their enemy is my hero."
"Even if there's no such thing as the Tai Xuan Dao at the Fishing Platform in the East Sea, I still want to go and take a look."
Nothing was said that night, and they meditated until dawn.
Although this quiet room is supposed to be for my own use, I can't stay in it all day long. There are many people in the market, so I might as well see if I can find out where Senior Brother Lingji and Senior Sister Qin are.
When Li Ya arrived at the stall, the culinary expert from Shenxianlou was already waiting there.
"Fellow Daoist, you've kept me waiting for so long!" he said urgently.
"I won't lie to you, fellow Daoist. I am the head cook of the Divine Immortal Pavilion. The spirit fish I bought from you yesterday, after only simple cooking, yielded a spiritual dish far exceeding the ordinary."
"Fellow Daoist, two taels, two taels of Moon Toad Coins. I'll take as many as you have!"
Seeing his sincere expression, Li Ya had no intention of taking advantage of the situation to raise the price. The fact that the buyer took the initiative to raise the price proved that the spirit fish was indeed excellent.
Using the Ling Shu Cave Heaven, they caught all the spirit fish in the cave in one fell swoop, numbering at least several thousand, most of which were larger than the ones they had put out to sell yesterday.
Selling a few more wouldn't be a problem, but Li Ya thought of another way.
"There is still a batch of live fish."
Upon hearing this, Fan Hao's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, instantly settled, and a look of joy appeared on his face. He repeatedly cupped his hands in thanks, saying, "Thank you, fellow Daoist! Thank you, fellow Daoist!"
"However!" Li Ya continued, "These spirit fish are hard to catch; it took me a lot of effort to finally capture one!"
Fan Hao was a shrewd person and instantly understood what Li Ya meant.
"May I ask, fellow traveler, is this price not to your liking?"
Li Ya quickly indicated that it was not true: "The price you offered is reasonable, but I have a request. I'm sure your Immortal Pavilion is very popular and has many customers."
"I would like to ask you to do me a favor and add a wine to the menu of the Immortal Pavilion called 'The Cow That Falls Down in the Forget-Worry Pavilion.' If any guests recognize this fine wine, please let me know."
"I wonder if there are any difficulties?"
"No problem at all, I've got it decided. It's just finding someone, a piece of cake!"
With the help of the Immortal Pavilion, finding people would be much simpler. Li Ya had considered asking Tai Xuan Dao for help, but there were too many people watching Ning Xuanqi. If other cultivators misunderstood, it might be detrimental to Senior Brother Lingji and Senior Sister Qin.
Li Ya's mind stirred slightly, and he pretended to connect with the Sumeru Ring on his hand.
In a flash of inspiration, twenty spirit fish appeared in the tank, each one as beautiful as the ones from yesterday.
"Fellow Daoist, may I ask why restaurants can be opened in Fallen Dragon Valley?"
Li Ya was genuinely puzzled, but fortunately Fan Hao was a talkative person and spilled the beans.
The Divine Pavilion is a well-known chain of spiritual cuisine giants in the Central Continent. Cultivators like Fan Hao are disciples of the Divine Pavilion, and they compete to see who is better at cooking.
"Let me tell you, all my fellow disciples are idiots. You should know that the bigger the storm, the more expensive the fish."
"It would take forever to save enough money to buy the Divine Restaurant from the sect by working hard in the kitchen."
Fan Hao's "Immortal Restaurant" is the signature magical artifact of the Immortal Restaurant; to put it simply, it's a mobile restaurant magic treasure.
"This time, many disciples from various sects and aristocratic families have come to Fallen Dragon Valley. I've opened a restaurant here, and although the environment is a bit poor, I sell spiritual dishes that usually cost one or two taels of silver for ten taels. Who dares to say anything about me?"
"That's what you call a brain!"
Upon hearing this, Li Ya's heart tightened: Oh no, the spirit fish was sold too cheaply!