“The location where the four rivers flow into the sea from the east, west, south and north is known as the Upper Reaches. In that same location, there are four ancient and powerful sects that have existed there for tens upon tens of thousands of years. Perhaps they are as old as the world itself. They are the four most powerful entities in the world.

“Those four powerful ancient sects control the four major rivers, as well as all of the subsequent branches of those rivers, all the way down to the delta regions.

“The ancient sect that controls the eastern cultivation world is called the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect!

“The headquarters of the sect is far, far away. A Foundation Establishment cultivator could spend an entire lifetime flying toward it without reaching it.

“Subsidiary to the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect are four powerful courts that control each of the four branches of the river. They are the Starry River Court, the Sky River Court, the Dao River Court, and the Polarity River Court!

“Those four powerful courts each control four branches that break off from the larger rivers. The Spirit Stream Sect is on the second stream controlled by the Sky River Court. The Blood Stream Sect is on the first stream, the Pill Stream Sect is on the third stream, and the Profound Stream Sect is on the fourth. The Sky River Court is the parent sect to all of our four sects, and above it is the ancient Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect.” Zheng Yuandong’s words struck Bai Xiaochun like lightning. This revelation regarding the world around him left him shocked and panting.

“The Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect....” he murmured, feeling a bit dizzy.

“Third. Do you know why all of the sects in the world are built on the Heavenspan River? Even down in the delta, they try to get as close to the river as possible.” This third question made Bai Xiaochun feel like a third lightning bolt was about to slam down into him.

“The Heavenspan Realm is enormous. Gargantuan in size. Although it wouldn’t be correct to say that it has no end, the truth is that few people have ever reached the farthest borders of our world. One strange thing about our world is that she has no spiritual energy!”

“No spiritual energy? That’s impossible!” Bai Xiaochun again felt himself being completely and utterly shaken.

“There isn’t a bit of spiritual energy in the entire world. Well, perhaps it’s more accurate to say that heaven and earth have no inherent spiritual energy. All it produces is a chaotic power that is toxic to cultivators, but provides nourishments to beasts.

“For as long as there has been a written history in our world, it’s always been this way. The only reason cultivators are able to practice cultivation is due to the Heavenspan Sea!

“The Heavenspan Sea is the location of a shocking amount of spiritual energy. Apparently, every drop of seawater there contains boundless spiritual energy, and as the water flows down the four great rivers, into the branches and streams and even the delta regions, it brings spiritual energy with it!

“The spiritual energy is strongest near the Heavenspan Sea itself. And of course, the closer you get to the rivers, the stronger the local spiritual energy. The Upper Reaches have the strongest spiritual energy, with the Middle Reaches being a bit weaker, and the Lower Reaches even weaker than that. The delta regions are the weakest.

“The further you get away from the Heavenspan River, the weaker the spiritual energy gets. Eventually, you would reach a point where there is no spiritual energy at all. Almost half of the entire world we live in is made up of such areas. In fact, the areas between the rivers are all like that, devoid of spiritual energy.

“This actually serves as somewhat of a safeguard. After all, if any two of the ancient sects wished to go to war, it would be a very difficult thing to do. Because of that, most wars are fought along the branches of the rivers, not between the larger sects.”

Zheng Yuandong looked at the reeling Bai Xiaochun and continued on. “Fourth. Why did the Luochen Clan turn traitor!?

“The Blood Stream Sect, Spirit Stream Sect, Profound Stream Sect, and Pill Stream Sect are all subsidiaries of the Sky River Court. Of course, each and every one of our sects hopes to elevate their status and become the main sect controlling this branch of the river!

“That is our patriarch’s dream, and what the Spirit Stream Sect has been working toward for the past 10,000 years. That is also the entire purpose of the Legacy Echelon!

“A few years ago, an extremely rare opportunity presented itself!

“The Sky River Court did something to arouse the wrath of the ancient Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect. Punishment was doled out, and the court was nearly completely wiped out. The patriarch was killed, and their power structures destroyed. They are unprecedentedly weak, which means that it is now possible to supplant them!

“A spot has opened to become the sect controlling the other streams of the river, and the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect doesn’t care who it is. The Blood, Spirit, Profound, and Pill Stream Sects all have a chance. Naturally, all four sects have begun fighting over that spot. Whichever of us manages to defeat the other three sects will eventually rise up to command everything downstream!

“At this point, it’s not important who was backing the Luochen Clan. Maybe it was the Blood Stream Sect, maybe it was the Profound Stream Sect, or maybe even the Pill Stream Sect. Again, it doesn’t matter. They are all our opponents, and at the same time, potential allies!

“Other sects have been casting their fishing lines into our territory, so to speak, hoping to snag some advantage. We’ve done the same thing as well.” Zheng Yuandong smiled, and there was something cold and sinister about it that almost seemed out of character. The truth was that to members of his own sect, Zheng Yuandong was a wise old man who seemed as gentle as a spring breeze. But when it came to fighting people outside the sect, he was even more cold and vicious than Daoist Jackal Ouyang Jie.

Bai Xiaochun’s heart was being crushed by waves of shock because of the four questions that had just been asked and answered.

Eyeing Bai Xiaochun, he slowly continued, “Bai Xiaochun, do you want to know why that island in the Heavenspan Sea, which leads to the path that spans the heavens, has been the goal of so many almighty beings?” This was the first time that Zheng Yuandong had seen Bai Xiaochun look somewhat alive after the incident with Du Lingfei. Thankfully, he had saved his most powerful words for last!

“The legends say that if you walk the passage that spans the heavens, you can acquire that which is eternal! In other words, you can live forever!”

When Bai Xiaochun heard that last part, his scalp started tingling so hard it felt like it might explode. He began to tremble visibly, and pant. He had never felt so shaken in his entire life. His entire mind was suddenly filled with the idea of being able to live forever.

“If you want to live forever, you have to be powerful enough to walk out into the heavens. That’s a very long road, and you can’t let yourself get distracted by the scenery along the way. You have to walk the path and live life without any regrets!

“Here are four jade slips. The first will serve as your command medallion, identifying you as a sect elder. The second will open your new immortal’s cave on Mount Daoseed. The third will allow you to enter the Ancestral Darktunnel to select the legacy that is yours right now that you’ve reached Foundation Establishment. The last is the key to the arcane pocket realm that you won entry to after taking first place in the Chosen battles.” Zheng Yuandong placed four jade slips down onto the ground. Seeing how excited Bai Xiaochun looked, he was finally able to relax a bit. After emerging from Bai Xiaochun’s immortal’s cave moments later, he saw Li Qinghou off in the distance, waiting for news. As he walked over, he gave him a slight nod.

A smile broke out on Li Qinghou’s face, and he sighed. “Many thanks, sect leader. Now I can finally rest at ease when I go into secluded meditation!”

“You shouldn’t worry so much, Qinghou. He’s my Junior Brother, so of course I’ll take care of him. I hope that after you emerge from your secluded meditation, the Spirit Stream Sect will have another legacy echelon cultivator!” Zheng Yuandong was actually a bit envious. However, there was no way he could ever reach the legacy echelon. At most, he might end his life as a prime elder in the future.

Li Qinghou clasped hands and bowed. Giving Bai Xiaochun’s immortal’s cave a final look, he departed along with Zheng Yuandong.

Inside the immortal’s cave, Bai Xiaochun was panting in excitement. In fact, he didn’t even notice that Zheng Yuandong had left. He remained in a bit of a daze deep into the night. Finally, he looked up, and his eyes were shining brightly.

“I’m going to live forever!!" He buried the matter of Du Lingfei deep in his heart and walked out of his immortal’s cave, thinking about the wider world he lived in, and also about his desire to live forever!

After looking over the four jade slips he held in his hand, his eyes shone with anticipation.

Thinking back to the second volume of the Undying Codex that the gravekeeper had given him, he murmured, “Now I can start to cultivate the second volume of the Undying Codex, the Undying Heavenly King.”

He had looked over the second volume before, and already knew that it was divided into four levels that were much more powerful than the Undying Skin. Furthermore, even just cultivating the first level would allow him access to a secret magic that was even more formidable than the Throat Crushing Grasp!

“The Mountain Shaking Bash!” The night passed quickly. At dawn, he stepped outside again and looked at the rising sun. As of this point, he had put the matter of Du Lingfei’s disappearance clearly out of mind.

“Bai Xiaochun is back!” Flicking his sleeve, he stuck his chin up and transformed into a beam of light that shot toward Mount Daoseed.