The instant he stepped into the main hall, Mu Yan froze.
The hall seemed to form a world unto itself, utterly separate from the world outside. Its ceiling soared so high that its end was lost to sight, and pillars thick enough to encircle with both arms stood supporting the heavens. Dragons soared and phoenixes danced in relief upon them, every scale and feather rendered in exquisite detail. Looking up, he saw lifelike beasts along the roof ridges, as though these creatures of stone might break free at any moment.
He had never personally visited a true holy land, yet he dared declare that even the ancient halls of those holy lands renowned throughout the Desolate Immortal Great World would likely pale beside this main hall.
Standing within it, he was as insignificant as dust.
His master's strength lay far beyond his ability to fathom.
Ye Chen sat in the seat of honor like an emperor of the nine heavens looking down upon the mortal world. That invisible pressure was not deliberately released, yet it left Mu Yan barely able to breathe-it was the innate presence of an Immortal Emperor, a weight mortals could scarcely bear.
"Mu Yan."
Ye Chen's gaze fell upon him, piercing through his flesh straight to his Root Bone. "Since you have become my disciple, I should naturally bestow a few things upon you."
He raised a hand, and a pill appeared in the void.
The pill was fiery red throughout, brilliant as the blazing sun. Searing waves of heat spread from it, raising the temperature of the entire hall.
"The Flame Spirit Emperor Pill," Ye Chen said. "It can fully awaken the potential of your Flame Spirit Saint Physique and help you advance in cultivation."
Before he finished speaking, the pill turned into a streak of light and vanished into Mu Yan's mouth.
In an instant, immense medicinal power erupted like a volcano, sweeping through every limb and bone. It was scorching, yet did not burn; surging, yet never uncontrolled-that power seemed to have belonged to him all along, only now finally returning to its rightful place.
Before Mu Yan could experience the power churning within him, a cultivation scroll wreathed in fierce flames was presented before him.
Flames surged and receded, burning the heavens and boiling the seas. Even a single wisp was enough to reduce mountains to ash.
"You were born with the Flame Spirit Saint Physique, making this Flame God Instruction the best match for you." Ye Chen nodded slightly. "Take it and cultivate. It can help you refine all the fires beneath heaven."
Mu Yan reached out with trembling hands.
He was afraid, afraid those flames would burn him to ash. Yet the instant his hands touched it, the swirling flames dispersed on their own, as docile as though acknowledging their master.
The moment the cultivation scroll entered his hands, the flames rose again-this time, they wound around his arms, climbed over his shoulders and neck, and enveloped his entire body.
Mu Yan closed his eyes.
He felt himself merge with the flames, becoming an undying spark between heaven and earth. Myriad rules of flame unfolded before his eyes, within easy reach.
For all those years, the remnant soul Elder Li had plundered his Spiritual Qi day after day, leaving his foundation riddled with holes.
Now, those cracks were being filled.
It was more stable than ever before.
When he opened his eyes again, the hall was empty.
"My disciple."
Ye Chen's voice came from the void, gentle and calm, yet every word was clear. "Go back and cultivate on your own. Whether Kunlun Holy Land can ascend to the highest peak-I shall await you."
Clutching the Flame God Instruction, Mu Yan bowed deeply toward the seat of honor.
"I shall faithfully follow your teachings, Master."
He straightened, his voice echoing through the hall. "I will not disappoint your great expectations, Master!"
-He was determined to be Kunlun Holy Land's eldest disciple, the face of the sect.
After Mu Yan left the hall, Ye Chen took five summoning cards out of the system.
"True Immortal level? Their realms are a little low. But the holy land has few people right now, so I'll make do with them for now."
His tone carried a measure of disdain.
Had the other holy lands heard this, they might have died of anger on the spot-five True Immortals, and he called them something to "make do with"?
One had to understand that the realms of this world followed a strict hierarchy: Body Refinement, Qi Refinement, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Spirit Transformation, Void Refinement, Body Integration, Mahayana, and Tribulation Transcendence. Only then came True Immortal, Earth Immortal, and Heavenly Immortal, followed by Profound Immortal, Immortal Lord, Immortal King, and finally Immortal Emperor.
For tens of millions of years, there had been no trace of Immortal Emperors, as though they had evaporated entirely from this world.
Most Profound Immortals, Immortal Lords, and Immortal Kings had also entered death seclusion, seeking that elusive chance to break through.
The supreme experts now active in the world, whose might awed all directions, were merely True Immortals, Earth Immortals, and Heavenly Immortals.
Even the lord of a holy land possessed only Heavenly Immortal cultivation.
A True Immortal was already a great figure capable of winning renown throughout the world. Though they could not claim to roam the Desolate Immortal Great World without restraint, they were certainly no ordinary person.
Five True Immortals were a formidable force that would make any power take notice.
Yet here he was, actually finding them insufficient?
Ye Chen gave it no further thought. With a stir of his will, five figures solidified from the void and bowed to him.
Then he brought the system-rewarded Dao Comprehension Tea Tree into the world.
The tea tree took root on its own on the mountain behind the hall.
The main hall was long since no longer on that lone, barren peak of before-rolling expanses of palaces had risen from the ground, and even the rules of this stretch of heaven and earth had been reshaped.
The Dao Comprehension Tea Tree stood a hundred feet tall, its branches and leaves luxuriant. Every leaf was naturally engraved with profound Dao patterns, with faint streams of rosy light flowing across them. Rumor held that this tree could grant sudden enlightenment, making it a supreme treasure countless cultivators dreamed of.
Finally, Ye Chen turned his gaze to the system panel.
"Fuse with the Primordial Hongmeng Physique."
The Primordial Hongmeng Physique was said to be the first physique born when heaven and earth first opened, the origin of all worlds, the beginning of everything.
This physique required no cultivation method to support it, for it was itself the strongest Dao and could blend perfectly with any rules of heaven and earth.
As his words fell, earth-shattering changes began within Ye Chen's body.
His physique transformed rapidly, stirring the source power of the entire world.
Not only the Desolate Immortal Great World, but the Myriad Realms of the Heavens all felt this tremor.
Deep in the starry sky, multicolored powers of Principles manifested, converging into a mighty river that surged endlessly through the cosmos.
The living beings of the Desolate Immortal Great World looked up to see the heavens covered in dazzling colors-so beautiful they stole one's breath, yet so terrifying they chilled one's heart. Within the depths of those colors seemed to lie an abyss reaching straight into the soul.
At that moment, every supreme expert in the Myriad Realms of the Heavens was startled awake.
"Great Dao Principles manifesting in the starry sky? Impossible!" An Immortal Emperor's voice trembled. "Heavenly phenomena are confined to a single world. How could they spread into the depths of the cosmos?"
"Could someone have attained the Dao and become an emperor?" another aged voice rang out. "No. The phenomenon when I attained the Dao was not even one ten-thousandth of this."
"The myriad worlds are about to change. Could the legendary Immeasurable Tribulation be approaching?"
"Such clear Great Dao Principles..." An Immortal Emperor's gaze burned. "If I can comprehend even one ten-thousandth of them, I will surely advance further!"
Deep in the starry sky, countless powerful divine wills quietly watched the torrent formed of pure Principles.
Even those in the Immortal Emperor realm could not understand the sight before them.
Still more Immortal Lords and Immortal Kings seized this once-in-a-thousand-years fortuitous opportunity, frantically comprehending the manifested Great Dao Principles.
An old monster trapped at the peak of Immortal King for tens of thousands of years actually felt his realm loosen at that moment, faintly touching the threshold of the Immortal Emperor realm he had dreamed of.
For the Myriad Realms of the Heavens, this was an unprecedented opportunity of a golden age.
And the instigator of it all was now immersed in his own transformation.
Within Ye Chen's body, a vision of heaven and earth first opening slowly unfolded. Amid the chaos, countless forebears of High Antiquity could faintly be seen worshipping devoutly in a certain direction-that direction was precisely where he stood.
He did not know that merely fusing with a physique had stirred the Myriad Realms of the Heavens.
Once the phenomenon dispersed, Ye Chen opened his eyes.
"The Primordial Hongmeng Physique truly is extraordinary."
He raised a hand and gazed into his palm-countless threads of Principles intertwined and coiled there, resplendent as a river of stars.
"Now, I alone am a complete convergence of Great Dao Principles," he murmured. "Though still an Immortal Emperor, defeating a hundred of my former self should not be difficult for me now."
His tone was calm, yet carried unquestionable confidence.
His realm had not changed, but his control over the Heaven and Earth Principle was now as different as clouds and mud.
With a slight stir of his will, the Principles in his palm flowed, actually constructing a small world on their own-not some incomplete secret-realm space, but a truly complete world.
Ye Chen nodded in satisfaction, then released his Divine Sense, hoping to find a few more promising geniuses.
Yet how could people with such talent be found everywhere like weeds beside the road?
His Divine Sense swept the surroundings, finding nothing.
However, he did pick up another piece of news-a secret realm would soon open in a place called the Subduing Dragon Mountain Range. Cultivators from every direction would gather there to vie for its hidden treasures.
Naturally, he had no interest in such "low-level treasures," but taking his disciple there to broaden his horizons and gain some experience would not be bad.
"Competing for treasures in a secret realm? No rush. I'll deal with it when the time comes."
Ye Chen smiled faintly. With a flicker, he appeared beneath the Ancient Dao Comprehension Tea Tree on the mountain behind the hall.
"Rustle-"
The Ancient Dao Comprehension Tea Tree seemed to sense his arrival, shaking its branches and leaves excitedly. Amid flickering emerald light, countless threads of Dao Principles descended like a curtain, enveloping the person beneath the tree.
Ye Chen leaned comfortably against the trunk and closed his eyes.
"Taking a lazy nap, whether there's anything to do or not-now this is a life I wouldn't trade even for an immortal's."