Immortal of the Nine Realms

Bai Lingyue was both curious and excited. ”Is this the legendary Starry Sky Great Transfer Formation?”

In Celestial Heaven, Northern Dipper and Central Continent, very few cultivators knew of the existence of this array, let alone had the opportunity to use it to travel to the Prison Wind Lands. It was only because Li Changsheng needed them this time that they were granted such a rare chance.

Yan Kun nodded with a soft smile. ”Indeed, activating this array requires a significant cost. I’ve only traveled through it twice myself.”

The two Dao Union sword cultivators exchanged glances.

”So Senior Brother Yan has already been to the Prison Wind Lands...”

One was from the Divine Wind Sword Sect of Celestial Heaven, and the other was from the Seven Stars Sword Sect of Northern Dipper.

They were of similar age to Yan Kun and Bai Qingming, both at the Dao Union and under eight hundred years old.

Among the millions of sword cultivators in this realm, the people Li Changsheng was taking along this time were either ones who possessed unparalleled talent in cultivation or comprehended top-tier sword intents, making them the elite of their respective realms.

Everyone present shared similar thoughts.

So the Kunlun Sword Sect’s dominance is due to this advantage. If we could also travel to the Prison Wind Lands a few times, our current strength would far surpass what it is now.

At that moment, Bai Qingming walked over slowly with Fang Chen and Dongfang Hao Jie, glancing downward while smiling at Yan Kun. Bai Qingming jabbed, You’ve been there twice? Why is your sword technique still so mediocre, then?”

Yan Kun’s expression darkened. He coldly glanced at Bai Qingming. ”Last time, you had the advantage of timing and terrain. I lost by half a move. If we fight again, I can beat you by at least three moves.”

Bai Qingming chuckled. ”Talking is easy. We have to fight to know. How about we have a match before heading there?”

The crowd was visibly surprised.

The two from the Divine Wind Sword Sect and the Seven Stars Sword Sect looked somewhat grave. Had these two fought before, and Yan Kun lost by half a move?

They found it hard to believe.

Yan Kun was widely recognized as the top sword cultivator of the younger generation. Even Fang Chen, who had been the talk of the town recently, was merely retracing the path Yan Kun had walked in his youth. Yan Kun had been famous for many years and had never lost in a duel with his peers.

Fang Chen was also surprised. At a glance, he could tell that Yan Kun’s cultivation foundation was stronger than Bai Qingming’s.

He had initially thought that Bai Qingming’s claim of Yan Kun suffering a loss was due to other reasons. But now it seemed that Yan Kun had indeed lost by half a move to Bai Qingming.

Li Changsheng walked over slowly. ”If you want to spar, you can do so freely after the Sword Burial Heavenly Step is over. Until then, refrain from fighting.”

Everyone bowed in respect. ”Ancestor Li.”

Li Changsheng nodded lightly, then waved his sleeve. A high-grade spirit stone fell like a meteor into the center of the island, landing in the ancient grand array.

The crowd’s spirits lifted, and they waited quietly, feeling slightly nervous.

Soon, the spiritual energy within a radius of several hundred miles seemed to be mobilized. The spiritual energy, which was usually invisible to the naked eye, became so dense that it formed a rolling mist, surging like waves from all directions toward this place.

Dongfang Hao Jie gasped, staring dumbfounded at the scene. He stammered, ”H-how much spiritual energy is being gathered... to create such a... miraculous sight!?”

Bai Qingming smiled faintly. ”Even if a Dao Union Realm cultivator were to explode and disperse their spiritual energy, it wouldn’t be as much as this.”

As he spoke, the grand array below activated, and everyone saw a vortex like a starry sky swirling into existence.

”Let’s go. Remember to hold your breath and focus your mind,” said Li Changsheng lightly, standing at the bow with his hands clasped behind his back.

The boat slowly tilted and then plunged vertically into the starry vortex.

Everyone stood firmly, not falling over despite the movement. Remembering Li Changsheng’s warning to hold their breath and focus, they didn’t dare to be careless.

Yan Kun wore a faint smile. Having experienced this twice before, he was already familiar with the process. Seeing the others acting as if facing a great enemy, disdain flashed in his eyes.

He glanced at Bai Qingming out of the corner of his eye and noticed that Bai Qingming wasn’t nervous at all. Then he looked at Fang Chen and saw that Fang Chen also showed no signs of tension. Only Dongfang Haojie was clutching Fang Chen’s sleeve tightly, looking as if he were about to face a life-or-death situation.

Yan Kun sneered inwardly. Hmph, putting on an act.

He recalled his first trip to the Prison Wind Lands and knew it was impossible to be as calm as these two. They had to be hiding their nervousness deep down, unwilling to show it.

Dongfang Hao Jie suddenly exclaimed, ”I can’t see anything!”

The expressions of the crowd turned grave. Indeed, they could no longer see anything. It was as if they had entered a pitch-black, silent void.

A faint, indistinct murmuring seemed to echo in their ears.

Bai Qingming frowned slightly and transmitted his voice to Fang Chen, ”Junior Brother Fang, is someone whispering in our ears?”

”Indeed.” Fang Chen nodded lightly. ”This sound might be left behind by cultivators who once used this array.”

Bai Qingming’s eyes flickered. ”Oh? Are you talking about a mirage?”

Fang Chen smiled. ”It’s just a guess.”

The next moment, light returned, and everyone suddenly realized they had left the dark void.

They appeared in a grand formation.

Looking around, they saw clusters of buildings centered around the array, resembling a massive city.

The formation was located on a high mountain at the edge of the city, at least several hundred feet above the ground.

As soon as the Immortal Boat appeared in the array, several white-robed cultivators flew over, bowing and clasping their fists toward Li Changsheng.

”We pay our respects.”

These cultivators were of average strength, only in the Soul Splitting Realm.

Li Chang Sheng nodded indifferently, then steered the Immortal Boat away, disappearing into the horizon.

One of the Soul Splitting Realm cultivators snorted coldly. ”What’s there to be arrogant about? He’s just a sword cultivator. If it weren’t for him becoming the Long Family’s son-in-law, we wouldn’t even spare him a glance.”

Another gloated, ”The sword cultivator he brought this time is probably here to prepare for the Sword Burial Heavenly Step. I heard these sword cultivator are quite arrogant in their rural areas. Now that they’ve come here, I wonder if they’ll be able to adapt.”

***

”The place we’re currently in is called the Prison Wind Lands. Its territory is so vast that even if you combined Celestial Heaven, Northern Dipper, Central Continent, and the Immortal Demon Sea, they would still be dozens of times smaller.

”In addition, the Star of Creation also has the Dragon Abyss, the Four Beaks, and the Singing Fox Regions, none of which are smaller than Prison Wind Lands. In some aspects, they even far surpass it.”

”Because of the abundant cultivation resources here, with no shortage of spirit stones and spiritual materials, the cultivation progress of the local cultivators far exceeds that of your homelands.

”Dao Union Realm cultivators under eight hundred years are commonplace here.

”In Celestial Heaven, Northern Dipper, and the Central Continent, out of a hundred Immortal Kings, perhaps not even one can successfully ascend to First Rate Sect Leader. But here, almost one out of every twenty or thirty Immortal Kings can become one.

”There are four great clans, three sects, and one sacred land here. These eight forces stand at the pinnacle, but the sacred land and the sects are slightly stronger than the four great clans.”

”You are going to the Sword Burial Heavenly Step this time to fight for the Long Family. As one of the four great clans, the Long Family controls thousands of cities, large and small. Countless sects and prestigious families revere the Long Family. Just among the Long Family’s direct lineage, there are thirty-six First Rate Sect Leaders like me, and the number from external lineages... has already surpassed a hundred.”

As they listened to Li Changsheng’s words, a sense of awe filled everyone’s hearts.

Over a hundred First Rate Sect Leaders?

This was something they had never dared to imagine before. How many well-known First Rate Sect Leaders were there in Celestial Heaven, Northern Dipper, and Central Continent combined?

Li Changsheng glanced at the group. ”Many First Rate Sect Leaders in our realm have not shown themselves for a long time. Not all of them are in seclusion. You might have the chance to meet a few of them this time.”

As he spoke, the Immortal Boat gradually arrived at a place that resembled a fairyland.

Here, the spiritual energy was dense, with spiritual mountains and springs visible everywhere, and occasional immortal birds flying by.

”We have arrived. This is the main branch of the Long Family.”

Li Changsheng waved his hand lightly, dismissing the Immortal Boat, and led the group downward.