Chapter 31: Entering the Secret Realm
In the endless seas, three gargantuan boats able to house over a thousand people each were traveling far faster than mortal means. Despite being boats they were not sailing on the water, they didn’t even touch the water and were instead soaring through the air.
Each one of them had an ethereal and indescribable aura, even the one that seemed the most plain.
These three flying boats were naturally the three immortal boats containing the people of the three continents.
The Three Heavens Connection Meeting had already ended and naturally the next destination was the entrance to the secret realm that contained a fragment of the Immortal Court. This had already been pre-arranged by all the hegemonic sects in advance.
The final composition of the group entering into the secret realm was rather surprising.
Nearly half were comprised from those that came from the Earth Continent, with the Heaven Continent group taking about three tenths of the slots, while the Mortal Continent taking the last two tenths.
Even though the Earth Continent took about half of the slots, the Eight Pillar Sect wasn’t delighted with the results at all. The reason was because nearly half of their slots were occupied by the first rate sects that they had brought along.
In fact the situation on Earth Continent really wasn’t good between many of the first rate sects and the Eight Pillars Sect. The entourage being composed of both parties was a result of compromise as well. But even so this was only a temporary peace between the two parties.
Even the immortal boat they were on had to be separated into two sections and even then when the two members met each other it was with swords drawn and bows bent.
But it must be said that the Earth Continent taking nearly half the spots was still a surprise. Due to the turbulent atmosphere and constant battles on the Earth Continent, their disciples were on average far more tempered than the other two continents.
The entrance to the secret realm was actually on the other side of the Huang Realm, the near exact opposite of where Heaven Shrouding Island was, but with various means and techniques it took only seven days to arrive.
It was a turbulent area near the edge of the Huang Realm, where the space was chaotic. There were constant fissures in the area with an occasional opening into the ‘Void.’ Even the sea level was not constant and sometimes heaven and earth seemed to flip.
In short this was a danger area that only those at the immortal realm could explore, and even then not all immortals would be able to explore it. Only the stronger immortals, those with the title of Monarch would be able to resist the spatial tears and compression.
This was also the reason why each continent sent immortals at the level of Monarchs, normally those that appeared at the Three Heavens Connection Meeting would only be those at the regular immortal level, known as True Immortals.
The three immortal boats paused at a certain spot for a moment and Headmaster Ren, Monarch Dong, and Monarch Fiendblood all exited from their respective immortal boats. Although they exited, the immortal boats were still under their control and so they were able to stay unaffected by the spacial forces.
The three Immortal Monarchs pooled their spells and immortal qi together and unleashed a combination technique.
Soon a ‘bubble’ materialized and began to grow larger until it encompassed over tens of kilometers. Space seemed to have stabilized and the sea was no longer warping, heaven and earth was no longer flipping, and all seemed well. But at this moment, in the center of the sphere of peacefulness a gate slowly appeared like a mirage before condensing into solid form.
This was the entrance to the secret realm formed from the fragment of the Immortal Court.
In the space within the bubble, all the Unity Realm Venerables, Nascent Soul Realm Grandmasters, and Core Formation Masters exited the ships.
Some for the first time saw the edge of the Huang Realm were incomparably shocked while others who had already heard of it were far more calm, just that their breathing couldn’t help but quicken when they saw the tears leading to the void.
Tianyi however was shocked the most.
This…this is the edge of the Huang Realm? Space is folding over itself like it’s self sealing!
Just how deep does the earth reach? How high is the sky!?
Many conjectures began to appear in Tianyi’s mind as he thought of many possibilities. Was the Huang Realm shaped like a go piece, a flattened sphere?
What’s more, from the tears Tianyi could see the void and it wasn’t what Tianyi imagined. He had thought the world outside the realm would resemble space. But from what he saw, the void was completely pitch black as if nothing existed and the darkness was infinite.
It lived up to its name as the Void.
I’m uneasy. Once I get back I have to ask mother the truth of how this world works!
Tianyi filed away the matter into the back of his mind. He had already asked Elder Meng and even she wasn’t clear. Elder Meng was a longtime Elder of the Buzhoul Immortal Sect and if she didn’t know, Tianyi doubted the other Venerables would know.
In addition seeing as no one else was curious and asking, Tianyi felt that it wasn’t worth it to stand out at this point and direct all attention to himself.
At least that was the excuse he used to console himself and ignore the fact that he was just too self conscious to speak out among so many unfamiliar faces.
Very soon all the chosen disciples and Unity realm Elders were in front of the gate. With Monarch Bloodfiend’s lead, the three Immortal Monarchs controlled the gate to open.
Once it was opened, it resembled a myriad of colors from the rainbow, yet there was a mixture of colors.
Green was green.
Red was red.
Despite this, the color seamlessly linked together with no abrupt change in the surrounding color. Like an artist spilled all their paint together but the mixing of colors didn’t create brown, black, or any dark color.
Should anyone look at the back of the gate, they would discover that it resembled a solid stone wall with no hint of any strange occurrence or colors in the front.
The first to enter were the Venerables, all of them except Elder Meng who stayed beside Tianyi entered.
“Elder Meng, just go. This is a great chance for you, with your ability there might be a fortuitous encounter awaiting you. The Immortal Court is shrouded in mysteries, but there is no doubt that their treasures are better than the modern era’s. You might be able to become an immortal.” Tianyi said.
“I have no need, young master. This one’s job is to simply protect you, that’s all this one wants to do.” Elder Meng said, rejecting Tianyi’s idea.
Tianyi tried to convince Elder Meng but in the end she didn’t agree and Tianyi could only helplessly stop.
But despite Elder Meng being a Unity Realm Venerable, no one seemed to notice her staying beside Tianyi as if she was transparent and thus Tianyi was saved from being the object of everyone’s focus.
Although a few wondered why the Heaven Continent lacked one Venerable but seeing as the immortal realm elders didn’t say anything, they stayed silent too.
Next were the Nascent Soul disciples who entered and then the Core Formation disciples.
When Tianyi entered he felt as if he entered complete darkness, and even Elder Meng had disappeared from his side. But he didn’t panic.
First Tianyi tested his current state.
He wasn’t able to see anything, but he could perceive his body was perfectly clear as if under direct sunlight.
He was standing on flat ground and he was able to walk and move.
His voice didn’t echo and there was no response to his voice.
His spatial ring was sealed and he was unable to activate any of the artifacts on him.
Although Tianyi was in complete darkness, this didn’t faze him and instead he started to walk. He was alone with no company but compared to when he had all of his senses sealed in order to sense his Eight Extraordinary Meridians, this was a far better situation.
At the least, Tianyi felt he could hold on for some time before he started to panic.
Tianyi chose a random direction and started walking. This was confidence, confidence in his sect that they wouldn’t send him to a faulty secret realm with no assurance of whether the disciples would die or not.
Tianyi felt as if he was walking endlessly for days or perhaps even months. It wasn’t that Tianyi didn’t get bored, but with his spatial ring sealed, he was unable to take anything out. So he could only continue to walk forward.
And just as suddenly as Tianyi arrived in this space of darkness, Tianyi also instantly arrived at a verdant mountain. This mountain wasn’t unpopulated and marks of humanity were evident, stone steps leading towards the peak and various palaces or estates littered throughout.
This was obviously not through mortal means, but by the hands of cultivators.
Tianyi recognized this mountain very well, how could he not? This was Jade Peak where he grew up.
“This, I shouldn’t have been teleported back to Jade Peak right? If the entrance to the Immortal Court could teleport someone into Buzhou Immortal Sect then there would be trouble. “As for whether it would be trouble for the Buzhou Immortal Sect or the people who teleported, heheh. This was Sword Empress Xi’s Jade Peak after all.
“No, this is more likely an illusion or a dream created from my memories.” It was ridiculous to think that the gate to the Immortal Court would just happen to lead to the Jade Peak of the Buzhou Immortal Sect and Tianyi by chance happened to arrive back at the sect.
Tianyi heard footsteps coming from behind him and looked down the steps to see a middle aged man coming up the stairs. After deliberating internally, Tianyi decided to call out to him.
“Elder Shan.”
However Elder Shan seemed to not have heard him and continued to walk up the mountain. Tianyi called out again, but the same thing happened.
No response.
Elder Shan had a gloomy expression on his face and his whole body was radiating displeasure.
Tiamyi even circled around Elder Shan and waved his hand in front of his face but nothing happened. He could touch Elder Shan but it was like he was an unstoppable object and no matter how much strength Tianyi expended, he continued.
Tianyi, curious and slightly creeped out, decided to follow Elder Shan up the stairs.
“This…isn’t this the direction towards my estate?”
Tianyi couldn’t remember a time when Elder Shan was this displeased, or perhaps Elder Shan was just displeased and he masked it up when he visited Tianyi.
Still Tianyi had a strange thought. Perhaps this world was one where everything was against him, and nothing went his way?” Like those inner demon tribulations he heard about it. The Immortal Court was far more powerful than any hegemonic sect that existed today, so for them to have these kind of capabilities wasn’t too absurd.
Sure enough, Elder Shan arrived at Tianyi’s estate. The strange thing was that he stopped outside the gate and didn’t go in until the door opened by itself. This was strange to Tianyi, because he recalled giving Elder Shan permission to enter at his leisure, at least the outer courtyard.
What’s more Elder Shan became even more gloomy as he stepped past the gates.
Upon entering the main hall Elder Shan threw a bottle of pills at the person sitting loftily on the main seat with no politeness at all.
Tianyi was dumbstruck as he stared at the person on the seat. He appeared to be thirteen to fifteen years old wearing purple robes with a gold coronet on his head but no Buzhou Immortal Sect uniform.
He was being served by four women, all of them peerless in appearance. Although their cultivation varied from early Qi Gathering to peak Foundation Establishment realm.
He also radiated a Foundation Establishment realm spiritual cultivation base, however his martial cultivation base was already at the Core Formation realm.
“Why is Lei Jingye here?”
Tianyi couldn’t help but mutter.