Chapter 273: Chapter 183: Nascent Soul_1
Ten years later, Dongting Lake.
Dongting, once known as Cloud Dream.
Due to its unique topography, with mists like seas ever present and never dispersing, it was often mistaken by the uninformed as a secluded haven of the immortals. Every year, many mortals came seeking immortality and arcane knowledge or to explore its mysteries, only to return empty-handed.
However, this situation had changed in recent years.
In these ten years, Liang Country had changed rulers, and the Spell King governed the realm.
The separation between mortals and cultivators had thus dissipated, and no longer was there a barrier between them.
The matters of cultivation were no longer a secret.
The methods of cultivation were no longer concealed.
Martial Arts Scriptures and Taoist Scriptures were spread throughout the world.
Moreover, the disciples of Green Jade greatly advanced the work of production.
Spirit Fields and Spirit Lands, Spirit Rice and Spiritual Medicine, as well as all sorts of magical plants and creatures—the techniques of Green Jade and the Creation Mysterious Ability made it possible to grow Spirit Plants and produce Spiritual Objects, whether in the mundane world or on hallowed cultivation grounds.
As planting flourished, so did animal husbandry. Now, all over Liang Country, whether mortals or cultivators, there were husbandry businesses raising birds and beasts, or fish and turtles, yielding an abundant supply of resources to sustain cultivators all around.
As a notable water marsh within Liang Country’s borders, Dongting Lake inevitably attracted attention—and even covetous glances—in this “production boom.”
However, within Dongting Lake on Fish and Dragon Island, the head of the Li Family, “Li Liuxian,” possessed extraordinary strength. Once, he managed to leave his name on the Green Cloud Ranking with his sword, even though he was at the bottom. But that alone secured the Li Family dominion over Dongting’s water marsh and a thousand miles of surrounding territory.
From then on, the Li Family expanded aggressively. Not only had the area of Fish and Dragon Island expanded by dozens of times, but the waters of Dongting Lake had also grown, engulfing a thousand miles of nearby land and transforming it into the Cloud Dream Water Marsh.
Though Dongting expanded and submerged the land, civilian productivity was not impeded; on the contrary, it took new paths. Specialty products like “Cloud Dream Rice” from Dongting Lake, along with various Spirit Fish, Spirit Animals, and Spirit Beasts of Dongting Lake, were rare delicacies.
In the newly expanded Thousand Miles of Dongting Lake, aside from the core Fish and Dragon Island, there were many smaller islands, both big and small, where mortals and cultivators coexisted, totaling almost a thousand in number. Hence, it was also known as Thousand Island Lake.
In Cloud Dream Water Marsh, the vast Thousand Island Lake, hundreds of thousands of islanders made their living from the waters of Dongting.
Seeing this, the Li Family that ruled Fish and Dragon Island subsequently transformed their family into a Sect and established ten more islands outside Fish and Dragon Island to pass down their legacy, opening wide the gates of the Sect to accept disciples in droves.
Today, within Dongting Lake, with Fish and Dragon Island as the core, ten surrounding islands as support, and the countless islanders as a foundation, life was thriving and prosperous.
This was the result of ten years under the reign of the Spell King.
Fish and Dragon Island was just a microcosm.
Within Liang Country, there was not just one Fish and Dragon Island, one Dongting Lake.
Other places exhibited similar views.
While some areas might not have developed as much, the process was generally the same.
A microcosm that reflects the larger picture.
In these ten years, the rapid development and massive changes in Liang Country, described as day-over-day and earth-shattering transformations, were no exaggeration.
The population had grown significantly.
The strength of cultivators had greatly increased.
The standard in Liang Kingdom’s Cultivation Realm had swiftly risen, showing signs of a “Cultivation Golden Age.”
In such times…
On Dragon Island, in the midst of Dongting Lake.
The Nine Ceremony High Altar rose again, and the Luotian Dajiao ritual commenced once more.
Ten Direction Arrays were layered and interlocked, one after another.
Beneath the waters of the lake and amid the clouds of mist, large clams could be seen opening and closing their mouths, swallowing and exhaling the fog, with faint flashes of Spirit Light twinkling inside them.
Clam spirits, indeed clam spirits, nearly a thousand clam spirits encircled the island, their opening and closing mouths expelling copious amounts of cloud mist and radiance, distorting the void and shrouding everything in an ethereal, dreamlike realm.
Dragons are water deities, and creatures of the Aquatic Clan are descendants of dragons.
Clam spirits, of course, were no exception.
Due to Xu Yang’s “Island Master” and “Dragon Monarch” Skill Traits, the clam spirits of Fish and Dragon Island that succeeded in cultivation had nearly all awakened the “Mirage Dragon” bloodline.
Mirage Dragons, small ones called clams and large ones called mirages, both intermediary beings, are part of the clam species!
Such Spirit Monsters, naturally gifted with Divine Skills, could exhale the Qi of mirage and create illusory landscapes.
Now, nearly a thousand clam spirits exhaling Mirage Qi constituted an illusory realm equivalent to a third-tier Illusion Array. Any ordinary Golden Core cultivator who stepped inside would inevitably become disoriented between reality and illusion, unable to distinguish truth from falsehood, and would become trapped within the array, unable to extricate themselves.
Such a setup was now merely the outer defense of the island.
On Fish and Dragon Island, arrays were merged within arrays.
Layer upon layer, each connected intricately, touching one part would affect the whole.
A Grandmaster of the fourth tier of Array Formation who saw such an array would probably feel his scalp tingle with awe.
No wonder an outer Illusion Array of Mirage Qi was needed.
If not for the Mirage Qi and its illusions, how could the mere cloud sea of Dongting conceal such an array?
In the heart of the grand array, atop Fish and Dragon Island.
People bustled about, with Escape Lights flashing like dragons.
After ten years of expansion, Fish and Dragon Island had grown more than a hundredfold in size, no longer the tiny island at the center of the lake it once was.
Nowadays, the island was particularly bustling, with incense tables set up everywhere. Aside from Spirit Rice and Spirit Meat common in offerings, there were also numerous glowing pieces of jade and coins, exuding a powerful aura.
They were, in fact, Spirit Stones, as well as Mana Money that had been fully rolled out and systematized.
Offering tables were set up everywhere, with innumerable rituals extending from the outskirts of the island to its heart.
In the center of the island, a towering Nine Ceremony High Altar stood consecrated to heaven.
Atop the high altar, a Taoist man in a mysterious robe sat with his eyes closed.
The Luotian Dajiao ritual, gathering the collective strength of the congregation.
Without the multitude of islanders, Spirit Stones were used as a substitute, at a considerable consumption.
Ten years ago, Xu Yang had conducted a small-scale Luotian Dajiao ritual to achieve the “Four Laws Golden Dan” feat for himself.
This small-scale Luotian Dajiao had nearly drained his coffers, and if it hadn’t been for the timely financial aid provided by the Three Sects, the people of Fish and Dragon Island might have had to tighten their belts and endure some tough times.
Luckily, today was different from the past.