Emperor’s Domination

Black Wood Cliff was located next to Black Tides, spanning two-third of the coastline.

In other words, Black Wood wasn't a singular cliff but rather, a broader name of a geographic region.

As for Black Tides, it presided to the very south, far removed from the holy ground and Buddha Emperor Plateau.

A mortal would never be able to make a trip from the capital to Black Wood Cliff. A powerful cultivator relying on flying would require a long period of time.

Due to the long distance, the core of the holy ground didn't care about Black Wood. Whatever danger loomed at Black Wood was just too far away.

Nonetheless, historically, there has always been a garrison for a mighty legion here. This applied to the present day as well.

This particular legion belonged to Vajra. The reason for them being here was simple - to watch over Black Tides.

Of course, a legion alone wouldn't do much against Black Tides. Nonetheless, this has been tradition.

Black Tides was one of the seven forbidden zones. The majority of intruders would never come back alive, not even powerful supremes.

The south was closer but even the leaders of the north always worried about this area. The reason why the south still existed was due to the effort of the wise sages and cultivators. Dao Lords risked their lives in order to calm this ocean.

This was the case for the other forbidden zones too. One famous expedition was led by Duck Egg Dao Lord, including battles in all seven zones. [1]

More recently during the Chaotic Era, Puresun Dao Lord also fought against the forbidden zones.

There were few records about this era; not too many details remained. However, recent battles were quite famous.

For example, Buddha Dao Lord, Dhyana Dao Lord, and Righteous Dao Lord have all fought Black Tides. Later on, Vajra Dao Lord and his wondrous weapon did quite a number on Black Tides.

Because of this feat, his vajra was considered to be one of the ten greatest dao lord treasures.

In history, there were most likely thousands of dao lord weapons and treasure. Thus, the high rank of his vajra showed just how brilliant it was.

Furthermore, all of them returned alive after the expeditions.

Alas, tragedies happened as well. Leaving alone the older tales, the one that left the deepest impression recently was Scarlet Moon Dao Lord.

This dao lord was brilliant, being a peerless genius with an unmatched grand dao. He dominated and became a dao lord later on.

Unfortunately, the tides suddenly came when he had just finished creating his golden avatar. Since he had just reached this realm, his dao foundation was unstable.

He eventually died to the tides; his vitality, blood, and grand dao were taken by the receding tides.

All of Eight Desolaces trembled in fear. Though some top masters tried to help, they could only watch the tides retreat back to the ocean.

His death served as a warning to the entire world. They have grown complacent after the end of the Chaotic Era.

During the Era of the Blessed, prosperity could be found everywhere. Very few dao lords died during their ascension so people forgot about this risk.

Scarlet Moon Dao Lord's fate became the prime example and reminded everyone of this tragic possibility.

Afterward, other terrible events stemmed from Black Tides. For example, whenever the tides receded, terrible creatures would come forth.

They were strong enough to overwhelm Buddha Supreme. If it weren't for Righteous Supreme and Eight Stallion Dao Lord, the south would have fallen.

That's why the leading dynasties of Vajra always had a legion at Black Wood just to keep an eye out for any suspicious movement.

Though Li Qiye wasn't in a rush, they traveled swiftly while being in the carriage controlled by the old servant.

It didn't take long before they arrived at a great city in Black Wood. People either called it Black Wood Cliff City or just Black Wood Cliff.

It was the home of more than ten million inhabitants. As the group approached, they saw a unique characteristic of the forests and vegetation here.

Everything along the coastline was stained by a black shade. Because of this, the coastline was rather visible even from a distance, looking like a thick black line spanning for ten million miles.

As they got closer to the city, they met more passengers along the way. Since Black Wood Cliff was by the border of the holy ground, they didn't see many people along the way until now.

Yang Ling and Fan Bai stared curiously at the travelers. There were a few mortals but mostly cultivators from various sects and races. This looked pretty similar to Buddha Emperor City.

"I haven't seen this type of clothes before." However, Yang Ling noticed a different group.

It didn't look like the fashion of the holy ground or Righteous Sect. In fact, this seemed different from anything from Eight Desolaces.

They seemed to be from an ancient era. An archaic aura just oozed from them.

"They're from Wild East Eight Kingdoms." The old servant said: "Black Wood Cliff is close to the east so they do come here."

"I thought the eight kingdoms don't mingle with the outside world." Yang Ling asked.

"That's in the past. The barbarians of the east certainly didn't come out during the Chaotic Era and didn't welcome outsiders either. This gradually changed but still very limited. They usually only visit black Wood Cliff, very few go out farther." The old servant smiled.

"So who are they? Do they just want to maintain their lifestyle from the ancient era without dealing with the modern world?" She continued.

In the past, the holy ground had tried to conquer the eight kingdoms to extend its reach. The result was well-known as well.

This was during the golden age of both the holy ground and Righteous Sect. The two enemies decided to work together in order to conquer the eight kingdoms. This expedition was led by eight saints and nine sovereigns.

The eight kingdoms couldn't stop the powerful legions from these two sects, losing one battle after another. What happened next took the legions by surprise. The Ancient Empress appeared and defeated their top masters along with the legions.

From then on, Righteous Sect and the holy ground never tried to conquer the east again.

"Time is an unstoppable flood. Trying to separate from the world is futile. In the end, they'll be swept into the temporal flood as well, no exception." The old servant said.

1. Duck's egg buyer turns out to be a dao lord, shortened to duck egg for brevity reason