For Elian, this was merely a small episode in his journey.
His purpose for entering the demon territories was to acquire Water Crystals from the water vein beneath Sky Python Lake.
Every ten years, the water vein at Sky Python Lake produces one Water Crystal. As no new demon king had yet emerged in the area, Elian intended to seize the accumulated crystals.
Admittedly, this endeavor carried some risks, but Elian's exceptional skills gave him the confidence to proceed.
Unless he encountered a demon king, he was capable of slaying even late-stage Purple Mansion demons. Without a demon king present, he could move unimpeded at Sky Python Lake.
Moving swiftly, Elian reached the lake within just a few days.
His speed was so astonishing that the demon beasts at the lake didn't have time to relay any messages. Unlike humans, they lacked communication tools.
By the time Elian arrived at the central island of Sky Python Lake, the demon beasts had only just realized his presence and began fleeing in panic.
"Oh?"
Elian's eyes gleamed with surprise. After forty years, several new Purple Mansion-level demon beasts had emerged in Sky Python Lake.
Leading them was a Blackhorn Python, whose aura had grown even more powerful. Its extraordinary bloodline had advanced it close to transforming into a flood dragon.
The Blackhorn Python's bloodline evolution had greatly enhanced its cultivation, pushing its strength to the eighth stage of the Purple Mansion.
"If it breaks into the Golden Core, it might transform into a black flood dragon," Elian thought, his gaze narrowing. Sensing a future threat, he immediately pursued it to eliminate the danger.
Despite its immense strength, even surpassing some at the peak of the Purple Mansion, the Blackhorn Python used the lake's complex terrain to escape.
"Hmph."
Realizing the beast had escaped, Elian turned his killing intent toward the other Purple Mansion demons.
He slew a mid-stage Purple Mansion demon crocodile before halting his slaughter, as the remaining beasts scattered in all directions.
Sky Python Lake spanned tens of thousands of miles, and even with his cultivation, Elian couldn't possibly root out every hiding demon.
After harvesting the demon crocodile's core, Elian dove into the water vein. However, he didn't find any Water Crystals. Instead, he obtained two rare water-attribute treasures: an Ice Jade Condensation Liquid and a piece of high-quality Pure Water Treasure Metal. He also collected two third-rank shell pearls and over forty second-rank shell pearls.
The family had been cultivating Green Spirit Clams in Linghu Isle, but due to the lack of sufficient water energy, the clams reproduced slowly, producing only a few pearls every decade.
These newly acquired pearls would help replenish the family's inventory.
Although he hadn't found the crystals in the water vein, Elian wasn't disappointed. Moving directly to the Spirit Pool, he discovered two Water Crystals.
Logically, the water vein should have produced four crystals over forty years, but only two remained. The other two had likely been consumed by the Blackhorn Python.
With the treasures in hand, Elian wasted no time and flew back to Yu County that same day.
In just four days, he returned to Yu County without encountering a single Purple Mansion demon bold enough to obstruct him.
Upon returning, Elian let out a deep sigh of relief.
Though his journey had gone smoothly, he was inwardly cautious. Being in the heart of the demon territories meant any delay could have led to a Golden Core demon king's arrival, putting him in great danger.
Against all odds, the mission was a success.
With his mid-stage Purple Mansion cultivation, Elian had ventured alone into the demon territories, slain a Purple Mansion demon, and returned with treasures from a fourth-rank spiritual vein.
Along the way, he moved with unstoppable force. Thousands of demons fled in his path, and no Purple Mansion demon dared stand against him.
Even before the Golden Core demon kings could react, Elian had accomplished his goal and returned home. This feat would undoubtedly shock the surrounding human and beast clans alike.
Sword cultivators valued an unstoppable momentum. By achieving such a feat, Elian's aura and reputation soared. Even late-stage Purple Mansion cultivators would feel a degree of awe when facing him in the future.
For Elian himself, this journey further honed his resolute and sharp mindset. Each swing of his sword now carried an unshakable conviction, and even a casual strike seemed unstoppable.
This was the essence of a sword immortal: an indomitable spirit and unwavering belief.
Back at Qingyuan Mountain, Elian handed the Water Crystals and Pure Water Treasure Metal to Chen Xianye.
When Xianye heard that Elian had ventured alone into the demon territories and returned with such treasures, his eyes lit up.
"Uncle Elian, one day, I'll be just like you."
"Then you must cultivate diligently," Elian said with a smile, ruffling the young man's hair. Xianye's courage and spirit were indeed commendable.
After giving the Purple Mansion demon core to Chen Qinghao to deliver to Qingyang Mountain, Elian prepared to set off for Tianlu Continent.
Tianlu Continent lay to the southeast of the Ji Continent, while the Chu Kingdom was at the northwest border. Reaching Tianlu required traversing almost the entire Ji Continent.
Flying on his sword, Elian crossed the Chu Kingdom and spent over a month traveling through the Azuregreen Mountain Range to reach the Yan Kingdom.
Known as the Land of a Million Lakes, Yan Kingdom was separated from the Cang Kingdom and Ji Kingdom by the Ji Continent River, a vast river stretching nearly 10 million miles.
Elian flew across the 100,000-mile-wide river and reached the Ji Kingdom, where he decided to rest.
The Ji Kingdom was the core territory of the Ji Immortal Clan, a top-tier Nascent Soul clan. The clan possessed teleportation arrays, but these were typically built only on fourth-rank Golden Core spiritual veins for short-distance transfers of up to a million miles.
Long-distance arrays spanning tens of millions of miles required fifth-rank spiritual veins, and the legendary sixth-rank ancestral veins could support arrays that crossed billions of miles of void.
The Ji Clan had few arrays, but they could still span millions of miles, reaching distant parts of the void.
For a Nascent Soul clan like the Ji Clan, there was no need for short-distance arrays, as a Nascent Soul cultivator could fly a million miles in a single night. To them, the entire Ji Continent could be traversed in just a few days.
Moreover, their fifth- and sixth-rank treasure ships allowed them to cross vast distances with minimal cost.
Thus, even the affluent Ji Clan only built teleportation arrays between a few fifth-rank spiritual veins.
After resting in the Ji Kingdom for three days and inquiring about the teleportation arrays, Elian discovered that none connected directly to Tianlu Continent.
The two continents were close—only about five to six million miles apart. Building a long-distance array would be wasteful, and a short-distance one wouldn't suffice.
Foundation Establishment cultivators couldn't afford teleportation fees, while Purple Mansion cultivators could simply fly. It was more practical to travel on foot or by sword.
"It seems I'll have to cross the Heavenly Spine Mountain Range," Elian sighed. He resumed his journey, flying toward Tianlu Continent.
After traveling roughly 800,000 miles, Elian finally reached the Heavenly Spine Mountain Range.
Gazing at the vast expanse of mountains, even he felt a tinge of apprehension.
The Heavenly Spine Mountain Range was said to be one of the most famous ranges in the Eastern Wilderness. Seeing it in person, he now understood its fearsome reputation.
If the Endless Marshlands, spanning billions of miles, ranked among the top three landmarks of the Eastern Wilderness, the Heavenly Spine Mountain Range surely ranked in the top ten.
Compared to this range, the Azuregreen Mountain Range, which stretched millions of miles, seemed insignificant.
The Heavenly Spine Mountain Range resembled the spine of an ancient demon god, stretching across the heavens and earth. It spanned over 30 million miles, crossing several vast continents and dividing this majestic wilderness.
...
85+ chapters ahead on patreon: patreon.com/David_Lord
I need POWAAA! Gimme Power Stones :D