Chapter 1602: Tianlan Realm, Tianlan Sect

The Fallen Immortal Cave is located in the southwestern part of the Central Plains cultivation world. It contains powerful restrictions and many heavenly materials and earthly treasures. Even Nascent Soul cultivators risk death if they enter. Generally speaking, only high-level cultivators nearing the end of their lifespans or those with no other options would venture into the Fallen Immortal Cave in search of treasures.

In an underground cave on the outskirts of the Fallen Immortal Cave, three men and two women were discussing something. Mysterious yellow runes flickered on the stone walls, clearly indicating restrictive formations. Shen Haoran and Song Yuzhen were among them, both possessing at least mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivation.

"The Eastern Desolate Lands are already in chaos, but I don't expect it to last much longer," Shen Haoran said with some excitement. "We need to open the spatial channel as soon as possible to bring our fellow disciples over. When that happens, we will have rendered a great service." They had been planning for hundreds of years, and this day had finally arrived.

"It's a pity we're so short-handed," a graceful young woman in a silver dress said with regret. "Otherwise, it would be ideal if the Eastern Desolate Lands, the South Sea, the Central Plains, and the Northern Frontier could all descend into chaos simultaneously." Her name was Liu Jiaojiao, a fourth-tier Formation Master who had studied under a Spirit Transformation cultivator.

"The Spirit Transformation cultivators of the East-Distant Realm aren't fools," Shen Haoran calmly analyzed. "It's enough if we can get the human and demon races in the Eastern Desolate Lands to fight. Other areas are presided over by Spirit Transformation cultivators, so at most, there will only be minor disturbances, not widespread chaos."

Song Yuzhen hesitated for a moment before saying, "Senior Brother Shen, do you think we might have fallen into a trap? What if the demon and human races in the Eastern Desolate Lands are just putting on a show? The Celestial Fox clan is skilled in illusion techniques. Even if the Immortal Transformation Talisman can make someone appear as Bai Ling'er's cousin, I still feel Bai Ling'er died too easily. Don't forget, the Celestial Fox clan's Old Ancestor, Bai Xin, is a Spirit Transformation cultivator. If he cast an illusion, we might not be able to see through it."

"The Immortal Transformation Talisman is one of our sect's five great secret talismans. It can transform one into the appearance of another cultivator, though it doesn't grant their divine abilities. It's still excellent for deception. Besides, we observed from the front lines for a while; the human and demon races are genuinely fighting. Many Nascent Soul cultivators and Nascent Soul stage demons have died or been wounded. This couldn't possibly be fake, could it? We even personally killed a Nascent Soul stage demon."

Song Yuzhen frowned and said, "It's better to be safe than sorry. What if it *is* fake? Could it be a trap set by the East-Distant Realm's Spirit Transformation cultivators to lure us in? We want to open a spatial channel to bring our fellow disciples over, but what if the Spirit Transformation cultivators of the East-Distant Realm are deliberately letting us do this? As for those Nascent Soul cultivators and Nascent Soul stage demons, if the Spirit Transformation cultivators can gain immense benefits, would they care about the lives of their subordinates? Aren't we the same? We've been in the East-Distant Realm for over three hundred years. Senior Sister Zhao and Senior Brother Li died in a spatial storm, and Junior Brother Chen, Junior Brother Sun, and Senior Brother Yang died at the hands of East-Distant Realm experts."

"According to the intelligence we've gathered, Spirit Transformation cultivators renowned in the cultivation world, such as True Monarch Heavenly Wolf, Sword Venerable Four Seasons, True Monarch Azure Dragon, and Puppet Emperor, have all mysteriously disappeared without a trace. If I'm not mistaken, they are similar to Elder Qian and his group. The resources of the East-Distant Realm are insufficient to allow them to cultivate to the late Spirit Transformation stage. They must be searching for spatial nodes or minor realms, attempting to reach the Spirit Realm. If our sect wants to invade the East-Distant Realm, it's not impossible for the East-Distant Realm to invade our Heavenly Azure Realm."

Liu Jiaojiao strongly agreed, saying, "Yes, Senior Brother Shen, Junior Sister Song makes a good point. We must be cautious. We have no idea how many Spirit Transformation cultivators there truly are in the East-Distant Realm. What Situ Mei said might not be true." The other two also expressed their agreement, all feeling that eliminating Bai Ling'er had been too smooth.

Shen Haoran sighed softly and said, "Junior Sister Song, Junior Sister Liu, do you think I don't know what you're saying? But have you considered this: ten of us came from the Heavenly Azure Realm to the East-Distant Realm. Senior Brother Li and the others died, leaving only five of us. Over three hundred years have passed. I've been fortunate enough to advance from mid-stage to late-stage Nascent Soul. But if we don't open the spatial channel, where will we get enough cultivation resources? Are we supposed to die of old age as Nascent Soul cultivators?"

"Putting everything else aside, spirit veins alone are a problem. Where can we find a fourth-tier spirit vein for cultivation? I have over three hundred years of lifespan left, and Junior Sister Liu and Junior Brother Zhao, you're probably similar. Can we really cultivate to the Spirit Transformation stage in the East-Distant Realm? Here, we're like rats scurrying across the street, hiding and fearing exposure of our identities. I'm sick of it. I don't want to live this kind of life anymore." Shen Haoran roared loudly, his expression agitated.

Originally, ten Nascent Soul cultivators were dispatched to the East-Distant Realm to open a spatial channel. However, the cultivator leading the team died in a spatial rift, and only five of them survived. Fortunately, they had a contingency plan, otherwise, they would have been stuck in the East-Distant Realm forever.

Song Yuzhen and the other four remained silent. Shen Haoran was right; their lives had not been easy all these years. If they could cultivate to the Spirit Transformation stage in the East-Distant Realm, there would be no need to open the spatial channel. The problem was, they had no confidence whatsoever in achieving Spirit Transformation in the East-Distant Realm.

To secure a place to settle, they had to align themselves with the Demonic Sect of the Great Qin Dynasty, serving as enshrined elders. It took Shen Haoran over three hundred years to advance from mid-stage to late-stage Nascent Soul, largely due to a lack of resources, as enshrined elders couldn't expect to receive many.

"As long as we open the spatial channel, it will be a great service," Shen Haoran said excitedly. "Martial Uncle Zhao promised that once the spatial channel is open, we can retreat to the rear for cultivation and also receive a large sum of cultivation resources. If not for that, why would we have agreed to come to the East-Distant Realm in the first place?" He didn't care if the East-Distant Realm's Spirit Transformation cultivators were setting a trap; opening the spatial channel would be a significant achievement, and the sect would reward him handsomely with cultivation resources.

"That's true, but why don't we wait a bit longer? Continue to observe?" Song Yuzhen suggested, her tone somewhat uncertain. She understood Shen Haoran's feelings; she also wanted to open the spatial channel soon and bring their fellow disciples over.

"Do you really think the sect only dispatched ten Nascent Soul cultivators to the East-Distant Realm?" Shen Haoran sneered.

"Senior Brother Shen, what do you mean by that? Please explain more clearly," Liu Jiaojiao said with a frown.

Shen Haoran sighed and gravely explained, "Our Heavenly Azure Realm originally had ten major powers, with many smaller forces beneath them, much like the East-Distant Realm. Everyone kept to themselves, minding their own business. But over six hundred years ago, these ten powers suddenly integrated and merged into one super-sect, the Heavenly Azure Sect. No major wars broke out during this process. After that, they began to cultivate high-level cultivators in large numbers, and all sorts of cultivation resources were consumed rapidly."

"What does that tell you? Over six hundred years ago, those old Spirit Transformation monsters had already begun planning to invade other realms. When we set out, there were ten of us; now there are five. Did those old Spirit Transformation monsters not consider this? You can't put all your eggs in one basket. If I'm not mistaken, they must have sent other Nascent Soul cultivators to infiltrate other realms. No matter how powerful our sect is, it's impossible to invade two realms simultaneously. This means that if we can't open the spatial channel before our other fellow disciples, we'll be stuck in the East-Distant Realm forever!"

Shen Haoran was also helpless. If someone else managed to open a spatial channel to another realm before them, they would certainly be abandoned. Opening a spatial channel didn't mean they could travel freely; cultivators on the Heavenly Azure Realm's side also needed to cooperate. Otherwise, forcing passage through the spatial channel still carried a significant risk of death. Therefore, Shen Haoran was eager to open the spatial channel. If they could do so before their other fellow disciples, they could return to the rear for cultivation. The longer they delayed, the more disadvantageous it would be for them.

"Senior Brother Shen is right," Song Yuzhen sighed, her voice tinged with helplessness. "The sect is clearly cultivating high-level cultivators in large numbers to invade other realms. Martial Uncle Zhao and the others wouldn't possibly put all their hopes on us."

After hearing Shen Haoran's analysis, the other three said nothing more.

"Since you have no objections, let's act!" Shen Haoran slammed his fist on the ground, saying fiercely, "Opening the spatial channel isn't a quick process. We've been planning for over three hundred years; we absolutely cannot fail at the last moment."