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Immortal Palace.
Heaven-Devouring Holy Land.
After a beating, Sima Wuyou no longer had any semblance of a noble scion. At this moment, his clothes were in tatters, his hands and feet shackled with high-grade manacles, and his Purple Mansion sealed with a Soul Lock, rendering him unable to use his divine sense. He looked utterly miserable.
Yu Kun was in no better shape.
She had been forced into human form. In this state, she appeared as a plump woman with a round face, looking quite prosperous. However, she too was beaten beyond recognition, her face bruised, and her body adorned with various chains, reduced to a prisoner.
In the sky, several figures exuding the pressure of the Lingxu Realm stood in different positions, blocking the escape routes of these two miscreants. Dozens of Divine Realm cultivators surrounded them, watching from afar, each as if facing a great enemy.
Among all these people, one figure stood out.
It was an elderly man with a slender build, white hair, and deep-set eyes. His light green robe was adorned with a sprig of green tea, giving him an air of elegance.
But more striking than his demeanor was the overwhelming and terrifying pressure emanating from him.Among all the Lingxu Realm cultivators present, his aura was the most formidable and fearsome. Coupled with the uncontrollable immortal spirit energy seeping from him, he seemed more like a True Immortal than a mere cultivator.
This elder was none other than the human form of the Enlightenment Tea Tree.
"Thank you, Enlightenment Senior, for your assistance," the projection of the Immortal Sovereign courteously expressed gratitude. "I didn't expect this mere late-stage Divine Realm brat to have so many life-saving tricks. If not for your timely arrival, he might have escaped through the void."
"No matter, this child caused Lici's death, creating a great calamity. How could we let him escape?" True Lord of Enlightenment's expression was stern, with a rare hint of coldness in his eyes. "If we can't even stop such a brat, I really don't know how to face Master Wang Shouzhe."
"Hey, hey~~ It was that silly girl who attacked the space tunnel first, causing it to collapse and getting herself caught in the spatial turbulence," Sima Wuyou struggled angrily. "What does that have to do with me?"
"Wrong! You showed up looking like a big villain, with an attitude of coming to our world to rob everything," Princess Haige retorted angrily, "That's why Sister Lici acted first, hoping to stop you outside the space tunnel, which led to this disaster."
"Hey, hey~ Aren't you also a 'Sima'?" Sima Wuyou rolled his eyes in exasperation, "Do you know that I'm also a Sima? We're family."
"Who's family with you!" Princess Haige quickly distanced herself, "Our Sima Clan is clean and clear, with every member's identity traceable through generations. We have nothing to do with invaders like you."
"Isn't it just two unimportant girls who died in an accident?" Sima Wuyou said with a face full of disbelief, "Do you really need to be so scared?"
With that, he flicked his bangs arrogantly, "Listen up, you old geezers. I'm a direct descendant of the Holy Sima Clan, a True Immortal Seed. Our clan has eleven True Immortal elders like your Immortal Sovereign! And our ancestor is the great Da Luo Holy Sovereign!"
Upon hearing this, the Divine Realm experts of the Immortal Palace were shocked.
Even the Lingxu Realm experts' expressions turned serious.
They had already found it odd that this young man, despite his age, had endless tricks and the ability to fight across realms, even wielding an unfamiliar Immortal Scripture.
But they hadn't expected his background to be so significant!
At the Lingxu Realm level, they were well aware that their world wasn't the only one, that there were other realms beyond.
The Immortal Palace and Immortal Dynasty held some secrets of these other realms and had explored them, acquiring rare treasures but also encountering dangers.
However, a realm of the level this young man spoke of was unheard of among the Lingxu Realm experts present.
[Holy Clan], [Da Luo Holy Sovereign]!
The names alone exuded an aura of grandeur.
With eleven True Immortal elders, the [Da Luo Holy Sovereign] was undoubtedly a being above True Immortals, likely on par with the Holy Emperor from ten thousand years ago.
All eyes involuntarily turned to the Immortal Sovereign.
This young man might truly be someone they couldn't afford to offend~
The Immortal Sovereign exchanged a glance with True Lord of Enlightenment, seemingly reaching an understanding in an instant.
He snorted coldly and declared, "What of the Da Luo Holy Sovereign? If the Holy Sovereign could easily descend upon our world, they would have done so already."
"Moreover, this child caused Lici's death. Whether to kill or release him is not something our Immortal Palace can decide. We must quickly inform Master Wang Shouzhe and have him come to the Immortal Palace to handle this matter."
"The Immortal Sovereign speaks wisely."
The Lingxu Realm experts nodded in agreement.
"Since this matter is settled for now, I shall return to seclusion and strive to break through to the thirteenth tier, becoming a celestial plant," True Lord of Enlightenment said casually before taking off, heading back to his tea garden for seclusion.
In truth, he felt the pressure. Facing a Holy Clan with over a dozen True Immortals, their overall strength might surpass even the Demon Realm.
Of course, the Demon Realm at its peak was very strong, with two Great Demon Lords and dozens of Demon Gods, otherwise, they wouldn't have been able to pressure the Shenwu Royal Dynasty.
Clearly, the Great Demon Lord should be of the same realm as the Da Luo Holy Sovereign.
True Lord of Enlightenment feared the situation would continue to escalate, with unpredictable consequences, so he wanted to break through as soon as possible to bolster the human race's foundation.
After True Lord of Enlightenment left, the Immortal Sovereign's projection glanced at Sima Wuyou and decisively ordered, "Isolate and detain him first, interrogate as necessary. I will find a way to determine if Lici is still alive and invite the Immortal Emperor to see if there's a chance to rescue her."
"Yes, Immortal Sovereign!"
Everyone responded solemnly and in unison.
---
A few days later.
Changning Wang's Clan.
In the underground of Long Yan's Abode.
In the Netherworld Secret Hall, beside the Netherworld True Water pool, a deck chair and a small tea table had appeared at some point.
Wang Shouzhe was lying on the deck chair, cracking spiritual melon seeds, sipping spiritual fruit juice, and multitasking by catalyzing the Netherworld Gold Lotus in the Netherworld True Water pool.
Lately, whenever he had free time, he would come here to catalyze the Netherworld Gold Lotus, to the point where he was almost sick of it.
Of course, the results were quite significant.
After some time of catalysis, the Netherworld Gold Lotus had grown over a dozen golden leaves, with a bud even forming at the base of one leaf.
However, after the bud appeared, the catalysis speed noticeably slowed, and no new leaves grew. Clearly, the energy required to nurture the bud far exceeded that for the leaves, with all absorbed energy going to the bud.
The small bud was only the size of a thumb, its surface a mix of green and gold, looking quite cute.
Seeing this, Wang Shouzhe felt quite gratified.
Slow growth was fine, as long as it matured eventually.
He planned to plant new rhizomes after producing them, aiming to turn one Netherworld Gold Lotus into two, three, four...
Though the Netherworld Gold Lotus wasn't as high-grade as the Scarlet Lotus of Immortality, its lower grade had its advantages, such as being able to be refined into pills.
As he knew, the Demon Dynasty had a ninth-grade demonic pill called the [Netherworld Dao Pill], with the main ingredient being the Netherworld Gold Lotus.
If the Wang Clan could refine this pill, it would bring many benefits, even making Ancestor Long Yan's future cultivation smoother.
Just as Wang Shouzhe was envisioning the future.
Suddenly.
A family guard reported, "Master, an urgent message from the Immortal Palace says that Miss Lici is in trouble."
Wang Shouzhe's expression changed.
Before he could speak, the guard handed over a small note he had been holding.
This was a message sent back by the fastest messenger bird from the Immortal Palace. Seeing the gravity of the situation, the guard had rushed over to deliver it as soon as he received it.
Wang Shouzhe quickly scanned the note, his expression growing more serious: "Go invite Ancestor Dragon of Yuan Shui, tell him there's an urgent matter and I need him to take me to the Immortal Palace. He can name his price, but it must be fast."
"Hurry!"
"Yes!"
"Also, inform Young Master Zongkun to end his operations in the Demon Realm and head to the Immortal Palace to meet me."
"Understood, Master."
The guard understood the gravity of the situation and immediately went to carry out the orders.
Wang Shouzhe also lost the mood to continue catalyzing the Netherworld Gold Lotus. With a flicker, he teleported back to his small courtyard.
This trip to the Immortal Palace could take a long or short time. With only Ruolan at home, he felt uneasy and needed to give some instructions before leaving.
---
At the same time.
In the Eastern Gan Defense Zone of the outer demon realm.
In the depths of the Demon Sea, amidst the turbulent waves, a large splash suddenly erupted.
Amidst the splashing water, a Kun suddenly leaped out of the water, its massive head and plump body appearing majestic and grand.
After emerging from the water, its form grew smaller and smaller, eventually twisting into the shape of a boy.
The boy looked about eleven or twelve years old, with chubby arms and legs, white and tender, his joints slightly indented, resembling segments of lotus roots. His face was round and rosy, plump enough to seem like it could be pinched for water, and his big, bright black eyes made him look particularly cheerful.
In old sayings, this was called a "prosperous appearance."
This Kun was naturally Wang Zongkun, the direct descendant of the Wang Clan.
He had gained some benefits, and in a short time, had broken through the eighth-tier barrier, reaching the ninth-tier transformation stage.
"Ha ha ha~" Wang Zongkun's slightly childish laughter echoed above the sea, spreading far and wide, "I've successfully transformed! I've succeeded! Boo hoo~ But I'm still way behind my sister."
In the latter part of his words, he choked up a bit, his voice tinged with a hint of sobbing.
It seemed Wang Zongkun was quite bothered by the fact that he had transformed much later than his sister, Wang Lixian.
"Young Master Zongkun, slow down, don't fall..." Two large Dragon Whales leaped out of the water, transforming into two Dragon Whale maids, hurriedly supporting Wang Zongkun.
"Zongkun, your sister is happy for you too." Dragon Jingjing followed closely, leaping out of the sea and transforming into a voluptuous black-clad beauty, hugging Wang Zongkun and pressing his small head into her bosom, her expression full of joy, "Just as I thought, my Zongkun is a handsome young man after transformation."
The only regret was that this handsome young man was still too young, far from reaching adulthood. However, Dragon Jingjing wasn't in a hurry; she had a long lifespan and could wait.
As they spoke, one by one, Dragon Whales surfaced behind them, the massive whale group occupying a large expanse of sea, looking spectacular from afar.
Among them, many had reached the ninth-tier transformation stage, transforming into human forms to loyally serve as guards.
"Jingjing, you're suffocating me, I-I~ can't~ breathe." Wang Zongkun struggled to say.
"Ha ha ha~ My little Kun doesn't understand his sister's kindness." Dragon Jingjing released him, joyfully pinching his chubby cheeks, "Speaking of which, I should thank you. Sharing the treasures from the ruins with me has greatly purified my bloodline, giving me the potential of a twelfth-tier peak semi-immortal beast."
"Jingjing has always taken good care of me." Wang Zongkun said with slight annoyance, "It's a pity the bloodline energy from the Immortal Kun Pearl I inherited was a bit lacking, otherwise, Jingjing might have had the potential to break through to the thirteenth tier."
"Kun, we mustn't be greedy. The Immortal Kun Pearl left by the Immortal Kun has already helped us greatly." Dragon Jingjing said happily, "Now you have the potential of the fourteenth tier, no less than your sister. You must cultivate well in the future."
This time, Wang Zongkun and his group had good fortune, discovering an underwater ruin filled with spatial vortices.
After some exploration, they found it was the lair of a twelfth-tier peak Demon Dragon King. From various signs and sparse records within the lair, it was deduced that the Demon Dragon King had once obtained a pearl left by a deceased fourteenth-tier Immortal Kun.
Such an Immortal Kun Pearl was formed when an Immortal Kun, nearing the end of its lifespan, condensed and compressed its bloodline essence and spatial law power. It was invaluable, especially if passed on to Kun descendants, greatly enhancing their bloodline potential and growth speed.
Such a treasure was undoubtedly a rare gem.
After obtaining it, the Demon Dragon King naturally treasured it, hoping to use its power to break through its bloodline barrier. However, it didn't anticipate the Immortal Kun Pearl's power being too domineering, with bloodline exclusivity too strong, leading to backlash instead of absorption.
A perfectly fine twelfth-tier peak Demon Dragon King was directly blown apart, dying on the spot. The Immortal Kun Pearl fell into the sea, stirring spatial vortices that kept various demonic beasts at bay.
It wasn't until Wang Zongkun, a pure-blooded genuine Immortal Kun, entered the ruins that he easily received the Immortal Kun Pearl's legacy. To express gratitude to Dragon Jingjing and the others, he even shared some benefits with them.
The two maids' potential rose from the original tenth tier to the eleventh-tier Dragon Whale King potential, and Dragon Jingjing gained semi-immortal beast potential.
As for Wang Zongkun himself, he naturally reaped the greatest benefits, jumping from the original thirteenth-tier potential to the fourteenth-tier potential, and even reaching the ninth-tier transformation stage.
The biggest benefit was that he no longer had to attend Clan School with the appearance of a big-headed fish.
Besides the bloodline benefits, Wang Zongkun and his Dragon Whale subordinates also scoured the entire Demon Dragon lair, taking all the treasures, returning fully loaded.
Having been away from the Great Gan base for long enough, it was time to return.
After chatting with Dragon Jingjing for a while, Wang Zongkun packed up and headed to the Eastern Gan Defense Zone base, intending to send the good news of his advancement back to the clan to make his father happy.
Unexpectedly, upon arriving at the Eastern Gan Defense Zone, he received orders from his father, Wang Shouzhe, to quickly head to the Immortal Palace to meet him, saying something important had happened and he was needed to help.
"Besides Sister Lici being caught in the spatial turbulence, there's supposedly a female Kun on the other side? They want me to communicate with her and gather some intelligence." Wang Zongkun excitedly shared the news with Dragon Jingjing, "Jingjing, I can finally help my father with something important, yay yay~ I'm so happy~"
"Female Kun?" Dragon Jingjing's expression changed upon hearing those words, becoming alert, "I'll accompany you to the Immortal Palace."
---
At the same time.
In another space.
Wang Lici, Lan Wan'er, and the Demonic Realm Burrowing Rat were all staring blankly at their surroundings.
They found themselves in a bustling town, full of people coming and going.
The town seemed quite large, with wide streets lined with wooden and stone buildings, including inns and teahouses, giving it an elegant appearance. The passersby wore long robes with wide sleeves, moving gracefully, each a Basalt cultivator with some level of cultivation.
On either side of the street, Basalt cultivators occasionally passed by on sedan chairs or riding spiritual beasts.
In the sky, flying chariots or streaks of light occasionally crossed, gradually disappearing into the distant clouds.
It was an ordinary human town, albeit a relatively affluent and developed one.
If not for the architectural style, clothing, and accents being quite different from what they were used to, they might have thought they had returned to the Immortal Dynasty.
"Did we... arrive in another world?" Lan Wan'er looked around, uncertain.
Wang Lici also widened her eyes, her innocent face full of doubt.
Was this what the legendary otherworld looked like?
She had imagined it to be completely different from their world, like the Demon Realm. But this was nothing like she imagined, feeling almost no different from the human world~
As for how she and Lan Wan'er ended up here, that was a long story.
For some time, she, Lan Wan'er, and the Demonic Realm Burrowing Rat had been wandering in the void.
Though they had plenty of food stored in their storage spaces, the wandering life was still quite grueling.
Despite their cultivation allowing them to survive in the void, they were far from being at ease.
The void around the Domain of Destruction was particularly complex and chaotic.
Countless spatial vortices were scattered throughout the void, with shattered mountains, meteors, and fragments of ancient ruins being pulled by the vortices' gravity, flying unpredictably.
Some flew as fast as lightning, making it nearly impossible to track their paths with the naked eye. A moment's inattention could lead to being struck.
They had to fly while dodging flying meteors and fragments, maintaining distance from the spatial vortices to avoid being sucked in, making every step a cautious one.
Fortunately, while the Domain of Destruction's environment was harsh, the main dangers lay in the environment itself, and with caution, they managed to avoid them, escaping unscathed.
Later, they were lucky enough to find a stable space tunnel, traveling to another space.
However, the situation there was completely different from what they imagined, leaving them feeling disoriented and taking a long time to react.
At that moment.
A white-clad girl riding a third-tier deer-shaped spiritual beast happened to pass by, the "clip-clop" of the deer's hooves crisp and pleasant.
Wang Lici snapped back to reality and quickly grabbed the reins, asking, "Sister, can you tell me where this is?"
"Here?" The white-clad girl wasn't angry at being stopped, just a bit puzzled, "This is [Xinze Town], isn't it?"
"I mean the full name, which country, which commandery... the more complete, the better." Wang Lici said, pulling out a small bag of dried fruit from her storage ring and handing some to her.
The white-clad girl hesitated, tasted a piece, found it quite delicious, and her expression relaxed.
Though it was odd to ask for an address, the dried fruit won her over, and she answered seriously, "The full name would be [New Luo Immortal Dynasty], [Haoran State], [Yikang Commandery], [Changshou County], [Dragon Lake Guard], [Xinze Town]."
"New Luo Immortal Dynasty?" Wang Lici's eyes widened.
"Yes~ Our New Luo Immortal Dynasty is one of the top powers within the [Tianrui Holy Dynasty]'s sphere of influence." The white-clad girl spoke proudly, then looked at Wang Lici with suspicion, "How come you don't know anything? Are you a spy from somewhere?"
"No, we just want to leave an address for our family, so they can send things to us," Lan Wan'er quickly explained.
With a few words, they managed to brush off the white-clad girl, and the two women and the rat bid her farewell, turning to sigh together.
"Oh no~ We've never even heard of this Tianrui Holy Dynasty. How are we supposed to get back?" Wang Lici worriedly frowned.
"Only countries with True Immortals can be called Immortal Dynasties, and a Holy Dynasty sounds even more powerful, probably on par with the historical Shenwu Royal Dynasty," Lan Wan'er sighed, "This world seems very strong. It might be hard for us to survive here."
"Squeak squeak squeak!"
The Demonic Realm Burrowing Rat was also worried.
It had hundreds, no, thousands of wives waiting for it in the Demon Realm~ What if they ran off with other rats if it was late?
The atmosphere was heavy.
Amidst their sighs.
"Gurgle~"
Wang Lici's stomach suddenly growled.
She rubbed her empty belly, pulling a wry face, "Forget it~ I'm tired and thirsty. Let's find a place to eat and treat ourselves."
Though their journey through the void had been safe, the mental fatigue was unavoidable.
Moreover, they had little water left, having run out quickly, and had been relying on their strong constitutions to endure, now urgently needing to rehydrate.
And after eating the same rations in the void, she was sick of the taste.
The two women and the rat searched the street, soon finding a place that looked like a restaurant, and without hesitation, rushed in.
"Owner, bring out your best food and wine," Wang Lici ordered as soon as she entered.
The place was lavishly decorated, seeming quite upscale. From her experience, such places usually had a wide variety of dishes, and while the taste might not be the best, it generally wouldn't be bad, unlikely to disappoint.
She ordered a large array of exotic dishes and, along with the Demonic Realm Burrowing Rat and Lan Wan'er, began to feast.
The flavors were different from those in the Great Gan, Immortal Dynasty, and Demon Realm, but they were quite unique and delicious.
Worth it!
This trip to another world was totally worth it~
Wang Lici and Lan Wan'er were both known as big eaters, and soon they had eaten through the restaurant's stock.
After eating,
The owner, wiping sweat, cautiously approached with the bill, "Esteemed young lady, your total comes to 129,305 Immortal Crystals..."
"Only a little over a hundred thousand Immortal Crystals? That's not much..." Wang Lici patted her belly and casually said to Lan Wan'er, "Wan'er, you settle the bill first. I left half of my money with the poor brothers in the army and sent the other half back to my father."
She was only half full, but it was satisfying~~
"But Sister Lici, I sent my money back too," Lan Wan'er blinked, "My family is only a third-grade family, raising me wasn't easy. Now that I've finally made a big contribution and earned a lot, I naturally wanted to give back... I thought we'd be in the Heaven-Devouring Holy Land for a long time, so money wouldn't be needed... Demonic Realm Burrowing Rat, you pay."
"What? Squeak squeak squeak!"
The Demonic Realm Burrowing Rat lifted its head, its small face full of shock.
I'm just a rat, and you want me to pay for the meal?
The two women and the rat looked at each other, the air momentarily silent.
Seeing this, the owner's face turned green with anger.
Eating without paying was one thing, but eating all the food in the restaurant was too much! How was he supposed to do business now?
Seeing the owner's expression, Wang Lici looked helpless.
Fine!
She'd have to offer some treasures to settle the bill~
She couldn't bring herself to dine and dash from a "small business" like this, especially when the food was quite good.
She reached for her storage ring, ready to pull out some materials or dragon crystals to pay. Though her food reserves were low, she had accumulated many other valuable items over the years.
However, before she could take anything out, a voice came from the side.
"Put the bill on my tab."
As the words fell, a slick young man swaggered in.
His gaze subtly swept over the jade pendant at Wang Lici's waist, and seeing her look over, he adjusted his clothes and politely greeted, "I am Situ Xuejia, at your service, Miss Sima."
"Fourth Miss? No, no, I'm the eldest miss," Wang Lici shook her head in confusion, "You've got the wrong person."
"Uh... I understand, it's my mistake..." Situ Xuejia wiped a bead of sweat, "I was blind, you're the eldest miss, the eldest miss."
"..." Wang Lici.
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