Han Yi observed the shock on Ruyi Golden Immortal's face.
However, his heart remained solemn, devoid of any smugness over escaping from the three peak Golden Immortals.
For him, this had been a genuinely perilous situation.
Without burning his Life Seed to momentarily halt the rotation of those eerie black runes, he wouldn't have escaped so easily.
"Thank you for your assistance, Fellow Daoist Ruyi. If you receive any news, please send me a message through the token," Han Yi said, bowing respectfully.
With that, he departed the Golden Immortal Pavilion and returned to the Primal Art Dao Field.
Inside the Immortal Pavilion, he mentally reviewed the sudden and bizarre assassination attempt.
Those three masked Golden Immortals had moved with seamless coordination. Had he been a peak or even a Limitless Golden Immortal, escape would have been nearly impossible.
Moreover, after his escape, they made no attempt to pursue him.
This hit-and-run tactic, striking from afar and vanishing without a trace, was unmistakably the modus operandi of a Black Realm assassin.
"The Black Realm..." Han Yi murmured darkly.
"Could it be the Great Sage Demonic Ape's bounty?"
"No, that's not necessarily it."
"At the peak of the Profound Immortal Realm, possessing the cultivation of a peak Golden Immortal, major factions couldn't possibly ignore me. Even someone within the Immortal Court might have hired the Black Realm to kill me."
Han Yi smirked coldly. Whoever dared to kill him would face his ruthless retaliation.
He cleared his mind of all thoughts and retrieved the golden ring given to him by the Pure Yang Dao Ancestor. Using his Immortal Sense, he probed the ring and discovered a surprisingly spacious interior. Within this space, eight dark-green longswords hung suspended, each enveloped in a layer of golden light that masked their aura. They were difficult to detect unless approached closely.
"Eight Qingping Sword Divisions... what a grand gesture," Han Yishen breathed, his heart swelling with joy.
Years ago, Yuan Shun had traveled the realms with clear coordinates and still managed to collect only five Sub-Swords. To think the Pure Yang Dao Ancestor possessed eight.
Moreover, instead of merging them, the Dao Ancestor had used a special Sword Intent to isolate each Sub-Sword.
With a thought, Han Yi extracted one of the Qingping Sword Divisions from the golden ring.
The Green Ripple Sword behind him leaped forward, hovering before Han Yi. With a soft hum and a faint tremor, a strand of Sword Qi descended, shattering the Sword Intent encasing the Sub-Sword.
This Sword Intent had been left by the Pure Yang Dao Ancestor. When he handed the ring to Han Yi, he had already withdrawn most of it, leaving only a final layer that could be broken by an Immortal of the Profound Immortal Realm. Thus, the Green Ripple Sword's single strand of Sword Qi could easily pierce the Golden Light.
If the Pure Yang Dao Ancestor hadn't withdrawn most of the Sword Intent, even if Han Yi had the Sub-Swords before him and could sense them, he wouldn't have been able to merge them into the True Form.
After breaking through the Golden Light, the Qingping Sword Division was absorbed by the Green Ripple Sword with a whoosh.
Overjoyed, Han Yi retrieved the remaining seven Sub-Swords. The Sword Light swept across them, and the Golden Light Sword Intent surrounding each Sub-Sword vanished.
The five Sub-Swords were absorbed into the Green Ripple Sword in one go.
To Han Yi's delight, the Green Ripple Sword didn't enter hibernation this time, but remained suspended before him as usual. A thought resonated within him, bringing clarity:
The Green Ripple Sword, now a Sixth-Tier artifact, possessed such potent Immortal Energy that it no longer needed to hibernate to digest the Sub-Swords. It could now process them while active.
This meant that even after absorbing the Sub-Swords, the Green Ripple Sword remained usable.
This was a tremendous boost for Han Yi.
However, the thought also carried a warning: advancing the sword to Seventh-Rank Immortal Sword status wouldn't be so simple. To elevate the Green Ripple Sword to the ranks of high-tier Immortal Artifacts, he would need to find a sword heart.
"Sword heart."
Han Yi's gaze sharpened as he set the matter aside for now. The Green Ripple Sword's thought contained a description of the sword heart. With his current strength, he wasn't yet capable of wielding a Seventh-Rank Immortal Sword. He'd reconsider the matter after ascending to the Golden Immortal realm.
After stowing the Green Ripple Sword, another idea sprouted in his mind.
Life Seed.
The seed of life, the origin and primordial substance, the law of evolution, the fundamental element that creates the world.
So far, Han Yi had only a few ways to obtain Life Seeds: one was to plunder Life Cores from the Scarlet Dimension, and the other was to acquire them from the colossal Mechanical Divine Battleship at the Primordial Boundary Wall.
These were all Wisdom Seeds from the Wisdom Realm.
Therefore, once the Wisdom Clan and its subordinate races left, Han Yi lost his source of Life Seeds.
However.
From the Eternal Life Immortal Assembly, he also learned of a type of Life Seed similar to Wisdom Seeds: the Origin.
Back then, during the third trial of the Eternal Life Immortal Assembly, on the summit of the colossal Heaven-Reaching Immortal Mountain within that vast projected world, Han Yi's Panel actually reacted, indicating the discovery of a 'Life Seed' but stating it was 'unabsorbable'.
This was because that world was merely a projection, not a true reality.
But if he could find the true Origin, would that mean it could be absorbed?
Where exactly is the Origin?
Even within the scope of the Golden Immortal Authorization at the Profound Repository Palace, there were only fragmented records about this, nothing definitive. This was because the energy level of the Origin was extremely high, beyond the reach of Golden Immortals. Only Immortal Monarchs and above could potentially have any involvement.
Han Yi harbored the thought of obtaining more Life Seeds, to save his life in critical moments, but lacking any current channels, he could only remain patient.
He opened the Proficiency Panel.
As expected, the Sword Control Immortal Art had advanced to the Sixth-Tier, and the Great Freedom Cosmic Light Sword Canon had reached the Fifth-Rank, with the eighth form, Total Annihilation, now comprehended.
In terms of cultivation realm, he remained at the Peak Profound Immortal stage, still a considerable distance from the Limitless Profound Immortal stage, where all three layers of Immortal Power would be perfected.
The Ancient God System remained at the Advanced Supreme Truth Realm, not yet reaching the Peak Supreme Truth Realm.
After reviewing the panel, Han Yi resolved to stock up on Immortal Talismans and disposable special Immortal Artifacts, especially the latter. These disposable artifacts, though more expensive than ordinary ones, were consumable items with power surpassing that of standard Immortal Artifacts.
During the recent ambush by three Peak Golden Immortals, if Han Yi had possessed a disposable artifact capable of dispelling black runes, he wouldn't have been so passive.
Having learned from this painful experience, Han Yi decided not to hesitate in spending Immortal Marks to arm himself properly.
Rumor had it that Black Realm commissions continued indefinitely unless the commissioner died. With the failure of the previous Assassin mission, the next wave of attackers might include even stronger Golden Immortals, or even a Half-Step Immortal Monarch like Qin Yi.
Proper defenses were essential.
Han Yi had visited the Heavenly Candle Hall and the Immortal Market Palace, spending a staggering twenty million Immortal Marks to stock up on a vast array of Immortal Talismans and special one-use Immortal Artifacts.
The talismans were all Fourth-Rank, Fifth-Rank, or Sixth-Tier, while the special one-use artifacts were all Sixth-Tier or lower.
With these resources, he was prepared to handle ninety-nine percent of the crises faced by Golden Immortals.
Afterward, he intended to return to the Immortal Pavilion to cultivate, but a sudden thought made him veer into the Zhengyang Pavilion instead.
Remarkably, Li Zhengyang happened to be inside.
Upon seeing Han Yi, Li Zhengyang sprang to his feet, his face beaming.
"Haha, what wind has blown Fellow Daoist Han to my humble pavilion?"
"Your presence alone brings glory to this modest Zhengyang Pavilion, making it shine like a beacon!"
"Tomorrow, I'll put up a sign declaring that this Zhengyang Pavilion is now co-owned by Great Immortal Han. Countless immortals will flock here like birds to a spring."
"Immortal Stones, Immortal Treasures, and Immortal Marks will surely flow in endlessly!" Li Zhengyang rubbed his hands together, chuckling.
Han Yi's heart stirred at these words. Li Zhengyang's casual banter instantly restored their previous easy rapport, unaffected by Han Yi's rising fame and improved status.
Come to think of it...
Li Zhengyang was one of Han Yi's few Immortal friends, and the only one who treated him as an equal.
Han Yi automatically dismissed Li Zhengyang's flattery and stepped into Zhengyang Pavilion. But no sooner had he sat down than he was struck by a sudden realization.
Li Zhengyang's half-joking, half-complimentary words had resonated with him.
He now had both reputation and power, but he lacked the time to build his own influence. His intelligence mainly came from purchased or exchanged information.
This hadn't been a problem during his Profound Immortal and Golden Immortal stages, but now that he had reached Immortal Monarch, with its vast resource demands, gathering intelligence would become an extremely time-consuming process.
Moreover, intelligence was crucial. These Merchant Pavilions were also important sources of information.
If Han Yi could establish his own Merchant Pavilion influence, it would greatly benefit his investigations into the Origin, the Qingping Sword Division, and other matters.
!
By collaborating with Li Zhengyang—contributing his Immortal Marks, ensuring protection with his strength, and securing naming rights—he would essentially have his own power base.
The Sui Zhu Immortal Court did not oppose Immortals establishing their own factions. Given the vastness of the court, centralized coordination was impractical. Competition among factions fostered progress.
The Dao Fields of the Immortal Monarchs and the Immortal Venerable Realm Heavens are the greatest powers in the Immortal Realm.
Within the Immortal Market Palace, the various Immortal Pavilions operate similarly.
With this thought, Han Yi flicked his fingers, creating an Immortal Power barrier around himself and Li Zhengyang to block any external observation.
"I hadn't planned on this," Han Yi said slowly, "but Fellow Daoist Li's words just now gave me an idea."
Li Zhengyang's smile faded slightly, and he asked hesitantly, "Build a Merchant Pavilion together? Why the sudden interest, Fellow Daoist Han?"
In Li Zhengyang's experience, Han Yi had always been an ascetic cultivator, renowned for his wealth. Even the Immortal Marks he'd earned from the Void Tower were far beyond Li Zhengyang's reach. His own Merchant Pavilion seemed unlikely to interest someone like Han Yi.
Han Yi rolled his eyes. "Just tell me if you're in or out. I'll contribute Immortal Marks to build the pavilion. With my reputation and the backing of my strength, it should be viable. You can handle all the operations. What do you say?"
Li Zhengyang's eyes first lit up slightly, then brightly. "Excellent! This is heaven-sent fortune! If I, Li Zhengyang, refuse this opportunity, heaven itself would surely punish me! Let's do it!"
He sprang to his feet, visibly excited.
He was well aware of Han Yi's current reputation, which was truly at its zenith.
Even most Peak Golden Immortals didn't possess such renown. Even Dao Fields that had once been led by Immortal Monarchs, whose leaders had perished in the outside world, couldn't match Han Yi's fame.
In the Immortal Realm, reputation and strength formed the foundation of a Merchant Pavilion. With both, many challenges would naturally resolve themselves.
Moreover, Han Yi entrusted the day-to-day operations entirely to him, a clear sign of his trust.
This opportunity was no less significant than a divine blessing, and he naturally wouldn't decline it.
"Then, how about naming this Immortal Pavilion the Han Yi Pavilion?" Li Zhengyang suggested.
Han Yi initially thought this name was inappropriate. Naming it directly after himself seemed too ostentatious.
But his raised hand paused mid-air.
If he wanted to establish his reputation, naming it after himself would be the most direct and quickest method.
After a moment's consideration, however, he still felt "Han Yi Pavilion" sounded too awkward. A thought struck him, and he proposed an alternative.
"Han Yi Pavilion isn't quite right. How about Immortal Ease Pavilion?"
"Immortal Ease... Immortal Ascension made easy. The symbolism isn't bad."
Li Zhengyang pondered this for a moment before nodding slowly.
The name "Immortal Ease" was indeed down-to-earth and practical.
After further discussion, Han Yi decided to invest thirty million Immortal Marks. Even Li Zhengyang was stunned by this sum.
Although Li Zhengyang had ascended to the Profound Immortal realm over a hundred years ago, he had remained trapped in the ordinary Profound Immortal realm. Despite numerous attempts, he found it difficult to break through without access to substantial and powerful cultivation resources—a limitation imposed by his innate talent.
To put it bluntly, during the Great Expedition to the Wisdom Realm, he had encountered a tremendous opportunity that allowed him to ascend to the Profound Immortal realm. However, this breakthrough had overextended his luck. Unless something unexpected occurred, the ordinary Profound Immortal realm would remain his peak, with little chance of further breakthroughs.
Han Yi's proposal to establish the Merchant Pavilion resonated with Li Zhengyang, who eagerly accepted and joined the venture. This opportunity offered him a chance to secure the necessary resources through the pavilion, potentially allowing him to advance to higher realms: Senior Profound Immortal, Peak Profound Immortal, or even the Golden Immortal realm—a realm he had never dared to imagine reaching.
After some discussion, the pavilion was scheduled to open in three years. During this period, Li Zhengyang would oversee its construction, launch marketing campaigns, and prepare for its grand opening.
Suddenly, Han Yi remembered something and asked, "By the way, Fellow Daoist Li, have you found any news about Fellow Daoist Nine Rings while searching Lingxiao?"
When Yang Jiuhuan went missing, Han Yi had investigated the vicinity of the Xuan Ding Immortal Sect within the Lingxiao Immortal Court. His inquiries led him to conclude that Ye Wuxian had likely taken Yang Jiuhuan, after which he ceased his investigation.
After the return of the expeditionary force from the Wisdom Realm, Han Yi informed Li Zhengyang of this. Li Zhengyang had immediately rushed to the Lingxiao Immortal Court to track down Yang Jiuhuan.
Han Yi, who hadn't had time to inquire about this matter in recent years, now brought it up.
Li Zhengyang nodded.
"I visited the Lingxiao Immortal Court and conducted a thorough investigation. I confirmed that my Senior Sister is indeed with Ye Wuxian. However, Ye Wuxian's movements are unpredictable, making him impossible to track."
"Nevertheless, in an Immortal City where Ye Wuxian had once appeared, I discovered a cryptic message left by my Senior Sister. This message could only be deciphered by me in the entire Immortal Realm."
"It was very short, simply stating that she was safe and had even turned misfortune into fortune. She was pursuing an opportunity and told me to stop investigating further."
"Thus, I abandoned my plans, ceased my pursuit, and returned to the Immortal Court."
Li Zhengyang didn't withhold any details, sharing his entire investigation with Han Yi. This was a sign of trust, considering Han Yi had initially uncovered the news that Ye Wuxian had taken Yang Jiuhuan.
A short while later, Han Yi left Zhengyang Pavilion and returned to the Immortal Pavilion to cultivate. However, before long, he was startled again and flew out.
Not far away, within the territory of the Primal Art Dao Field, an immense aura erupted skyward, radiating a heart-pounding energy.
"This is... the aura of an Immortal Monarch."
"Someone has broken through to become an Immortal Monarch."