When Golden Resonance Daoist stopped, Han Yi halted as well.
Hundreds of miles ahead, ripples spread through the Void, changes so subtle that even ordinary Golden Immortals would struggle to detect them. Yet to Han Yi and Golden Resonance Daoist, they were unmistakable.
Moreover, it was clear that the entity behind these ripples had no intention of concealing them from Han Yi and Golden Resonance Daoist.
Han Yi frowned. "The Black Realm?"
Golden Resonance Daoist sneered. "Those rats, no doubt."
Han Yi sensed a storm of fury concealed beneath Golden Resonance Daoist's cold smile, clearly indicating a past grievance between him and the Black Realm.
As their Immortal Senses collided, the ripples ahead began to transform.
Within the ripples, nine figures materialized, each wearing a mask adorned with eerie runes. Han Yi recognized three of them as the peak Golden Immortal assassins who had ambushed him outside Pure Yang Mountain years ago.
"Nine Heavenly Fiend Killers!"
Golden Resonance Daoist's expression turned grim, but he communicated telepathically to Han Yi, "Han Yi, each of these Nine Heavenly Fiend Killers is a peak Golden Immortal. They must not be underestimated."
"If things become untenable, you should escape first. I have my own way to get away."
Han Yi acknowledged this but remained calm, knowing that in a critical moment, he could rely on the Yueguang Ancient Divine Artifact.
As his Supreme Truth Realm Ancient God cultivation reached its peak, his Divine Aperture World underwent a profound transformation, now storing tens of times more divine power than that of a Senior Supreme Truth cultivator.
Though he hadn't tested it, Han Yi believed that even a single strike from the Yueguang Ancient Divine Artifact, unleashed by a Supreme Truth Realm Ancient God, would at most leave him severely injured, rather than completely drain his divine power and lead to his demise.
This was his trump card.
Seeing Han Yi's agreement, Golden Resonance Daoist immediately struck. As a Sword Immortal, he waved his hand, summoning ten thousand swords that swirled around him. His Sword Intent erupted with a cold, explosive force, mirroring his fiery temperament, as it surged across hundreds of miles of Void, hurtling toward the Nine Masked Assassins.
Simultaneously, he gripped a golden longsword and flashed forward. The aura emanating from this blade bore a striking resemblance to that of the handleless giant sword Han Yi had seen in his Palace.
At this critical moment, Golden Resonance Daoist didn't retreat even a single step. Instead, he launched the first attack—a signature move of the foremost Sword Immortal in the realm of slaughter.
After him, Han Yishen took a deep breath and layered several defensive measures around himself. Beyond the Four Origins Dao Technique and the Supreme Ancient Immortal Divine Body, he also activated Fifth-Rank and Sixth-Tier defensive Immortal Talismans to envelop his body.
Instead of drawing multiple Fifth-Rank Immortal Swords, he opted not to. Although his Sword Realm had reached the Fifth-Rank, supplementing it with Fifth-Rank Immortal Swords could pose a threat to a Peak Golden Immortal, they weren't all created equal. Among the Black Realm's assassins, the Heavenly Gang-level killers were considered formidable even among Peak Golden Immortals.
While the Sword Realm could affect them, it wasn't lethal.
Therefore, Han Yishen directly drew the Green Ripple Sword and the Heavenly Demon Halberd Fragment.
Over the years, the Green Ripple Sword had assimilated eight Sub-Swords, elevating its aura to the Peak Sixth-Rank. This Immortal Sword would suffice for Han Yishen until he ascended to Immortal Monarch.
With a Sixth-Rank Sword Control Immortal Art and a Peak Sixth-Rank Green Ripple Sword, Han Yishen was confident even a Limitless Golden Immortal would struggle to withstand his attack.
Meanwhile, it wasn't only Han Yishen who reacted to Golden Resonance Daoist's move. The Nine Masked Assassins that had appeared ahead also sprang into action.
The nine assassins split into two groups. Three moved to intercept Golden Resonance Daoist, while the remaining six lunged at Han Yishen.
Seeing this, Golden Resonance Daoist's eyes widened. With a thunderous shout, he hurled his Immortal Sword from his hand, aiming to intercept the other six.
But at that moment, one of the three Heavenly Fiend Killers advancing on Golden Resonance Daoist pulled out a black handkerchief. The handkerchief, thrown forward, rapidly expanded, enveloping the void around them and isolating the four from the outside world.
Han Yi watched as the handkerchief swept past, and the auras of the four figures vanished from the void. The handkerchief had severed their connection to the world, erasing their very presence.
His gaze grave, Han Yi faced the six Golden Immortals charging toward him. With a thought, the Green Ripple Sword flew from his hand. As one of the familiar masked assassins among them drew a mirror, the sword silently streaked forward, shattering the mirror the moment it began to unfold.
Through the mask, Han Yi met the terrified, disbelieving eyes of the Immortal. Yet, despite their shock, none of the nine Heavenly Fiend Killers uttered a word since their arrival. Their silence was a testament to the overwhelming disparity between Han Yi's power and their expectations.
During the previous attempt to ambush Han Yi, the mirror had been slashed by his sword, but the Immortal Artifact itself remained unharmed.
He had hoped to repeat the same trick, luring Han Yi into slashing the mirror again. This would trigger a second-layer trap he had set.
But he hadn't anticipated Han Yi's overwhelming power. With a single, air-shattering strike, Han Yi had completely shattered the Sixth-Rank Immortal Artifact in his hand.
It was important to note that this mirror was no ordinary Sixth-Rank Immortal Artifact. For Han Yi to destroy it with a single sword strike meant his sword must be at the pinnacle of Sixth-Rank Immortal Swords.
While he stood stunned, the other five Heavenly Fiend Killers struck simultaneously.
The assassin emitting a Heavenly Demon aura once again drew his small knife. This time, instead of severing a finger, he completely severed his wrist at the root.
It was clear that using this technique came at a tremendous cost. His trembling body shook violently as his remaining hand pointed forward.
The severed hand flew forward, exploding mid-air and transforming into a massive rune. The rune expanded rapidly in all directions, creating an illusory rune pattern beneath the feet of all the Immortals.
The moment the rune appeared, Han Yi took a gentle step forward, his Immortal Power surging wildly. Golden light trembled as True World Eternity infused his being, and his Mind Realm Immortal Technique, already at the peak of Fourth-Rank, finally ascended to Fifth-Rank.
He had no time to observe closely; it felt as though this single step not only traversed space but also froze time itself.
In the next instant, he teleported directly in front of the severed-handed Heavenly Demon.
He had been waiting for this precise moment.
This Heavenly Demon, unleashing black runes through its bloodline, was his primary target. Over three centuries ago, Han Yi had barely escaped by burning his Life Seed. Later, through repeated analysis, he concluded that the optimal moment to strike was the instant the black rune was cast, before it could fully manifest.
This opportunity required immense speed: to slay the Heavenly Demon before it could react. With the Heavenly Demon dead, the rune would dissipate.
Combining the speed of his Peak Great True Realm and Peak Profound Immortal Realm, Han Yi sensed a slim chance. He hadn't anticipated that his Mind Realm Immortal Technique, stagnant for years, would finally break through to Fifth-Rank.
The leap from Fourth-Rank to Fifth-Rank represented a fundamental breakthrough, dramatically enhancing this Immortal Art.
Moreover, guided by the principles of Fetal Transformation Disguise, Han Yi anticipated new transformations in his Mind Realm Immortal Technique.
As Han Yi approached the Heavenly Demon, the severed-handed creature hadn't even reacted when a sword flashed into its vision. The moment its demonic power stirred, the sword light flashed, severing its head. The physical body froze, then scattered in all directions. The scattered demonic power surged violently through the disintegrating body, rapidly coalescing into a massive true form of the Demon Race.
The severed head also burst through its mask, transforming into a demonic visage.
Han Yi had no time to examine the Heavenly Demon's true form. With another step, he vanished from his original position.
From the temporal dimension, it appeared as follows: he threw a sword, shattered the mirror artifact, took a step, vanished, appeared before the Heavenly Demon, caught the Green Ripple Sword, swung it, severed the demon's head, and took another step.
This second step followed the first without pause, as if he had predicted the future. Everything was under his complete control.
As Han Yi shattered the mirror and slew the demon, the other four Golden Immortals also struck. Among them was a Sword Immortal who unleashed nine Immortal Swords, piercing through the void to form a sword formation that charged straight toward Han Yi. But Han Yi moved with blinding speed. Before the sword formation could close in, he took his second step and vanished again. The sword formation whirled through the air, reducing the Heavenly Demon's corpse to dust.
Another figure, emitting the aura of a peak Heavenly Demon, raised a massive hammer and slammed it into the void. Thunder erupted from the void, radiating in all directions as arcs of lightning danced through the air before converging on Han Yi's position. However, Han Yi's Immortal Art breakthrough allowed him to narrowly evade the thunder as it closed in.
Of the remaining two, one was a graceful female immortal. She shook a nine-colored bell, releasing waves of Immortal Sound that echoed through the void.
With his second step, Han Yi landed where Golden Resonance Daoist had vanished moments before. Suddenly, a sense of danger tightened his heart, and his inner alarm blared. He took another step, vanishing from his original position.
Just before he vanished, a sword slashed through the air ahead of him.
After he vanished, the vibrating Immortal Sound reached his original position, but Han Yi had evaded it, leaving it unable to touch him.
With his third step, Han Yi didn't check the outcome of his sword strike. Instead, he turned to the source of the danger—the female immortal shaking the nine-colored bell. She wore a rune-inscribed mask, her slender figure a stark contrast to the palpable menace radiating from her. If the opportunity arose, Han Yi wouldn't hesitate to strike.
Several tens of miles away, the female immortal shaking the bell suddenly turned to the fourth Golden Immortal. Her meaning was clear: the target was too fast. If they didn't restrain him now, the variables would multiply.
The fourth Heavenly Fiend Golden Immortal was a dwarf, his stature roughly that of a ten-year-old child. His mask, smaller than those worn by the other Golden Immortals, covered his face.
The dwarf had yet to make a move, or rather, Han Yi had shattered the Immortal Mirror, exterminated the Heavenly Demon, evaded the Sword Immortal and the heavy hammer's barrage, and even avoided being touched by the Immortal Sound emanating from the female immortal's bell.
When the female immortal turned to look at him, he knew he had to act. Though the timing was unfavorable, the target was too formidable to let pass—this required a direct assault.
Instead of attacking immediately, the dwarf produced a wooden puppet. He thrust his finger into its heart, then withdrew it, pointing it at Han Yi.
Strangely, his finger dripped with black blood, and the puppet began to convulse violently after his touch.
Only the dwarf seemed to notice this bizarre scene.
But then, the dwarf's face, visible beneath his mask, paled with shock. An invisible force pressed down on his chest, as if he had become the puppet, about to suffer the same fate—his heart about to be pierced.
"No, I can't hold him!"
"He's too fast!"
A raspy, urgent, and aged voice emerged from beneath the dwarf's mask.
This was the first time the Nine Heavenly Fiend Golden Immortals had spoken since their appearance.
The Dwarf Golden Immortal formed a seal, and the twitching wooden puppet in his hand rapidly disintegrated into ashes and vanished.
The abnormality in his chest also swiftly disappeared.
He had severed the connection with the puppet, rendering it useless.
It was a one-time-use Sixth-Rank Immortal Artifact, mysterious and arcane. With his current ability, it would have taken him a hundred years to craft another.
Had Han Yi been slower, the Dwarf Golden Immortal could have bound him to the puppet. Then, by killing the puppet, he could have also killed Han Yi.
But failing to bind Han Yi meant the backlash would fall upon him instead. Every change in the puppet would manifest in his own body. The only way to stop the puppet's effects was to completely destroy it.
Meanwhile, after Han Yi's third step, he sensed even greater danger—this time, more lethal. Without time to react, he took another step forward.
Before stepping, he glimpsed the scene beneath the black curtain he had split with his sword.
Beneath the curtain lay another Immortal Formation, though this one didn't isolate space. Within the formation, Golden Resonance Daoist fought with all his might, but three Heavenly Fiend Golden Immortals held him captive. Whenever he broke through the formation's boundaries, he was instantly teleported back to its center.
From this scene, it was clear that Golden Resonance Daoist, though trapped, was not in immediate danger of perishing.
Seeing this, Han Yi couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
He continued to employ his movement techniques, shifting positions and traversing space. He soon realized that the Immortal Sound emitted by the female immortal had a limited range. As long as he kept moving, he wouldn't be caught in its effects.
Moreover, he could seize an opportunity to counterattack.
He approached the Sword Immortal and swung his sword, cleaving the Sixth-Rank Immortal Sword in her hand in two. The Immortal Sword let out a mournful cry as the Sword Qi of Green Ripple Sword struck the Sword Immortal, severing her arm. She fled in terror.
The remaining four Golden Immortals trembled inwardly and outwardly.
Just then, a cold snort echoed through the void.
"Waste."
After this cold snort, the four Heavenly Fiend Killers present ceased their attacks and retreated respectfully to a distance.
Han Yi stopped shifting positions, his expression turning grave. Simultaneously, his body began to swell. From the power contained in that cold snort, he knew that the newcomer was no Golden Immortal, but...
An Immortal Monarch.
Within the Black Realm, beneath the Realm Lord, there were twenty-eight Star Lords, each one an Immortal Monarch or higher.
In other words, the one about to attack him was an Immortal Monarch.
Though Han Yi had mentally rehearsed countless times how to handle a situation like this, facing an Immortal Monarch, he still felt overwhelming nervousness when the moment arrived.
It's important to understand that every Immortal Monarch can establish their own Dao Field. The difficulty of advancing from Golden Immortal to Immortal Monarch is exponentially greater than progressing from Mortal to True Immortal.
Within the Sui Zhu Immortal Court, home to tens of thousands of Golden Immortals, even ten breaking through to Immortal Monarch status would be considered a heaven-sent blessing.
For a Profound Immortal to confront an Immortal Monarch directly, even with every available resource, it's nearly impossible to bridge the vast gap between their power levels.
But Han Yi was different.
Through his Three-System Co-Cultivation, both his Ancient God and Immortal Path cultivation had reached the Peak Profound Immortal realm. Armed with an incredibly powerful Ancient Divine Artifact, he believed he could shake the foundations of even this formidable opponent if he fought with his life on the line.
As he began his transformation,
a figure shrouded in black robes, his face adorned with an illusory starry sky pattern, emerged from the void. With each step he took, he traversed unimaginable distances.
On the starry sky pattern etched on his face, only a single star was illuminated.