Two hundred and fifty years ago, Han Yi overcame the True Immortal Tribulation at Sui Chen Mountain Lake, ascending to the realm of True Immortal.
Now, after another two and a half centuries, he faced the Profound Immortal Tribulation in the Miao Lei Domain of the Penglai Immortal Realm, finally achieving the Profound Immortal state.
During these five centuries, he had endured countless trials. Looking back, he marveled at the immensity of the challenges he had overcome. The difficulty of the Immortal Path was starkly apparent.
Yet it was precisely this arduous journey that had forged his extraordinary combat prowess, indomitable will, and unwavering pursuit of the pinnacle of immortality.
At the edge of the void, atop an unnamed mountain range, Han Yi took a deep breath and unleashed a thunderous roar. His voice tore through space, shaking heaven and earth, and reverberated across the landscape, causing forests to tremble and birds and beasts to cower in fear.
This cathartic roar released the pent-up frustrations he had accumulated, particularly during his time on the Two Realms Battlefield.
Turning his gaze to the void, Han Yi calculated that at his current speed, it would take roughly two months to return to the Great Luo Immortal Realm. Moreover, his present location would lead him to the territory of the Sui Zhu Immortal Court upon arrival.
However, he did not immediately depart. Instead, he turned to face what lay behind him.
Tens of kilometers behind him, a black shadow strode toward him, its face concealed behind an azure mask densely covered in eerie runes.
Han Yi raised an eyebrow. The Phantom Shadow emitted no aura whatsoever, yet he could sense its approach. The Azure Slaughter Blade he had recently acquired and stored within his Cosmic Immortal Ring had begun vibrating violently, as if struggling to break free.
Han Yi retrieved the blade and held it aloft. True enough, a phantom image flickered across its surface, resonating with the masked figure's distant presence.
He had no intention of surrendering the blade to his enemy. With a swift motion, he sealed the Azure Slaughter Blade within one of his Divine Aperture Worlds, using the world's power to suppress it.
Isolated within the Divine Aperture World, the Azure Slaughter Blade could no longer sense the approaching figure, and its vibrations gradually subsided.
Han Yi's stacked Divine Aperture Worlds offered superior isolation compared to the Immortal Spirit Realm itself, making them ideal for suppressing Immortal Artifacts and concealing their auras.
Meanwhile, in the outside world...
After the Azure Slaughter Blade was suppressed, the approaching Black Shadow suddenly paused. Through its eerie mask, a pair of azure eyes fixed on Han Yi.
In that instant, countless phantom shadows materialized before Han Yi's eyes, each tugging at his Immortal Soul, attempting to tear it apart.
The Azure Nether Illusion.
The Black Shadow didn't even need the Azure Yama Blade; with a mere glance, it could conjure the Azure Nether Illusion.
However, Han Yi remained composed. After his battle in the Miao Lei Domain, he had prepared for such mental attacks.
Thirteen Immortal Swords materialized around him, their radiant light coalescing into a Sword Realm—a self-contained domain that repelled the countless phantom shadows.
The Sword Realm expanded outward, engulfing the Black Shadow itself.
This was a tactic Han Yi had devised.
The Sword Realm was essentially a more potent and unified Formation Art. A world forged from swords, it could both slay enemies within and defend against external threats. Moreover, this defense wasn't limited to physical barriers; it could also block mental assaults like Immortal Soul Techniques and deceptive illusions.
Only an Immortal Art of a higher level than the Sword Realm could break through its formidable defenses.
Within the Sword Realm, countless beams of Sword Light pierced through the Black Shadow, causing it to flicker momentarily but not immediately dissipate.
Han Yi's gaze sharpened. As his thoughts raced, the storm of Sword Light within the Sword Realm intensified, howling across the space and relentlessly scouring the Black Shadow. After three breaths, the shadow finally disintegrated completely.
Only an Azure Mask remained, suspended in the air.
Its surface was densely covered in bizarre, intricate runes, radiating an eerie aura.
Han Yi remained vigilant. Based on the situation, the Black Shadow appeared more like a puppet, with the strange mask as its controlling force.
Seeing no further anomalies from the mask, Han Yi suddenly recalled something. He retrieved the Azure Slaughter Blade, which he had been suppressing within one of his Divine Aperture Worlds.
In the next moment, the mask and the Azure Slaughter Blade began to drift toward each other, as if drawn by an invisible force, preparing to merge.
This time, Han Yi didn't intervene.
Earlier, the Black Shadow's malevolence had been too overwhelming for him to release the Azure Slaughter Blade. But now that the shadow had been destroyed and the mask had become a mere artifact, Han Yi was curious to see what would happen when the blade was brought near.
Neither of these items was essential for his survival. If something felt amiss, he could simply abandon these bizarre objects and escape.
But now, before his very eyes...
The Azure Slaughter Blade and the Azure Mask, drawn together, were merging.
No, more precisely, the mask adhered to the blade's surface and dissolved into it.
However, the dense array of eerie runes that covered the mask remained etched onto the blade's metal.
Only the Azure Slaughter Blade remained. The sinister runes on its surface came to life, swirling across the blade. Upon closer inspection, each rune revealed itself as a miniature, frozen world.
In an instant, the swirling runes stabilized, and the blade's aura exploded with power.
Previously only a Second-Tier Immortal Artifact, the Azure Slaughter Blade had now broken through to become a Fourth-Tier Immortal Artifact.
Han Yi also noticed the blade's body stretching, growing longer. Originally half a meter in length, it now measured eighty centimeters.
The blade was evolving.
No, that wasn't quite right.
Rather than evolving, it would be more accurate to say that the blade was reclaiming a part of itself, unlocking further layers of its dormant power and reawakening.
At that moment, a wisp of azure spirit light rose from the Azure Slaughter Blade. Han Yi swept it with his Immortal Sense, instantly capturing the core information contained within.
This included the blade's history and its associated refinement method.
"Azure Yama Blade," he muttered.
"Such a sinister refinement method."
Han Yi sneered.
The spirit light revealed that the azure blade before him was named the Azure Yama Blade, a blade containing an earth-shattering inheritance from an Ancient Immortal of the Primordial Era.
This inheritance could be obtained in two ways:
First, by acquiring the Yama Diagram.
Second, through refinement.
Han Yi had no idea what the Yama Diagram was, but he would never attempt the second method—refinement—as it was utterly depraved.
This method required first slaughtering over ten thousand mortals and storing their souls within the Azure Yama Blade. Then, a specific land would be chosen, and the blade would serve as the foundation for creating the Azure Yama Realm, also known as the Azure Nether Illusion. The souls would be released within this realm, their ethereal forms materializing into temporary lives. Once the Azure Yama Realm reached maturity, it would revert to its intangible state.
Finally, the Azure Yama Realm would be imprinted onto the Azure Yama Blade, completing the refinement process.
This was a method of toying with souls and dominating fate, a practice that already crossed into the domain of Evil Immortals. Naturally, Han Yi would never stoop to such depravity.
However, the Azure Yama Blade, now unlocked as a Fourth-Tier Immortal Artifact, possessed considerable value despite its unusable refinement method. He stored it in his Cosmic Immortal Ring, then stepped into the void. After orienting himself, he activated an escape technique, fleeing southwest—precisely the direction of the Great Luo Immortal Realm.
As Han Yi slew the masked Black Shadow and the Azure Yama Blade fused with the mask, far away in a dark and gloomy palace, the immortal lamp flickered. A withered figure opened its eyes, a cyan light piercing the darkness. Before it, an image materialized, vividly replaying the scene witnessed by the defeated Black Shadow.
The figure watched as Han Yi unleashed his Sword Realm to shatter the Azure Nether Illusion, then teleported to obliterate the Black Shadow in an instant. As the image vanished, a spark of intrigue flickered in the withered figure's eyes.
"Not an Immortal from the Fayuan Sect."
"To slay an Azure Nether Incarnation so swiftly, he must possess the strength of a Peak Profound Immortal."
"Intriguing."
At the withered figure's silent command, another mask lower on the wall began to twist and tremble. In an instant, it broke free, hovering in the dimly lit palace. The shadow on its surface writhed, coalescing into a black humanoid form just as before.
But this time, though the mask's design remained the same, the runes adorning the mask-bearer's face were far denser—not merely crowded, but completely encrusted.
Moreover, the shadow that emerged from this mask did not kneel before the withered figure. Instead, it stretched languidly, its dry, halting voice echoing through the chamber.
"Good... it's been so long... since I've been out."
"The taste... of freedom..."
The Black Shadow spoke these words in a hoarse, hesitant tone, as if his voice had grown rusty from countless years of imprisonment. Only after these initial sentences did his voice gradually regain its natural timbre.
"Which epoch is it now?"
"Oh, the Eighth Epoch."
"So, I've been asleep for over a hundred thousand years."
"Never mind that. Let's see what this mission entails."
"Hmm, this Immortal Sword Barrier is quite formidable. It can instantly obliterate an Avatar. Interesting."
"Alright, I'll handle it. Victory is assured. I'll kill him and retrieve the Azure Yama Blade."
The emaciated figure remained silent. After the Black Shadow finished chattering, he didn't offer any particular reverence. He simply waved his hand dismissively and swaggered out of the dimly lit palace.
Outside the palace, the Black Shadow paused in mid-air, surveying his surroundings. A sigh escaped his masked lips.
"It's been far too long since I last emerged."
"In this epoch, no one even remembers me, the Lord of North Mang Mountain. How truly lamentable."
A deep voice echoed from within the palace behind the masked figure. After listening, he reluctantly waved his hand in a gesture of resignation.
"Alright, alright, I'll definitely finish this within a year and return."
With a heavy sigh, the Black Shadow flickered and vanished.
If this masked figure were to remove his disguise, any Great Unity Immortal Monarch from the Fayuan Sect who had attained the Dao during the Seventh Epoch would likely recognize him as the once-renowned Lord of North Mang Mountain.
His cultivation realm had reached the peak of the Golden Immortal stage, just one step away from becoming a Grand Unity Immortal Monarch.
Alas.
By the time the Lord of North Mang Mountain's Azure Nether Incarnation reached the edge of the Void, Han Yi's trail had long vanished.
Standing at the Void's edge, the Lord of North Mang Mountain sensed the Azure Yama Blade, its location now pointing towards the southwest quadrant of the Void.
"How did that brat escape into the Void?"
"Never mind. All Azure Nether Incarnations are confined to the Penglai Immortal Realm and cannot cross its boundaries. For now, we have no choice but to wait."
The Lord of North Mang Mountain sought out the nameless mountain range where Han Yi had previously secluded himself and temporarily concealed himself there.
Meanwhile, deep within the Void, Han Yi suddenly felt a surge of unease, a primal sense of dread flooding his heart.
This dread was like the instinctive fear of prey, sensing a hunter closing in behind him.
As his thoughts raced, he swiftly transferred the Azure Yama Blade from his Cosmic Immortal Ring to one of his Divine Aperture Worlds. To ensure the blade's aura remained undetectable, he then surrounded this world with layers of other Divine Aperture Worlds, forming an impenetrable barrier.
His time in the Penglai Immortal Realm had been brief. Aside from killing the butcher in the Miao Lei Domain and slaying the masked Black Shadow at the edge of the Void, he had made no other enemies. The Immortal pursuing him, capable of instilling such dread, must have reached the peak of the Profound Immortal Realm—and not just any peak, but one bordering on the Golden Immortal Realm itself.
Though he had recently ascended to the Profound Immortal Realm himself, he had little experience facing peak Profound Immortals, let alone Golden Immortals. Sensing imminent danger, he hastily suppressed the Azure Yama Blade. He had initially stored the enigmatic blade in his Cosmic Immortal Ring out of concern that it might conceal deeper secrets. But now, he couldn't afford such contemplations.
Without hesitation, he accelerated his pace and performed a Void Escape toward the southwest. As he distanced himself from the Penglai Immortal Realm, the sense of impending doom gradually diminished.
Two months later, when he finally set foot in the Great Luo Immortal Realm, the lingering dread had completely dissipated. Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief.
Unbeknownst to Han Yi, the location where he now stood in the Upper Immortal Realm was nearly identical to the spot where he had departed years ago as a Nascent Soul cultivator. Back then, he had been dispatched by the Orthodox Law Immortal Palace to complete a mission for Immortal Lord Linghua after slaying Yuan Qinghong at the Immortal Market Palace.
In those days, he was just a fledgling cultivator in the Nascent Soul Realm. Now, after countless journeys through the realms, he had returned as a Profound Immortal.
Three days later, Han Yi traversed several Immortal Domains and finally entered the territory of the Sui Zhu Immortal Court. This time, he approached from the north, heading straight for the Primal Art Dao Field.
Technically, his official explanation for venturing to the Outer Domain Battlefield was to intercept an invasion from the Wisdom Realm, not to launch a Great Expedition against them.
Uncertain how many within the Immortal Court knew the truth, Han Yi bypassed both the Heavenly Candle Hall and the Orthodox Law Immortal Palace, instead rushing directly to the Primal Art Dao Field, where he found Immortal Monarch Yuanshu deep in secluded cultivation.
Immortal Monarch Yuanshu was the highest-ranking individual Han Yi had encountered so far in the Sui Zhu Immortal Court. Given Yuanshu's previous friendliness, Han Yi chose to immediately inform him about the Great Expedition to the Wisdom Realm, the Two Realms Battlefield, and the gathering of Immortal Monarchs, Immortal Sovereigns, and even the Dao Ancestor.
Inside a three-story pavilion at the heart of the Origin Technique Arena, Han Yi recounted his experiences to Immortal Monarch Yuanshu:
The Great Expedition to the Wisdom Realm, the fall of the Great Sage Bull Demon, the disintegration of the Immortal Fortresses, the Kunpeng Demon Venerable, Immortal Sovereigns Ziwei, Xuanhui, Haotian, and Hongwu, the Ancient Immortal Zhurong, the Wisdom Race's Sage of Wisdom, the Heavenly Lord, the Giant Spirit God-King, the Mechanical Divine Battleships, and more.
In simple words, Han Yi unveiled the breathtaking panorama of the Two Realms War.
As for his later daring feat of seizing the Life Seed from within the Mechanical Divine Battleship and his encounter with Li Qiankun, Han Yi glossed over these events. He merely mentioned being rescued by a powerful Immortal, taken to the Penglai Immortal Realm, and only returning to Sui Zhu after enduring the Profound Immortal Tribulation there.