There was no doubt that the colossal weapon embedded within the Divine Aperture World was an Ancient Divine Artifact. Judging by its pristine surface, it appeared to be in perfect condition, completely undamaged by the passage of time.
Han Yi's eyes gleamed with excitement, his heart pounding with anticipation as a burning desire to wield this weapon surged through him.
While he knew he could never truly master such a mighty artifact, even harnessing a fraction of its power would double his strength. Facing Golden Immortal Gu Lian again, he might even be able to crush his foe effortlessly, without sustaining a single injury.
As Han Yi gazed at the towering golden spear, the Great Abyss Divine Blade within his Immortal Spirit Realm trembled faintly, emitting a faint murmur:
"An aura from the Primordial Era..."
"The master of this Ancient Divine Artifact must have been someone extraordinary..."
"This kid Han Yi has incredible fortune... He truly is the Chosen One."
The murmur was so faint that only the Divine Blade could hear it. In an instant, it vanished without a trace, leaving no ripple in its wake.
Outside, Han Yi moved forward, gradually approaching the golden spear. As he drew closer, he felt the artifact's overwhelming power with increasing intensity, a primal dread creeping into his bones.
When he reached within a thousand miles, the Divine Might suddenly surged with explosive force. The crushing pressure sent Han Yi plummeting into the Divine Sea, unleashing a cataclysmic eruption of divine power that scattered across the heavens.
Han Yi retreated several kilometers, finally exhaling in relief as he reached a safe distance beyond the thousand-kilometer range. Shaking his head slightly, he muttered, "No, this Divine Might is too powerful. I can't get close."
Refusing to give up, Han Yi conjured a massive hand of divine power and reached forward. But the moment it entered the spear's thousand-kilometer radius, his divine power instantly dissipated. He circled the spear, trying different angles and approaches, but each attempt met the same fate.
Next, he retreated several thousand kilometers further and activated the Four Origins Dao Technique. He then summoned a Third-Tier Immortal Sword and, channeling the Sword Control Immortal Art, guided the blade through the Divine Aperture Space, sending it hurtling toward the golden spear at the center of the Divine Aperture.
As the Immortal Sword pierced the spear's thousand-kilometer radius, its speed plummeted. Yet, driven by Han Yi's desperate control, the blade unleashed a deafening sword roar. Propelled across the vast distance, it struck the spear in a suicidal collision.
Boom!
The Third-Tier Immortal Sword shattered, unleashing destructive sword light that scattered across the Divine Sea. Fragments of the blade rained down.
Thousands of kilometers away, Han Yi's pupils constricted. The golden spear remained utterly unscathed, unshaken, and as imposing as ever.
"Incredible," Han Yi marveled. "With my current strength, I can't even budge this Ancient Divine Artifact. Imagine the terrifying power it would unleash at full force!"
Though he possessed other means, Han Yi doubted any could awaken the Divine Spear. Indeed, despite radiating immense Divine Might, the golden spear appeared to be in a deep slumber, a state it had likely maintained for countless millennia since the Primordial Era.
Just as he turned to leave, Han Yi suddenly froze, his gaze snapping back to the spear standing at the center. To his astonishment, the Divine Spear began to tremble slightly. Then, visibly shrinking at an accelerated pace, it continued to contract until it reached a length comparable to Han Yi's True Body as an Ancient God.
The spear flew toward him, and in a sudden flash of inspiration, Han Yi reached out and grasped it. A faint, childlike thought emanated from the Divine Spear.
Han Yi understood.
"Yueguang."
"Your name is Yueguang."
The spear vibrated gently, conveying a palpable sense of joyous excitement.
Han Yi's heart trembled. His initial guess had been inaccurate. The Divine Spear wasn't in perfect condition, nor was it undamaged. Instead, its original Artifact Spirit had perished long ago. Over countless ages, the spear had nurtured a new Artifact Spirit, but its wisdom was still nascent.
Despite its immaturity, the new Artifact Spirit instinctively knew the name of this Ancient Divine Artifact: Yueguang. Sensing the divine power within Han Yi—power that shared the same origin as the Divine Aperture World that had nurtured it—the Divine Spear naturally felt drawn to him.
Understanding this, Han Yi's thoughts raced. Gripping the spear, he transmitted his will, drawing Yueguang into his First Divine Aperture World: the Central Palace Divine Aperture World.
This action carried considerable risk. The Central Palace Divine Aperture World was his foundational realm; any mishap there could severely damage his entire system of Divine Apertures.
Yet this world was his strongest, the only one capable of housing the Divine Spear.
At that moment, Yueguang, now within the Central Palace Divine Aperture World, continued to shrink until it transformed into a golden spear roughly ten miles long, suspended in the void of the realm.
Thoughtfully, Han Yi modified a Divine Power Crystal he had previously moved into this world, creating a suitable rest for the spear. He then carefully embedded the golden spear into the crystal.
Han Yi paid little attention to the stir caused by the Divine Spear's appearance among the Innate Divine Spirits of the Divine Aperture World.
After securing the spear, Han Yi, fearing further complications, swiftly retraced his steps. He tore through the World Barrier once more, returned to the Divine Power Subspace, and then exited the subspace, emerging back into Jade Lake.
Upon emerging from Jade Lake, he saw a newly established sect being rebuilt on the ruins of the Great Peaks Immortal Sect. A quick scan with his Immortal Sense revealed that a nearby Profound Immortal-class sect had discovered the destruction of the Profound Nuwa Immortal Sect over a decade ago and seized the land to establish a branch sect.
Han Yi withdrew his Immortal Sense, losing interest, and turned eastward to flee.
As for the Great Peaks Immortal Sect, although he hadn't completely annihilated them, his assassination of their Sect Leader had severed all connections to the Profound Pill Sect. With the trail extinguished, the Great Peaks Immortal Sect would no longer be able to target the Profound Pill Sect, effectively neutralizing the threat to his own sect.
Continuing his journey eastward across the vast Jade Lake, Han Yi approached the edge of the Jade Lake Immortal Domain. Just before entering the Lin'an Immortal Domain, he suddenly halted.
He had sensed a familiar aura.
"Golden Resonance Daoist?"
The last time Han Yi had returned to Age Candle, it was Golden Resonance Daoist who had personally escorted him to register for Golden Immortal Authorization—a meeting that had taken place forty years ago.
As Han Yi approached the Lin'an Immortal Domain, he sensed the aura of Golden Resonance Daoist, causing his expression to turn grave with a growing sense of unease.
He vividly remembered a mission Golden Resonance Daoist had accepted years ago at the Heavenly Candle Hall: led by an Immortal Monarch and accompanied by dozens of Golden Immortals, they were to venture into the Lin'an Immortal Domain to eradicate the Evil Immortals of Evil Mountain.
Evil Mountain, along with Soul Tower and Black Realm, were known as the Three Great Dark Organizations of the Great Luo Immortal Realm. Composed entirely of Evil Immortals, Evil Mountain was far more dangerous than the other two. Whenever its members appeared, the major Immortal Courts of the Great Luo Immortal Realm would immediately dispatch Immortals to encircle and annihilate them. If Evil Mountain were to establish a foothold anywhere, the Evil Immortals' malevolent influence would corrupt the land, rendering it uninhabitable even after their extermination—a lifeless wasteland.
Standing in the void, Han Yi gazed toward a specific region not far from his current location, a place with which he was intimately familiar:
Crimson Thunder Hell.
Years ago, when he was still at the Transformation God Realm, he had accepted Li Zhengyang's invitation to join over a dozen Demigods and Transformation God cultivators in exploring an Immortal Spirit Realm within Crimson Thunder Hell.
Unfortunately, the Immortal Spirit Realm contained few treasures. Its core had already been seized by an Extraterrestrial Evil God—a Wayless One from the Chaos. Though Han Yi managed to gain some spoils, the Evil God branded him with a mark, effectively turning him into a Dao Beacon.
By now, he was no longer the low-level cultivator of yesteryear. He had become a Veteran Profound Immortal, his combat prowess nearing that of a Golden Immortal.
Having recently acquired the Ancient Divine Artifact Yueguang from the Divine Aperture World beneath Jade Lake, he now held another trump card, boosting his confidence immensely.
At that moment, sensing Golden Resonance Daoist's aura within the Crimson Thunder Hell, Han Yi's thoughts raced. With a flicker of movement, he vanished toward the crimson domain.
Simultaneously, he activated the Spirit Void Transformation and Shape Transformation Immortal Arts. His body dissolved into a microscopic point, merging seamlessly with the void. Only a Golden Immortal could detect him in this state.
Whoosh!
At his current speed, he reached the Crimson Thunder Hell in less than a dozen breaths. Instead of rashly entering, he probed the area with Immortal Arts. However, the Golden Resonance Daoist's aura he had sensed earlier had vanished without a trace.
Left with no other choice, Han Yi plunged into the Crimson Thunder Hell.
A moment later, Han Yi stood before a colossal crimson boulder, his expression grave. Embedded in the stone was a fragment of metal, its Golden Cry aura diminished to a faint trace that Han Yi would scarcely have detected at this distance.
With a gentle wave, he plucked the metal fragment from the rock and held it before him. He sensed the fading yet still razor-sharp Sword Intent within, and his heart sank.
The fragment was undoubtedly a piece of a shattered sword, and the aura clinging to it belonged unmistakably to Golden Resonance Daoist. Clearly, the sword had belonged to him. From Han Yi's experienced eye, he recognized the weapon as a Sixth-Tier Immortal Artifact—a top-tier Sixth-Tier weapon at that.
To shatter such a blade, the attacking artifact would need to be at least of the same tier, or even a higher level—a Seventh-Tier Immortal Artifact wielded only by powerful Immortal Monarchs.
In the Immortal Realm, though Sixth-Tier and Seventh-Tier Immortal Artifacts differed by only one tier, their power and potency were worlds apart. Sixth-Tier artifacts were mid-tier, typically wielded by Golden Immortals, while Seventh-Tier artifacts were high-tier, generally requiring the might of an Immortal Monarch to activate.
Han Yi retrieved the fragment of the Immortal Sword hovering before him and carefully searched the surrounding area. Finally, he discovered faint traces of a battle leading deeper into the heart of the Crimson Thunder Hell.
Legend had it that this Thunder Hell was formed from the clash of two Immortal Sovereigns. The fallen sovereign was known as the Crimson Immortal Venerable, while the other remained shrouded in mystery. Judging by the Thunder Hell's environment, however, he was likely an Immortal Sovereign who specialized in Thunder Arts.
The Crimson Thunder Hell was vast, and the Thunder Fiends within grew increasingly bizarre and powerful the deeper one ventured. Rumor had it that Immortal Monarch-level Thunder Fiends lurked at its core, while Golden Immortal-level fiends were not uncommon in the deeper regions.
The Immortal Spirit Realm Han Yi had entered during his Spirit Transformation Realm days was merely located at the Thunder Hell's outermost fringes. The Crimson Thunder Fiends he encountered there, ranging from the Spirit Transformation to Half-Immortal Realms, were relatively weak.
After securing the Immortal Sword fragment, Han Yi resumed his journey deeper into the Thunder Hell. Concealing his aura, he moved stealthily, avoiding detection by the Thunder Fiends. However, as he neared the heart of the hell, Thunder Fiends began to materialize, clearly aware of his presence and launching attacks.
The weakest of these Thunder Fiends were at the Peak Profound Immortal Realm, and they attacked in swarms. Further in, Golden Immortal-level Thunder Fiends began to appear. Han Yi chose not to unleash his full power, recognizing that expending his energy on these creatures would be unwise. Instead, he conserved his strength and retreated.
The Thunder Hell was fraught with dangers. Golden Resonance Daoist's predicament, for instance, suggested that his enemies were at least at the Peak Golden Immortal level, against whom Han Yi could offer little assistance. After considering this, he decided to withdraw completely.
His earlier attempt to venture deeper into the Thunder Hell had primarily been to search for clues about Golden Resonance Daoist's whereabouts, not to intervene in a Golden Immortal-level battle. His current strength was far from sufficient to participate in such high-level Immortal Combat.
Moments later, Han Yi returned to the edge of the Crimson Thunder Hell and set course for Lin'an Immortal City.
Most of the Lin'an Immortal Domain belonged to the Lin'an Daoist Sect. The sect's master, Immortal Monarch Lin'an, ranked seventh in the Sui Zhu Immortal Court. Though currently leading the Great Expedition to the Wisdom Realm, his Dao Field was undoubtedly guarded by numerous Golden Immortals, including several at the Peak level.
Han Yi felt it necessary to report the shattering of Golden Resonance Daoist's Immortal Sword to the Lin'an Daoist Sect, urging them to dispatch a powerful Golden Immortal for support.
Alternatively, a Peak Golden Immortal could swiftly report the incident to the Immortal Court, who could then send an Immortal Monarch to reinforce the Daoist Sect.
Of course, there was also the possibility that his fears were unfounded. Perhaps Golden Resonance Daoist, despite the destruction of his Immortal Sword, was unharmed—or had even destroyed his enemy by shattering the sword.
In less than an hour, Han Yi arrived at the Lin'an Daoist Sect. He presented the fragments of Golden Resonance Daoist's Immortal Sword to the Peak Golden Immortal overseeing the sect, Changbai, and reported the situation within the Crimson Thunder Hell.
Golden Immortal Changbai's expression turned grave. He pointed a finger at the sword fragments Han Yi presented, instantly gathering the aura belonging to Golden Resonance Daoist contained within.
Then, chanting arcane Immortal words, he touched the gathered aura.
Instead of dissipating, the aura stretched westward, pointing directly toward the Crimson Thunder Hell.
Golden Immortal Changbai slowly exhaled in relief.
"There's no need to worry, Fellow Daoist Han Yi."
"My Immortal Art reveals that Fellow Daoist Jin Ming has not fallen," Golden Immortal Changbai said. "I was the one who reported the incident at Evil Mountain to the Immortal Court, and I'm aware that Fellow Daoist Jin Ming and the others accepted the mission."
"However, our Dao Field requires a sufficient number of Peak Golden Immortals to defend it. Only they can activate the Eighth-Tier Immortal Formation at critical moments to withstand an Immortal Monarch. I can't afford to leave my post."
"Here's what I propose: I'll send one Golden Immortal to investigate the Crimson Thunder Hell and another to the Immortal Court to report the incident and request reinforcements. What do you think?"
Golden Immortal Changbai's attitude toward Han Yi was remarkably gentle. He knew Han Yi had ascended to the Profound Immortal Ranking and that, over forty years ago, Han Yi's strength had grown significantly, allowing him to climb further up the ranking and achieve Golden Immortal-level combat prowess.
Given time, if Han Yi avoided an untimely demise, he would undoubtedly reach the Peak Golden Immortal stage, and perhaps even surpass it to attain the venerable status of an Immortal Monarch—a very real possibility.
Han Yi breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this plan. It was the most prudent course of action.
After expressing his gratitude, Han Yi didn't linger. Upon leaving the Lin'an Daoist Sect, he didn't head toward the Sui Zhu Immortal Court as expected, but instead set course directly north.
Within Jade Lake, he had obtained a vast amount of divine power, pushing his Ancient God Realm within the Primordial Realm to its limits. Now, he needed to prepare for the Divine Tribulation of the Supreme Truth Realm.
Although the Supreme Truth Realm corresponded only to the Profound Immortal Realm, in the Great Luo Immortal Realm, altered cosmic laws had increased the difficulty of Divine Tribulations more than a hundredfold, transforming them into near-certain Death Tribulations. Even with his current strength, facing the Supreme Truth Divine Tribulation filled him with immense pressure.