The rest of the journey passed without incident, and the two returned safely to North Pole Immortal City.
They then used the Transmission Formation to teleport back to Nine Rivers Plaza.
Only after arriving at Nine Rivers Plaza did Golden Resonance Daoist finally breathe a sigh of relief.
He released Han Yi from the Immortal Spirit Realm.
Though Han Yi's face remained pale, the Immortal Pills provided by Golden Resonance Daoist had restored some of his Immortal Power. He retrieved the Immortal Pills he had purchased earlier from the Immortal Spirit Realm and consumed them all at once. The surging Immortal Energy spread through his body, rapidly converting into Immortal Power and significantly replenishing his reserves.
Though still severely injured, he was now mobile.
"Let's go. I'll escort you to your Immortal Pavilion," Golden Resonance Daoist said gravely.
Han Yi nodded.
From these words, he understood that Golden Resonance Daoist had reached the same conclusion: only the two of them knew of their journey to the Endless Void Immortal Fortress Cluster, and only Immortals from the Immortal Court witnessed their departure. Yet despite this, they had still been intercepted in the Void by the Black Realm.
What did this mean?
It meant that the Immortal Court harbored assassins from the Black Realm.
Given their speed, the journey from the Void Immortal Fortress Cluster to North Pole Immortal City took only half a shichen. This half-shichen was not a long duration, yet the locations where the Heavenly Fiend Killers and the Black Realm Star Lord appeared were precisely in the middle, equidistant from both the Immortal City and the Immortal Fortress Cluster.
What a remarkable coincidence.
Han Yi had initially suspected that both the Heavenly Fiend Killers and the Black Realm Star Lord were immortals from the Sui Zhu Immortal Court. However, upon further reflection, he dismissed this notion. After all, the few Peak Heavenly Demons present could not possibly correspond to any immortals within the Sui Zhu Immortal Court.
Therefore, he surmised that only some of the Heavenly Fiend Killers hailed from the Immortal Court. It was these agents who had tracked Daoist Golden Cry and himself, allowing them to intercept them in advance and summon the Star Lord to prevent Han Yi's escape, as had happened three hundred years prior.
In the eyes of the Heavenly Fiend Killers, Han Yi would have undoubtedly perished if Dongming Immortal Monarch hadn't intervened.
Now that Han Yi was severely injured, it wasn't impossible for an assassin to risk an attack within the Immortal Court. After all, the court was vast, and even its protective spirits couldn't safeguard every corner.
This was why Daoist Golden Cry insisted on escorting Han Yi back to the Immortal Pavilion.
A moment later, after settling Han Yi in the Immortal Pavilion, Daoist Golden Cry gruffly instructed him to "convalesce properly" before turning on his heel with a ferocious aura.
Having suffered this setback, he refused to accept defeat. If he couldn't resolve the matter himself, he could always seek assistance from Immortal Monarch Yuanshu, as a Golden Immortal under his command, requesting intervention from the Immortal Monarch was entirely reasonable.
Han Yi retracted his gaze, retrieved three Fifth-Rank Immortal Swords, and, relying on the Immortal Pavilion's Formation Arts, arranged them accordingly before returning to the pavilion's interior.
The Immortal Pavilion remained nine layers high, and as usual, Han Yi chose to cultivate on the Ninth Layer.
After settling into a cross-legged posture, he produced several bottles of Immortal Pills and gulped them down indiscriminately. These pills were not Sixth-Tier but rather Fourth-Rank and Third-Tier. For others, attempting to consume such a quantity at once as a Peak Profound Immortal could easily lead to a fatal "body explosion."
But for Han Yi, his Immortal Body, enhanced by the True Body of an Ancient God, had reached a strength comparable to that of a Peak Golden Immortal. He faced no such risk.
Only then did he have the time to call up the Proficiency Panel. At first glance, he noticed a line of pale red text, both familiar and yet somewhat alien:
Cosmic Light Thought Realm (Fifth-Rank Immortal Art 1/100)
"When the Mind Realm Immortal Technique advances to the Fifth-Rank, it transforms into the Cosmic Light Thought Realm," Han Yi realized with sudden understanding.
Focusing his attention on this line, a stream of information immediately flowed into his mind, causing his expression to light up with delight.
"So powerful!"
"No wonder it allowed me to shake off so many Heavenly Fiend Killers."
This information explained the meaning of this advanced Immortal Art.
The Cosmos encompasses all time, from ancient past to future.
Cosmic Light is the radiance that traverses infinite time.
The Cosmic Light Thought Realm is an Immortal Art that, within the temporal dimension, allows one to traverse realms with a single thought.
Simply put, this art, originally a speed technique involving only space, had been elevated to the Fifth-Rank. By integrating the Time Law, it gained both spatial and temporal attributes, increasing its speed by over a hundredfold.
Of course, the Fifth-Rank Cosmic Light Thought Realm is merely the first stage of harmonizing the space-time laws—a preliminary fusion. Only by advancing it to the Seventh-Rank, or even transforming it into a Dao Technique, will its true terror as a space-time art be revealed.
Perhaps, by then, a single thought could span Primordial Great Worlds, even traverse Chaos, and roam freely across the Dao Domain.
After a moment, Han Yi calmed down, reining in his wandering thoughts.
Though powerful, the Cosmic Light Thought Realm was still in its infancy. It could be effective against Golden Immortals, but it was far from sufficient against Immortal Monarchs.
The path ahead was long; impatience would serve no purpose.
Han Yi took a deep breath, then produced Immortal Pills and Immortal Stones to begin recovering from his injuries.
Meanwhile, Golden Resonance Daoist went directly to the Origin Technique Arena to report the assassination attempt to the Immortal Monarch.
Had it been a conflict between Golden Immortals, he wouldn't have bothered reporting it. But the Black Realm's dishonorable tactics—deploying a Star Lord to attack Han Yi, who was merely in the Profound Immortal Realm—enraged Golden Resonance Daoist.
At the Origin Technique Arena, the Immortal Monarch listened to Golden Resonance Daoist's report without anger. His eyes flickered with curiosity as he remarked:
"An Ancient God beyond the Primordial Realm should be in the Supreme Truth Realm."
"However, with the evolution of cosmic laws, even Primordial Realm Ancient Gods can be achieved through great effort, as the Dao Ancestor once demonstrated. But the Supreme Truth Realm is exponentially more difficult and costly, even for the Dao Ancestor himself."
"Han Yi has actually reached the Supreme Truth Realm."
"This is most likely due to that Ancient Divine Artifact of his."
"A Profound Immortal in the Supreme Truth Realm challenging an Immortal Monarch—if word of this spreads, it will surely shock the Great Luo."
"He truly cannot be underestimated."
Immortal Monarch Yuanshu sighed before addressing Golden Resonance Daoist's question directly:
"This Black Realm organization is no trivial matter. Even the Dao Ancestor once pursued that enigmatic Realm Lord, only to fail in capturing him."
"The Dao Ancestor subtly hinted that the Black Realm's Realm Lord is not an Immortal from the Primordial Great World, but rather a being from the Chaos itself."
"I may not be able to handle a Realm Lord, but capturing a few Star Lords to vent my anger should be manageable."
Immortal Monarch Yuanshu stood up. As he rose, the entire Origin Technique Arena seemed to come alive. Countless strands of Immortal Light emerged from the numerous strange stones and towering steles, swirling and converging upon him, merging into one.
Golden Resonance Daoist's face filled with astonishment. "Immortal Monarch, you... you..."
Immortal Monarch Yuanshu shook his head slightly. "I merely gained some enlightenment from that battle years ago."
"I've taken another step closer to the Immortal Sovereign realm."
"But there's still a long way to go before I can break through to Immortal Sovereign."
"However, I've already found the path. Even facing an Immortal Sovereign directly—so long as it's not one of the few at the absolute peak—I would dare to engage them in battle." With a faint smile, he flicked his sleeves, and the entire Origin Technique Arena began to shrink. Finally, it condensed into a pattern that branded itself onto his forehead, becoming a seal.
This seal, if magnified countless times, revealed itself to be a star chart. Each Immortal Art inscribed within the Origin Technique Arena had coalesced into a star, radiating Immortal Energy and shimmering with brilliance.
The Origin Technique Arena was the path to Immortal Sovereign for Immortal Monarch Yuanshu. The pattern it formed was called the Primordial Art Starmap.
When Donghuang besieged the Holy Spirit Mountain Range and trapped the Great Sage Demonic Ape, Immortal Monarch Yuanshu lacked the power to carry the Primordial Art Starmap, which he had been engraving for countless millennia.
But now, having advanced further in strength, he could preliminarily integrate the Primordial Art Starmap into his Inner World Heaven.
When the Origin Technique Arena is fully merged with his Inner World Heaven, he will be able to break through to Immortal Sovereign.
The time required for this process is uncertain. It might take only a century, or it might never reach completion even after tens of thousands of years. But there is no doubt that he has confirmed this path to be correct. By persisting on this path, he will undoubtedly attain Sovereignhood.
After Immortal Monarch Yuanshu departed, Golden Resonance Daoist gazed at the empty Origin Technique Arena, his heart deeply shaken.
Han Yi's monstrous power and the Immortal Monarch's breakthrough both stirred within him an urgent desire to ascend.
"Where exactly is the path of the Immortal Monarch?"
He returned to his Immortal Palace and stood before the enormous, handleless giant sword. Looking up at it, his eyes flickered with Sword Intent as scenes flashed before him. Finally, he sat down cross-legged, and with a wave of his hand, the palace doors closed.
Half a year later, Immortal Monarch Yuanshu appeared at a stronghold in the Black Realm. He slaughtered three one-star Black Realm Star Lords and a three-star Star Lord before engaging in a direct clash with a five-star Star Lord, ultimately sustaining injuries and retreating.
Even the five-star Star Lord, suspected to be an Immortal Sovereign, emerged worse for wear.
This incident sent shockwaves through the Immortal realm. Investigations revealed that the conflict stemmed from the recent assassination of Han Yi and Golden Immortal Golden Cry of the Primal Art Dao Field by nine Heavenly Fiend Killers and a Star Lord in the Endless Void north of the Age Candle.
This prompted Immortal Monarch Yuanshu's retaliatory strike, where he razed a Black Realm stronghold, slaughtering three ordinary Star Lord Immortal Monarchs and clashing head-on with the suspected Immortal Sovereign-level Star Lord.
What stunned the Immortals even more was the discovery that during the battle in the Void, Han Yi, a Profound Immortal, had exchanged blows with a one-star Star Lord.
Most Immortals refused to believe this report. For a Profound Immortal to leap over the Golden Immortal realm and engage in combat with an Immortal Monarch was already unlikely for low-level cultivators. In the Immortal Realm, where the gaps between each major realm were vast, such a thing wasn't just impossible—it was absolutely inconceivable.
Further investigation revealed that all this information originated from the Black Realm. The Immortals suddenly realized: the Black Realm was attempting to both elevate and destroy Han Yi's reputation.
Based on this premise, the immortals concluded that Han Yi's sparring match with the Immortal Monarch was a sham.
This debate, sparked by Han Yi, gradually subsided.
In the following period, the Black Realm vanished without a trace, and the Star Lords ceased their external activities. It was unclear whether they were stirring up the Age Candle Immortal Court or harboring some other scheme.
As for Immortal Monarch Yuanshu, Golden Immortal Golden Cry, and Profound Immortal Han Yi, they remained unseen.
The Immortal Realm was vast. Every day, Immortal Sects perished, and every moment, new immortals ascended. Over time, the feud between the Black Realm and Yuan Shu gradually faded from living memory, recorded only in ancient tomes rather than discussed in the halls of immortality.
The tenth year after Han Yi's assault.
The Eastern Emperor Taiyi emerged from seclusion. The aura of a Heavenly Venerable permeated the Great Luo, radiating outward. Kunlun and Eternal Life also briefly manifested the aura of a Heavenly Venerable before swiftly withdrawing it.
A dark undercurrent surged through the Immortal Realm.
This was a living Heavenly Venerable, not one of the legendary figures who had fallen or vanished hundreds of thousands of years ago.
The thirtieth year after Han Yi's assault.
The Myriad Nether Immortal Venerable appeared in the Yinglong Immortal Domain, clashing with the Yinglong Immortal Venerable. The battle shattered hundreds of thousands of miles of territory before ending in a narrow victory for Yinglong, achieved with a single decisive strike.
The Myriad Nether Immortal Venerable paid for this confrontation with three severed fingers, escaping severely injured.
The Immortal Realm harbors three great dark organizations: the Black Realm, Evil Mountain, and the Soul Tower.
The Soul Tower is also known as the Nether Tower, Nethergod Tower, and Myriad Gods Tower.
The Myriad Nether Immortal Venerable reigns over the Soul Tower. He is also called the Myriad Souls Immortal Venerable and the Nether Soul Immortal Venerable.
These titles stem from his ability to manifest thousands of souls, each Divine Soul capable of acting independently as a distinct entity. His Immortal Techniques are so enigmatic that even the Dao Ancestors struggle to discern truth from falsehood.
Precisely because of this bizarre soul-splitting ability, the Myriad Nether Immortal Venerable is the most coveted target for elimination by the Great Luo Immortal Court's Dao Field. He is even more detested than the Realm Lord of the Black Realm.
After all, it's possible that within the Immortal Court itself, an Immortal Monarch is one of the Myriad Nether Immortal Venerable's Avatars. How can one tolerate others snoring beside one's bed? This is a grave taboo.
Yet this very ability also makes him nearly invincible. Even if his True Form is slain, he can simply revive through his Clones, making him the Immortal Realm's most difficult Immortal Sovereign to kill.
If Han Yishen were to investigate further, he would uncover a chilling truth.
The year he slew the Demigod Dai Zhe, several Immortal Monarchs across the Great Luo Immortal Realm met their demise.
These deaths were indirectly linked to his slaying of Dai Zhe.
This formidable enemy, who had exerted immense pressure on Han Yi, became an avatar of the Myriad Nether Immortal Venerable. After Han Yi killed him, the Myriad Nether Immortal Venerable sought to settle the karmic debt with Han Yi. However, a great peril descended upon him from the depths of the Nether. Terrified, he could only transfer the burden to his other avatars, causing several Immortal Monarch avatars to perish instantly.
Sixty-five years after Han Yi's initial assault.
Within the Primal Art Dao Field, atop the Ninth Layer of the Immortal Pavilion, where the dense Immortal Qi swirled, a young man slowly opened his eyes. He opened his mouth wide, like a whale swallowing the sea, and devoured all the surrounding Immortal Qi that had condensed into mist.
This young man was none other than Han Yi.
He rose slowly to his feet. Compared to his state sixty-five years ago, after his recovery, his aura had significantly advanced.
For the past sixty-five years, he had been pushing the boundaries of his cultivation realm. Today, he had finally reached the peak of the Immortal Power Third Layer, the Profound Immortal Realm, and stood at the threshold of the Golden Immortal realm. All that remained was to find a suitable tribulation-transcending ground to undergo the Golden Immortal Tribulation.
The Golden Immortal Tribulation was naturally more difficult than the Profound Immortal realm, but for Han Yi, it posed no real challenge.
His mastery of the Immortal Power Third Layer, combined with the influence of the Ancient God System, had forged an Immortal Body far surpassing the capabilities of a typical Profound Immortal. Relying solely on his Immortal Body, he was confident he could withstand the Golden Immortal Tribulation.
For other Profound Immortals, preparing for the Golden Immortal Tribulation required countless years. For instance, the Ninth Month Profound Immortal, due to his mastery of the Nine Transformations Divine Art, had never managed to complete his Tribulation Crossing.
For Han Yi, reaching the necessary cultivation realm was sufficient for him to undergo the Tribulation Crossing. Moreover, the standard difficulty of the Golden Immortal Tribulation was child's play for him.
The Golden Immortal Tribulation is triggered by reaching the third layer of mastery in Immortal Power. Consequently, it primarily tests one's command of this power. The rules contained within the Tribulation Lightning can refine Immortal Power, elevating the third layer of mastery to its pinnacle.
Of course, if one's strength is insufficient, the Tribulation Lightning will obliterate their Immortal Power, reducing their Immortal Body to ashes.
Therefore, Immortals at the peak of the Profound Immortal Realm typically spend vast amounts of time refining both the quality and quantity of their Immortal Power to its absolute limit before attempting the Tribulation Crossing.
Han Yi, however, required no such preparation. Thanks to the Proficiency Panel, his Immortal Power had already reached the pinnacle of perfection, requiring no further adjustment.
As for the location of the Tribulation Crossing, Han Yi had already settled on the Myriad Tribulation Heaven. This celestial realm serves as a designated Tribulation Transcending Grounds, where beings below the Immortal Monarch rank can undergo both Heavenly and Immortal Tribulations. Due to its unique nature, undergoing the Tribulation in Myriad Tribulation Heaven offers certain advantages to the Tribulation Transcender, at the very least ensuring the absence of Human Tribulations.
Nevertheless, to ensure absolute safety, Han Yi needed to restore his Ancient God cultivation to its peak state before attempting the Golden Immortal Tribulation.