Eighth Epoch, year 106,475 of the Great Luo Calendar.
Twelve years had passed since the upheaval caused by the Great Expedition to the Wisdom Realm. The turmoil had gradually subsided, and the Immortal Realm appeared peaceful on the surface.
But beneath this tranquility, dark currents swirled.
Sui Zhu Immortal Court, Primal Art Dao Field, Immortal Pavilion.
After compiling the clues he had gathered from various sources over the years, Han Yi couldn't help but feel a growing unease.
"Dao Ancestor," he murmured, "all the Dao Ancestors of the Immortal Court have vanished without a trace."
"Where could they have gone?"
This question plagued not only Han Yi, but every Immortal across the realm who had noticed the unsettling phenomenon.
Strictly speaking, the Dao Ancestors had disappeared twelve years prior, with the emergence of the colossal Immortal Fortress during the Great Expedition to the Wisdom Realm.
Initially, Han Yi had simply assumed that Sui Zhu Dao Ancestor was absent from the Great Luo Immortal Realm, dismissing it as a temporary absence. But as more information surfaced over the years, it became clear that Sui Zhu was not alone. Lingxiao Dao Ancestor, Eastern Sovereign Dao Ancestor, Supreme Unity Dao Ancestor, Luo Tian, and Yellow Court Dao Ancestor had all vanished without a trace as well.
Looking further back in time, no Dao Ancestor had appeared in the Great Luo Immortal Realm for nearly a century. The last trace was a fleeting glimpse of Luo Tian Dao Ancestor's aura within the Blazing Flame Dao Court.
More significantly, twelve years ago, the Immortal Fortress that had abruptly returned from its expedition to the Wisdom Realm reappeared in the Great Luo Immortal Realm. Yet none of the Dao Ancestors made an appearance, not even Luo Tian Dao Ancestor, who had most recently revealed his presence.
This deeply puzzled the immortals of the Great Luo.
An Immortal Sovereign publicly declared that they too were unaware of the Dao Ancestors' whereabouts and had been unable to contact them.
Gradually, a consensus emerged within the Immortal Realm: the disappearance of all Dao Ancestors across the realm must stem from a single cause. Or, more precisely, they had likely all gone to the same place.
Over the past twelve years, Han Yi expanded his intelligence network. He frequently visited the Golden Immortal Pavilion of Heavenly Candle Hall and the Primal Art Dao Field, establishing connections with numerous Profound Immortals and even some Golden Immortals. His information now came from both official Immortal Court channels and more clandestine sources.
Yet regardless of the source, critical information about the Dao Ancestors and Chaos remained scarce. Most of what he found lacked concrete origins, relying instead on speculation and conjecture.
For the past twelve years, Han Yi had frequently traveled between the Sui Zhu Immortal Court and the Profound Pill Sect. On one hand, he was trying to uncover the reason for the Dao Ancestor's disappearance, sensing that it likely foreshadowed an impending crisis. Understanding the situation in advance would allow him to prepare countermeasures.
On the other hand, he worried about the Profound Pill Sect being caught in the crossfire of the Immortal Court's power struggles. Although Yuan Hong had ascended to the Profound Immortal Realm and the sect boasted a significant number of Demigods, their overall strength remained insufficient. In the event of war, their defenses would be woefully inadequate. For instance, if a Golden Immortal attacked while Han Yi was away, the sect could easily be annihilated.
The dark currents Han Yi feared stemmed primarily from the internal strife among the Immortal Court's various factions. This vast and intricate bureaucracy wasn't united by shared interests; most factions were bound together by competing for resources and influence. The contested positions of Immortal Sovereign Realm Heavens and Dao Field seats served as prime examples of this fragmented reality.
Strictly speaking, the Immortal Court was a patchwork of disparate powers. Under the Dao Ancestor's leadership, these rivalries had remained largely covert. But with his disappearance, the situation threatened to destabilize.
This was Han Yi's deepest concern.
However...
What no one anticipated was that the crisis wouldn't stem from the internal power struggles within the Immortal Court, but from the Eastern Sovereign Demon Court.
In the year 106,478 of the Great Luo Calendar, fifteen years had passed since the tumultuous conclusion of the Great Expedition.
The Eastern Sovereign Demon Court initiated hostilities, mobilizing a vast army composed of countless Demon Cultivators and Demon Immortals. The force divided into three columns, advancing upon the territories of Age Candle, Luo Tian, and the Imperial Court. Their approach was thunderous, the demonic aura blotting out the sky and swallowing mountains and rivers—a clear intent to conquer the entire Great Luo Immortal Realm and transform it into a Demon Realm.
Instantly, the immortals erupted in fury.
It was only then that the major powers unearthed ancient texts, revealing that the Eastern Sovereign Demon Court, or rather the Demon Race itself, had never been a docile entity.
For millions of years since the Primordial Era, the Great Luo Immortal Realm had never enjoyed true peace. Even when facing the common threat of invasion from the Wisdom Realm, the Demon Race had rarely been united, frequently engaging in warfare and occasionally clashing with other factions of the Immortal Court.
After all, on the surface, the Eastern Sovereign Demon Court boasted two Dao Ancestors—the Eastern Sovereign Dao Ancestor and the Supreme Unity Dao Ancestor—making it the second-largest Immortal Court power after the Great Luo Immortal Court.
But now, the Great Luo Immortal Court was fractured, its most powerful Dao Ancestor, Void Antiquity Dao Ancestor, had fallen, the Wisdom Clan threat on the Extraterritorial Void Battlefield had vanished, and even the Dao Ancestors themselves had been missing for fifteen years.
This opportunity was truly one in a million, a chance of a lifetime.
When Han Yi first received the news, he was stunned. But then he recalled the bitter rivalry between the Cultivation World and the Demon Race back in the Jade Balance Realm, combined with the current volatile state of the Immortal Realm, and it all seemed inevitable.
This was simply the nature of demons.
Demons were inherently malevolent, treacherous, and cunning entities.
While there were exceptions, this description held true in the vast majority of cases and was no mere slander.
Almost simultaneously with the Demon Race's declaration of war, Han Yi received a mandatory summons from the Immortal Court. This was his second such order, following his expedition to the Wisdom Realm.
This time, however, the summons came not from the Orthodox Law Immortal Palace, but from the Golden Immortal Pavilion itself.
Upon entering the Golden Immortal Pavilion, Han Yi attracted considerable attention. After all, a Profound Immortal with Golden Immortal Authorization was a rare sight, even within the entire Immortal Court.
Yet this attention was fleeting. Beyond Han Yi, numerous other Profound Immortals capable of battling across cultivation stages had also been summoned to the pavilion, all possessing the same Golden Immortal Authorization.
The Golden Immortal Pavilion was treating them as Peak Golden Immortals, not mere Profound Immortals.
Han Yi scanned the assembly, recognizing many familiar Profound Immortals, all of whom were listed on the Profound Immortal Ranking of the Void Tower.
In that instant, he understood the selection criteria: to be summoned here, Profound Immortals needed both Golden Immortal Authorization and a place on the Profound Immortal Ranking.
After half an hour, most of the Golden Immortals from the Immortal Court had arrived. An unassuming old man materialized before them. Though his gaze lacked Immortal Might, every Immortal bowed their heads in reverence as it swept across them.
"Immortal Venerable Wan Chuan," Han Yi murmured to himself, his heart filling with awe.
Of the six publicly acknowledged Immortal Sovereigns of the Sui Zhu Immortal Court, Wan Chuan was not the most powerful, but he was by far the oldest. Legend held that he had been the first Immortal to follow the Sui Zhu Dao Ancestor, sharing a relationship that straddled the line between master and friend.
Immortal Venerable Wan Chuan withdrew his gaze from the assembled Immortals, his expression grave. "As you all know," he began, "the reason I have summoned you here is clear."
"Not long ago, the Demon Race tore apart our mutual non-aggression treaty and recklessly initiated hostilities. The Demon Calamity is upon us, and none of you should underestimate its severity."
"I have gathered you here in the hope that we can unite our strength and eradicate the Demon Calamity."
The Immortals stiffened, their expressions solemn.
A Peak Golden Immortal stepped forward, his voice sharp. "Immortal Sovereign, what trump card does the Eastern Emperor Demon Clan possess that dares to initiate Immortal Combat, targeting three Immortal Courts simultaneously beyond their territory?"
"With the Dao Ancestors absent, how can their Immortal Sovereigns and Monarchs possibly prevail against the combined might of the three Immortal Courts?"
The Peak Golden Immortal's question echoed the doubts in the minds of all the Immortals present, including Han Yi.
From what he knew, the Eastern Emperor Demon Clan had only six Immortal Sovereigns—two fewer than the unified Great Luo Immortal Court before its fragmentation. Their 108 Demon Monarchs also paled in comparison to the Great Luo's original strength.
Apart from the Dao Ancestors, the Eastern Emperor Clan lacked any real prestige in terms of Immortal Sovereigns and Monarchs.
Unless... A terrifying thought flashed through Han Yi's mind. He abruptly raised his head, his gaze fixed on Immortal Venerable Wan Chuan, who appeared as an elderly scholar.
Other Peak Golden Immortals seemed to have caught on as well, their expressions varying but uniformly disturbed.
Immortal Venerable Wan Chuan spoke in a grave voice:
"It's not the strength of their Immortal Sovereigns and Monarchs that matters. It's the Dao Ancestor."
He paused, surveying the faces of the Golden and Profound Immortals, now contorted with shock, before delivering the definitive answer: "The Eastern Sovereign Dao Ancestor has returned."
"That's right, the Supreme Unity Dao Ancestor returned from the Chaos seven days ago."
"However, aside from his return, no other Dao Ancestors have emerged in the Immortal Realm."
"As for the reason, I know no more than you do."
"Only Immortal Sovereigns could sense the Supreme Unity Dao Ancestor's return."
"Although we don't know why he immediately initiated Immortal Combat between our two races upon his return, only one path remains before us: to strike the Demon Race a decisive blow."
"Only by doing so can we defend the territory of the Immortal Court."
Immortal Venerable Wan Chuan's face was resolute, and Han Yi could even sense his willingness to risk his life to protect the Immortal Court, filling him with profound respect.
Whether calm or agitated, the immortals remained silent.
Immortal Venerable Wan Chuan then withdrew, and the immortals dispersed from the Golden Immortal Hall.
Before leaving, Han Yi exchanged nods with several familiar immortals, including Profound Sincerity True Immortal. A Peak Golden Immortal and disciple of True Night Daoist, Profound Sincerity had originally taken Han Yi's spot for the Primordial Path. However, he later gifted Han Yi an Immortal Sword, settling that debt of causality.
During the tumultuous Great Expedition, True Night Daoist's grandfather, Immortal Monarch Cloud Departure, had perished. Upon hearing the news, True Night Daoist immediately entered secluded cultivation, vowing publicly before secluding himself to break through to the Immortal Monarch realm within a millennium.
Profound Sincerity True Immortal, like Han Yi, had obtained Golden Immortal Authorization while still at the Profound Immortal Realm, granting him entry into the Golden Immortal Pavilion. His strength had already reached the point where he could tentatively ascend the Void Tower's Profound Immortal Ranking, which led to his recruitment by the Pavilion.
Observing the changes in Xuan Cheng's power, a glint flashed in Han Yi's eyes. Though he had often secluded himself in the past, after the turmoil of the Great Expedition, he had devoted considerable time to monitoring the Immortals within and beyond the Immortal Court, including this enigmatic figure.
Across from him, Xuan Cheng stared at Han Yi, inwardly stunned, even horrified.
"Supreme Truth Realm."
"How is this possible?"
"The Laws and Dao Principles have been altered. Reaching the Primordial Realm was already a stroke of immense fortune—how could he have broken through to the Supreme Truth Realm?"
"Advancing to that realm requires more than just an Ancient God's Legacy. Without weathering the Divine Tribulation, transcending cultivation realms is utterly impossible."
"Yet this aura... primordial and supremely true, with divine power capable of altering reality itself... It's undeniably the Supreme Truth Realm. I can't be mistaken."
"Hiss... Could Han Yi be backed by a Heavenly Venerable capable of manipulating the very fabric of existence?"
"This Immortal Realm is endlessly unpredictable. The Two-Realm War has just concluded, and now the Two-Race War has begun. Let's hope this doesn't end like the Primordial Era, with the world itself shattered into oblivion."
"No, my strength is still insufficient. I must strive to break through to Golden Immortal in even less time to gain a shred of self-preservation."
Xuan Cheng's heart trembled, but his face remained impassive, betraying none of his inner turmoil.
He and Han Yi exchanged distant salutations before Xuan Cheng departed with a Golden Immortal he knew well from the Primal Art Dao Field.
Nearby, Golden Resonance Daoist approached Han Yi at a leisurely pace.
"Han Yi."
Han Yi turned and bowed respectfully. "Greetings, Golden Immortal Golden Cry."
"Now that you've made it onto the Profound Immortal Ranking and possess the combat strength of a Golden Immortal, coupled with Golden Immortal Authorization allowing entry to the Golden Immortal Pavilion, there's no need for such formality," Golden Resonance Daoist said. "You may simply call me Senior Brother."
He gazed at Han Yi, suddenly filled with a sense of awe.
He vividly remembered Han Yi's breakthrough to True Immortal over four hundred years ago and his subsequent joining of the Primal Art Dao Field. Yet in that relatively short span, Golden Resonance Daoist himself had failed to fully comprehend the Inheritance within his damaged Seventh-Tier Immortal Sword, remaining stuck at the Peak Golden Immortal Realm with no path to Immortal Monarchhood in sight. Meanwhile, Han Yi had been relentlessly advancing, progressing from a newly ascended True Immortal to a Veteran Profound Immortal with the combat prowess of a Golden Immortal, all within the same four hundred years. Each step of his progress had left Golden Resonance Daoist astonished.
Four hundred years, for most True Immortals, was merely the duration of a single secluded cultivation session, barely enough time to comprehend a Second-Tier Immortal Art. Han Yi, however, had been on a meteoric rise, already reaching fifty-seventh place on the Profound Immortal Ranking.
Golden Resonance Daoist, himself a former Profound Immortal, understood the significance of this position on the Ranking List.
Han Yi nodded without false modesty. He inquired about the events that had transpired in the Crimson Thunder Hell, and Golden Resonance Daoist provided a concise explanation.
Years ago, he and dozens of Golden Immortals had ambushed a Demonic Immortal from Demonic Mountain. The battle had been fierce, culminating in the shattering of his personal sword as he critically wounded a Peak Golden Immortal-level Demonic Immortal. Injured himself, he had been forced to retreat deeper into the Crimson Thunder Hell.
Later, Han Yi's report had prompted the Immortal Court to dispatch reinforcements. The Demonic Immortal was slain, and the wounded Golden Immortals, including Golden Resonance Daoist, were rescued.
"By the way," Golden Resonance Daoist added, "this time, the Immortal Court is deploying a massive force led by Immortal Venerable Wan Chuan and Immortal Monarch Yuansui: ten thousand Golden Immortals, one hundred thousand Profound Immortals, one million True Immortals, and tens of millions of lower-ranked cultivators to confront the Demon Race."
"Moreover, the allocation of personnel above the True Immortal level will not be centralized, but rather organized by Dao Field units."
"In other words, each Dao Field must defend its own territory."
"Immortal Monarch Yuanshu will likely be deployed as well."
After a pause, Golden Resonance Daoist lowered his voice. "I have a feeling this Immortal Combat is more complex than it appears. You must be extra cautious. If you encounter a powerful Golden Immortal-level Demon Immortal you can't defeat, flee immediately. There's no need to fight to the death."
Han Yi nodded, recognizing this advice as a genuine expression of concern from Golden Resonance Daoist.
No sooner had Golden Resonance Daoist finished speaking than Han Yi suddenly thought of something. "In that case, won't the Immortal Court be sending out all its forces? What if the Demon Race bypasses us and attacks the Immortal Court directly? Wouldn't that cut off our retreat?"
Golden Resonance Daoist shook his head. "Rest assured, the Immortal Court's foundations are immeasurably deep. Even without a Dao Ancestor present, it would be exceedingly difficult for the Monster Court's Dao Ancestor to breach its defenses in the short term."
As for deploying forces by Dao Field units, this arrangement served to quell internal discord within the Immortal Court, which had been unsettled in recent years. By focusing all Immortals' attention on the impending Two-Race War, the potential for suspicion and division would be minimized.
After a brief exchange, Golden Resonance Daoist and Han Yi parted ways to prepare for battle.
Three days later, the Sui Zhu Immortal Court's forces mobilized. Organized by Dao Field units, a vast and orderly procession surged toward the contested border between the two great Immortal Courts.