roccoschili Chapter 1000: The Battle of the Nine Realms
Chapter 1000: The Battle of the Nine Realms
Qingyuan Sanxian picked up his teacup, took a gentle sip, and felt the warm tea slide down his throat, leaving a faint aftertaste. His eyes were filled with longing, as if he had seen through countless layers of time and space and gazed upon the swaying celestial herbs deep within the Immortal Tomb, surrounded by rosy light and exuding a natural Daoist charm.
The Cloud Feather Immortal Tomb is the final resting place of the Ninth-Rank Celestial Immortal, Cloud Feather Immortal, and can be considered one of the greatest opportunities near Cloud Dragon Immortal City. This tomb opens once every thousand Chaos Eras. Countless Ninth-Rank Void Immortals and Quasi-Celestial Immortals in Cloud Dragon Immortal City have successfully taken that crucial step, broken free from the shackles of Void Immortals, and ascended to become true Celestial Immortals by finding Celestial Immortal-level rare treasures in the Cloud Feather Immortal Tomb.
Su Mo withdrew his gaze from the lake and landed on Qingyuan Loose Immortal's expectant face. He gently shook his head, his tone calm yet resolute: "Fellow Daoist Qingyuan, no thanks. The Cloud Feather Immortal Tomb offers opportunities, but it also harbors great dangers. I'll stay safely in the Immortal City and not join in the fun."
The tomb of a ninth-rank celestial immortal is a great opportunity even for other ninth-rank celestial immortals, enough to tempt them.
Even though the Cloud Feather Immortal Tomb has appeared thirty-two times, those high-grade natural treasures have long been plundered by generations of celestial immortals of the seventh rank and above, and very few celestial immortals of the seventh rank and above have set foot in the Cloud Feather Immortal Tomb anymore.
But for these ninth-rank Void Immortals, the Cloud Feather Immortal Tomb is still a den of dragons and tigers. Not to mention those Celestial Immortals, the remaining restrictions and the guardian battle puppets inside are enough to give them a hard time. It would not be an exaggeration to say that they have a slim chance of survival.
"Fellow Daoist Qingyuan..." Su Mo gently stroked the rim of the cup with his fingertips, his tone becoming more sincere, "No matter how good the opportunity, you have to be alive to enjoy it. The Cloud Feather Immortal Tomb is really not a good place for either of us. You are not even a full cosmic era yet, you have plenty of time ahead of you, why take such a risk?"
Having been neighbors for trillions of years, even though Su Mo was indifferent, he still harbored some coldness in his heart towards Qingyuan Sanxian, his "friend" who frequently visited.
Upon hearing this, Qingyuan Sanxian gave a bitter smile, downed the remaining tea in his cup, and the bottom of the cup clinked softly against the stone table, like a suppressed sigh: "Fellow Daoist Su Mo, what you say makes sense. But have you forgotten that in another eight hundred Chaos Eras, there will be a Nine Realms Immortal War that lasts for ten Cosmic Eras? If we cannot break through to the Celestial Immortal realm within these eight hundred Chaos Eras, we may not have a chance to survive."
He was well aware of the dangers of the Cloud Feather Immortal Tomb. Even first- or second-grade Celestial Immortals would have a high chance of perishing if they went in, let alone a ninth-grade Void Immortal like himself who wasn't even a quasi-Celestial Immortal. But compared to sitting and waiting for death, this was the only way out of the predicament, the only glimmer of hope in a desperate situation.
"Nine Realms Immortal War!"
Su Mo repeated those four words in a low voice, a rare hint of solemnity appearing in his eyes. The Cangling Sea where he was currently located belonged to the Xuanzhen Immortal Domain—a territory personally established by the Immortal Golden Immortal Xuanzhen. The Nine Domains Immortal War was a cruel alliance established by Xuanzhen and the lords of the surrounding eight Immortal Domains. Within the nine Immortal Domains, apart from those who were specially permitted by the nine Golden Immortals not to participate in the war, all Immortal Realm cultivators, even the high-ranking Ninth-Rank True Immortals, were not spared, unless they could escape the nine Immortal Domains before the war.
That was a true burial ground for immortals, a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood, where even the bones of immortals turned to ash. Even true immortals could perish there with the slightest carelessness. Since the birth of the Azure Spirit Sea nearly 100,000 cosmic eras, the number of true immortals who have appeared there is far greater than the number present. Most of them became withered bones in the Nine Domains Immortal War. Only high-ranking true immortals of the seventh rank and above can be considered to have the ability to protect themselves in the Nine Domains battlefield, and they rarely suffer casualties.
As for rogue cultivators like Qingyuan Sanxian, who have no one to rely on, they are cannon fodder in the Nine Realms Immortal War, basically facing certain death. Only by breaking through to the Celestial Immortal realm can they have a slight chance of survival.
“Fellow Daoist Su Mo,” Qingyuan Loose Immortal gazed at the surging clouds outside the pavilion, the clouds like waves, their movement seemingly concealing countless lives and deaths, his tone filled with a do-or-die resolve, “The Cloud Feather Immortal Tomb is the greatest opportunity for us loose cultivators to break through to the Celestial Immortal realm. Rather than lingering on for eight hundred Chaos Eras, ultimately dying in the Nine Realms Immortal War, turning into dust unknown to anyone, it is better to take a gamble, perhaps we can still fight for a way out, even if there is only a one in ten thousand chance.”
"I think I'll pass." Su Mo shook his head again, his tone indifferent, as if he were talking about something trivial that had nothing to do with him. "Living one more day is one more day. Eight hundred Chaos Eras is not a short time. There may be other opportunities during that time."
If he really is like Qingyuan Sanxian, with only the cultivation of a ninth-grade Void Immortal, then he might really have to learn from Qingyuan Sanxian and venture into Yunling Immortal Tomb.
Unfortunately, he was not. He was not only a True Immortal of the fifth rank both internally and externally, but his overall combat strength was also comparable to that of an eighth-rank True Immortal. Not to mention a ninth-rank Heavenly Immortal tomb that had been almost completely hollowed out, even a ninth-rank Heavenly Immortal tomb that had just appeared would hardly catch his eye.
Upon hearing this, Qingyuan Sanxian's smile faded slightly, but he did not insist any further. He simply drank the remaining tea in his cup in one gulp, the bottom of the cup lightly touching the stone table, making a soft sound, like a helpless sigh.
He slowly rose, his white robes swaying slightly in the lake breeze, a few strands of white hair at his temples lifted by the wind, making him appear even more desolate and tragically desperate, as if this departure was a final farewell.
“In that case, I will not disturb Fellow Daoist Su Mo’s cultivation any longer.” Qingyuan Loose Immortal cupped his hands slightly to Su Mo, his eyes still showing regret, but also a hint of determination. “I will go back and make preparations. If Fellow Daoist’s mind changes in eight million years, please send me a message.”
Having said that, he didn't linger, turned around, and walked out of the pavilion in the middle of the lake. The bluestone slabs under his feet made a slight sound, which mingled with the sound of the wind and water outside the pavilion. As he passed the weeping willows by the lake, he reached out and brushed a low-hanging branch, his fingertips picking up a few drops of morning dew, which then turned into a white streak of light and gradually disappeared along the winding pebble path.
His figure turned past the artificial hill, passed through the flowerbed filled with purple orchids, and the gentle breeze stirred by his robes made the petals tremble slightly, leaving a faint fragrance in his wake. Finally, his figure disappeared outside the moon gate of Nine Spirits Manor, leaving only a gradually blurring white shadow, like a speck of dust, merging into the morning mist in the direction of Cloud Dragon Immortal City.
"This is the tragedy of the weak!"
Watching Qingyuan Sanxian's receding figure, Su Mo sighed softly, his voice almost swallowed by the lake breeze. The resolute helplessness in that figure was like a mirror, reflecting the cruelest law of this ancient immortal realm—without sufficient power, one can only drift along in the torrent of fate, without even the right to choose a peaceful life.
"Fortunately, I am not a weakling. However..." Su Mo paused, then changed the subject, his gaze suddenly sharpening like a drawn sword piercing the calm of the lake, "Next, I will have to make proper preparations for this Nine Realms Immortal War."
While an Eighth-Rank True Immortal possesses formidable combat power, they are not invincible. Historical records indicate that in just over a dozen Nine Realms Immortal Wars, one or two Eighth-Rank True Immortals would perish. Moreover, what he seeks is not merely self-preservation. The Nine Realms Immortal War is dangerous, but it is also a great opportunity.
Without a reason, he couldn't very well hunt down True Immortals on a large scale—putting aside his bottom line for the moment, each True Immortal was a pillar of their respective immortal realm, and if he were to start a bloodbath, the Profound True Golden Immortal would be the first to not let him go. With his current cultivation level, in front of an Immortal Golden Immortal, he was probably no different from those Celestial Immortals or Void Immortals; escaping would be a pipe dream.
In the Nine Realms Immortal War, however, there were fewer concerns. With so many geniuses gathering, life-or-death battles were the norm; within the laws of nature, the strong prey on the weak. If one could seize enough resources and devour enough True Immortal essence and opportunities amidst the chaos, this could very well be the opportunity for him to attain the Immortal Golden Immortal realm, the stepping stone for him to open that supreme door.
"There are still eight hundred Chaos Eras to go. I hope my cultivation can reach even greater heights!"
next second...
"Whoosh..."
Su Mo's body twitched slightly, and hundreds of divine lights suddenly burst forth from his body, dazzling and spectacular like a peacock spreading its tail. Azure, red, white, black, gold... all kinds of light intertwined to form a rain of light, each divine light containing the unique aura of a spiritual illusory body, some fierce, some gentle, some profound, and some agile.
Immediately afterwards, ripples spread through the space, like waves spreading out on the surface of water after a pebble has been thrown in. The hundreds of divine lights, like drops of water falling into a river, instantly disappeared into the ripples and vanished within the Nine Spirits Manor. It was so fast that it was dazzling, as if the previous dazzling rain of light was merely a fleeting illusion.
Only a spiritual illusion, dressed in the same blue robe and with an aura almost identical to Su Mo's true form, remained quietly by the pavilion pillar, standing with its head bowed, like a silent shadow, its eyes calm and still, waiting for Su Mo's command at any moment.
......