Chapter 52: The great divide

Chapter 52: Chapter 52: The great divide

The journey continued for more than five sun positions.

From the top of their head at the start, the sun now hung halfway through to the other side.

At first, Zhao Linger remained fascinated by everything below them.

The Imperial City had long since disappeared behind the distant mountains, and the scenery gradually changed from the densely populated central region into vast stretches of wilderness.

They passed over forests that seemed endless from above, their thick green canopies spreading across the land like a sea.

Rivers wound between the mountains, reflecting the sunlight whenever they emerged from beneath the trees, while occasional towns and villages appeared beside the roads.

Cultivators could sometimes be seen traveling between them, either riding spiritual beasts or taking flying carriages.

Linger eventually pulled her gaze away from the window and looked toward Zhao Lianyu.

"How long until we reach the eastern region?"

"Half a day."

"Half a day?" Linger blinked. "The Great Yan Kingdom is really that large?"

Zhao Lianyu nodded.

"You have only seen the central region so far. There is still a long way to go."

She glanced toward the spiritual beasts pulling the carriage.

"But we’re already traveling quite fast. In fact, this is much faster than I could travel on my own."

Zhao Linger looked at her in surprise.

"Really?"

"Of course. If an ordinary Qi Condensation cultivator were to make this journey without the aid of a spiritual beast or a carriage like this, they would have to travel by road and make frequent stops to recover their spiritual energy."

"Depending on their cultivation and the route they took, it could easily take several months just to cross such a distance."

"Several months?"

Zhao Linger’s eyes widened slightly.

"That’s right. Even a cultivator can’t simply travel endlessly without resting. The stronger they are, the faster they can travel, but crossing an entire region is still a considerable journey."

She glanced toward the window again.

"This carriage allows us to maintain a much greater speed for a much longer period of time. That is why we can reach the eastern region within several hours rather than several months."

"This carriage possesses the speed of an ordinary middle-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator."

Zhao Linger stared at Zhao Lianyu.

"You’re serious?"

She looked toward the window, then back at the carriage around them, as though trying to understand how something that looked like an ordinary carriage could possibly move at the speed of a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Zhao Lianyu nodded calmly.

"Of course. It is a spiritual weapon."

"A spiritual weapon?"

"More precisely, a second-grade spiritual weapon."

"Second-grade?"

Zhao Linger’s eyes widened.

She had never imagined that a spiritual weapon could be turned into a carriage, much less one capable of reaching the speed of a middle-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator.

She only knew that spiritual weapons were only used in combat, never in auxiliary means like this.

Zhao Lianyu smiled at her reaction.

"Spiritual weapons come in all shapes and forms. Don’t let its simple appearance fool you. This carriage was specifically refined for long-distance transportation, which is why it can maintain such a speed for an extended period of time."

Zhao Lianyu then glanced toward the guards riding behind them.

"It can also assist the cultivators around it, allowing them to keep up with its speed. Otherwise, those guards would have been left behind long ago."

Zhao Linger was utterly surprised, and throughout the journey, her eyes were practically shining, gaping outside the window, taking in the passing scenery.

As they continued onward, the number of towns and roads gradually decreased. The forests became denser, the mountains more frequent, and eventually even traces of civilization became difficult to find.

Then, far ahead, something unusual appeared on the horizon.

At first, it looked like a thin dark line cutting across the world.

As the carriage drew closer, that line gradually widened.

Zhao Linger leaned toward the window, trying to understand what she was seeing.

It was a chasm.

Not a normal ravine, but something far beyond what she had ever imagined. A massive fracture stretched across the land, its dark edges disappearing into the distant horizon.

It continued in both directions far beyond what the eye could see, cutting through mountains, forests, plains, and everything else in its path.

There was no way to tell where it began or where it ended.

Even from their position in the sky, Zhao Linger could not see the full length of it.

And its width was even more astonishing. The gap between the two sides stretched beyond what her eyes could see. It was as though the earth itself had been divided into enormous regions by a single endless wound.

Zhao Linger stared at it in silence.

"What... is that?"

"The Great Divide," Zhao Lianyu replied.

"The Great Divide?"

"Yes."

Linger continued looking at the enormous chasm.

"So this is what separates all the regions?"

"Not just this one." Zhao Lianyu looked toward the distance where the chasm continued. "The Great Divides are what separate nearly all the major regions of Great Yan. They stretch across the kingdom in enormous lines, dividing the land into vast territories."

Linger’s expression became more amazed.

"How long are they?"

"No one knows."

"No one knows?"

Zhao Lianyu shook her head.

"They stretch too far into the surrounding lands. Even the strongest cultivators who have explored them have never determined where some of the Great Divides truly end."

Linger looked down again.

The bottom of the chasm was completely hidden beneath layers of thick mist.

"So people just... cross them to get to the other region?"

"Not ordinary people," Zhao Lianyu replied. "For cultivators, crossing is possible. But the Great Divides are dangerous places. There are spiritual beasts living within them, and some areas contain ancient formations or other dangers left behind from unknown eras."

As if to prove her point, the mist below suddenly shifted.

Something enormous moved within the depths, and a dark shape suddenly shot upward.

Zhao Linger’s eyes widened as a strange flying monster emerged from the mist before spreading its wings and disappearing into the distance.

"...What was that?"

"Probably a spiritual beast."

"Probably?"

Zhao Lianyu glanced toward the depths.

"We didn’t get a good enough look, and deep inside the mist, there are some horrifying spiritual beasts living there."

Linger stared at her for a few seconds before quietly nodding.

"Then let’s not get a better look."

Zhao Lianyu gave a faint smile.

"Agreed."

Below them, the Great Divide seemed almost endless.

The opposite side was so far away that it barely looked real, while the depths below disappeared beneath layers upon layers of mist.

And still, the chasm continued far beyond both sides of their vision.

From time to time, strange flying monsters emerged from its depths and chased after the carriage.

Some possessed enormous wings, while others had grotesque bodies that seemed completely unsuited for flight, yet they still managed to rise from the depths and pursue the carriage through the sky.

None managed to get close.

The two Foundation Establishment guards remained vigilant throughout the crossing.

Whenever one of the creatures approached, spiritual energy surged through the air, spiritual techniques erupted, striking it before it could reach the carriage and swiftly killing it.

The remaining monsters quickly retreated into the depths.

The carriage continued onward.

It took considerable time before the opposite side of the Great Divide finally began to approach.

The distant cliffs slowly grew larger, revealing mountains covered in dense forests. Beyond them stretched another vast expanse of unfamiliar land.

Zhao Linger watched the approaching scenery with renewed curiosity.

"So this is the eastern region..."

The carriage crossed the final stretch of the chasm.

Once they had crossed the Great Divide, Zhao Lianyu did not immediately continue straight ahead.

She raised one hand, and a gentle stream of spiritual energy flowed toward the spiritual beasts pulling the carriage. The beasts responded almost immediately, slowing their pace before gradually turning toward the southeast.

Zhao Linger noticed the change and looked over.

"Are we changing direction?"

"Yes."

Zhao Lianyu reached into her storage ring and took out a strange object.

It was small enough to fit within her palm, yet its appearance was unlike any spiritual weapon Zhao Linger had ever seen. The device consisted of a thin, circular piece of dark jade surrounded by a narrow silver frame.

At its center was a single needle made from an unknown black metal, so thin that it almost disappeared against the jade surface.

There were no inscriptions carved across it, nor were there any complicated mechanisms.

It simply had a single needle.

Zhao Lianyu placed a small amount of spiritual energy into the device, and the black needle trembled immediately.

It slowly turned. It did not point toward north, south, east, or west.

Instead, it settled toward a specific direction across the eastern region. Zhao Linger stared at it curiously.

"What is that?"