For Wu Yuan who was always immersed in cultivation, thirteen years went by in a snap, with little changes to his life.
However, for the Middle Land, it was a period of earth-shattering transformations.
Swoosh! Swoosh! With their incredible speed, Wu Yuan and Fang Xia soon returned to the Middle Land from the Xin Continent.
A bustling port city came into view. At the same time, large ships docked or set off, with a few particularly colossal ones transporting flying boats.
“It’s been a year since I last returned. These mortal flying boats seem to have become more commonplace,” Wu Yuan observed, spreading out his Soul Force.
With the strength of Wu Yuan’s Soul Force, he could now scan a radius of four hundred li around him with a thought, easily gathering a plethora of information.
“Indeed.” Fang Xia smiled, “Young Master, it’s now the 28th year of Immortal Wu. The people all say that the advancements in the 28 years since the Wu Empire’s establishment are comparable to the progress of the past 2800 years. This is all thanks to you.”
“The number of mortal flying boats in circulation throughout the Middle Land has reached the thousands, used largely for transportation of goods and passengers.”
“All this is possible due to the equipment forging information you provided,” Fang Xia sincerely said.
Wu Yuan couldn’t help but smile.
Indeed, the lives of countless mortals on the Redmoon Immortal Continent were extremely prosperous. Equipment like flying boats and puppets were widely used, greatly liberating mortals from manual labor.
Equipment-forging teachings for such tools were not secret in the Dragon Star Immortal Sect, but instead openly disseminated throughout the entire immortal continent.
As a hereditary disciple, Wu Yuan was granted a high level of authority. With a little effort, he could collect a large amount of information, and then spread it throughout the Middle Land via his body refiner self.
Similarly, he acquired numerous techniques and manuals on martial arts, pill refining, talismans, arrays, swords, sabers, coordination arrays, and so on.
Countless secret techniques from the Dragon Star Immortal Sect that received little attention were all transported to the Middle Land by Wu Yuan, where they were considered immortal secret arts.
Under Wu Yuan’s guidance and the support of numerous qi refiners, the civilization of the Middle Land began developing into a true immortal path civilization at astonishing speed.
“Indeed, my actions made a difference. But it was more so due to the changes of this world,” Wu Yuan said softly.
“These last eight years, the spiritual tide has surged in full force. The spiritual qi of the Middle Land has gotten several times more concentrated, nearly reaching one-tenth that of the Redmoon Immortal Continent. This is why the operation of numerous flying boats and puppets can be supported.”
“Yes, the spiritual tide. It has its pros and cons,” Fang Xia nodded.
The most important element required for the establishment of an immortal path civilization was energy.
Whether it be the creation of a spirit-gathering array or the formation of etherstone veins and spirit veins, it required the enrichment of the world’s spiritual qi.
If it weren’t for the spiritual tide, the development of the Middle Land would not have progressed at such a rapid pace, even with the teachings brought over by Wu Yuan.
Whoosh! Whoosh! The two of them quickly traveled from the Dong Continent to the Jiang Continent. Along the way, they observed prosperous cities, breathtaking mountains, and vast rivers.
“The number of martial artists has multiplied,” Wu Yuan suddenly remarked.
“Of course, since the establishment of the Wu Empire, many teachings were disseminated. Coupled with the rich spiritual qi, the number of martial artists has skyrocketed,” Fang Xia chuckled.
“Now, among the new generation of youths, the chances of becoming a third-rate martial artist is nearing one in ten by our estimation.”
One in ten? Wu Yuan nodded slightly.
On the Redmoon Immortal Continent, ordinary people could become second-rate or even first-rate martial artists as long as they practiced hard.
This was due to the spiritual qi nurturing the body and strengthening it.
They pressed on.
Finally, an enormous city came into view, with a floating hall in the sky above the city. The city stretched hundreds of li in every direction, housing tens of millions of people!
It was the capital of the Wu Empire, the largest city in the Middle Land – Cloud Capital.
After three decades of development, the Cloud Capital expanded to nearly ten times the size of the old Cloudhill City. Apart from the mighty Cloud River still flowing eastward, few traces of the past were still visible.
Beside the Cloud Capital was Eight-Sided Cloudhill, now cluttered with buildings and halls. Shrouded in mist, the mountain gave off an ethereal vibe.
Nearby, numerous mountain peaks had sprung up, all encircling the most massive mountain – Archeldritch Mountain!
“What a prosperous scene.” Wu Yuan smiled faintly, feeling quite satisfied.
His qi refiner self managed to achieve some accomplishments within the Dragon Star Immortal Sect. Yet his feelings for the Middle Land ran far deeper.
“Young Master, this is your empire.” Fang Xia bowed slightly with a smile, “Your name is worshiped by billions in the Middle Land. All revere and believe in you.”
“Once you break through, I believe you will be able to sense the Faith Incense.” Fang Xia stated solemnly.
Wu Yuan nodded faintly, a hint of expectation in his heart.
Faith Incense? This was a resource that even the Taiyuan Divine Court valued greatly, it played an extraordinary role.
What a pity, my qi refiner self has only recently reached the seventh-stage Golden Core phase. Wu Yuan sighed inwardly. I’m afraid it might take some time before I step into the Amethyst Cradle phase.
The transition from the ninth-stage Golden Core phase to the Amethyst Cradle phase represented a leap in the order of life.
Even if a cultivator’s comprehension of the Dao reached a high level, they often needed to accumulate power and remain at the same phase for a while.
“Old Fang, I’m going to see my mother. Send an order to all members of the Middle Land Guard: two hours later, we will hold a Middle Land Conference.” Wu Yuan commanded.
“Yes.” Fang Xia nodded.
Even though Wu Yuan had never taken action over the decades, Fang Xia could sense Wu Yuan’s transformation. After all, he was the closest to Wu Yuan and the second strongest in the Middle Land.
Twenty-eight years ago, he simply felt that Wu Yuan was very strong. But now, Wu Yuan’s presence was not the least bit inferior to the realm master. The two were on a completely different level from him.
Thus, Fang Xia did not dare to put on a superior attitude.
Swoosh! Wu Yuan headed towards the imperial city of the Cloud Capital.
Though called the imperial city, it was actually empty. After all, Wu Yuan didn’t have any descendants and was always in secluded cultivation.
The entire imperial city was practically controlled by the empress dowager and the eldest princess.
Having not seen his mother for nearly a year, Wu Yuan naturally felt concerned.
Mother is over sixty years old. Although she has been nourished by many treasures and her body is on par with a Grandmaster, her health has still greatly deteriorated. Wu Yuan thought.
Treasures are limited in the Middle Land. Even if I can obtain more treasures in the future, the usage of these treasures may be dependent on the user’s condition. One day, my mother will inevitably reach the end of her lifespan.
When my body refiner self grows stronger, I will also leave Summerpeak World. This relationship will ultimately come to an end.
All Wu Yuan could do was strive to increase the lifespans of his loved ones.
?Perhaps the immortal path is heartless, but when I act, all I want is to have no regrets.
…
“The Middle Land Conference?”
“Is His Majesty presiding over it personally?”
“Quick, enter the Middle Land Immortal Hall immediately! His Majesty hasn’t presided over a Middle Land Conference for several years now, this must be something important.” A flood of messages quickly spread from the Cloud Capital to all areas of the Middle Land.
One by one, the immortal cultivators received the news.
…
Two hours later, Wu Yuan dined with his mother Wanqin. Simultaneously, a strand of his consciousness entered the Middle Land Immortal Hall.
When he first entered the Middle Land Immortal Hall, Wu Yuan was awestruck by it.
However, time changes everything. Entering the Middle Land Immortal Hall now, Wu Yuan could easily pick out the flaws of this voidrealm.
A voidrealm constructed with the Amethyst Cradle of an Amethyst Cradle qi refiner is indeed quite crude. Wu Yuan thought to himself. In the future, if my qi refiner self reaches the Amethyst Cradle phase, I must reconstruct it.
The voidrealm, magical as it was, was indeed fascinating. But fundamentally, it was a core ability of qi refiners. Starting from the Amethyst Cradle phase, one could attempt to construct a voidrealm.
After gathering extensive intel, Wu Yuan speculated that voidrealms as magical as the Dragon Star Immortal Realm and Redmoon Immortal Realm were likely constructed by Archimmortals.
Within the Middle Land Immortal Hall, in the Conference Hall.
Nearly two hundred figures were gathered, each exuding an extraordinary aura. They were all Heavenly Rankers from the Middle Land, most of whom had surfaced in the past twenty years.
Their positions indicated their strengths. The further back, the weaker.
Everyone waited in silence.
Whoosh~ Numerous light particles converged, and a figure in white robes appeared atop the high throne.
His expression was indifferent, and even though he was in the voidrealm, his soul aura was undeniable.
However, his eyes were his most terrifying feature. His gaze alone was enough to send shivers down the spines of several immortal cultivators.
“His Majesty!”
“Back in the day, His Majesty was only in his early twenties when he slayed Emperor Jin, who was in the Golden Core phase. Almost thirty years have passed, how powerful must His Majesty be now?” The immortal cultivators were all brimming with excitement.
All of a sudden.
“We pay our respects to His Majesty!” The four veteran elders, Fang Xia, Arctic, Hai Feizhang, and Mountain Devil chorused.
“We pay our respects to His Majesty.” Hundreds of immortal cultivators simultaneously bowed in respect.
Decades of amassed power silenced all opposition in the Middle Land. Even figures like Arctic and Hai Feizhang were now fully submissive.
“You may sit,” Wu Yuan’s gaze swept over the nearly two hundred figures below. His voice is indifferent, but it landed in the ears of all cultivators, carrying an absolute authority.
Everyone sat down.
“Fang Xia,” Wu Yuan ordered calmly.
Whoosh! Fang Xia rose and moved to Wu Yuan’s side, first bowing to him, then turning to the rest. “Today’s assembly is in regards to the spiritual tide.”
A murmur rippled through the crowd.
With a wave of his hand, Fang Xia revealed a massive light projection, drawing everyone’s attention.
It was a map of the Middle Land and the four oceans.
“For thousands of years, our Middle Land has been isolated, surrounded by Spiritless Regions on all sides. As everyone understands, they are near impossible to traverse,” says Fang Xia solemnly.
“But in the past eight years, the spiritual tide has surged in full force, and the Spiritless Regions at the furthest reaches of the four oceans have completely disappeared.”
“The passageways previously crossed by immortals from outside the Middle Land have also completely opened.”
“Thus, as His Majesty speculated, our Middle Land might already be connected with other regions of the Summerpeak World,” Fang Xia continued.
“The spiritual tide shows no signs of abating and there is a high probability that the next immortal epoch will begin.”
Arctic, Hai Feizhang, and other immortal cultivators listened quietly.
This spiritual tide had persisted for eight years, causing great changes to the world.
As individuals qualified to participate in the Middle Land Conference, they were all top echelons of the Middle Land. Naturally, they were already privy to such a level of information.
“As per His Majesty’s orders, firstly, we need to establish a warning array that spans across the Middle Land and the Four Seas.”
“We need a large number of immortal cultivators to guard the array bases at various locations,” Fang Xia said.
“Once any changes occur or foreign cultivators are spotted, avoid conflicts as far as possible and immediately notify everyone through the immortal hall. We must prevent a situation like the worm devil’s appearance from happening again.”
“Secondly, we must assemble scouting teams. These teams will embark on expeditions across the four oceans and the Xin Continent, venturing into unexplored territories of the Summerpeak World.”
“Rather than waiting on death’s door, we should strike first.”
“Who here is willing to volunteer?” Fang Xia’s voice was low and solemn as his eyes swept over the immortal cultivators, each lost in their own thoughts.
Exploration? Perhaps it was dangerous. but it could also bring unforeseen opportunities.
…
The meeting that concerned the fate of the Middle Land went on for nearly two hours.
In the end, some volunteered while others were chosen. Twenty immortal cultivators in total, divided into five teams, set out to explore the regions beyond the Middle Land.
…
Time passed.
Within three days, the appointed teams, carrying numerous life-saving treasures, departed from the Middle Land one after another.
“Young Master, there’s no need for excessive worry. The Middle Land may have given rise to a peerless genius like you, but other regions in the Summerpeak World might not be as fortunate,” Fang Xia reassured him, his confidence apparent.
In its prime, the peak powerhouses in the Summerpeak World had only reached the Amethyst Cradle phase after all.
“Hm.” Wu Yuan nodded lightly. As one’s power grew, so too would their confidence.
In truth, he had already ventured deep into the Middle Land and the four oceans.
As for farther regions? They were beyond the reach of Middle Land Immortal Hall’s connective range. Therefore, Wu Yuan had refrained from further exploration.
“Hm? Master is looking for me?” Wu Yuan was taken aback for a moment, then a hint of joy crossed his features. “Does he have news about the Summerpeak World?”
“After all these years, my master has finally found it?”