Chapter 103: Cultivation Part Two (Now Available—Please Support with Your First Subscription!)

The next day, the caravan arrived at the Valley of Giant Stones.

Upon entering the valley, Li Jie bid farewell to the caravan. Outwardly, he gave them some gold and silver as payment, but secretly, he slipped a martial arts manual of the “Lesser San Yuan” level into the pouch of the caravan leader.

The scenery within the Giant Stone Valley was distinct from that of the Great Oasis. Though the massive stones shielded the valley from sandstorms, water was scarce here. The entire valley survived only thanks to a few lakes.

Fortunately, the valley was not large—roughly the size of a single county in Chen Kingdom—and its population was similar to that of a small county town. Despite the limited lakes, the inhabitants managed to eke out a living, though water resources were undoubtedly tight.

“This is the territory of the Western Wu Kingdom,” Li Jie said, opening the window of the inn he stayed in, gazing toward the modest royal palace not far away.

Constructed entirely from earth and stone, the palace covered a vast area but looked far less grand or beautiful than the palaces found in the city-states of the Great Oasis.

“The descendants of the ancient Bosuo Kingdom have truly fallen to such a state…” Li Jie shook his head as he looked at the Western Wu Kingdom’s palace.

He was somewhat familiar with Western Wu from the information recorded in the Corona Pearl. Western Wu was founded by a collateral branch of the Bosuo royal family. When the ancient Bosuo Kingdom was destroyed, this branch fled and established the Western Wu Kingdom in the Giant Stone Valley.

For the first hundred years, Western Wu developed reasonably well, even once occupying the Great Oasis and becoming a formidable power after the fall of Bosuo. But resource shortages eventually led to its decline until, today, it was confined to the barren lands of the valley.

When Western Wu was first established, the Azure Martial Spirit King recorded their existence in the Corona Pearl. But because this collateral branch was so marginal, the Spirit King paid them little mind, merely noting their information before moving on.

“Western Wu, Western Wu…” Li Jie mused, looking westward toward the ruins of the ancient Bosuo Kingdom.

“Could it mean ‘no more to the west’?”

“Tomorrow, I’ll continue my journey.”

There was nothing in Western Wu worth lingering for. His one-day stay was merely for rest—and of course, to enjoy a hearty meal.

Clattering sounds echoed from the inn as Li Jie feasted heartily.

Afterward, he set off on foot, leaving Western Wu behind and passing through several landmarks, following his original plan toward the ruins of the ancient Bosuo Kingdom.

Though he had lost the camel that knew the way, the information within the Corona Pearl guided him well.

Leaving the Giant Stone Valley and crossing a few more landmarks, a faint black mist began to fill the air.

“This black mist…” Li Jie’s nose twitched as he took in the surrounding faint dark fog.

Within the black mist, his entire body felt invigorated, absorbing the mist eagerly—as if a parched traveler had found water in the desert and was drinking greedily.

“So this is the demonic aura…” Li Jie whispered. Approaching the ruins of the ancient Bosuo Kingdom, the density of the demonic aura steadily increased.

Though he knew all there was to know about Bosuo and was well aware of the danger shrouding it in demonic energy, he still intended to go. This was an advice left by the Azure Martial Spirit King in the legacy information.

The Spirit King had suggested he venture into the area rich with demonic energy to accelerate his cultivation of demonic arts, aiming to swiftly master the secret teachings of the demonic sect and elevate his demonic body to the highest Red Demon Form, to see what that ultimate state would be like.

With the Corona Pearl guarding his soul, any transformation of his physical body by the demonic energy would not endanger his spirit.

Li Jie agreed with the Spirit King’s advice. Even if his body mutated unusually due to the demonic transformation, he could simply commit suicide, deliberately fail, and abandon the dungeon to return to the main world. At worst, he would forfeit this dungeon’s rewards, but with the immense gains he had already secured, that was an acceptable risk.

After several more days, Li Jie crossed the final landmark and arrived at the border between the Yellow Sand Desert and the ruins of the ancient Bosuo Kingdom.

Before him stretched a black barrier reaching from earth to sky, extending beyond the horizon.

This barrier was composed entirely of demonic aura. Inside it lay the Bosuo ruins, filled with demonic energy and monsters. Outside was land still untouched by the demonic influence.

The Azure Martial Spirit King called this barrier the Demonic Aura Barrier. Its origins were unclear, but the Spirit King advised Li Jie to remain on the outer edge of the barrier, training with the demonic energy leaking from within, and to avoid entering the barrier itself.

If he were to encounter one of the Seven True Demons inside, even the Corona Pearl wouldn’t save him.

“Now begins the time for cultivation,” Li Jie said, gazing at the vast Demonic Aura Barrier.

...

Three years later.

Since the raucous wedding incident three years prior, Pine Green Mountain had lost much of its prestige. Moreover, after Hai Yuanyi, the righteous sect leader, publicly joined the demonic sect, the reputation of Pine Green Mountain plummeted to rock bottom.

Recently, as Hai Yuanyi repeatedly clashed with the Seven-Three Sect for dominance over the righteous path, he gradually fell behind, suppressed by the Seven-Three Sect and on the verge of losing most of the righteous leadership, becoming little more than a figurehead.

Under these circumstances, Pine Green Mountain, affiliated with Hai Yuanyi, slowly faded from the bustling crowd it once enjoyed to a place of thinning foot traffic and diminishing influence.

One day, a man stepped into the now much quieter Peace Town, nestled at the foot of Pine Green Mountain.

“Hey, waiter, any recent news from the martial world?” the lone guest called out from the inn while drinking.

“Ah, sir, you’re too kind!” The waiter’s eyes bulged as he took the silver ingot offered by the guest.

Since Peace Town’s decline, he hadn’t seen such generosity from a customer in a long time.

“Well, the biggest news in the martial world lately…” the waiter said excitedly, tucking the silver into his pocket.

“The biggest event would be that Di Qing, the former senior disciple of the Flying Sword Sect, has reestablished the Flying Sword Sect with the support of the Seven-Three Sect and Pine Green Mountain!”