The Immortal Realm

“They have ascended.” “The Dao Lords have all ascended, transforming into immortals to enjoy everlasting life.” “The Dao Contention is drawing to a close, yet for us True Monarchs, this is the most perilous hour. Beyond doubt, foreign Dao Lords from beyond the stars will soon invade, so we must advance and retreat together.” As the brilliance of the Gate of the Immortal Realm dimmed once more, the True Monarchs lingering around it felt a deep envy, yet they gradually quieted down. Among them were True Monarch Wusheng, True Monarch Tianxiao, True Monarch Yingfeng, True Monarch Jingmo, True Monarch Nichang, True Monarch Jinghong, True Monarch Xuandu, True Monarch Xujin, True Monarch Taiyuan, True Monarch Shilin, and True Monarch Zhen Xuanyuan. “Dao Integration and ascension…” Zhen Xuanyuan murmured, watching the figures vanish completely into the dimming gate, his expression filled with boundless emotion. In this lifetime of his, there was no longer any hope of achieving Dao Integration. Yet when he reflected on his experiences over the past millennium, having witnessed with his own eyes a legend rise straight from the Void Piercing realm into a Dao Lord, and then shake the starry rivers as a Dao Lord to carve out the peerless prestige of an invincible Dao Sovereign… This life had been well worth it. Not only him, but True Monarch Taiyuan, True Monarch Shilin, True Monarch Xuandu, and the others were equally filled with deep sentiment. They were all figures at the helm of the Ten Immortal Sects. In an era when Dao Lords did not show themselves, Beihai Star was virtually ruled and governed by them. Yet even during his True Monarch days, Yaoguang’s radiance had burned as bright as the midday sun, shining so brilliantly that countless people could hardly look at him directly. To say nothing of his later breakthrough into a Dao Lord—using power that suppressed an entire era to forcefully bring a Dao Contention to a halt, and then forging his fame as an invincible Dao Sovereign with the blood of over a hundred Dao Lords. “All right, everyone, let us return to our sects. Our predecessor Dao Lords have already ascended, and the future will enter our era,” declared True Monarch Tianxiao, who ranked first on the Dao Lord Candidate List. True Monarch Wusheng and the others nodded in agreement. “Although Beihai Star may not produce another legendary figure like Dao Sovereign Yaoguang in the next hundred thousand, several hundred thousand, or even a million years, as long as we keep striving, in the future… we may not necessarily fail to become Dao Lords, follow in his footsteps, and perhaps even reunite with him in the Immortal Realm upon our ascension one day.” These words made many True Monarchs on the Dao Lord Candidate List nod in heartfelt agreement. At this moment, all of them took Yaoguang as their role model. Even if they knew they might never reach the same height as Yaoguang, at the very least… they could treat him as a goal to strive and fight toward. At this point, True Monarch Nichang smiled and playfully teased True Monarch Yingfeng and True Monarch Jingmo beside her: “Speaking of which, when you two Daoist friends returned to Beihai Star a thousand years ago and heard of Dao Sovereign Yaoguang’s deeds, you kept talking about challenging him to see whether this candidate on the Dao Lord Candidate List had genuine capability. How is it that several centuries have passed without either of you making a move? Now that the Dao Sovereign has ascended, could it be that you plan to postpone this duel until the Immortal Realm?” Only now that Yaoguang had ascended did she dare make such a joke. Back when the Dao Lords were still in this world, if she had dared speak nonsense about Dao Sovereign Yaoguang, Dao Lord Juntian would inevitably have scolded her roundly. Beside her, True Monarch Yingfeng and True Monarch Jingmo exchanged glances. True Monarch Yingfeng gave a wry smile and said, “True Monarch Nichang, please spare us the teasing. Back then we were too young and didn't know the immensity of heaven and earth. We thought we had achieved something in our cultivation and underestimated the world. In the future, if I take in disciples and establish a lineage, I will surely use this matter to admonish them never to be arrogant and to make them understand that there is always someone greater, and a sky beyond the sky.” “As you said, he is Dao Sovereign Yaoguang. A Dao Sovereign… If he were merely a Dao Lord, I might still harbor a shred of competitive spirit once I reached that realm. But a Dao Sovereign…” True Monarch Jingmo shook his head as well. Hearing this, True Monarch Nichang did not press the matter further. “All right, everyone, let’s not waste any more time. The closing stage of every Dao Contention is the optimal period for Dao-integrated Dao Lords to emerge. Next, let us see which of us can break through to the Dao Lord realm first,” True Monarch Tianxiao said. The other True Monarchs nodded. True Monarch Wusheng, however, offered a wry smile. “Although each Dao Contention has historically seen batch after batch of Dao Lords emerge immediately on Beihai Star, I'm afraid I might drop the ball this time… To this day, I have not felt the slightest resonance with the Grand Dao that signals Dao Integration.” His words caused several people to pause slightly. “Now that you mention it, I seem to be in the same boat…” “Could it be that because our generation did not participate in the Dao Contention and never experienced brush after brush with death, we lack the necessary foundation?” a True Monarch immediately chimed in. “That should indeed be the reason.” True Monarch Tianxiao felt similarly, though his mindset remained thoroughly positive. “There is no need for everyone to be overly anxious. While not experiencing the mortal combat of the Dao Contention spared us some tempering, I believe that with our foundations, once we settle our insights for a time, we will surely grasp the opportunity to achieve Dao Integration and inaugurate our own era of Dao Lords.” The other True Monarchs nodded. True Monarch Yingfeng cupped his hands. “Fellow Daoists, until we meet again as Dao Lords.” “Until we meet again as Dao Lords.” After exchanging salutes, they quickly departed in all directions alongside the True Monarchs of their respective sects. Meanwhile, those True Monarchs not on the Dao Lord Candidate List—such as True Monarch Xuandu, True Monarch Jinghong, True Monarch Taiyuan, and Zhen Xuanyuan—watched these high-spirited leading figures with envious eyes. They had not even reached the pinnacle of the True Monarch stage and still fell somewhat short of the readiness required for the Dao Lord realm. Some might never attain that final perfection in their entire lives. The era of Dao Lords about to dawn… was destined to have nothing to do with them. It belonged solely to these peerless prodigies on the Dao Lord Candidate List. Who knew which of these prodigies would have their name sung by the world across the coming centuries and millennia? And who might be like Dao Sovereign Yaoguang… There was no need to consider Dao Sovereign Yaoguang. Throughout the entire history of Beihai Star, he was an exceedingly rare exception. They only wondered which True Monarch, upon becoming a Dao Lord, could be like Dao Lord Penglai—revered and respected by the world, and crowned as the foremost figure of Beihai. *** While the True Monarchs of Beihai Star looked toward the future, discussing who would achieve the Dao Lord realm first and who would lead the trends in the coming era of Dao Sovereigns, Yaoguang had already set off on his return journey through the depths of the distant starry sky, piloting an immortal artifact flying boat. On the return trip, he browsed the numerous ancient records obtained from the Yongsheng Sect to enrich his understanding of the Immortal Realm, while simultaneously searching for Dao Lords along the way. With the composite immortal art Sky Rift Flowing Light at his disposal, his travel efficiency was remarkably swift. Even making a detour of billions of light-years would not cost him much time. While his true form traveled at full speed, his Shaohua avatar, having entered deep into the Gate of the Immortal Realm, officially stepped into the Immortal Realm under the guidance of the Grand Dao of Time. Because both shared a single soul, and the Glazed Treasure Tree was rooted deep within that soul, he could even use Higher-Dimensional Cognition to faintly observe the operations of the three thousand Grand Daos of the Immortal Realm. Along with… the mist belonging to the Hunyuan Realm that shrouded the Immortal Realm and its three thousand Grand Daos. It was just as the information Yaoguang had previously obtained indicated. When Dao Lords ascended to the Immortal Realm through the gate, there were no ascension platforms or sect factions waiting for them on the other side. Guided by their respective Grand Daos, every ascender was deposited in a different region. Furthermore, because special resonances existed between the Grand Daos, the areas where ascenders ultimately arrived were those where such resonance and interference were weakest. Such places were often desolate, uninhabited lands. Just like right now… When Yaoguang truly appeared in the Immortal Realm, he found himself upon a barren, uninhabited wilderness. The moment he landed on this plain, he could clearly feel the rules of the three thousand Grand Daos, far more stringent than inside the Gate of the Immortal Realm, binding every plant, tree, and living creature in the world like a massive net. Even this time avatar of his, possessing combat strength comparable to an invincible Dao Lord, could distinctly feel the Grand Daos shackling its form. In a world like this, let alone using a single Dao art to obliterate a hundred thousand li, whether he could destroy ten thousand li was an open question. “The Immortal Realm,” Yaoguang muttered to himself, not finding these conditions abnormal in the least. Leave aside the fact that he had already learned ample information about the Immortal Realm from the Yongsheng Sect; even other Dao Lords possessed some understanding of its environment. Every planet possessing a Gate of the Immortal Realm was substantially strengthened by the rules flowing out of it. If mere Grand Dao power leaking from the gate produced such an effect, then in the true Immortal Realm… it was only natural that the binding force of the three thousand Grand Daos upon every plant and tree would be vastly stronger. Moreover, the Immortal Realm was home not only to Dao Lords, but also to immortals, Immortal Venerables, Immortal Kings, and Dao Ancestors. On a planet like Beihai Star, a clash among a hundred Dao Lords could easily shatter the world into ruin. If the Immortal Realm were not sturdier, how could it ever allow so many immortals to unleash their power? “The Immortal Realm is vast… stretching across tens of millions of li, if not more…” Yaoguang looked up. Above his head were neither stars nor sun nor moon, but two colossal gateways. Two gateways hung suspended in the firmament like the sun and the moon. They radiated terrifying might, inducing resonances throughout the world and maintaining the operation of the Immortal Realm's fundamental rules. Yet around the two grand gates, nine palaces could be faintly seen arrayed in formation. This was… “The Nine Great Groups,” Yaoguang murmured. This was the greatest challenge he would face upon arriving in the Immortal Realm. However, before making contact with the Nine Great Groups, he had a more important task to accomplish. “Logging in.” Yaoguang sensed the three thousand Grand Daos. Immediately after, through the omnipresent Grand Daos, he likewise detected another mysterious force. That was… the power of the Hunyuan Realm. Throughout the Immortal Realm, the power of the Hunyuan Realm had practically merged into one with the three thousand Grand Daos, becoming indistinguishable from them. Except around the Gate of Fate and the Gate of Karma, wherever the three thousand Grand Daos reached, the power of the Hunyuan Realm was present. Any immortal spirit of the Hunyuan Realm could link to Master Yuanxi through their clearance and even draw upon its power to descend into the Immortal Realm. Now, as Yaoguang activated the clearance on the Immortal Spirit branch, he swiftly felt his perception enter a vast virtual realm, a world of pure data. In an instant, he sensed millions of immortal spirits.