Fantasy World: I Can Travel To Cultivation World

Chapter 158 Twinkling Sea

Luo Li found the situation amusing. She shook Luis' large hand and said, "Do you know why it's called the Star Sea Layer?"

"Because of this?"

Luis pointed at the countless stars shimmering below, which looked like a vast starry sky, and murmured softly.

"Yes! That's why," Luo Li nodded.

All along, Luis had believed that the Ten Thousand Star Sea got its name because the islands on the sea were as numerous as the stars in the sky.

Unexpectedly, the underwater world of the Ten Thousand Star Sea truly contained a starry sky of its own.

"What a stunning view!" Luis couldn't help but exclaim.

"It's beautiful, but also dangerous," Luo Li said, her gaze fixed on the scene before them.

"Dangerous?" Luis turned his head toward her, confused.

"Compared to your human world, the underwater world of the Ten Thousand Star Sea is far more cruel. Sometimes, I envy you humans for having a force like the Qianyuan Sword Sect."

"Envy?" Luis pondered her words carefully, beginning to understand her meaning.

For family cultivators striving to expand their influence, the Qianyuan Sword Sect was an oppressive dark cloud looming over their heads.

But for independent cultivators, those from small families, and ordinary people living in the Ten Thousand Star Sea, the Qianyuan Sword Sect provided a basic guarantee of survival.

Take Guang'an Prefecture, for instance.

There, weaker families didn't have to fear their property being snatched by stronger ones.

Similarly, there was the Zhenhai Palace.

If not for Zhenhai Palace suppressing the alien races in the underwater world of the Ten Thousand Star Sea, the various undersea factions would dare to make bolder moves.

Still, even with these forces, countless mortal cultivators were killed or injured each year by attacks from sea monsters and beasts.

Though rare, such tragedies were beyond the full control of Zhenhai Palace.

The Qianyuan Sword Sect, too, had no definitive way to manage the problem. There were simply too many beasts in the Ten Thousand Star Sea, and no amount of killing could instill fear in them.

Furthermore, the reproduction rate of these low-grade monsters was astonishingly high.

The Qianyuan Sword Sect and the major families had no choice but to conduct regular purges to keep their numbers in check.

As the two continued to dive deeper, Luis finally approached the glowing "stars."

As Luis got closer, he discovered that the "stars" had no substance and appeared as clusters of starlight floating in the depths of the sea.

The largest of these stars shone as brilliantly as a rising sun, while the smallest were like specks of dust, barely visible.

After counting carefully, Luis realized there were seven stars as bright as the rising sun.

These stars illuminated the entire underwater world, making it as bright as daylight.

Standing in the Star Sea Layer, Luis felt as if he had entered a dreamland.

He also noticed that as they descended further, the spiritual energy in the surroundings became increasingly dense.

"The spiritual energy is getting richer" Luis asked.

Luo Li smiled, "That's because we aren't proficient in formations and can't use them to block the spiritual energy from the spirit veins."

"Ah," Luis murmured, unsure how to respond. So much wasted spiritual energy.

It was unexpected.

The cultivation environment that Ten Thousand Star Sea cultivators longed for wasn't on land but deep in the underwater world. Explore hidden tales at empire

Unfortunately, independent practitioners could never hope to train here.

Casual cultivators with low cultivation levels couldn't even approach this place. Even those at the Foundation Building stage wouldn't be able to practice here, as they'd constantly need to maintain the water escape technique, which consumed significant energy.

To cultivate in the underwater world of the Ten Thousand Star Sea without being hindered, human cultivators would need to reach at least the Golden Core stage.

At that level, cultivators wouldn't just gain access to better resources in battlefields like Izumo Prefecture.

The high-grade spiritual veins in the underwater world of the Ten Thousand Star Sea, nearly all controlled by powerful alien races, would also become accessible.

Yet, even Golden Core cultivators hesitated.

To seize these spiritual veins, one would have to eliminate the alien races that guarded them fiercely.

Given the immense risks and effort required, it was often more cost-effective to pursue opportunities in the battlefield of Izumo Prefecture instead.

At least I'm not fighting alone.

The underwater world of the Ten Thousand Star Sea is the base of the Qianyuan Sword Sect. How could a Golden Core cultivator lack such foresight?

More than an hour later, the two finally crossed the vast sea of stars.

They had truly arrived in the underwater world of the Ten Thousand Star Sea.

Luo Li stood atop a towering mountain beneath the sea. After orienting herself, she took Luis's hand and flew toward Demon Ape Mountain.

Along the way, Luo Li skillfully avoided the spiritual veins occupied by various alien races.

After several hours of flying, the two finally reached the territory of Demon Ape Mountain.

As a mountain range with third-level spiritual veins, Demon Ape Mountain stretched for thousands of miles.

On the main ridge, one cave after another had been carved out by the mermaids.

On a nearby mountain range, a large number of male mermaids moved in and out of the mines, apparently working for the Chen family.

From a bird's-eye view, the scene was bustling with activity.

Luo Li extended her finger, pointing toward the largest cave on the main ridge. "That's my father's cave," she said.

The two flew toward the mermaid chief's cave.

Moments later, they landed in front of the entrance.

"Let's go," Luo Li said with a smile, glancing at Luis.

"Alright." Luis nodded and followed her inside.

"Dad, look who I brought!" Luo Li announced happily as soon as they entered the cave.

Luis took in the furnishings of the cave.

Compared to the dwellings of human cultivators, the mermaids' caves had a distinct and unique style.

The ceiling of the cave was adorned with water beads of various sizes, resembling a starry sky.

In the hall, Luis saw the mermaid chief for the second time.

But compared to their first meeting, the mermaid leader seemed far from well.

Luo Xiuyuan raised his head, his face pale.

Dressed in a loose brocade robe, he looked frail and weak.

"You're here," Luo Xiuyuan rasped, his voice hoarse and barely above a whisper.

"Senior, what's happened to you?" Luis asked, concerned.

Luo Xiuyuan glanced at Luo Li and waved his hand. "Li'er, leave us for now."

"Yes, Dad," Luo Li replied, though hesitation flickered in her eyes.

She was deeply worried about her father's condition, but she knew she couldn't help him at the moment.

According to the illustrations Luis provided, Luo Li searched the bottom of the sea and found numerous elixirs for treating injuries, but none proved effective for her father's condition.

After watching Luo Li leave, Luo Xiuyuan turned to Luis, his gaze deep and contemplative. "Boy, we meet again."

Luis bowed silently, waiting for him to continue.

Luo Xiuyuan removed his loose robe and muttered to himself, "As you can see, I won't live much longer."

Luis's eyes fell on the wound on Luo Xiuyuan's chest, a remnant of Zhou Mubai's attack. The injury had not only failed to heal but had worsened over time.

Terrifying sword energy coiled around the gaping wound, constantly clashing with Luo Xiuyuan's magic power. Luis could see that the sword energy was not only resisting but also consuming the magic power, growing stronger as it did so.

This relentless conflict made it impossible for Luo Xiuyuan to dispel the sword energy.

The wound had existed for so long that it had nearly drained the mermaid chief of all his strength.

"When we were attacking Demon Ape Mountain, the wound worsened, leaving me in this state," Luo Xiuyuan said with a self-deprecating laugh, putting his robe back on.

He fixed his gaze on Luis. "Do you know why I wanted to see you?"

Luis shook his head. "I don't know. Please explain," he said politely, though his thoughts remained fixated on the sword wound.

He understood the gravity of such an injury.

Wounds caused by sword cultivators were notoriously difficult to heal. Unless the sword energy was neutralized by a sword cultivator's sword intent or painstakingly removed by a Golden Core cultivator with advanced magic power, the injury would persist. Even if an elixir managed to close the wound, the residual sword energy would eventually destroy the body.

This was the fearsome nature of sword cultivation.

Luo Xiuyuan broke the silence. "For the past few months, our two tribes have traded frequently. Whether it's our weapons, spiritual rice, or even the clothes our people wear, they all rely on your Hartmann family's supply."

He paused for a moment, his expression unreadable. "What's even more ironic is that my clan has been using contribution points provided by your Hartmann family. Boy, tell me—are you planning to bring my clan under your command and turn us into vassals of the Hartmann family?"