Beauty, Treasures, and Power

A Qi Refining layer eight or nine was already considered a legendary realm, so if a Foundation Establishment cultivator showed up, they'd be treated like an immortal descending to the mortal world.

For Foundation Establishment cultivators at the bottom of the Nine Provinces, this secret realm world was as beautiful as a dream.

Countless beauties threw themselves at you, so-called grandmasters couldn't last a single move in your hands, a sea of Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures helped you rise to Nascent Soul, and you could found a nation and enjoy the majesty of a Son of Heaven.

To put it precisely, you wouldn't even dare dream of it.

None of this held any real appeal for Jiang Li, but he roughly guessed what the secret realm wanted to test. Out of respect for the senior, he still acted according to the realm's wishes.

Surrounded by a flock of chirping beauties, Jiang Li decided to conquer the world.

Jiang Li suppressed his power to Foundation Establishment Late Stage. Three days later, he defeated the Eighteen Route Lords. Five days later, he established a nation, set down laws, and selected officials. The people called this event the "Five Three Founding of the Nation."

When other countries heard that Jiang Li was an immortal, they all came to pay homage and pledge submission.

Ten thousand nations bowed in tribute, the lord of the world! Never before in history had anyone surpassed Jiang Li in this moment!

Seven days after Jiang Li entered the secret realm, a vigorous new nation was rising. He sat inside the vast palace, expressionless.

Chun Er had stayed by Jiang Li's side through his conquests without wavering. Now the Empress, she accompanied him in the palace.

Numerous ministers gathered countless beauties for Jiang Li to fill his harem. These women admired Jiang Li and served him willingly, with no coercion.

Alchemists also determined that Jiang Li was a man of the Immortal World, so they collected all kinds of Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, Spirit Stones, and fine wines for him. These things filled the national treasury to a wealth that would make even a Spirit Transformation cultivator green with envy.

"This place is no place to linger. I'm leaving," Jiang Li said flatly, unsure if he was speaking to himself or to Chun Er.

Hearing this, Chun Er began to sob, tears falling in large drops. Before long, they soaked her priceless robes.

"I know my benefactor is not of this world, but is there nothing here that makes you want to stay?"

Jiang Li answered honestly: "No."

"With three thousand beauties in the harem waiting for your picking, are you truly not tempted, benefactor?"

"I've seen more beautiful ones."

"I don't believe you!" Chun Er shook her head firmly. She had great confidence in her looks. Becoming Empress wasn't just because she had accompanied Jiang Li the longest—a full seven days—but also because her beauty outshone all others.

"I've seen the Red Dust Fairy."

"..."

Chun Er fell silent immediately, though it was unclear where she had heard that title.

She didn't give up and continued: "Can the Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures in the treasury not tempt you, benefactor? I've read the introductions. The treasury contains the Longitudinal Light Divine Fruit—one pill is worth thirty years of an immortal's cultivation—and the Azure Wave Dividing Sea Art, which at great mastery can split rivers with a single sword strike. There's also..."

Jiang Li didn't answer. He silently took out a Creation Nine Revolutions Immortal Pill.

If the Immortal Ascension Ladder hadn't been broken, this single pill alone would allow one to ascend on the spot! Its value was immeasurable! Chun Er clearly recognized it and fell silent.

She actually wanted to say: Give me the immortal pill, and can I go back to the Nine Provinces with you? But Chun Er still didn't give up and asked again: "Soon, benefactor, you will unify the world and become its true master. This is an achievement that every emperor in history would go mad with envy over. Don't you feel any attachment?"

Jiang Li sighed: "I am the current Human Emperor, Revered by the Nine Provinces. How could that compare to being the master of a secret realm?"

Chun Er was stunned, momentarily unable to react.

Jiang Li continued: "Actually, all those reasons were just to brush you off. The real reason is: why would I stay in an illusion?"

"Am I right, Senior Meng Chun?"

At these words, Chun Er stopped pretending. She changed back into the clothes she had worn in life—dignified and elegant, slightly different from her current attire, carrying a faint sense of history.

"I thought my illusion arts were masterful enough to fool you, fellow Daoist. I never expected it was my own overestimation."

The information from the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion had mentioned that the Great Dream Hermit, whose real name was Meng Chun, was a female cultivator whose beauty captivated the world eight hundred years ago.

As for the illusion, Jiang Li had seen through it the moment he stepped into the secret realm. Everything was an illusion.

The Great Dream Hermit was a female cultivator who excelled in the Dao of Illusions. It was said that when the Dao of Illusions was cultivated to its peak, one could reverse reality and illusion, making a thought true or false—an extremely terrifying ability.

Crack—

The illusion shattered like a mirror, breaking into countless fragments that fell like raindrops, merging into the earth and vanishing.

The illusion disappeared completely, revealing the secret realm's true appearance: a primeval jungle. Jiang Li probed it with his Divine Sense—the space was vast, roughly a quarter the size of Tianqing Prefecture.

Jiang Li stood in an open clearing. At the same time, eight hundred sect disciples lay scattered on the ground, their expressions varied—some conflicted, some joyful, some murderous. It was unknown what choices they had made in the illusion.

Meng Chun stood before Jiang Li, speaking with a hint of apology: "I did not know the current Human Emperor would come here. I was discourteous."

The Heavenly Secrets Pavilion's intelligence was correct. Meng Chun had indeed died under the Heavenly Tribulation. What now appeared before Jiang Li was merely a contingency she had left before crossing the tribulation—a lingering thought.

"Not at all. It was I who barged into your secret realm and caused you trouble, Dream Senior."

Seeing Meng Chun hesitate, Jiang Li smiled and said: "Dream Senior, if there's something you wish to say, feel free to speak plainly."

Meng Chun said: "I once met the Human Emperor of my era. He could be called a generation's hero, but he was not like you, fellow Daoist, as if a banished immortal. Could it be that the Nine Provinces have already found the Immortal Ascension Ladder?"

"Not at all. I merely broke through to the Great Ascension Stage by luck."

Meng Chun's pupils contracted slightly, as if the news of Jiang Li breaking through to the Great Ascension Stage was even more shocking than the appearance of the Immortal Ascension Ladder.

"I thought the Great Ascension Stage was just a legend. I never imagined someone could actually break through to it."

"Luck, just luck." Jiang Li didn't dwell on the topic. "Dream Senior, did you set up this illusion to test the little ones' resistance to beauty, treasure, and power?"

"Yes. As long as they resisted even one, I would consider them passed and allow them to enter the second layer."

That wasn't hard to guess. First, beautiful women throw themselves at you; next, Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures are as plentiful as if given for free; finally, you can dominate the world at the Foundation Establishment Realm.

Actually, if you think about it carefully, the illusion is full of inconsistencies—for example, where did the people who entered the Secret Realm together go? Why are there so many beauties? Why did other countries submit so quickly?

The wonder of the Illusionary Path lies in its ability to make cultivators automatically overlook these inconsistencies, sinking deeper into the illusion until they can no longer extricate themselves.

"Mmm—"

Qin Luan, lying on the ground, let out an indistinct sound—a sign that he was about to see through the illusion.

Time in the illusion differs from reality. Converted, Qin Luan had already spent a month inside.

Being able to break through the illusion in a month was, in Meng Chun's view, already excellent self-discipline.

Seeing someone about to wake up, Meng Chun smiled faintly. "Daoist friend, let us discuss the Dao after this Secret Realm concludes."

She revealed a mysterious smile, left only that sentence, and vanished.

"The next trial might suit you well, Daoist friend."

Although she didn't know Jiang Li's purpose, with his Great Ascension Stage cultivation, he could easily manipulate her Secret Realm as he pleased—yet he didn't.

Since he had shown her respect, she wouldn't pry into his intentions.