Chapter 616: Another Hidden Enemy

Jiang Lianyue recalled the recent battle, finding it breathtaking and incredibly perilous.

"As expected of our sect master, truly powerful. Just now, Sect Master Yun and I battled in an alternate dimension, exchanging hundreds of blows in mere moments. It was an intense struggle, and the intricate schemes and mental battles involved are too complex to explain quickly!"

"Sect Master Yun's moves were fierce, fully showcasing the might of later generations. People often say the present is inferior to the past, but I believe that's completely wrong. Sect Master Yun, as a pinnacle of later generations, has proven it!"

"Our great battle shattered space, shook time, and spread chaotic energy. I had intended to use my Phoenix Rebirth technique to unleash my full potential for a final showdown with Sect Master Yun, but unfortunately, the door to the alternate dimension opened, and I accidentally fell out. The battle ended without a clear victor, so it can only be considered a draw!"

Lu Yang: "..."Third Senior Sister: "..."

Lu Yang felt that with Senior Jiang Lianyue's mindset, even if she lost, her spiritual resolve wouldn't break.

Immortal Indestructible was very pleased with Jiang Lianyue's battle performance. "As expected of my unregistered disciple, to be able to maintain her win rate in a critical moment by such means! A promising individual, with great potential for the future!"

"I fought that Yun girl to a draw. With your help and Second Senior Brother's, the scales of victory will surely tip in my favor!"

It was crucial to remember that when strengths were comparable, even the slightest change could alter the outcome of a battle!

Senior Sister flew out of the alternate dimension and listened to Jiang Lianyue's description of the battle, feeling a little exasperated. *Didn't you say you wanted to show me an ancient divine ability, then you made the first move, unleashing hundreds of attacks in mere breaths? After I blocked them and counter-attacked, didn't you immediately feign death and escape the alternate dimension?*

"Senior Sister," Lu Yang politely greeted her.

"Nascent Soul stage? Excellent. Your foundation is solid; even though you just broke through, you don't need to consolidate it. As expected, the Invincible Pill laid a good groundwork." Senior Sister nodded. Lu Yang's rapid cultivation progress showed that he hadn't neglected his practice during his half-year in the demon realm.

"Third Junior Sister, Sixth Elder has been mentioning you constantly these past few days. Now that you've returned to the sect, you should go see her. Don't make an elder come to you; that would be disrespectful."

"Understood." Facing Senior Sister, Third Senior Sister shed her lawless demeanor from the demon realm, becoming obedient and doing exactly as Senior Sister instructed.

After Third Senior Sister went down the mountain, Senior Sister motioned for Lu Yang to sit. Jiang Lianyue also no longer needed to sit on the ground and could take a stone chair.

"Senior Sister, these are some local specialties I brought back from the demon realm."

As if presenting treasure, Lu Yang pulled out four imperial chairs from his identity jade token. Uncle Zhu Tian had finally persuaded him to accept them before he left the demon kingdom. With the stone chairs replaced by imperial chairs, the atmosphere immediately changed.

"Junior Brother, Senior Immortal, what did you do in the demon realm? And how did Senior Jiang Lianyue revive?"

Senior Sister's calm tone was tinged with a hint of helplessness. Honestly, when Third Junior Sister appeared before her with Jiang Lianyue, she was truly stunned. It was obvious that this matter was inextricably linked to Junior Brother and Senior Immortal.

Immortal Indestructible popped out and settled into a half-crouching position. The human, the demon, and the ghost then recounted their experiences in the demon realm in detail, especially highlighting the discovery of the world's structure and the projection left by Immortal Qilin, which showed the battle of the Four Immortals against the mastermind.

Upon hearing this, Senior Sister remained silent for a long time. This truly was an unexpected gain.

"Battles between Immortals cannot be decided in a short time, especially when the mastermind is suspected of possessing the Dao Fruit of Karma, making them even harder to deal with. But to battle the Four Ancient Immortals for seven days without a clear victor, it seems the mastermind's strength is greater than I anticipated."

Immortal Indestructible nodded. "I thought the same."

Then she indignantly added, "That Qilin fellow, I don't know what he's scheming, or if he's just asleep. Lianyue caused such a huge stir in the demon kingdom, and he didn't appear."

This was one of the reasons Jiang Lianyue actively appeared at the founding ceremony of the demon kingdom. Her presence on the Altar of Heaven signified Immortal Indestructible's revival, which was the information she was conveying to Immortal Qilin. Yet, Immortal Qilin still did not show up, indicating that his current situation was very complex. Either he had fallen into a deep slumber for some reason, or he was unable or unwilling to meet Immortal Indestructible.

Immortal Qilin had spoken with great bravado in the projection, saying things like, "The opponent is too dangerous, leave everything to me, my wife, you will definitely see Immortal Indestructible," and "Immortal Indestructible, I'm happy for your resurrection." It's possible Immortal Qilin was ambushed by the mastermind right after his grand pronouncements.

Senior Sister gently shook her head and calmly said, "Actually, there's another possibility, isn't there? It's just that the two of you are unwilling to consider it."

Lu Yang frowned, looking at Senior Sister with confusion. In contrast, Immortal Indestructible and Jiang Lianyue's expressions were somewhat troubled.

Senior Sister continued, "Immortal Qilin perished, the suppression disappeared, and a half-immortal seized the opportunity to ascend, re-establishing the suppression."

Lu Yang's heart skipped a beat. That really was possible. He immediately raised a question: "But isn't it said that the ascension tribulation is grand and impossible to conceal? Did no one discover a half-immortal ascending?"

"It's true that the ascension tribulation causes a huge commotion, but it's not impossible to conceal. For instance, one could use the uproar of two armies clashing, or the fluctuations during a battle between half-immortals, to cover the ascension tribulation. Someone ascended this way a hundred thousand years ago."

"However, the possibility of Immortal Qilin perishing is very small. After all, the nature of Immortal Qilin's Dao Fruit ensures he is extremely difficult to kill. If a battle of that magnitude had occurred, ancient records would surely mention it. The scale of such a battle could not be concealed."

Hearing Senior Sister's words, Immortal Indestructible and Jiang Lianyue's expressions improved slightly.

Senior Sister then added, "Listening to Senior Jiang Lianyue describe the battle of the Four Ancient Immortals brings up another question: Do you still remember the immortal who was preparing to pluck the embryonic Dao Fruit of Indestructibility?"

Lu Yang and Immortal Indestructible nodded. Of course, they remembered. After Immortal Indestructible was born, a dark shadow lurked beside her, preparing to pluck the embryonic Dao Fruit of Indestructibility. Senior Sister later discovered and annihilated the shadow, realizing it was something akin to an immortal's clone. Senior Sister found the sensation familiar, recalling that she had once fought the shadow's true form, which had entered Great Xia and been repelled by Yun Zhi.

"The other party is undoubtedly an immortal, but definitely not on par with those who battled the Four Ancient Immortals for seven days and seven nights."

"Was he hiding his strength?" Lu Yang guessed.

Senior Sister shook her head. "I could tell if he was hiding anything; that was his true level."

"Perhaps he was severely injured and hadn't recovered?"

"That's also impossible. No injury would take three hundred thousand years to heal, and when I fought him, I didn't sense any injury."

Lu Yang frowned. This meant that besides the mastermind, there was another hidden enemy. Even if not as powerful as the mastermind, being an immortal, they were not to be underestimated. This was troublesome.

...Wait a minute, why do I subconsciously assume he's my enemy? I'm only at the Nascent Soul stage. Am I even qualified? Lu Yang realized his thought was out of place. When did his perspective become so grand?