The Abyssal Ghost Pool is located within the Soaring Heaven Realm, situated in its southwestern region. Beyond the Endless Void lies the Eternal Life Wizard Realm, one of the Nine Realms.
After leaving Demon Witch Mountain, Han Yi traveled to a nearby Immortal City and used a Transmission Formation to reach the Soaring Heaven Realm, arriving at Chongchi Immortal City. He chose this city primarily because it was the closest to the Abyssal Ghost Pool.
From Chongchi Immortal City, it took Han Yi only half an hour to reach the Abyssal Ghost Pool using his Escape Technique.
The Abyssal Ghost Pool isn't large, but its bottom contains mysterious metal-stone formations. Soaked in the frigid waters for millions of years, these formations emit Spirit Qi. The dark golden glow emanating from them resembles ferocious Sword Qi, a characteristic Han Yi had learned from the Profound Repository Palace.
The metal-stone formations emitting ferocious Sword Qi align perfectly with the requirements for Four Fiends Sword Qi.
Arriving at the Abyssal Ghost Pool, Han Yi surveyed the area. Though called a "pool," it was sizable, more akin to a lake. Its extreme depth justified the name "pool."
Using his Immortal Sense, Han Yi detected numerous Immortal traces.
He then fortified his body with divine power, enveloping himself in golden light before plunging into the water.
The water was initially clear and icy. Below a thousand meters, it began emitting a ferocious aura.
Rather than fear, Han Yi felt elation.
Even immortals occasionally came to gather this ferocious Metal-Stone Qi, but reaching the bottom required at least the cultivation of a Golden Immortal. However, most Golden Immortals avoided collecting this violent energy, as it had limited practical use.
Han Yi moved swiftly, reaching the bottom of the pool in mere breaths. He found himself in a world of dark gold.
The source of this dark golden hue was a colossal stone at the bottom, from which strands of Metal-Stone Qi continuously drifted, dispersing and merging into the water.
In truth, this Metal-Stone Qi wasn't the Abyssal Ghost Sword Qi Han Yi sought.
He reached out, grasped the stone, and tore off a massive chunk. Using his divine power, he compressed the metal until only a wisp of faint Metal-Stone Qi remained.
"Not enough... still not enough."
Han Yi needed Abyssal Ghost Sword Qi at least at the Peak Golden Immortal level to match the other three Ferocious Sword energies. A single chunk of metal clearly wasn't sufficient.
He began digging, excavating hundreds of thousands of cubic meters of metal from the pool's bottom, until he finally refined and harmonized it into a single wisp of Abyssal Ghost Sword Qi.
Gazing at the wisp of dark golden sword qi sealed by the Divine Sealing Art, Han Yi slowly exhaled.
He had finally gathered all four of the Four Fiends Sword Qi.
Next came the crucial task of condensing the sword heart and upgrading the Green Ripple Sword to a Seventh-Rank Immortal Sword.
This matter could be accomplished at any time.
Han Yi decided to complete it right here at the bottom of the Abyssal Ghost Pool.
With a wave of his hand, he summoned ten Immortal Swords: two Sixth-Tier and eight Fifth-Rank. He used them to create a Sword Realm at the bottom of the Abyssal Ghost Pool.
Then, he retrieved three Divine Power Crystals from his Divine Aperture World: the Demon-Slaying Sword Qi from Immortal Venerable Daoling, the Life-Burning Sword Qi from Immortal Monarch Life-Burning, and the Demon-Witch Sword Qi from Demon Witch Mountain.
The ferocious Abyssal Ghost, the vicious Life-Burning, the savage Demon-Witch, and the fierce Demon-Slaying—these were the Four Fiends Sword Qi.
Han Yi took out the Green Ripple Sword, the Immortal Sword that had followed him for years. With a slight tremor, it emitted a powerful gravitational force that drew the four Divine Power Crystals toward it.
The crystals shattered with a series of cracks, and before the Sword Qi within could react, it was absorbed by the Green Ripple Sword.
In the next moment, the Green Ripple Sword began to vibrate, its tremors growing stronger until the entire Sword Realm shook.
But Han Yi watched with increasing delight, for the Green Ripple Sword's aura was rising.
Years ago, after fusing the eight Sub-Swords gifted by the Pure Yang Dao Ancestor, the Green Ripple Sword had reached the quantitative threshold for a Seventh-Tier upgrade. What it lacked was qualitative refinement—the essence of which was embodied in the sword heart.
Three breaths later...
Helpless, Han Yi swiftly retracted the Sword Realm. Otherwise, the expanding aura of the Green Ripple Sword would have burst the realm, affecting even the ten Immortal Swords.
After retracting the Sword Realm, the Green Ripple Sword and Han Yi found themselves at the bottom of the Abyssal Ghost Pool.
In that instant, the entire pool began to churn. The metal-stone beneath, pressured by the Green Ripple Sword's intent, shattered into fragments. Strands of metal-stone qi surged wildly, coalescing into larger strands of dark golden Abyssal Ghost Sword Qi. These sword energies, infused with spirituality, erupted with their ferocious nature and rushed toward the Green Ripple Sword.
As they approached, they were shattered and absorbed by the Green Ripple Sword.
Han Yi watched in fascination. He had already retreated several kilometers, still at the pool's bottom but far enough to avoid the turmoil.
The Green Ripple Sword, unsatisfied with absorbing the attacking Abyssal Ghost Sword Qi, released its own Green Ripple Sword Qi onto the metal-stone below. Simultaneously, a terrifying suction force began to act downward.
Han Yi saw the metal-stone shatter, and the strands of sword qi it contained were voraciously absorbed by the Green Ripple Sword.
After only ten breaths, the Green Ripple Sword paused. Then, the suction force intensified, causing the entire Abyssal Ghost Pool to tremble violently.
Han Yi, now tens of kilometers away, retreated another dozen kilometers. Yet his eyes burned brighter with anticipation.
"It's finally done."
"A Seventh-Rank Immortal Sword."
Meanwhile, elsewhere around the Abyssal Ghost Pool, Immortals and low-level cultivators who had been collecting Metal-Stone Qi were far from pleased.
To their eyes, the entire Abyssal Ghost Pool had suddenly gone berserk, unleashing terrifying Sword Qi that surged skyward. Horrified, they scattered in all directions, fleeing for their lives.
"What's happening?"
"How strange! I've never heard of the Abyssal Ghost Pool going berserk before. And this... this is genuine Sword Qi, not the Metal-Stone Qi of the Abyssal Ghost."
"Strange, truly strange."
"Hurry! Escape! Something's wrong with this damned pool!"
At the bottom of the pool, Han Yi suddenly sensed something. Looking beneath the Green Ripple Sword, his eyes blazed with Golden Light. Piercing through the raging Green Ripple Sword Qi, he saw a deep pit gouged into the metal-stone below, a pit that led straight down into a mysterious realm.
And within that mysterious realm beneath the Abyssal Ghost Pool, a ferocious aura was slowly awakening.
"This isn't Abyssal Ghost Sword Qi."
"Could this be... an Ancient Demon?"
Han Yi dared not act recklessly. The ferocious aura below had already awakened to a terrifying extent, reaching a level unmistakably that of an Immortal Monarch.
He strode across dozens of miles to stand before Qingping. The Green Ripple Sword's Sword Qi didn't harm him; instead, he gently grasped the gradually calming Green Ripple Sword.
Clearly, the Green Ripple Sword had also sensed this ferocious aura.
"It's not an Ancient Demon; it lacks that heavy demonic aura."
Han Yi's expression turned grave as he shook his head, but then something occurred to him, his brow furrowing.
"I know what it is—a Wicked Demon."
"A Wicked Demon from the Strange Demon Immortal Realm, yet it's been slumbering in the Great Luo Immortal Realm? How peculiar."
When the Primordial Era split into the Nine Realms, one of them became the Strange Demon Immortal Realm. The beings of this realm were neither Great Luo demons nor Primordial Era Ancient Demons, but rather Wicked Demons—a new race that had mutated from Ancient Demons.
As their name suggests, Wicked Demons were bizarre entities. Their emergence often accompanied strange phenomena that defied rational explanation. With this realization, Han Yi used his Escape Technique to ascend, breaking through the surface of the Abyssal Ghost Pool and rising into the air.
Looking down, he saw the water of the Abyssal Ghost Pool rapidly receding, as if some colossal monster were devouring it. Meanwhile, the revived aura from the pool's depths continued to surge upward, its power now strong enough to make even Han Yi's heart palpitate.
"No, it's not just an Immortal Monarch. It's reached the level of an Immortal Sovereign."
Without hesitation, he turned and fled. In the distance, he heard a bizarre, colossal roar that shook heaven and earth. Even from such a great distance, he could feel a ferocious energy brewing in his chest.
He transformed his thoughts into a sword, slicing through the ferocious aura. Han Yi's expression turned grave.
"Too close."
"So, the Abyssal Ghost Pool actually harbored a Wicked Demon."
"In that case, it should be called the Abyssal Abomination Pool, not the Abyssal Ghost Pool."
Han Yi returned to the nearest Immortal City and swiftly teleported back to the Sui Zhu Immortal Court. After two transfers through Immortal Cities, he finally arrived back at the Sui Zhu Immortal Court.
On the seventh day after his return, he went to the Golden Immortal Pavilion to inquire about the Abyssal Ghost Pool.
As expected.
!
Just as he had anticipated, the Wicked Demon from the Abyssal Ghost Pool had emerged, causing great commotion. This Wicked Demon was of Immortal Sovereign level, which alarmed Immortal Venerable Hengyue of the Lingxiao Immortal Court.
A great battle ensued, devastating the landscape for thousands of miles around the Abyssal Ghost Pool. Immortal Venerable Hengyue forced the Wicked Demon into the Endless Void, sustaining minor injuries in the process.
From that day forward, the Immortal Realm knew no more of the Abyssal Ghost Pool.
Upon hearing this news, Han Yi breathed a sigh of relief. Had that Wicked Demon not been asleep, attempting to extract it would have been like plucking a tooth from a tiger's mouth—an utterly perilous endeavor.
After returning to the Immortal Pavilion, Han Yi began cultivating the Sword Control Immortal Art.
This Immortal Art had already reached the peak of the Sixth-Tier, just a step away from breaking through to the Seventh-Tier.
Sword Flight (Sixth-Rank Immortal Art 93/100)
Ten years later.
Han Yi emerged from seclusion, having advanced the art to 95/100. He estimated it would take another thirty years to reach the Sixth-Tier's limit, though he couldn't predict when he'd break through to the Seventh-Tier.
Advancing from the Sixth-Tier to the Seventh-Tier was a qualitative leap, as challenging as refining a Sixth-Rank Immortal Artifact into a Seventh-Rank one.
This time out of seclusion was primarily to represent the Immortal Ease Pavilion at the Lingxiao Immortal Court's Ten Thousand Merchants Immortal Assembly.
The assembly, held every ten thousand years, invited numerous merchant guilds from the Great Luo Immortal Realm to gather and trade, with commerce and collaboration as its main focus.
The assembly rotated among major powers, and this time it was the Lingxiao Immortal Court's turn to host.
To expand the Immortal Ease Pavilion's influence, Han Yi led a delegation of dozens, including Li Zhengyang, to Lingxiao Immortal Court's Double Bright Immortal City.
This immortal city was both the residence and Dao Field of Immortal Venerable Chongming.
Immortal Venerable Chongming, as the Immortal Sovereign of the Lingxiao Immortal Court, ensured that no one dared to cause trouble in Double Bright Immortal City during his tenure.
A specific area within Double Bright Immortal City had been designated for the Ten Thousand Merchants Immortal Assembly. Millions of merchant guilds gathered there, with no restrictions on their size.
Upon arrival, Han Yi settled into the pre-arranged hall. He then took Li Zhengyang and strolled through the assembly area.
The scene before them was incredibly prosperous.
In fact, it was the most prosperous spectacle Han Yi had witnessed since his transmigration, without exception.
Merchants, driven by profit and naturally wealthy, created this thriving atmosphere. The numerous temporary Merchant Pavilions, built to showcase their power, were extravagantly decorated. Some even displayed Seventh-Rank Immortal Artifacts.
Li Zhengyang led Han Yi to the pavilion erected by the Immortal Ease Pavilion. Though its location was good, the number of treasures on display was unimpressive.
With a wave of his hand, Han Yi produced ten Immortal Swords and placed them on the display table as the pavilion's treasured artifacts.
Two were Sixth-Tier, and eight were Fifth-Tier. Using his divine power, he restrained their sword momentum, preventing it from emitting. Otherwise, even the True Immortal shopkeepers wouldn't have dared to approach.
Han Yi didn't bring out the Green Ripple Sword. After all, it was his personal sword, his most powerful tool aside from Ancient Divine Artifacts, and he couldn't afford to part with it casually.
After strolling through the high-tier Merchant Pavilions once more, Han Yi sighed and returned to his assigned hall, feeling somewhat helpless.
Though he had amassed a considerable number of Immortal Marks over the years, he still paled in comparison to Immortal Monarchs, let alone Immortal Sovereigns.
Three days later, an invitation arrived, sent by Immortal Venerable Chongming to invite renowned immortals participating in the Ten Thousand Merchants Immortal Assembly to an Immortal Banquet.
"Renowned" here naturally referred to power—the weakest invitees were Golden Immortals, and only those like Han Yi, who were renowned throughout the Immortal Realm, were deemed worthy.
Han Yi accepted the invitation and attended the banquet.
At the Immortal Banquet, Han Yi tasted the Immortal Brew and felt the journey had been worth it. This brew belonged to the Immortal Sovereign, far surpassing ordinary Immortal Brew. With just one sip, he sensed a loosening in his Cultivation Realm.
He summoned a female immortal attendant. Though she possessed a lovely appearance and a graceful figure, Han Yi's focus lay elsewhere.
"What kind of wine is this?" Han Yi asked, half-closing his eyes.
"This is the Immortal Sovereign's personally brewed Ten Thousand Flowers Astonishing Jade, Moon's Cry Immortal Brew," she replied. "It's crafted by gathering ten thousand immortal flowers, fermenting them with the light of Moon Jade, and aging them for a millennium. The brewing is only considered successful when, upon opening the jar, Chang'e's song echoes, the immortal jade surges, and the phenomenon of the Void Lotus appears."
The female immortal gazed enviously at the jade cup in Han Yi's hand. As a True Immortal, she naturally lacked the status to occupy a seat at the banquet.
Han Yi dismissed the attendant and took another sip, sensing something.
Speaking of which...
It had been nearly two thousand years since his transmigration. Though the span of time wasn't long in cosmic terms, the experiences he'd accumulated during that period were rich and varied.
He still remembered those carefree days at the Azure Dragon Pavilion in the Jade Balance Realm, when he and his friends would savor tea and discuss the Dao, basking in the simple pleasures of life.
Now, however, he found himself drifting further and further from those halcyon days, the path back growing increasingly distant.
A wisp of melancholy crept into his heart.
Shaking out his sleeves, Han Yi dismissed the sentiment.
There was no need to rush; rushing was futile. Once his strength grew stronger, even stronger, he'd have ample time to slowly savor and comprehend what he'd lost.
After three rounds of wine, a female immortal approached and danced a captivating, mesmerizing dance.
Though Han Yi had known such performances were part of the Immortal Assembly, he'd always been devoted to cultivation and rarely participated in such leisurely gatherings. Today marked his first time witnessing such a spectacle, and he found it utterly stunning.
The banquet lasted for two hours.
After two hours...
Han Yi emerged from Immortal Venerable Chongming's palace, preparing to depart using his Escape Technique. But halfway through his escape, he paused.
This time, it wasn't an ambush, nor was there any danger.
He'd encountered an old acquaintance.
It had been nearly a millennium since they'd last met, and he never imagined they'd reunite here.
"Fellow Daoist Dong, long time no see!"
Dong Chang halted before Han Yi, his face lighting up with surprise and delight.