Chapter 374

The Frigid Winter Ocean's temperature is very low, perhaps because it is near the Northern River Ice Region; fertile soil is scarce in the Frigid Winter Ocean realm, most of it being floating ice or snowy mountainous islands.

"It is said that a mysterious current at the northernmost part of the Frigid Winter Ocean can cross the realm barrier to reach the Northern River Ice Region; the Snowfolk may have come to the Dongxing Sea Region this way," said the Dragon People priest.

Yan Buji looked at the map and asked, "What kind of place is the Northern River Ice Region?"

The Dragon People priest thought: "It's all snow mountains and glaciers, with no land at all. Resources there are extremely scarce, yet this has also given rise to many powerful cultivators."

"Hmm, the harsher the environment, the stronger those who survive become," Yan Buji chuckled.

Yan Buji had never been to the Northern River Ice Region, but after hearing the Dragon People priest say that, he roughly formed an impression of it.

Poor mountains and wicked waters produce troublemakers; the same holds true in the Nan Ting Mountain Region.

Not long after.

Following the map given by the Heavenly Demon King, Yan Buji brought the Dragon People priest and finally found a small island.

"Is this it?" the Dragon People priest looked around: "According to the route, this should be near the Merfolk's sea region."

"The Merfolk live in the sea; if we relocate here, we ought to greet them first. What do the Merfolk have to say?" Yan Buji inquired.

"The Merfolk dislike contact with the outside world; they dwell in the Golden Light Coral Realm and also have a Void Refinement elder guarding it."

Yan Buji stroked his chin; thus the Otherworldly Race's strength is generally not too great, and compared to humanity's super-large powers, it is best for the Otherworldly Race to band together for warmth.

"Didn't you say they rely on the Snowfolk?"

"They merely formed an alliance, with the Snowfolk as the main party. The Snowfolk's Unity Dao elder has ties with the demon race's mighty beings; the Merfolk, as vassals, also need to offer tribute. If we emerge, such a step is unavoidable," said the Dragon People priest.

"I see."

But the Dragon People have exceptional aptitude; even in the resource‑scarce endless sea trench, most Dragon People who are willing to cultivate have broken through to Foundation Establishment Stage, which is easier for them than for humans.

The situation of other Otherworldly Races is unclear, but to weigh their relationship we must also see what attitude they hold toward accepting the Dragon People.

Showing weakness early on is not a bad choice.

Yan Buji pondered, looking at the island ahead: "Let's go down and take a look."

"Yes."

The two landed on the island and looked around.

"This position..." Yan Buji sensed the wind direction, looked north: "What a strong cold wind."

The Dragon People priest approached, carefully discerning: "This should be the cold wind blowing from deeper in the Frigid Winter Ocean, Your Majesty, what's wrong?"

"If we use this place as a gateway, the island cannot hold a million Dragon People; at most two or three hundred thousand." Yan Buji looked around: "Then to make it a Dragon People outpost, this position could serve as one of the defensive posts."

The Dragon People priest thought: "Guide the cold wind into a formation? That's not difficult; using such terrain could save a lot of trouble."

Around the island there are no obvious resources, which is normal; even though the vast Dongxing Sea Region hides many rare treasures, cultivators never complain about having too many resources.

If there were abundant resources here, they'd likely have been seized by demon beasts already. Yet the island is indeed large, able to house two or three hundred thousand Dragon People, while around it we see no demon beasts nor any people, which is rather strange.

The Dragon People priest guessed it might be because this place is too close to the Merfolk's territory, so no major demon beasts exist.

Yan Buji surveyed the surroundings, determined the Dragon People's living area, then began calculating the area and planning construction.

Coincidentally, the Dragon People priest doesn't understand these matters, so only Yan Buji could complete them.

Still, building a Dragon People city on this island isn't too hard; the difficulty lies in finding building materials.

Whether timber or stone, we must consider the source.

Yan Buji also finds it troublesome; we can't have the Dragon People mine stone in the deep sea, regardless of danger, the key is what to do if the Merfolk notice.

For now they must first conceal themselves from all powers, establish a foothold here, then contact the outside world.

"But why did the Heavenly Demon King guide me here?"

"Your Majesty! Come over here!"

The Dragon People priest sent a mental message; Yan Buji raised his eyebrows and followed.

Soon Yan Buji arrived at the Dragon People priest's location, saw the small iceberg ahead, and wondered: "What's up?"

"Something's off here; it seems like a hidden spiritual realm!" the Dragon People priest frowned and said.

"A spiritual realm? Did someone achieve transcendence here?" Yan Buji blinked.

To form a spiritual realm environment, one must be a Nascent Soul or higher cultivator, and not an ordinary one.

"Can we enter?"

"Let me try," said the Dragon People priest, raising his staff to release spiritual power.

Watching the Dragon People priest's power pour into the iceberg, Yan Buji waited patiently aside.

Shortly after.

The Dragon People priest nodded: "It's done; this spiritual realm seems quite complete and possesses a certain self-awareness."

"Self-awareness?" Yan Buji looked puzzled.

"It means the spiritual realm may still retain the pre-death will of its master." The Dragon People priest said: "A Nascent Soul cultivator solidifies heaven and earth to form a spiritual realm, equivalent to altering part of this place's law environment through their Dao Marks; if they retain will, it indicates their cultivation likely surpasses mine."

"But since it's only a trace of will, it probably isn't that dangerous, right?"

"Hard to say; Dao Marks repel each other, so I can't guarantee safety either."

"We ought to go in and see." Yan Buji looked ahead: "Since we've encountered it, it should be put to our use."

The two entered the spiritual realm together, and in an instant saw a scenery utterly different from the outside.

Here, yellow sand filled the sky, fierce sunlight fell upon the ground, baking the air above the desert until it warped.

"What is this?" the Dragon People priest frowned, grabbed a handful of sand: "Is this the law of sand?"

"Law!"

Yan Buji, through an occasional insight into Martial Dao for breaking through Nascent Soul gained when he broke through Golden Core, understood what a law is.

Specifically, just as fire can burn and water can flow, the basic laws that constitute all things in the world are the true principles hidden within their outward appearances.

Cultivators cultivate the supreme truth of the Great Dao; reaching Nascent Soul means comprehending the Great Dao and beginning to condense one's own Great Dao laws. This manifests as the application of one or several laws, with power levels far surpassing Golden Core cultivators.

Internally, a cultivator can directly perceive the Great Dao laws through training; the laws form Dao Marks within the Nascent Soul, and the number of these Marks determines the cultivator's strength.