parentshiftbook Chapter 237: The Great Plains of Penglai
Chapter 237: The Great Plains of Penglai
Many of the young male cultivators present couldn't help but glance at Li Yu a few more times. They all knew perfectly well that if they could marry such a person back to their clan, not only would it add a combatant at the Divine Realm, but it would also be a rare and virtuous helpmate for them.
As for appearance? For these cultivators, there are as many beautiful women as they want.
Whether they are mortal women or female cultivators with low cultivation levels and no background, they can summon them at will if they wish. Of course, apart from some evil and heretical sects, not many people actually do this.
The insincerity and flattery filling the room made Zhang Ping frown and feel nauseous, so he couldn't help but sneeze.
He was really not used to this kind of scene.
"This is boring, I'm going back to my room to sleep."
With that, Zhang Ping turned and left, showing no lingering attachment to the bustling deck.
For the next few days, the battles on the deck never stopped. Xiang Chunyuan and his group of aristocratic scions seemed to have their blood boiling, not only sparring among themselves, but also going around challenging other unfamiliar Nascent Soul Realm cultivators on the ship to fight.
For cultivators, actual combat is indeed the fastest way to gain experience and hone their combat instincts. Otherwise, so many people wouldn't risk their lives to venture into dangerous secret realms teeming with demonic beasts.
But gaining experience is one thing, being pulled in by a stranger to be their sparring partner is another.
Those who can cultivate to the Divine Harmony Realm, who doesn't have some hidden secrets, some trump cards to save their lives? Unless absolutely necessary, no one is willing to reveal their methods to others for no reason. To put it nicely, it's about exchanging skills; to put it bluntly, it's about being used as a whetstone for others.
Moreover, apart from Xiang Chunyuan and his group of young disciples, most of the other cultivators on this flying boat were a generation higher than them in terms of cultivation level. If they were to actually fight, winning would be seen as bullying the younger generation, bringing them no glory whatsoever; losing would only make them the subject of the younger generation's boasting.
Therefore, every time Xiang Chunyuan and his group approached them, the old cultivators never had a pleasant expression. However, due to the powerful families behind these people and their large numbers, they could only reluctantly agree and symbolically offer a token response.
"well!"
Another deafening cheer erupted, streaming into the room through the cracked window. Morning light slanted in through the carved window frame, falling on the bed. Zhang Ping lazily opened his eyes, nudged the smooth, white flesh beside him, and threw back the quilt, getting out of bed.
He walked barefoot on the cool wooden floor, casually took out a handful of spirit coins from his storage space, placed them on the low table by the bed, and also tossed in a few bottles of leftover cultivation elixirs and a defensive magic artifact.
While tying the jade belt around her waist, she walked to the window, pushed it open, and leaned out to look down.
Sure enough, it was those bored young people making a ruckus on the deck again.
"I'm just bored."
Zhang Ping pursed his lips and slammed the window shut.
When she turned around, the woman was already dressed, and she had carefully put the spirit coins and magical artifacts on the low table into her storage bag. There was no fawning smile or aggrieved expression on her face; only before leaving did she stop and softly ask, "Do you need me to come over tonight?"
"Come on," Zhang Ping said, fastening his belt without even looking up. "And bring that sister who's traveling with you along too."
The woman paused for a moment before replying softly, "She's shy, I'll try my best to persuade her." With that, she gently closed the door and left the room.
Zhang Ping didn't pay any attention.
It's just a bit of entertainment during the trip; everyone gets what they need.
This woman was merely a minor cultivator at the Essence Blood Realm. Her family had suffered a calamity, and she was traveling to Penglai to seek refuge with relatives. She had remained secluded throughout the journey, even concealing her face completely with a veil. It was only a couple of days ago that Zhang Ping, having nothing better to do, casually glanced at her with his Eye of Truth.
He had no shortage of spirit coins and cultivation resources, while she lacked the means to gain a foothold among her relatives after arriving in Penglai. The two sides quickly reached an agreement, and there was nothing more to say.
……
Boom boom—
A continuous, slight tremor came from the hull as the airship broke through the thick clouds and passed through the towering, continuous mountain ranges that seemed to pierce the sky.
The next second, everyone's field of vision was instantly and completely opened!
Wow! What a flat place!
Someone exclaimed in surprise first, and the deck instantly erupted in chaos.
We've arrived at Penglai!
Those cultivators who were visiting Penglai for the first time clung to the ship's railing and looked down, their eyes wide with amazement.
Under the blue sky and white clouds, the setting sun melts into gold, dyeing the boundless plains a warm golden hue. The autumn wind carries the scent of wheat, rising with the wind, and even a flying boat thousands of feet in the air can smell the wheat fragrance mixed with the aroma of sunshine and earth.
The wheat field below resembles a boundless golden ocean, its waves rippling in the wind.
Ordinary people dressed in coarse cloth shorts, or shirtless men, are harvesting in the fields with sickles.
Hearing the faint whistling sound filtered through the array above, the old man on the ridge of the field, supporting his aching back after a day's work, raised his hand to call to his grandson who was catching grasshoppers by the field, and pointed to the sky with a smile.
The little child tugged at his clothes, tilted his head back and stared intently for a long time, then asked in a daze, "Grandpa, there's nothing in the sky."
The old man patted his head, his wrinkled face smoothing out with a smile: "My dear grandson, there are immortals in heaven, we mortals can't see them."
The airship continued forward, the roar growing fainter and fainter, and the view from the deck becoming increasingly expansive.
Zhang Ping stood at the ship's railing, his face also showing undisguised astonishment. The frustration and stagnation he had accumulated over the past few months on the airship were instantly swept away when he saw this boundless plain.
Having lived for so many years, traversing only deep mountains and forests, and dangerous, secret realms, he had never seen such a vast expanse of land. Looking out, even the horizon appeared as a straight line. The wind rushed into his collar, carrying a rich aura of spiritual energy and the scent of wheat, enveloping him completely. His heart felt as if something had emptied it.
All that remains is vastness and openness.
"The spiritual energy concentration has increased!"
Someone nearby gasped in surprise, and Zhang Ping snapped out of his daze, taking a deep breath. The rich spiritual energy flowed into his meridians through his nasal cavity, warm and comforting, more than 50% richer than before he passed through the mountains.
He couldn't help but sigh, "What a wonderful place with outstanding people and beautiful scenery."
"Naturally, this is already the central area of Taihu Lake." The cuttlefish had appeared beside him at some point, its voice carried by the wind.
Zhang Ping turned to look at her, his mind still reeling from the magnificent scenery. He paused, then asked, "Is the territory of the Three Sects better than here?"
He had long heard of the saying that there were three sects and one place in the Taihu region. His lucky son had joined the Qingdan Immortal Sect, one of the three sects.
Moyu shook her head. The autumn wind ruffled the stray hairs around her ears, and she raised her hand to tuck them behind her ears before slowly speaking: "The spiritual energy concentration in the Three Sects is almost the same as here, but the terrain and scenery are much worse."
"Then why don't the three sects establish their sects in Penglai?" Zhang Ping asked, somewhat puzzled.
The squid only answered with two words, but instantly revealed the key: "Secret Realm."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Ping immediately understood and asked no further questions.
The foundation of a great sect has never been a plain rich in spiritual energy, but rather an ancient secret realm that can support the sect's inheritance for thousands of generations.
On the other side of the deck, Xiang Chunyuan and his group of scions of prominent families, visiting Penglai for the first time, were racking their brains to compose poems while facing the sunset over the plain. Unfortunately, their talent was quite limited, and all they managed to come up with were low-brow doggerel, making those around them want to laugh but dare not, and could only hold back their laughter.
Just then, a woman in a white dress with stunning beauty, who was in the group, looked at the setting sun and the boundless golden waves on the horizon, and slowly uttered a verse.