Tai Wuling waited for his inevitable death, but it never seemed to come. He could feel the energy of the self-detonation heating the air around him, but against his expectations, it didn't seem to harm him directly. Confused, he opened his eyes.
Blinding light entered his vision, but in front of him, he saw a circular mirror blocking most of the effects of the Golden Immortal War Formation's self-detonation. "The Eight Way Mirror?"
Unlike when facing Yan Nie, the Divine Flame Lord, the mirror held up impeccably. In fact, its power had reached even greater heights. A sense of security rose up in Tai Wuling's chest, causing him to form a bitter smile. "Isn't it supposed to be the other way?"
Still, Tai Wuling didn't complain otherwise. He knew that had it not been for the Eight Way Mirror's appearance, he would have likely died or reduced to a wandering soul at best. Not even his monarch-level body could withstand the Golden Immortal War Formation's self-detonation directly.
The explosion disappeared soon after, not even lasting a minute. Usually, self-detonation techniques were instantaneous and unloaded a large amount of power in a short timeframe. Even a war formation's self-detonation was no different.
When the light from the explosion finally disappeared, Tai Wuling finally saw the Eight Way Mirror in its entirety and not just its shadowed form. As he expected, the crack on the mirror had disappeared, meaning that it had been fixed.
"You just can't do anything without me, can you?"
Tai Wuling looked up and smiled. "You're awake."
Yang Linyin snorted and floated down from the sky. They weren't in their male form but female form and wore a dress. Upon closer inspection, Tai Wuling felt a vague sense of pressure from them. He couldn't help but shout in surprise. "You mastered a complete law?"
Their pretty face sneered. Had it been on a man or a plain-faced woman, it would have looked irritating, but the sneer was mesmerizing on Yang Linyin's face. "Didn't you also master a complete law too?"
Tai Wuling laughed. "It seemed that the Divine Flame Lord's attack was a blessing in disguise. Next time we see him, we will have to repay him back for his help."
Yang Linyin became slightly absentminded as they stared at Tai Wuling. "Yeah, a blessing in disguise."
"Is something wrong?" Tai Wuling asked upon sensing their abnormal emotions. He moved toward them, but he stumbled as his legs gave out.
Before his knees could hit the ground, Yang Linyin appeared in front of him and held him up. "Look at your sorry state. Before worrying about others, you should worry about yourself."
"S-sorry," Tai Wuling stammered. Was that perfume he smelled? In all his years of knowing Yang Linyin, they never wore perfume or anything girlish. Now, their hair was decked out in hairpins, and they even wore a dress, making him feel overly self-conscious—especially with how physically close the two were.
"What's wrong?" Yang Linyin asked. Their face inched closer to Tai Wuling, causing him to become as still as a statue. "The explosion didn't injure you, right?"
Tai Wuling didn't answer and repeatedly told himself that the reason Yang Linyin was acting so forward was that they thought of him as a brother and themself as a man. There was no deeper meaning to their actions, none at all. He had always thought it was a pity that they thought of themself as a man, but Yang Linyin didn't see it that way at all. To them, their female form was just another method they took to go further on their path.
"Seriously, did the explosion make you stupid?" Yang Linyin asked. Then, they did something that shocked Tai Wuling. They picked him up bridal style and started carrying him.
"Wait, let me down! I can walk by myself!" he said as he struggled. That only made Yang Linyin strengthen their grip, hugging him closer. Feeling the soft sensation, Tai Wuling turned into a statue.
"You almost fell. I don't believe you can walk by yourself. Now, shut up and let me carry you, Junior Brother," they said, adding the last bit for emphasis.
Tai Wuling opened his mouth, but no words came out. Ultimately, he could only allow them to continue carrying him. The two made their way toward the exit while everyone else continued to compete for the phantom treasures.
Along the way, Tai Wuling sensed the rapid changes occurring in the Yellow Mausoleum. The dense earthen energy still pervaded the pocket dimension, but it was weakening at a noticeable rate, and not due to the changes in the earth vein. It was something more foundational, as the anchor had been lost.
Tai Wuling's eyes flashed with understanding. It must have been because the Yellow God's blood had disappeared. Without an owner, the Yellow Mausoleum lost its purpose and thus started to collapse in on itself. Thus, allowing the Huang Realm to absorb the pocket dimension even faster.
Mercifully, Yang Linyin let him down near the portal. By then, his powerful physique allowed him to recover enough to walk and move by himself. Before leaving, he stopped them.
"What is it?" Yang Linyin asked.
Tai Wuling threw a spatial ring to them. "You probably only awakened recently, so you don't know, but inside the Yellow Mausoleum, there are earth beasts that carry law fragments. I already mastered the Law of Earth, so these Law of Earth fragments belong to you."
Yang Linyin's eyes widened in wonderment before a dazzling smile slowly spread across their face. "Thank you."
Tai Wuling's face involuntarily heated up. He didn't know what was wrong with him. His lips tightened, and he nodded. The two walked out of the portal.
Upon looking at the entrance to the Yellow Mausoleum, they saw that yellow particles were constantly breaking off and drifting into the air. And the number of particles was increasing with each second, signaling the demise of the pocket dimension.
Tai Wuling followed Yang Linyin toward the Eight Pillar Sect's camp. He glanced toward the Anti-Earth Alliance's camp, and his eyes darkened. The image of the Golden Immortal War Formation's final words and self-detonation had been carved into his mind. He will repay this debt in the near future.
Then, his gaze glanced toward the Buzhou Immortal Sect's camp. His eyes widened when he saw Xi Tianyi and Jiang Daoyi strolling outside the palace. Tai Wuling's eyes widened. He didn't expect Jiang Daoyi to be able to leave so fast and so decisively.
Tai Wuling felt rage rising from his chest when he saw Xi Tianyi glance over. The naked disdain in Xi Tianyi's eyes almost made him charge over and start a fight with the young monarch, but reason held him back. He narrowed his eyes. 'Just wait till I reach the Seamless Immortal Realm. Then I'll show you the difference between us."
He and Yang Linyin didn't linger any longer and entered their camp. There, they reported to the leader of the camp, Monarch Dong.
"I see," Monarch Dong said. "What a pity. Everyone thought there was treasure inside the pocket dimension, but it turned out to be nothing."
The immortal monarch's eyes appraised Tai Wuling. "However, the trip should have been worth it for you, right?"
Tai Wuling tensed, wondering if Monarch Dong knew something, but he relaxed after hearing Monarch Dong's following sentence. "It seems that the Eight Pillar Sect will have another monarch soon. I look forward to defeating the wretched Anti-Earth Alliance alongside you."
"I can only do my best," Tai Wuling said with cupped fists.
Monarch Dong waved his hands. "Alright, go rest. I have to report the matter of the Golden Immortal War Formation back to the sect. I never expected the Anti-Earth Alliance to hold such a card. Luckily, they miscalculated and allowed you to escape with the information."
Tai Wuling and Yang Linyin bid Monarch Dong goodbye and entered a temporary abode. There, he attempted to heal himself as fast as possible, but it would still take at least a year for a full recovery.
During this time, he acquainted himself with the awakened Yang Linyin. Although some of their mannerisms had changed, they were still themself at their core. Also, more and more immortals left the Yellow Mausoleum.
Of the immortals that entered, only around sixty percent had returned. The remaining forty percent had been permanently buried inside the pocket dimension. Tai Wuling had to smile when he saw Yan Nie's sorry state. In return, Yan Nie glared at him.
However, neither fought. There were too many external factors to incite a battle here. In addition, Tai Wuling noticed Yan Nie staring deeply at the Buzhou Immortal Sect's palace before leaving.
Even after every immortal left the Yellow Mausoleum, the various forces did not leave. It was quite the opposite. More and more immortals came, but they didn't enter. Even Monarch Nine Heavens also arrived and waited.
The reason soon revealed itself as the entrance to the Yellow Mausoleum slowly shrunk. The more it shrunk, the more particles it released. The cultivators would gather in front of the portal and absorb the particles.
Hegemonic forces and potential hegemonic forces like the Anti-Earth Alliance occupied the first row. Naturally, their harvest was the biggest. The second row was left to the first-rate forces and the third row to the second-rate forces. Their harvest couldn't even amount to thirty percent of those sitting in the front row combined. As for third-rate forces, they weren't even qualified to pick up the scraps.
Even though Tai Wuling absorbed many earth energy inside the Mausoleum, it didn't stop him from absorbing the particles. The particles weren't just composed of earth essence and qi but also realm essence. Absorbing it would drastically improve his body and his soul. He thought no one would be able to absorb more than him, but to his surprise, Monarch Nine Heavens absorbed the most, at five times his amount.
Tai Wuling reevaluated his understanding of Monarch Nine Heavens. Although his wariness toward the white-haired monarch rose, his wariness for Xi Tianyi dropped. Xi Tianyi didn't even appear to absorb the particles. He didn't even know how to treasure such a good chance.
When the portal completely disappeared, it meant that the Huang Realm had completely absorbed the pocket dimension, and they could no longer grab any benefits. As such, all the forces returned to their own territories. On the surface, the Buzhou Immortal Sect returned to the Heaven Continent, but many forces guessed that they secretly left some immortals in the Earth Continent. And they were right.
The Law of Space was really one of the most practical laws that could be mastered. Monarch Nine Heaven had simply teleported the immortals on the boat back to the Heaven Continent into the prearranged location by the Eight Pillar Sect.
When Tai Wuling returned, he didn't immediately start cultivating again because Yang Linyin was preparing to enter the Seamless Immortal Realm. Not only was he present, but Emperor Infinity, Monarch Pathway, Yang Linyin's master, and numerous immortal elders were present. The birth of a new immortal monarch represented another core member of a sect, so their ascension was seen with the utmost importance.
Tai Wuling's hands clenched in anxiety as immortal qi of yin shrouded Yang Linyin. Along with the increasing density of qi, so did the pressure Yang Linyin exude. Unlike when cultivators advanced in the mortal realms, ascension in the Immortal Realm did not summon a heavenly tribulation.
It was rumored that a heavenly tribulation would descend when an immortal prepared to enter the Divine Realm, but no one knew if it was true. No one had entered that mythical realm since the end of the Primordial Era.
Tai Wuling's eyes lit up with delight as he looked up at the sky. A hole leading to another realm filled with yin seemed to have opened up in the sky. This was Yang Linyin's Dao Manifestation, and it guaranteed their successful ascension into the Seamless Immortal Realm.
The happiness didn't last long as his expression darkened, and he turned his head toward the Anti-Earth Alliance's direction. Not just him. All the other immortal elders did the same with equally dark expressions.
Above the Anti-Earth Alliance's headquarters, another Dao Manifestation occurred. This one didn't lead to a realm of yin. Instead, it was filled with all sorts of differently-colored flames. Each colored flame exuded the aura of different concepts.
Yan Nie had successfully promoted to the Seamless Immortal Realm. His title of the Divine Flame Lord was no longer appropriate. Now, he should be addressed as the Divine Flame Monarch.
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