“Senior Sister, slow down for a moment!” Fang Chen called out to Xie Aman suddenly via transmission.

Xie Aman’s Immortal Boat was moving far too quickly. By the time he spoke, the familiar terrain he had just seen had already vanished. The Immortal Boat Formation hadn’t even been activated, yet they were already covering hundreds of thousands of miles in an instant.

The Black Dragon glided for quite a distance before finally coming to a steady halt.

Xie Aman looked at Fang Chen with some curiosity. “Ninth Brother, what’s the matter?”

The others didn’t react much. The Immortal Boat l had stopped and started multiple times along the journey. They were used to it.

A small map formed from condensed immortal energy appeared in Fang Chen’s palm. He showed it to Xie Aman. “Senior Sister, could you circle around this area for a bit? You just overshot it. Move back slightly.”

“You’re looking for something?”

Xie Aman was puzzled, but it was no trouble for her. Slowing down and circling the area would take no more than a few minutes.

The Black Dragon Boat restarted and flew toward the area Fang Chen indicated.

“I thought I glimpsed a spiritual material I’ve been searching for. Not sure if my eyes deceived me,” Fang Chen transmitted as he carefully observed the surroundings.

In less than a dozen breaths, he spotted a mountain flickering in and out of existence. It was enormous, over 100 times larger than the ones in the constellations. The seals upon it were the same, densely layered and overwhelming.

“The Minor Immortal Realm... truly differs from the constellations. Could a single Formation Heart really unlock the seal here?”

Fang Chen’s expression turned odd. He had little confidence.

“Did you find it?” Xie Aman asked.

Fang Chen smiled bitterly. He committed the location to memory and then said, “Must’ve been my imagination. Senior Sister, let’s continue.”

Even if he found an excuse to leave and linger here for several days, he wasn’t confident he could break the seal. He would have to discuss it with Old Wang after returning. With his experience, he should know roughly how many Formation Hearts would be needed.

Fang Chen pondered silently. “If it really needs more than a hundred, then unsealing the Minor Immortal Realm in the short term would be impossible. I wonder what the corresponding Underworld region looks like. Could there be countless immortal souls?”

***

Several days later, everyone noticed the sky growing darker and heavier, tinged faintly with crimson. Behind the darkened sky, ancient patterns faintly emerged, stretching endlessly.

Little Immortal Honglian walked to Fang Chen’s side, gazing at the dark sky with both solemnity and curiosity. “The boundary between the two realms is approaching.”

“Fellow Daoist Hong, you’ve studied this before?” Fang Chen asked casually. “The Major Immortal Realm and Minor Immortal Realm split. What kind of power would be needed to accomplish that?”

“Only an extremely powerful force could achieve such a thing.” Nanming Ruyue stepped forward, staring at the darkened sky with a sigh. “The sky you see now is itself a grand formation. It is through this formation that the Major and Minor Immortal Realms were separated. Such a feat was accomplished by the ninth-transformation immortals, who retreated into the Minor Immortal Realm in ancient times. Even now, the formation shows no sign of weakening.”

“Fifth Senior Brother, what happened back then? Why would ninth-transformation immortals split the entire Immortal Realm in two and retreat?” asked Fang Chen, not missing the opportunity.

Little Immortal Honglian also looked at Nanming Ruyue with curiosity.

Nanming Ruyue gave a wry smile. “Who knows? That was so long ago. When it happened, the Enlightenment God Palace might not even have been established. It was likely that great upheaval.”

Not far away, Chen Enxue gazed at the sky and smiled faintly. “In that era, the Nine Mortal Realms, the Major Immortal Realm, and even the Underworld were engulfed in a massive catastrophe. Countless beings were drawn into it, from mortals and ants to immortals and True Immortals. None could remain untouched.”

“Third Senior Sister, are there still records of that upheaval?” Fang Chen asked.

“Hardly any. What little I know came from the Buddha Realm. You all know that the great Yin Demons there can live extremely long lives if they cultivate properly,” Chen Enxue shared. “When I traveled through the Buddha Realm, I met a great Yin Demon who had lived for ages. He had experienced that upheaval and told me quite a bit.”

Fang Chen fell into thought. He too knew some souls who had experienced those times, such as Grand Immortal Sovereign Bixuan in the Nanqing Constellation and Zhou Huaiyu of the Five Element Grand Sect. But most likely, the cultivator Chen Enxue met had merely been an ordinary participant in that era’s tides. It was unlikely they knew the true cause. Perhaps they had never even heard of the Nine Realm Immortal Alliance.

Chen Enxue continued, “He said the Underworld fell first, followed by the Major Immortal Realm. Our Nine Mortal Realms fared relatively better.”

Everyone nodded. Just looking at how intact the Nine Domains still were today made that clear. The Immortal Realm and Underworld, on the other hand, had both been split in two.

“The boundary is here,” Xie Aman’s voice rang out.

The Black Dragon Boat began to slow. After about a dozen breaths of gliding, it gradually came to a stop.

A crimson barrier appeared before them, like the gate of heaven, standing between earth and sky. Looking upward, its end could not be seen.

Before the crimson barrier lay countless cave-dwelling structures forming a vast complex.

Xie Aman smiled and said, “The True King Clan leads the defense here, with the Four Great Immortal Clans assisting them. Each has an eight-transformation Ancient Immortal stationed here. Occasionally, even ninth-transformation immortals come to inspect the defenses.”

As she spoke, another Immortal Boat approached head-on. Its aura was no weaker than the Black Dragon Boat.

“That’s a ranked spiritual treasure, isn’t it?” someone whispered.

Fang Chen examined the approaching vessel curiously.

A ranked spiritual treasure?

Its aura was indeed far stronger than the Black Dragon Boat’s, carrying the unmistakable presence of a spiritual treasure. He just didn’t know whether it had fused with a Formation Heart.

Before the vessel even arrived, a violent bout of coughing reached their ears.

“Cough... cough...”

An old woman leaning on a cane stepped forward and examined them. Her face was deeply wrinkled, appearing extremely aged, as though half her body had already died.

“Core disciples of the Enlightenment God Palace? What brings you here?” asked the old woman, her voice hoarse.

After speaking, she coughed violently again. A trace of blood lingered on her lips.

Fang Chen’s heart jolted. “An eighth transformation Ancient Immortal?”

Her aura seemed no weaker than Xie Aman’s. Yet even if her lifespan were nearly exhausted, such a powerhouse should be able to maintain a youthful appearance until death, aging only at the final moment. Even if she cared nothing for appearances, she shouldn’t be coughing in such a manner.

Xie Aman smiled and cupped her hands. “Fellow Daoist, I am Xie Aman of the Enlightenment God Palace. We intend to enter the Major Immortal Realm for a visit. Might you guide us?” 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

“You’re heading to the Major Immortal Realm?” The old woman frowned slightly, then nodded. “Follow me.”

Xie Aman smiled faintly and guided the Black Dragon Boat after her vessel.

At the same time, she transmitted to everyone, “She is an eight-transformation Ancient Immortal of the Earth Immortal Clan. The injury on her body was sustained in the Major Immortal Realm. The one who wounded her was a ninth-transformation Fallen Immortal.”

Everyone stiffened.

A ninth-transformation Fallen Immortal?