The moment Han Yi stepped into the Emperor's Fall Heavenly Pool, he sensed that this void was different from before.
During his previous visit, although the Chaos Evil God had occupied the place, the aura of the space hadn't felt different from other locations.
But now, even without any Evil Immortals or Evil Gods present, the surrounding space was permeated with a thick, malevolent aura.
Moreover, this malevolent aura was strangely insidious, attempting to penetrate Han Yi's body. Any cultivator below the True Immortal realm who entered this place would be invaded by the aura, becoming muddled and gradually falling into becoming an Evil Immortal, step by step transforming into a prototype of the Chaos Evil God.
Of course, even if ordinary cultivators fell into becoming Evil Gods, their strength would only improve slightly at best. While breaking through to a major new realm was possible, it was absolutely impossible to achieve a sudden breakthrough to become an Immortal Monarch in one step.
At this moment, the malevolent aura had no effect whatsoever on Han Yi. Even without using the Four Origins Dao Technique or the Ancient God Body Protection Divine Art, in his ordinary physical state, these auras couldn't affect him in the slightest.
With Han Yi's current physical body strength, it was already comparable to a Fourth-Rank Immortal Artifact.
During the Primordial and Primordial Era, Ancient Gods fought, but they didn't necessarily wield Ancient Divine Artifacts. Most of the time, they clashed using their physical strength alone—every part of their bodies were, in essence, Divine Artifacts.
After entering the Emperor's Fall Heavenly Pool, Han Yi used the Embryonic Transformation Heavenly Gang Immortal Art to disguise his aura as that of a fledgling Chaos Evil God, maintaining his cultivation realm at the Golden Immortal level.
Then, he traversed the Void, heading toward the location where he obtained his Life Seed hundreds of years ago.
Along the way, he seized opportunities to slay several Golden Immortal-level Evil Immortals, thus completing the Immortal Court's mission. However, he lacked the confidence to eliminate Immortal Monarch-level Evil Immortals without making a sound, so he chose to evade rather than hunt them.
After all, this was the lair of the Chaos Evil Gods. Not only were there Immortal Monarch-level Evil Immortals, but even Immortal Sovereign and Dao Ancestor-level Chaos Evil Gods lurked here. If surrounded, he risked annihilation.
The Sui Zhu Immortal Court's mission only required slaying Evil Immortals of the corresponding level outside the Emperor's Fall Heavenly Pool; they didn't mandate entering the pool itself.
The Emperor's Fall Heavenly Pool had become unbearably dangerous. A single misstep after entering could mean certain doom.
Han Yi, however, was preoccupied with the Life Seed. He wanted to try his old trick again and obtain another one. Otherwise, he wouldn't have dared to enter this place.
Two hours later, he arrived at his previous location. But the Panel showed no further notifications about Life Seeds. Unwilling to give up, he pressed forward for hundreds of thousands of miles before he was forced to stop.
Ahead, a dense, malevolent aura had stained the space a dark gray, like diluted ink, forming a chaotic evil domain. From within this domain emanated a terrifying aura that made his heart tremble—an aura surpassing that of an Immortal Sovereign.
Han Yi wasted no more time. He turned and fled at top speed.
Another hour passed when he suddenly halted. Before him, a battle was raging.
From tens of thousands of miles away, Han Yi's golden eyes trembled slightly, reflecting several figures. By chance, he recognized all of them.
Among them was an Evil Immortal he'd encountered during his previous visit to the Emperor's Fall Heavenly Pool—the very one who had relentlessly pursued him to the pool's edge.
Guangpu the Evil Immortal.
Once an Immortal Monarch, Guangpu had been corrupted by the aura of a Malevolent Entity. Yet instead of falling into delusion, he remained sober and alert.
More significantly, his aura had transcended that of an ordinary Immortal Monarch, ascending to that of a Peak Immortal Monarch.
Facing Guangpu the Evil Immortal were two female immortals.
One was Ye Wuxian, whom Han Yi had met several times before. The other was Yang Jiuhuan, whom he hadn't seen in many years.
Han Yi's eyes glimmered with Golden Light as he observed Ye Wuxian and Yang Jiuhuan, the light intensifying as if in contemplation.
As he approached, his aura shifted. He abandoned his disguise as an Evil Immortal, concealing all traces of his presence. By employing the Spirit God Concealment technique, he doubly masked his aura, ensuring that none but an Immortal Sovereign could detect his existence.
Before him, Ye Wuxian and Yang Jiuhuan stood in subtly altered positions and attire. They were not arranged in a master-servant hierarchy, but side by side, contradicting Han Yi's previous assumptions.
Moreover, Yang Jiuhuan cradled a miniature stone tower in her arms.
The stone pagoda cradled in Yang Jiuhuan's arms was roughly the length of a sword, its color a typical grayish-white like ordinary stone.
Yet, how could a stone pagoda that Yang Jiuhuan was holding in such a scene be anything but extraordinary?
Almost simultaneously, Han Yi witnessed this, the voice of Taiyuan, from within the Immortal Spirit Realm, automatically resonated, filled with profound dread:
"Desolate Pagoda."
"Even this ancient relic has emerged."
As if anticipating Han Yi's question, Taiyuan added a brief explanation:
"This is a wondrous treasure Heavenly Venerable Ye brought from Chaos. Its essence transcends that of ordinary Dao Artifacts, far surpassing even mine."
Then, Taiyuan's voice fell silent.
Han Yi felt a chill in his heart. He knew how arrogant Taiyuan was—the Abyssal Heavenly Venerable's blade, which even the Chaos Evil Gods disdained, had only ever shown genuine dread toward the Inverters of the Dao and the All-Daoists.
Yet now, this stone pagoda named Desolate Pagoda had filled him with such dread, even acknowledging that its essence far surpassed his own.
This proved that the Desolate Pagoda was absolutely no ordinary object.
Recalling that Ye Wuxian was a descendant of Heavenly Venerable Ye, Han Yi now found it reasonable that Ye Wuxian could have discovered the Desolate Pagoda.
However, Yang Jiuhuan was holding the Desolate Pagoda in his arms, which Han Yi couldn't immediately understand.
These thoughts, including Taiyuan's words, flashed through Han Yi's mind in an instant.
Ahead, a brutal battle had already begun.
Guangpu Xiefo, his aura surging at the peak of an Immortal Monarch, launched his attack. His Immortal Artifact was a Golden Tin Staff, adorned with four branches and twelve rings. In the Buddhist Path, these symbolized the Four Noble Truths and Twelve Links of Dependent Origination.
But now, instead of golden rings, the twelve rings hanging from the branches were a pale, ashen color, shaped like skulls.
Guangpu Xiefo slammed the Golden Tin Staff into the void. The twelve ashen skull rings trembled violently.
Instantly, twelve Demonic Souls emerged from the rings, surging towards Ye Wuxian and Yang Jiuhuan.
Each of these twelve Demonic Souls was a Golden Immortal-grade entity, refined by Guangpu Xiefo for years, possessing the combat power of a Peak Golden Immortal. It was as if twelve Peak Golden Immortals were attacking Ye Wuxian and Yang Jiuhuan simultaneously.
Under Han Yi's watchful gaze, Yang Jiuhuan remained motionless, still cradling the Desolate Pagoda. Ye Wuxian stepped forward, formed a hand seal, and unleashed an Immortal Art from his fingertips. The technique transformed into a hazy gray Immortal Light. As the light swept across the battlefield, it instantly absorbed the twelve Demonic Souls, making them vanish without a trace.
The hazy gray Immortal Light then returned to Ye Wuxian's fingertips and dissipated.
Before them, Guangpu Xiefo trembled violently, roaring in disbelief, "Impossible! A mere Golden Immortal wielding such an Immortal Art, capable of even absorbing my Twelve Evil Souls!"
Ye Wuxian offered no reply. With a calm expression, he retreated to his original position and turned to Yang Jiuhuan, his voice now deferential.
No.
His gaze was actually fixed on the Desolate Pagoda nestled in Yang Jiuhuan's arms.
"Let the Venerable One slay the Buddha!"
As the words faded, Yang Jiuhuan, still cradling the Desolate Pagoda, took a step forward, her lovely face as serene as ever.
In the next moment, the ashen-gray Desolate Pagoda began to glow faintly.
Tens of thousands of miles away, Han Yi watched as the thirty-three-story Desolate Pagoda lit up, layer by layer, from bottom to top. The illumination stopped at the eleventh level.
Then.
The eleven-layered Desolate Pagoda merged into Yang Jiuhuan's body. Her previously calm demeanor transformed instantly, her gaze now radiating contempt for all living beings, her arrogance defying the heavens.
Her gaze, however, wasn't directed at Guangpu Xiefo. Instead, it pierced through tens of thousands of miles to where Han Yi was hidden, her eyes filled with contemplation. She had just sensed a familiar aura—the aura of the Mad Blade.
Han Yi, concealed from view, paled. He felt utterly exposed, as if his very soul had been seen through.
"This... this isn't Yang Jiuhuan. It's the Desolate Pagoda."
"Body Seizure? Parasitism? Or an Avatar's descent?"
"No, it shouldn't be either."
!
"The Yang Jiuhuan we just saw has already ascended to the Profound Immortal realm, and his aura remains unchanged from before. He hasn't been subjected to Body Seizure or any similar method."
"Furthermore, if it were Body Seizure, there would be no need to cling to the Desolate Pagoda."
"How strange."
Han Yi felt a chill in his heart as he gazed thoughtfully at the battlefield.
Meanwhile, Yang Jiuhuan, now mysteriously fused with the Desolate Pagoda, glanced briefly in Han Yi's direction before withdrawing his gaze. His attention then turned to the depths of the Emperor's Fall Heavenly Pool.
"Chaos Evil God."
"What a pity. The All-Knowing One who ascended through the Evil Path is not truly aligned with the righteous path. He can only reach the Peak Dao Ancestor realm and will never attain the Heavenly Venerable Realm."
As these words echoed, Han Yi, hidden in the shadows, trembled.
He had learned the meaning of "All-Knowing One" from Taiyuan, but Taiyuan could never have discerned the peculiarities of the Chaos Evil God, nor could he have determined that it was incapable of breaking through to the Heavenly Venerable Realm, being limited to the Dao Ancestor realm.
This suggested, in a certain sense, that the Desolate Pagoda was indeed stronger than Taiyuan.
On the battlefield:
Guangpu Xiefo, enraged by Yang Jiuhuan's dismissive glance, roared and thrust his Golden Tin Staff forward. Malevolent energy coalesced, space shattered, and the heaven-piercing staff, imbued with boundless power, thundered toward Yang Jiuhuan.
Yang Jiuhuan merely extended a finger, Immortal Spirit Qi flowing from his fingertip. It brightened, and mysterious Dao Principles converged upon his finger.
Though only a faint stream of Immortal Energy, under the infinite power of the Dao Principles, the potency of this Immortal Art exponentially increased.
To the onlookers, the speed of the Immortal Light seemed unremarkable, roughly equivalent to a Third-Tier Immortal Art.
Yet strangely, every Immortal who witnessed the light, including Han Yi, Ye Wuxian, and Guangpu Xiefo, felt time itself warp. They could only stare, unable to react.
Only when the Immortal Light pierced through the Phantom Shadow of the giant staff and struck Guangpu Xiefo's head did they snap out of their daze.
Guangpu Xiefo's eyes widened with terror. His body froze as he felt his Immortal Soul melting, weakening, and gradually slipping into death.
The figure who had extended the finger, now identified as Yang Jiuhuan, pinched his two pale fingers together. The malevolent aura lurking within Guangpu Xiefo's Immortal Soul was extracted. With a gentle twist, it was completely annihilated between his fingertips.
Simultaneously, Guangpu Xiefo's body crumbled to dust and scattered into the Void.
In that fleeting moment, a Peak Immortal Monarch-level Evil Immortal met his demise.
Tens of thousands of miles away, Han Yi could no longer remain hidden. He feared that the Desolate Pagoda, now mysteriously fused with Yang Jiuhuan, might mistake him for an enemy—a misunderstanding that could have dire consequences.
Revealing his True Body, he soared toward the battlefield. Within moments, he stood before Ye Wuxian and Yang Jiuhuan.
"Greetings, Fellow Daoists," Han Yi said, clasping his hands in respect.
Yang Jiuhuan, who had previously worn an aloof expression, suddenly transformed upon seeing Han Yi. A Desolate Pagoda began to materialize within her embrace, its previously lit Ninth Layer gradually fading.
Yang Jiuhuan's gaze returned to her own, separate from the Desolate Pagoda with which she had been mysteriously fused.
"Fellow Daoist Han!" Yang Jiuhuan called out. Her voice retained its previous timbre, but its tone had completely changed—from detached superiority to that of a normal Profound Immortal female cultivator. Her voice now carried the joy of reuniting with an old friend.
Ye Wuxian returned the greeting. His tone, while not cold, was not particularly familiar either. After all, though he had met Han Yi a few times before, this was their first real interaction.
"Greetings, Fellow Daoist!"
However...
Although Han Yi hadn't interacted with Yang Jiuhuan before, he had heard about her deeds during his time in the Immortal Realm. As the top-ranked Sui Zhu Golden Immortal, her combat prowess rivaled that of a Senior Immortal Monarch—such accolades made it impossible for him to overlook her.
Of course, only Yuan Shu and Hongwu knew that Han Yi had slain the Black Realm Star Lord and Mountain Still Immortal Monarch. He hadn't publicized these events, so the Immortal Realm's rumors contained no record of him actually killing an Immortal Monarch.
After exchanging greetings, Han Yi turned his attention to Yang Jiuhuan. He was particularly concerned about her well-being. Though she appeared unharmed, he wanted to inquire about her situation so he could reassure Li Zhengyang upon their return to the Immortal Court. Li Zhengyang had been tirelessly searching for news about Yang Jiuhuan over the years, even visiting the Myriad Immortals Hall periodically to check on her Immortal Name status.
"Fellow Daoist Nine Rings, what's this?" Han Yi asked bluntly, his gaze sweeping over the Desolate Pagoda cradled in Yang Jiuhuan's arms. A peculiar expression flickered across his face.
Understanding his unspoken question, Yang Jiuhuan transmitted an Immortal Sense, explaining her current situation.
After comprehending this Immortal Sense, Han Yi suddenly understood.
Ye Wuxian hadn't casually saved Yang Jiuhuan; he had deliberately intervened specifically to rescue him because Yang Jiuhuan was crucial to awakening the Desolate Pagoda.
According to Ye Wuxian, Yang Jiuhuan possessed an extremely rare physical constitution called the Desolate-Severing Physique. This constitution was so rare that fewer than three individuals in the entire Immortal Realm possessed it. Only someone with this constitution could harmonize with the Desolate Pagoda and gradually awaken its dormant power.
The Desolate Pagoda was a Heavenly Venerable Supreme Treasure of the Great Luo Immortal Court, once belonging to Heavenly Venerable Ye, a former Heavenly Venerable of the court.
This harmonization posed no harm to Yang Jiuhuan. In fact, through this connection, the Desolate Pagoda's influence would gradually enhance his strength, making him increasingly powerful.
In essence, even a trickle of power from this Heavenly Venerable Supreme Treasure could propel Yang Jiuhuan's cultivation realm to heights he had never dared to imagine.
This explained why Yang Jiuhuan had resolutely agreed to accompany Ye Wuxian on his journey through the Immortal Realm to unravel the mysteries of Heavenly Venerable Ye.
As for why Yang Jiuhuan hadn't mentioned this in the message he left for Li Zhengyang when Li Zhengyang had pursued him earlier, it was because Yang Jiuhuan didn't want to worry Li Zhengyang.
"Fellow Daoist Han," Yang Jiuhuan said earnestly, "if you see Zhenyang, please don't reveal too much to him. I'm afraid he'll worry."