Recalling the battle just now, Jiang Lianyi felt that it had been thrilling and perilous in the extreme:
“As expected of our cult master, she is truly formidable.”
“Just now, Cult Master Yun and I fought in the alternate space. In a matter of breaths, we exchanged hundreds of bouts in a dead heat. The sheer complexity of mind games and scheming involved is impossible to explain in a short time!”
“Cult Master Yun’s moves were fierce and sharp, thoroughly showcasing the brilliance of the later generations. The world always says the present cannot compare to the past, but in my eyes, that couldn’t be more wrong. As the pinnacle of the later generations, Cult Master Yun proves it all!”
“The two of us waged a colossal battle that shook the heavens. Space shattered, time rippled, and chaotic qi spread far and wide.”
“I had originally intended to use the method of nirvana rebirth to unleash my latent potential and engage in a final showdown with Cult Master Yun. Unfortunately, the portal to the alternate space opened, and I accidentally tumbled out. Neither of us emerged victorious, so it can only be considered a draw!”
Lu Yang: “...”
Third Senior Sister: “...”
Lu Yang felt that with Senior Lianyi’s mindset, her Dao Heart wouldn’t crumble even if she lost.
The Immortal Fairy was very satisfied with Jiang Lianyi’s record. “As expected of my unofficial disciple! Knowing how to maintain your win rate with such a method at the critical juncture—you are truly worthy of teaching, with a bright future ahead of you!”
“When I fight Girl Yun, we’ll fight to a draw. At that time, with you and the Second-in-Command backing me up, the scales of victory will inevitably tip in my favor!”
After all, when strength was evenly matched, any minute variable could change the outcome of a battle!
Eldest Senior Sister flew out from the alternate space and felt somewhat helpless upon hearing Jiang Lianyi’s description of the fight.
Wasn’t it that you claimed you wanted to show me ancient divine abilities, then took the initiative to strike and unleashed over a hundred moves in a few breaths, and the moment I blocked them and counterattacked, you immediately cast the Art of Playing Dead and fled the alternate space?
“Eldest Senior Sister,” Lu Yang greeted her obediently.
“You’ve reached the Nascent Soul stage? Not bad. Your foundation is solid. Despite having just broken through, there’s no need to consolidate your foundation. As expected of having the Invincible Core as your stepping stone.” Eldest Senior Sister nodded. Lu Yang’s cultivation progress was remarkably swift, showing that he hadn’t neglected his cultivation during his half a year in the Demon Domain.
“Third Junior Sister, the Sixth Elder has been fretting over you this whole time. Now that you’ve returned to the sect, you had best go visit her. Don’t let an elder come looking for you and breach proper etiquette.”
“Understood.” Facing Eldest Senior Sister, Third Senior Sister showed none of her lawless demeanor from the Demon Domain. She was meek and obedient, doing whatever Eldest Senior Sister told her to do.
After Third Senior Sister went down the mountain, Eldest Senior Sister gestured for Lu Yang to take a seat. Jiang Lianyi didn’t have to sit on the ground either and could sit on a stone chair.
“Eldest Senior Sister, these are local specialties I brought back from the Demon Domain.”
Like presenting a treasure, Lu Yang pulled out four imperial chairs from his identity jade plaque. Before leaving the Demon Empire, Senior Zhu Tian had gone through great lengths persuading him to accept them.
Once the stone chairs were replaced by the imperial thrones, the atmosphere instantly changed.
“Junior Brother, Senior Immortal, what did you do in the Demon Domain? And how was Senior Lianyi revived?”
Eldest Senior Sister’s calm tone carried a hint of resignation. To be honest, when Third Junior Sister had appeared before her with Jiang Lianyi in tow, she had genuinely been taken aback.
Without even thinking, she knew this matter was inseparable from her junior brother and Senior Immortal.
The Immortal Fairy hopped out and sat down in a half-squatting posture.
The human, the demon, and the ghost recounted their experiences in the Demon Domain in detail, placing special emphasis on their discoveries regarding the structure of the world, as well as the images left behind by Immortal Kirin depicting the Four Celestials’ battle against the mastermind behind the scenes.
Upon hearing this, Eldest Senior Sister fell silent for a long time. This truly was an unexpected harvest.
“A battle between immortals cannot be decided in a short time, especially when the mastermind is suspected of holding a Karma Dao fruit, making them even harder to deal with. But to fight the Four Ancient Celestials for seven days without a clear victor shows that the mastermind’s strength is even greater than I anticipated.”
The Immortal Fairy nodded. “I thought so too.”
Then she added indignantly, “Who knows what that brat Immortal Kirin is plotting, or maybe he fell asleep. Lianyi made such a huge commotion in the Demon Empire, yet he never showed his face.”
This was also one of the reasons Jiang Lianyi had voluntarily revealed herself at the founding ceremony of the Demon Empire.
Her standing on the Altar of Heaven signified that the Immortal Fairy had already revived. This was the intelligence she had conveyed to Immortal Kirin. Even so, Immortal Kirin still hadn’t appeared, which showed that his current situation was exceedingly complicated.
He had either fallen into a deep slumber for some reason, or was unable or forbidden to meet the Immortal Fairy.
In the image-recording orb, Immortal Kirin had sounded soaring with heroic spirit, saying things like ‘the opponent is too dangerous, leave everything to me,’ ‘darling, you will definitely meet the Immortal Fairy,’ and ‘Immortal Fairy, I am so happy for your revival.’
For all they knew, Immortal Kirin might have been ambushed by the mastermind right after finishing his grand speech.
Eldest Senior Sister shook her head gently and said calmly, “In fact, there is another possibility, isn’t there? It is just that neither of you wants to think in that direction.”
Lu Yang was puzzled and looked at Eldest Senior Sister in confusion.
In contrast, the Immortal Fairy and Jiang Lianyi’s expressions turned somewhat unsightly.
Eldest Senior Sister continued, “Immortal Kirin fell, and the suppression dissipated. A half-immortal seized the opportunity to ascend to immortality, establishing the suppression once again.”
Lu Yang’s heart thumped. That really was possible. Then a question arose in his mind. “Wait, wasn’t it said that an Immortal Ascension Tribulation is vastly grand and impossible to conceal? Could someone have ascended from half-immortal to immortal without anyone noticing?”
“It is true that an Immortal Ascension Tribulation creates immense commotion, but it is not entirely impossible to mask. For instance, one could use the chaotic din of two armies clashing, or the energy fluctuations of battling half-immortals, to conceal the Immortal Ascension Tribulation. One hundred thousand years ago, someone ascended to immortality using that very method.”
“However, the likelihood of Immortal Kirin having fallen is very slim. After all, the nature of Immortal Kirin’s Dao fruit makes him exceptionally difficult to kill. If a battle of that magnitude had occurred, ancient texts would surely have recorded it. The commotion of such a fight is not something that could be covered up.”
Hearing Eldest Senior Sister say this, the Immortal Fairy and Jiang Lianyi’s expressions softened slightly.
Eldest Senior Sister added, “Listening to Senior Lianyi’s description of the four ancient celestials’ battle brings up another question. Do you still remember the celestial who tried to pluck the rudimentary Immortal Dao fruit?”
Lu Yang and the Immortal Fairy nodded. Of course they remembered. When the Immortal Celestial was born, a dark shadow had been hiding beside him, preparing to harvest the rudimentary Immortal Dao fruit. Eldest Senior Sister discovered and obliterated the shadow, afterward realizing that the dark shadow was something akin to an immortal’s avatar.
Eldest Senior Sister had found the feeling familiar and recalled that she had clashed with the shadow’s true body before—the opponent had infiltrated Great Xia and been repelled by Yun Zhi.
“That entity is undoubtedly an immortal, but nowhere near the level of being able to battle the Four Ancient Celestials for seven days and seven nights.”
“Could they have hidden their strength?” Lu Yang guessed.
Eldest Senior Sister shook her head. “I can sense whether someone is holding back. That was his true level.”
“Could it be that he hasn’t recovered from serious injuries?”
“Also impossible. There is no wound that fails to heal after three hundred thousand years, and when I exchanged blows with him, I didn’t sense that he was injured.”
Lu Yang frowned. This meant that aside from the mastermind behind the scenes, there was another hidden enemy.
Even if not as powerful as the mastermind, they were still an immortal-level entity that could not be underestimated. This was troublesome.
...Wait a minute. Why did I subconsciously assume he was my enemy? I’m only at the Nascent Soul stage. Am I even worthy?
Lu Yang realized something was amiss. Just when had his horizons grown so lofty?
Chapter 628