The Yin-Yang Realm spanned countless miles.
The East Pole, West Wilderness, South Sands, and North Sea were four distinct regions.
Crossing between them required traversing the Sea of Nether Souls, a perilous journey where survival was a slim chance.
However, a certain route was rumored to significantly increase the odds of survival, but it was controlled by a powerful entity.
Thus, one either had to be strong enough to force their way through the Sea of Nether Souls, or pay a hefty sum for a ticket, which improved survival rates but still depended on luck.
Princess Seven mentioned that the controlling entity suffered losses annually when dispatching ships, yet no one dared to challenge them. Boarding required signing a life-and-death contract, with heaven and earth as witnesses and fate dictating life or death.
Chu Tian scoffed at the exploitative nature of such an agreement, wondering if it legally sanctioned murder and robbery at sea.
The Yin-Yang Realm wasn't limited to just these four regions. Compared to the central Zhongzhou, these four were considered the countryside. Zhongzhou was said to be ten times larger than the combined area of the East Pole, West Wilderness, South Sands, and North Sea.
According to Princess Seven, the Yin-Yang Realm was practically boundless. The Sea of Nether Souls divided the realm into five main areas, or six if the sea itself was counted.
The East Pole, West Wilderness, South Sands, and North Sea, due to their differing geographical locations, harbored vastly different environments.
The East Pole was dominated by jungles.
The South Sands were over seventy percent desert.
The West Wilderness was a land of towering mountain ranges that pierced the clouds.
The North Sea was not a true sea but an ice field, with no exposed ground.
Zhongzhou, according to legend, was home to numerous sects, countless immortal mountains, and abundant blessed lands. Its terrain was relatively ordinary, encompassing a variety of landscapes, unlike the distinctive features of the other four regions.
There were only two types of cultivators in this world: Body Cultivators who practiced Yang-elemental power, and Spirit Controllers who cultivated Yin-elemental power.
Body Cultivators were a rarity on the continent, not due to a lack of talent, as many possessed the aptitude for Yang-elemental cultivation. However, body cultivation demanded incredibly tenacious willpower and vast amounts of rare spiritual treasures for physical refinement. Consequently, few had ever achieved mastery in body cultivation throughout history.
Cultivating Yin-elemental power as Spirit Controllers was comparatively simpler. While few could awaken a compatible affinity with Yin spirits, those who did could grow infinitely by absorbing Yin-elemental energy. Therefore, anyone who awakened this affinity was hailed as a peerless genius. Body Cultivators, on the other hand, were relegated to roles like martial artists, serving as enforcers or soldiers in human kingdoms and sects.
Princess Seven, however, spoke of legendary figures in this world—individuals of immense power who had once achieved great fame and built empires. These individuals were all Body Cultivators. It was said that reaching the highest realm of body cultivation allowed one to summon spiritual beings, just like Spirit Controllers.
This revelation finally explained why the appearance of the giant bear phantom when Chu Tian activated his bear form hadn't surprised them, but merely astonished them. Their shock stemmed from the power of the spiritual being Chu Tian summoned, which they assumed was directly linked to his own strength. They therefore believed Chu Tian to be an exceptionally powerful Spirit Controller, what the Ninth Prince had termed a Venerable.
A Venerable was defined by the ability of their summoned spiritual being to mirror and amplify their every action. Prior to reaching this stage, spiritual beings could only execute simple attacks and did not replicate all of the Spirit Controller's movements. A Venerable, however, possessed a shadow-like connection, a manifestation even more potent than the Spirit Controller themselves. This was why Chu Tian's roar had sent the soldiers fleeing; a single Venerable was far beyond the capabilities of their small nation to contend with.
Beyond the inherent power of a Venerable, each possessed a powerful backing. For instance, Princess Seven’s nation, the Lin Imperial Dynasty, sounded imposing and vast, ruling over billions. Yet, she described it as merely a second-class empire. Even first-class empires were not truly free, as all kingdoms within their sphere of influence were subservient to the Ji family.
The Ji family, though just a family, held the power to dictate imperial successions with a single word. This authority stemmed from their possession of an unparalleled ancestor and countless Venerable Spirit Controllers. While a Spirit Controller’s path to becoming a Venerable required less effort than a Body Cultivator's, achieving powerful spirit souls without guidance or mentorship was nearly impossible.
After Princess Seven finished speaking, Chu Tian learned her name: Lin Qiaoqiao, a name befitting a demure young lady, starkly contrasting with her fiery red attire. The Ninth Prince, naturally, was also surnamed Lin, his given name being Bei.
"Lin Bei?" Chu Tian murmured. He knew someone else named Lin Bei on Blue Star, an associate of the Zhang family, albeit an outsider. That Lin Bei was a special forces captain, and Chu Tian had interacted with him several times on Taiwan Island, finding him to be a decent person. It was a coincidence that this Ninth Prince shared the same name.
Chu Tian also grasped the unique nature of this world. The Yin-Yang Realm, it was said, connected the heavens above and the underworld below. However, this was merely Princess Seven's account of a legend; no one knew for sure if the Yin-Yang Realm truly connected to the Yin and Yang. Chu Tian's presence, however, suggested that it was indeed possible to travel to other places from here.
Another characteristic of this world was that the souls of all creatures that died here did not dissipate. They became unowned souls, awaiting reincarnation or capture by powerful Soul Controllers. If a Soul Controller died, these spirits were freed. Soul Controllers themselves would transform into spiritual beings, but in most cases, they were immediately consumed by the very spirits they had captured, leading to their complete annihilation.
Spirits captured by Soul Controllers, having cultivated alongside them, grew exceptionally powerful. They would consume others, and in turn, be consumed. It was akin to raising soul-devouring insects; the longer a spirit survived, the stronger it became, attracting even more formidable Soul Controllers to capture it.
Princess Lin Qiaoqiao also shared an ancient legend with Chu Tian: before the Yin-Yang Realm came into existence, it was part of the Underworld, where all those who died unjustly were sent. At some point, a powerful individual among the unjustly deceased appeared and, using supreme divine power, separated this land from the Underworld, pushing the Yin-Yang Realm out to become an independent space.