Earlier, within the Demon Nest, Han Yi had detected a deeply concealed aura. The aura didn't exude a particularly intense sense of danger, but it was by no means weak.
By comparison, it was likely stronger than the Black-Robed Immortal Lord of the Black Realm from years past.
Moreover, based on the subtlety of the aura, the technique used to conceal it was inferior to that of the Black-Robed Immortal Lord.
This suggested that the hidden Immortal Monarch was probably just an ordinary one, yet like the Black-Robed Immortal Lord, he was an expert in assassination.
He was an Immortal Monarch-level assassin.
Now, as the killing intent descended, Han Yi's expression remained unchanged. He struck downward with a palm strike, causing the void beside him to explode violently. Space shattered, and the void trembled.
This was the pinnacle manifestation of his Ancient God Power, devoid of any Divine Art, relying solely on pure force.
The force was so immense that even the void itself couldn't withstand the impact of his strike.
A gray shadow escaped from the shattered space, transforming into a gray figure. Instead of fleeing, the figure seized the moment of Han Yi's strike to suddenly close the distance. A black light abruptly flared to life in his hand.
In that instant...
A sudden unease gripped Han Yi, reminiscent of the fear he felt as a mortal when locked in the gaze of a venomous snake.
Yet his expression remained stoic, his eyes deep and unflinching. He had anticipated this confrontation and prepared accordingly.
As his palm descended, the Green Ripple Sword leaped from its sheath into his hand. With a swift, practiced motion, he slashed downward.
To an observer, it appeared as a seamless sequence: Han Yi's palm transformed into a hand blade, cleaving the void, then seamlessly followed through with a horizontal slash from the soaring Green Ripple Sword.
Bang!
A deep, resonant impact echoed through the air.
The gray figure and the blacklight in his hand finally revealed their true form before Han Yi.
It was none other than King Taishan, Hall Master of the Seventh Hall of the Black Yama of Penglai.
However, King Taishan's face was contorted with extreme shock and terror, his features slightly twisted by the sudden exposure and imminent danger.
"An Eighth-Rank Immortal Sword?"
"Such power..."
"You can't possibly be a Golden Immortal."
"Impossible! This is absolutely impossible!"
His mind reeled with frantic denial, shaken to its core.
In truth, the moment Han Yi appeared in his field of vision, King Taishan had recognized the Azure Yama Blade on his person—the very Profound Immortal he had been hunting for stealing this Seventh-Rank Immortal Artifact.
However, Han Yi's aura of a Golden Immortal gave him pause. Outside the Demon Nest, he had analyzed the deaths of the nine Demon Puppets and surmised that they had been slain by an Immortal Monarch concealing their aura and disguised as a Golden Immortal.
Initially, he had assumed Han Yi was that hidden Immortal Monarch.
If that were true, it would mean the original Profound Immortal had likely been killed, and the Azure Yama Blade had been seized by this mysterious Golden Immortal. Retrieving it would then become significantly more difficult.
Then, the Primordial Fire Phoenix appeared. Its brief exchange with Han Yi was not deliberately concealed, and he managed to overhear it.
Only then did he learn that Han Yi had indeed not yet reached the Immortal Monarch Realm, though he was undoubtedly a Golden Immortal.
This led him to a new, more plausible theory:
The Profound Immortal who seized the Azure Yama Blade in the Miao Lei Domain had indeed been killed by Han Yi. Meanwhile, the one who slaughtered the nine Demon Puppets in the outer perimeter was the Demon Race Immortal Monarch.
This hypothesis best fit the available evidence.
Therefore, after the Demon Race Immortal Monarch departed, leaving behind a rare treasure that could aid a Golden Immortal in breaking through to the Immortal Monarch Realm, and considering Han Yi possessed the Azure Yama Blade and had the lowest cultivation realm among them, King Taishan chose Han Yi as his first target.
Once Han Yi was eliminated, even Dongming Immortal Monarch would be powerless against him, as their strengths were evenly matched.
At that point, whether to fight or flee would be entirely his choice.
As an assassin organization within the Penglai Immortal Realm, home to an Immortal Sovereign, Black Yama possessed detailed information on countless Immortal Monarchs from the Nine Primordial Realms.
Among them was Dongming Immortal Monarch, who guarded the Age Candle and the Northern Immortal Fortress Cluster. Naturally, King Taishan recognized him the moment he appeared.
What he hadn't anticipated was that the moment he struck, he was immediately forced back by a single palm strike from this Golden Immortal.
In that split second, he used the Taishan Dagger to tear through space, aiming to strike down his opponent. But the blow was parried, sending violent tremors through the dagger in his hand.
King Taishan could sense the spirit of the Immortal Artifact, and a flicker of fear surfaced.
But how is this possible?
The Taishan Dagger was a top-tier Seventh-Rank Immortal Artifact. Even someone stronger than him wielding another Seventh-Rank artifact shouldn't inspire such dread, unless they wielded an Eighth-Rank artifact.
Yet...
How could a Golden Immortal possibly master an Eighth-Rank Immortal Sword?
This was utterly absurd, completely illogical.
And as he stood in shock...
Han Yi repelled his opponent with a single sword strike, his eyes flashing with killing intent as he thrust forward with another.
This sword strike embodied the essence of great freedom—the ninth form of the Great Freedom Cosmic Light Sword Canon, known simply as "Great Freedom."
Years ago, Han Yi had used this very form to slay the fleeing Black-Robed Immortal Lord of the Black Realm from afar.
Though his Seventh-Tier Sword Technique had improved little over the past two centuries, his cultivation realm had approached the Immortal Monarch level, and his understanding of the Immortal Dao Laws far surpassed his earlier comprehension.
As a result, the power of this sword strike now far exceeded its strength from two centuries prior. Even a Senior Immortal Monarch could potentially be slain by it.
The King Taishan, reeling from the initial impact, watched the Sword Light streak toward him. Though the movement seemed slow in his disoriented state, the light reached him in an instant, leaving no room to evade.
Shock still frozen on his face, he instinctively surged his Immortal Power and met the strike with his Taishan Dagger. But upon contact, his face paled with renewed terror.
An unstoppable sharpness, an unparalleled force capable of cleaving through all, erupted from the Sword Light. Moreover, this power proved evasive, slipping past his Seventh-Rank Immortal Artifact dagger and descending directly toward him.
A wave of dread surged through his heart, but before the thought could fully form, the Sword Light pierced his forehead and stabbed clean through his body.
In less than a fraction of a kshana, King Taishan's thoughts vanished, his consciousness dissipating.
The Black Yama of Penglai, Hall Master of the Seventh Hall, King Taishan, had fallen.
To put it in perspective:
From the moment King Taishan launched his sudden attack to the instant Han Yi struck down Qingping with a palm strike, caught her, and slashed with his sword, the entire sequence unfolded in mere kshanas.
Throughout this process, Han Yi's expression remained unchanged, as if the Immortal Monarch's assault were an ordinary attack, and he felt no pride in the overwhelming power of his sword strike.
Deep down, he believed that most ordinary Immortal Monarchs could be slain with ease, requiring little effort.
As for Dongming Immortal Monarch, he had been instantly alert the moment King Taishan struck, instinctively bracing himself. He had been about to intervene but restrained himself, knowing he couldn't block the first strike in time.
Moreover, he didn't view Han Yi as an ordinary Golden Immortal, but rather as a far more powerful Senior Immortal Monarch.
What followed was his witness to the brief, explosive sequence in which Han Yi, with a single palm strike and sword slash, obliterated an Immortal Monarch.
This time, the shock within him wasn't as intense. He had already accepted Han Yi's overwhelming power, and the effortless slaughter of an Immortal Monarch now seemed entirely natural.
His gaze shifted to the gray-robed corpse floating in the void, a hole piercing its forehead, its aura completely extinguished. He took a deep breath and declared solemnly:
"This is King Taishan of Black Yama."
"The dagger in his hand, the Taishan Dagger, is a top-tier Seventh-Rank Immortal Artifact. King Taishan has used it to assassinate Senior Immortal Monarchs—and succeeded."
Dongming Immortal Monarch glanced at Han Yi, his heart pounding with apprehension.
Had this assassin targeted him earlier, he would likely have been severely injured, or even slain outright. Yet Han Yi had effortlessly blocked the assassin's strike—a testament to his overwhelming power.
In other words, if Han Yi ever turned his sword on him, he would find it nearly impossible to escape death.
"Black Yama!" Han Yi's thoughts flashed back to his past encounters in the Penglai Immortal Realm, and his journey through the void east of Penglai, where he had crossed paths with the Lord of North Mang Mountain.
A cold glint of killing intent flickered in his eyes.
"These fiends are truly relentless, like lingering souls refusing to disperse."
Dongming Immortal Monarch nodded. "Black Yama is a shadowy assassin organization within the Penglai Immortal Realm, divided into Ten Halls."
"King Taishan is the Hall Master of the Seventh Hall."
"Rumor has it that the ruler of Black Yama—the Hall Master of the Fifth Hall, King Yama himself—possesses the strength of an Immortal Sovereign."
"The Lords of the other nine halls are all at the Immortal Monarch level."
"This King Taishan of the Seventh Hall is a standard Immortal Monarch, similar to my own strength."
Having said this, Dongming Immortal Monarch glanced at Han Yi again and fell silent.
Hearing this, Han Yi's expression grew even colder. With a slight wave of his hand, he summoned the Seventh-Rank Immortal Artifact—a black dagger suspended in mid-air—to his side.
The dagger's form was unremarkable, but the murderous intent contained within surged like a raging sea, startling even Han Yi.
Such overwhelming slaughterlust required constant nourishment with blood and souls. In other words, this Immortal Monarch had slaughtered countless people with this dagger, forging its terrifying destructive power.
The refinement of a Seventh-Rank dagger required an immense amount of time, and this particular dagger was incompatible with Han Yi.
Therefore, he didn't immediately begin refining it. Instead, with a wave of his hand, he channeled Immortal Power and stored it within his Divine Aperture World.
Within this Divine Aperture World, a massive dagger descended upon the Void Land, drawing the attention of countless Innate Divine Spirits in the surroundings.
However, these Innate Divine Spirits were of insufficient cultivation realm; none had even reached the Immortal Realm. They were utterly powerless against this Seventh-Rank Immortal Artifact.
As the aura of the Seventh-Rank Immortal Artifact permeated the world, the realm gradually transformed into a world of slaughter.
Han Yi refrained from intervening, allowing everything to unfold naturally.
Within his body, the Divine Aperture World evolved spontaneously, its branches proliferating endlessly, greatly benefiting his Ancient God cultivation.
In the Void, Han Yi reached into King Taishan's body, extracting his Immortal Spirit Realm and condensing it into his palm. This marked the first time he had taken an Immortal Monarch's Immortal Spirit Realm.
Previously, although he had slain the Black-Robed Immortal Lord of the Black Realm and Mountain Still Immortal Monarch, the urgency of the situation had prevented him from retrieving their Immortal Spirit Realms, allowing them to disperse.
For an Immortal Monarch, the Laws have reached a preliminary state of perfection, and the constructed Immortal Spirit Realm exists as a flawless entity within the external world.
Upon killing an Immortal Monarch who fails to resist, their intact Immortal Spirit Realm can be taken and used as a Small World.
The Small Worlds affiliated with the Great Luo Immortal Realm originate in precisely this manner.
Moreover, after years of evolution and development, the world spirits within these Small Worlds undergo metamorphosis, their Laws approaching Great Perfection and gradually stabilizing. This enables them to sustain countless living beings, spontaneously generating Spirit Veins, and even Immortal Veins.
At this moment...
Through the world membrane, Han Yi could see a nearly complete Small World in his hand, within which dozens of Immortal Sects and countless Mortals thrived.
However, these Immortal Sects cultivated the Dao of assassination, and the entire world was shrouded in a miasma of war and chaos.
This was because Black Yama, the Immortal Monarch who governed this realm, cultivated this particular Immortal Dao Law. His Immortal Spirit Realm naturally aligned with this path, aiding his cultivation.
Han Yi stored this Small World within a Divine Aperture World. He planned to integrate it into his own Immortal Spirit Realm after ascending to the Immortal Monarch Realm.
Of course, he would first need to purify the Immortal Sects, reversing their focus on assassination.
Next, he collected King Taishan's corpse. This body had considerable value; it could be refined into an Immortal Puppet or a Corpse Puppet, and even selling it would fetch a high price.
He intended to use this wealth to nurture Immortals of the Profound Pill Sect, a worthy investment.
Han Yi wasn't a rigid traditionalist, so he naturally wouldn't reject such practicality.
Finally, he turned his attention to the two items left behind by Eastern Emperor Buer, his heart trembling.
One was an Immortal Sense, the other a fiery red feather.
Moments ago, he had touched the Immortal Sense and gained a preliminary understanding of Eastern Emperor Buer's origins and the consequences of his Demon Body, but this was interrupted by King Taishan's assassination attempt.
Now that he had effortlessly slain King Taishan, he turned his attention back to the Immortal Sense, scanning its contents thoroughly. His expression shifted dramatically as he read.
The information revealed Eastern Emperor Buer's true identity: he was a Dao Child.
Here, "Dao Child" did not refer to a powerful Immortal from a specific Immortal Sect. The "Dao" in question was Heaven's Dao—the fundamental principle governing the cosmos.
A Dao Child was a son of Heaven's Dao.
Moreover, this Heaven's Dao was not limited to the Great Luo Immortal Realm; it encompassed the Heaven's Dao of the entire Primordial Great World.
There were nine such Dao Children in total, each born to face a specific tribulation and embody a distinct Dao:
The Immortal Path, the Monster Dao, the Path of Deception, the Witchcraft Path...
And Eastern Emperor Buer represented the Monster Dao.
No wonder Han Yi, when he had previously observed Eastern Emperor Buer with his Heavenly Fortune Divine Eyes, had faintly sensed the aura of an Emperor of the Demon Race.
The mission of these Dao Children was naturally to uphold the operation of Heaven's Dao and overcome the Primordial Great Tribulations.
The great calamity here does not refer to the epoch-ending catastrophe that occurs once every era, but rather a calamity that threatens the very operation of the Primordial Great World, such as a perilous wave sweeping out from the Chaos.
Furthermore, Eastern Emperor Buer indeed possesses nine Demon Bodies, a special cultivation technique he practices. Only by harmonizing these nine bodies can he ascend to the rank of Demon Venerable. Moreover, once this ascension occurs, provided he has sufficient energy, he can directly step into the Peak Demon Venerable realm.
As for his absorption of divine power and magic power, this is due to the unique nature of his cultivation technique, which allows him to devour all things. The higher the energy's grade, the greater the enhancement to his cultivation.
In the Immortal Realm, apart from the Origin, divine power and Abyssal Demonic Power are essentially the highest-grade energies.
Finally, there are the few words Eastern Emperor Buer spoke before leaving. Among them, he mentioned an unresolved karmic bond between himself and Han Yi, a connection Han Yi couldn't comprehend.
The Abyssal Divine Phoenix Feather, meanwhile, is a relic from his Ninth Incarnation—the Primordial Fire Phoenix before its metamorphosis. This feather contains the accumulated insights he gained across nine lifetimes.
Eastern Emperor Buer could see that Han Yi had already taken half a step into the Immortal Monarch Realm, lacking only that final spark of insight. Having experienced nine lifetimes himself, his accumulated insights had already reached the peak of the Immortal Monarch realm. Assisting Han Yi would be effortless.
Thinking this...