Deities: Rulers of Nature

Under Qinglu's command, the snake-men with minor injuries went to treat the three bronze-tier giant toads and the eight black iron-tier giant toads, while the snake-men with serious injuries waited on the shore for mild healing spells.

Afterwards, these snake people would return to their tribe with their spoils and receive full treatment from Qingdao.

As for the green and crimson ones, they will continue to advance with the snake people in good condition.

After the team was streamlined, their travel speed increased.

"After the encounter with the venomous giant toad, the lower reaches of the river should be safe for the time being."

After sensing the area again and discovering that there were no powerful wild beasts in this waterway, Jin Yan couldn't help but sigh.

Come to think of it, the giant venomous toad comes here every year. Those who are stubborn enough to be stubborn will definitely become toad droppings, while those who are afraid of the giant toad and avoid it will not return for a while.

This is why, after a brief rest, the green and red hues continued their journey towards the estuary.

"Everyone, pick up the pace again. Let's try to reach the South China Sea today." The crimson voice reached the snake people's ears, and the team's pace quickened once more.

As the team ventured deeper into the area, the environment along the shore began to change.

The river channel is getting wider and wider, and the trees and shrubs on both banks are decreasing, being replaced by reed beds.

But this was not the end. After passing through the reeds, what appeared in the snake people's field of vision was not the ocean, but a unique landscape with a strong visual impact.

Near the estuary where fresh and saltwater meet, there grows a vast expanse of red thorny thorn wetland.

Vast patches of alkaline grass have lost their green color and turned into a rich purplish-red. They grow on the muddy mudflats, densely packed together, and when the wind blows, they look like fierce flames.

On one side is the azure sea, and on the other side is the fiery red wetlands, creating a stunning picture under the setting sun.

Many young snake-man warriors who had only been temple guards for a few years were stunned. For them, who spent most of their time in forests and swamps, this was the first time they had experienced the grandeur and magnificence of nature.

This kind of beauty needs no embellishment; it is enough to strike their souls.

In fact, the snake people don't know how this area was formed, nor do they know what these red grasses are called, but that doesn't stop them from experiencing it.

"How beautiful!" Jin Yan exclaimed, his words undoubtedly expressing the sentiments of many snake people.

Qinglu stopped at the edge of the wetland, his pupils reflecting the red and blue. His hand brushed past a clump of alkaline grass beside him, and a touch of melancholy for things that had changed flashed across his eyes.

"When Jin Yan and I came here last time, this place wasn't like this." A hint of nostalgia lingered in Qinglu's voice. "Back then, there weren't many plants here, just vast stretches of mud and gravel."

At that time, they were still the Xishan settlement, and had only recently received the favor of the God of Nature. Like newborn calves unafraid of tigers, he and Jin Yan dared to venture to the South China Sea.

"Looking back now, we were really lucky. If we had encountered a few bronze-level wild beasts, we probably would have been killed on the way," Jin Yan said, patting Qing Lü on the shoulder as he approached him.

Indeed, the more you know, the more awe you feel.

"Blessed by the God of Nature."

In fact, along the way, Qinglu had already noticed that many places were different from before. Thinking of the scenes of moving mountains and filling seas that she had seen many times before, Qinglu couldn't help but marvel at the greatness of the god of nature.

Aside from the green and golden rocks, this was the first time this snake-man had seen the sea of ​​the Mountain and Sea Divine Realm, but some of the parts were not his first time seeing the sea.

The ocean is no stranger to the temple guards who experienced the first War of Glory; they successfully killed the giant squid in that demiplane that was entirely ocean.

After their victory, the God of Nature bestowed upon them the Moon Reflection Pool.

It can be said that a large part of the snake people here owe their current status to the existence of the Moon Reflection Pool.

"This is the smell of the sea." Bai Qian's attention shifted from the wetlands, and she immediately smelled the different scent in the air.

For Bai Qian, this was something she had never experienced before.

"Indeed, this is the South China Sea region of the World-Ringing Sea." The emerald voice cut through the roar of the waves crashing against the shore, drawing the attention of all the snake people.

"The South China Sea is very warm and also very rich, containing various resources and crises. In the future, the tribe will establish a stronghold here, and the temple guards will take turns guarding this place and regularly go to the ocean to obtain resources. This is also a kind of training."

As the number of snake people increases, they certainly won't all be able to live in the Xishan tribe in the future. This will actually limit the snake people's use of the resources of the Mountain and Sea Divine Realm.

The diversion of population is inevitable. Just like the outposts set up near farmland before, these may all develop into villages in the future.

Although there aren't enough snake people yet, we can choose a good location and make preliminary preparations.

Afterwards, under Qinglv's command, the snake people began preliminary exploration of the shallow waters of the South China Sea.

The shallow sea area is crystal clear, and the setting sun shines through the sea surface, casting patches of light on the seabed. The suitable water temperature makes the snake people feel very comfortable, at least more comfortable than the bottom of Mirror Lake.

They traversed among the colorful coral reefs, and in the distance, huge seaweed swayed with the waves, where various fish and shellfish could be seen swimming.

Of course, the snake people didn't come to admire the scenery. They memorized the terrain and the general distribution of resources, and after returning to the shore, they would quickly draw it on the tanned animal hides using charcoal that had been burned and sharpened.

Although the drawing is very abstract and there is no scale or other reference, a winding line represents the coast, a few waves represent the ocean, and small circles are reefs... but it doesn't really matter, as long as you can understand it.

This wasn't the first time the snake people had done this; it was a task recently issued by the Seido to all temple guards.

Seido taught the temple guards a set of simple symbols that he had devised himself, such as trees, stones, mountains, rivers, wild beasts, fish, and birds.

Whenever the temple guards went out hunting or exploring new areas, they would mark the areas they passed through.

These scattered, abstract maps would eventually be compiled and given to Qingdao, who would then piece them together, verify them, and gradually complete the large map of the area around the tribe.

"Chieftain, come and take a look." Jin Yan suddenly shouted to Qing Lü not far away, "Look at this small island, isn't it the one where we landed in the ocean demiplane back then?"

"The outline does look somewhat similar, but there isn't nearly as much vegetation there," Qinglu said after examining it for a moment.

But in reality, it was the same island from the beginning. After Ji Xuan's adjustments, several small islands in the ocean half-plane were scattered in the South China Sea. Moreover, Ji Xuan created many more islands himself.

The plant species in the Mountain and Sea Divine Realm are far richer than those in the Ocean Demiplane. Over the years, these islands have become covered with vegetation, and seabirds also inhabit them.

This is the place He prepared for the snake people to explore the ocean, since the snake people have no way to sleep or rest in the sea.