Over eighteen thousand kilometers to the south of the coast of the South sea was a large, spacious island. It was long and neat, shaped like a huge ship on the sea. It was called Giant Ship island. Three mountains stood parallel to each other on the island, with a large centre and two smaller sides, like the sails of a huge ship. They were called Major Cloud Mast mountain, Major Cloud Mast mountain, and Minor Cloud Mast mountain.
There were thousands of palaces on the three mountains, possessing the unique architectural style of the South sea. It was grand and grand, hidden in the clouds like the residences of immortals. It was where the greatest cultivation sect of the South sea, the Cloud Mast sect, resided.
Two long, white stone bridges that resembled rainbows pierced through the clouds, connecting the three mountains. If the sea breeze dispersed the clouds, it would be possible to overlook the thousands of households below from the bridge — the rows upon rows of houses, the long streets, and the surging people. It was filled with the atmosphere of the mortal world.
People surged out of the city, gathering on an open beach to the south of the island. It was a dark mass, like ants whose nest had exploded. Who knew how many thousands of people had gathered there, raising their heads and gazing at the depths of the ocean. Groups of soldiers maintained order. There were also many cultivators hovering in the air. They did not disguise themselves at all, proudly basking in the reverence of the mortals below.
It was the eighth month. Even though it was scorching in the south, the sea breeze still brought a hint of coolness. The sun gradually sank below the surface of the sea like a ring of red jade, dyeing the sky and the ocean red. The coolness grew.
The sea breeze was calm. Gentle waves surged towards the shore one after another.
The port was filled with ships of various sizes, ranging from longboats and huge ships to two-row dinghies. They all rose and fell with the waves.
At this moment, there were even a few ships that drifted over from the sea, searching for a place to dock in a hurry. Clearly, the people gathered there were not just people from Three Sails city. They clamoured with their own dialects. If they did not yell, they would not be able to hear anything, so it became even more noisy.
"Oh my god, why are there so many people this year?"
"When is the Merfolk sea fair ever lacking people?"
"But this is just too many!"
"You're still too young! Shh, I'm telling you, the Merfolk are about to fight a great battle against the fire people in the north. They've definitely brought quite a lot of stuff this year! "
"What did you say? I can't hear you! "
There was a hill behind the beach that was surrounded on all sides. Mortals were not allowed to approach. There was a majestic platform on it with eighty-one white sails fluttering in the wind. There were many seats arranged in the middle.
An old man with hair as white as snow sat in the main seat. His disciples stood to his left and right. He was the master of the Cloud Sail sect, Ji Changfeng, who was waiting there with his disciples.
Ji Changfeng gazed at the depths of the sea. Although he was sitting still, he gave people a feeling that he was about to fly away.
"Father, it's fine if the mermaid comes. Why do you need to welcome her personally?" A handsome young man beside the old man said disapprovingly.
"Qingyu, the Merfolk King might come this year." Ji Changfeng turned his head and was exceptionally gentle towards his talented youngest son.
"Merfolk King!" Ji Qingyu was shocked. In the past merfolk sea markets, it was usually the merfolk elders who led the team. He did not expect that the Merfolk King would personally come this time.
The Cloud Sail sect was one of the few large sects on the islands of the South sea, watched over by the great cultivator known as the Wind Gale King, Ji Changfeng. They could be regarded as the leaders of the sects of the South sea, but they were nowhere close to the royal court of the Merfolk in terms of strength.
Moreover, the Cloud Sail sect was located on the South sea alone. It was not restricted by the Great Xia empire, so it was not protected. Even if it was destroyed, no one would care. Maintaining good relations with the merfolk was particularly important.
However, he still felt like this was far too polite. It was beneath his status as the Wind Gale King.
"Then just wait on Cloud Sail mountain, father. It won't be too late to come out and receive the Merfolk King once she comes."
"Fellow Ye from the sword pavilion has also sent a message saying that she will be coming with her disciples." Ji Changfeng's gaze was deep. If it was just the Merfolk King, they could be considered acquaintances. There was no need for him to be so polite.
"The master of the sword pavilion!" Ji Qingyu became even more surprised. The South Sea Sword pavilion was located on the South sea, but its geographical location was relatively close to the nine provinces, and they rarely interacted with the sects of the South sea, so they were often recognised as a sect of the Mist province.
Sword cultivators did not care about material possessions, so the Merfolk sea fair was not that important. Out of all the past masters of the sword pavilion, this "pavilion master Ye" was the first to attend the Merfolk sea fair. Who knew what his intentions were.
Ji Changfeng continued, "There's also the Myriad Poison Ancestor of the south, the head caretaker of the King of Yue's estate, and … a White Hawk commander."
Ji Qingyu had already become speechless from shock. The Myriad Poison cult was several tens of thousand kilometers away, but the Myriad Poison Ancestor's reputation was still very resounding. The head caretaker of the King of Yue's estate did not have a cultivation at the third heavenly tribulation, but the significance of his appearance here was no less than that of a great cultivator.
The Merfolk sea fair was a grand event of the cultivation community of the South sea, but to people like that, there was not a lot that caught their attention. Their transactions and interactions were all within small circles of the same level. There was no need for them to show themselves. The Merfolk sea fair this time seemed very different.
Though, what was the deal with the White Hawk commander? He was just a second heavenly tribulation Golden Core cultivator. There were quite a lot of people who had come to the Merfolk sea fair this time. The cultivation community of the South sea had never been fond of these lackeys of the empire.
"No wonder father is so solemn. None of these seniors can afford to slight them, but this White Hawk commander?
"The White Hawk commander is called Li Qingshan. He's a figure who's risen up recently in the south. He currently occupies Savage mountain, and he's known as the King of Savages."
"The King of Savages?" Ji Qingyu immediately wanted to laugh. Even a White Hawk commander was bold enough to call himself a king! However, only when he saw Ji Changfeng's stern expression did he stop laughing in a hurry.
"His name is Li Qingshan. You can't underestimate him. He comes from the Green province in the north, and in just a few short years, he swept through the various sects of the south, using the Blood Oath Scroll to forcefully gather a group of subordinates. The Myriad Poison cult has suffered greatly at his hands in the past. Basically all of their disciples are dead or injured, and even the Myriad Poison Ancestor can't do anything to him. It's said that the King of Southern Yue's estate even wanted to make him an honoured guest, but he turned it down, "said Ji Changfeng.
The King of Southern Yue's estate had also wanted to make him an honoured guest in the past, but he turned it down because he did not want to become involved in the disputes of the cultivation community of the nine provinces. However, he was unable to see through this Li Qingshan at all.
"Yet he's still bold enough to come! Isn't he afraid of the Myriad Poison Ancestor? "
Ji Qingyu was filled with disbelief. This Li Qingshan really was something else. With his cultivation at the second heavenly tribulation, he was actually bold enough to fall out with the Myriad Poison Ancestor, and he even came to the Merfolk sea fair fearlessly. Was he not afraid of death, or was he bold because of his skill?
"The first cave master of Savage mountain, Yu Wufeng, was originally the first senior brother of the South Sea Sword pavilion. He's currently trapped by the Blood Oath Scroll, serving Li Qingshan as a servant … Oh right, that Li Qingshan is around the same age as you. He's not even forty yet, and he underwent the second heavenly tribulation before the age of thirty."
Ji Changfeng guessed that it was very likely that the Myriad Poison Ancestor had come this time to deal with Li Qingshan, while the master of the sword pavilion probably had not come for the Merfolk sea fair either, but to save his own disciple. Was that Li Qingshan the only reason why he was so fearless? He was underestimating great cultivators a little too much.
Ye Duanhai was very stubborn. How could he be threatened so easily? By then, who knew who would be the one threatening who. However, who knew? He had heard that Yu Wufeng was already close to the third heavenly tribulation, and he wielded the arcane treasure, the Fogbow sword. The South Sea Sword pavilion could not afford to not care about a successor like that.
Ji Qingyu widened his eyes. He could be regarded as a slightly renowned genius in the cultivation community of the South sea, but his cultivation was only at late Foundation Establishment. He planned on accumulating his cultivation for another decade or two before attempting the second heavenly tribulation. In comparison, the master of the Fogbow sword, Yu Wufeng, was a renowned genius, yet he had actually been restrained by Li Qingshan, serving him as a servant. Just what kind of power was that?
He vaguely understood what Ji Changfeng was trying to say. The waters here ran too deep. It was not something he could take part in. As long as they were mentioned, even if he was the Wind Gale King's beloved son, he could not afford to offend them.
"Father, I understand." Ji Qingyu was rather reluctant to accept this, but the difference in cultivation was real.
Ji Changfeng glanced around the platform again. Just Now, the conversation was not loud, but they did not purposefully hide it. With the sharp ears and eyes of cultivators, they could hear every single word clearly. They all became stern, lacking some of the arrogance of a master.
Ji Changfeng nodded slightly, but he let out a long sigh inside. If only the Cloud Sail sect had a Li Qingshan. He could not tell who could inherit his legacy among the current disciples.
At the end of the day, the nine provinces were the foundation of this world. At the very least, it was the foundation of human cultivation.
The South sea was vast, and there were many cultivators on the scattered islands, but there were barely any who could reach his realm of cultivation. Instead, there were quite a few Water Daemon Kings in the depths of the sea. The situation was completely reversed from the nine provinces. The forces of otherfolk and daemons far surpassed the forces of humans.
This was something that could not be avoided. Unlike the Merfolk and Water Daemons, who were born with the sea as their home, humans still had to stand on the ground at the end of the day. Without billions of people, how were there thousands of cultivators?
The islands of the South sea were vast, with many cities and even countries, but their populations were extremely limited. Often, after years of hard work, a single storm could kill millions. Cultivators could still endure a natural disaster like that, but if a Daemon King wanted to change up his diet, it would immediately lead to the destruction of the entire sect. Even if some Daemon Commanders took action, there were not a lot of cultivators who could stop them.
Of course, there were actually not a lot of cultivators who were so unlucky. Water Daemons were used to eating fish and prawns, so they might not be willing to switch to eating humans.
The South sea was far too vast, and the islands were scattered far too widely, so there were not as many conflicts. Regular cultivators could live in relatively peace. They could just casually occupy an island and cultivate. Being self-sufficient was not difficult, so there were a lot of hidden cultivators and independent cultivators.
However, they faced another problem. The resources were far too limited, and communication was far too lacking. As a result, the development of the cultivation community could not compare to the nine provinces.
The South Sea Sword pavilion had always maintained a connection with the Mist province, constantly fighting against the Myriad Poison cult. It seemed like a pointless loss, but the legacies of every single master of the sword pavilion had never been severed.
As Ji Changfeng pondered, the last ray of light was about to disperse. Suddenly, he thought of something and stood up, casting his gaze into the depths of the ocean.
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