Chapter Ninety-Six: The Northern Realm!

So it was Fellow Daoist Lin. How did you end up in this cursed place? Le Dong asked in confusion.

This was an extremely yin-laden region; under ordinary circumstances, who would ever come here? If it had not been for the pursuit of the Blood Demon, he would not have come within half a step of this place.

I do not know where this is either. I only happened to pass by, and when I saw that you and the others were no match for that demon cultivator, I stepped in to help. Lin Yanghao replied honestly. There was nothing to hide.

Le Dong nodded after hearing that.

May I ask what place this is? Lin Yanghao asked next.

He still did not know where exactly that teleportation formation had sent him, and the thought left him near tears. More than that, he had a vague feeling that this might no longer be the Southern Domain.

This is the Misty Wind Ridge, Le Dong said, looking even more puzzled. He could not help wondering whether Lin Yanghao was making his first journey from home; otherwise, how could he not even know this?

But how could Lin Yanghao possibly know what this Misty Wind Ridge was? So he continued asking, Fellow Daoist Le, to be frank, this is my first time out in the world. I have always cultivated in the mountains with my master since I was young. Not long ago, my master unfortunately fell, so...

And so Lin Yanghao casually spun Le Dong a whole host of reasons, the general meaning of which was simply that this was his first time away from home and he knew nothing at all.

So that is how it is. The continent we are on is called the Northern Domain. Apart from the Northern Domain, there is also the Southern Domain to the south of it. However, ever since the spiritual beasts took up long-term residence in the Beast Domain ten thousand years ago, the Southern and Northern Domains have been cut off from one another, Le Dong explained, and when Lin Yanghao said he was unfamiliar with the world, his doubts faded, so he began to instruct him.

As for Lin Yanghao, the moment he heard that he was currently in the Beast Domain, his mouth nearly fell open in shock.

Everything had come so unexpectedly. It had truly arrived before he was prepared for it.

His heart instantly surged with wild joy. Was this not the Northern Domain he had been thinking about day and night? He never imagined he would wind up here in such a dazed and muddled fashion.

Still, Lin Yanghao was clever enough not to let any of that delight show on his face, lest Le Dong grow suspicious. He had only just arrived in the Northern Domain and knew no one; he would still need Le Dong's help in everything.

Little did he know that Le Dong, at that very moment, was also making his own calculations.

Lin Yanghao could be said to have no one to rely on in the cultivation world, and yet at such a young age he already possessed such formidable strength. His future prospects were limitless.

If he could be brought into his own sect, would that not add a powerful force to its ranks?

Le Dong also had a sharp eye. The divine technique Lin Yanghao had used earlier was clearly no ordinary treasure; it could actually raise a person's strength by so much in an instant.

If there were some way to obtain that technique as well, would the sect's rise not be just around the corner?

Even if he could not get his hands on it, so long as Lin Yanghao joined the sect, that would still be a profitable bargain with no loss at all.

I have just arrived and know almost nothing about the Northern Domain. Could Fellow Daoist Le tell me more about its situation? Lin Yanghao asked.

Through Le Dong's detailed explanation afterward, Lin Yanghao gradually came to understand the current state of the Northern Domain.

While asking about the Northern Domain, he naturally also inquired about matters in the Southern Domain that he did not understand.

Le Dong was able to answer everything Lin Yanghao asked, clearing away many of his doubts.

It turned out that the Northern Domain was far smaller than the Southern Domain. Its total area was only about the size of the northern continent of Purple Jade.

The Northern Domain bordered the Beast Domain to the south and the Demon-Sealing Continent to the north.

The Southern Domain was the same in that it bordered the Beast Domain to the north and the Demon-Sealing Continent to the south, only it lay farther from the Demon-Sealing Continent.

That was why demon cultivators were seldom seen in the Southern Domain, and nearly a thousand years had already passed since the last great war between immortals and demons.

Although the Northern Domain was far smaller than the Southern Domain, its level of cultivation was leagues ahead.

In the Southern Domain, even Nascent Soul and Void Refinement cultivators were pitifully rare, let alone Integration cultivators; only the eight great sects and six major schools had a handful.

In the Northern Domain, however, even some medium and small sects had several Void Refinement or even Integration cultivators, while the larger sects had even more.

On top of that, there were countless cultivation families.

It was simply not on the same level.

Among the Northern Domain's greatest powers were the Pill Sect, the Artifact Sect, and the Talismans Sect, each of which had countless experts within their ranks.

Beyond that, there were innumerable sects of all sizes across the Northern Domain.

Thus, one could imagine the overall level of cultivation here.

Many thanks to Fellow Daoist Le for telling me all this. I am deeply grateful, Lin Yanghao said with cupped hands.

Do not mention it, do not mention it. Fellow Daoist Lin has saved my life, Le Dong replied, while already beginning to ponder how exactly he might bring Lin Yanghao into his own sect.

It looks like I should find a sect to join, Lin Yanghao thought to himself. In the Southern Domain, he had once joined the Seven Luminaries Sect, but because of Wang Shaohui's persecution, he had gained neither real benefits nor anything substantial there, and had instead wasted a great deal of precious time cultivating.

Lin Yanghao knew all too well how difficult it was to roam as a lone cultivator and how hard it was to ever rise above obscurity. Thus he thought: if joining a sect is an option, that would be the best choice.

Fellow Daoist Lin, to be honest, my father is the sect master of the Heavenly Martial Sect. I imagine Fellow Daoist Lin has nowhere else to go either, so why not come back to the Heavenly Martial Sect with me for now? Le Dong finally voiced what had been on his mind for quite some time.

The implication of his words was, of course, an invitation for Lin Yanghao to join the Heavenly Martial Sect.

Lin Yanghao naturally understood what Le Dong meant. After thinking for a moment, he agreed.

In his heart, he thought: Since I have nowhere else to go right now, I might as well follow him to the Heavenly Martial Sect for the time being and decide what to do after that.

Seeing that Lin Yanghao had agreed to his request, Le Dong was overjoyed, and at once led him toward the Heavenly Martial Sect.

Le Dong was only at the Foundation Establishment stage; it seemed the Heavenly Martial Sect was not all that impressive either.

His spiritual root talent was also poor.

With my meager strength right now, if it were a major sect, they would not bother coming to recruit me.

So this Heavenly Martial Sect must be a small sect without question.

If I were to join a small sect, that would not be what I want.

Not only are small sects short on cultivation resources, but they are also preyed upon at will by other sects, so even my personal safety would be hard to guarantee.

In truth, Lin Yanghao had already guessed the general situation of the Heavenly Martial Sect.

It was nothing more than a small sect with only a few hundred cultivators, and even among small sects it was at the very bottom.

The sect master of the Heavenly Martial Sect, who was also Le Dong's father, was only at the Deity Transformation stage. There were even fewer Nascent Soul cultivators in the sect, and only a handful of Core Formation cultivators.

What was more, they were constantly at risk of being swallowed up by other sects.

That was the real situation of the Heavenly Martial Sect. And after the battle with Lu Chen just now, more than ten Foundation Establishment cultivators had been killed or injured.

For the Heavenly Martial Sect, it was truly a blow upon a blow.