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Chapter 829: Side Story - Purple Gold Realm (2)
"Hmm...One Qi of the Primordial Chaos Religious Order..."
When Makli Hweol is about to show interest, Makli Hyun-ah smiles awkwardly and shows refusal.
"Haha, I apologize, Cultivator Heo. We are grateful for your kindness, but it has not been long since we ascended to the Upper Realm...and also, there is a senior from our clan who ascended to the Purple Gold Realm before us. I think that before deciding on joining, we should first go find that person and ask for their opinion as well."
"Ah, I see. Understood. Then it would be awkward to escort you straight to the One Qi of the Primordial Chaos Religious Order's jurisdiction...so I will guide you to the Star Master Jurisdiction, the closest place to a most neutral zone area."
Thus, Makli Hyun-ah and Makli Hweol follow Heo Yak-ham and head for the neutral zone of the Purple Gold Realm, a place called the Star Master Jurisdiction.
***
Makli Hyun-ah follows Heo Yak-ham and comes up to the north, and he cannot help but let out an exclamation at the sheer scale of the place called the Star Master Domain.
Above a sea made of black water, countless coral reefs form coral islands, and the size of each coral island comes close to each individual nation of Penglai Star.
Those coral islands are beaches carved into enormous palaces, and the entire archipelago region with dozens of such palaces is the place called Star Master Jurisdiction.
"Th-This..."
"Haha, you look surprised. Well, the Upper Realm you saw as soon as you ascended was a Star Master Jurisdiction that was swept up in war and turned into a wasteland, so the contrast can feel extreme."
Heo Yak-ham continues his explanation as he guides Makli Hyun-ah and Makli Hweol, who are astonished at the scale of the Star Master Jurisdiction.
"The black sea you see below is a sea of heavy water."
"Uh...heavy water?"
Because one of his relatives worked at a nuclear power plant, Makli Hyun-ah thinks of the heavy water used to cool nuclear reactors.
"Ah, as for what heavy water is, they say it is water that has a bit more components added to the basic atoms that make up water, compared to ordinary water."
"By 'a little more,' you mean?"
"Well...I do not know the details, but they say that the Sacred Master's pain and poison of resentment became a curse, mixed into the water, and made the water heavy, which is what we call heavy water. All of the Purple Gold Realm's seas are made of this heavy water."
"Uh..."
"Deep under that sea of heavy water countless spirit medicines grow, including the molting sea cucumber that is a specialty of the Purple Gold Realm. Of course, because the resentment poison of the Sacred Master that is mixed into the heavy water is so great, it isn't easy to obtain."
Makli Hyun-ah parts his lips at the ability of the being called the Sacred Master.
'What kind of existence are they, that with only a slight amount of suffering they can turn an entire sea into heavy water...? Is this...the Sacred Vessel stage?'
As Makli Hyun-ah lets out an exclamation about an existence called a Sacred Vessel stage Sacred Master, Heo Yak-ham takes the two to one of the coral castles.
Countless Demon Race, Human Race, and other races are seen going in and out through the many holes bored into the coral castle, using flying magic artifacts or escape light.
"Be careful not to collide. First, I will help the two of you receive the basic identity token of the Purple Gold Realm. If you just use an energy-extracting magic artifact to detect the qi of the Lower Realm and prove that you ascended, you can receive it right away, so you don't need to worry much. And besides that, I will also explain the basics of the Purple Gold Realm to the two of you."
Heo Yak-ham brings the two further inside the coral castle, to a place that looks like a market, and buys a jade slip inside the market.
"If you breathe spiritual energy into it, the information inside will come into you. This is a complete map of the Purple Gold Realm. It might be good for you to take a look once and grasp the situation."
Makli Hyun-ah breathes into the jade slip the spiritual energy he has gathered with the Naming Family Method, and soon, countless geographical information of the Purple Gold Realm begins to flow into Makli Hyun-ah's consciousness.
"The Purple Gold Realm is broadly made up of nine sectors."
Heo Yak-ham's explanation begins.
"Centered on Ban Ta Castle, where the Sacred Master who is the administrator and mediator of the Purple Gold Realm resides, Eye Domain, Nose Domain, Ear Domain, Tongue Domain, Touch Domain, Mind Domain, Manas Domain, and Araya Domain are stretched out in the eight directions."
On the map that Heo Yak-ham bought, the Purple Gold Realm is introduced in a form where eight lands are divided around a gigantic castle.
Each of the eight lands is separated by seas made of black water, and the Star Master Jurisdiction where they are seems to be located in the sea between the Eye Domain and the Nose Domain.
"Among them, the Araya Domain is said to be divided as a sector on paper, but...other than the Sacred Master, no one can enter that domain, so in practice it is treated as a place that does not exist."
Heo Yak-ham breathes spiritual energy into the jade slip as well, shares the jade slip's contents with Makli Hweol and Makli Hyun-ah, and explains the geography of the Purple Gold Realm.
"They say that in the history of the Purple Gold Realm, the only ones who entered that domain and came out alive were existences at Great Net Immortal or higher. It is only a legend, so I do not know if it is true. In any case, for that reason, the Araya Domain exists only in name...so you should see the Purple Gold Realm's sectors as effectively only eight."
Makli Hyun-ah nods while looking at the sector directly above Ban Ta Castle that is covered in mist, and Heo Yak-ham explains the sector directly below Ban Ta Castle.
"Next, the Manas Domain is also not easy to enter. Aside from the Sacred Master, it is a place that only Star Shattering stage Esteemed Ones can enter and return from. But even those people often suffer hardships in the Manas Domain, or come back having lost their lives, so it is an overwhelmingly dangerous sector.
"There are also cases where cultivators below the Star Shattering stage went in and, by sheer luck, came out alive...but in those cases, they say immense wealth and fortune arose, and they could live rich for the rest of their lives, lying atop spirit stones. Those who survived by heavenly fortune all refuse to say a word about what is inside...but they say there is something that draws in the fate of wealth."
Like the Araya Domain, the Manas Domain sector is covered by pale mist on the map, but in the gaps between the clouds, a drawing seems to show golden light flowing out.
"Because of this, cultivators who aim for a sudden fortune also wait for the right time near the Manas Domain. Next is the Mind Domain."
Mind Domain lies to the east of Ban Ta Castle.
"The Mind Domain is the most beautiful place in the Purple Gold Realm. Because it is one of the three sectors that the Sacred Master directly manages, like the Araya Domain and the Manas Domain, it is full of every delicacy, spirit medicines, and dreamlike, beautiful things under the heavens. It is mainly a place where those at or above True Immortality from other Heavenly Domains are said to come to play and leave. Due to this, it is a world that not just anyone cannot enter recklessly. I hear that there is also a teleportation formation to other Middle Realms, so if you pass through there, you can also exchange with other Middle Realms or other Heavenly Domains. That is why all the goods from other Middle Realms you see in the Purple Gold Realm all come in through the Mind Domain."
"Hoh..."
"And aside from Araya, Manas, Mind, and Ban Ta Castle, excluding these three domains the Sacred Master rules directly, the rest are all occupied by their own factions."
He smiles faintly and explains each domain.
"The Eye Domain and the Ear Domain are occupied by our One Qi of the Primordial Chaos Religious Order. Aside from that, the Touch Domain and the Tongue Domain are occupied by some rootless bastards called the 'Immeasurable Life Buddha Religious Order'. And the Nose Domain, where fellow Daoists crossed over, is a battleground where the One Qi of the Primordial Chaos and the Immeasurable Life Buddha Religious Orders clash, so you can think of it as not having any faction that specifically occupies it."
Makli Hyun-ah points to the outer part of the map.
"Apart from Ban Ta Castle and the eight domains, everything else is painted black...what is this part?"
"Ah, many Middle Realms are divided into the 'Stable Realm region' and the 'Chaos Realm region'. The Stable Realm region is the region where living beings can live, and the Chaos Realm region is a place where it is hard for normal living beings to live because spacetime is twisted, or because Heaven and Earth spiritual energy is not normal or is dried up."
"From what I see, it seems extremely large..."
"Of course. If you measure it by the Astral Realm, the size of the Chaos Realm region is the size of one galaxy."
Makli Hyun-ah clicks his tongue at the enormous scale that leaves him unable to close his mouth.
"Truly...the Middle Realm is enormous beyond imagination. Ah...so that's why, on the map, the outside of the Stable Realm region is marked in black, correct? Because you can't observe it all anyway, and living beings cannot live there."
"Ah...actually, the reason it is marked in black is because the Chaos Realm region is entirely filled with heavy water."
"Hm? What do you mean by that?"
"It is said that, in ancient times, the Chaos Realm region of the Purple Gold Realm was mostly just barren wasteland, or steel lands where magnetic storms raged...but over a long span of years, as Ban Ta Castle endlessly let out heavy water, and the entire Chaos Realm region ended up filled with a black sea."
"Hoh...why did Ban Ta Castle do such a thing?"
"Hmm...well, I do not know that well either. Perhaps because the fire grilled sea cucumber made from the Purple Gold Realm's specialty, the molting sea cucumber, is famous across the entire universe...the Sacred Master did it to raise lots of sea cucumbers, no?"
"Ahahahaha, so that's what it is."
Makli Hyun-ah bursts into laughter at the simpler-than-expected reason, and Heo Yak-ham also laughs heartily.
"Maybe Sacred Master truly likes sea cucumbers, as they say that even now, with the Chaos Realm region full, they keep releasing heavy water from Ban Ta Castle without stopping. Thanks to this, there is even a groundless rumor that the water level in the Purple Gold Realm is continuously rising."
"Hahaha, that's an amusing rumor. When the Chaos Realm region is on the scale of a galaxy, for the water level to rise just because a little water is released from that tiny place... Puahaha."
At the laughter of Heo Yak-ham and Makli Hyun-ah, an old man in a blue robe passing nearby furrows his brow and throws out a remark.
"You Heo Brat, does the water level rising look like a joke to you? Even when I was young, the water level was not like this. It is true that it is gradually rising! The water level of the black sea rises day by day. If this continues, the entire Purple Gold Realm will end up submerged in heavy water! We should set up countermeasures as soon as possible, but kids these days just think that the water level rising is a lie...tsk tsk."
With those words, the old man suddenly vanishes from around them, and Makli Hyun-ah asks, puzzled.
"Who was that person?"
"Ah...that person was one of the Star Shattering stage Esteemed Ones of our Black Ghost Valley Purple Gold Realm branch."
"...!!??"
Makli Hyun-ah gapes at the terrifying big shot of Esteemed One level passing right beside them in an instant.
"Ah, what an incredible person..."
"Haha, please do not pay it too much mind. Because his lifespan is almost exhausted...his mind is not whole. Even though he can advance to the Sacred Vessel stage, he grits his teeth and refuses advancement, and as he fails to win against the tides of time little by little, his mind has gotten strange."
"Oh dear... Why does he not advance to the Sacred Vessel stage? If he only advances, his lifespan should normalize..."
"Who knows. I do not know the details, but I hear that rather than advancing to the Sacred Vessel stage, he aims to reincarnate into another Middle Realm while keeping his memories. I do not really know why, either."
It is then,
Space twists, and the old man who just passed by furrows his brow and snaps at Heo Yak-ham.
"You damned bastard, how dare you spout nonsense that the mind of your sect's venerable elder is not whole? You need to be hit with a discipline cudgel to come to your senses! My mind is still whole! I am merely acting!"
"Heok...!"
Heo Yak-ham turns pale as if he didn't expect the Esteemed One to hear the gossip, and just as the Black Ghost Valley's Esteemed One glares at Heo Yak-ham and is about to reach out a hand toward him—
"Wh-What...!?"
Kugugugugung!
The sky darkens, and the entire sky splits open as a gigantic [Eye] begins to look down upon Heaven and Earth.
Makli Hyun-ah feels overwhelming awe and fear from that [Eye], and under the pressure of the [Eye], he collapses onto the ground.
: : I N T E R E S T I N G : :
Kururururu!
"Huh, huaaaaaaaah! Sacred Master! Why!? I heard you entered a sleep period!"
: : H O W
D A R E
Y O U
H I D E
T H A T
Y O U R
M I N D
I S
W H O L E
A N D
R E F U S E
T H E
A D V A N C E M E N T
D E C R E E ? : :
Kwagwagwang!
A gigantic hand made of darkness appears from the firmament and in an instant the old man is caught in its grip and begins to be dragged up into the sky.
"N-Noooo...! I don't want to advance in the Purple Gold Realm...! Sacred Master! It is true that my mind is not intact, so please let me gooooo!!"
The Black Ghost Valley's Star Shattering stage Esteemed One is, just like that, pulled by the owner of the [Eye] that appeared in the sky and dragged off somewhere through space.
Right after, the [Eye] in the sky grows faint and disappears, and Makli Hyun-ah asks while sweating coldly.
"Th-That just now was..."
"...It was...the Sacred Master... They are conscripting Star Shattering stage Esteemed Ones whose mind, qi, and body are whole and who can advance to the Sacred Vessel stage, bringing them to Ban Ta Castle and making them cultivate, but...perhaps because the process is harsh, quite a few Esteemed Ones act as if their mind, qi, and body are not whole because they do not want to be dragged away."
"Uh...if they drag them away by force, is there compensation?"
"I do not know well, but I understand there is none. They say that when the Sacred Master personally makes you cultivate, how can you hope for compensation?"
"..."
"However...this should have been a time when the Sacred Master enters a sleep period, so the Sacred Master shouldn't be taking Esteemed Ones away carelessly..."
Heo Yak-ham looks at the traces of the being called Sacred Master that appeared in the sky, then trembles as if he realizes something.
"The Sacred Master...overcame the sleep period and awakened...? It seems as if a powerful fate that will cover this Purple Gold Realm has appeared."
"Hooh..."
Makli Hweol, perhaps finding Heo Yak-ham's guess fascinating, asks Heo Yak-ham this and that about the Sacred Master, and Makli Hyun-ah cannot help but recall something about the 'conscription' by that being called the Sacred Master.
'They drag you away by force, make you suffer through all kinds of hardship, and don't even give proper compensation... Hm...'
With an oddly familiar unpleasant feeling, the existence called the Sacred Master of the Purple Gold Realm seems to bring to mind the vicious administrative institutions of his home planet.
'So the Purple Gold Realm is this kind of place.'
Makli Hyun-ah comes to the Purple Gold Realm and properly engraves what can be called a 'first impression'...
And he thinks he roughly understands what kind of place this Purple Gold Realm is.