Dong Chang's face lit up with genuine surprise upon seeing Han Yi.
"Fellow Daoist Han, you're attending the Ten Thousand Merchants Immortal Assembly too?"
"Ah, I see now! The Immortal Ease Pavilion—you established the Immortal Ease Pavilion, that's why you're here for the assembly."
Han Yi nodded. "Exactly. The Immortal Ease Pavilion was founded recently, and since the Ten Thousand Merchants Immortal Assembly coincided with its opening, I brought a team to participate."
"Fellow Daoist Dong, are you here because of the Big Dipper Merchant Guild?"
Han Yi knew that over a thousand years ago, after the Big Dipper Immortal Palace was established, it had formed a corresponding merchant guild. However, because the strongest member of the Big Dipper Immortal Palace, Palace Master Fuqiong, only reached the Profound Immortal Realm, the guild wasn't particularly renowned. The highest-tier Immortal Treasure they sold was a Third-Rank Immortal Artifact.
Years ago, Han Yi had responded to the Big Dipper Immortal Palace's plea for help in Heavenly March Immortal City. Later, due to changing circumstances, the palace relocated to Thousand Stars Immortal City. This was his last interaction with them.
However, in recent years, after the Blazing Flame Dao Court departed on the Grave-Crossing Dao Vessel, the territories they left behind had been reclaimed by Luo Tian and Imperial Cliff, expanding their Immortal Court domains. Heavenly March Immortal City must have returned to Luo Tian's jurisdiction, and the Big Dipper Immortal Palace likely underwent significant changes.
Although Han Yi had minimal contact with the Big Dipper Immortal Palace, he occasionally monitored news about them while keeping up with Immortal Realm affairs. According to his information, Big Dipper Hall Master Fu Qiong had indeed advanced to the Peak Profound Immortal realm, remaining the palace's strongest combatant. However, the gap to the Golden Immortal realm remained vast.
Although Han Yi had rapidly ascended to the Golden Immortal realm and broken through to the Peak Golden Immortal realm in less than two hundred years, this was only possible because he had leveraged the Panel and his Life Seed to forcefully advance his cultivation realm. For other immortals, the time required would have been tens or even hundreds of times longer. Many might never cross the threshold into the Golden Immortal realm, stagnating at the Profound Immortal stage.
For Palace Master Fuqiong to have broken through from the True Immortal realm to the Peak Profound Immortal realm in less than two thousand years demonstrated innate talent on a level considered Heaven's Chosen, even within the Immortal Realm.
However, transforming innate talent into actual strength requires vast amounts of time. Currently, the Big Dipper Immortal Palace's strength paled in comparison to that of the Great Immortal Sect or even the Dao Fields.
When Dong Chang heard Han Yi's words, he smiled and said, "The Ten Thousand Merchants Immortal Assembly brings together thousands of merchant guilds in a grand gathering. Though the Big Dipper is small, we still seek business opportunities to acquire more resources. By the way, Vice Sect Master Pang mentioned a few days ago that he wanted the Big Dipper Merchant Guild to find a way to collaborate with the Immortal Ease Pavilion. It's fortuitous to meet you here, Fellow Daoist Han. If this collaboration can be realized, it would be a tremendous boon for the Big Dipper."
Dong Chang's gaze was keen as he looked at Han Yi. His expression remained calm, but inwardly, he felt a surge of nervousness.
The Big Dipper Immortal Palace was naturally aware that Han Yi had ascended to the Golden Immortal realm, even reaching the pinnacle of the Sui Zhu Golden Immortal Ranking, with combat strength rivaling that of an Immortal Monarch.
From the Big Dipper Domain, the strongest Immortal they could currently contact was Han Yi.
Based on past experience, Han Yi was known for his justice and lacked any cunning or malevolent traits. The probability of successful cooperation was high.
In fact, before attending the Ten Thousand Merchants Immortal Assembly, Palace Master Fuqiong and Vice Hall Master Pang Wan had specifically instructed Dong Chang. If he encountered Han Yi in Double Bright Immortal City, he was to find a way to facilitate cooperation between the Big Dipper Merchant Guild and the Immortal Ease Pavilion.
If Han Yi and the Immortal Ease Pavilion didn't attend the assembly in Double Bright Immortal City, they were to seek another opportunity to personally visit the Immortal Market Palace in the Sui Zhu Immortal Court to meet with Han Yi and discuss the matter.
This was of utmost importance to the development of the Big Dipper Immortal Palace.
After all, although the Immortal Ease Pavilion was newly established, it was backed by Han Yi and the Sui Zhu Immortal Court, and had deep ties to the Primal Art Dao Field. Its prospects for growth were exceptionally promising. Establishing a connection with them could play a crucial role in the Big Dipper's future.
So, though his expression remained calm, Dong Chang's heart was already racing with nervous anticipation.
Han Yi smiled faintly. "Fellow Daoist Dong, there's no need to be nervous."
"The Immortal Ease Pavilion was established recently. Cooperation with the Big Dipper Immortal Palace would be a great boost to us. I would be delighted to collaborate, so how could I possibly refuse?"
"Come, I'll take you to the Immortal Ease Pavilion's temporary garrison. Let's sit down and discuss this in detail."
Hearing this, Dong Chang's heart swelled with joy, and a radiant smile blossomed on his face.
"Fellow Daoist Han, you're truly generous," Dong Chang said.
"When the Hall Master and the Vice Palace Masters hear about this, they'll be overjoyed."
Han Yi waved his hand and led Dong Chang to the Immortal Ease Pavilion's temporary Merchant Pavilion, where he introduced him to Li Zhengyang and several other True Immortal shopkeepers.
The Immortal Ease Pavilion had been established with Han Yi's prestige and tens of millions of Immortal Marks invested, attracting many True Immortals from the Immortal Court. Consequently, all the shopkeepers at the pavilion were True Immortals.
This left Dong Chang somewhat overwhelmed, as his own cultivation realm was merely Demigod, and he had only recently ascended to that level.
To Han Yi, such a cultivation level was undeniably low—practically a world apart. Yet, having met Dong Chang in the Jade Balance Realm, Han Yi felt a closer connection to him than to others.
After a moment, Dong Chang composed himself, regaining his composure.
He represented not just himself, but the Big Dipper Immortal Palace, one of the affiliated palaces within the Luo Tian Immortal Court.
It took Dong Chang six hours to return to the Big Dipper Immortal Palace's garrison with the cooperation agreement, where he reported to Vice Hall Master Pang Wan.
As for Han Yi, after bidding farewell to Dong Chang, he returned to the palace grounds.
He had no intention of meddling in the collaboration between the two merchant guilds. His principle was to let professionals handle professional matters.
Of course, if Pang Wan sought an audience, Han Yi would still grant it. After all, they shared a measure of camaraderie.
While Han Yi was attending the Ten Thousand Merchants Immortal Assembly, four masked figures stood silently at the edge of a mountain forest outside Double Bright Immortal City.
If an Immortal were to scan the area with their Immortal Sense, they would find everything perfectly normal, with no trace of an Immortal aura. Even with the naked eye, beyond ten meters, the forest appeared entirely unremarkable, making it exceedingly difficult to spot the four figures.
"Are you ready?" a tall, gaunt figure asked in a hoarse, disguised voice. His Star Chart Mask depicted a twisted celestial map, with five brightest stars positioned at each cardinal direction. At the center of the map, fragmented runes formed a shattered, collapsing vortex.
Beside this figure stood three others, each wearing a similar mask.
Had Han Yi been present, he would have immediately recognized one of them: the Black Realm Star Lord, the mysterious Black-Robed Immortal Monarch who had twice hunted him down.
The voice's question was directed at this very Black-Robed Star Lord.
Hearing this, the Black-Robed Star Lord spoke with unprecedented reverence, his tone decisive and resolute:
"Venerable One, everything is prepared. This time, there will be no oversight."
The figure behind the Star Chart Mask—the Venerable One the Black-Robed Star Lord had addressed—gave him a single glance. The stare sent shivers down the Star Lord's spine, as if death itself had descended upon him, causing cold sweat to stream down his face.
Within the hierarchy of the Great Luo's Three Great Dark Organizations and the Black Realm, the Heavenly Fiend Killers ranked below the Star Lords, and the Star Lords ranked below the Lord of the Black Realm.
Among the Star Lords, only the Five-Star Star Lords could be addressed as Venerable Ones.
It was widely speculated that the Five-Star Star Lords of the Black Realm possessed the strength of Immortal Sovereigns.
"Good."
"Go."
The Star Chart Masked Venerable acknowledged with a wave of his hand. The three masked Star Lords behind him vanished, proceeding with their mission as planned.
"I must see for myself how a mere Golden Immortal could unleash even a sliver of the power of an Ancient Divine Artifact, defying even the efforts of a Star Lord to kill him."
"Immortal Monarch Yuanshu, I'll kill one of your disciples today to collect some interest."
The Star Chart Masked Venerable's eyes burned with murderous intent. Had Immortal Monarch Yuanshu been present, he would have recognized this as the Star Chart Star Lord—the same adversary he had faced during the ambush in the Northern Void, when he had slain several Black Realm Star Lords. That battle, as legend had it, had ended with both sides exchanging a few devastating blows. The Star Chart Venerable had been unable to overcome Immortal Monarch Yuanshu and, in fact, had sustained minor injuries.
This time, the Star Chart Venerable acted because the Black-Robed Star Lord had repeatedly failed to kill Han Yi, even when he joined forces with the Great Sage Demonic Ape. Their combined assault had been repelled by Han Yi's Ancient Divine Artifact.
After the Black-Robed Star Lord reported this failure, the Star Chart Venerable decided to act, preparing to strike Han Yi with thunderous force and teach Immortal Monarch Yuanshu a lesson.
The fall of a Heaven's Chosen, a Golden Immortal whose combat prowess had reached the level of Immortal Monarch, would be enough to make even Immortal Monarch Yuanshu and the Sui Zhu Immortal Court wince.
As for any subsequent retaliation from the Immortal Court, the Black Realm Star Lords, professional assassins, had never feared it.
Slaughter was their constant companion—this was the daily reality of Black Realm assassins.
Han Yi remained unaware that the Black Realm assassins had set up an intricate trap, even enlisting the aid of a Five-Star Star Lord, possessing the power of an Immortal Sovereign, who lurked in the shadows, ready to strike and extinguish him in one fell swoop.
As usual, he spent his days in Double Bright Immortal City, occasionally checking in on the Immortal Ease Pavilion, meeting with visiting Golden Immortals and Merchant Guilds, and accepting invitations from Immortal Monarchs to visit their abodes.
Only when truly idle would he find time for cultivation; the rest of his time was devoted to activities related to the Ten Thousand Merchants Immortal Assembly.
Moreover, his remarkable achievements gradually elevated the Immortal Ease Pavilion's status, binding it to his reputation. Even many Dao Fields and Merchant Guilds sent their shopkeepers to establish connections within the pavilion.
The Ten Thousand Merchants Immortal Assembly would last for three full years.
Han Yi could certainly spare some time for these social obligations.
One month later, Han Yi accepted an invitation from Immortal Lord Chen'an to attend a banquet.
Although Immortal Lord Chen'an was from the Imperial Court territory, he hadn't joined the Imperial Court Immortal Court. Instead, he established his own Chen'an Dao Field and founded the Chen Heaven Pavilion, whose commercial prowess had earned it a modest reputation throughout the Immortal Realm. Naturally, Han Yi couldn't refuse the invitation.
As usual, after the Immortal Banquet, Han Yi departed from the Immortal Palace where the Immortal Monarch was staying.
But the moment he left the palace, he was suddenly enveloped by a violent burst of Immortal Spiritual Light.
This light was too intense and too sudden, perfectly concealed within the palace's inherent Formation Arts. Even though the Formation Arts weren't activated, they masked the aura of the Immortal Spiritual Light, catching Han Yi completely off guard.
Whoosh!
Space shifted, and he found himself transported to the summit of a mountain forest.
This sudden teleportation wasn't new to Han Yi. He had experienced it twice before: once when Dai Zhe set up a trap, and more recently when the Black-Robed Star Lord and the Great Sage Demonic Ape tried to kill him.
This was the third time.
Han Yi remained calm, inwardly sneering.
"So it begins."
"Finally, my month of idleness hasn't been wasted."
Just as Han Yi vanished from Double Bright Immortal City, two figures materialized in the void above the city.
"It begins," murmured a hunchbacked, diminutive old man, clasping his hands behind his back.
Beside him stood a Daoist with an immortal-like demeanor. His eyes twinkled with starlight, each glimmer representing an Immortal Art—thousands of techniques, all contained within his profound gaze.
The Daoist gazed into the distance, as if seeing through endless space, and spotted Han Yi appearing above the mountain forest.
"Using Han Yi as bait, I wonder how many Star Lords we'll draw out this time."
The short, elderly man stepped forward and vanished from his spot, leaving only his voice lingering in the air.
"I hope this will be entertaining."
The Daoist's expression turned slightly grave as he followed.
Had Han Yi been there, he would have recognized the two immortals who materialized in the void: the Daoist was none other than Immortal Monarch Yuanshu, while the short, elderly man was the Sui Zhu Immortal Court's Immortal Venerable Hongwu.
No.
It wasn't Immortal Monarch Yuanshu. Had Han Yi reached the Immortal Venerable Realm, he would have discovered that Immortal Monarch Yuanshu had already successfully endured the Immortal Venerable Tribulation, ascending to the Immortal Sovereign realm. Through some unknown method, he had even bypassed the subsequent weakness period, solidifying his Immortal Sovereign status.
In other words, the two who appeared were actually two Immortal Sovereigns.
Above the nameless mountain forest, Han Yi took a deep breath.
Serving as bait was far from risk-free; the danger was immense. A single misstep could cost him his life. Yet he hadn't refused this perilous venture.
The gradual revelations at the Ten Thousand Merchants Immortal Assembly had all been part of a trap to lure out the Black Realm Assassin.
When Han Yi first informed Immortal Monarch Yuanshu about the Demon Realm's impending attack, he hadn't expected to receive a secret message from Yuanshu shortly before the Ten Thousand Merchants Immortal Assembly, revealing the details of this scheme. After careful consideration, he ultimately agreed to participate.
Why worry about a thousand days of bandit attacks?
With an Immortal Sovereign providing protection, the safety was guaranteed. To hesitate now would be cowardly.
Moreover, he had deliberately retained ten thousand units of Life Seed. In a critical moment, he could unleash the power of the Ancient Divine Artifact, forcing even an Immortal Monarch to avoid its full force.
Gripping the Green Ripple Sword, Han Yi surveyed the surrounding landscape and noticed that the entire mountain forest was enveloped by a gray glow, rising from the ground and connecting to the azure sky.
Rather than a mere forest, this was a temporarily created, miniature Boundary Heaven.
Han Yi's heart tightened.
Though Yuan Shu was secretly lurking nearby, one should never rely solely on others. He needed to be prepared for any sudden contingencies.
He took a deep breath, placed his right hand on the Green Ripple Sword, and felt the Seventh-Rank Immortal Sword begin to gather energy. When unleashed, its power would shake heaven and earth. Even if the Black-Robed Immortal Monarch reappeared, Han Yi would not fear him.
Within his Divine Aperture World, divine power surged, ensuring he could mobilize the Yueguang Divine Spear in a crisis.
Just as he remained vigilant,
three voices suddenly echoed within this Small Realm Heaven, one of them unmistakably that of the Black-Robed Star Lord, whom Han Yi recognized well.
And the other two...
Han Yi's heart lurched when he recognized them.
Having survived an assassination attempt by the Black Realm, Han Yi had gained extensive knowledge of this killer organization. Through various channels, including the Profound Repository Palace, he had gathered intelligence on the Black Realm's Heavenly Fiend Killers, the Twenty-Eight Star Lords, and the enigmatic Realm Lord, whose shadowy presence hinted at the Dao Ancestor himself.
The Twenty-Eight Star Lords were the focus of his research. Out of these, twenty-five had been described in detail, including their aura, attire, masks, and power levels.
The three Star Lords now present included two he had encountered descriptions of before. According to these accounts, one possessed the strength of a Senior Immortal Monarch, while the other had even fought a Peak Immortal Monarch to a standstill without sustaining injury.
Three Immortal Monarchs: one ordinary, one Senior, and one Peak.
The Black Realm had actually mobilized three Immortal Monarchs for this operation.
Moreover, the Peak Immortal Monarch was not the severely injured Great Sage Demonic Ape, who could only exert one percent of his true strength, but a fully recovered Peak Immortal Monarch.