Cultivation Begins From The Desert-Chapter 856 - 1: Chi Ming Immortal Realm
True Immortal Realm, Chi Ming Immortal Domain.
The True Immortal Realm is vast and boundless. Besides the Harmonious Celestial Immortals, no one knows just how extensive this realm really is.
Within this vast and boundless True Immortal Realm, countless intelligent races reside, and the Human Race is merely one of the most powerful among them.
As one of the most powerful races in the True Immortal Realm, the territory occupied by the Human Race is naturally very large.
To this day, the Human Race has developed twenty-seven Immortal Domains in the True Immortal Realm. Even the smallest of these domains requires a Tribulation Crossing True Immortal to fly tirelessly for twenty or thirty years to traverse.
Among these twenty-seven Immortal Domains, the Chi Ming Immortal Domain was neither the first nor the last to be developed. It was the eighteenth domain opened by the Human Race, and its developer was the "Chi Ming Dao Ancestor," who had long since achieved the Celestial Immortal Dao Fruit.
As the Immortal Domain opened by the Harmonious Celestial Immortal "Chi Ming Dao Ancestor," the owner of the Chi Ming Immortal Domain has never changed. It has always been the [Chixiao Immortal Palace] created by the "Chi Ming Dao Ancestor" before achieving the Celestial Immortal Dao Fruit.
According to the rules set among the humans of the True Immortal Realm, any Tribulation Crossing True Immortal with an Immortal Record, upon entering another Immortal Domain, must first report their identity to the local Immortal Palace directly affiliated with the Immortal Domain.
If one fails to report their identity, and if they commit any transgressions within the Immortal Domain, they will be directly hunted and captured, with the lightest punishment being a hundred-year imprisonment in the Immortal Prison!
When Zhouyang woke up, he found himself in a desolate mountain wilderness in the Chi Ming Immortal Domain, with a white treasure pearl lying beside him.
He sent his Divine Sense into the treasure pearl and saw a wisp of Soul Split from the Golden Armored Immortal who had captured him.
This wisp of Soul Split had no independent consciousness, only a portion of its memory was pre-implanted. It explained to him certain taboos that Tribulation Crossing True Immortals should be aware of in the Immortal Realm, including the necessity for reporting when entering other Immortal Domains.
"...The path of the Immortal Dao is long, take care of yourself!"
The calm, indifferent voice of the Golden Armored Immortal still echoed in Zhouyang's mind, and the wisp of Soul Split left in the treasure pearl had already self-destructed.
Zhouyang closed his eyes slightly to process the information he just learned, but remained silent for a long time.
He couldn't help but recall the perilous journey that brought him to the True Immortal Realm.
The dangers of the Chaos Void were indeed not exaggerated in the least.
When he and one man and four demons ascended from the Ascension Altar and broke away from the "Spirit Realm," they directly entered the Chaos Void.
Upon entering the Chaos Void, Zhouyang immediately sensed the presence of the True Immortal Realm, which seemed to have a mysterious attraction pulling him towards it.
They then advanced in the direction of the sensation, led by Zhouyang, using the cultivated Immortal Technique Divine Techniques "Void Shift."
However, the Chaos Void was filled with chaotic turbulence, and even with "Void Shift," they sometimes couldn't escape before being swept into the chaotic turbulence.
Once caught in the tumult, their Immortal Yuan Magical Power would deplete rapidly from resisting the chaos impact.
Back in the "Spirit Realm," Zhouyang could battle the Tier Seven True Spirit "Sea-covering Spirit Ape" for ten days and nights, still full of energy and with little magical power consumed.
This was because, in the "Spirit Realm," he could continually absorb and refine spiritual qi from the Heaven and Earth Laws, replenishing any power used.
But in the Chaos Void, it was not so easily done.
Though the Chaos Void was also filled with the Power of Chaos, a Tribulation Crossing True Immortal's cultivation wasn't enough to directly refine Chaos Power to recover Immortal Yuan Magical Power.
Or rather, it's not that it couldn't be done, but it shouldn't be.
The Power of Chaos is inherently disordered and chaotic. If one tries to refine Chaos Power directly to recover Immortal Yuan Magical Power, both the Immortal Body and Immortal Soul would undergo irreversible changes, eventually turning into a chaotic monster without self-awareness.
To recover Immortal Yuan Magical Power in the Chaos Void, Tribulation Crossing True Immortals and Tier Seven True Spirits need to separate the absorbable and refinable spiritual power from the Chaos Power before absorbing and refining it to recover Immortal Yuan Magical Power.
This additional step makes the recovery of Immortal Yuan Magical Power in the Chaos Void much slower than in a Grand Thousand World like the "Spirit Realm," where danger is also significantly less than in the Chaos Void.
This subtraction and addition made Zhouyang and his party's ascension journey extremely arduous.
Confronted with ordinary chaotic turbulences, they could still rely on Immortal Yuan Magical Power to withstand them, but the chaos giant beasts lurking in the Chaos Void couldn't be dealt with so easily.
These chaos giant beasts were peculiar beings born from the Chaos Void, only surviving there. Lacking any intelligence, they attack anything incompatible with the chaos.
The weakest of these chaos giant beasts was at Tier Seven, and they feared no death. Once caught by them, one would either have to kill them or outrun them to escape their detection range.
Zhouyang and his companions slew dozens of chaos giant beasts along their way, but more often, they were relentlessly hunted, desperately using "Void Shift" to escape.
At one point, while fleeing from a chaos giant beast comparable to Tier Eight, they were suddenly blocked by another chaos giant beast, as strong as a late-stage Tribulation True Immortal.
It was truly a perilous situation, like facing a tiger at the front and a wolf at the back, forcing Zhouyang and his companions to scatter and run for their lives.
After this incident, Zhouyang never saw the other four demon True Spirits again.
He later wandered alone in the Chaos Void for over twenty years, enduring countless tribulations before finally reaching the True Immortal Realm.
But scarcely had he arrived outside the True Immortal Realm, not yet officially entering it, when his presence was discovered by a patrolling Golden Armored Immortal belonging to the Ascension Platform. After a brief exchange, he was captured and suppressed on the spot.
That battle was perhaps Zhouyang's most frustrating since his Tribulation Ascension to Immortality.
In terms of cultivation, the patrolling Golden Armored Immortal was at mid-stage Tribulation Crossing, just a small realm higher than himself.
Yet the opponent's few Immortal Artifacts were exceedingly formidable, and their cultivated Immortal Technique Divine Techniques were more profound and mysterious than the last.
Zhouyang couldn't even last a day in their battle before a Divine Technique immobilized him, followed by an Immortal Seal capable of suppressing a True Immortal's Primordial Spirit locking down his Immortal Soul, leaving him without any power to resist.
Reflecting on that battle now, Zhouyang was resigned to realize that even if given another chance, his odds of escaping the Golden Armored Immortal were less than fifty percent.
Their Immortal Artifacts were no lower than Tier Seven Middle Grade, and their Immortal Techniques were so advanced as to be cast effortlessly, with divine movement techniques far beyond his reach.
Other than his slightly superior Immortal Body, Zhouyang was weaker in all other aspects.
"I just can't figure out why he captured me; I clearly cooperated fully, answering his questions without deliberate deception!"
Mumbling to himself, Zhouyang's expression looked grim.
With his Immortal Soul and Primordial Spirit suppressed, all external senses were sealed off, leaving him unaware of where he was taken or what transpired during his captivity.
Even being recorded in the Immortal Record was forced upon him.
```
As a Tribulation Crossing True Immortal, this kind of situation undoubtedly makes him deeply angry and uneasy.
However, circumstances are beyond one's control. Zhou Yang also knows that unless one day he cultivates to the Returning Void Stage, wanting to understand what has happened during this time is not likely to happen easily.
"Forget it, the most urgent task at hand is to first reshape the Immortal Body and Immortal Soul, otherwise, if I clash with other Immortals in this True Immortal Realm, I will be even less of a match!"
Zhou Yang furrowed his brows, his eyes set in determination, and soon came up with a plan.
Every world has its unique Heavenly Dao Rules. As the Residual Soul of [True Monarch Guangming] once mentioned, a Tribulation Crossing True Immortal, if able to reshape the Immortal Body and Immortal Soul outside the realm, lifespan will no longer be limited by the Heavenly Dao Rules of the "Spirit Realm".
As a high-level world, the True Immortal Realm has Heavenly Dao Rules far more complex and intertwined than those of the "Spirit Realm", and the Power of Laws is the same.
Zhou Yang has already discovered that in the True Immortal Realm, although he can also mobilize the Power of Laws, it is far more awkward and difficult compared to when he was in the "Spirit Realm", as if there is an invisible barrier.
This is because, as a foreigner, he has not yet fully integrated into this realm.
To fully integrate into the True Immortal Realm, he needs to reshape his Immortal Body and Immortal Soul, removing the barrier between himself and this world.
But reshaping the Immortal Body and Immortal Soul cannot be accomplished in a short period of time and is not convenient to carry out in this wilderness.
Just as Zhou Yang was about to leave, looking for a settlement of cultivators to inquire about the situation, he suddenly had a change in expression, as if remembering something, slapped his forehead and exclaimed, "Right, I almost forgot, Fellow Daoist Lan is still waiting for me to release him!"
Then he promptly waved his sleeve, releasing Lan Daoist from the Storage Ring.
For Lan Daoist, who had once spent a long time in the [Kunxu Realm], eighty-seven years of slumber is no big deal.
When he was released by Zhou Yang and awoke from his slumber, his first question upon seeing Zhou Yang was: "Have we reached the True Immortal Realm, Fellow Daoist Zhou?"
"Fellow Daoist Lan can see for himself by looking at the sky, can't he?"
Zhou Yang raised his hand, pointing at the sky, and replied with a smile.
The situation in the sky is indeed very different from that of the "Spirit Realm".
The sky of the True Immortal Realm is high and deep, even someone like Zhou Yang, a Tribulation Crossing True Immortal, cannot see through the sky to the Chaos Void outside.
Moreover, in the sky of the True Immortal Realm, besides the sun, even during the day, seven bright stars resembling moons are visible, along with numerous stars that appear or disappear.
Such a celestial spectacle is unique among many worlds, making it hard to mistake.
"Indeed, it's the True Immortal Realm! I never thought that Lan would truly return here in this life!"
Lan Daoist looked up at the starry sky along Zhou Yang's gesture, showing a rare expression of reminiscence and uttering a deep sigh full of emotions.
Zhou Yang, hearing his words, flashed his eyes with brilliance and seriously asked him, "Now that we've arrived in the True Immortal Realm, the agreement we made with Fellow Daoist Lan back then is also completed. I wonder what Fellow Daoist Lan plans to do next?"
What plans?
Lan Daoist's expression froze, his eyes revealing a hint of confusion.
He closed his eyes, seemingly sensing something.
After a few moments, he opened his eyes and lightly exhaled, saying: "Perhaps Lan's initial speculation has come true, and Lan's original body might truly have fallen!"
At this point, he looked at Zhou Yang again and said, "If Fellow Daoist Zhou doesn't mind, Lan would like to continue following you for a while. Once Lan fully completes the construction of this Immortal Puppet body, then it's not too late to consider other directions."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Yang immediately showed a broad smile and warmly said: "Fellow Daoist Lan is a good teacher and friend of mine; it's my honor to have the privilege of your company, why would I mind?"
These words from Zhou Yang came genuinely from his heart, not the slightest falsity.
Since Lan Daoist followed him, he has helped countless times; although Zhou Yang may no longer need Lan Daoist's help now, having this companion who traveled from the "Spirit Realm" with him by his side is an extremely comforting matter.
With Lan Daoist deciding to continue following him, Zhou Yang immediately led him away from this desolate wilderness, searching for a human cultivator settlement.
The Golden Armored Immortal, having thrown Zhou Yang into the Chixiao Immortal Realm, and leaving him with a Split Soul to introduce him to the True Immortal Realm, certainly wouldn't just leave him in a deserted place.
After flying approximately three to four thousand miles, Zhou Yang encountered several Foundation Establishment Cultivators who were out adventuring and searching for Spiritual Objects. From these cultivators, he acquired a map of the surrounding region.
The map was drawn around a large Immortal City named [Nine Profound Immortal City], covering an area of over ten million miles, and the city itself is quite well-known within the Chixiao Immortal Realm, ranking among the top thirty large Immortal Cities.
Generally, a large Immortal City in the True Immortal Realm is bound to have a Tribulation Crossing True Immortal stationed and protected by a Tier Seven Immortal Array.
In the entire Chixiao Immortal Realm, there are only eighty-seven such large Immortal Cities.
After obtaining the map, Zhou Yang inquired a bit about information related to the [Nine Profound Immortal City], and decided to make this Immortal City his first foothold in the True Immortal Realm.
Of course, he wouldn't head to the [Nine Profound Immortal City] just yet; now his Immortal Body and Immortal Soul have not been reshaped, and once he encounters other Tribulation Crossing True Immortals, it would be easy for people to notice he is an ascended Immortal from the lower realm.
According to Zhou Yang's knowledge, not all these native Immortals in the True Immortal Realm are welcoming to ascended Immortals.
Therefore, after studying the map for a while, Zhou Yang decided to first head to a place named "Qianyang Mountain Range" over six hundred thousand miles away for secluded cultivation and to complete the reshaping of his Immortal Body and Immortal Soul.
The "Qianyang Mountain Range" doesn't have much fame in the entire Chixiao Immortal Realm, but within the area of several million miles surrounding the [Nine Profound Immortal City], it is quite well-known as a place for high-tier loose cultivators to gather.
This "Qianyang Mountain Range" stretches over fifty thousand miles east to west and spans seventeen to eighteen thousand miles north to south, containing dozens of Tier Six Spirit Mountains, all occupied by high-tier loose cultivators.
Among the loose cultivator community in the "Qianyang Mountain Range", there is a rule that allows outside cultivators to challenge and take over Spirit Mountains as their Cave Mansion but prohibits using the Spirit Mountains for establishing sects or as clan grounds.
If anyone violates this rule, they will face the attack of all loose cultivators.
This rule, for Zhou Yang, who is seeking a suitable Cave Mansion for secluded cultivation to reshape the Immortal Body and Immortal Soul, is perfectly fitting.
With his skills, defeating a Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator is not difficult, and he doesn't need to worry about his background as an ascended Immortal being revealed.
The distance of over six hundred thousand miles is merely a few days' journey for Zhou Yang.
However, to better disguise himself as a native loose cultivator, he stayed at a small Immortal City for a month along the way, learning the local human cultivator dialect and fabricating a backstory for himself before heading to the "Qianyang Mountain Range."
The "Qianyang Mountain Range" is rich with various peaks and ridges, among which the "Flame Sparrow Peak" is one of the particularly famous Tier Six Spirit Peaks.
The "Qianyang Mountain Range" contains dozens of Tier Six Spirit Mountains, and while the "Flame Sparrow Peak" may not rank in the top ten, it's definitely within the top twenty. Its mountain is so rich in Spiritual Qi that it rivals high-grade Tier Six Spirit Peaks, making it especially suitable for cultivators of the Fire Attribute Technique.
Since the current master of "Flame Sparrow Peak," Sun Boyang, successfully challenged the previous peak master five hundred years ago to occupy this place, it hasn't changed hands in over five hundred years.
And Sun Boyang, after over five hundred years of arduous cultivation, had long since advanced from the seventh layer of the Nascent Soul stage to the eighth layer, but was stuck at the bottleneck before the ninth layer, unable to break through.
Due to the unique rules of the "Qianyang Mountain Range," Sun Boyang, after occupying the "Flame Sparrow Peak," had never done anything objectionable. Normally, besides himself, there were only a few concubines, three disciples, and some servants residing on the mountain.
Now that Sun Boyang's lifespan was less than two hundred years, he had almost extinguished any thoughts of further advancement, focusing all his energy on enjoyment.
This "Flame Sparrow Peak" had thus become a popular place among the circle of high-tier cultivators in the "Qianyang Mountain Range," with grand banquets held there almost every few years.
On this day, the owner of "Flame Sparrow Peak," Sun Boyang, to bless the 300th birthday of his newly acquired seventh concubine, once again invited those high-tier cultivators from the "Qianyang Mountain Range" to gather here for a banquet.
Since Sun Boyang was a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, and the food and wine served at each banquet were top-notch, any high-tier cultivator with free time rarely refused to attend when he invited them.
This was no exception.
At the banquet scene that day, over ten Nascent Soul stage cultivators and seventy or eighty Golden Core stage cultivators sat separately, indulging in fine wines and delicacies while enjoying the graceful dances of nine young female cultivators, each full of joy and ease.
However, just as these people were exchanging cups, deeply intoxicated, a low and forceful voice suddenly echoed from outside "Flame Sparrow Peak."
"Wandering Zhou Yang, here to seek advice on divine techniques from Fellow Daoist Sun, I request Fellow Daoist Sun to come out for a meeting."
Silence!
The previously noisy "Flame Sparrow Peak," because of the words echoing in the mountains, instantly fell silent.
Not only did the cultivators enjoying the drinks quiet down, but even the dancing girls stopped, looking anxiously at the high-tier cultivators at the head of the table, unsure of what to do.
On such a joyous day suddenly challenged by someone coming to the door, anyone could imagine how furious Sun Boyang was at this moment.
Sure enough, just moments ago still delighted with wine and smiles, Sun Boyang, after a brief silence, coldly snorted heavily with a gloomy expression: "Hmph, it seems I haven't struck for long, leading the world to believe I've aged, hastily stepping over to gain fame off me!"
Before he finished speaking, he waved his sleeve, directly lifting the formation barrier on "Flame Sparrow Peak," allowing all the cultivators on the mountain to see the challenger outside, and the other party to see the situation on the mountain.
Upon seeing the appearance of the challenging visitor outside, the cultivators on the mountain were all slightly dazed.
Outside "Flame Sparrow Peak," a young man with an aquiline nose, wearing a golden robe, stood with hands behind his back, looking at the people on the mountain.
The aquiline-nosed young man appeared quite youthful, yet his deep gaze revealed that his true age was surely not young.
The magical power aura of a Nascent Soul eighth-layer cultivator emanating from him further discouraged any underestimation due to his overly youthful appearance.
Seeing the formation barrier on the mountain vanish, the aquiline-nosed youth's eyes flashed with a bright gleam, sweeping over the dozen Nascent Soul stage cultivators on the mountain, quickly locking onto Sun Boyang, the only Nascent Soul eighth-layer cultivator on the mountain.
Then, lightly nodding with a smile, he said: "You must be Fellow Daoist Sun Boyang. I didn't expect today to be a joyous occasion for fellow cultivators; it seems Zhou has been a bit abrupt, if today isn't convenient for Fellow Daoist Sun, Zhou can come back another day."
The youth's words were polite, but both Sun Boyang and the guests on the mountain could sense a casual indifference in his demeanor.
As if challenging Sun Boyang was no big deal to the youth, it didn't matter when it happened.
This indifference could also be interpreted as disdain or arrogance.
Hence, Sun Boyang's already gloomy face suddenly turned dark, then red. His old face flushed as he rose abruptly from his seat, eyes coldly fixed on the youth outside as he said in a cold voice: "No day like today; since you're here, no need to set another date, I'll fulfill your wish and experience your divine technique today!"
With these words, he stepped forward, directly using the Shrinking Inches divine technique to appear outside the mountain, transforming into a scarlet fire light, soaring into the sky, flying towards the boundless sky above.
In the True Immortal Realm, although much larger and more solid than realms like the "Spirit Realm" in the lower domain, the aftershocks of a battle between late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators can still cause considerable damage to mountains and land.
Therefore, typically, Nascent Soul stage cultivators choose to conduct magical combat above the sky to minimize ground damage.
Seeing Sun Boyang flying straight up without a word, signaling a battle invitation, the aquiline-nosed youth, cleverly disguised as Zhou Yang, immediately followed with a cheerful smile, turning into a golden light and chasing upward.
"Let's go, we shall see how Fellow Daoist Sun teaches that outsider a lesson!"
On "Flame Sparrow Peak," the over ten Nascent Soul stage cultivators invited by Sun Boyang exchanged glances and, under someone's call, transformed into various escape lights flying to the sky, following the scarlet and gold lights to watch the battle.
Below the Nascent Soul stage, cultivators were well aware, knowing that such a level of battle was beyond their ability to observe, thus staying put on the mountain, guessing who might win while inquiring about the aquiline-nosed youth's origin.
Unexpectedly, what was thought to be a long, evenly matched fight ended in less than half an hour.
When Sun Boyang returned to "Flame Sparrow Peak" in a disheveled, pale state, many supporting cultivators were still boasting about his past achievements to convince dissenters to agree with their viewpoint.
Sun Boyang, hearing these words, had a flushed face turning a shade of green and red, vividly expressive.
Yet, recalling the one-hour reprieve Zhou Yang had given him, he paid no mind to the shocked juniors at his ragged return, hurriedly instructing his concubines and disciples to quickly pack up the Cave Mansion, while busy himself collecting valuable items from the Spirit Medicine Garden and Treasure Chamber.
During that one hour, none of the Nascent Soul stage cultivators who watched the battle returned to "Flame Sparrow Peak."
Until an hour later, when Sun Boyang, along with the Mountain Protection Array packed away, quickly summoned a flying tower ship, gathering his concubines and disciples within, hastily leaving "Flame Sparrow Peak." Only then did the battle-watching Nascent Soul stage cultivators return, surrounding Zhou Yang like stars around the moon.
By this time, the cultivators who had come to the banquet at "Flame Sparrow Peak" seemed to have realized something and had already fled, not a single person in sight.
Meanwhile, Zhou Yang, after scanning the now empty Spirit Mountain, turned back to the dozen Nascent Soul stage cultivators who returned with him and cupped his hands with a chuckle: "Hehe, thank you all for your esteemed presence. Zhou has just acquired this place and hasn't prepared a banquet to entertain you all. Once Zhou has settled, I will surely host a feast to welcome you all to drink to our satisfaction."
Hearing this, those Nascent Soul stage cultivators instantly understood he was politely dismissing them.
Thus, they responded with utmost politeness:
"Understood, understood, Fellow Daoist Zhou has newly acquired a treasured place, surely with many things to attend to, we won't disturb you. If Fellow Daoist Zhou needs anything for building the Cave Mansion, feel free to communicate with Xue, Xue will not hesitate to assist."
"Fellow Daoist Xue just voiced Yang's thoughts; Yang has hundreds of disciples and grand-disciples. If Fellow Daoist Zhou needs manpower anywhere, just communicate with Yang; Yang will surely dispatch disciples to assist."
"I am the same, my disciples number over twenty or thirty, among whom a few have quite decent countenance and cultivation, and are of the pristine state. Fellow Daoist Zhou, if you're willing to promote them, I will dispatch them to serve you after returning."
…
The attitude these dozen Nascent Soul stage cultivators showed towards Zhou Yang couldn't merely be described as polite; it was practically flattering.
They were all intimidated by Zhou Yang's previous display.
Though Sun Boyang's cultivation strength couldn't rank within the top ten in "Qianyang Mountain Range," it wasn't much inferior to the tenth.
Yet, with such cultivation strength, Sun Boyang couldn't even break through Zhou Yang's defenses from beginning to end, instead being beaten by a few moves into spitting blood, giving up resistance.
The immense disparity in power left the Nascent Soul Stage cultivators observing the battle completely stunned.
This led to the current scenario.
And in the face of these people's courtesy or rather flattery, Zhouyang naturally declined with a smile.
He simply wanted a suitable place to quietly go into seclusion to reshape his immortal body and soul. Once he accomplished this, there was no need to stay in the "Qianyang Mountain Range," so there was no point in wasting time and emotions on these loose cultivators.
After sending these people away, Zhouyang instructed Lan Daoist to set up a Tier Six Middle Grade Array on "Flame Sparrow Peak," and then each of them carved out a cave mansion on the mountain to enter secluded cultivation.
However, with such a powerful figure like him arriving at the "Qianyang Mountain Range," how could it not draw the attention of the cultivators originally cultivating there? It wasn't long before Nascent Soul Stage cultivators heard about the situation and came visiting, aiming to form connections.
But whether they called out loudly, sent sound transmission talismans, or communication flying swords, none received any response.
Aware of Zhouyang's formidable strength, easily displayed by defeating Sun Boyang, those cultivators who received no reply were quite annoyed in their hearts, yet none dared to act aggressively.
As a result, Zhouyang's reputation among high-tier cultivators in the "Qianyang Mountain Range" wasn't favorable. They all said he was arrogant and condescending, not considering other cultivators.
In seclusion, Zhouyang was completely unaware of this, and even if he knew, he would probably not care.
He was, after all, a Tribulation Crossing True Immortal, and not considering other Nascent Soul Stage cultivators was only natural; why bother about the opinions of mere mortal cultivators?
However, reshaping the immortal body and soul was even more challenging than Zhouyang expected.
The Heaven and Earth Laws in the True Immortal Realm are much more complex and tight-knit than those in the lower realm, and his immortal body had condensed with the help of Heavenly Dao's favor, taking shortcuts. So reshaping the immortal body was considerably more difficult than normal.
Therefore, what was initially planned to be accomplished in a hundred years ultimately took two hundred and forty years.
Yet it was all worth it.
After reshaping the immortal body and soul in the True Immortal Realm, Zhouyang clearly felt his lifespan had greatly increased. He estimated his lifespan limit could now reach seventy thousand years, a sevenfold increase compared to his lifespan in the "Spirit Realm"!
And this wasn't yet the lifespan limit for a Tribulation Crossing True Immortal in the True Immortal Realm, as Zhouyang was only at the initial stage of tribulation crossing. His lifespan would likely increase further once his cultivation advanced to mid and late stages.
Just this benefit alone sheds light on why countless cultivators in the lower realm aim for ascension to the True Immortal Realm.
Moreover, with the reshaping of the immortal body and soul, the barrier hindering Zhouyang's strength also dissipated. Now he could easily manipulate the powers of several Heaven and Earth Laws, just as he did in the lower realm, allowing the full power of his cultivated immortal techniques to manifest.
More crucially, from this moment onward, unless someone can scrutinize every detail of his immortal record or he reveals it himself, his origins as an ascended immortal would remain hidden.
"It's time to visit the [Nine Profound Immortal City]. If I could gather information on [True Monarch Donglai], that would be even better!"
Zhouyang had a plan in mind, promptly leaving seclusion to summon Lan Daoist, retracting the Mountain Protection Array on "Flame Sparrow Peak," and set off for the [Nine Profound Immortal City].
Unexpectedly, as Zhouyang left "Flame Sparrow Peak" for less than three thousand miles, he suddenly sensed the aura of a Tier Seven existence from the depths of the "Qianyang Mountain Range," accompanied by a strong intent of rage and destruction, seemingly not of the human race.
This discovery made him pause, as he pondered over the direction the aura originated from.
Roar—
While Zhouyang was contemplating, a long beastly roar emanated from the same direction.
Upon hearing this roar, his expression shifted slightly, then his eyes focused, and he abruptly changed direction towards the source of the roar.
After traveling tens of thousands of miles, Zhouyang finally saw the owner of the roar amidst a sea of magma.
There, the creature that had roared revealed itself as an enormous beast resembling a Flood Dragon with a single horn on its head. Its body was akin to a Flood Dragon's, but it also bore eighteen fiery wings, seemingly possessing the innate ability to transform the earth into magma, wherever it moved, a sea of magma followed.
At the time Zhouyang saw it, it was attacking a cave mansion on a spirit mountain.
That spirit mountain was one of the rare Tier Six High-Grade Spirit Mountains within the "Qianyang Mountain Range," and its Mountain Protection Array was a Tier Six High-grade Array. Its master was a Ninth-Layer Nascent Soul "Half-Step True Immortal" cultivator, currently aided by several Nascent Soul Stage cultivators who had fled there, barely managing to stave off the giant beast with a body over a hundred zhang long.
"What kind of exotic beast is this? It doesn't seem like an intelligent Tier Seven True Spirit, yet its magical aura is quite pure!"
Hovering in the sky, Zhouyang gazed at the giant Flood Dragon beast in amazement, unable to recognize its origin.
Fortunately, he had someone who knew on his side.
Lan Daoist, hearing his words, promptly explained, "This is an ancient beast unique to the True Immortal Realm, named [Ten-winged Flame Dragon]. In its full form, it should have twenty fiery wings, its power equivalent to a late-stage Tribulation True Immortal!"
"So, this is an ancient beast?"
Zhouyang's eyes flickered with surprise and interest.
Lan Daoist had mentioned "ancient beasts" to him before, noting that they were special creatures found only in the True Immortal Realm.
These "ancient beasts" typically have exceedingly long lifespans, often measured in tens of thousands of years, with formidable power usually reaching Tier Seven levels and frequently possessing unique divine abilities.
However, "ancient beasts" have their weaknesses; they generally lack intelligence. Even possessing the power of True Immortals, their wisdom is inferior to ordinary wild beasts.
Furthermore, their temperament is poor; once provoked, they cause immense havoc, bringing disaster to various races in the True Immortal Realm. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖
Much like the current scenario, this [Ten-winged Flame Dragon] was enraged, emerging and transforming the "Qianyang Mountain Range," originally blessed with Immortal Mountain Blessed Land, into a magma inferno.
"[Ten-winged Flame Dragons] generally sleep within underground magma seas. Who knows which reckless individual awakened it from its slumber and brought it to the surface; truly a calamity!"
Lan Daoist remarked as he explained about the [Ten-winged Flame Dragon], repeatedly shaking his head in dismay, expressing his dissatisfaction towards whoever led out the [Ten-winged Flame Dragon].
Although no longer truly human, Lan Daoist's allegiance remained with the human race, and as his cultivation advanced, his emotions gradually enriched, no longer as cold and taciturn as before.
"Hmm, not good, that beast seems to have found us."
Zhouyang was listening to Lan Daoist when suddenly a chill ran through him, as if something had fixated its gaze upon him. Then he saw the [Ten-winged Flame Dragon] that had initially been attacking the spirit mountain cave mansion, now looking his way.
At first, he was startled by this, but then he relaxed slightly and chuckled softly, saying, "It seems I really can't avoid taking action this time. It's an opportunity to see how ancient beasts differ from Tier Seven True Spirits!"
The moment his words were spoken, he stepped forward, instantly teleporting towards the [Ten-winged Flame Dragon].
With several teleportations, Zhouyang positioned himself a hundred miles away from the [Ten-winged Flame Dragon].
A hundred miles distance, for two Tier Seven beings, was already quite close.
Stopping after his last teleportation, Zhouyang waved his hand, and a radiant golden treasure tower moved to suppress the [Ten-winged Flame Dragon].
At the same time, he punched out, and a burst of golden firelight erupted from his fist, landing on the head of the [Ten-winged Flame Dragon] in the blink of an eye, transforming into a golden furnace with three legs and two ears.
Once the golden furnace condensed into shape, it poured out waves of fire manifestation derived from fire attribute Heaven and Earth Laws.
Even the [Ten-winged Flame Dragon], an ancient fire attribute beast capable of swimming in the subterranean magma sea of the True Immortal Realm, showed signs of melting upon being washed by the fiery waves.
Roar!
Ultimately, as a beast with power comparable to a Tribulation Crossing True Immortal, the [Ten-winged Flame Dragon] roared in anger, and countless fiery law runes leapt from its eighteen flaming wings, merging into its body to help withstand the burning from the law manifestation flames.
But before it could retaliate, a towering golden treasure tower of about twenty to thirty feet descended from the skies, crushing onto its back, causing the bones within to emit loud cracking sounds as the scales and flesh splattered, creating a miserable sight.
Zhouyang, witnessing the scene, couldn't help but mutter with disappointment: "It doesn't seem all that impressive, this so-called ancient beast, bullying mortal cultivators perhaps, but it's not comparable to a Tier Seven True Spirit at all!"
If the [Ten-winged Flame Dragon] had intelligence, it would probably be infuriated upon hearing his words.
How many Tier Seven True Spirits could take a direct hit from an immortal technique divine powers and a lifebound immortal artifact without getting injured?
However, while the [Ten-winged Flame Dragon] lacked intelligence, it certainly did not lack temperament. On the contrary, it was quite temperamental.
After being injured, it immediately submerged into the magma ocean underground, shaking off the golden tower from its back with a flick from its tail.
Soon after, it emerged from the magma ocean, opened its mouth, and spat a densely condensed fiery red beam towards where Zhouyang was.
Originally, Zhouyang was confident in dodging this strike, but he intentionally wanted to test the "caliber" of this [Ten-winged Flame Dragon], so he didn't teleport to evade but instead embraced with both arms, assuming the posture of an old bear hugging a tree.
In no time, a solid golden light spread from Zhouyang, forming a substantial and insubstantial giant golden bell that encompassed him.
Boom!
The fiery red beam landed on the golden bell, exploding instantly, transforming into a huge fiery wave that enveloped Zhouyang.
Nonetheless, as the fiery waves dissipated, Zhouyang and the golden bell inside remained unharmed.
"Is that it? The mighty ancient beast [Ten-winged Flame Dragon] only has this much strength?"
Zhouyang's voice, filled with doubt, resounded across the sky, causing the human cultivators inside the Spiritual Mountain Cave Mansion to exchange glances, their eyes filled with shock.
"Fellow Daoist Xie, you are well-traveled and have explored several immortal realms. Do you know where this Zhenren senior is from? This strength is too powerful, could he perhaps be a Mid-Stage Tribulation True Immortal or even a Late-Stage Tribulation True Immortal?"
On the Spirit Mountain, a Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator asked the owner of the mountain, Xie Lingyun, with a face full of shock.
"I don't know; Xie has never heard of such a Zhenren senior within this immortal domain who is adept at fire attribute immortal techniques and uses a treasure tower artifact!"
Xie Lingyun shook his head continuously, also clueless.
Then he exhaled gently and said: "No matter what, we are saved this time. Judging by this Zhenren senior's performance, even if he cannot kill the [Ten-winged Flame Dragon], he can severely injure and drive it back to the underground magma ocean!"
Upon hearing this, the other Nascent Soul Stage cultivators showed expressions of relief after narrowly escaping calamity.
Returning to the battlefield, after Zhouyang's words settled, the [Ten-winged Flame Dragon] immediately fell into a frenzy of rage.
Indeed, it had no intelligence, couldn't comprehend Zhouyang's words, but having its breath attack ignored by Zhouyang was enough to enrage its simple mind.
Suddenly, it emitted a fierce roar, its eighteen fiery wings wildly beating the surrounding magma as it rose its head and spat towards Zhouyang again.
In no time, an incredibly dazzling red-golden fireball, akin to a sun, spewed out from the [Ten-winged Flame Dragon]'s mouth, horizontally blasting towards Zhouyang.
In Zhouyang's eyes, it wasn't a red-golden fireball but a highly condensed manifestation of fire attribute laws. Various fire attribute laws with different effects were held within that fireball by a special force, making it akin to a bomb, ready to explode upon contact.
This kind of attack wasn't necessary to face head-on.
In an instant, Zhouyang devised a countermeasure in his mind.
With a swipe of his palm, a cyan and gold dragon head giant blade sliced through the air, landing atop the red-golden fireball.
Instantly, the sky erupted into a thunderous explosion, and a thick red-golden fiery wave spread out, enveloping Zhouyang dozens of miles away.
The incredibly solid void of the True Immortal Realm had a minute spatial rift appear due to the explosion.
And the [Ten-winged Flame Dragon], which unleashed this attack, showed signs of exhaustion as its aura waned.
Yet, at this very moment, even before the red-golden fiery wave dissipated, Zhouyang's figure emerged from the wave, teleporting instantly atop the [Ten-winged Flame Dragon]'s head, summoning the [Qianyang Golden Tower] to smash onto the dragon's head beneath.
Roar!
A miserable dragon roar echoed across the sky and earth, and the [Ten-winged Flame Dragon]'s head was smashed into a crater by the golden treasure tower, its eyes almost flying out of their sockets.
The dragon, in immense pain, immediately charged out of the magma ocean and pounced towards Zhouyang in the sky, intent on shredding this tiny figure to pieces.
But the dragon soon paid the price for such impulsive behavior.
Zhouyang, as soon as the dragon left the magma ocean and approached, promptly deployed the innate immortal technique divine power forged by his True Immortal Law Body.
This manifestation of the innate immortal technique divine power, named [Eternal Fierce Sun] by him, had its power further enhanced after he reformed his immortal body.
Now, as the divine power manifested, a fierce overpowering golden firelight erupted from his body, engulfing the incoming [Ten-winged Flame Dragon] within.
The dragon, trapped within the golden firelight, was akin to a beast stuck in a mire, unable to advance or retreat.
Were it a Tier Seven True Spirit of the Demon Race, at this moment, it would surely think of every possible way to escape Zhouyang's immortal technique divine power range.
However, the [Ten-winged Flame Dragon], already enraged, instead chose to relentlessly charge toward the "close at hand" Zhouyang, intending to swallow him whole.
The result was that the flesh on its body slowly dissolved within the golden firelight, a fact it seemed oblivious to.
By the time it closed within ten zhang of Zhouyang, its thousand-zhang long dragon body had already dissolved, leaving behind a skeletal frame.
Fortuitously, being a beast born within the magma, it wasn't like a normal creature, thus did not lose its life due to this.
Yet, just as it prepared to close the final ten zhang distance and swallow Zhouyang, a golden three-legged firebird suddenly flew out from Zhouyang's sleeve, swiftly crashing onto its body.
This was like the straw that broke the camel's back, causing the [Ten-winged Flame Dragon]'s crimson jade-like skeleton to break apart piece by piece instantly.
It finally revealed a sense of panic, and the energy core within, akin to a demon pill, suddenly erupted with a massive amount of magical power, attempting to dispel the golden flames clinging to it like maggots on bones.
But the effect wasn't ideal, as it was still within Zhouyang's Eternal Fierce Sun divine technique. The scorching, domineering golden flames shone on it, continuously eroding its strength.
However, being a Tier Seven ancient beast, it was not so easy to be killed.
Once it realized it was in a life-and-death situation, it threw caution to the wind.
Its energy core abruptly released over half of its power, discharging it all at once.
The result was a forceful eruption of crimson flames, counteracting the power of Zhouyang's lifebound immortal technique, Eternal Fierce Sun. Taking advantage of this, the Ten-winged Flame Dragon forcibly charged out of the core area of the Eternal Fierce Sun and fled into the magma sea below, never to return.
Back in the magma sea, the Ten-winged Flame Dragon quickly drew strength from the sea and regenerated its flesh.
In fact, reaching Tier Seven, the so-called flesh and blood is no longer pure flesh. Whether True Immortal, True Spirit, True Demon, or ancient beast, all can regenerate and recover by absorbing the corresponding power.
However, the power lost from the Ten-winged Flame Dragon's detached energy core would not recover so quickly.
Moreover, after the previous fierce battle, even without much intelligence, it knew it was no match for Zhouyang.
Having barely escaped back to the magma sea, it immediately fled in its original direction, preparing to return to the underground magma sea to sleep and recover its strength.
Zhouyang originally intended to pursue, but after thinking about it, he stopped.
This was because he suddenly remembered that most ancient beasts, once killed, held little practical value.
A unique trait of ancient beasts is that their bodies quickly decompose and dissolve into the world upon death, unable to be preserved for artifact refining or alchemy.
It is said that only a very small number of powerful and special ancient beasts leave behind unique relics upon their demise, items that are excellent materials for refining immortal artifacts and are greatly sought after by True Immortals.
At this point, allowing the Ten-winged Flame Dragon to leave, Zhouyang did not engage with the mortal cultivator residing in the spiritual mountain cave mansion and directly prepared to leave.
His visit to this place was driven by curiosity about the origin of the Tier Seven existence appearing here, and mainly by a desire to spare the many human cultivators residing in the Qianyang Mountain Range from slaughter, driven by benevolence.
The human race became one of the most powerful races in the True Immortal Realm partly because of the care True Immortals extend to mortal cultivators of their kind, ranking among the top of all major races.
Since Zhouyang had ascended to the True Immortal Realm, he naturally considered himself part of the human race in the True Immortal Realm and would not hesitate to save a disaster when possible.
But just as Zhouyang was about to leave, the owner of the spiritual mountain cave mansion, Xie Lingyun, hurriedly flew out of the mansion to stop him.
"Senior, please wait. I have an important matter to report to you. It's about who lured the Ten-winged Flame Dragon out!"
The Ten-winged Flame Dragon was originally supposed to be hidden and asleep in the underground magma sea. Its appearance on the surface, with its rampant destruction of various cultivator cave mansions in the Qianyang Mountain Range, clearly had a cause.
If Zhouyang didn't know the cause, that would be one thing. But now that someone knew, he naturally wanted to listen.
Therefore, upon hearing Xie Lingyun's call, his figure paused slightly, and then he took a step and instantly teleported to a few feet in front of Xie Lingyun.
"Speak, what exactly brought this Ten-winged Flame Dragon to wreak havoc on the surface?"
A majestic and dignified voice sounded in Xie Lingyun's ear. He looked up to see Zhouyang staring at him with a stern expression.
Not daring to neglect, Xie Lingyun lowered his head, respectfully replying, "Reporting to Senior, as far as I know, before the Ten-winged Flame Dragon's emergence, a group of cultivators from Nine Profound Immortal City was searching for something in the Qianyang Mountain Range. At the same time, before the Ten-winged Flame Dragon's emergence, someone in the mountain saw a treasure light soaring into the sky from the place of emergence, as if some rare treasure of heaven and earth had come into being!"
Could this matter be related to Nine Profound Immortal City?
A flicker of surprise appeared in Zhouyang's eyes, but he spoke nonchalantly, "So, you have no direct evidence proving who lured the Ten-winged Flame Dragon out. It's all just speculation."
Sometimes speculation alone is enough!
This was Xie Lingyun's heartfelt feeling, but he dared not speak it out loud.
He understood Zhouyang's meaning; relying on speculation alone, without any witnesses or evidence, it would be challenging to pin the responsibility for unleashing the Ten-winged Flame Dragon on the loose cultivators in the Qianyang Mountain Range on that group from Nine Profound Immortal City.
The reason he brought this up with Zhouyang was, in part, a hope to leverage Zhouyang to capture the group of cultivators who had already fled.
After all, in terms of speed, a True Immortal at the Tribulation Crossing Stage and mortal cultivators are worlds apart.
If Zhouyang wanted to pursue them, he stood a good chance of capturing those cultivators.
But he dared not make his intentions to enlist Zhouyang's help too obvious, so he could only lower his head with utmost respect and admit his error, saying, "I was presumptuous and misspoke, I hope Senior will forgive me."
Upon seeing this, Zhouyang couldn't help but snort coldly, "Hmph, such petty schemes, try to use them less in the future. Since I'm in a good mood today, I won't hold it against you, but if you dare do this with another Immortal Friend in the future, you'll suffer for it!"
With that, his figure vanished from Xie Lingyun's sight, leaving the scene.
Xie Lingyun was so frightened by the warning that a cold sweat broke out on his back, forming a layer of fine white fur.
"Phew, lucky, lucky, lucky that this Senior is kind-hearted. I was really foolish this time, nearly bringing a death sentence upon myself. I must reflect on my actions for ten years when I return!"
Xie Lingyun felt an overwhelming sense of relief mixed with regret for his reckless actions.
It was because of the group who lured the Ten-winged Flame Dragon that his cave mansion and Dao field were nearly destroyed and his life almost ended. That was why he, in a fit of anger, wanted to leverage Zhouyang to exact revenge on those people, without thinking of the consequences at the time.
Or rather, the situation back then simply didn't allow him time to think about the consequences. If he hadn't called out to Zhouyang, Zhouyang would have left.
Now, after Zhouyang's warning, recalling his actions, he realized just how foolish they had been.
Zhouyang, who had already left by this point, had already forgotten about Xie Lingyun, a mere mortal cultivator he only met once.
Since he had already given Xie Lingyun a hint, he would care even less about what Xie Lingyun had said.
For him now, the most important thing was to find True Monarch Donglai and then use this convenient master's power to either elevate his cultivation or seek out Jiang Fengxian and her daughter, who perhaps had already arrived in the True Immortal Realm.
Yet, sometimes the world works in mysterious ways. Intending not to delve deeper, Zhouyang, while on the way to Nine Profound Immortal City, happened to run into the group of cultivators who had lured out the Ten-winged Flame Dragon.
About 500,000 miles after leaving the Qianyang Mountain Range, while passing over a vast marshland, Zhouyang suddenly noticed several Nascent Soul Stage cultivators chasing and fleeing in the sky above the marsh.
And from afar, he heard the words, "Hand over the Ten Thousand Years Fire Crystal Pearl."
Ordinarily, the chase between Nascent Soul Stage cultivators wouldn't have piqued Zhouyang's interest.
But upon hearing the name "Ten Thousand Year Fire Crystal Pearl," such a rare treasure piqued his interest.
This "Ten Thousand Year Fire Crystal Pearl" is a genuine seventh-tier immortal treasure, often formed within the underground magma seas.
Thinking about the "Ten-winged Flame Dragon" that recently emerged and caused havoc in the Qianyang Mountain Range, Zhouyang was almost certain that this group of people was indeed the "culprits" mentioned by Xie Lingyun.
Since he happened upon this group by chance, how could he not seize the opportunity to intervene?
After all, it was he who chased the "Ten-winged Flame Dragon" back into the underground magma sea, so obtaining this "Ten Thousand Year Fire Crystal Pearl" as compensation for his efforts was only fitting.
The result was unsurprisingly straightforward; under Zhouyang's direct intervention, several mortal cultivators at the late-stage Nascent Soul had no power to resist and were easily captured.
Zhouyang spared their lives, and after acquiring the "Ten Thousand Year Fire Crystal Pearl," he chose a Nascent Soul Stage cultivator to soul search using a secret technique to understand the situation of the Tribulation Transcending True Immortals in the Nine Xuanzhen Immortal City. He then sealed the Nascent Souls and magical cultivation of these Nascent Soul Stage cultivators with a special secret technique and detained them within an array.
Unless someone specifically used a tracking secret technique to find them, it would be nearly impossible for them to break the seal and leave the array by themselves within seventy to eighty years.
This served as the punishment for invoking the havoc by the "Ten-winged Flame Dragon" in the Qianyang Mountain Range for their own selfish motives.
"So this is the 'Ten Thousand Year Fire Crystal Pearl', indeed extraordinary!"
In a temporarily established cave mansion, Zhouyang looked at the scarlet orb floating before him, his eyes filled with undisguised astonishment.
The scarlet orb was as large as a goose egg, resembling a red crystal pearl, with liquid fire akin to magma burning within it.
In Zhouyang's eyes, the liquid fire within the scarlet orb was the manifestation of a fire attribute law by itself.
Even without any refinement or processing, this item could spontaneously gather the surrounding fire attribute Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, transforming a region into a fire realm.
This was somewhat similar to the natural ability of the "Ten-winged Flame Dragon" to turn the earth into magma, further proving that this item must have originally been a spiritual object that coexisted with the "Ten-winged Flame Dragon".
"Fellow Daoist Zhou is indeed fortunate, having arrived in the True Immortal Realm not long ago and already acquiring such a treasure that even Tribulation Transcending True Immortals would covet. If used in artifact refining, creating a seventh-tier immortal artifact should be a certainty!"
Lan Daoist, examining the "Ten Thousand Year Fire Crystal Pearl" alongside Zhouyang, expressed envy in his tone while praising Zhouyang's good fortune.
Even in the True Immortal Realm, seventh-tier immortal treasures are extremely rare, and common tribulation-transcending true immortals might not obtain one in ten thousand years.
Zhouyang had only been in the True Immortal Realm for a little over two hundred years, and his actual time spent adventuring was just a year or two, yet he'd obtained a highly valuable seventh-tier immortal treasure. Others would indeed envy him upon hearing this.
"Perhaps there's some luck involved, but more importantly, it's about one's own strength. If I hadn't had the power to drive away the 'Ten-winged Flame Dragon,' this 'Ten Thousand Year Fire Crystal Pearl' might not have come into my possession."
Zhouyang smiled faintly, unconcerned about Lan Daoist's words.
And upon hearing this, Lan Daoist seemed to have thought of something, nodding in agreement: "Fellow Daoist Zhou is right. Without sufficient strength, even if one is fortunate enough to obtain a treasure, they might not be able to retain it."
Currently, Zhouyang wasn't inclined towards artifact refining, so he decided to seal the "Ten Thousand Year Fire Crystal Pearl" for future disposition.
He then traveled at full speed, reaching the renowned Nine Profound Immortal City in the Chi Ming Immortal Realm within less than two months.
The rulers of Nine Profound Immortal City are from the "Nine Profound Immortal Sect," which historically produced a Returning Void Stage Earth Immortal, who later fell unexpectedly.
Currently, the "Nine Profound Immortal Sect" still has two Tribulation Transcending True Immortals overseeing it, one of whom has late-stage tribulation-crossing cultivation.
The cultivators that Zhouyang soul-searched were not from "Nine Profound Immortal Sect," but from two other forces within the Nine Profound Immortal City which also have Tribulation Transcending True Immortals.
Though those two forces are not as powerful as the "Nine Profound Immortal Sect," they hold significant sway within Nine Profound Immortal City and are not to be underestimated.
Compared to the cities in the Spirit Realm, a distinct characteristic of Nine Profound Immortal City is its sheer size.
The city has a roughly circular contour, with a diameter spanning over ten thousand miles, and the entire city is covered and protected by a seventh-tier immortal array.
The cultivators residing within the city number around five to six hundred thousand, along with tens of millions of mortals.
However, for visiting cultivators, the areas accessible within Nine Profound Immortal City are relatively limited, especially when viewed in the context of the city's overall area.
The city has a dedicated marketplace district for trade among visiting cultivators, as well as residential areas separated from the commercial districts for visitors to live and practice cultivation. But apart from these areas open to outsiders, other areas are strictly off-limits to them.
Zhouyang did not wish to immediately contact the tribulation-transcending true immortals within Nine Profound Immortal City, so he opted once again to conceal his cultivation and entered the city as an early-stage Nascent Soul cultivator.
In a large immortal city like Nine Profound Immortal City, famed throughout the Immortal Domain, having early-stage Nascent Soul cultivation neither draws unnecessary attention nor provokes contempt.
After entering the city, he frequented numerous shops like any typical early-stage Nascent Soul cultivator.
Upon closer inspection, many of the shops Zhouyang visited were those specializing in various ancient texts.
To avoid arousing suspicion, Zhouyang would even assume different identities while visiting bookstores to purchase a variety of miscellaneous texts.
Over the course of just a few days, he spent nearly a million lower-grade spirit stones acquiring these texts.
After acquiring the texts, Zhouyang rented a temporary cave mansion in the city and began perusing the vast collection he had bought.
His understanding of the True Immortal Realm was limited, and the texts he purchased were not cultivation techniques or secret divine arts, but rather miscellaneous texts recording local customs, rare treasures, biographies of notable figures, and the history of the Immortal Domain.
Many of the biographies were editions from tens of thousands of years ago; while not exclusive, they were uncommon, which was why he spent so many spirit stones on them.
For the next three years, Zhouyang diligently studied various miscellaneous texts, occasionally venturing out to purchase new ones for reading.
With his Tribulation Transcending True Immortal cultivation, his speed in absorbing knowledge from these texts was incomparable to that of ordinary cultivators. Yet, it still took him three years to accomplish this task, demonstrating the immense number of books he had read during this time.
The result of this three-year seclusion was that Zhouyang, who was initially unfamiliar with the True Immortal Realm, could now easily recount the names of thousands of Tribulation Transcending True Immortals that appeared in the history of the Chi Ming Immortal Realm and its neighboring domains, including most of their legendary deeds.
Regrettably, Zhouyang did not find any record of "True Monarch Donglai."
However, he did find brief mentions of "Master Qianyang," who greatly influenced his current cultivation and status, in the biography of a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator.
The biography recorded: "In the year 127321 of the Taihua Calendar, I traveled to Yun Kong Immortal City in the Chixiao Immortal Realm and happened upon the serendipitous occasion of a Dao discussion atop the clouds between the newly ascended Zhenren, Master Qianyang of Chixiao Immortal Palace, and Master Yunyang of Huayang Immortal Sect. The debate concluded with Master Qianyang emerging victorious."
Among the twenty-seven immortal realms of the human race in the True Immortal Realm, the Chixiao Immortal Realm was one of the earliest established. During the initial demarcation of territories into immortal realms, Chixiao was among the first nine.
The founder of the Chixiao Immortal Palace, initially the ruler of the Chixiao Immortal Realm, was the direct disciple of a Harmonious Celestial Immortal, a Returning Void Stage Immortal with late-stage cultivation.
However, five eras ago, the Chixiao Immortal Palace lost its absolute control over the Chixiao Immortal Realm due to the disappearance of the Chixiao Dao Ancestor.
And the Era Immortal Calendar is the calendar used by the Human Race of the True Immortal Realm to define and record time.
Every time a new Harmonious Celestial Immortal appears in the True Immortal Realm, a new Immortal Calendar is initiated in their name.
For instance, the current calendar in the True Immortal Realm is the Cangyuan Calendar, marking the year Cangyuan Calendar 176897.
Since 176897 years ago, after the Harmonization of the 'Cangyuan Dao Ancestor', no one in the True Immortal Realm's Human Race has attained the Harmonious Celestial Immortal realm.
However, it would be incorrect to determine the number of Harmonious Celestial Immortals of the Human Race in the True Immortal Realm by the number of changes in the Era Immortal Calendar.
Because the decision to use the name of a Harmonious Celestial Immortal to initiate a new Era Immortal Calendar was not established after the appearance of the Human Race's first Harmonious Celestial Immortal in the True Immortal Realm, but rather, twelve Immortal Calendars ago.
Essentially, most of the Human Race's history in the True Immortal Realm can only be traced back eleven Immortal Calendars, with historical records prior to that only possibly being stored by ancient forces like the Chixiao Immortal Palace.
Although the Chixiao Immortal Palace has now lost absolute dominance over the Chixiao Immortal Realm, as an ancient enduring great force in the True Immortal Realm's Human Race, it still possesses a Returning Void Stage Earth Immortal that remains a top-tier great force, second only to pinnacle forces ruling an Immortal realm like the Chi Ming Immortal Palace.
Unfortunately, there are a full three Immortal Realms between the Chixiao Immortal Realm and the Chi Ming Immortal Realm!
Such is the distance that even at Zhouyang's current speed, it would take him no less than a hundred years of non-stop flight to reach, not accounting for various unforeseen circumstances along the way.
Therefore, even though he has found information about Master Qianyang and the Chixiao Immortal Palace, he has not immediately set off.
"Having learned what can be understood from the texts, next, it is time to try contacting the True Immortal guardians of the Nine Profound Immortal City; they should know many things that are unavailable to common mortal cultivators!"
With determination in mind, Zhouyang did not delay further. He left the Nine Profound Immortal City and revealed his late-stage tribulation true immortal cultivation after traveling tens of thousands of miles before openly heading towards the Nine Profound Immortal City.
A late-stage tribulation true immortal arriving at the Nine Profound Immortal City is a significant event.
Before Zhouyang reached the Immortal City, the news had already spread to the various great forces within, prompting the mid-tribulation crossing true immortal of the Nine Profound Immortal Sect to send a ninth-layer nascent soul stage direct disciple with an immortal vehicle to meet him outside the city.
Soon, many cultivators within the Nine Profound Immortal City saw a graceful middle-aged man in a green Daoist robe, accompanied by eighteen female cultivators of Golden Core stage cultivation, driving a luxurious immortal vehicle pulled by nine tier-six flood dragons towards the east outside the city.
Those familiar with the matter immediately exclaimed: "It's the Nine Dragon Golden Chariot of the Nine Profound Immortal Sect, which only tribulation true immortals can use. Is Master Xuan You traveling?"
Yet before he finished speaking, someone immediately corrected, "Wrong, you saw the Nine Dragon Golden Chariot but missed the eighteen Xuan females traveling with it. These eighteen are only dispatched when the Nine Profound Immortal Sect welcomes esteemed guests; generally, for visiting ninth-layer nascent soul stage cultivators, only four would be sent. Such a lineup clearly indicates an external true immortal is arriving, and both the Nine Dragon Golden Chariot and the eighteen Xuan females are to greet that honored true immortal!"
"Oh! Is an external true immortal visiting the city? I wonder which immortal they are, and whether we might be fortunate enough to see them!"
Varied discussions soon filled the streets, as numerous cultivators within the city began to discuss the matter.
Indeed, many cultivators followed the Nine Dragon Golden Chariot out of the city, hoping to glimpse the true immortal.
Yet those who did so were promptly warned, ceasing their actions with embarrassment.
Once the Nine Dragon Golden Chariot was about a thousand miles out, it stopped and patiently awaited.
When Zhouyang perceived the situation, he instantly teleported before the Nine Dragon Golden Chariot, whereupon the graceful middle-aged man standing on the carriage shaft hastily disembarked, bowing respectfully towards him: "Junior Yang Qinghe, instructed by Master Xuan You to welcome the honored predecessor a thousand miles outside the city. Predecessor, please board the vehicle."
Seeing this, Zhouyang's eyes flashed with a peculiar color, followed by a gentle nod: "Fellow Daoist Xuan You is considerate, so Fellow Daoist Yang, please lead the way."
Upon saying this, he stepped onto the Nine Dragon Golden Chariot and proceeded into the carriage.
The graceful middle-aged man then signaled to the eighteen beautiful female cultivators standing on the flood dragons pulling the chariot, commanding: "Proceed to the sect, play immortal music, perform the immortal dance."
Immediately, the nine flood dragons pulling the chariot roared in unison, towing the chariot at a leisurely pace toward the Nine Profound Immortal Sect's mountain gate.
Simultaneously, the beautiful female cultivators on the flood dragons began either playing melodious immortal tunes using various musical instruments or gracefully dancing upon the dragon's backs.
The musical pieces played not only sounded beautiful but also employed unique magical artifact effects to produce dazzling spiritual light phenomena such as "Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix" and "Blossoming Flowers."
Meanwhile, the graceful dances of the female cultivators, utilizing their magical artifact robes, jade pendants, earrings, necklaces, and special divine techniques, formed phenomena like "Ten Thousand Immortals Dance" and "Jade Palace."
Though Zhouyang had lived for over three millennia and considered himself well-traveled, he was still somewhat astonished by such a luxurious and grand procession, conceding that these great sects of the True Immortal Realm surely know how to impress!
In truth, although the number of tribulation true immortals in the True Immortal Realm is not modest, these beings are commonly either secluded within their caves and dao fields, contemplating laws, or adventuring outside in search of immortal treasures.
Even when visiting friends and family, they prefer not to be so publicly noticeable.
Thus, strictly speaking, the Nine Profound Immortal City has not organized such an extravagant affair for nearly a millennium.
Had Zhouyang not arrived uninvited and the Nine Profound Immortal Sect unable to secure information on him, Master Xuan You would not have gone to such lengths.
The adage "not striking a friendly face" applies.
The Nine Profound Immortal Sect chose a ceremonious reception to avoid being criticized for poor etiquette.
Thus, riding the Nine Dragon Golden Chariot across half of the Nine Profound Immortal City, under the envious gaze of countless mortal cultivators, Zhouyang finally reached the Nine Profound Immortal Sect's mountain gate location.
The Nine Profound Immortal Sect's mountain gate is atop a ten-thousand-foot Immortal Mountain, nurturing a tier-seven middle-grade immortal spirit vein.
A tier-seven immortal spirit vein, being a top-tier spirit vein unique to the True Immortal Realm, can only be naturally formed and cannot be artificially created.
Reportedly, spirit veins at tier-seven develop spirituality and may transform into objects similar to the 'Transformation Elixir.'
Of course, this was only what Zhouyang had read from records, yet to be verified by him.
Nonetheless, upon ascending this Nine Profound Immortal Mountain, he indeed sensed the disparity between tier-seven immortal spirit veins and tier-six high-grade spirit veins.
On this tier-seven immortal spirit vein, not only is the spiritual qi dense, but the laws of heaven and earth are far more active than outside.
Zhouyang felt that cultivating here would be several times faster compared to those tier-six high-grade spirit veins!
As Zhouyang alighted from the Nine Dragon Golden Chariot, perceiving the difference between tier-seven and tier-six spirit veins, a middle-aged man in a profound black robe suddenly appeared before him, saluting: "Well met, Immortal Friend, I am Xuan You. May I inquire from which heavenly fellowship arrives our Immortal Friend, and what business brings you to our Nine Profound Immortal City?"
"Fellow Daoist Xuan You is gracious, I am Zhouyang, from the Chixiao Immortal Realm. I've come to visit fellow immortals of the Chi Ming Immortal Realm and to seek certain information."
Meeting the middle-aged man, Zhouyang solemnly returned the courtesy, clearly stating his purpose.
ps: The first chapter of the Immortal Realm extra episode took about half a month to write. I'm not sure how many people will subscribe!
I should mention, if the subscription numbers are particularly low, future updates of the extra episodes will be slower, as my main focus must be on the new book! So I ask supporters to subscribe for the official version, and if voting with monthly tickets, please vote for the new book, as they are wasted on the old completed one!
