A quarter of an hour earlier.
Han Yi descended, entering a tunnel that led to a vast subterranean space. The tunnels were surprisingly spacious, some even massive in scale.
This made sense when considering their purpose. These tunnels were designed to accommodate the Abyssal Demon Clan, whose members were enormous in size. Therefore, the tunnels had to be large enough to prevent the demons from feeling cramped.
Some of these tunnels were so wide that their cross-sectional area exceeded the size of some Immortal Cities in the Immortal Realm.
Though called "tunnels," this was a misnomer. Only when scaled down and compared to thousands of other passages did they seem narrow.
These passages were dark, deep, and filled with an eerie, otherworldly atmosphere.
The pervasive aura of Demonic Corruption meant that any low-level cultivator who entered would be instantly corrupted, transforming into a mindless demonic creature.
Even True Immortals entering these tunnels needed to fully mobilize their Immortal Power to resist the Demonic Corruption and avoid infection.
Of course, for Han Yi, the Demonic Corruption was utterly ineffective. Even without using protective Immortal Arts or Divine Arts, the aura radiating from his physical body alone was sufficient to shatter the Demonic Corruption, preventing it from affecting him.
The passage stretched on for what seemed like an eternity, but for Han Yi, who had already reached the combat prowess of an Immortal Monarch, it took only a few breaths to traverse.
As expected, the passage terminated in a sealed barrier, failing to lead directly into the depths of the Demon Nest.
Standing at the passage's end, Han Yi activated his Heavenly Fortune Divine Eyes, which glowed with golden radiance. He quickly discovered a fist-sized crystal embedded deep within the pitch-black spatial wall.
This spatial wall, formed from condensed demonic energy, was extraordinarily hardened.
Yet it posed no challenge to one of his Immortal Monarch strength.
With effortless ease, Han Yi used his Green Ripple Sword to excavate the spatial wall and retrieve the black crystal.
Holding the floating black crystal before him, Han Yi confirmed its identity as a Demonic Crystal using an Immortal Art.
Demonic Crystals were not difficult to identify. Each one was, in essence, a crystallization of demonic energy under the influence of Dao Principles. While fundamentally still demonic energy, their quantity and quality surpassed imagination, granting them inconceivable power.
After confirming the crystal's nature, Han Yi was about to store it away when a sudden inner impulse stopped him.
He sensed a profound longing.
The longing originated from his Beast Taming Space.
When Han Yi focused his thoughts on the Beast Taming Space he had established within the Immortal Spirit Realm, he saw a massive Fire Phoenix crying out to him with urgent intensity.
This Fire Phoenix was the very same Primordial Fire Phoenix he had encountered when he crossed the Wild Fracture Mountains and entered the Eastern Sovereign Territory.
At the time, Han Yi had suspected this Fire Phoenix was one of Eastern Emperor Buer's Demon Bodies.
However, the Fire Phoenix had grown close to Han Yi due to the divine power emanating from him.
After imprinting it with the Beast Taming Seal, Han Yi had brought the Fire Phoenix into his Beast Taming Space and sustained it with divine power.
Over centuries, the Fire Phoenix had continuously absorbed divine power from Han Yi's Divine Aperture World. The sheer quantity of divine power it had consumed left Han Yi deeply astonished.
Thanks to the abundant supply from the Divine Power World at the bottom of Jade Lake, Han Yi never interrupted its sustenance.
All these years, the Fire Phoenix had sought nothing but divine power and remained perfectly content. Unbeknownst to Han Yi, its aura had gradually reached the Peak Heavenly Demon realm, equivalent to the Peak Golden Immortal realm.
Han Yi had always harbored doubts about his initial encounter with the Fire Phoenix. Perhaps this phoenix wasn't the Demon Body of the Eastern Emperor Buer after all, but merely a coincidental encounter.
He never expected that deep within the Abyssal Demon Nest, after excavating an Abyssal Demon Crystal, the Fire Phoenix would react.
This was the second time it had reacted, aside from its previous response to divine power.
"You want it?" Han Yi asked.
The Fire Phoenix nodded and let out a soft cry.
What Han Yi didn't see was the flicker of wisdom in the phoenix's eyes as it nodded, as if teetering on the brink of a breakthrough.
In the depths of the cave, Han Yi casually waved his hand, releasing the Primordial Fire Phoenix from the Beast Taming Space.
The moment it emerged, the phoenix eagerly devoured the floating Demonic Crystal. Then, with a resounding cry that shook the heavens, it soared upward, its ascent shaking the very cosmos.
The demonic corruption that permeated the cave trembled violently, its energy radiating outward.
Han Yi retreated several miles, gazing at the singing Primordial Fire Phoenix, his eyes shining with wonder.
"What exactly is this Primordial Fire Phoenix?"
"It consumes not only divine power, but also Demonic Crystals."
"Unheard of! Absolutely unheard of!"
Divine power and Demonic Crystals belong to two separate Great Worlds. If they share anything in common, it's only that they are the most potent forms of energy beneath the Origin, serving as the power source for the cultivation systems of the supreme races in each Great World.
Then, before him, the Primordial Fire Phoenix let out a resounding cry. Its form began to change—or rather, it slowly unfurled, expanding from its original size of only a few dozen zhang at a shocking rate.
A hundred zhang, a thousand zhang, ten thousand zhang, a hundred thousand zhang...
It continued until it finally stopped at over a million zhang.
Han Yi retreated again and again, looking up at the ancient phoenix, now as vast as a world, with eyes wide with astonishment.
What astonished him wasn't the Fire Phoenix's colossal size, but the aura emanating from it, which had also expanded exponentially. When its form surpassed a million zhang, its aura surged past the limit of Golden Immortals, completely entering the realm of Immortal Monarchs.
Moreover, after briefly pausing upon entering the Immortal Monarch realm, a terrifying suction erupted from Gu Feng. The Demonic Corruption aura surging through the cave channels was devoured in a single gulp.
As the Fire Phoenix devoured the demonic energy, its aura of an Immortal Monarch erupted with explosive force, seemingly growing without end.
The spectacle was utterly breathtaking. Han Yi, who had retreated to the side, couldn't help but watch his expression shift rapidly.
"Does this Demonic Crystal possess such immense power?"
He surveyed his surroundings. The spatial walls surrounding the cave, weakened by the Fire Phoenix's devouring, began to thin and fade until they vanished completely.
Other spatial cavities in the area were now exposed. The Demonic Crystals within them were drawn out and consumed by the Fire Phoenix, further amplifying its aura.
As the Fire Phoenix's aura surged, its devouring power skyrocketed. The surrounding spatial cavities shattered faster and faster, creating a devouring storm that swept outward in all directions.
Han Yi had already retreated outside the cave. He glanced upward at a specific point in space, his expression unchanged, before returning his gaze to the Fire Phoenix spreading its wings below.
Soon, another figure emerged from below—the Dongming Immortal Monarch, who had previously fled downward. His face showed a mixture of shock and bewilderment as he flew to Han Yi's side and urgently asked, "Fellow Daoist Han, do you know what's happening here?"
"Which Demon Monarch is this Primordial Fire Phoenix below? I've never heard of an Immortal Monarch by that name in Donghuang. Could it be from the Penglai Immortal Realm?"
It was clear that Dongming Immortal Monarch was no stranger to the Primordial Fire Phoenix. This legendary creature was recognizable to anyone with even a basic understanding of the Great Luo Immortal Realm.
Han Yi smiled wryly, unsure where to begin. He transmitted a simple explanation through his Immortal Sense.
Dongming Immortal Monarch's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets in shock. "You're saying this Immortal-grade Primordial Fire Phoenix is your Imperial Beast?" Han Yi nodded helplessly. "I don't even know where it came from. I just happened to contract it on a whim back then."
"And..."
Han Yi pointed down at the Primordial Fire Phoenix, whose aura was still rising. "Now that it's broken through to Immortal-grade, the Beast Taming Seal has automatically dissolved. Technically, it's no longer my Imperial Beast."
What Han Yi explained pertained to the knowledge of Beast Tamers. Among Beast Tamers, two thresholds were particularly significant: one between Demigod and True Immortal-Rank, and the other between Golden Immortal and Immortal Monarch-Rank.
If an Imperial Beast breaks through to True Immortal rank and its master is only a Semi-Immortal Grade cultivator, or if an Imperial Beast breaks through to Immortal Monarch rank and its master is only a Golden Immortal, their bond will automatically dissolve.
After the bond dissolves, a high-level Imperial Beast must form a new connection with a low-level master through a second contract.
When the Primordial Fire Phoenix broke through to a million-zhang size, Han Yi noticed the Beast Taming Seal in the Immortal Spirit Realm's Beast Taming Space had vanished, severing the master-beast bond between him and the phoenix below.
Dongming Immortal Monarch was unaware the Primordial Fire Phoenix had ascended to Immortal Monarch rank on this spot. Only after Han Yi's explanation did he understand.
In the brief moments they spoke, the Primordial Fire Phoenix's aura beneath them surged from ordinary Immortal Monarch to Senior Immortal Monarch, then shattered the shackles to reach Peak Immortal Monarch.
!
Han Yi and Dongming Immortal Monarch's eyelids twitched at the sight.
"Good heavens, what kind of existence is this Fire Phoenix?"
"Fellow Daoist, you said it wasn't even an Immortal Monarch outside the Demon Nest."
"Given this display, after devouring the entire Demon Nest, could it be on the verge of breaking through to Immortal Sovereign?"
Dongming Immortal Monarch's expression shifted rapidly. Earlier, he had only managed to find two Demonic Crystals below. He had planned to spend more time searching and excavating other caves for crystals before leaving the Demon Nest. If he could gather a thousand Demonic Crystals, this expedition would be immensely fruitful.
However, after retrieving the second crystal, the cave's structure shifted, forcing him to retreat and flee the area.
Now, attempting to re-enter seemed even more impractical due to the increased danger.
The Primordial Fire Phoenix below was already at the Peak Immortal Monarch level, and its unstable state suggested it might attack any who dared to "steal its meal." Dongming Immortal Monarch knew he couldn't withstand the assault of a Peak Immortal Monarch-level Demon Monarch.
Therefore, he reluctantly gave up, though it filled him with regret.
As Dongming Immortal Monarch's thoughts churned, the Demon Nest below underwent another transformation.
Thousands of caves were swept clean by the Fire Phoenix's devouring power. Within one of the tunnels leading deep into the nest, a black Demon Puppet emerged.
The puppet's aura already reached the Peak Immortal Monarch realm. But the moment it appeared and prepared to attack, it realized all its assaults were being absorbed by the Fire Phoenix. Its massive, tens-of-thousands-of-feet-tall form was inexorably dragged into the Fire Phoenix's maw.
From the moment the Demon Puppet appeared to its devouring by the Fire Phoenix, only a few breaths passed.
Witnessing the annihilation of a Peak Immortal Monarch-level Demon Puppet, Han Yi, Dongming Immortal Monarch, and even King Taishan, hidden in the shadows, were all left pale-faced.
Before they could react, the Fire Phoenix, wings thrashing with a deafening roar, plunged deep into the heart of the Demon Nest.
Immediately, the Demon Nest, hidden within layers of overlapping space, could no longer maintain its integrity. It began to shatter, disperse, and march toward total annihilation.
Boom! Rumble!
The endless destruction terrified Han Yi and Dongming Immortal Monarch, forcing them to retreat frantically until they escaped the Demon Nest's space and reappeared in the Void.
Before them, within mere tens of breaths, the shattered space returned to the Void. The colossal Demon Nest, concealed within the chaos, had been utterly destroyed.
A striking figure emerged from the wreckage of the Demon Nest.
Han Yi recognized the figure, and his heart stirred slightly.
"My initial suspicion was correct. It's indeed Eastern Emperor Buer."
Indeed, the figure emerging from the Demon Nest was none other than Eastern Emperor Buer, whom Han Yi had first encountered at Pure Yang Mountain and later at the Barren Fold Mountains.
At this moment, Eastern Emperor Buer radiated an aura of supreme nobility, as if he were the Emperor of the Demon Race.
This wasn't a matter of physical strength, but rather something Han Yi discerned vaguely through his Heavenly Fortune Divine Eyes.
His Heavenly Fortune Divine Eyes were a Divine Art of Fortune Cultivation, allowing him to perceive both Fate and Fortune. As Eastern Emperor Buer approached, Han Yi sensed that his Fortune was intertwined with the Demon Race, even representing their future.
This peculiar Luck left Han Yi utterly bewildered.
How could an Immortal Monarch possibly embody the future of the Demon Race?
As this thought flashed through his mind, Eastern Emperor Buer, who was walking towards them, subtly swept his gaze across a certain point in the Void. King Taishan, hidden there, tensed up, his hair standing on end, and even his Immortal Soul trembled involuntarily.
This was the gaze of a Peak Immortal Monarch. Even without any killing intent, a single glance made King Taishan feel utterly exposed, as if all his secrets had been laid bare.
As Eastern Emperor Buer averted his gaze, King Taishan's heart skipped a beat of relief. Yet he remained vigilant, tightly suppressing his aura, fearful that this heaven-defying Immortal Monarch might strike. If he did, King Taishan feared he would find it difficult to escape with his life.
Meanwhile, on the other side...
Eastern Emperor Buer averted his gaze, focusing instead on Han Yi's hand. With a gentle flick of his wrist, a fiery red feather drifted from his palm, instantly traversing the void to alight before Han Yi.
He spoke, his voice resonant:
"I am Eastern Emperor Buer. Greetings, Fellow Daoist Han."
"This is a feather from the Abyssal Divine Phoenix, a relic from my ninth Demon Body—the Primordial Fire Phoenix before its transformation. It will aid you in your Immortal Ascension."
"All your doubts are contained within this Immortal Sense."
"Our karmic ties remain unfulfilled. We shall meet again."
With these words, an Immortal Sense flickered forth from Eastern Emperor Buer's hand, coalescing before Han Yi into a purple Profound Pearl.
Without another word, he turned and departed.
This sudden turn of events left Han Yi utterly bewildered, and even Dongming Immortal Monarch and King Taishan, hidden in the shadows, were deeply perplexed.
"What is this?"
Han Yi first examined the purple Profound Pearl suspended before him. He could tell it was a pure Immortal Sense, devoid of any hidden content.
He touched it with his Immortal Sense.
Instantly, streams of information flowed into his mind, revealing the full extent of Eastern Emperor Buer's past and future.
Just then...
His entire body bristled with alarm. A sudden sense of danger washed over him.