As Han Yi's sword obliterated the nine Demon Puppets, a figure in gray robes materialized silently outside the Folded Space containing the Abyssal Demon Nest.
This was none other than King Taishan, Hall Master of the Seventh Hall of Black Yama, who had hurried from the Penglai Immortal Realm.
King Taishan gazed at the Folded Space, his eyes suffused with a profound Blacklight. A flicker of doubt crossed his face before being replaced by sudden delight.
"An intact Abyssal Demon Nest hidden here, yet unbroken."
"Indeed. The Abyssal aura within is extraordinarily potent. I once encountered a fleeing Abyssal Demon from the Great Luo Immortal Realm's border Void, and its aura matched this place perfectly."
"That Abyssal Demon was an Immortal Sovereign-level expert. Even severely injured, its enraged roar across the Endless Void nearly scattered my soul."
"It was that encounter that led me to avoid the Great Luo Immortal Realm for millennia. It's simply too dangerous."
King Taishan took a deep breath, a hidden fear surfacing from the depths of his Immortal Soul. That initial confrontation with the Abyssal Demon had compelled him to stay clear of the Great Luo Immortal Realm for thousands of years. Even when an Inheritance drifted out, he had resolved to wait until the Great Luo stabilized before attempting to retrieve it.
What he hadn't anticipated was this:
As the aura of the inheritance approached Penglai, he followed its trail and discovered an intact Abyssal Demon Nest that hadn't been shattered.
Years ago, after encountering the Abyssal Demon Clan, he had searched for information upon returning to Penglai. He learned that they were a supreme race from another Great World, their status akin to the Ancient Gods of the Primordial and Primordial Eras in the Primordial Great World—supremely revered.
Among the information he had uncovered back then was the Abyssal Demon Nest left behind by the Abyssal Demon Clan.
The Demonic Crystals within these nests served as near-precious aids to cultivation for Immortal Monarchs and even Immortal Sovereigns. Obtaining the Demonic Crystals from this nest would undoubtedly propel him forward, resolving his stagnation in the Immortal Monarch Realm for over 30,000 years. Even reaching the Peak Immortal Monarch realm would no longer be a pipe dream.
As this realization struck him, his heart surged with excitement, but he quickly regained his composure.
"According to our investigations, the Immortal who stole the Azure Yama Ghost's inheritance only recently passed the Profound Immortal Tribulation a millennium ago. Even if they defied all odds, they could at most have reached the Peak Profound Immortal stage. They couldn't possibly have become a Golden Immortal, let alone an Immortal Monarch."
"Yet my senses clearly detect the aura of the Azure Yama Blade within this Demon Nest. How can this be?"
A thought flashed through the mind of King Taishan, Hall Master of the Seventh Hall of Black Yama, leading to a conjecture.
There were only two possibilities.
One: This Profound Immortal had accidentally stumbled into this place and fallen into the Demon Nest. For him, this was a perilous trap, but if his luck was extraordinary, it might also be an outrageous opportunity to obtain Heavenly Secrets.
Two: A powerful Immortal had brought him here, possibly even a Golden Immortal, or perhaps even an Immortal Monarch.
Because Han Yi and Dongming Immortal Monarch had suppressed their auras throughout their journey, even King Taishan, an ordinary Immortal Monarch, couldn't detect any residual traces in the Void to gauge the strength of the Immortals who had passed through before.
"Enough."
"Regardless of which scenario it is, that little thief who stole the Azure Yama Blade's inheritance is doomed. As for any other Immortals who accidentally entered this place, they too are destined to perish here."
King Taishan was supremely confident. His excited expression faded, replaced by a fleeting glint of killing intent. As the murderous aura vanished, he completely suppressed his presence. Then, his figure vanished into the Folded Space.
Black Yama was an assassin organization akin to the Black Realm. While the Black Realm operated across the Great Luo Immortal Realm, defying even the Immortal Courts' attempts to eradicate it, Black Yama, confined to the Fayuan Sect's territory, had similarly defied Immortal Sovereigns' attempts to annihilate it, surviving for centuries.
As one of the Ten Hall Masters, King Taishan specialized not in direct combat, but in assassination. He had secretly killed a Veteran Immortal Monarch and three ordinary Immortal Monarchs, achieving remarkable results.
Therefore, any Immortal who entered this Abyssal Demon Nest, unless they were a Peak Immortal Monarch or higher, posed no threat to him. He was confident he could bury them here, making this Abyssal Demon Nest his personal domain and a stepping stone to reaching the Immortal Monarch Realm.
However, after piercing through multiple layers of unpredictable, irregular space membranes and entering a Dark Space, he frowned deeply.
Within this Dark Space, strands of profound demonic energy permeated the air, gradually dissipating and collapsing. Surrounding this demonic energy were two intense residual auras.
This was the outer area where the nine Demon Puppets had previously been stationed. Dongming Immortal Monarch and Han Yi, having ceased concealing their auras, left unmistakable traces behind. Assuming no other Immortals would accidentally enter this place in the short term, they hadn't bothered to erase their residual auras.
Thus, the moment King Taishan entered this space, he immediately detected their auras.
"One ordinary Immortal Monarch and one Peak Golden Immortal?"
King Taishan extended his hand, formed a hand seal, and Immortal Spirit Light surged forth, converging before him and transforming into two blurred figures.
As an assassin, and a Immortal Monarch-level assassin at that, he was an expert in breath suppression techniques. This made him exceptionally sensitive to changes in aura. After a brief analysis, he discerned the cultivation realms and auras of the two present.
What puzzled him deeply was that, based on the aura fluctuations and the extent of the dispersed demonic energy, the one who had slain the demonic creatures guarding this place was none other than the Peak Golden Immortal.
"No, this can't be a Golden Immortal."
"He must be concealing his aura!"
King Taishan quickly realized that the one who had broken through the outer demonic creatures was an Immortal Monarch concealing his aura to mimic that of a Peak Golden Immortal. While this Immortal Monarch possessed considerable combat prowess, he still fell within the realm of an ordinary Immortal Monarch.
After all, if he were truly a Golden Immortal capable of slaying nine Immortal Monarch-level demonic creatures, such a heaven-defying individual would be exceedingly rare, even in the Penglai Immortal Realm. In fact, within the four great Dao Sects, there might not be even one such being in an entire era.
Similarly, Golden Immortals like those from the Great Luo Immortal Realm are exceedingly rare. Encountering one is even less likely than meeting an Immortal Sovereign.
This is why King Taishan had theorized about the Peak Golden Immortals concealing their auras.
"This aura-concealing Immortal Monarch must be my primary assassination target. Kill him, then eliminate the other Immortal Monarch, and this Demon Nest will be mine."
King Taishan calculated inwardly, a Seventh-Rank Immortal Artifact materializing in his hand—a pitch-black dagger that, beyond ten meters, was invisible even to an Immortal Monarch's eyes.
Unlike the Azure Yama Blade, this dagger was the true inheritance of the Black Yama Taishan Hall, its name as simple as its form: Taishan.
The Taishan Dagger was a Seventh-Rank Immortal Artifact, and among even those of the Seventh-Tier, it stood as a pinnacle.
It was with this very dagger that King Taishan had assassinated four Immortal Monarchs, including a Senior Immortal Monarch.
According to the hall's inherited records, if the Taishan Dagger were to drink the blood and soul of an Immortal Sovereign, it would undergo a metamorphosis, ascending to an Eighth-Rank Immortal Artifact.
Of course.
This claim has never been proven since ancient times. Even the Peak Immortal Monarch who originally refined this Seventh-Rank Immortal Artifact only recorded his intention to create an Eighth-Rank Immortal Artifact. However, due to the lack of an Immortal Sovereign's blood and soul, he was forced to settle for a Seventh-Rank artifact.
Therefore, this claim cannot be verified, but there is no doubt that this dagger possesses the standards of a top-tier Seventh-Rank Immortal Artifact. Thanks to this artifact, the current King Taishan was able to assassinate four Immortal Monarchs.
Holding the dagger, King Taishan looked deeper into the Dark Space. With a flick of the dagger, a subtle spatial ripple spread out, forming a rift large enough for only him to pass through.
He merged completely with the dagger and stepped into the rift. The fissure sealed itself, vanishing without a trace.
In the central region of the Abyssal Demon Nest, Han Yi suddenly sensed something amiss. Due to his mastery of the Cosmic Light Thought Realm Immortal Art, he was exceptionally attuned to spatial fluctuations. He glanced upward, his eyes swirling with golden light, but the layers of folded space obscured his view, preventing him from discerning what was happening beyond.
Nevertheless, a sense of vigilance stirred within him. This intuition, honed through countless encounters with danger and brutal battles over two millennia, warned him that something had followed them into the Demon Nest.
It could be an Immortal, or perhaps a Void Monster.
Whatever it was, the fleeting disturbance in the space above triggered him to heighten his perception to its peak. He drew upon not only the power of the Immortal Path, but also the energies of the Ancient Gods and Ancient Demons, merging them into a unified force.
"Fellow Daoist Han, what is it?" Dongming Immortal Monarch asked, following Han Yi's gaze upward. They had just breached the outer defenses of the nine Demon Puppets, but even his Immortal Monarch strength couldn't penetrate the folded space.
Han Yi didn't conceal his concern. His expression turned solemn as he said slowly, "Something followed us down."
"We need to be careful from now on," Dongming Immortal Monarch said, his brow furrowing and his expression darkening slightly.
"Can you tell what it is?" he asked.
Han Yi shook his head slightly. "I can't see it clearly. There are too many layers of space between us. I only vaguely sensed a fleeting disturbance in the space fabric, too quick to pin down."
He looked ahead. Before them stretched thousands of space passages, all leading downward into the depths of the Demon Nest. From their vantage point, the passages resembled the honeycomb-like cells of a beehive.
However, only one of these passages led to the true depths of the Demon Nest. The rest were sealed.
By selecting the correct passage and venturing to its deepest reaches, they could find the treasures the Abyssal Demon Clan had hidden here.
The pristine condition of the Demon Nest suggested that the Abyssal Demon Clan cultivators had been caught completely off guard when they retreated. They likely perished in the Outer Void beyond the Great Luo Immortal Realm, leaving no time to return.
"This is the structure of the Demon Nest," Han Yi explained. "Only one passage leads to the true depths."
"The true Demon Nest must be far more dangerous. Judging by the nine Demon Puppets guarding the perimeter, the depths of this nest likely contain peak Immortal Monarch-level, or even Immortal Sovereign-level, Demon Puppets."
"As for the other tunnels, although they don't lead to the Demon Nest itself, they still contain some Demonic Crystals at their ends."
Dongming Immortal Monarch's face lit up with excitement. He had come here specifically for the Demonic Crystals. Moreover, he judged the dangers of the Demon Nest's depths to be beyond his capabilities to handle—even Han Yi would have to stop here.
His goal, then, was the Demonic Crystals hidden at the ends of the sealed tunnels.
He turned to Han Yi and clasped his hands in a respectful salute. "Fellow Daoist Han, let us part ways for now and search for Demonic Crystals separately."
"Additionally..."
"This Demon Nest is no ordinary place. The depths are likely guarded by peak Immortal Monarch-level Demon Puppets. If you discover any passages leading deeper, please exercise extreme caution."
With those words, Dongming Immortal Monarch turned and vanished into one of the downward tunnels using an escape technique.
Han Yi watched him go, his heart stirring.
Dongming Immortal Monarch's debt of gratitude only extended to a single favor. Earlier, when they encountered the nine Demon Puppets in the perimeter, Han Yi had already fulfilled that debt by annihilating them with a single sword strike.
He couldn't possibly ask Han Yi to do more, such as handing over all the Demonic Crystals he discovered. After all these years, he'd never stoop to such opportunistic and unrealistic demands, nor had the thought ever crossed his mind.
A favor repaid ends the debt; that's where it stops.
To ask for more would create a new cycle of causality.
Han Yi shifted his gaze downward, continuing to inspect the holes below. After three breaths, he found nothing. This brief span was enough to exhaust all his Immortal Arts for reconnaissance. Three breaths without discovery meant wasting more time would be futile.
He shook his head slightly. Finding the single Space Passage leading deep into the Demon Nest, among thousands of tunnels, was beyond his current cultivation level.
Moreover, as Dongming Immortal Monarch had warned, the core of the Abyssal Demon Nest—the heart of the Abyssal Demon Clan's cultivation—must be heavily guarded. Since the outer Demon Puppets remained intact, the inner core must also be protected by forces far surpassing them. The weakest guardians would likely be at the Senior Immortal level, with a high probability of Peak Immortal Monarchs.
Han Yi was confident in facing a Senior Immortal Monarch, but he was powerless against a Peak Immortal Monarch.
Therefore, he took Dongming Immortal Monarch's words to heart.
There was no need to risk unnecessary dangers that exceeded his limits.
Finally, he glanced upward at the space above, finding nothing suspicious, and then used the Escape Technique to descend. He casually selected a Folded Space and entered it.
He was deeply interested in Demonic Crystals. Even if he couldn't use them now, his need for them would greatly increase once he ascended to the Immortal Monarch Realm. Since this opportunity had presented itself, he naturally had to thoroughly search for them.
Just three breaths after he entered the Folded Space,
a point of Immortal Spirit Light appeared above the space he had just occupied. The light spread outward, forming ripples that stretched and, in the blink of an eye, transformed into a rift.
A figure in gray robes emerged from the rift, and the rift quietly closed behind them.
The aura of this figure was elusive and unstable, so faint that it could easily blend with the surrounding Dark Space, making it nearly undetectable.
The figure in the gray robe was none other than the Hall Master of the Seventh Hall of Black Yama, King Taishan, who had breached the outer defenses and descended into the central region.
He surveyed the thousands of cave passages, attempting to detect the auras of the two intruders, but found nothing.
"They're quite vigilant," he mused.
"Still, it's futile. I only need to wait here and reap the rewards when they emerge."
"Why not enjoy the leisure?"
Instead of retreating into the lower passages, King Taishan activated an Immortal Art with a single thought—a stealth technique. When stationary, even a Peak Immortal Monarch would be unable to detect him. Even when moving, only Veteran Immortals could perceive his presence.
As an assassination technique, however, within a suitable range, he would have ample time to strike with his Taishan Dagger—a Seventh-Tier artifact—before even a Veteran Immortal could react, slaying them beneath its blade.
Yet...
After only the time it takes an incense stick to burn, he was suddenly startled by a heart-pounding aura emanating from one of the cave passages within the Demon Nest below. This unsettling presence raised his suspicions.