The Star Chart Mask Star Lord held a piece of green bamboo and, with a flick of his wrist, dispersed the Immortal Art condensed by Immortal Venerable Yuanshu.
Then, without hesitation and without even glancing at Immortal Lord Yin Candle, the Star Lord's figure blurred, transforming into a wooden log.
Caught between two attacks, the log shattered into dust and vanished.
This was clearly an escape technique, but even Han Yi couldn't discern its mysteries.
Facing Immortal Venerable Hongwu ahead and the Ascended Immortal Venerable Yuan Shu behind, this mysterious Immortal Sovereign abandoned Immortal Lord Yin Candle and chose to flee.
He realized this was a trap within a trap.
The Black Realm wanted to kill Han Yi, and Age Candle had cleverly used Han Yi as bait. Two Immortal Sovereigns lurked nearby, waiting to draw out the Black Realm assassins.
What the mysterious Immortal Sovereign hadn't anticipated was that Yuan Shu had actually ascended to the Immortal Venerable Realm.
As an assassin, he would naturally be highly attuned to information flow. Even Age Candle had Black Realm assassins who reported back that Hongwu was recovering from injuries, while Yuan Shu was attempting a breakthrough. The other Immortal Venerables were accounted for elsewhere, making it impossible for them to be near Double Bright Immortal City.
He had assumed that once he acted, even a minor Golden Immortal, armed with an Ancient Divine Artifact and hidden cards, would be effortlessly wiped out.
His primary purpose for appearing here was to guard against Immortal Venerable Chongming's interference, ensuring absolute success.
Yet, he hadn't anticipated:
The Black Realm had set a trap, and Age Candle had seized the opportunity to weave another scheme within it.
Within this nested plot, the critical factors were Hongwu's recovery and Yuan Shu's ascension to Immortal Venerable. The combined actions of these two Immortal Sovereigns had unexpectedly plunged him into a perilous situation.
Escape was now his only path to survival.
High above,
after the mysterious Immortal Sovereign transformed into a wooden fragment and vanished,
Immortal Venerable Yuanshu materialized. He first retracted his Origin Technique Arena, then with a gentle gesture, the shattered wood reassembled as if time were flowing backward, countless splinters reforming into a solid piece.
With another flick of his wrist, an Immortal Art flew from his hand and merged into the wood, transforming it into a wooden tablet, which he stored within his Origin Technique Arena.
"He won't escape," Immortal Venerable Yuanshu declared to Immortal Venerable Hongwu. He then glanced at Han Yi and sent an Immortal Sense:
"Han Yi, this place is dangerous. Return to Double Bright Immortal City immediately."
With that, Immortal Venerable Yuanshu took a single step forward and vanished from sight.
Immortal Venerable Hongwu turned, delivering a fatal punch to the terrified Yin Candle Immortal Lord. With a flick of his finger, Yin Candle's corpse shrank and vanished into his palm. He glanced at Han Yi, nodding in approval before following Immortal Venerable Yuanshu.
Yin Candle had merely been an appetizer. Their true target was the mysterious Immortal Venerable of the Black Realm.
Hundreds of miles away, Han Yi stood in awe.
"So, Yuan Shu has indeed ascended to Immortal Venerable."
Ever since Yuan Shu had tasked him with participating in the Ten Thousand Merchants Immortal Assembly to lure out the Black Realm Star Lord, Han Yi had suspected that the Dao Field master had ascended to Immortal Venerable.
Though puzzled by how quickly Yuan Shu had overcome the weakness period after ascension, he knew the Immortal Realm was full of mysteries and didn't dwell on it.
Now, witnessing the clash between the Immortal Sovereigns, it was clear: Yuan Shu had indeed become an Immortal Venerable.
Coming back to his senses, Han Yi gazed at the space before him—now destroyed—and the space where he had just swung his sword. He was deeply shaken.
Fast. Too fast.
In the blink of an eye, the Four-Star Star Lord, Eastern Sovereign Immortal Lord Yinzhu, had been slain by Hongwu. Meanwhile, a newly appeared Five-Star Star Lord was now being pursued by both Yuanshu and Hongwu.
As for the two Immortal Monarchs who had previously surrounded and attacked Han Yi, they fled in separate directions.
Han Yi ignored Immortal Venerable Yuanshu's advice and resolutely pursued the Black-Robed Immortal Lord.
For him, this was the perfect opportunity to slay the Black-Robed Immortal Lord.
The Black-Robed Immortal Lord had repeatedly set traps to kill him. If not for Han Yi's self-sacrifice as bait, Yuan Shu's support, and Immortal Venerable Hongwu's intervention, facing three Immortal Monarchs and a hidden Immortal Venerable Realm Five-Star Star Lord, Han Yi would undoubtedly have perished.
There was no point in guarding against thieves for a thousand days.
If the enemy returned without the protection of an Immortal Sovereign, Han Yi would be in grave danger.
By killing the Black-Robed Immortal Lord, he could at least temporarily halt the Black Realm's killing spree, buying himself more time.
This was his deep-seated reasoning.
In simpler terms, if they wanted to kill him, he would kill them first. That was all there was to it.
Han Yi unleashed the Sixth-Tier Cosmic Light Thought Realm Immortal Art, driven by the Void Extremity Realm, employing the Knowing Destiny-tier Ancient God movement technique. Through True World Eternity, he transformed into a streak of Golden Light piercing through space.
Yet even this speed was slightly slower than the Black-Robed Immortal Lord's.
The gap between Seventh-Tier and Sixth-Tier Immortal Arts was simply too vast.
The three Immortal Sovereigns had appeared and vanished in less than a breath. After that brief moment, Han Yi pursued the Black-Robed Immortal Lord. Though he could sense the man's aura, the distance was too great. At his current speed, he would struggle to catch up.
Suddenly, Han Yi had an idea. He threw the Green Ripple Sword into the air and landed on its blade, activating Sword Flight. In the next kshana, his speed more than doubled, surpassing the Black-Robed Immortal Lord's velocity. The gap between them rapidly narrowed.
Ahead, the Black-Robed Immortal Lord was both shocked and furious. Shocked that Han Yi was closing the distance, he wondered if any Immortal Sovereigns were lurking nearby. Furious that a mere Golden Immortal was pursuing him—an Immortal Monarch—this was a profound humiliation.
Seeing Han Yi had already closed the distance to a hundred miles—a range no longer considered safe for an Immortal Monarch to attack—the Black-Robed Immortal Lord halted and turned to face Han Yi.
Amidst shock and fury, anger prevailed.
"Die!"
Roaring with fury, he hurled the Mirage Dragon Profound Pearl once more. This time, however, it was no ordinary attack. As the Profound Pearl left his hand, a mournful cry echoed from within—the soul of the Mirage Dragon, sealed within the pearl, shattered.
After shattering, the Profound Pearl released a surge of mystical energy, transforming into a dense mist that swept toward Han Yi.
This was a one-time, explosive attack he had obtained at the cost of shattering the Profound Pearl's soul.
Even a Senior Immortal Monarch would need to avoid the full force of this attack, let alone a Golden Immortal.
Though this Golden Immortal possessed peerless sword techniques and the power of an Ancient Divine Artifact, no matter how heaven-defying he might be, his Divine Soul could never match that of an Immortal Monarch. A direct hit would either kill him or grievously wound his Divine Soul, leaving him vulnerable to Han Yi's follow-up killing move.
Earlier, in the confined space, Han Yi had repelled the Profound Pearl because he hadn't realized his Immortal Sword had already reached Seventh-Tier, possessing the power to rival a Seventh-Rank Immortal Artifact on its own.
Now, his attack factored in the full power of a Seventh-Rank Immortal Sword. By shattering the Mirage Dragon's Divine Soul for this single, devastating strike, even a Seventh-Rank Immortal Sword would struggle to withstand it.
But in the next moment, terror flashed in the Golden Immortal's eyes.
For before him, Han Yi had no need for further maneuvers. He simply swung his sword again.
This time, the Green Ripple Sword combined azure and obsidian hues into a single, ferocious Sword Intent. The attack formed from the Mirage Dragon's Divine Soul collided with this Sword Intent and... vanished completely.
An attack from the Mirage Dragon Divine Soul, comparable to the peak of Seventh-Tier power, had unexpectedly been defeated by the Sword Intent of an Immortal Sword.
This outcome filled the Black-Robed Immortal Lord's face with terror.
"No! What kind of Immortal Sword is that? What kind of Sword Intent?"
"How can it be so powerful?"
Earlier, within the sealed space, Han Yi had shattered the Four Sacred Artifacts with the Four Fiends Sword Intent. However, the Four Fiends, when separated, naturally lacked the combined power of their Harmony. Moreover, the Black-Robed Immortal Lord hadn't directly faced the full Four Fiends Sword Intent, making it difficult for him to truly grasp the terrifying nature of this Sword Intent.
After all, the Green Ripple Sword had ascended to a Seventh-Rank Immortal Sword, relying on the Four Fiends Sword Heart as its foundation. The Four Fiends Sword Intent, fused into the Four Fiends Sword Heart, had extraordinary origins: Evil-Slaying came from Immortal Venerable Daoling, Demonic Witch originated from Demon Witch Mountain, suspected to be a relic of Chaos, Abyssal Ghost stemmed from an Immortal Sovereign-level Wicked Demon, and even the weakest, Life-Burning, was the signature Sword Intent of Immortal Monarch Life-Burning.
The unity of the Four Fiends made their combined Sword Intent unparalleled among Seventh-Rank artifacts, unmatched in power.
Han Yi's confidence in pursuing the Black-Robed Immortal Lord stemmed from that all-out strike he had unleashed earlier.
Only after that strike did he realize the Green Ripple Sword's terrifying strength.
The Green Ripple Sword was no ordinary Immortal Sword. Its inherent quality surpassed even that of a Dao Sword. Though currently damaged, after fusing with the Four Fiends Sword Qi, it far surpassed the capabilities of any ordinary Seventh-Rank Immortal Artifact.
At that moment, Han Yi's sword strike shattered the Mirage Dragon Divine Soul's attack. Without hesitation, he swung his sword again.
The Great Dao is simple.
After the Green Ripple Sword ascended to Seventh-Tier, Han Yi discovered that each of its strikes possessed terrifying power. He no longer needed to deliberately employ complex sword moves.
Boom!
The Black-Robed Immortal Lord unleashed the Mirage Dragon Profound Pearl, blocking Han Yi's strike. Yet, the terror of impending death surged within him.
I'm going to die.
Continuing this battle would inevitably lead to his demise.
Though Han Yi was merely a Golden Immortal, even without unleashing the power of an Ancient Divine Artifact, he already possessed the strength to slay an Immortal Monarch.
Especially that pitch-black Qinghei Sword Immortal—it radiated a terrifying aura, even more perilous than that of the Eighth-Rank Immortal Swords he had encountered before.
Escape!
The moment the thought arose, a fierce glint flashed in his eyes. The Mirage Dragon Profound Pearl, battered back by the Green Ripple Sword and now riddled with cracks, suddenly erupted with a violent aura.
"Detonate!"
With a surge of his Immortal Sense, he ignited the near-shattered Mirage Dragon Profound Pearl.
Boom!
A surge of frenzied energy erupted in both directions. On the side facing the Black-Robed Immortal Lord, the energy transformed into a shield, propelling him backward with terrifying speed as he vanished into the distance.
On the side facing Han Yi, the energy became a lethal attack, engulfing him completely.
The Black-Robed Immortal Lord fled, unwilling to gamble again. If Han Yi wasn't injured, he might be the one to die.
As he retreated, he glanced back, eager to see if Han Yi had perished in the self-destruction of the Seventh-Rank Immortal Artifact.
To his horror, he saw a figure in a Profound Robe and wielding a sword, emerging unscathed from the artifact's explosion. The outer layer of golden light had shattered, and the inner layer of dark gray light had been worn down to a thin, fragile film.
Suddenly, this final layer of dark gray light burst like a soap bubble, completely dissipating.
This sight filled the Black-Robed Immortal Lord with even greater terror.
A Seventh-Rank Body Protection Immortal Technique?
No, impossible! A Golden Immortal could never master multiple Seventh-Rank Immortal Arts!
It must be a Sixth-Rank Immortal Art.
But what kind of Sixth-Rank Immortal Art could withstand the self-destruction of a Seventh-Rank Immortal Artifact?
This thought sent a wave of dread crashing through his immortal soul, nearly overwhelming him.
Han Yi is too formidable to face.
Escape immediately!
He prepared to turn and flee. Just before he did, he saw Han Yi swing his sword one last time.
This distance is beyond the range of an Immortal Sword's attack. What's the point?
The thought flashed through his mind, but then another, more urgent one surfaced.
He suddenly noticed.
This sword strike was different from the previous ones.
This strike was even more ethereal and agile, like a free-spirited sword elemental, or an invisible spirit of time and space—what it saw, it could reach.
Pfft!
In the dizzying chaos of the moment, he saw his headless corpse lurch forward in a frantic escape, moving with a speed that could be considered the fastest of his entire life.
No.
Panic surged within him. His Immortal Soul was about to use an escape technique when he suddenly sensed a terrifying force of destruction surge into him, instantly annihilating him inch by inch. His consciousness faded, leaving no further thoughts.
A thousand miles away.
Han Yi, having forced his way through the self-detonation of a Seventh-Rank Immortal Artifact using his Supreme Ancient Immortal Divine Body and Four Origins Dao Technique, watched the Black-Robed Immortal Lord flee into the distance. The explosion had propelled him to a speed Han Yi couldn't possibly match.
His killing intent surged. A sudden flash of inspiration struck him, and he swung his sword again.
This strike was no longer simple Sword Flight, but a sword move from the Great Freedom Cosmic Light Sword Canon—the ninth form, Great Unrestrained.
Mind at ease, sword at ease, great unrestrained.
What is seen, is unrestrained.
From this moment on...
Han Yi had fully comprehended all nine sword moves of the Great Freedom Cosmic Light Sword Canon: Overturning Sea, Dawn-Breaking, Heavenburning, Netherworld, Eternal Night, Light-Slaying, Thunder Sword Realm, Total Annihilation, and Great Unrestrained.
After executing the final move, Han Yi suddenly froze in place, even closing his eyes.
At that moment, his Immortal Soul seemed to ascend to a special state, mirroring the sword moves.
Satori.
This was a Satori of the Sword Dao.
To experience such a Satori at the peak of the Golden Immortal realm was an event of unfathomable rarity, occurring only once in tens of millions of attempts.
During this state of Satori, unbeknownst to him, the progress bar for his Sword Flight skill on the panel had skyrocketed. In the span of ten breaths, it had shot from the peak of Sixth-Tier to its absolute maximum.
Sword Flight (Sixth-Rank Immortal Art 99/100)
Having reached the Sixth-Tier's limit, despite the continuous accumulation of insight from the Satori, the Sixth-Tier Sword Flight remained stubbornly stuck, showing no signs whatsoever of advancing to Seventh-Rank Immortal Art.
After the time it takes an incense stick to burn...
Han Yi slowly opened his eyes, a smile spreading across his face.
His Sword Dao had been purified and elevated by the execution of the Great Unrestrained move.
He glanced at the panel and immediately noticed the Sword Control Immortal Art had reached the Sixth-Tier's absolute peak. He felt no surprise, only that it was as it should be.
"The next step is to prepare for the Seventh Stage of Sword Control."
"If I reach the Seventh Stage of Sword Control, I'll have the strength to face even a Senior Immortal Monarch in battle."
Han Yi's heart surged with excitement.
He leaped forward, retrieved the Black-Robed Immortal Lord's corpse, and stored it in his Cosmic Immortal Ring. He planned to deal with it once he returned to the Immortal Court.
After securing the corpse, he prepared to return to Double Bright Immortal City. Yuan Shu had urged him to return quickly before leaving, implying that the city wasn't far. Having learned from his previous sudden teleportation, Han Yi had left a Dao Beacon in Double Bright Immortal City. Sensing it now, he confirmed that it wasn't far; at his speed, he could reach Double Bright within the time it takes an incense stick to burn.
Upon returning, he intended to go straight back to the Immortal Court. As for the three-year Ten Thousand Merchants Immortal Assembly, he had made an appearance and fulfilled his social obligations. That should be enough; he could leave the rest to Li Zhengyang, who he trusted to handle things properly.
Suddenly...