Inside Heavenly Candle Hall, Han Yi was utterly stunned by the news concerning the Chaotic Demon Zone.
A hundred thousand years ago, the southern region of the Great Luo Immortal Realm was plunged into chaos. Ancient texts from that era revealed an invasion by the Wisdom Clan, during which several Heavenly Lords intervened and slew two Great Luo Dao Ancestors: the Heavenly Demon Dao Ancestor and the Reincarnation Dao Ancestor.
Ultimately, over thirty Immortal Domains in the southern region were shattered into countless Fragmented Immortal Realms. Most of these fragments, along with their subordinate minor worlds, were tainted by the Heavenly Demon Aura emanating from the fallen Heavenly Demon Dao Ancestor. Their Laws were fractured, and they would forever be devoid of True Immortal Tribulations.
This corrupted region became known as the Chaotic Demon Zone.
Due to its unique nature, the Chaotic Demon Zone was banished to the southeastern fringes of the Great Luo Immortal Realm, far from its core. Situated on the edge of the Extraterritorial Battlefield, both the Immortal Realm and the Wisdom Realm remained wary of the ominous aura left behind by the Heavenly Demon Dao Ancestor's fall, refusing to venture into its depths.
However, as Han Yi's authority grew and his understanding of the Immortal Realm's major powers deepened, he increasingly suspected that the Great Luo's fragmentation a hundred thousand years ago was not solely due to the Wisdom Clan's invasion. The root cause of that devastating war, he believed, was far more complex, shrouded in layers of hidden agendas.
The shocking news Han Yi had just heard was that three years ago, when he first entered the Void Tower, the Blazing Flame Dao Court's mysterious Sacrificial Daoists had intervened. Using supreme Mana, they had relocated the Chaotic Demon Zone from the Outer Void to the southern region of the Great Luo Immortal Realm, connecting it to the Azure Profound Immortal Domain.
Furthermore, the lingering ominous aura of the Heavenly Demon Dao Ancestor, originally scattered throughout the Chaotic Demon Zone, had been completely eradicated by the Sacrificial Daoists during this process.
After the shattered remnants of over thirty Immortal Domains, along with their subordinate minor worlds, coalesced, they formed a landmass roughly equivalent to thirteen Immortal Domains. The sole connection between these thirteen domains and the Great Luo Immortal Realm was through the Azure Profound Immortal Domain; neither Qingling nor Yinglong Immortal Domains had been linked.
From the perspective of an omnipotent being overlooking the Great Luo Immortal Realm, the realm no longer appeared as a single irregular, roughly circular continent. Instead, it resembled two such continents—one large and one small—fused together, with the Azure Profound Immortal Domain marking their point of union.
Following the reassembly of the Chaotic Demon Zone, the Blazing Flame Dao Court chose not to relocate its original central hub from the heart of the Great Luo Immortal Realm. Instead, they established a new central hub within the Chaotic Demon Zone, effectively creating a dual-hub system.
With the acquisition of the Chaotic Demon Zone, the Blazing Flame Dao Court had swiftly risen to become the most territorially expansive supreme power in the Great Luo Immortal Realm.
"So, the Jade Balance Realm has already been spliced into the Great Luo Immortal Realm."
"What a grand undertaking!"
"Could the Sacrificial Daoist behind this be a Heavenly Venerable?"
"With such supreme Mana, even if they aren't a Heavenly Venerable, they must be a Peak Dao Ancestor. Only such a being could effortlessly erase the lingering aura of the Heavenly Demon after a hundred thousand years and forcibly piece together such a vast region, reintegrating it into the Great Luo Immortal Realm."
"But..."
"What could this Sacrificial Daoist's true purpose be, warranting such an elaborate scheme?"
"Moreover, Boundary Lotus Immortal Sovereign's earlier journey to seek out Qingxuan Immortal Venerable, which ultimately led to Qingxuan's collaboration with the Blazing Flame Dao Court, now appears to have been a preparation for directly connecting to the Void, paving the way for integrating the Chaotic Demon Zone."
"What a grand undertaking!"
Han Yi repeated his exclamation twice, his bewilderment at the current state of the Immortal Realm deepening.
One thing was certain: the Blazing Flame Dao Court, or rather the mysterious Sacrificial Daoist behind it, was playing a grand game. Whether it was constructing the Grave-Crossing Dao Vessel, expanding the Central Immortal Domain, forging alliances with Qingxuan in the south, or reuniting the Chaotic Demon Zone, each step was part of this grand strategy.
Suppressing his wandering thoughts, Han Yi left the Heavenly Candle Hall and fled south, passing through the Immortal Market Palace toward the Primordial Arts Immortal Domain.
He had spent over thirty years at the Sui Zhu Immortal Court. According to his original plan, he would return to the Profound Pill Sect every few decades to oversee its affairs.
Only when the Profound Pill Sect grew stronger, with at least a few True Immortals emerging, would Han Yi feel truly at ease, allowing him to cultivate at the Sui Zhu Immortal Court for extended periods.
After over three decades of cultivation, while his cultivation realm had only just surpassed the Veteran Profound Immortal stage, his skills had all reached the Peak Profound Immortal level. His Sword Control Immortal Art had even advanced to the Fifth-Rank, granting him combat prowess comparable to a Golden Immortal.
His enhanced speed allowed him to travel from the Sui Zhu Immortal Court to the Primordial Arts Immortal Domain in just a day and a half.
Before entering the Azure Shu Mountain Range, he suddenly sensed an anomaly. He halted and glanced beyond the mountain range at an ordinary cliff ten miles away. With a gentle flick of his finger, he sent a strand of Sword Qi toward the cliff.
The small cliff shattered instantly as the Sword Qi passed through it, collapsing into a cloud of dust and debris.
The cliffside trembled, alerting the cultivators guarding the Profound Pill Sect. A Nascent Soul cultivator stationed at the edge of the Azure Shu Mountain Range prepared to investigate, but an Immortal Sense suddenly descended upon his mind. He stiffened, his expression turning reverent, and hastily returned to his original post.
Having restrained the guard, Han Yi strode forward. As he approached the shattered cliff, he gently beckoned, summoning a shard of a broken mirror from the rubble. The fragment, no larger than half his palm, hovered before him.
A cold glint flashed in Han Yi's eyes as he flicked a beam of Spirit Light at the mirror shard. The shard instantly melted, revealing a rapidly fleeing aura—already hundreds of miles away.
The molten mirror fragment before him was a medium for a long-range surveillance immortal technique. Had his strength not increased since his True Immortal Realm days, he might not have detected it.
The Spirit Light he had used to melt the mirror shard was the Chaotic Stars Immortal Art. This technique, which severed causality and traced origins, had been created by a Peak Golden Immortal and was stored within the Origin Technique Arena. It was considered one of the finest of its kind.
As expected, the moment Han Yi activated his root-tracing Immortal Art, he immediately discovered an Immortal behind the mirror. The Immortal, located hundreds of miles away, was using the mirror as a medium to monitor the Azure Shu Mountain Range. When Han Yi melted the mirror and glimpsed the Immortal's aura, the Immortal realized he had been discovered and attempted to flee swiftly.
But Han Yi had no intention of letting him escape so easily. With a flash of movement, each step he took seemed to transport him to a different space-time continuum, a different world. This was a Third-Tier Mind Realm Immortal Technique, enhanced by the second transformation of the Nine Transformations Divine Art, the Flame God's Myriad Realm Traverse, creating a fused movement technique.
Han Yi had perfected this harmonized technique within the Void Tower, reaching the peak Profound Immortal level, just a hair's breadth from the Profound Immortal's ultimate limit.
The mysterious Immortal spying on the Profound Pill Sect ahead was merely a True Immortal, whose speed couldn't even compare to Han Yi's.
In less than three breaths, Han Yi was already behind him.
The True Immortal sensed the danger closing in. Han Yi had shattered his Immortal Art and instantly given chase with such astonishing speed—a feat only a few Peak Profound Immortal Elders in Great Wei could accomplish.
In a desperate moment, the True Immortal realized that escape was impossible. He stopped, turned to face Han Yi, and shouted, "Fellow Daoist, wait!"
"I am a cultivator from the Great Forge Immortal Sect. I'm merely testing my Immortal Arts here and harbor no ill intent."
However, his words had no effect on Han Yi. Using the Chaotic Star Immortal Art, Han Yi calculated that the man had come from the southwest, a vast distance from the Primal Art Dao Field. The "Great Forge Immortal Sect" he mentioned was a Profound Immortal-class sect within the Primordial Arts Immortal Domain, a detail that contradicted the clues Han Yi had gathered through his Immortal Arts.
Clearly, he was lying.
Moreover, Han Yi could never believe such a flimsy excuse as "merely testing Immortal Arts with no malicious intent."
His expression turned cold. With a wave of his hand, a streak of Sword Qi shot forth, traversing dozens of miles to obliterate the True Immortal's physical body. Amidst the explosion, the True Immortal's Immortal Soul fled in terror—not because the Sword Qi lacked power, but because Han Yi had deliberately held back.
As the Immortal Soul escaped the shattered remains of its physical body, preparing to flee, it suddenly felt the entire world transform into a dark, starry sky. Deep within the boundless cosmos, distant stars shimmered and swayed. Then, without warning...
In the dark space, dozens of massive black chains suddenly materialized, slicing through the void with a deafening clatter as they surged toward the True Immortal. His face paled with terror as he desperately tried to escape, only to be crushed by an overwhelming force that threatened to shatter his Immortal Soul, faint cracks beginning to appear across its surface.
The momentary hesitation proved fatal. The chains coiled around his Immortal Soul, binding it completely.
In the next instant, his entire being shuddered. The light faded from his Immortal Soul's eyes as images flickered across its surface like pages turning in a book of memories being rapidly flipped through.
Outside the realm.
Han Yi's eyes lit up with sudden realization, finally understanding the True Immortal's origins.
After obliterating the True Immortal's physical body, he had instantly dragged the Immortal Soul into one of his Divine Aperture Worlds and simultaneously activated a Divine Art:
The fourth transformation of the Ancient Flame Moon God's Nine Transformations: Myriad Chains of the Sunken Soul Realm.
This was an illusion-based Divine Art.
While effective against all intangible beings, its true power lay in its ability to manipulate souls—Immortal Souls, Divine Souls, and spirits alike.
The Divine Art transformed a Divine Aperture World within his body into a soul realm, where countless soul-binding chains extended to refine and consume the captured soul.
Extracting memories was just one of its many capabilities.
From the memories he had just extracted, Han Yi learned that this True Immortal hailed from the Great Peaks Immortal Sect—the very Main Sect of the Nine Majestic Immortal Sect that he had annihilated years ago in Sui Gu Immortal City.
Over a century prior, Han Yi had encountered several Immortals from the Great Peaks Immortal Sect who had tracked him down, even taking Grand Elder Situ Xian of the Sui Gu Immortal Sect hostage. At the time, Han Yi had effortlessly slain both the Great Wei Profound Immortal and the True Immortal, rescuing Situ Xian.
Now it seemed the Great Peaks Immortal Sect remained stubbornly persistent, still coveting the Profound Pill Sect.
A surge of killing intent flared within Han Yi.
Instead of acting immediately, he turned and returned to the Azure Shu Mountain Range. His Immortal Sense probed deep into the Sect, instantly stirring the Immortal Spirit Qi and activating the Immortal Formation. This formation, crafted half a sexagenary cycle ago, was a Peak Fourth-Rank creation called the Ten Capitals Profound Spirit Vast Cosmos Immortal Formation.
At its full potential, this Peak Fourth-Rank Immortal Formation could withstand even a Peak Profound Immortal.
Its core wasn't singular but divided between two key locations: the Battle Law Divine Mountain, where Han Yi had previously resided, and the Profound Hong Pavilion established by Yuan Hong.
Even in his absence, with Yuan Hong overseeing operations, the formation could hold off a Peak Profound Immortal for a considerable time.
Stimulated by Han Yi's thought, the Immortal Formation was now operating at full capacity. In the Profound Hong Pavilion, Yuan Hong received Han Yi's mental message. His expression grave, he channeled his Immortal Power into the formation's core, pushing it to its maximum potential.
At the edge of the Azure Shu Mountain Range, Han Yi withdrew his Immortal Sense, turned, and fled southwest.
The True Immortal within his Divine Aperture World had not yet fallen, likely meaning the Great Peaks Immortal Sect remained unaware of the situation. Seizing the opportunity, Han Yi decided to strike preemptively, aiming to annihilate the sect and sever their karmic connection.
Through the True Immortal's Immortal Soul memories, Han Yi had learned the Great Peaks Immortal Sect's history. Once a dominant force within the Lingxiao Immortal Court, the sect had suffered a devastating blow when their Peak Golden Immortal perished during his Tribulation Crossing. Their enemies had seized the opportunity, attempting to obliterate the sect. However, Great Wei had anticipated this. They scattered into numerous splinter factions, fleeing to various corners of the Immortal Realm.
The Nine Majestic Immortal Sect in Sui Gu Immortal City was one such splinter sect.
Though the Great Peaks Immortal Sect had since rebuilt, less than thirty percent of its former branches had returned. The sect now lacked a Golden Immortal, boasting only seven Peak Profound Immortals.
Having identified this vulnerability, Han Yi resolved to strike decisively, aiming to end the conflict in a single, decisive blow and sever all ties of causality.
Two days later, Han Yi crossed the Lin'an Immortal Domain and entered the Lingxiao Immortal Court. The domain he had left behind was called the Jade Lake Immortal Domain, named after the vast Jade Lake at its center.
Ancient legends claimed that before the fragmentation of the Immortal Realm, the Jade Lake had been formed from the shattered remains of a priceless treasure that surpassed even Dao Artifacts.
After flying for the time it takes to burn an incense stick, Han Yi finally reached the opposite shore of the immense Jade Lake and stepped into the territory of the Profound Nuwa Immortal Sect.
That's right.
The Great Peaks Immortal Sect hadn't been rebuilt from scratch. Instead, it had chosen to rebuild by borrowing an existing structure—the Profound Nuwa Immortal Sect. This sect had originally been a relatively ordinary Profound Immortal-class sect, but after its two Profound Immortals were secretly replaced, it became the perfect shell for the Great Peaks Immortal Sect's revival.
Moreover, the Profound Nuwa Immortal Sect had publicly announced that its Great Elder was on the verge of breaking through from a regular Profound Immortal to a Veteran Profound Immortal, and that the sect would be closing its mountain gates for a millennium of seclusion.
This millennium also served as a preparation period for the Great Peaks Immortal Sect's Peak Profound Immortal, the sect's most promising candidate to ascend to the Golden Immortal realm within that time.
If a Golden Immortal emerged from the sect within the next thousand years, it could secretly recall more of its scattered branches and potentially restore the Great Peaks Immortal Sect to its former glory.
Han Yi gazed across Jade Lake at the sealed Mountain Gate of the Profound Nuwa Immortal Sect. With a flicker, he transformed into the True Immortal whose Immortal Soul he had imprisoned within his Divine Aperture World.
His aura was now indistinguishable from the True Immortal's. Even a Profound Immortal would struggle to detect the deception.
This was the Shape Transformation Immortal Art, now at the advanced stage of the Second-Tier. While it would be useless against a Golden Immortal, Han Yi was confident that those below that realm would be unable to see through his disguise.
As Han Yi approached the Mountain Gate, a strand of Immortal Sense swept over him.
"Junior Brother Fuling, you were previously dispatched to the Great Luo Immortal Court. Now that you've returned to the sect, have you made any discoveries?"
The cultivator Han Yi had transformed into was named Fuling. Among the thousands of True Immortals in the Great Peaks Immortal Sect, Fuling was merely one among many. A century ago, several Immortals from the sect had perished in the Great Luo Immortal Court. Their Immortal Names, stored within the sect, had shattered, prompting the sect to send True Immortal Fuling to investigate.
Fuling was skilled in tracking and surveillance. He had followed the trail all the way to the Luo Tian Immortal Court, which had splintered from Great Luo. In Sui Gu Immortal City, he had discovered traces of their presence and tracked them to the Primal Art Dao Field, where he had been lurking ever since.
Han Yi nodded.
"Senior Brother Gu Yun, I have uncovered the truth behind Martial Aunt Su Luan and the others' demise. I came specifically to report this to the Sect Leader."