Chapter 457: Ancient Immortal Realm
Li Hao saw the situation and quickly gestured with his eyes, signaling for Lin Yufeng to not be so polite. Otherwise, it would surely attract unnecessary attention.
However, the sharp-eyed Yuexi immediately noticed Lin Yufeng and froze for a moment.
She still remembered that he was once Li Hao's "gift," an additional person that Elder Li had agreed to bring to the Dream Nine Abyss in order to recruit Li Hao. But now... those who could gather here were all monstrous geniuses, either heading for the Southern Domain's battle or going to the border of the Yan Chu Immortal Dynasty to kill enemies.
"Who is this?"
Mu Rong Qingwu asked, her eyes filled with doubt as she watched Lin Yufeng enter.
She could tell that Lin Yufeng's cultivation was at the Second Level of True Immortal Realm, but there was a certain sharpness about him, indicating that he was not an ordinary person.
At the same time, Li Hao also noticed that Lin Yufeng had broken through to become a True Immortal and was now at the Second Level of True Immortal Realm. It seemed that the strength of the Tian Deng Sect was indeed extraordinary. In just two years, they had helped Lin Yufeng break through from being a Saint to a True Immortal.
"You've condensed how many Flower Immortal Seals?" Li Hao asked through voice transmission.
Lin Yufeng respectfully responded, "Barely three flowers."
Li Hao was a bit surprised and nodded slightly. The three-flower immortal seal was already considered the standard for an Immortal Emperor's named disciples.
Hearing Mu Rong Qingwu's question, and seeing Tao Chunfeng, who had been chatting with Elder Li Tiemu, smiling and grinning, he said, "This is my Gun Abyss's genius, Lin Yufeng. Although his soul life has surpassed three thousand years and missed the Southern Domain battle, his speed of progress is absolutely top-notch. In the next hundred years... no, in the next sixty years, you'll all know his name!"
Upon hearing this confident and proud speech from the elder, Ji Qingxuan and others couldn't help but glance over at the young man.
Gu Yan and Mu Rong Qingwu's interest, however, dropped significantly. Three thousand years of soul life was still too early for them. Even if Lin Yufeng became famous ten years later, they wouldn't feel envious. After all, when their soul life reached three thousand years, they would surely be even more dazzling.
Yuexi, however, was stunned as she looked at Li Hao. She knew how Lin Yufeng had treated him in the past—almost as a servant. Now, Lin Yufeng had earned such high praise from the elder of Gun Abyss. Was he really a genius?
Li Tiemu, hearing Tao Chunfeng's words, also showed surprise. He squinted and looked carefully before remembering who Lin Yufeng was. His expression changed, and he said in surprise, "Isn't this..."
He glanced at Tao Chunfeng.
Tao Chunfeng laughed heartily. "Speaking of which, I should thank you for sending this little treasure to me. Even you made a mistake in judging him. Haha!"
Li Tiemu was stunned and turned to look at Li Hao. Back then, no one had expected this young man to have such talent.
Moreover, such a monstrous genius would never have been ordinary in the past, especially someone who would be willing to live under someone else's roof.
"Yufeng's cultivation may be a little weak, but with the resources of my Gun Abyss supporting him, in due time, when his cultivation catches up, he will certainly make a name for himself among his peers," Tao Chunfeng said with a light smile.
When it came to Lin Yufeng, Tao Chunfeng couldn't help but feel pleased. Who could have guessed that the disciple he had reluctantly accepted, after being pressured by Elder Li, would turn out to be a genius, mastering one of the Ten Great Immortal Arts—the Thunder Roar, a technique long believed to be lost.
With this Immortal Art, combined with Lin Yufeng's other abilities, he could already face opponents at the Eighth Level of True Immortal Realm even though he was only at the Second Level. This time, Lin Yufeng had been brought in as a "special recruit," and Tao Chunfeng had done everything he could to secure this opportunity for him.
He believed that as long as Lin Yufeng spent some time on the border of Yan Chu, refining his skills, his cultivation would soon increase, and his brilliance would shine on the battlefield.
"You kid..." Li Tiemu looked at Li Hao, smiling wryly. "You made me lose five jin of good wine for nothing."
Li Hao helplessly responded, "What can I do? Back then, you didn't even look at Lin Yufeng properly. If you had properly tested him, you would have seen that he had decent talent."
Even in such a barren, closed-off place like the Heavenly Realm, he had still managed to reach the Saint level. That alone showed his comprehension.
Moreover, after comprehending the Immortal Emperor's techniques, he had laid a solid foundation—one that was top-tier, no less.
At that moment, after everyone had gathered, a dreamy and ethereal voice echoed down from the towering mountain peak in front of them:
"Have all the Nine Abyss disciples arrived? You are all the hope of my Great Dream Nine Abyss. The burden you carry is heavy—this concerns both the sect and yourselves. The sect will do everything it can to nurture you, pouring the best resources, opportunities, and connections into you."
"You only need to move forward, defeat the enemy, kill them, and survive!"
"No matter what happens, the sect will stand behind you, advancing and retreating together with you."
Upon hearing the gentle and soft voice, the crowd on the square stood solemnly. The voice carried affection, compassion, and a kind, sorrowful warmth.
It was as though an old mother was watching over her children from the clouds.
The elders present also wore serious expressions.
The Great Dream Nine Abyss had endured great hardships. A hundred thousand years had passed, and some missions had long been ingrained in the bones of many people.
"Let's go. For those going to the Southern Domain's battle, the royal family of the Yan Chu Immortal Dynasty is already waiting for you. That will be your first trial."
The soft voice continued.
Suddenly, a glowing, colorful light flashed through the void, and a trail of fallen leaves swept through the air, creating a curving crack in space.
Within this crack was a deep, profound spatial transmission passage.
Li Hao's eyes grew sharp as he realized that with just this move, the control over the spatial path far surpassed his own.
The Abyss Lord was an Immortal King, and this Dream Lord was likely a formidable existence even among the Immortal Kings.
As the voice of the Great Dream Master faded, Li Tie Mu, Zhou Qing Yun, and the others all turned their gaze toward their disciples.
"Let's go."
Li Tie Mu softly spoke, as he prepared to lead Li Hao and the others.
Ji Qing Xuan calmly said, "Fellow disciples, I apologize for the hurried meeting and not being able to prepare a gift for you. Here are some immortal stones, please accept them."
With that, he raised his hand and sent out four small bags.
The bags contained small storage spaces, though not as vast as the Heaven and Earth Space, they were useful for transferring medium to large items.
Li Hao, Yue Xi, Gu Yan, Mu Rong Qing Wu, and the others all caught the bags. Mu Rong Qing Wu immediately shook her head and said, "Senior Brother, this won't do. You've already given me a gift when I entered the sect."
"That was then, this is now," Ji Qing Xuan smiled and replied. "Take them. You may not get the chance again."
Mu Rong Qing Wu's eyes flickered slightly. She stopped refusing and said, "Senior Brother, you must be careful at the border. You absolutely cannot get into any trouble!"
Li Hao saw this and also put away the immortal stones in his hands. He had recently advanced to the third stage of the True Immortal realm, and the immortal stones in his possession had already been used up.
"Thank you, Senior Brother," Li Hao said.
Yue Xi and Gu Yan also accepted the gifts and expressed their gratitude.
"I've prepared four pieces of Cicada Armor for you. They're true treasures, and when combined with your disciple robes, they should offer some protective effect."
Lu Wu Chen raised his hand and sent out four pieces of small, white Cicada Armor. They were extremely compact and could be worn beneath the inner robe.
Li Hao didn't expect that this Second Senior Brother would be so considerate. He seemed cold on the outside but was warm on the inside, appearing indifferent, yet his thoughts were meticulous.
"I don't have much to offer you. I'm not as wealthy as Senior Brother, so here are two thousand immortal stones for each of you."
Wei Hong Ye laughed lightly and took out red silk pouches. Clearly, this was a gift she had prepared in advance, not something hastily gathered.
The four of them accepted the gifts and thanked her.
"Be careful at the border as well," Mu Rong Qing Wu reminded again, her concern evident.
Li Tie Mu looked at Ji Qing Xuan and the others, saying, "I'll send them off first, then I'll come back for you."
With that, he and the other elders, along with their disciples, stepped into the transmission channel formed by the swirling light.
Before leaving, Lin Yu Feng exchanged a few words of well-wishing with Li Hao via voice transmission.
...
Inside the spatial channel, there was a pulling force that drew Li Hao and the others forward.
Li Tie Mu and the other elders, clearly experienced, enveloped the disciples in their protective auras, flying swiftly through the channel.
Three hours later, with Li Tie Mu's call, the chaotic, void-like space channel ahead of them suddenly disappeared. It was as if they had reached the end of a train track. Countless rays of light pierced through, and multiple scenes surged into their vision.
As Li Hao's sight adjusted, he realized they had arrived at a vast "continent."
Yes, it was more like a continent than a mere plaza.
It was boundless, yet the ground was paved with enormous, perfectly arranged bricks. Every ten li or so, there was a towering, ancient, weathered pillar.
The pillar did not bear the images of dragons or phoenixes, as in the True Realm Ancient Immortal Dynasty, dragons and phoenixes were considered imperial pets and could not be used as totems.
Instead, the pillar depicted a massive cauldron, with ancient characters etched upon it. These were sacrificial texts used to worship the heavens.
During the ancient times in the True Realm, the Immortals used these texts to communicate with the Heavenly Dao.
Around the massive cauldron were depictions of figures, each with raised hands in an ecstatic gesture. These were the emperors of the Yan Chu Immortal Dynasty, from each generation.
At the far end of the endless "continent," a grand hall appeared, flickering in and out of view.
While Li Hao and the others were examining their surroundings, they soon noticed that they were not alone. There were many other people here.
In the distant sky, a crack opened just after their arrival. From it, three enormous swords shot out, crossing the horizon.
Li Hao immediately recognized the familiar look of those giant swords. They reminded him of the Wan Mountain Sword Tower in Futu City.
"It's them."
Li Tie Mu narrowed his eyes. The Wan Mountain Sword Tower in the Yan Chu Immortal Dynasty recruited more than 80% of the sword cultivators. The remaining sword cultivators were sent to other large sects. As the Sword Abyss focused on sword cultivation and rose from the Wan Mountain Sword Tower, their days had been tough, and their disciple numbers were gradually dwindling.
For Li Tie Mu, recruiting Li Hao, Gu Yan, and the others was like a rare blooming of an iron tree—an opportunity that occurred once in a thousand years.
Yue Xi's eyes grew cold, her expression turning somewhat frosty.
"It seems the major Heavenly Sects of the Yan Chu Immortal Dynasty have all arrived, as well as those from the Earth Sects..."
Mu Rong Qing Wu extended her divine sense, covering a thousand li to get a clear view of the surroundings.
Aside from them, the area was filled with disciples from other sects.
"That's right. There are probably close to twenty thousand people here!" Li Tie Mu nodded, his gaze shifting from the three giant swords of the Wan Mountain Sword Tower. "Each sect has a limited number of recommended disciple spots. The Wan Mountain Sword Tower and the other four major Heavenly Sects each have one thousand spots."
"They add up to five thousand, while the Heavenly Second Sect has five hundred spots, the Heavenly Third Sect two hundred, and the Heavenly Fourth Sect one hundred. Therefore, when we gather together in the Ji Yuan Sect, we only have a hundred people," Li Tie Mu explained.
Upon hearing his words, Li Hao and Yue Xi looked around and found that the number of disciples who had come here was indeed exactly one hundred.
Among them, there were ten disciples from the Jian Yuan Sect.
"The difference between the Heavenly Fourth and Heavenly First Sect is actually ten times..." Yue Xi's eyes flickered as her gaze turned sharp. She suddenly felt a surge of competitive spirit and a desire to make a name for herself in the Southern Domain this time, to bring glory to her sect and surpass the Wan Mountain Sword Tower.
"The Earth Sects have it worse. The Earth First Sect only has fifty spots, the Earth Second Sect has twenty, and the Earth Third Sect only has ten. The Earth Fourth Sect is even worse, with only two spots available for recommendation, usually reserved for the Sect Master's personal disciples," Li Tie Mu sighed.
"This is one of the advantages of sect rankings. If a sect can recommend a thousand disciples, they'll always have a chance to break through the encirclement. Even if not, by simply showing their faces, they can boost their sect's momentum and reputation in a grand battle like the Southern Domain War, and from there, it will snowball, attracting more disciples," he continued.
Li Hao and the others fell silent, not saying a word.
Just as they stood waiting, nine dragon carts appeared in the distance, each pulled by three ancestral dragons, looking incredibly majestic, their aura overwhelming.
"Please, everyone, proceed to the Ancient Immortal Realm and accept the trial challenge," a cold voice rang out, filled with disdain and authority. The tone was incredibly calm, but to everyone's ears, each word struck like a thunderclap.
"Is this the Emperor of Yan Chu?" Yue Xi couldn't help but ask with a slight change in her expression.
Li Tie Mu gently shook his head. "This is the Third Prince, Chu Xiang Tian. His cultivation is on par with mine, and his strength... might not be inferior to mine."
The group fell into silence, shocked that a mere prince could possess such overwhelming power. What then of the Emperor of Yan Chu?
As Chu Xiang Tian's voice faded, a secret realm portal appeared overhead.
"Ancient Immortal Realm? Does this trial really have to be this difficult?" someone murmured.
"It's been tens of thousands of years, and the Yan Chu Imperial Family is bringing out the Ancient Immortal Realm again for trials. I wonder how many barren domains we will need to pass before we can even qualify," other sect disciples began murmuring, and many of their expressions grew serious.
"What is the Ancient Immortal Realm?" Mu Rong Qing Wu couldn't help but ask, her curiosity piqued.
Li Tie Mu's expression grew serious as he spoke solemnly, "The Ancient Immortal Realm is a place where the ancient immortals of the True Realm cultivated. The environment inside is harsh, filled with chaotic and disorderly Dao forces. There are forty-nine barren domains within, and it is said that even Immortal Kings cannot reach the fortieth barren domain!"
"So terrifying?" Mu Rong Qing Wu was taken aback.
Li Hao and Yue Xi's expressions grew grave as well.
Gu Yan, who was usually indifferent, suddenly had a spark in his eyes. His gaze fixed on the portal to the secret realm, his body exuding a sharp intensity.
At that moment, the nine dragon carts opened the secret realm, and the first five of the Heavenly First Sect disciples entered, stepping forward.
With everyone moving, Li Tie Mu also led Li Hao and the others toward the portal.
Once they entered the secret realm, Li Hao found himself in a land filled with thunder and lightning, a wild and ancient world.
There were no stars or moon in the sky. Instead, a blood-red mist obscured half of the sky, while the other half was covered with dark, ink-like clouds, thick and foreboding, only illuminated by the fierce lightning that flickered, casting silver-black streaks across the clouds.
The ground below them was barren, a red soil emanating mist, with not a single blade of grass in sight.
The most eye-catching sight was a massive black stele, standing tall and reaching toward the heavens.
Upon seeing the black stele, Li Hao couldn't help but feel that it resembled the Heavenly Stele from the Battlefields of the Ten Thousand Worlds.