Chapter 1289: Immortals Descend Upon All Things (7K)

Since the Immortal Path was severed, the Xuanhuang Continent had not seen any Immortal Qi for countless years.

However, at this moment, the wisps of divine aura, rising from the earth and spiraling upwards, seemed to bring no benefit whatsoever to the Xuanhuang Realm. Instead, they ushered in a terrifying catastrophe, comparable to an extinction event.

The cultivators' greed was a hundred times wilder than even encountering the Spirit of Heaven and Earth. They would abandon everything to pursue and acquire it. Anyone who dared to obstruct them was an enemy to be killed. This applied to both Great Qi soldiers and Myriad Immortals Alliance cultivators, regardless of their status, rank, or cultivation realm.

The original conflict between the Holy Dynasty of Great Qi and the Myriad Immortals Alliance devolved into a chaotic free-for-all among all cultivators, driven by the release of this Immortal Qi. Thousands of cultivators fell with every breath. The sky, due to a continuous succession of phenomena, accumulated a thick layer of strange, continuous clouds. Even the terror brought by the Dharma Master's direct presence could not dispel them.

Across the entire Xuanhuang Realm, only two armies managed to remain clear-headed amidst this horrifying apocalyptic scene. One was the Great Qi Imperial Army, and the other was the Azure Profound Army, which guarded the Roaring Abyss. Their commonality was that both had cultivated the Xuanhuang Immortal Heart Incantation. The Great Qi Imperial Army had received personal instruction from the Holy Emperor. The Azure Profound Army had been taught by the Holy Fetus before it left the Xuanhuang Realm.

As a handful of fortunate individuals, they witnessed the tragic spectacle unfolding in the Xuanhuang Realm, their faces pale and bodies trembling. Even with the Immortal Heart Incantation spontaneously operating to keep their minds clear, the primal fear in their hearts could not be dispelled.

It wasn't just cultivators. Birds, beasts, flourishing plants, even the earth and waters—everything in the Xuanhuang Realm slowly spiraled out of control due to the appearance of Immortal Qi. Beasts, like humans, pursued the Immortal Qi with utter disregard for their lives, either achieving their desire and exploding, or dying miserably in conflicts.

Though plants couldn't actively pursue it, some fortunate ones received Immortal Qi directly from the heavens without effort. Compared to other living beings, most plants that gained Immortal Qi also instantly turned to dust. However, a few managed to survive the immense cleansing power. It was initially thought that these would become immortal plants in the Xuanhuang Realm. Unexpectedly, it wasn't long before frenzied cultivators arrived, drawn by the scent. Although the mutated immortal plants completed their transformation and gained defensive capabilities within a short period, they could not withstand the cultivators' fearless attacks. Soon after, they were torn apart and consumed by the cultivators.

Those who had managed to snatch and consume the immortal plants also exploded into a bloody mist and vanished a short while later. However, with the immortal plant acting as a filter, they were able to enjoy the wonder of Immortal Qi for a longer period before perishing in intoxication and enlightenment.

If there was any entity in the entire Xuanhuang world that truly benefited from the innocently spreading Immortal Qi, then it was only the Xuanhuang world itself. It was as if long-parched land had been revitalized by a heaven-sent downpour. The Xuanhuang Realm was enveloped in a fantastical haze. The earth rumbled, mountain ranges leaped, and plains stretched—changes that would normally take millions of years now occurred in the blink of an eye.

The sky, which had previously lowered slightly due to supporting the Great Qi Holy Emperor, was now slowly returning to its former state, even becoming more distant and lofty. The Xuanhuang Realm was "growing" at a visible rate. Amidst a peculiar rhythm, the white mist barriers that once served as boundaries between the various states slowly dimmed under immense pressure due to the Xuanhuang Realm's spontaneous growth. Many barrier structures even dissipated directly after a thunderous boom, their power absorbed into the Xuanhuang world as nourishment.

The growth of the Xuanhuang Realm brought about such a significant increase in power. The phenomena accumulated in the sky due to the excessive number of fallen cultivators were also rapidly being "digested".

Facing this unprecedented transformation in the Xuanhuang Realm, the three factions that had arrived successively from beyond the starry sky reacted differently. The Holy Emperor was momentarily stunned by the drastic changes in the world. In his perception, the bond he had formed with the Xuanhuang world through his previous actions was gradually weakening as the Xuanhuang world grew. This feeling was akin to childhood friends slowly drifting apart as they both mature.

Feeling a sense of loss, the Holy Emperor quickly regained his composure. Witnessing the Great Qi soldiers still locked in incessant combat across the land, he had a thought and immediately transmitted the Xuanhuang Immortal Heart Incantation to everyone. While few cultivators in their frenzied state could calm down enough to cultivate it, he believed saving even one was worthwhile.

The Dharma Master, observing this dramatic change, wore a complex expression. It was unclear what he was thinking, but the only thing he did was keep a watchful eye on the restless Profound Immortal Boat nearby. From the Profound Immortal Boat, the voices of the elders could be heard.

"What a waste, what a terrible waste! Immortal Qi is rare in the Star Sea! How can it be squandered by these mortals!"

"If this old man could obtain a wisp, perhaps I could fully unleash the power of the True Immortal Glyphs..."

"Dharma Master! Step aside! Let our Profound Immortal Boat collect some Immortal Qi, and all past grievances can be wiped clean!"

Gan Jingda, still managing to restrain his inner excitement, said in a deep voice. The Dharma Master, with his tall crown, stood unmoving: "Your Profound Immortal Boat... just stay here and watch obediently. Don't go anywhere!"

Gan Jingda snorted coldly, his anger unrestrained: "What a high-handed tone! If you obstruct us again, don't blame our Profound Immortal Boat for showing no mercy! Although the Xuanhuang Realm is indeed the last pure land in this Star Sea... relatively speaking, Immortal Qi is still more important!"

"Exactly! Jingda, stop wasting words with this old man! That's Immortal Qi! If we could control more of it, we might be able to cross the High Wall! Why would we need to stay in this darkest Star Sea!"

Listening to the clamor from the Profound Immortal Boat, which sounded like a bustling marketplace, the Dharma Master's expression remained unchanged, though a hint of sarcasm flickered in his eyes.

Hidden beneath the rumbling of heaven and earth, silent footsteps echoed behind the Profound Immortal Boat. Without warning, a shadow attached itself to the Profound Immortal Boat. A moment later, the entire immortal boat instantly vanished into thin air, as if it had never come to the Xuanhuang Realm. The footsteps faded into the distance, leaving behind only a faint, frost-like aura of death.

Witnessing this scene, the Holy Emperor's pupils contracted sharply. "What was that?!" The shadow moved with incredible speed, appearing and disappearing in an instant. Not only were those on the Profound Immortal Boat caught off guard, but even the Holy Emperor hadn't seen it clearly. He could only vaguely sense the extremely dense death aura emanating from the figure, almost condensed into a tangible form.

The Holy Emperor couldn't help but look at the Dharma Master. Clearly, the Dharma Master had anticipated the shadow's appearance. It was even possible that the shadow's attack on the Profound Immortal Boat was at his instruction.

"I don't have the power to make that thing obediently listen. It was just a small hint I gave it," the Dharma Master said. "For dealing with those people from the Profound Immortal Boat, this thing couldn't be more suitable." The Dharma Master's gaze remained fixed on the anomaly occurring in the Xuanhuang Realm. He didn't show much concern for the mysterious shadow or the Profound Immortal Boat.

Knowing that the Dharma Master wouldn't explain further, the Holy Emperor didn't press the matter and instead looked down upon the world from the same perspective.

The drastic transformation of the Xuanhuang Realm continued. If the Xuanhuang Realm's overall power was "1" before the Immortal Qi spread, then in less than half a day, its total power had inflated to nearly "19". This wasn't solely due to the mystical properties of Immortal power, but rather the Immortal Qi acting as a catalyst, allowing the Xuanhuang Realm to truly absorb and integrate the foundational powers of those external worlds. If, before, it was merely a simple bloodline fusion, then what the Xuanhuang Realm was doing now was akin to cultivators absorbing spiritual energy from spirit stones for their own use. The efficiency was countless times higher.

Even the residual world power that had previously hidden deep within the external realms, lying dormant, was now being located by the Xuanhuang Realm under the impetus of the Immortal Qi, becoming a resource for the Xuanhuang Realm.

"Heh heh heh," the Dharma Master suddenly let out a laugh of relief, "So that's how it is." Sensing the increasingly rapid aura beyond the starry sky, his smile abruptly ceased. The Dharma Master's expression suddenly changed, and he looked at the Holy Emperor. "Come, let's fight again!"

Expressionless, he instantly launched another 'Palm Within Reach' attack towards the Holy Emperor. Without the support of the Xuanhuang Realm's power, it was insufficient to activate the Eternal Xuanhuang Realm. But having once broken this move, the golden essence of origin power transformed into colossal pillars that rose from the ground, firmly resisting the descending Dharma Master's giant palm.

The moment of impact, the Holy Emperor perceived that the Dharma Master did not seem to be using his full strength. The power of this 'Palm Within Reach' move was incomparable to the one he had used earlier in the starry sky. Moreover, the Holy Emperor saw that after trapping him, the Dharma Master immediately tried to leave. It seemed he was eager to find something to prevent the drastic changes in the Xuanhuang Realm from occurring.

The Holy Emperor instantly understood something. Though somewhat unbelievable, he still unleashed his full power, breaking free from the Dharma Master's giant palm.

"The Holy Heart endures forever.""Holy Favor remains eternal!"

The Holy Emperor let out a long chant, and a radiant beam instantly shone down from the Great Qi Minor World. This was the essence of origin power stored within the Holy Heart Halls across Great Qi. It was one of the Holy Emperor's last trump cards. Once exhausted, his combat power would be greatly diminished. But the Holy Emperor showed no hesitation at this moment.

Under the diffusion and impetus of Immortal Qi, the integration of various realms, with the Xuanhuang Realm as the dominant force, was underway. Things were developing in a way favorable to the Xuanhuang Realm.

"As long as I can hold back the Dharma Master... my mission will be accomplished," the Holy Emperor thought to himself, "Although it's somewhat convoluted." He once again engaged in battle with the Dharma Master. Neither of them wished to destroy the Xuanhuang Realm, so they both restrained their powers. And the transformed Xuanhuang Realm, after its integration and metamorphosis, could withstand significantly greater fluctuations. For a time, the battle between the Dharma Master and the Holy Emperor once again reached a stalemate.

On the Xuanhuang Continent, countless cultivators were still fighting fiercely over the Immortal Qi.

In Tongyan State, for some reason, the Immortal Qi gathered here seemed to be more abundant than in other states. Hence, the fighting here was the most brutal. Another fierce struggle concluded with a Nascent Soul cultivator turning into ashes in contentment. Since so many cultivators had already died, the competition wasn't as intense as before. A rare lull appeared in the fighting.

Before more cultivators appeared, a small figure of golden light quietly arrived. Looking at the wisp of Immortal Qi before him, a hint of greed flickered in the golden figure's eyes. However, this greed seemed different from what the Xuanhuang Realm cultivators displayed. Just as the small figure was about to make a move, he suddenly sensed something and looked back. He saw a dark-faced cultivator with a full beard, who looked somewhat lewd, trying to approach. He was holding a net, seemingly attempting to capture both the golden figure and the Immortal Qi. The dark-faced man, upon being discovered, hastily put away his net and let out a hearty laugh.

"Seeking death..." A murderous glint flashed in the golden figure's eyes. The person before him was of such low cultivation that he could kill him with a single slap. Yet, he dared to harbor designs on him. Just as he was about to act, a sudden sense of danger arose within him. He was incredibly decisive, abandoning the readily available Immortal Qi, and transformed into a streak of light, flying away in an instant.

Watching the golden figure vanish in the blink of an eye, Jiao Xiuyuan slapped his thigh, filled with vexation. "Damn it, I tracked him for so long, and he still got away!" His expression shifted, but ultimately, Jiao Xiuyuan chose not to continue pursuing the golden figure. Instead, he gravely looked at the wisp of Immortal Qi nearby, which was about to dissipate into the world. Towards this rare treasure of the Star Sea, there was a hint of greed in Jiao Xiuyuan's eyes, but not much. More so, there was an unprecedented level of caution.

He extended his palm, and a small sapling emerged from its center. Soon, the sapling grew into a small tree, its green leaves lush and swaying in the wind. Carefully, he guided the wisp of Immortal Qi before him into the tree, which slowly absorbed it. Jiao Xiuyuan closed his eyes, sensing it meticulously. Not long after, "It is indeed Immortal Qi," a sharp glint flashed in Jiao Xiuyuan's eyes, followed by a surge of confusion. "It's too strange. Such a massive amount of Immortal Qi could achieve so much. And it's just being wasted like this?" The more he thought about it, the more uneasy Jiao Xiuyuan felt.

"Furthermore..." Jiao Xiuyuan looked up at the sky. In that very moment, he seemed to vaguely sense a familiar aura, though it had now vanished. "Could it be my imagination? That makes no sense. If it truly were those guys, they should definitely be frantically snatching up the Immortal Qi right now." Jiao Xiuyuan's brows furrowed tightly. Sensing someone approaching, he flashed away.

The headquarters of the Myriad Immortals Alliance was in chaos. Not long ago, due to the Dharma Master's return to Xuanhuang, all the Transmitters, Mirror Keepers, and even the Illusionary Truth Sages had temporarily departed to pay homage to the Heavenly Venerate. During this time, a cataclysmic explosion occurred in the Divine Repository of Natural History. Not only were many artifacts within the repository damaged, but the entire Immortal Alliance headquarters experienced violent tremors.

The surviving Immortal Alliance cultivators hadn't even had time to investigate the cause of the incident. They were horrified to discover that the Immortal Alliance headquarters had lost connection with the outside world. Not understanding what had happened, a sense of panic spread throughout the Immortal Alliance.

However, the panic had not yet spread to the Dharma Protection Hall, within the Derivation Jade Space. The successive tremors unsettled all three Dao Integration guardians, especially 'Sun Ang'. His aura fluctuated, his face was flushed, and sweat occasionally dripped from his forehead.

"Fellow Daoist Sun, are you alright?" Zhang Xu couldn't help but ask. The three had worked together for a long time and had become quite close. Although he also felt a slight palpitation, it was nowhere near as severe as Sun Ang's. 'After all, he's still too young,' Zhang Xu thought to himself.

"Something seems wrong," Sun Ang, who was Li Fan's true body, said with a somewhat guilty expression. "Just now, I tried to contact Elder Xu, but there was no response." Hua Yueye comforted him: "Brother Sun, don't worry too much. Even if something unexpected happens, nothing will go wrong within the Immortal Alliance headquarters." Zhang Xu also frowned and said: "Actually, my predecessor as guardian experienced a similar situation. It was about five hundred years ago. Just like this, the space vibrated incessantly, and contact with the outside world was lost. But everything turned out fine later."

"I hope so," Li Fan said, wiping cold sweat from his forehead.

Within the Derivation Jade space, a strange silence fell once more. The intermittent violent tremors plucked at the heartstrings of the three. Li Fan's mind settled, even ignoring the call of the Derivation Jade. He wasn't as distressed as he appeared on the surface. On the contrary, Li Fan felt better than ever before.

"Immortal Qi, so this is Immortal Qi..." In his Sea of Consciousness, the Terminal Disintegration Disc was erupting with unprecedented dazzling light. Upon truly seeing the legendary Immortal Qi, the Terminal Disintegration Disc finally completed the last puzzle piece for deducing immortal-grade grand formations. Previously, although he had learned the diagrams for three immortal-grade formations through various coincidences, without Immortal Qi, they remained castles in the air, mere theoretical concepts. Though the grand formations were profound, they were still within the limits of the mortal realm.

However, now, the situation was completely different! After understanding the true nature of Immortal Qi, the Terminal Disintegration Disc, now with supplementary data, was truly moving towards breaking the limits of the mortal realm. It now possessed the ability to genuinely deduce and deploy immortal formations. Although it required guiding the power of Immortal Qi, given the Xuanhuang Realm's inherent ancient protective grand formation and the newly appointed Xuanhuang Great Heavenly Venerate, Li Fan's plan to activate immortal formations became possible.

Formation name: Immortal Descent, All Things Return to Void!

It must be said that many unforeseen changes had occurred in this life that caught Li Fan off guard, including but not limited to, the loss of control over the Holy Emperor's clone, and the fact that he would actually cooperate with the Dharma Master. "Once strength reaches a certain level, controlling them like chess pieces becomes unlikely." Fortunately, the many contingencies he had left in place finally prevented the situation from spiraling out of control. He wouldn't be forced to hastily return to his true self after having laid out plans to such an extent in this life.

The sudden arrival of the Profound Immortal Boat was, naturally, indispensable to Li Fan's Holy Fetus's efforts. To successfully persuade the Profound Immortal Boat to embark on an expedition to Xuanhuang, Li Fan not only collected ancient records from the immortal boat, demonstrating the possible existence of complete True Immortal Glyphs within the Immortal Ruins, but also secretly controlled cultivators to severely damage the immortal boat's divine tree. With the divine tree damaged and its foundation for survival lost, those on the Profound Immortal Boat had no choice but to unanimously decide to embark on the expedition to Xuanhuang ahead of schedule.

Although the Immortal Boat Elder Council suspected that someone was secretly inciting and orchestrating all this, the severe damage to the divine tree was a fact. The perpetrator also self-destructed and died, leaving no evidence. To continue surviving in this darkest Star Sea, coming to the Xuanhuang Realm was their only choice.

Upon arriving near the Xuanhuang Realm, for caution's sake, the Profound Immortal Boat did not directly attack Xuanhuang. Instead, they prepared to first secretly probe the Xuanhuang Realm's true state, quietly infiltrate, and send in a portion of their forces. However, before they could implement their plan, intense energy fluctuations in the void caught the Profound Immortal Boat's attention. This was, naturally, the battle between the Dharma Master and the Holy Emperor. The power displayed by the two Grand Elders with every movement made everyone on the immortal boat extremely solemn.

However, later they discovered that the Dharma Master was the bandit who had stolen the immortal boat's secret treasures years ago; and after it seemed their own presence had been detected by him, the immortal boat was then forced to reveal itself. In their confrontation with the two Grand Elders, the Profound Immortal Boat expended a nearly complete True Immortal Glyph. The Holy Fetus speculated it was the 'Hatred' glyph. It was personally written by Great Elder Zhong Daogong of the Immortal Severing Pavilion, who had never appeared before the public and was solely dedicated to studying the residual power of true immortals.

The Great Elder's strength was unfathomable. For this expedition plan, he had released a total of three nearly complete True Immortal Glyphs. However, after the first 'Hatred' glyph did not achieve particularly good results, the people on the immortal boat became more cautious. They began considering vertical and horizontal alliances. But they were forcefully interrupted by the sudden fluctuations of Immortal Qi emanating from the Xuanhuang Realm.

Upon arriving at the Xuanhuang Realm and seeing the genuine Immortal Qi swirling everywhere, and sensing the entire Profound Immortal Boat, now suffused with the True Immortal characters that had suddenly come alive and were spread throughout it, the people on the immortal boat went completely mad. Even Great Elder Zhong Daogong made his first appearance, gazing dazedly at the Immortal Qi below.

"It is pure immortal aura." After observing for a moment, Zhong Daogong made his judgment. "Ordinary cultivators cannot utilize it. But we can. Guide the power of Immortal Qi, infuse it according to the operation of the True Immortal Glyphs' original power..." Zhong Daogong murmured to himself, giving his final conclusion: "The power unleashed will be comparable to that of a true immortal! If we unleash all the immortal boat's reserves at once, we might just be able to leap over the High Wall with this!"

Zhong Daogong's words quickly unified the opinions of everyone on the immortal boat. However, just as they were about to pressure the Dharma Master to clear the way, Zhong Daogong roared, "Be careful!" But it was too late. One moment, the Xuanhuang Realm was still filled with wildly surging Immortal Qi. The next second, an unknown place appeared.

Zhong Daogong reacted the fastest, striking out a glyph. The entire immortal boat instantly fell silent. Everyone on board broke out in cold sweat, staring at the scene outside the immortal boat. It was as if they were in a pot, with the Profound Immortal Boat floating on the water's surface. Outside the pot, an invisible entity seemed to be stirring the water within it. The water surface ceaselessly spun, and the Profound Immortal Boat drifted erratically. Those on the immortal boat clearly felt the surrounding temperature drop significantly.

"Everyone, what do we do now?" After a long while, Elder Gan attempted to communicate telepathically. However, his telepathic message seemed to be heard by the invisible entity outside the pot above. Thump! Thump! Thump! The figure leaned in, gazing downwards. The temperature within the immortal boat plummeted once more. With just that one glance, one-tenth of the lives within the immortal boat could not bear it and instantly perished. What filled the people on the immortal boat with even greater, inexpressible terror was that the deceased on the immortal boat transformed into faint, ethereal white lights, passing through the flying boat, and flew towards the outside of the pot.

A small sphere condensed in the invisible entity's hand. Inside the sphere, those who had just died from the immortal boat lay peacefully! The sphere was put away by the invisible entity, which then seemed to notice the living beings below. It cast its gaze down again. This time, it even tried to reach out and scoop the immortal boat from the pot. Everyone on the immortal boat felt as if they had plunged into deep cold.

At this critical moment, Zhong Daogong once again unleashed a True Immortal Glyph. The invisible entity's movements slowed down. Then, as if forgetting what happened before, it slowly stopped trying to scoop up the immortal boat. It merely continued to stir the water in the pot and did not leave.

Learning from their previous lesson, those on the immortal boat no longer dared to communicate telepathically. Instead, they resorted to the most primitive form of communication, using their hands as pens to gesture and write in the air.

"Elder Zhong, what exactly is that thing outside?"

"Its gaze seems capable of absorbing the life force of living beings. That one glance just now caused heavy casualties on the immortal boat."

"And it doesn't seem to differentiate based on cultivation level; it appears to be random..."

"The Xuanhuang Realm actually contains such a terrifying entity?!"

Fear, accompanied by chaos, coalesced within the immortal boat.

Li Fan, meanwhile, gazed intently outside the immortal boat. He had seen that invisible entity once before, in this life, prior to leaving Xuanhuang. It was the mysterious entity he had encountered while exploring the Life-Death Reversal Grand Formation with Shang Shaojun. He had initially thought it was the entire minor world of the reversal formation, but it was merely one of the nine Yin-Yang Orbs. Each Yin-Yang Orb contained countless frozen cultivators from ages past.

"The Dharma Master can actually control this invisible entity..."

"It seems there truly is a connection between him and the Rebirth Heavenly Venerate."

"This entity has an ancient aura; it must have existed since the ancient Xuanhuang Realm."

Upon seeing this entity again, the Holy Fetus Li Fan's understanding was now different. And Zhong Daogong's subsequent analysis corroborated his speculation.

"This thing should not be a living creature," Zhong Daogong's fingertips swiftly glided through the air as he articulated his speculation. "In the immortal boat's records, there might be a passage that corresponds to it. In the ancient cultivation world, those who had close ties with the Upper Realm, in addition to establishing the position of Great Heavenly Venerate to handle communication with the Immortal Realm, would occasionally establish so-called 'Overseers' to prevent potential loss of control. Overseers didn't necessarily exist in every cultivation realm, nor were they even necessarily living beings or cultivators. But without a doubt, they bore a mission bestowed by the Immortal Realm, a mission entirely different from that of the Great Heavenly Venerate."

The auras of the immortal boat's occupants became noticeably chaotic. A creation of the Immortal Realm was clearly beyond what they could handle. Precisely because they proficiently wielded the power of the True Immortal Glyphs, the immortal boat's people were acutely aware of just how powerful true immortals were. How could an Overseer, entrusted with a mission by an immortal, be weak?

An atmosphere of despair was emerging within the Profound Immortal Boat. Fortunately, the words Zhong Daogong subsequently wrote rekindled their spirits.

To be continued.