Chapter 6 The Immortal Realm of Spirit

Ji Ning, Prince Qinghuan, Feng Yi, and the others lived a leisurely life on this 'Winter Mountain.' Even from Winter Mountain, their gazes could pierce through the void and see the movements of the 'Space-Time Teleportation Array' tens of billions of miles away.

'This disciple of mine does have some talent in the way of the sword,' Ji Ning thought, also paying attention to his disciple. The green-bamboo Yang Quding was clearly on Winter Mountain, but if Ji Ning and the other four did not wish to be seen, no one could see them.

'Brother Beiming, this kid's swordsmanship has quite a bit of the flavor of your Yin-Yang Sword Intent domain,' said Prince Qinghuan, sitting nearby, watching Yang Quding, who was practicing swordsmanship in a valley over ten miles away. 'He lives alone in the deep mountains, cultivating in solitude, neither impatient nor restless, his heart as calm as water. His state of mind is truly excellent.'

'He counts as a disciple of mine,' Ji Ning said with a smile.

'A disciple?' Prince Qinghuan was startled. 'You're taking a mortal as a disciple?'

Although he had praised Yang Quding, it was only in comparison among mortals. The five of them were the true top-tier prodigies in the endless territories. Even Tianhuo Mangya, who was currently the weakest in terms of realm, was a genius from the royal clan of the Mangya Kingdom. Ji Ning and the other three had all mastered the ultimate Dao.

They could become Daolords at any time, and not ordinary Daolords at that. With such status, if they were to choose disciples, World-level cultivators would be crying and begging to join their schools. Yet now Ji Ning had taken a mortal as a disciple.

'Your disciple?' Feng Yi laughed from the side. 'We're just passing through here, and you're taking a disciple? And is this how you teach your disciple—by leaving him alone and not bothering with him?'

'I won't be able to guide him for long, so I might as well let him grow on his own.' Ji Ning took a light sip of wine.

'Brother Beiming is quite carefree,' said Huojin Shuijun.

…

In the blink of an eye, sixty-one years had passed since they had been living in seclusion on this continent, and the Space-Time Teleportation Array was about to activate.

'Let's go,' said Qinghuan, rising.

'Time to set out. Beiming, stop looking at your disciple,' Feng Yi teased.

Ji Ning glanced into the distance. His second disciple, 'Green Bamboo' Yang Quding, had long since left Winter Mountain and was now roaming and adventuring. He had gained some fame within a radius of millions of miles and was honored with the title 'Green Bamboo Sword Immortal.'

'Let's go,' Ji Ning nodded.

With this departure, master and disciple would truly be separated. When he eventually returned to the endless territories, they would be in two different universes… Who knew when they would meet again? Everything depended on fate.

…

Although the core area of the Space-Time Teleportation Array was quite large, the number of Nascent Soul cultivators and Void God Reverends who had gathered from all over the continent, spanning trillions of miles, numbered in the hundreds of millions.

'Fellow Daoists, the ancient teleportation array activates once every hundred years.'

A man at the middle stage of the Void God realm stood high in the air, his voice booming. 'Our mortal world is vast and boundless, with countless cultivators. Therefore, I ask all fellow Daoists who wish to go to the Immortal Realm of Spirit to enter this cave estate! This cave estate is merely a crude cave estate treasure, very fragile. Any Void God Daoist can easily tear it apart.'

'We will all enter this cave estate treasure, and then the ancient teleportation array will send it over, making things more convenient.'

'Alright.'

'Naturally.'

'It's been the rule for many years.'

Countless Nascent Soul cultivators and Void God Reverends agreed.

This was the old rule from many years ago; otherwise, if hundreds of millions of cultivators rushed forward at once, the core of the ancient teleportation array would not be able to accommodate them. Moreover, with such a crude cave estate treasure, they could easily see outside and tear it apart at will.

Ji Ning and the other four mingled among the vast throng of cultivators, unnoticed by anyone.

'Fellow Daoists, come in together,' said the middle-aged man in the sky, flying first toward the entrance of the cave estate placed in the core area of the ancient teleportation array.

The cave estate resembled an immortal mansion, with a main gate.

Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh, swoosh…

Countless streaks of light flew toward it.

'Let's go.' Ji Ning and the other four also followed the stream and flew into the cave estate.

'It really is fragile,' Ji Ning said via divine telepathy, laughing. The five of them were in a corner of the cave estate, unnoticed by any other cultivator. 'I feel that a slight tremor would shatter this cave estate.'

'Let me stabilize it first, so it doesn't break,' said Feng Yi.

'Rumble~~~'

Outside, cultivators immediately began to activate the ancient teleportation array, as the accumulated energy was sufficient to trigger it.

The hundreds of millions of Nascent Soul cultivators and Void God Reverends gathered inside the cave estate were all excited.

'The Immortal Realm of Spirit!'

'We've finally reached the Immortal Realm of Spirit.'

'Our sect's elders are all in the Immortal Realm of Spirit. Legend has it that the cultivators there are far stronger than those in our world.' They were thrilled, for since they had embarked on the path of cultivation, they had dreamed of one day reaching the peak of the mortal world and going to the Immortal Realm of Spirit.

Those qualified to go to the Immortal Realm of Spirit were all major figures in the mortal world.

…

A moment later, the teleportation ended.

This cave-dwelling treasure had arrived in the Immortal Spirit World!

Ji Ning, Prince Qinghuan, Feng Yi, Huo Jin, and Tianhuo Mangya, who had been leisurely in the corner, all changed expression.

"Something's wrong," Prince Qinghuan transmitted. "Everyone, let's hide first and see what happens."

"Mm," Ji Ning and the other three nodded.

This crude cave-dwelling treasure could not affect them at all; their vision could completely penetrate it and see the outside world, knowing everything that happened.

"We've arrived."

"We've reached the Immortal Spirit World." The hundreds of millions of Nascent Soul cultivators and Void Refining venerables were extremely excited.

"Boom~~~"

This crude cave dwelling also shattered with a bang.

For a moment, the sky was filled with dense masses of Nascent Soul cultivators and Void Refining venerables, like locusts blotting out the sun.

"Such rich natural energy."

"Much richer than our mortal world."

"Is this the Immortal Spirit World?" Countless cultivators looked around, and suddenly they saw in the distance numerous stone pillars, on which cultivators were bound—some human-shaped, some demons. Though their appearances differed, almost all were covered in blood and wounds, and many had eyes full of deep resentment.

Silence.

The hundreds of millions of Nascent Soul cultivators and Void Refining venerables from the mortal world were utterly silent, a deathly silence.

What was the meaning of the millions of cultivators bound to the pillars, clearly tortured?

"Another batch," murmured one of the bound, tortured cultivators.

"Batch after batch, never ending."

"Who can tell the people of the mortal world not to come to the Immortal Spirit World, not to come."

"They really shouldn't have come."

"I regret it, I regret it so much."

"Don't come to the Immortal Spirit World!" The bound cultivators murmured in agony.

...

And the hundreds of millions of Nascent Soul cultivators and Void Refining venerables who had just arrived from the mortal world also sensed something amiss, their hearts turning cold.

"Hahaha..." Suddenly the vast earth trembled, and a low laugh came from deep within the ground. The surface of the earth slowly began to bulge, revealing figures like mountain peaks—over a hundred of them, each tens of thousands of feet tall, with dark aura pervading the void and blood-red eyes staring at the countless cultivators.

A hundred towering figures, each exuding an aura that made the cultivators tremble with fear.

"Where is this?" Among the countless cultivators, a golden-robed man spoke, barely suppressing his terror. "This isn't the Immortal Spirit World..."

"This is the Immortal Spirit World, the one you dreamed of coming to." One of the towering figures spoke, his voice rumbling through heaven and earth. At the same time, he waved his hand, and a huge cloth bag appeared.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh~~~

The mouth of the bag produced a heaven-swallowing suction force. Though the hundreds of millions of Nascent Soul cultivators and Void Refining venerables resisted, they were still sucked into the bag. After absorbing all the cultivators, the bag shrank and fell into the towering figure's large hand.

"A few more playthings," the towering figure said with a low laugh, looking at the bag. "Our master will be even happier! I'll deliver these playthings; you all stay here and attend to the disobedient ones."

"Mm." The other towering figures nodded.

Whoosh.

The towering figure holding the bag quickly flew away into the distance.

In midair, Ji Ning and his four companions stood there. Prince Qinghuan's control over spacetime made them invisible to the towering figures.

Ji Ning and the other four silently watched all this.

"Over a hundred puppets at the Ancestral God level," Ji Ning said, squinting, transmitting his voice. "That puppet mentioned a master. His master is probably a Dao Lord."

"Mm, behind this Immortal Spirit World continent, there should be a Dao Lord," Feng Yi said solemnly.

"This is troublesome. Let's investigate carefully," Prince Qinghuan said gravely.

"Mm."

"Let's go."

Ji Ning and the other four left silently.

...