Eternal Life by Dual Cultivation-Chapter 51 - 49: Hanyue Continent Marketplace
Ling Qiyue had always been swift and decisive. After learning that Ling Changqing had come out of seclusion, she immediately made the necessary arrangements.
Zenxin Island was guarded by three Foundation Establishment Cultivators, so the Wu Family wouldn’t dare to turn hostile and start a war just yet. As the Patriarch, her brief departure wouldn’t have a significant impact.
Late that night, Ling Qiyue set off with Tang Qiu Yao and Ling Changqing. The three of them used a Grade Two Shifting Talisman to quietly leave Zenxin Island, only summoning their Flying Ship once they were a safe distance away.
"...The Hanyue Continent Marketplace is quite a distance from this sea region. It’s so far that even Golden Core Great Cultivators would find it beyond their reach. That’s why small clans like us have been able to maintain our independence and avoid being absorbed by the Hanyue Gate."
"However, there are rumors that a third Golden Core Great Cultivator is about to emerge from the Hanyue Gate. I don’t know if it’s true or not."
Inside a cabin on the Flying Ship, Tang Qiu Yao was softly telling Ling Changqing about the history of the Hanyue Continent.
In the past, the Hanyue Continent and its surrounding islands were just as scattered and disunited, until they were finally unified several thousand years ago under the rule of the Qingyang Sect.
Later, the Hanyue Continent passed through the hands of several ruling powers until the Hanyue Gate rose to prominence over 1,200 years ago. Their legacy has continued to this day, and the Golden Core Powerhouses presiding over the sect have changed several times.
Ling Changqing mused, "Can the Spirit Vein Blessed Lands of the Hanyue Continent even support more Golden Core Cultivators?"
The Hanyue Continent spanned over a hundred thousand li and possessed multiple complete Third Grade Spirit Veins. However, the Spiritual Qi Resources required by a Golden Core Cultivator were on a completely different level from those needed by a Foundation Establishment Cultivator.
Ling Qiyue said, "That’s not a problem. At the height of its power, the Hanyue Continent had a full six Golden Core Cultivators in residence, as well as over twenty Pseudo Core Cultivators."
The current Hanyue Gate has far fewer Golden Core and Pseudo Core Cultivators than it did in its heyday, so it can certainly afford another one.
Tang Qiu Yao sighed softly. "It’s a shame. The Feiyu Sea Region, where our Zenxin Island is located, is actually larger than the Hanyue Gate’s territory, yet it has never given rise to a single, sufficiently powerful faction."
For nearly ten thousand years, the Feiyu Sea Region has been a fractured territory, teeming with countless small clans and minor factions locked in endless conflict. Zenxin Island is just one among many.
Ling Changqing frowned. "Has this sea region truly never produced a Golden Core Level cultivator?"
"There was one, once. But they met an untimely end not long after," Ling Qiyue explained. "The most powerful factions in this region are all presided over by Pseudo Core masters, but they are all in a stalemate, which prevents any of them from expanding aggressively."
She gently raised her hand, activating a golden gourd-shaped Magical Artifact on the table. A stream of clear light sprayed from the gourd’s mouth, slowly unfurling in mid-air to form a Magical Projection Light Mirror.
The map in the light mirror was centered on Zenxin Island and extended out in all directions. It displayed thousands of islands of various shapes and sizes, scattered like stars across the sea. Among them, Zenxin Island was utterly unremarkable.
Then, Ling Qiyue formed another Spirit Technique with her hands and displayed a map of the Hanyue Continent and its surrounding area. When compared, it was clear that the Feiyu Sea Region was indeed much larger.
Ling Changqing couldn’t help but shake his head. ’Looks like you’d need a Nascent Soul Great Cultivator to take control of the vast Feiyu Sea Region.’
Although the Feiyu Sea Region was rich in various resources, it lacked any established Grade Four Spirit Veins. Consequently, Nascent Soul Great Cultivators looked down on the area, leaving it a neglected backwater. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦
Ling Changqing stopped dwelling on such a distant issue and asked, "The Wu Family can’t be our only enemy, right? Are there other powerful factions in the area?"
Tang Qiu Yao replied, "Of course there are. The Wilderness Islands, nine thousand li from Zenxin Island, are the territory of the Mu Family. They’re a major clan with a full twelve Foundation Establishment Cultivators in their ranks."
"Do they have any Pseudo Core Cultivators?"
"Not at the moment. It’s said that their most senior Foundation Establishment Elder has already touched the threshold of the Pseudo Core stage, but there’s no way to verify if that’s true."
Ling Qiyue explained that any ambitious clan leader would pay close attention to the surrounding powers, so this kind of intelligence was naturally part of their collection efforts.
The Mu Family’s campaign of infiltrating, suppressing, and even forcibly annexing smaller, neighboring factions had been going on for over a century. In that time, they had wiped out four or five of them.
Their territories and assets were, of course, all absorbed by the Mu Family, allowing them to cultivate more elite members and giving them the capital for further expansion.
For the Ling Family, the Wu Family was an immediate concern, while the Mu Family was a long-term threat. Both were formidable enemies they would have to face sooner or later.
Ling Changqing glanced at this senior sister of his—so cold and alluring, so elegant and poised—and thought to himself, ’Her actual cultivation... Don’t tell me she’s also reached the threshold of the Pseudo Core stage?’
Of course, he didn’t voice this thought. Every cultivator had their own secrets, and prying rashly would only make things awkward for both of them.
The Spiritual Artifact-level Flying Ship was incredibly fast. Traveling at full speed, they arrived in the airspace outside the Hanyue Continent Marketplace twelve days later.
Looking out through the cabin window, they could occasionally see colorful streaks of Escape Light flashing across the sky at high speed, along with all sorts of other Flying Magical Artifacts.
Here, the auras of Foundation Establishment Cultivators were no longer a rare sight. They could even catch fleeting glimpses of cultivators at the Late Middle Stage of Foundation Establishment, or even at the Foundation Establishment Peak.
"Junior Brother, put this on."
Ling Qiyue took a gray, hooded cloak from her Storage Pouch and handed it to Ling Changqing.
He took it and examined it. It was a Top Grade Magical Artifact with a very plain and understated appearance. Its main purpose was to conceal a cultivator’s aura, but it also possessed considerable defensive power.
Ling Changqing nodded and deftly put it on. A faint, pleasant fragrance lingered within the cloak—it was clear Ling Qiyue had worn it herself.
The Flying Ship entered the airspace over the mainland unimpeded. Not far from the coastline lay a massive city, surrounded by numerous satellite towns and villages, Spirit Field Medicine Mountains, pastures, and lakes, all stretching on for hundreds of li.
Upon reaching the giant city, Tang Qiu Yao put away the Flying Ship, just as other visiting cultivators did. The two women then led Ling Changqing toward the city gate, which shimmered with Spiritual Light and was protected by a Grand Array.
This area was already within the patrol zone of the Hanyue Gate’s cultivators. No outside cultivators were permitted to cause trouble here, and private duels or killings were strictly forbidden.
Anyone who dared to test the law would face extremely severe punishment. They might even be captured by one of Hanyue Gate’s Golden Core Great Cultivators and be condemned to slavery, forced to toil for the Hanyue Gate for the rest of their lives with no hope of release.
Hanyue Gate cultivators stood guard at the magnificent and imposing city gate. All cultivators wishing to enter had to proceed on foot and pay a fee of five Spiritual Sands.
The fee didn’t seem high, but given the sheer number of cultivators entering the city, it accumulated into a rather substantial annual income for the Hanyue Gate.
Tang Qiu Yao paid the fee for all three of them as required. The Hanyue Gate cultivator on duty didn’t pay them much mind, simply giving them a brief glance before waving them through.
Ling Changqing’s calm gaze swept over his surroundings. The cultivators on duty were only at the Early or Middle stage of Qi Cultivation, but because they represented the face of the Hanyue Gate, no one dared to show them any disrespect.
After entering the city, Tang Qiu Yao hired a horse-drawn carriage. The three of them climbed inside and set off for the largest Elixir Medicine Shop in the city.
