After leaving East Queen, Han Yi headed west of the Lingxiao Immortal Court. In that direction, he sensed a faint trace of Qingping's aura, though weak, it promised potential gains.
After the Nine Realms Unification, the areas north and west of the Lingxiao Immortal Court bordered other realms. To the north lay Penglai and Kunlun, while to the west stretched Kunlun and the Eternal World.
Above a remote mountain range west of the Lingxiao Immortal Court, Han Yi drew the Green Ripple Sword. With a Finger Snap, the sword transformed into a streak of emerald light that shot down, plunging deep into the earth.
Through his golden eyes, Han Yi clearly saw a deeply buried ruin beneath the forest—a sect that had been interred here in ancient times.
Within this ruin lay a sealed Cave Heaven, containing remnants of the ancient sect's inheritance, including a Qingping Sword Division.
Had he not yet ascended to the Dao Realm and advanced to the External Dao, he would never have been able to follow such a faint Qingping Perception to this place. Only after reaching the External Dao Realm did he gain such keen sensory abilities.
Whoosh!
A streak of emerald sword light burst through the earth, soaring skyward, radiating an aura of immense joy.
From the ruins below, the Green Ripple Sword had already retrieved one sub-sword. Upon merging it, he discovered it was merely a Sixth-Rank Immortal Sword, insufficient to advance the Green Ripple Sword further.
However, every little helps. By continuing this process, it would eventually cross the threshold to Dao-grade.
"Excellent!"
Han Yi smiled, gently summoning the Green Ripple Sword back and securing it on his back.
He then crossed the boundary between the two realms, heading toward the Eternal Life Realm. This boundary was actually a towering mountain range formed during the Nine Realms Unification, a result of the violent collisions between the realms.
The collision had been massive, especially at the junctions between realms. Some sects near the borders were completely annihilated, reduced to ashes and vanished without a trace.
After entering the Eternal Life Realm, Han Yi didn't immediately search for the Qingping Sword Division. Instead, he first visited the Void Tomb Sect to meet with Yu Guang.
The Void Tomb Sect now served as a sanctuary for the inheritance of the Sui Zhu Immortal Court. Some Immortal Court cultivators and immortals were cultivating here, a fact kept strictly confidential from surrounding factions, who remained unaware of the sect's true situation.
This policy had been established over a thousand years ago by Han Yi, Myriad Tribulations, and Yu Guang.
After confirming that the arrangements were in order, Han Yi left the Void Tomb Sect to seek out the Qingping Sub-Swords. The Eternal Life Realm contained far more Sub-Swords than the Great Luo Realm. This was understandable, as Han Yi had already searched the Great Luo Realm several times during his Immortal stage and had received numerous gifted swords from Immortals, such as the Pure Yang Dao Ancestor from the Great Luo Dao Court.
While searching for the Qingping Sub-Swords in the Eternal Life Realm, Han Yi found that a small number were buried in silent ruins, but the vast majority were already in the possession of others—either Grand Unity or Great Luo cultivators, or even Dao Realm cultivators.
Of course, with Han Yi's current strength, he could even take the Sub-Swords from Dao Realm cultivators below the External Dao realm without them noticing. For External Dao or Harmonization with the Dao cultivators, he would unleash the Void Sword Realm, using eighteen high-rank Dao Artifacts to construct it. The Chaos Power contained within far surpassed that of ordinary Harmonization with the Dao cultivators, its suppressive power being absolute.
Han Yi wasn't one to kill indiscriminately. After suppressing his opponents and retrieving the Sub-Swords, he would leave without harming them or converting them into Myriad Nether Incarnations.
He both relied on and worried about the Heaven-Defying Inheritance of the Myriad Nether Tome.
Han Yi relied on the Heaven-Defying Inheritance, which proved remarkably effective. Combined with the Panel, it accelerated his cultivation speed far beyond that of his peers at his level.
His concern stemmed from the fact that the destruction of Myriad Nether City had occurred only a few Chaos Epochs ago—not long enough for the Supreme Existence to have forgotten. If the Myriad Nether Incarnation were discovered, he would undoubtedly face certain death.
Therefore, he used this Inheritance with great restraint.
After devouring a Ninth-Tier Immortal Sword-level Sub-Sword, the Green Ripple Sword finally settled down, as if stuffed and needing a nap to digest its meal.
Han Yi, however, didn't stop there. He continued his search. The Green Ripple Sword served merely as a conduit; he himself sensed the Sub-Swords.
He continued to collect the Eternal World's Sub-Swords, merging them into the slumbering Green Ripple Sword.
Eventually, with his current strength, there was only one place in the entire Eternal World where he hadn't yet set foot—a place that, before the Dao Tomb Ripples erupted and the Nine Realms unified, had housed a Heavenly Venerate-level Great Power within the Eternal World: the Truth Sect.
This was the only faction within the Eternal Life Wizard Realm that possessed a Heavenly Venerable before the Chaos Factions descended.
The leader of the Truth Sect is called the Truth Witch Venerable, who cultivates the Shamanic Path. Han Yi had once met the Truth Witch Venerable when he returned from the Dao God Continent, but at the time, he was only at the First Step of the Dao Realm and naturally didn't attract the Heavenly Venerable's attention.
"Through Qingping Perception, I sense that the Qingping Sword Division is likely located in the deepest recesses of the Truth Sect. Even if it doesn't belong to the Truth Witch Venerable himself, it must belong to another Witch Ancestor."
"The Truth Sect adheres to the principle of equivalent exchange. If I can offer a suitable price, theoretically, I should be able to retrieve the Qingping Sword Division."
"However, my current Cultivation Realm is insufficient. Boldly demanding the Sub-Sword would be unwise."
"If I were to infiltrate the sect using my own methods, dealing with the Immortal Path might be manageable, but confronting the Witchcraft Path introduces too many uncertainties."
"Ah, forget it. I'll wait until I reach the Heavenly Venerable level myself, then return to the Truth Sect."
Han Yi hesitated for a moment before shaking his head slightly.
His understanding of the Truth Sect was limited. He only knew that they cultivated the Shamanic Path and studied the origins of all things.
However, the Witch Clan's cultivation methods involved Divine Soul power, which was highly peculiar. Using any Soul Technique, whether ordinary or aided by the Myriad Nether Tome, could potentially cause unnecessary trouble.
Deciding to avoid the area for now, Han Yi resolved to return once he was stronger. He would either demand the Sub-Sword in person or, if his strength allowed, simply take it without anyone daring to oppose him.
Suppressing his thoughts, Han Yi turned his gaze away from Eternal Life and followed the border between Great Luo and Kunlun, heading toward the Penglai Territory.
His chosen sequence of realms was strategic. Great Luo, Eternal Life, and Penglai were relatively safe territories. Beyond them lay the more perilous realms of Wicked Demon and Wild Desolation, with the Three Realms of Absolute Yin being the most challenging.
He planned to start with Great Luo, pass through Eternal Life, reach Penglai, traverse Kunlun, then tackle Wicked Demon and Wild Desolation, and finally venture into the Ferocious Realm.
His previous sensing had revealed the strongest aura of the Green Ripple Sword Division emanating from the Ferocious Realm. Regardless of the dangers, this journey was inevitable.
Upon reaching Penglai, Han Yi continued his search for the Green Ripple Sword Division.
In the Penglai Immortal Realm, the two dominant Heavenly Venerate-level factions were Buzhou Mountain and Void Demon Palace. Six thousand years ago, the Sect Leader of Buzhou Mountain, harnessing the mountain's power, finally ascended to the rank of Heavenly Venerable, becoming the second Heavenly Venerable in the Penglai Territory, after the Void Demon Heavenly Venerable.
Apart from Buzhou Mountain and the Void Demon Palace, the Dao Realm forces in Penglai had significantly increased compared to the time 10,000 years ago when the Void Demon Palace first descended.
Among these, the most formidable was the Myriad Spirits Dao Sect. This sect had merged with another Dao Realm force that had descended from Chaos, creating a unique organization. Its strongest member was a Harmonization with the Dao cultivator, and it also boasted three Outer Path Realm cultivators, making it exceptionally powerful among Dao Realm forces. Han Yi had once stayed with the Myriad Spirits Dao Sect for a period due to Golden Resonance Daoist, back when he was still a Golden Immortal. That was 10,000 years ago, a distant past.
This time, he didn't deliberately visit the Myriad Spirits Dao Sect. Instead, he went to a mountain range near its borders and retrieved a buried Qingping Sword Division.
After a brief glance at the Myriad Spirits Dao Sect, he immediately departed.
Several days later, he arrived at the outskirts of Buzhou Mountain and entered a massive Immortal City called Buzhou Immortal City, the largest gateway city for Buzhou Mountain to the outside world.
At his current cultivation realm, Han Yi used a Formless Dao Technique to project himself as a Grand Unity Realm cultivator, drawing little attention.
Unwilling to take risks with the unfamiliar Witchcraft Path, he chose not to avoid Buzhou Mountain, a fellow Immortal Path cultivation sect. Instead, he devised a clever plan to obtain the Sub-Sword using his own methods.
Within Buzhou Immortal City, Han Yi used a common Soul Technique to plant a Soul Seal within the soul of an Immortal Sovereign. He then instructed the Immortal Sovereign to analyze the location of the Sub-Sword he had sensed. After careful analysis, they discovered that the Sub-Sword was not located at the Heavenly Venerable's cultivation site on Buzhou Mountain, but rather in a secret vault hidden in the Back Mountain region.
Han Yi breathed a sigh of relief. He dispatched the Immortal Sovereign to retrieve the Sub-Sword, and the Immortal Sovereign readily agreed. With his cultivation level, there was virtually nothing in that secret vault he couldn't obtain.
Just three days later, the Immortal Sovereign returned with the Eighth-Rank Immortal Artifact-level Sub-Sword and delivered it to Han Yi.
After taking possession of the Sub-Sword, Han Yi departed. However, he didn't immediately remove the Soul Seal. Instead, he instructed the Immortal Sovereign to enter seclusion for three thousand years.
When the Immortal Sovereign emerged from seclusion, the Soul Seal Han Yi had implanted in his Divine Soul would have naturally dissipated.
After leaving Buzhou Mountain, Han Yi traveled to the territory of the Void Demon Palace.
Before the eruption of the Dao Tomb Ripples, this territory had been under the influence of the Purple Sun Palace and the Hanging Star Cave. Tragically, these two Dao Realm forces were instantly annihilated when the Void Demon Palace descended to suppress them.
Han Yi showed no mercy toward the Void Demon Palace, but he dared not attack any Void Demons at the Dao Realm or higher. After all, even though the Void Demon Heavenly Venerable had left for Kunlun Mountain after emerging from seclusion, Han Yi couldn't be certain that the Heavenly Venerable wouldn't hunt him down if he targeted a Dao Realm Void Demon.
He had previously attacked the two priests of Purgatory Island because the Island Lord was in seclusion recovering from injuries, allowing Han Yi to act without fear of pursuit.
Near the Void Demon Palace, Han Yi seized the opportunity to transform thirteen Eighth-Tier Void Demons and six Ninth-Tier Void Demons into Myriad Nether Incarnations.
The Myriad Nether Incarnations were fundamentally different from Soul Slaves. With Soul Slaves, Han Yi could freely remove the Soul Seal and restore their will, but with the Myriad Nether Incarnations, even he, at his current cultivation realm, was temporarily unable to break the seal.
He then ordered these Eighth-Tier and Ninth-Tier Void Demons to search for the Qingping Sword Division within the former Purple Sun Palace, now occupied by the Void Demon Palace.
His actions went completely unnoticed by any entity within the Void Demon Palace. Not even the Dao Realm Void Demons, let alone the Void Demon Heavenly Venerable himself, detected his presence.
Half a month later, Han Yi left the vicinity of the Void Demon Palace, leaving the transformed Myriad Nether Incarnations behind to serve as steady sources of Proficiency.
Although an Eighth-Tier or Ninth-Tier Void Demon now provided Han Yi with only a negligible amount of proficiency, he didn't mind. Every little bit counted.
Along the way, Han Yi had collected all the Qingping Sword Divisions, and the dormant Green Ripple Sword eagerly absorbed them all, refusing none.
As more Sub-Swords merged into it, the dormant Green Ripple Sword's aura began to approach that of a low-tier Dao Sword, yet it remained asleep, continuing to consolidate its power.
After leaving Penglai, Han Yi traveled to the Wicked Demon and Wild Desolation realms. These two worlds were highly unusual, with minimal cultivation influence and rarely visited even by factions descending from Chaos.
These realms were suited only for the Wicked Demon and the Giant Beasts of the Wild Desolation, their Immortal Spirit Qi possessing a wild, untamed nature.
Han Yi traversed these realms without reservation, calmly retrieving all the Qingping Sword Divisions. He moved with stealth, avoiding any drastic actions. Although these realms lacked Heavenly Venerables, excessive activity could attract attention from neighboring realms, making escape difficult.
Han Yi's pursuit of the Qingping Sword Division was characterized by utmost discretion and secrecy.
After leaving the two realms, Han Yi headed toward the Ferocious Realm.
In truth, his journey to the Ferocious Realm served two purposes: to investigate the location of the Qingping Sword Division, the brightest Sub-Sword he had sensed outside of Kunlun Mountain, and to conduct a thorough re-examination of the Heavenly Revelation Ruins.
The Qingping Sword Division needed no explanation; it was his primary objective.
As for the Heavenly Revelation Ruins, they were ancient ruins of the Ancient Gods. It was through these ruins that Han Yi had originally ascended to the Primordial and Supreme Truth realms. Strictly speaking, his Path of the Ancient Gods began here.
This place marked the rebirth of his journey as an Ancient God.
While reviewing his cultivation plan, Han Yi had resolved to explore the Primordial World to investigate the ruins of the Extremely Ancient Divine Sovereign. This served two purposes: to enhance his cultivation as a member of the Divine Race through the God Sovereign's ruins, and to obtain another Divine Venerable Ancient Artifact, or powerful materials to repair the Yueguang Ancient Artifact.
Thus, since he was already traveling to the Ferocious Realm to seek the Qingping Sword Division, he decided to take the opportunity to thoroughly re-examine the Heavenly Revelation Ruins.
At the edge of the Ferocious Realm, Han Yi suppressed all traces of his aura and slowly descended. His form shifted into that of a Grand Unity Realm ferocious beast, resembling a massive ape. After discerning his direction, he headed toward the sensed location of the Qingping Sword Division.
This method, though crude, had proven effective when he used it years ago.
Unbeknownst to Han Yi, as he entered the Ferocious Realm, a Daoist stood outside a valley at its very center, his eyes slightly opening.
The Daoist appeared youthful, clad in a Profound Robe, and radiated an aura of the External Dao.
Had Han Yi been there, he would have recognized this young Daoist as Li Qiankun, who had assisted him on several occasions in the past.
Behind Li Qiankun, within the valley, a vast and ancient aura pulsed rhythmically, as if in a state of slumber.
A Great Heavenly Venerable observing from the Void would clearly see that the ferocious baleful aura permeating the entire Ferocious Realm originated from this valley.
Moreover, the bloodlines of all ferocious beasts within the realm stemmed from the entity dwelling within this valley.
This entity was the supreme ruler of the Ferocious Realm, the only being within the Three Realms of Absolute Yin native to this realm itself.