Chapter 1780: Immortal Realm and Forbidden Technique

Volume Ten: War in the Demon Realm

In the center of the Misty Sea, the sky still shimmered with silver light, and the sun glowed golden. Aside from that, there was no sign of clouds or a gentle breeze. Within a hundred-mile radius, not a single sound could be heard, as if everything had been frozen by some mysterious energy. Time passed slowly, but the mysterious phenomenon in the Misty Sea remained unchanged.

However, on the second day, some black specks appeared in the golden sun, flickering slightly. On the third day, the specks converged into a dark mass at the center of the sun. By the fourth day, the dark mass began to deform, stretching and becoming increasingly slender. On the fifth day, a long, thin black line distinctly formed on the surface of the golden sun. From afar, it resembled a giant, tightly closed golden eye. It was extremely bizarre.

On the sixth day, all celestial phenomena remained unchanged, except that the golden light emitted by the sun became even more blindingly brilliant. At noon on the seventh day, Han Li, who had been meditating in his cave dwelling, opened his eyes. At the same time, the golden giant eye formed by the sun, its black line twisting and blurring, also slowly opened. Within the black light, a seven-colored orb, like a pupil, emerged. The colorful light on the orb's surface swirled indistinctly, surprisingly giving an incredible sensation of seeing through all things in heaven and earth.

A short while later, a prolonged roar, like a dragon's cry, suddenly emanated from the lower peak. Its melodious and clear sound soared straight beyond the nine heavens.

In some unknown, ethereal space, within a pure white palace suspended in the void, several hazy figures, shrouded in light, sat on their respective platforms, dozens of feet high, conversing with each other from afar. Most of these figures' true appearances were obscured by spiritual light. Behind each of them stood several individuals resembling disciples, dressed in various attires, including men, women, old, and young, all exceptionally respectful. At the center, encircled by the platforms, a wondrous black-and-white flower, a hundred feet in diameter, quietly floated low in the air, emitting a rich fragrance and appearing exceptionally mysterious.

Suddenly, one of the hazy figures, encircled by seven-colored spiritual light, let out a soft exclamation, then repeatedly muttered "odd" several times.

“Fellow Daoist Xuanming, what happened? Why do you say such a thing?” asked a neighboring figure shrouded in white light, somewhat puzzled.

“Someone is cultivating the 'Spirit Refining Art' technique, and they have achieved great mastery of the first layer. The celestial phenomena triggered by this have been detected by my Celestial Surveillance Artifact,” the seven-colored figure replied honestly after a slight hesitation.

“The Spirit Refining Art? This art has long been listed as a forbidden technique by the major immortal realms. Is someone still daring to risk cultivating it? Even so, just send someone to apprehend the cultivator. Why are you so surprised, Fellow Daoist?” the figure in white light asked, still somewhat surprised.

“If it were truly so, I wouldn't say anything. The heavenly and earthly reactions detected by my Celestial Surveillance Artifact are from a minor spirit realm; they are not being cultivated by someone from an immortal realm,” the seven-colored figure named Xuanming said with a wry smile.

“Someone from a lower realm? That is indeed a bit unexpected. It seems someone who secretly descended to the lower realms must have brought this art there. But it doesn't matter. Even we, the people of the Immortal Realm, find the Spirit Refining Art difficult to cultivate. A mere minor spirit realm would absolutely be unable to cultivate it to the final layer,” the figure in white light also paused, then smiled and said.

“Yes, that's true. Although I hold the position of supervisor, if the cultivator isn't from our immortal realm, I originally have no authority over the matter. Even if this person fortuitously succeeds in cultivating this art, they won't be able to hide it from the people at the Ascension Platform when they undergo tribulation and ascend,” the seven-colored figure replied with a smile.

The two only exchanged a few words. The other figures, upon hearing their conversation, initially paid a little attention, but when they heard it was someone from a "lower realm" cultivating this art, they likewise dismissed it. Immediately, another person interjected with a smile, and they began discussing other matters. The figure in seven-colored spiritual light stopped mentioning the matter entirely, as if they had truly forgotten about it.

Han Li exhaled deeply, sensing the strange feeling the world presented after his spiritual consciousness had doubled, and his heart was filled with extraordinary joy. He had finally succeeded in cultivating the first layer of the Spirit Refining Art. Even though he had not yet entered the Integration Stage, the strength of his spiritual sense was now comparable to that of a cultivator who had achieved great mastery of the late Integration Stage.

His spiritual sense instantly pierced through the secret chamber and extended outside the peak. As a result, he couldn't help but frown slightly. The celestial phenomenon in the sky had already vanished and dispersed, but outside, the scene was one of widespread desolation. The preceding blizzard and strong winds had been no small matter; not only had most of the nearby flowers, plants, and trees disappeared, but the remaining vegetation was also tilted and askew, appearing on the verge of death. The upper half of the peak was completely barren, appearing exceptionally desolate. Han Li's spiritual sense circled the vicinity several times, then swept outward, instantly scanning everything within a thousand-mile radius.