Chapter 513: 422 Zhang Immortal Sect_2
Chen Jichuan did not conceal the truth and spoke plainly.
"It truly is a Divine Skill."
Yu Ming Immortal Venerable was unsurprised. In the Chongming Realm, as far as he was aware, any Divine Skill invariably originated from the Immortal Sect, none from outside of it.
He was only curious.
Wang Yan, after all calculations, had only cultivated for fifty thousand years, yet had already refined a Divine Skill to a profound level.
When Yu Ming Immortal Venerable himself cultivated a Divine Skill to a similar level, it had taken him over a hundred thousand years.
"Could it be a truly extraordinary talent?"
But that explanation was reasonable.
Compared to Wang Yan’s cultivation progress over the past two hundred years, this bit of talent in Divine Skills seemed almost trivial.
Chen Jichuan, of course, wouldn’t explain ’Enlightenment’ to Yu Ming Immortal Venerable. He followed Yu Ming Immortal Venerable’s lead, only to inquire about the Immortal Sect’s background: "So Divine Skills are circulating within the Immortal Sect! Does the Immortal Venerable know the origins of this Immortal Sect?"
"The Immortal Sect."
Yu Ming Immortal Venerable pondered for a moment, his thoughts complex, before finally speaking: "Daoist, do you know that the Chongming Realm originally never had a Ninth Realm? A million years ago, the Immortal Sect descended from the heavens, opening the skies, and forcibly created the Ninth Realm."
Yu Ming Immortal Venerable, having lived through countless ages, with forty thousand years of experience in the True Spirit Imprint Immortal Sect, knew far more about its origins than ordinary Upper Immortals.
Speaking of the Immortal Sect’s origins, he immediately dropped a bombshell on Chen Jichuan.
"The Nine Heavens!"
"It was actually created by the Immortal Sect?!"
Chen Jichuan couldn’t help but gape.
From Tuota Venerable, he had previously learned some fragmented information about the Immortal Sect. But this relationship between the Immortal Sect and the Nine Heavens was something even Tuota Venerable didn’t know.
Chen Jichuan had been equally clueless.
He had previously thought the Nine Heavens were sealed, only opened a million years ago when discovered by the Upper Immortals of the Chongming Realm.
Simultaneously discovering the Immortal Sect.
Or perhaps the Immortal Sect had appeared in the Nine Heavens, revealing its location and allowing it to be discovered by the Upper Immortals.
But he had never imagined that the Nine Heavens were actually created by an Immortal Sect.
Opening the skies and creating the earth!
What kind of unimaginable power is this?
Chen Jichuan was stunned, his thoughts wandering.
Yu Ming Immortal Venerable, recalling the time he first learned of this, felt the same overwhelming shock and awe.
"Who cast down this Immortal Sect?"
"Could it be a Great Power from the Immortal Realm?"
Chen Jichuan pressed further.
"According to piecemeal information gathered from within the Immortal Sect, it can be deduced that this Immortal Sect was once the legacy treasure of an immortal faction called ’Yu Star Ocean’ in the Upper Realm."
"During the chaos in the Upper Realm, the immortals of ’Yu Star Ocean’ perished, their mountain gate shattered. In their final moments, they cast the ’Immortal Sect’ to the Lower Realm, where it ultimately landed in the Chongming Realm."
"Within the Immortal Sect, fragments of tablets occasionally appear, recording Divine Skills. These Divine Skills were rare even within ’Yu Star Ocean,’ with few disciples able to practice them. To master a Divine Skill, one had to pass numerous trials."
"But with the downfall of ’Yu Star Ocean’ and the turbulence of the Immortal Sect, damage was caused, leading to chaos in its settings, allowing these Divine Skills to spill out."
"Though they are but fragments, they still represent an unprecedented opportunity for us Upper Immortals."
"Currently, all Divine Skills found in the Chongming Realm originate from the Immortal Sect."
"For example, Tuota Venerable’s ’Summoning Wind and Rain,’ or Dongning Daoist’s ’Seven Emotions Magic Sword,’ both have this lineage."
"Even in the Upper Realm, these Divine Skills are exceedingly precious."
Yu Ming Immortal Venerable held nothing back in his explanation.
The Upper Realm.
Yu Star Ocean.
Legacy Immortal Sect.
Only now did Chen Jichuan understand the origins of the Immortal Sect.
"Immortal Sect!"
Yu Ming Immortal Venerable was correct; the Immortal Sect was indeed a great opportunity for the Chongming Realm.
Without this Immortal Sect, Fourth-order Upper Immortals like Yu Ming Immortal Venerable in a realm like Chongming would have absolutely no chance to come into contact with Divine Skills.
Let alone cultivate them.
But now, although Yu Ming Immortal Venerable didn’t mention it, as an Immortal Venerable with forty thousand years of exploration within the Immortal Sect, he must surely possess a Divine Skill himself.
If he had the fortune to ascend to the Upper Realm one day, even a single Divine Skill would be enough to establish his foothold there.
"Yet, as they say, the Immortal Sect brings success, but also destruction!"
Yu Ming Immortal Venerable couldn’t help but smile bitterly as he spoke. "This Immortal Sect, being a legacy treasure, naturally contains trials. Consider the immense power of ’Yu Star Ocean’—with a wealth of Divine Skills and the ability to create an entire realm just by casting down this Immortal Sect—it’s beyond imagination. Naturally, its trials are extraordinary as well."
The Immortal Sect descended.
It created the Ninth Realm, but also obstructed the path to ascension.
For someone of Yu Ming Immortal Venerable’s level, he could barely traverse the cosmos and seek fortune beyond the Chongming Realm.
But because of the Immortal Sect’s blockade, he couldn’t leave.
Only by adhering to the rules of the Immortal Sect could one have hope of transcending.
"Within the Immortal Sect exists a realm called the Immortal Gate Realm. In ’Yu Star Ocean,’ disciples aiming to master a Divine Skill needed to venture there. Under varying rules, one could gather enough ’Holy Artifacts’ and ’Divine Artifacts’ to unlock the Immortal Sect and receive instruction in the Divine Skill."
"Otherwise, even at the Fifth-order level, one remains ordinary, finding it extremely difficult to learn a single Divine Skill."
"Although we have exploited loopholes and obtained fragmentary Divine Skills."
"To leave the Immortal Sect, however, still requires gathering enough ’Holy Artifacts’ and ’Divine Artifacts.’ Through these, and by utilizing their ’Holy Marks,’ we can construct the ’Worldly Treasure Raft.’ Only then can we hope to push open the Immortal Sect and ascend beyond the heavens."
"But Daoist, you also understand how difficult it is to gather Holy Artifacts within the Immortal Gate Realm."
"Even Bixia Immortal Venerable, who attained enlightenment ninety-seven thousand years ago and has managed the Immortal Gate Realm for nearly a million years, is still trapped in the Chongming Realm, unable to open the Immortal Sect."
Yu Ming Immortal Venerable shook his head, bitter and disorientated.
The Immortal Sect shattered, its rules distorted. What these Immortal Venerables knew about it remained fragmentary and unclear.
How many Holy Artifacts or Holy Marks were needed to unlock the Immortal Sect?
Could the Heavenly Venerate and Immortal Venerables bound by the True Spirit Seal within the Immortal Sect escape?
They had no idea.
They could only press forward along this path, with no alternative.
Great opportunity.
Great sorrow.
Who could truly say which it was?
...
"Holy Artifacts, huh."
Listening to Yu Ming Immortal Venerable’s account, Chen Jichuan felt calmer.
By this reasoning, as long as one could gather sufficient Holy Artifacts, the Immortal Sect could be unlocked.
For Yu Ming Immortal Venerable and others, this task was nigh impossible. But for him, it couldn’t be easier.
"’Yu Star Ocean’ likely intended to test their disciples’ adaptability under different rule sets, examining their wisdom and methods."
"There may even be other metrics we don’t yet understand."
"Since trials must be overcome to acquire Divine Skills, it’s likely that even for ’Yu Star Ocean’s’ disciples, these trials weren’t easy."
"No wonder Yu Ming Immortal Venerable and the others have struggled to pass them for so long."
Chen Jichuan considered silently.
Having ventured into the Immortal Gate Realm himself, he knew just how challenging it was for Immortal Dao cultivators to access their full strength and locate Holy Artifacts there.
Successfully acquiring enough Holy Artifacts required extraordinary power and strategic collaboration.
This was surely the dual essence of ’Yu Star Ocean’s’ trials.
Perhaps fortune and fate played a minor role as well.
As for Yu Ming Immortal Venerable and others,
After countless years, if they pooled their Holy Artifacts together, perhaps one or two among them could now break free. But each sought their own transcendence—how could they possibly sacrifice themselves for another?
And so they continued to endure.
Yet even they had no certainty, for they were all bound by the True Spirit Seal of the Immortal Sect.
"Is this a blessing?"
"Or a curse?"
It was impossible to know.
But Chen Jichuan suspected: "I fear it’s not a blessing. If the True Spirit Seal of the Immortal Sect truly granted tens of thousands of years of lifespan, the difficulty of these trials would be drastically reduced."
Not only Chen Jichuan, but surely Yu Ming Immortal Venerable and the others harbored similar suspicions.
"Therefore, I must seize every moment."
He wasn’t overly concerned.
If one lifetime wasn’t enough, he could simply reset and start over. Besides, he had yet to ascend.
But Wang Yan couldn’t wait.
"The Holy Artifacts."
"The Worldly Treasure Raft."
These were the known trials within the Immortal Sect.
And as Yu Ming Immortal Venerable said, the rules of the Immortal Sect were shrouded in ambiguity, leaving them uncertain. Whether there were additional restrictions beyond ’Holy Artifacts’ remained unknown.
"I’ll complete this stage of the trial first and then reevaluate."
Chen Jichuan mused.
...