Tian Nan's East Yu Country is one of the few countries in Tian Nan's cultivation world that doesn't belong to any of the four major powers.
This isn't because the country is too small or resource-poor to be noticed by the major powers. On the contrary, in terms of territory and abundant cultivation resources, East Yu ranks in the top ten in Tian Nan.
The reason no power has been able to control this country is entirely due to its geographical location.
East Yu, while distant from the Nine Nations Alliance and unrelated to it, borders the other three major powers closely on all sides, effectively wedged between them.
Additionally, the country's cultivation sects are historically diverse, with both righteous and demonic sects, along with numerous small factions. Importantly, no local sect has been able to dominate the others, preventing East Yu from aligning decisively with any of the major powers.
As a result, the three major powers vie openly and covertly for influence in this country, but to no avail. Ultimately, they agreed that none would interfere in East Yu's affairs, making it a neutral state.
Nevertheless, many local sects have already allied with either the righteous or demonic paths or the Heaven's Path Alliance, receiving covert support from the three major powers. This has allowed East Yu to maintain a precarious balance for over a hundred years, attracting many cultivators who seek a neutral ground, leading to a period of great prosperity.
In the northern part of East Yu, in the province of Changzhou, lies a basin covering nearly two-thirds of the province. This basin is mostly covered by dense forests, and at its center lies a vast mountain range spanning millions of miles, known locally as the "Wanling Mountains."
No one has ever verified whether this range truly contains ten thousand peaks, but its vast expanse means it is richly endowed with spiritual beasts and rare herbs. However, apart from specific times every few decades, even cultivators dare not venture into the mountains to gather herbs or hunt beasts.
This is because the Wanling Mountains are also known by another, far more ominous name in Tian Nan's cultivation world: "The Land of the Fallen Demons."
Within this range, hidden away, lies the notorious "Fallen Demon Valley," reputed to be the deadliest place in Tian Nan. Since ancient times, countless powerful cultivators have entered the valley in search of treasure, but it remains shrouded in mystery and bloodshed, deterring all but the most foolhardy.
Of course, the reputation of the Fallen Demon Valley alone couldn't entirely deter cultivators. However, the entire Wanling Mountains have long been enveloped in thick, multicolored miasma, supposedly influenced by the valley.
This miasma is not only highly toxic but also dense like a barrier, obscuring visibility to the point where one can't see their own hand. It disorients anyone who ventures into it, making them lose their way.
In such an environment, even if cultivators could survive the miasma, they couldn't gather herbs or hunt beasts effectively. They can only harvest from the thinner, outer edges of the miasma, leaving most of the wealth of the mountains untouched.
Every fifty years or so, however, the miasma dissipates for a brief period, coinciding with the time when the spatial rifts in the Fallen Demon Valley are at their most stable. During this short window, treasure seekers from across Tian Nan rush into the mountains.
Despite the vastness of the mountains and the abundance of spiritual herbs and beasts, only a few cultivators typically find significant treasures. Nonetheless, during this period, thousands of cultivators flock to the area.
