Yuan's Ascension

Chapter 369: Defending Against The Spiritual Tide

The Middle Land, a vast expanse spanning nearly a hundred thousand li in radius, dwarfed the world residence of Wu Yuan's qi refiner true in the Dragon Star Immortal Sect.

The oceans spanned an even larger area.

Allowed to populate without restraint, a myriad of living beings called this land home. Following the calamity wrought by the worm devil, the once glorious Great Jin fell. The Wu Empire rose in its place, unifying the entire Middle Land, and ushering in a peace unlike any seen before.

Thanks to the establishment of the Daoist Scripture Tower in the Middle Land Immortal Hall and the proliferation of powerful teachings, the once battered immortal cultivators of the Middle Land experienced a remarkable resurgence.

Martial artists emerged in abundance and Heavenly Rankers made frequent appearances.

The Arctic King and Hai Feizhang have both advanced to the Golden Core phase in succession. The Rain Hierarch and the Sword Hierarch have ascended to the mid-stage Qi Sea phase. Wu Yuan rode atop the Teng Snake, soaring high above the expansive Middle Land.

In the eight years since his qi refining self's departure, the Middle Land had undergone significant changes.

Excluding Wu Yuan, there were now three Golden Core cultivators and numerous late-stage Qi Sea cultivators who graced the land.

The tally of immortal cultivators surpassed a hundred and the ranks of martial arts Grandmasters swelled with each passing day.

Even Little Yi has advanced to the level of martial arts Grandmaster.

His younger sister, Wu Yijun, possessed rather exceptional talent. With Wu Yuan's guidance and her own tireless cultivation, she became a martial arts Grandmaster before forty years of age.

While such talent was average in the Redmoon Immortal Continent, it was top tier in the Middle Land. Wu Yuan had no doubt that his sister would one day become a qi refiner.

Regrettably, the Middle Land has yet to produce a body refiner in the past two decades. Wu Yuan shook his head.

His promise to the realm master to revive the Hou Feng Tribe lingered in his mind.

Eldritch warriors were the bedrock of the eldritch lineage. In Wu Yuan's grand vision, he aspired to transform the Summerpeak World into a cornerstone for reviving the Hou Feng Tribe's legacy. The Middle Land served as his current stronghold.

Becoming a body refiner demanded exceptional physical attributes, a requirement that eluded most martial artists.

Much like in the Redmoon Immortal Continent, the number of body refiners paled in comparison to qi refiners.

Nevertheless, with the advent of the spiritual tide, the concentration of spiritual qi is steadily on the rise. The potential of the new generation is markedly superior. I am confident that the Middle Land will soon produce new body refiners. Wu Yuan felt hopeful for the future.

Immortal cultivators enjoyed lengthy lifespans. He could afford to wait.

Swoosh! Wu Yuan's arrival went unnoticed.

Little Black’s body had reached enormous proportions, but it restrained its size to a hundred meters in length.

The distance between the Zhong Continent and the Xin Continent was over a hundred thousand li. Ordinary martial artists would spend years making the trip by boat. But with Little Black, the journey took less than a quarter of an hour.

The vast ocean and boundless land came into Wu Yuan's view.

The Xin Continent.

His body refiner self had visited this continent twice over the past years. The first time, he sought to survey the entirety of the Middle Land, striving to eliminate potential hidden threats in order to prevent another calamity akin to the worm devil disaster.

His second visit occurred three years ago. It was then that the spiritual tide began to show signs of its approach.

"Master, the spiritual qi concentration across the Xin Continent has notably increased," Little Black's voice echoed within Wu Yuan's spirit.

“Mm," Wu Yuan acknowledged with a slight nod, sensing the change as well.

Whoosh! The Xin Continent sprawled over a massive area, surpassing even the landmass of the Middle Land in size. Towering ancient trees reached towards the heavens, while undulating mountain ranges stretched across the horizon. Countless beasts roamed through their natural habitats, and sporadic ruins dotted the landscape.

With Wu Yuan's powerful Soul Force, which could extend nearly two hundred li, he occasionally detected traces of human martial artists' activities.

Grandmaster martial artists often frequented the various immortal relic sites scattered throughout the Xin Continent.

Although Wu Yuan had previously explored dozens of these relic sites during his last visit, he had gained little from the experience. What Grandmasters deemed as treasures were now hardly worth a thought to him.

"Master, the guard tower is within sight," Little Black informed him as its massive form descended swiftly, piercing through the clouds.

An endless expanse of wilderness spread out beneath Wu Yuan, with a towering metal structure standing prominently. Reaching nearly a kilometer in height, the tower was a colossal behemoth.

Whoosh! Little Black's form rapidly shrank, coiling around Wu Yuan's arm. Wu Yuan then transformed into a streak of light and landed on the top floor of the tower.

"Young Master, you have arrived." A middle-aged man in white robes emerged from the main hall on the top floor of the tower, bowing respectfully to Wu Yuan.

It was none other than Fang Xia.

"Old Fang, there’s no need for formalities," Wu Yuan chuckled.

"Young Master, you are the ruler of the Middle Land, and your strength far surpasses mine. It is only right that I bow to you," Fang Xia replied with a smile.

"You mentioned that the spiritual tide has intensified?" Wu Yuan inquired.

"Yes," Fang Xia nodded gravely, gesturing into the distance. "Young Master, focus your senses in that direction.”

Wu Yuan followed Fang Xia's gesture and gazed towards the horizon, where the Xin Continent extended into the depths beyond.

It should be noted that Wu Yuan and Fang Xia’s current position was hundreds of thousands of li deep into the Xin Continent.

"Spiritual qi," Wu Yuan murmured under his breath.

"Indeed," Fang Xia confirmed with a solemn nod. "Young Master, this region was once close to the Spiritless Region, and spiritual qi was scarce. Further in, you will find yourself in the true range of the Spiritless Region."

Wu Yuan nodded in understanding.

The Spiritless Region was not visible to the naked eye but could be felt through one’s senses.

It was a vast region devoid of spiritual qi. Thus, immortal cultivators were unable to replenish their mana there and had to rely solely on their own reserves if they wished to venture into it.

Once their mana ran out, they would face great danger.

Of course, Wu Yuan believed that the dangers within the Spiritless Region went beyond the depletion of mana.

Otherwise, one could theoretically traverse through the region as long as they brought along a sufficient supply of ethercrystal.

However, the Middle Land had no corresponding records of the situation within the Spiritless Region, so its perils remained unknown.

"It is this particular stretch of the channel," Fang Xia pointed out, his expression grim. "The concentration of spiritual qi here exceeds past levels. Current levels are high enough to allow immortal cultivators unrestricted passage."

Wu Yuan's gaze lingered on the distant mountains and terrain, which did not appear any different from other regions to the eye.

However, he knew that this area spanning approximately a thousand li in width, and an unknown length, was a special channel that foreign immortal cultivators invaded several times throughout history. It was from this very point that the immortals arrived in the Middle Land.

"Are the monitoring arrays in operation?" Wu Yuan inquired.

"They have been set up as requested. I have established a total of fifty-two monitoring arrays in this area," Fang Xia confirmed, a smile playing on his lips. "Coupled with the two puppets under your command patrolling the area, it would prove challenging for even a Golden Core cultivator to slip through undetected."

Wu Yuan gave a slight nod of approval.

The Yanqing Hall was protected by eight fourth-grade guardian puppets, each with incredible combat power. The strongest among them could rival a ninth-stage Spiritual Body cultivator (ninth-degree immortal root).

However, these puppets were not true living beings, unable to draw in the spiritual qi of heaven and earth on their own. The amount of energy they consumed during combat was also exceedingly high.

Fortunately, Wu Yuan possessed an ample supply of ethercrystal, sufficient to sustain the functioning of eight guardian puppets.

Typically, four puppets stood guard in the Yanqing Hall, while two protected Cloud Capital. The remaining two, at Wu Yuan's direction, accompanied Fang Xia to the depths of the Xin Continent to guard against the coming of immortals.

"Old Fang, I shall take charge here for the next few years," Wu Yuan declared.

"Young Master, you?" Fang Xia was taken aback.

"Mm," Wu Yuan affirmed with a gentle nod. "From historical precedence, a spiritual tide typically lasts three to five years. Although this one may be nearing its end, it is precisely at this juncture that our vigilance must not wane."

Fang Xia nodded in agreement.

Ever since the commencement of the spiritual tide three years prior, he had maintained a vigilant watch on the passage. Despite his advancement to the second-stage Golden Core phase, Fang Xia recognized that he was relatively weak among Golden Core cultivators.

According to their plan, Fang Xia was the first line of defense. In case of an immortal cultivator's arrival, he was to immediately request Wu Yuan's assistance through the Middle Land Immortal Hall.

"Young Master, will this hinder your cultivation?" Fang Xia asked, concerned. "Your cultivation should be your top priority."

"It won’t," Wu Yuan replied, shaking his head. "Changing my cultivation environment once in a while is beneficial to me."

For a body refiner like Wu Yuan, the location of his cultivation practice was of little importance. The jade platform in the Yanqing Hall's meditation chamber was decent, but with his strong Dao Heart, its impact on his cultivation was minimal.

Furthermore, after many years of secluded cultivation to learn the advanced ether art: True Celestial Body, Wu Yuan’s body refiner self was reaching a bottleneck in strength.

Wu Yuan's next focus, apart from routinely contemplating the Dao, was on cultivating ether. This process required time, but had no requirements on one’s external environment.

"Old Fang, thank you for your efforts. Return to the Middle Land and take a well-deserved break," Wu Yuan said with a smile, "Just leave your Clone Gu here to oversee the array."

Wu Yuan's body refiner self was unable to control the array.

"Very well," Fang Xia replied, a grin spreading across his face, "It has been too long since I have truly kicked back and relaxed. The ladies at the Drunken Moon Pavilion have most likely changed by now. I wonder if Lonely Moon, Autumn Dust, and Winter Frost are still there..."

Wu Yuan chuckled and shook his head. However, he recognized that this was what Fang Xia took pleasure in. One couldn’t force their values on someone else.

Before long, Fang Xia departed, leaving his Clone Gu behind to manage the array.

Wu Yuan then came to the highest point of the guard tower, sitting cross-legged on the open platform beneath the starlit sky.

From this vantage point, Wu Yuan's keen eyes could easily observe scenes thousands of li away.

With my current strength, few can beat me below the Amethyst Cradle phase. Wu Yuan thought to himself. He was confident in his abilities.

With his mastery of two ether arts alone, he could kill weaker Golden Core cultivators with a casual smack.

As for whether an Amethyst Cradle Reverend would appear?

No Golden Core cultivator has ever appeared in previous spiritual tides. Even with the passage of thousands of years and the development of the Summerpeak World, the likelihood of an Amethyst Cradle Reverend being born remains slim.

Nevertheless, all possibilities must be considered.

The only thing Wu Yuan could do was to continue strengthening himself.

If my Dao comprehension advances to the next stage, I will not need to shy away from facing an Amethyst Cradle Reverend. Wu Yuan gazed up at the sky, contemplating.

As for the Celestial Body Dao, how can I progress to the next level? Despite guidance from the senior on multiple occasions, a breakthrough still eludes me.

My comprehension of the Land’s profundity has reached the ninth-level Domain stage.

It’s time for me to visit the Redmoon Immortal Realm to undergo my True Intent perception experience.

Mm, before that, I should challenge the Seven Star Luminaries Tower once more.