The ocean was peaceful. With her eyes closed, Aoxue tapped into the power of her bloodline. After a while, she opened her eyes and pointed. “The dragon tomb is in that direction.”
“There?” Beigong Yu tensed. “That’s where the capital of the North Sea monster court is!”
“That’s too much of a coincidence.” Lu Yun turned to Aoxue with furrowed brows. “Are they in the same direction, or at the same location?”
“We’re too far for me to pinpoint exactly where the tomb is.” Aoxue shook her head after extending her senses again. The North Sea was vast, so much more so than any of the nine majors, ten lands, or four immortal seas. Thus, it was almost impossible for her to hone in on exactly where the tomb was.
“Then let’s go to the capital first,” said Lu Yun. It would be very troublesome if the tomb was located in the same spot.
Although the North Sea court couldn’t rival the twenty-four facets, they were still a major player in the world of immortals. In fact, they were more powerful than some of the top factions in the world.
A death feud had formed between them and Lu Yun a long time ago. The King of Southern Subjugation had merged with the juba to become a Black Tortoise, marking him dead at Lu Yun’s hands. Then, Lu Yun had cut Beigong Yu down himself. If the monster spirits knew he’d arrived at the North Sea, he would have trouble traveling anywhere.
Although he had disguised himself with a talisman refined by Xuanxi, it wouldn’t fool dao immortals. Qing Quan, for instance, had spotted Lu Yun and Qing Han earlier, despite their disguises.
……
The capital of the North Sea court lay at the heart of the vast ocean, spanning a distance of two Nephrite Majors between it and the coastline bordering Nephrite. The different facets of the world weren’t continents, nor were they islands.
The world of immortals was a complete, standalone world. Within it, however, crisscrossed various fragmented spaces that split it into twenty-four enormous fragments of the world. Each of them was an isolated facet with its own heavenly mandate, connected by the four seas to form a single world.
Without the four seas, there wouldn’t have been a world of immortals after the ancient times; as such, they were too vast for even dao immortals to traverse.
……
Levitating Island.
This was the largest island located between the North Sea and Nephrite Major. Despite being called an island, it was larger than Dusk Province at more than five thousand kilometers in radius, and was a veritable cornucopia of resources. It was a rare, fertile plot of land along the North Sea coastline.
The transportation formation leading to the depths of the North Sea was located at the center of the island. Established by cultivators from around the North Sea, the island didn’t fully belong to the monster spirits either.
The sea was too vast for even the past dragon clan to claim full ownership. Other than the monster spirits, there were also many more factions in the area. Together, they’d developed and ruled over Levitating Island.
Lu Yun and his companions opted for low profile outfits, so they would stand out less. Aoxue reduced her stunning temperament and transformed herself into a woman with average appearance and bearing. Beigong Yu dressed as an old servant, a talisman from Xuanxi suppressing his cultivation to peak august immortal realm. The foremost king of the North Sea Court was dead, his followers divvied up and claimed by others. Now, he was only Lu Yun’s servant.
Lu Yun and Qing Han assumed the roles of two noble scions that were down on their luck, venturing into the North Sea for treasure hunting due to having trouble surviving in the human world. Such people weren’t uncommon in the world of immortals.
……
“Levitating Island...” Lu Yun looked over the lush island in slight surprise. “I thought it’d be hovering above the ocean, but it’s just a regular island,” he muttered. “Why is it called Levitating Island?”
Aoxue was curious as well. Back in her time, all of the islands in the North Sea had been ruled by the dragons, and there’d been no Levitating Island. Beigong Yu coughed and opened his mouth to introduce the lay of the land, but another voice interrupted him before he had a chance to speak.
“Y’all’s first time here?” A boy with a smudged face sidled up to them and adopted a mysterious, lofty tone. “Levitating Island isn’t a safe place. Without guidance, newcomers are likely to be scammed or killed!”
He looked about sixteen, similar to Lu Yun and Qing Han. His linen shirt was dirty, but his brown eyes were bright and piercing. He was only a golden core cultivator, which put him at the bottom of the pecking order on an island with no shortage of ambient qi.
“Hmm? Why do you dress yourself like this, little girl?” Qing Han asked merrily.
“What?!” The ‘boy’ shuddered and scanned the surroundings with big eyes, only sighing with relief when she made certain there wasn’t anyone else around.
“Please don’t joke around, sir. I’m a man!” She puffed up her chest, but her voice lacked the same confidence.
“It’s difficult for little girls like her to survive on their own on Levitating Island. Only by disguising herself as a young man can she protect herself from unsavory sorts.” Beigong Yu shook his head slightly. He was a bona fide peerless immortal. Although he’d once severed his own cultivation, the Tome of Life and Death had resurrected him to full power. Therefore, although the little girl had disguised herself with clever illusions, it couldn’t fool him. As for Qing Han, he’d seen a trace of himself in the little girl.
“Gentlemen, I suddenly remember I have matters to take care of. Then I, I’ll....” The girl backed away and bolted, but Lu Yun reached out and hauled her back with irresistible might.
“Don’t rush off just yet,” Lu Yun said with a smile. “It’s our first time here and we happen to need a guide. You’ll do.”
The little girl was on the verge of tears.
“Please let me go, milords... I, I really wasn’t going to swindle any stones from you....” With her secret revealed, she didn’t dare remain with Lu Yun and his companions. Levitating Island was a land where the law of the jungle ruled supreme. Even female immortals might become a playtoy, let alone a mere golden core cultivator.
“Don’t worry, this gentleman won’t do anything to you,” said Lu Yun. Beigong Yu had given him an overview of the island beforehand, so he knew what the girl was worried about.
“Do you see these two? They’re august immortals, nobility of the world who’re one step away from ascending to golden immortal realm!” Lu Yun pointed at Beigong Yu and Aoxue. “Stick with us as our guide, and you’ll be rewarded with spirit stones.”
He did indeed need a guide. Given Beigong Yu’s previously lofty position, he’d only schmoozed with the upper echelons of Levitating Island. The island in his eyes was completely different from what the low-level cultivators experienced.
Lu Yun didn’t want to raise a ruckus. He just wanted to enter the capital through the island’s transportation formation without making a scene. However, the formation wasn’t accessible to everyone, especially not the formation leading to the seas around the capital. One would need the permission of the north sea monster spirits to utilize it.
Of course, Beigong Yu had his ways of activating the transportation formation, but he would have to return to his manor on the island, which had long been occupied. Compared to the other islands, Levitating Island was the most accessible doorway to the capital.
The little girl trembled, resigned. August immortals were above the average level of power here, and could own their own manors in the big cities on the island. The North Sea was large, but there was a lack of natural energy around and immortal qi was especially scarce. Only the islands were suitable for immortals to settle down and rest in.
“Can, can I wait until I ascend to the life core realm to warm your bed?” the girl asked in a tiny voice, a bashful expression tinging her dirty face.
“Eh? Warm my bed?” Lu Yun blurted out in shock.
Aoxue levelled the girl with a murderous gaze. What an honor it would be to warm Lu Yun’s bed! She and the four other envoys had never gotten the chance, and now the little girl had the audacity to volunteer herself?! What an infuriating and all-around uncomfortable feeling.
Aoxue's killing intent made the girl blanch and break out in a cold sweat.
Qing Han stepped between the two of them and patted the girl on the shoulder, injecting warm energy into her tiny frame to drive away the killing intent.
“Don’t worry.” Qing Han glared at Lu Yun. “If he tells you to warm his bed, I’ll castrate him myself.”
Lu Yun could only respond with awkward silence. He wouldn’t have asked in the first place!
The girl nodded meekly and hid behind Qing Han. Instinctively, she felt something familiar and soothing from the gentleman. The girl’s name was Xing Mou; she didn’t know who she was, or who her parents were.
Her earliest memories started with serving incoming cultivators as a guide, along with her master and little band of companions, earning meager spirit stones for her cultivation. It was her master who’d taught her how to disguise herself. Although it wouldn’t fool a high-level cultivator, it was enough for her to survive in the lowly parts of the island. Unfortunately, her master had died in a conflict some time ago, which resulted in the little family parting ways.
Qing Han’s eyes stung as he listened to Xing Mou’s story.
……
The city closest to the coastline was named ‘Tidesong’. It wasn’t big, but still bustled with energy. Cultivators of various races gathered here to trade treasures acquired from the ocean for stones or crystals. They always found a ready buyer from the outside cultivators who visited.
“Halt!” exclaimed a voice when Lu Yun and the others approached the city. Fifteen finely-dressed immortals sauntered toward Lu Yun and blocked the way. The burly leading man shouted through his thick beard, “I am king of the hill here! I planted every tree and paved the path—”
Lu Yun almost tripped over himself when he heard the familiar sentence. This Chinese meme from Earth was used in the world of immortals as well?
“They’re envoys of the monster spirit god...” Xing Mou hastily explained.
“Tree? What trees?” After looking around in surprise, Aoxue flashed forward and punched the bearded true immortal in the eye.
Thud!
The man toppled to the ground with a yelp, smashing a human-shaped hole into the earth.
“Don’t!” Xing Mou paled when she saw Aoxue attack the thugs. “They serve His Holiness. We mustn’t get on their bad side....”
Aoxue ignored Xing Mou and punched the bearded man again and again with her fair fists.
“How, how dare you?!” the man bawled. “Don’t you know who I am?!”
After a pause, the other thugs howled and charged at their female assailant.
Bam!
Aoxue knocked all of them off their feet with a single blow. “You planted the trees? Tell me, where are these supposed trees?”
The land was barren outside Tidesong City, completely devoid of any flora.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
She’d been fuming ever since Xing Mou had mentioned warming Lu Yun’s bed, and now she had some perfect targets to vent her ill will on. They cried and begged for mercy, the nonexistent trees the last thing on their minds.
