Chapter 2308: True Immortal Descends Golden Han Immortal Palace

The golden runes that had been faintly shimmering on the ice wall suddenly flared brightly. Following this, wisps of white light inside the ice peak converged, instantly forming a small figure about a foot tall. This figure's eyes were tightly closed, and its entire body glowed faintly. Its appearance and attire were identical to those of the white-robed old man.

Seeing this, the old man outside the ice peak raised an arm and touched a finger between his eyebrows. With a soft sound, a milky-white crystalline thread shot out, flashed, pierced the ice wall, and disappeared into the small figure's forehead. After a slight shift in expression, the small figure's eyes slowly opened. Its pupils gleamed with an unsteady, crimson-gold light.

“Thank you for your effort. The matter is finally resolved. As long as we obtain the Thread of Time, the time needed to refine this fellow below will be shortened by more than half. This will allow me to breathe a little easier. Otherwise, if it truly takes tens of thousands of years to refine, unforeseen complications might arise,” the small figure said slowly, its voice strikingly identical to that of the white-robed old man.

“If that's truly possible, it would be for the best. However, it's a pity about those few Thunder Calamity Talismans. These talismans were originally intended for some highly valued juniors in our clan, to help them survive several major celestial tribulations,” the white-robed old man sighed.

“There was no other way. The spiritual talismans and elixirs brought down from the Immortal Realm, which aren't found in the lower realms, have mostly been depleted after so many years and several great calamities faced by our clan. To impress these few Grand Ascension stage cultivators, only these Thunder Calamity Talismans would suffice. However, it's quite unexpected that Patriarch Stoneheart has fallen, and instead, two human Grand Ascension cultivators have arrived. Isn't Han Li, one of these two Grand Ascension cultivators, the human youngster who entered the Demon Realm with Qianqiu and the others that day?” the small figure said, its golden eyes flickering several times.

“Indeed, it is this newly advanced human Grand Ascension cultivator. That day, it was unknown what they encountered in the Demon Realm; Qianqiu and everyone else perished, but only this person emerged unscathed. Upon returning to the Spirit Realm, he immediately overcame his celestial tribulation and became a Grand Ascension stage cultivator. Furthermore, he easily severely injured a Yaksha Grand Ascension cultivator during the Grand Ascension ceremony, demonstrating power far beyond what ordinary Grand Ascension cultivators possess,” the white-robed old man said with a solemn expression, seemingly explaining it to the small figure, yet also as if muttering to himself.

“It seems this human youngster truly entered the Spirit Cleansing Pond and consumed a Pure Spirit Lotus; otherwise, he wouldn't possess such power. This is for the best! The greater his divine abilities, the higher the chance he'll succeed in obtaining the Thread of Time upon entering the Minor Asura Realm,” the small figure replied after a brief contemplation.

“I thought so too. Otherwise, if Patriarch Ao Xiao had come with Mo Jianli, I would never have so readily agreed to their deal,” the white-robed old man chuckled softly.

“Hmm, since things are proceeding smoothly, let them continue this way. I must now fully dedicate myself to refining the true soul of the Golden Immortal below. Everything outside will be left for you to handle. Unless those few individuals emerge from the Minor Asura Realm, there's no need to awaken me again,” the white-robed old man said without hesitation.

“Good, you can proceed with the refinement without worry. We are originally one entity; if you can refine the Immortal Soul Pill sooner, I will also benefit immensely,” the white-robed old man smiled, formed a single-handed incantation, and pointed a finger into the void within the ice wall. With a “bang”! The small figure merely nodded, and its body instantly dissipated into points of spiritual light. The old man then turned around. Without any visible movement, a flash of spiritual light appeared beneath his feet, and a teleportation array spontaneously emerged. After a hum, the old man blurred and vanished from within the space.

***

In the True Immortal Realm, on a vast, endless continent, countless neatly arranged square spiritual fields were being tended by what appeared to be farmers dressed in yellow suits. Upon closer inspection, these “farmers” had identical, dull expressions; they were, in fact, lifelike human-shaped puppets. Most of these spiritual fields cultivated a type of massive grain with stalks as thick as a bowl, emitting an unimaginably pure spiritual energy. Even a single breath could invigorate one's spirit. A hundred feet above the fields, various spiritual clouds, each about an acre in size, floated. Seated upon them were robed individuals holding various artifacts. These individuals, either alone or in groups of two or three, all appeared as Taoist children regardless of age. They patrolled back and forth above the vast spiritual fields, occasionally activating their artifacts to make the spiritual clouds beneath them release clear rain to water the fields below. At an even greater height of over ten thousand feet, there was a vast, rolling sea of mist. Looking around, one could not see its edges, as if it enveloped the entire continent. Within the mist sea, directly above the spiritual fields, spiritual birds and beasts constantly shuttled, carrying individuals of various attire in and out of the mist.

Suddenly, a resounding dragon's roar echoed! A flash of crystal light appeared on the horizon, and a blue ice dragon, over a hundred zhang long, instantly emerged. Amidst the sounds of wind and thunder, the blue ice dragon swiftly flew above the spiritual fields. Such a colossal creature, if it were to appear publicly before ordinary beings in the Spirit Realm, would likely either terrify people to their core or draw countless gazes. However, most of the “farmers” tending the spiritual fields below and the Taoist children manipulating the clouds paid no heed. Occasionally, a few Taoist children looked up briefly, but immediately lowered their heads as if nothing had happened. Only two young Taoist children, aged around twelve or thirteen with fair skin and red lips, showed a hint of surprise after seeing the ice dragon high in the sky from their spiritual cloud.

“Isn't that Lord Li? He just left the Immortal Palace a few days ago; how could he be back so soon?” one Taoist child mumbled.

“Given how rushed Lord Li seems, he must be attending to something important, and it doesn't look like it's going very smoothly,” another Taoist child remarked.

“Perhaps. But Lord Li's strength is enough to rank him among the top hundred in our Golden Radiance Immortal Palace. What could possibly be too difficult for him to handle in this immortal realm? Tsk tsk, if disciples like us could get some guidance from Lord Li, it would be an immense stroke of luck,” the first Taoist child said, clicking his tongue.

“Don't dream. Disciples like us are merely the lowest-ranking beings in the Immortal Palace, half disciples and half attendants. How could someone of Lord Li's stature even notice us? However, my spiritual body has already reached seventy percent completion. During the next grand selection, I might pass the test and become an official disciple. By then, I won't have to waste time on such mundane tasks anymore,” the second Taoist child said with a pout, then lowered his head to look at a jade-like object in his hand, speaking with a hint of longing.

“What? Senior Brother, your true body has reached seventy percent completion? Mine has only just reached fifty percent. It seems I must intensify my cultivation. If I can't become an official disciple in a few more years, I might be cast down to the mortal realm and forced to remain in the lower realms,” the first Taoist child exclaimed, startled and somewhat panicked.

“Actually, going to the lower mortal realm isn't bad either. It's said that apart from not being able to live forever, all other pleasures are readily available,” the second Taoist child chuckled, speaking in a very seasoned manner.

“I absolutely don't want to go to the lower realms; I must become an official disciple, just like you, Senior Brother,” the first Taoist child said with unusual determination.

“If that's the case, then Junior Brother, you truly need to put in more effort. If you still can't condense your true body within five years, the enforcement elders of the Immortal Palace will show no mercy,” the second Taoist child said seriously, his smile fading slightly upon seeing his companion's resolve.

“Thank you for your wise advice, Senior Brother. I will certainly work hard,” the first Taoist child nodded repeatedly.

As the two Taoist children whispered, the blue ice dragon high in the sky, after a flick of its tail, plunged into the depths of the mist sea and ascended further. In an instant, it soared tens of thousands of feet higher. The mist suddenly dispersed, and the blue ice dragon burst through, revealing another world teeming with spiritual energy. Above the rolling sea of mist, hundreds of mountains of various sizes were densely suspended. The largest of these mountains were tens of thousands of feet tall, while the smallest were merely three to four thousand feet. Yet, each was covered in exotic flowers and rare plants, and adorned with exquisite pavilions and terraces. Connecting the peaks were arching rainbows, resembling bridges, across which men and women in long robes and palace attire glided gracefully. What a scene of celestial paradise!

The blue ice dragon let out a long cry, twisted its body, and flew through the mountains without pause. After flashing past several peaks, the ice dragon reached the center of the mountains. There, encircled by over a dozen mountains, floated a colossal palace, resembling a city. The palace's surface was resplendent with gold and jade. Countless large runes swirled around it, and at the city-gate-like entrance, over a thousand feet high, golden armored warriors bearing weapons were faintly visible. A silver plaque hung high above, bearing the four massive golden characters: “Golden Radiance Immortal Palace.”

The blue ice dragon blurred and instantly arrived near the palace gate. Its body's light converged, and it transformed into a tall, slender, black-faced Taoist priest. He wore an Eight Trigrams Taoist robe, held a silver-whisked horsetail fly-whisk, and emanated not a single trace of worldly aura. Among the golden-armored warriors standing guard at the palace gate, several immediately stepped forward to greet him. One warrior, who appeared to be of the highest rank, bowed slightly and asked, neither humbly nor arrogantly:

“Lord Li, do you have business in the Immortal Palace Hall at this time?”

“I have urgent business and need to see the Palace Lord,” the black-faced Taoist priest replied without hesitation.

“That might be inconvenient. Today is not a day for discussions, and the Palace Lord is likely in seclusion cultivating. He does not readily grant audiences to any lords,” the warrior said, showing a troubled expression.

Upon hearing this, the black-faced priest's expression darkened. Just as he was about to speak further, an immensely authoritative voice suddenly echoed in both their ears simultaneously.

“Do not obstruct him. Let Li Ming enter and see me. I have something to discuss with him.”

“Yes, Palace Lord!” The warrior was startled. After cupping his hands, he quickly stepped back to the side, making way.