Back inside the formation, Xu Xian gathered the group, who were already waiting impatiently, and briefly explained the plan.
“From here, we must head east. We will cross thirty-six provinces to reach the banks of the Spirit River. Once we cross that river, we will reach the Immortal Land.”
This was the first time Xu Xian had shared this information with them. The road ahead would be long and arduous.
He couldn't guarantee that everyone would survive to reach that place where light still remained, as Li Shuhe had described. But he felt they at least deserved to know their destination.
He also needed to give them something to hope for. To live, one must have hope.
Hearing these unfamiliar terms, the expressions on their faces were much like Xu Xian’s had been when he first heard them.
The Spirit River?
The Immortal Land?
Even Lu Yuan knew nothing of this. In the Era of Ancient Immortals he lived in, at least before his fall, he had never heard those two names.
What was the Spirit River?
What was the Immortal Land?
He didn't ask, and neither did the others. They had their own interpretations and guesses. What mattered was what Xu Xian said: reach the river, cross it, and they would find the light.
The Immortal Land...
It had to be a place that did not belong to the darkness, a future where they could establish themselves.
What kind of place it was didn't matter. What mattered was that if they wanted to live, they had to go there. Reach it and survive.
The only thing they wanted to clarify was exactly how far these thirty-six provinces were.
Lu Yuan knew, and his face darkened.
Tu Sisi asked, “Thirty-six provinces... how far is that?”
Was one province the size of Fanzhou?
A diagonal line across Fanzhou was tens of thousands of li. Thirty-six such provinces would be millions of li. Given the restrictions of the laws of heaven and earth, even if they traveled at full speed, this journey would take a very long time.
Before Xu Xian could explain, Lu Yuan spoke in a heavy voice. “Nine Heavens, Ten Lands, and three thousand provinces.”
The group looked at him, some suspicious, some bewildered...
Lu Yuan continued, “This is the entirety of the Cangming Realm. Where we stand now was once called the Sword Province, one of the three thousand provinces. ‘Three thousand’ isn't an exact count; it’s a way to describe the vastness of the world and its mountains and rivers.”
He was explaining common knowledge—that the three thousand provinces weren't literally three thousand, but a general term. The Nine Heavens and Ten Lands weren't literal either.
It was the same logic as the Demon Abyss, Central Plains, Northern Borders, and North Sea in Fanzhou. Each was more than just one city or one tribe.
They didn't interrupt Lu Yuan, and neither did Xu Xian.
Seeing that everyone was listening intently, Lu Yuan decided to explain it thoroughly. That way, even if they died, they would at least be well-informed ghosts.
After organizing his thoughts, he explained, “Cangming is not like Fanzhou, which only has humans, demons, monsters, beasts, and spirits. Cangming is home to ten thousand races.”
“Since the Ancient Desolate Era, the Nine Heavens have been ruled by the God race, and the Ten Lands by the Ancient Immortal race. The three thousand provinces were shared by the ten thousand races.”
“This continued into the Era of Ancient Immortals. Although the gods withered and the immortal race declined, in name, those two regions are still held by the descendants of gods and the remaining bloodlines of the immortals. Meanwhile, in the three thousand provinces, ten thousand races thrived and a hundred schools of thought contended...”
They listened, their minds trying to grasp the scale. To them, the vastness of Cangming was like an ant looking at a mountain. But what surprised them even more was how Lu Yuan knew all this so clearly.
Did Xu Xian tell him?
Or was he making it up?
Tu Sisi pulled the conversation back to the main point. “Get to the point. These three thousand provinces you mentioned—the land we’re standing on—how big is a single province?”
Lu Yuan glanced at Xu Xian, seemingly seeking his permission. Xu Xian nodded.
Lu Yuan emphasized each word as he answered, “Two million li in every direction—north, south, east, and west—is one province.”
Tu Sisi’s brow furrowed.
Jin Qing’s mouth twitched.
Chi Ming swallowed hard.
The light in Bai Ze’s eyes instantly dimmed.
Jin Yu’s eyes bulged as she cried out, “What? Two million li?”
If one province was two million li, then ten provinces were twenty million li. Thirty-six provinces meant seventy-two million li—and that was assuming a straight line without any detours.
Was it far?
It was incredibly far!
Lu Yuan nodded in confirmation. Everyone turned their gaze toward Xu Xian, their eyes filled with a desperate hope that he would deny it.
Surely it wasn't that far. Surely Lu Yuan was exaggerating.
But...
The reality was exactly as stated.
Xu Xian said, “This journey is extremely long. The path will be grueling and filled with countless obstacles. It is very dangerous. So, everyone, you must be mentally prepared.”
Xu Xian had confirmed it.
They fell silent.
They struggled to digest this reality in their disbelief.
Bai Ze suddenly chuckled, his voice mocking. “Those other guys... I doubt a single one of them will survive.”
The others remained silent.
Indeed, with a journey of over seventy million li, how could anyone find their way out without knowing the path? Even if they were lucky enough to start in the right direction, seventy million li was so far that they would likely fall into self-doubt and turn back long before reaching the end.
Moreover, from what Xu Xian said, those monsters would be everywhere along the way.
They felt lucky to have chosen to stay, yet they felt despair and dread at the vastness of the road ahead.
Seeing the low morale, Jin Qing broke the silence. “This is the Heavens, after all. Cangming is an entire starry sky. Two million li for a province isn't actually that large.”
Jin Yu quickly adjusted her thoughts to help her sister. “That’s right. Even with the restrictions on the laws of heaven and earth, we can still travel tens of thousands of li in a single day. Seventy million li... it will take five years at most, or maybe as little as three. We will definitely make it.”
She did the math to comfort herself.
But instead of helping, her calculation made the others feel even more hopeless.
Three to five years. Over a thousand days and nights.
If they were in Fanzhou, that would be nothing.
A mere blink of an eye.
But this was a cold, desolate wasteland. They hadn't even been here for half a month, and their Dao hearts were already wavering. The thought of the long escape ahead gave them a massive headache.
The Saint from Ancient Sword Mountain laughed self-mockingly. “I fear my saint essence will be exhausted before I even get halfway there, and I’ll end up looking just like those monsters. Heh.”
Tu Sisi gave a disdainful click of her tongue and said, “Do you even have a choice?”
No one answered. Some smiled bitterly, others shook their heads.
Some complained inwardly that not everyone had come up here voluntarily like she had.
Tu Sisi added, “If you want to live, then walk.”
Xu Xian didn't explain further. Tu Sisi was right. Whether it took three years, five years, or even longer, they had no choice. This path was the only way to survive. None of them had an alternative.
He put away the formation and leaped into the air, speeding toward the east.
Tu Sisi followed.
Lu Yuan followed. The four demon gods, Bai Ze, and the Saint from Ancient Sword Mountain only let out long sighs before following close behind.
Under the grey sky and across the vast earth, Xu Xian led the group in a low-altitude flight. He deliberately slowed his pace to conserve spirit qi and to ensure everyone could keep up.
In truth, Xu Xian felt things weren't so bad. As long as Li Shuhe accompanied them and they didn't encounter an opponent that was too powerful, his reserves of spirit stones, pills, and immortal plants in the Divine Sword Pool were more than enough.
Furthermore...
The four demon gods used Shadow Soul Stones. As it happened, he had a massive amount of those left—measured in tons.
Not long after they departed, there was movement in the Spirit Tower of Black Spirit City.
A Small Spirit Lord hurried in to report, “Reporting! The targets have moved. They are heading straight toward Black Spirit City!”
Ling Tang gave a wicked smile. “As expected. She really does want to escort them to that Immortal Land...”
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