According to Han Yi's understanding, almost all Golden Immortals cultivate new Immortal Techniques before ascending to the Immortal Monarch Realm.
This is primarily because the Immortal Monarch Realm's cultivation concepts differ fundamentally from those of ordinary Immortals. It involves comprehending the structure of Boundary Heaven and delving into the higher-level Dao Principles, surpassing mere Laws.
Now at the peak of the Golden Immortal stage, Han Yi needed to prepare in advance for Immortal Monarch-grade Immortal Techniques.
The Mi Luo Primordial Chaos True Scripture was the technique he had chosen.
Moreover, this scripture was an Ancient Scripture.
Ancient Scriptures are texts that existed before the Primordial Era, from the unbroken Primordial Age. These ancient scriptures were created by the most powerful Immortals of heaven and earth, containing ancient mysteries.
Once mastered, their power far surpasses that of ordinary Immortal Scriptures.
Of course, the threshold difficulty for Ancient Scriptures is correspondingly much higher, making them inaccessible to ordinary Immortal Monarchs.
With his Panel, Han Yi naturally wasn't concerned about being unable to cultivate this Ancient Scripture.
After leaving the Profound Repository Palace, he didn't immediately attempt the Void Tower. Instead, he returned to the Returning Immortal Pavilion to enter secluded cultivation.
Now that his Panel's Life Seeds were depleted, having lost the powerful trump card of the Ancient Divine Artifacts, he acted more cautiously, avoiding reckless actions that might give the Black Realm an opportunity.
The Black Realm had exposed a Five-Star Star Lord, lost a Four-Star and a One-Star Star Lord, and would surely not rest until they had their revenge. Among them, Han Yi, who had set all this in motion, was their most detested target.
Though Han Yi wasn't afraid, a gentleman doesn't stand beneath a crumbling wall—a principle he understood well after years of cultivation.
Back at the Immortal Pavilion, he devoted himself entirely to the Sword Control Immortal Art.
Over a decade ago, when he had slain the Black-Robed Immortal Lord, he had unleashed a Great Unrestrained Sword strike that plunged him into a state of deep enlightenment. This enlightenment had propelled the Sword Control Immortal Art to the very limit of a Sixth-Rank Immortal Art, just a final breakthrough away from becoming a Seventh-Rank Immortal Art.
And this final breakthrough was precisely why he had gone into secluded cultivation.
For other Immortals, even tens of thousands of years might not be enough to elevate the art to Seventh-Rank. But Han Yi had his Panel to assist him. By simulating Immortal Power, each act of Sword Flight earned him experience and deepened his understanding.
With this continuous insight, breaking through to Seventh-Rank was only a matter of time.
Thirty years later.
Han Yi paused, gazing at the Sword Control Immortal Art, which remained stubbornly stuck at the peak of Sixth-Rank. He slowly exhaled, suppressing a flicker of impatience, and resumed his cultivation.
Another fifty years passed.
Han Yi paused again, visiting the Golden Immortal Pavilion and the Immortal Ease Pavilion to investigate the major events in the Immortal Realm over the past century before returning to the Returning Immortal Pavilion.
Eighty years later.
It had been one hundred and sixty years since Han Yi returned to the Immortal Court and went into secluded cultivation.
Within the Ninth Layer of the Original Art Dao Seat—
Han Yi, his eyes closed, suddenly radiated a peculiar Sword Intent. The intent surged upward, gradually intensifying. The Green Ripple Sword, resting beside him, sensing this Sword Intent, began to hover in the air of its own accord, emitting soft vibrations and a low hum.
Just as the Green Ripple Sword's aura was about to surge, the Sword Intent emanating from Han Yi abruptly ceased, fading into silence.
In the next moment—
He slowly opened his eyes, his pupils filled with countless floating swords, their Sword Intent boundless, vast as a sea of mist.
He reached out and grasped the Green Ripple Sword, and Qingping instantly calmed.
Within and around the Immortal Pavilion, not a trace of Sword Intent remained.
Yet Han Yi, now holding the Green Ripple Sword, possessed a comprehension of the Sword Dao that was utterly transformed from just moments before.
For his Sword Control Immortal Art had broken through to the Seventh-Tier.
Moreover, this insight, rather than stopping with his breakthrough, would continue to deepen and evolve.
It was as if the two thousand years of cultivation had, in that instant, broken through a certain barrier. The accumulated power from those two millennia began to slowly release, steadily advancing his mastery of the Sword Dao.
Great accumulation, great eruption.
Han Yi had achieved enlightenment.
He stood up, his heart brimming with excitement.
"Seventh-Tier! Finally, one of my Immortal Arts has reached the Seventh-Tier!"
"From now on, I can hold my own against even a Senior Immortal Monarch."
Han Yi knew that the Seventh-Tier Immortal Arts cultivated with the Panel's assistance differed from those in the Great Luo Immortal Realm. The Panel's aid allowed these arts to reach a state of perfection, making it possible to fight beyond one's tier.
In other words, a Seventh-Tier Sword Control Immortal Art could rival an Eighth-Tier art, a level of mastery typically reserved for Peak Immortal Monarchs.
Even considering his limited Immortal Power and weak Law Comprehension, this single art alone would be sufficient to challenge a Senior Immortal Monarch.
Instead of immediately emerging from seclusion, Han Yi took advantage of this surge of enlightenment to solidify his grasp of the Seventh-Tier Immortal Art.
Forty years later.
Having nearly fully assimilated his insights, he finally emerged from the Immortal Pavilion, ending his prolonged seclusion.
Two hundred years.
To cultivate his Sword Flight to the Seventh-Tier, he had devoted a full two centuries.
For the Immortal Monarch, this period of time wasn't particularly long; even his brief periods of seclusion often lasted centuries.
But for Han Yi, it was significant. Though shorter than the six-year cycle he spent in seclusion during his peak as a Profound Immortal, it still marked one of the longest periods of seclusion in his cultivation career.
After emerging from seclusion, Han Yi discovered a message from Golden Resonance Daoist on his token. Upon reading it, his face lit up with joy.
Sixty years ago, Golden Resonance Daoist had truly ascended to the Grand Unity Realm, becoming an Immortal Monarch.
The message also mentioned that he would need approximately two hundred years to stabilize his cultivation realm. Once he emerged from seclusion after that period, he would establish a new Dao Field in accordance with Immortal Court tradition.
With sixty years having passed since the message was left, that meant there were still one hundred and forty years remaining before a Dao Field named Golden Cry would rise within the Immortal Court.
Han Yi felt genuine delight for his friend's achievement.
After tidying up, Han Yi left the Immortal Pavilion with his sword, teleporting to the Void Mirror and entering the Void Tower.
Equipped with Seventh-Tier Immortal Arts and a Seventh-Rank Immortal Artifact, Han Yi prepared to unleash his full power and attempt to conquer the Void Tower.
Speaking of which...
During his time at the peak of both the True Immortal Realm and the Profound Immortal Realm, Han Yi never fully committed to tackling the Void Tower due to other pressing matters. This remained a lingering regret.
This time, his purpose for attempting the Void Tower was twofold: to verify his current strength and to accumulate enough Immortal Marks to purchase the Immortal Monarch-grade ancient scripture he coveted.
The Void Mirror.
Upon his arrival, Han Yi first glanced at the Golden Immortal Ranking and discovered he was still in first place. Murong Wuxiang, who had previously held the top spot, was no longer listed.
He wasn't surprised, as Murong Wuxiang had broken through to the Immortal Monarch Realm even faster than Golden Resonance Daoist.
Since the return of the expeditionary force from the Wisdom Realm, the Immortal Realm had witnessed a surge in the emergence of Immortal Monarchs.
Before the expedition, Age Candle had 130 Immortal Monarchs, including three Peak Immortal Monarchs, thirteen Senior Immortal Monarchs, and the rest being ordinary Immortal Monarchs.
During the expedition, thirty-seven Immortal Monarchs perished, causing Age Candle's Immortal Monarch count to fall below a hundred.
However, in the centuries since, the Sui Zhu Immortal Court had produced sixty-three new Immortal Monarchs.
This number was more than double the number who had fallen during the expedition.
Among them were Zhenxiao, Murong Wuxiang, and Golden Cry.
Han Yi retracted his gaze, suppressing the Immortal Monarch's explosive thoughts, and stepped into the Void Tower.
Floor 2952: Previously, as a Senior Golden Immortal, he had failed at this level, with no hope of victory.
But this time, with a single sword strike, he slew the previously invincible enemy.
Immediately, a space passage to the next floor appeared, and he stepped through.
Floor 2053: He remained for only a moment before moving on to the next floor.
And so it continued.
Han Yi advanced almost without pause. No enemy, no matter how formidable, could withstand his single sword strike. His ascent was breathtakingly swift.
By the time a True Immortal noticed the first-ranked Golden Immortal's position on the Golden Immortal Ranking leaping upward, a full minute had passed.
In that minute, Han Yi had climbed from floor 2952 to floor 2968.
It was crucial to note that each of these dozen floors was guarded by an Immortal Monarch. Han Yi's ability to sweep through them all demonstrated that his strength already dominated ordinary Immortal Monarchs.
Terrifying.
Absolutely terrifying.
The news spread like wildfire, sending the entire Immortal Court into an uproar.
This was primarily because Han Yi's cultivation realm had advanced at a breakneck pace. Virtually all True Immortals, Profound Immortals, Golden Immortals, and most Immortal Monarchs in the Immortal Court recognized him.
Within just two thousand years, Han Yi had three times reached the pinnacle of the Void Tower's ranking lists, ascending to the top of the True Immortal Ranking, Profound Immortal Ranking, and Golden Immortal Ranking.
Now, he was striving to ascend even higher on the Golden Immortal Ranking, reaching a level that even ordinary Immortal Monarchs would find daunting.
!
The Sui Zhu Immortal Court currently had only five Peak Immortal Monarchs. There were a few more Senior Immortal Monarchs, totaling nineteen, with the rest being ordinary Immortal Monarchs.
In other words, based on his display of combat power in just one minute, Han Yi's strength could now rank him as the twenty-fifth, following the five Peak Immortal Monarchs and nineteen Senior Immortal Monarchs.
And this was far from over.
"Hiss, is Han Yi actually going to conquer the Golden Immortal Ranking?"
"No, that's impossible. At most, he'll reach the 2980th level. Beyond that, starting from the 2981st level, he'll have to face Senior Immortal Monarchs."
"Since the Void Mirror was first opened, no one has ever reached this far. Han Yi can't be an exception."
"What if he does?"
"Han Yi defies conventional logic. Let's just watch and see."
"I can't even imagine it. If he advances to the Immortal Monarch Realm, his combat power would rival that of Peak Immortal Monarchs. And if he takes another step beyond that, wouldn't he be capable of challenging even an Immortal Sovereign?"
"That's truly terrifying."
The Myriad Immortals watched with bated breath.
Immortals who were acquainted with Han Yi made time to closely monitor even the slightest changes in the Golden Immortal Ranking.
At the Immortal Ease Pavilion, Li Zhengyang leaped to his feet upon hearing the news, his excitement causing his Profound Immortal aura to surge uncontrollably, triggering a celestial phenomenon above the pavilion.
Meanwhile, the Senior Golden Immortal Vice Palace Master stationed at the Immortal Market Palace merely sent a gentle reminder through Immortal Sense, his demeanor remarkably calm.
After all, the Immortal Ease Pavilion was Han Yi's enterprise, and Han Yi's strength, comparable to that of a senior Immortal Monarch, already warranted a seat among the Immortal Court's upper echelons. Given time, he might even ascend to Immortal Sovereign, claiming a prominent position within the Immortal Court itself.
Li Zhengyang suppressed his aura and placed the token before him within the Immortal Pavilion. A luminous screen descended, displaying the updates to the Golden Immortal Ranking.
He stared intently at the changes at the top of the list.
After just three breaths, the top-ranked level flickered, advancing to the 2969th level.
"So fast!"
Another six breaths passed, and the top-ranked level changed again, advancing another level.
As the top-ranked level continued to rise, Li Zhengyang's excitement grew increasingly fervent.
Within the centuries-old Mayoi Dojo, Immortal Lord Zhenxiao stared at the shifting vision before him, his expression filled with astonishment.
"Han Yi?"
"The 2970th floor of the Void Tower?"
"This..."
Having himself risen from the Golden Immortal realm—his highest rank on the Golden Immortal Ranking had been third—Zhenxiao understood the true value of that list. Reaching the 2940th floor marked the limit for Golden Immortals, the threshold where one could survive an Immortal Monarch's attack.
Yet Han Yi had now reached the 2970th floor, a feat so astonishing that Zhenxiao doubted the authenticity of the news. However, this was an official announcement from the Immortal Court, confirmed by the Spirit of the Immortal Court itself. It couldn't possibly be fabricated.
Zhenxiao wasn't particularly familiar with Han Yi's name. For the past millennium, as Han Yi's rise to fame spread throughout the Age Candle and even the Great Luo, Zhenxiao had been in secluded cultivation, focused on reaching the Grand Unity Realm. He had barely paid attention to other Golden Immortals, let alone lower-tier Immortals.
But his memory was prodigious. With a fleeting thought, he recalled hearing Han Yi's name during the Primordial Dao Conflict years ago.
"How could this be? That True Immortal from back then has already reached the peak of the Golden Immortal realm—and his combat strength surpasses even ordinary Immortal Monarchs, placing him above me?"
The revelation felt surreal to Immortal Lord Zhenxiao.
He swept his Immortal Sense across the Dao Field, intending to summon his disciple Xuan Cheng, but found him absent. Reluctantly, he abandoned the attempt.
"Very well. In a few years, when he ascends to Immortal Monarch, I'll personally deliver a lavish gift, offer congratulations, and resolve this misunderstanding."
Inside the Void Tower, Han Yi continued his ascent. After surpassing the 2970th floor, he faced the highest-tier ordinary Immortal Monarchs, and his progress slowed.
With his Seventh-Tier Sword Flight, Seventh-Tier Qingping, and several Sixth-Rank Immortal Arts as support, Han Yi couldn't instantly defeat his opponents, but through steady, methodical combat, he still secured victory.
After two hours, he reached the 2975th floor.
Three days later, he finally ceased his assault on the Void Tower and stopped.
The floor he had reached—2982—was officially recorded as his final position.
This floor marked Han Yi's complete entry into the realm of Senior Immortal Monarchs. The previous level, the 2981st floor, represented true Senior Immortal Monarchs.
Under the watchful gaze of the Myriad Immortals, Han Yi concluded his trial within the Void Tower.
As he had hoped, his Immortal Marks had surpassed a hundred million, reaching a total of thirteen hundred million.
The additional three hundred million marks were the reward for defeating the 2981st floor.
After teleporting out, Han Yi immediately headed to the Profound Repository Palace. He spent a hundred million Immortal Marks to purchase the Mi Luo Primordial Chaos True Scripture and stored it within the Immortal Spirit Realm.
Next, Han Yi descended to the forty-ninth layer of the Profound Repository Palace and spent another twenty million Immortal Marks to acquire a set of Immortal Techniques.
That's right.
Not a single technique, but a complete set.
The set he purchased was the Heavenly Gang Immortal Art, which included the Celestial Gang Grand Compendium and thirty-six individual Immortal Arts.
Although this set of Heavenly Gang Immortal Arts was powerful, it paled in comparison to an Ancient Scripture, and he acquired it for a mere twenty million Immortal Marks.
Of course.
Even twenty million Immortal Marks would be a significant burden for an ordinary Immortal Monarch.
It was only because Han Yi's formidable strength allowed him to exploit the Void Tower's loopholes and accumulate vast quantities of Immortal Marks that he could afford such extravagant spending.
Most other Golden Immortals would never earn this much in their entire lifetimes.
With the remaining ten million Immortal Marks, Han Yi left the Profound Repository Palace and returned to the Immortal Pavilion.
His Sword Control Immortal Art had already reached the Seventh-Tier, pushing his strength to its peak. Advancing other Immortal Arts to the Seventh-Tier would merely be icing on the cake.
His next goal: