Volume 3: A Long Journey Chapter 222: The Difficulties of the Ten Continents
In this world, the southeast is abundant while the northwest is deficient; hence, most immortal islands overseas are located east of the East Sea and south of the South Sea. At the extreme of the southeast, there are ten continents and three islands renowned throughout the world. These are the lands governed by immortals, each containing precious elixirs and treasures, with countless immortals dwelling there.
Among the ten continents and three islands, Kunlun Immortal Island ranks first. Though it lies on land, it has a mysterious passage connecting it to Kunlun Immortal Island in the Great Luo Heaven, making the two inseparable.
Any female immortal wishing to ascend to heaven must first register her records at Kunlun Immortal Island, while male immortals must keep their records at Fangzhang Immortal Island, under the jurisdiction of the Eastern Emperor, commonly known as the Eastern King. People often say that the Eastern King and the Western Queen are related, but this is merely a coincidence in name; they merely oversee male and female immortals and have no actual connection.
Fangzhang Immortal Island is located in the northwest of the ten continents and three islands. Measured from Dongsheng Divine Continent, it is 108,000 li away by sea. There, there are palaces made of gold, jade, and crystal, along with tens of thousands of immortals who do not wish to ascend to heaven, as well as countless aquatic beasts such as dragons, snakes, and whales.
Another world-famous immortal island is Penglai Immortal Island. Covering an area of 5,000 li, it remains calm even without wind or waves, with the Stars of Fortune and Prosperity dwelling there permanently. Although the Immortal Elder of the Southern Pole resides on Changzhou, he often visits Penglai to enjoy fruits, tea, and play games with these two elders.
These three islands each have their own rulers, who possess extraordinary cultivation levels, and no one dares to offend them.
In contrast, the ten continents are not so peaceful.
One day, on Yan Continent, there were several times as many immortals as usual. This was because after the battle at Qitian Ridge, everyone knew that Yan Continent possessed two precious treasures—Wind-Generating Beasts and Fire-Washing Cloth—and many came to claim a share.
The ruler of Yan Continent had died in battle, leaving its immortal community leaderless. Some resourceful ones had already pledged allegiance to rulers of other continents, while others, unwilling to give up their offerings, were still hesitating.
Among the ten continents, five are located in the South Sea and five in the East Sea. Neighboring Yan Continent are Changzhou, Juku Continent, Fenglin Continent, and Liuzhou. At that time, aside from the Immortal Emperor of Eternal Life on Changzhou, the rulers of the other three continents had gathered on Yan Continent.
All cultivators know that there are many substances in the world that can grant longevity, but they all require years of cultivation to develop. Although the Peach Fruits of the Heavenly Court and the Immortal Fruits of Wuzhuang Temple are excellent, ordinary immortals can hardly ever obtain them in their lifetimes. They can only strive hard to refine elixirs from millet. On Yan Continent, there are Wind-Generating Beasts—consuming ten jin of them can extend one’s life by 500 years. This is indeed a rare treasure.
In short, the pursuit of immortality for immortals means competing with time itself. Who knows? Perhaps within five hundred years, someone might reach the rank of Taiyi and no longer need to constantly fear calamities.
With the ruler of Yanzhou dead, the rulers of the other three continents had no desire to continue fighting and hurried back from Qitianling. They were quite familiar with each other and had already agreed over the past few days to divide up Yanzhou’s treasures equally.
Yanzhou was not large, covering only about 2,000 square miles. The rulers of the three continents arrived on clouds, accompanied by their immortals, all full of confidence.
Upon arriving in Yanzhou, the ruler of Juku Continent said, “In the South Sea, there are only our five continents. The immortal from Changzhou in the South Pole has never interfered in worldly affairs, so he surely won’t care about these trivial Wind-Generating Beasts. Therefore, it’s up to us three to decide what to do with Yanzhou.”
The ruler of Fenglin Continent replied, “Of course. As the saying goes, it’s not the lack that matters, but the uneven distribution. In my opinion, we should divide the Wind-Generating Beasts equally among the three of us. What do you think?”
The ruler of Liuzhou said, “Your plan is incorrect, ruler of Fenglin Continent. Your Fenglin Continent is rich in divine medicines, so you certainly don’t lack longevity-enhancing substances. It’s my Liuzhou that’s barren and desolate. Could you give me more Fire-Washed Cloth and allocate more Wind-Generating Beasts to me?”
The ruler of Fenglin Continent laughed and said, “Ruler of Liuzhou, you’re the best at pretending to be poor. Your entire Liuzhou is made of Kunwu Stone, which has allowed you to exchange for many of our spiritual medicines over the years. It seems you won’t run out for thousands of years.”
The ruler of Juku Continent added, “That’s true. In my view, we should establish a conversion method. Fire-Washed Cloth is rare, and so are Wind-Generating Beasts. How about we first count all the treasures in Yanzhou and discuss further?”
After some thought, both agreed that this was a reasonable approach.
So the rulers of the three continents ordered their subordinates to search the entire continent. To avoid provoking anger, they left the original assets of the immortals in Yanzhou untouched and only sought those that were unclaimed.
There is nothing faster in the world than plundering. In just half a day, all the Wind-Generating Beasts and Fire-Washed Cloth in Yanzhou were counted. After much discussion, they decided that two zhang of Fire-Washed Cloth would be exchanged for one jin of Wind-Generating Beasts.
Seeing that the immortals in Yanzhou were terrified, the three rulers grew confident and began taking what they wanted, dividing up the loot. They had prepared in advance, ordering their disciples to bring out all their storage magic artifacts and carry away the two most valuable treasures from Yanzhou.
It should be noted that Wind-Generating Beasts and Fire-Flame Rats are living creatures that don’t require feeding. By simply enclosing an area for them to reproduce naturally, they become an inexhaustible treasure trove.
The immortals’ plundering was even more ruthless than that of ordinary thieves. In just one hour, the immortals from the three continents left Yanzhou with their share of the loot. The immortals remaining on Yanzhou looked at each other in confusion. They had come to Yanzhou for the Wind-Generating Beasts, and now that there were no longer any longevity-enhancing substances here, they had no reason to stay.
As a result, nine out of the ten left Yanzhou and went to the other nine continents in search of new homes. What was once a prosperous continent quickly became desolate and lonely.
Three more days passed, and a strange man arrived on Juku Island. He wore a conical hat with black gauze covering his face. Riding on a cloud, he entered the island without landing and headed straight for the highest palace on the island, the residence of the island’s ruler. When he reached the palace, immortals stepped forward to block him. These immortals were of the fourth or fifth rank and shouted, “Halt! Who are you, scoundrel, daring to enter the island on a cloud?” The man in the hat did not reply. With a gesture of his hand, two blood holes appeared on the immortals’ chests, and they fell to the ground, dead. The onlookers were shocked and rushed around, calling for the island’s ruler. The ruler of Juku Island had obtained many Wind-Generating Beasts and had been in high spirits these days, busy preparing medicines in his private garden. Suddenly, his attendants reported that someone had come to cause trouble on the island. The ruler’s heart sank—could it be that someone had come to steal the Wind-Generating Beasts? He quickly went to the palace entrance. Seeing that the man did not reveal his true face, he felt slightly relieved. At first, he thought it might be one of the rulers of the Five Eastern Seas who had come to cause trouble, but now it seemed like a stranger. With a cold smile, he thought, “You’re alone. Even if you’re skilled, can you really turn the world upside down?” The ruler stepped forward and said, “Fellow cultivator, why did you kill the immortals on my island? Do you think there are no laws in these ten islands and three islands?” He tried to see the man’s face, but the black gauze, though seemingly thin, was made of some unknown material that made it impossible to see through. The man in the hat replied coldly, “Give me five hundred each of the Fragrant Herbs and Wind-Generating Beasts, and you’ll live.” The ruler was stunned, then burst into laughter. “The immortals on my island are well-known in the Heavenly Court. Even if the Jade Emperor wants these treasures, he must first give notice. Do you think you’re—” Before he could finish, the man in the hat waved his sleeve, wrapping the ruler up. With a slight use of magic, blood began to flow from the ruler’s mouth and nose. Terrified, the ruler, who had cultivated for over ten thousand years and was on the verge of reaching the rank of Taiyi Golden Immortal, now felt like a child in front of this man. He reacted quickly and changed his tone, saying, “Pardon me, great immortal! The Fragrant Herbs and Wind-Generating Beasts are in the back palace. I’ll go get them right away!” The man in the hat threw the ruler far away and ordered, “Hurry up!” Then he descended from the cloud and sat down, meditating as if nothing had happened. The immortals on the island were terrified and stood there, unable to move. When the ruler reached the back palace, his legs were still trembling, and he didn’t dare to try any tricks. This man in the hat was truly terrifying, making it impossible to think of resisting. He obediently gathered five hundred of each of the Wind-Generating Beasts and Fragrant Herbs, sealed them in a storage magic artifact, and handed them to the man in the hat. The man took them without even looking, turned around, and disappeared in an instant.
The ruler of Jukuzhou felt as if he had been granted a great amnesty; he was drenched in sweat, having been overly nervous earlier and too fearful to even sweat. Another immortal asked, “Who is this man… what is his background?” The ruler of Jukuzhou shook his head and said, “His origins are unfathomable; how could I know? Alas, those Five Wind-Generating Beasts… tsk tsk.” He was deeply distressed inside. The immortal said, “Lord of the Continent, I saw that man not even glance at them before just taking them and leaving. Perhaps we should give him one or two hundred less…” The ruler of Jukuzhou glared at the immortal and said, “Survival is what matters!” His top disciple stepped forward and whispered, “Should we report this matter?” After pondering for a moment, the ruler of Jukuzhou said, “Let’s wait and see. This man is definitely not an ordinary Taiyi Golden Immortal. From what I can tell, he has no reason to specifically raid my Jukuzhou. If I report this immediately, I fear it might anger him…” As the ruler of Jukuzhou predicted, moments later, Liuzhou and Fenglinzhou among the Five Continents of the South Sea suffered the same fate. The ruler of Liuzhou, who was always stingy, only brought out fifty Wind-Generating Beasts. The man with the bamboo hat killed him with a single palm strike and stole all the beasts from the continent, not leaving a single one behind. Half a day later, more news came in: in the Five Continents of the East Sea, Yingzhou, Xuanzhou, Yuanzhou, and Shengzhou each had no less than a thousand immortal herbs stolen. Zuzhou, known for its immortal herbs that granted immortality, saw its ruler desperately defend them. The man with the bamboo hat waged a massacre, killing dozens of immortals and seizing over 1,500 immortal herbs before leaving. These disasters were no trivial matter, so some immortals volunteered to go to Fangzhang Island to report to the Eastern Emperor. Upon hearing this news, the Eastern Emperor was furious. The Ten Continents and Three Islands were the origins of all immortals in the world. Since ancient times, people had revered them as a utopia, and no outsiders had dared to commit evil there. Moreover, the Ten Continents and Three Islands lived in peace, dedicated to seeking immortality through seclusion, with many immortals living there. Who could they possibly offend? This man with the bamboo hat had extraordinary cultivation but only took things related to immortality—most likely preparing them for the younger members of his sect. After hearing the reports from each island, the Eastern Emperor picked up his pen, dipped it in ink, and hastily wrote an memorial, sending it to the Jade Emperor. The Jade Emperor was drinking in the Tongming Hall. Since his defeat at Qitian Ridge, he had paid little attention to court affairs, either drinking in the Tongming Hall or going to the Jade Pool to watch dances and enjoy himself. Fortunately, everything in the world had its rules and regulations, so even without holding court, there was no major problem. An envoy from Fangzhang Island went up to the Great Luo Heaven from Kunlun Immortal Island and presented the Eastern Emperor’s memorial to the Jade Emperor. Without even looking at it, the Jade Emperor said, “Jinxing, read it for me.” Tai Bai Jinxing took the memorial and read, “To the Supreme Sovereign of the Heavenly Golden Palace…” “Skip the nonsense,” the Jade Emperor said impatiently.
“At the hour of Chen, a strange man wearing a conical hat and a black veil over his face arrived at Juku Island, killing a fourth-rank celestial being, injuring the ruler of Juku Island, and seizing 500 each of fragrant herbs and Wind-Generating Beasts. He then went to Liuzhou, killing its ruler and taking an incalculable number of Wind-Generating Beasts. Next, he went to Fenglin Island and seized 500 Wind-Spirit Beasts. He also went to Yingzhou, Xuanzhou, Yuanzhou, and Shengzhou, taking thousands of immortal medicines and sacred herbs. Finally, he arrived at Zuzhou, killing dozens of immortals including the ruler of Zuzhou, and seizing over 1,500 Immortal-Proof Herbs…”
The Jade Emperor frowned slightly: “Jinxing, from what you’ve seen, who is behind this mischief?”