Comprehension Ability: I Forge a Villainous Longevity Family

Chapter 572: Chapter 448: Land of Withering_2

Tragic.

After a brief reflection, Chen Zhixing felt that even if left alone, that tree wouldn’t last long. Its Longevity Realm was just a sacrifice for people to harvest, and now after being harvested for so long, it has turned an entire kingdom into a desert. It’s time for it to die a natural death.

...

Western Domain.

Gan State.

Contrary to the perception some other regions have of the Western Domain as adjacent to yellow sands, it’s actually a wonderful place filled with mountains, lakes, forests, and streams.

Though it doesn’t compare to the divine landscapes of the East State, nor the bustling human activity of the Southern Domain, unlike the barren Northern Domain, this place is quite suitable for ordinary people to live!

Why is it suitable for ordinary people?

Because there aren’t many restful spiritual resources!

Why not compare it to Central State?

It’s incomparable!

Several of Central State’s major states are almost dead lands now, even though spiritual realm Taoist Lords intervened to calm the disasters caused by previous volcanic eruptions. But the aftermath of the disaster is real, and those who died cannot be resurrected.

If previously the Central Domain ranked second in the Five Domains, just below the Eastern Domain, in the coming century, it will drop to fourth place behind the Western Domain, only slightly better than the more desolate Northern Domain.

Falling from second to fourth, one can imagine the enormity of the damage Chen Zhixing caused before...

And if you flip further back, you’ll discover the last person to cause such havoc was Yimiao, the Holy Master of Daluo Taoist Lands himself!!!

This Holy Master turned West State, originally the most prosperous region in the Western Domain, into the Withered Plain it is today.

Mountains collapsed, great lakes dried up.

Blood sacrifices of all beings, and vegetation turned to ash!

Gan State is adjacent to West State, part of the Western Domain bordering Central State, and its current prosperity is due to absorbing the spirit charm of West State over the last two hundred years.

Also the population!

Though Gan State’s population is not large, just a little over two million by full count, even less than a county in some states in the Southern Domain, one must know that a hundred and seventy years ago, the population of this great state was only twenty or thirty thousand!

Because this place has very few spiritual resources, and was too close to resource-rich West State, if West State hadn’t perished, resource-scarce Gan State could never have developed, serving only as a barrier between West State and Central Domain.

Now that West State has turned into the Withered Plain, naturally this problem no longer exists.

But due to its scarce spiritual resources, producing only worthless things like timber and stones, naturally, cultivators are not willing to settle here.

It’s not to say no one; it’s just that unless a cultivator can’t survive in other regions, they’ll come here to eke out a living. As some noble families from the Southern Domain put it, ’That broken place can’t support a single noble family, what’s the use of going there?’.

It’s quite practical.

Gathering all the resources of Gan State can’t support a single noble family, whereas the similarly sized Qing State from the South Island supports fully eight... seven major noble families!

And there’s still wealth....

This shows just how impoverished Gan State’s spiritual resources truly are.

Of course, impoverished as it is, it doesn’t mean there’s nothing.

While no noble families are stationed here, some small sects still take root here, yes, those sects where it’s hard to even achieve True Self, with possibly only one Nirvana Realm cultivator in the entire sect to maintain face.

The Iron Sword Sect is one such sect.

As for how many similar sects exist within Gan State?

The Iron Sword Sect ranks third in Gan State!

The Sect Leader, the Celestial Sword Elder, is famously known within Gan State as the ’Sword God’!

And the day Chen Zhixing arrived in the ’Celestial Break Mountain Range’ where the Iron Sword Sect is located coincidentally happened to be the eight-hundredth birthday of the Celestial Sword Elder.....

...

The Iron Sword Sect is situated on one side of the Celestial Break Mountain Range, beyond which lies the renowned Withered Plain.

No production, no specialty.

Chen Zhixing gathered some intelligence in the ’Injustice City’ at the foot of Celestial Break Mountain and discovered that the most valuable spiritual resources in the Iron Sword Sect’s jurisdiction are actually two large mines that can produce a small amount of Iron Essence.....

"So why did Master insist I visit this Iron Sword Sect, and even go to wish the sect leader a happy birthday?"

Shi Hao walked among the bustling crowd on the worn-out stairs, unable to make sense of anything at all.

Why would someone so lacking in money and people, with only an eight-hundred-year-old nearly senescent Nirvana Second Realm in the entire sect, have any connections with his Master?

Honestly, any Dark Guard picked from Ziwei Mountain would be far superior to this damn Celestial Sword Elder!

Thinking about having to wish such a ’waste’ a happy birthday, Shi Hao felt unlucky. A week ago, he was still in the Northern Domain with his senior brothers and junior brothers in the Earth Cave, then was pulled out by his Master out of the makeshift ’nest’ he had set up there!

He had just broken through to Nirvana!

He hadn’t yet sought revenge on that Fire Flood Dragon!

What got him early release from the promised two-month trial? Then dumped into such a damned place!

Shi Hao’s dissatisfaction echoed only within his heart, outwardly, he maintained an appearance of a polite young gentleman.

Furthermore, the kind of affluent youth that could be immediately recognized by Gan State’s cultivators.

It couldn’t be helped.

Leaving in haste, after bringing him to the Celestial Break Mountain Range, Chen Zhixing casually threw him some magical artifacts, including a storage bracelet filled with spirit stones.

Twelve magical artifacts, from the hairpin on his head to the boots on his feet, all sorts of clothes and pants, rings, pendants, bracelets – a mishmash of things, of which... besides the storage bracelet being somewhat useful, Shi Hao found the rest only barely decent enough to cover his embarrassment.

What else could he do?

The Nirvana Realm Dharma Robe he wore offered less protection than his own skin. What was the point of its defensive function?

Shi Hao even thought that the set of magical artifacts on him now combined couldn’t compare to the shedding of the Fire Flood Dragon he previously donned while in the Northern Domain’s Earth Cave!

But there’s no choice; wasn’t he wearing the robe for its looks?

Climbing the mountain.

Waiting.

Submitting the greeting card.

Offering gifts.

Announcing names.

Going in to mingle!

Upon finally joining the Iron Sword Sect, Gan State’s third greatest sect, and witnessing the cultivation realms of the guests within the courtyard, Shi Hao felt utter despair over the task his Master had assigned him this time.

A courtyard of over a thousand people, with the highest cultivation being three True Self Realm practitioners!

These are supposed to be Gan State’s elite cultivators!!!

Are they even worth it?

"Sect Leader Huang, hahaha, Sect Leader Huang, long time no see, how is your son...."

"Ah, it’s Master Li, you’re here for the Sword God’s birthday this time, haha, it’s still the Sword God’s prestige that brought everyone together, last time during my three-hundredth birthday celebration....."

"Look, isn’t that Venerable Moluo, why did he also come?"

"It’s really Venerable Moluo!"

"I remember Venerable Moluo challenged the Sword God just ten years ago; he comes here today, could it be his cultivation has made another breakthrough?"

"So, does Venerable Moluo have True Self Seventh Layer now?"

"I remember he is only a little over two hundred years old, yet already at True Self Seventh Layer? That’s a hope for Nirvana! A hope for Nirvana indeed!"

"Moluo indeed possesses remarkable talent, achieving a breakthrough in just ten short years."

"It seems within a century we, Gan State, will have another new emergence; Moluo this time indeed hopes to succeed the Sword God’s old position!"

"It might not be too sure; the threshold of Nirvana Realm is so high, I believe Moluo finding a breakthrough to Nirvana within less than a hundred years could be quite problematic."

"Yes, indeed; back then, the Sword God was under two hundred years old when he reached True Self Perfection, yet spent a full fifty years to finally pass through Nirvana Celestial Gate, becoming today’s Sword God."

"That’s right; Nirvana Celestial Gate, the difficulty for us cultivators to step through it is akin to ascending to heaven, and it’s unknown if Moluo’s talent will allow him in this life...."

"Then comes the subsequent Celestial Tribulation...."

"..."

Amazement, praise.

Plus that damn Nirvana Celestial Gate!

The strange noises around him made Shi Hao’s scalp tingle! His toes curled!

A True Self Seventh Layer at over two hundred years old is still called a genius?

What about someone like him?

What about his junior brother who was born with a True Self physique?