Chapter 368: 368. Chapter 365: Scenes of the Immortal Domain

368. Chapter 365: Scenes of the Immortal Domain

"Fellow Daoist Chang, I'm afraid we can't stay in this Void City any longer. Let me ask Steward Xin whether he can bring you along to join Baihe Immortal Dao." Ding Huan watched Wu Hongtian heading off into the distance, knowing full well the other party would never let Chang Chang Danyi off the hook.

Chang Chang Danyi said, "When you are recruited as an array master by an immortal sect, you have the right to bring one person along."

Although she had guessed that Ding Huan would bring her, she still could not contain the excitement in her heart. What she feared most was that Ding Huan would say he could not bring her.

For all these years, what she had longed for most was to join an immortal sect.

It was just that while her combat ability was passable, she was not proficient in any of the array, alchemy, talisman, or artifact paths.

Besides that, the immortal sect's needs for purifying immortal spirit herbs, purifying materials, planting immortal spirit herbs, and cultivating all manner of immortal essence crystals were also beyond her.

So she could only pin her hopes on becoming an array master's attendant.

This was also the reason she had taken the initiative to seek out Ding Huan when she learned he knew void array patterns.

Going to seek out Ding Huan, she had also hesitated for several days.

After all, the one Ding Huan had offended was Wu the Madman; if Wu the Madman found out she had gone looking for Ding Huan, she would be done for.

And indeed that was exactly how it turned out — if Ding Huan had not stepped in to save her, she would surely have died at Wu the Madman's hands.

Ding Huan had not expected an array master to enjoy such treatment either. He let out a hearty laugh, walked up to Xin Chuang, and said, "Steward Xin, this is my array-assisting helper. I want to bring her into the Immortal Domain with me. I wonder if that's acceptable?"

Xin Chuang waved a hand: "Of course there's no problem. Your auxiliary array disciple — you can decide for yourself."

Ding Huan nodded. So an array master's helper was called an auxiliary array disciple.

……

The two-day recruitment period passed quickly. Baihe Immortal Dao only took on one array master, two mineral refiners, one spirit-herb planter, and one mineral washer.

The two days did round off the task quite satisfactorily. Baihe Immortal Dao did not accept void immortal essence sprouts or other void-type immortal spirit plants.

So once the two days were up, Xin Chuang produced a low-grade immortal artifact and, taking the group of newly recruited people, entered the Fourth Immortal Domain.

Ding Huan's divine sense had been extended outward the whole time. The moment he entered the Fourth Immortal Domain, the impression it gave him was one of vast, boundless expanse.

Setting aside the matter of heaven and earth essence, this truly was a broad expanse worthy of the Immortal World.

Peaks stretched on without end, mist curled around them, and great rivers rolled like oceans, their crossings and weaves giving one a sense of majestic grandeur.

Trees, grasses, plains, lakes……

These scenes, woven together, made Ding Huan — who had spent years in the void — feel utterly refreshed.

Even Chang Chang Danyi could not help sighing a few times. The Immortal Domain was the Immortal Domain indeed; where in the void could one ever see such a vast panorama?

But after that sense of refreshment, Ding Huan noticed a fatal problem.

The grass was ordinary grass, no different from that on Earth. The trees were ordinary trees — the sort that could grow by the roadside in the Mortal World.

Although the mountains and rivers were imposing in their grandeur, they carried not the slightest trace of immortal spirit energy.

There was air in the space, yet there was not a whiff of immortal spirit energy.

In the void, at least there was a faint, thin trace of immortal spirit energy; here, there was none at all.

His divine sense swept outward, and not a single human figure could be spotted.

He could, however, make out a few places enclosed by great arrays; his divine sense could not penetrate them, so presumably those were the locations of immortal sects.

Ding Huan sighed inwardly. No wonder, after being expelled from an immortal sect, one could only choose to leave the Immortal Domain after enough time had passed.

What could one do by staying in the Immortal Domain?

Here there was no immortal spirit energy, and no people either.

A cultivator who could not enter closed-door cultivation, wandering day after day through this vast, empty Immortal Domain like a fool, would end up stifled to death in time.

Leaving the Immortal Domain at least offered some chances to struggle and strive; in the void one could still obtain some fortuitous encounters.

Ding Huan figured in his heart that the name Baihe Immortal Dao must have something to do with a cultivation art.

Because his Great Universe Art had a realm called Star River, and he himself was currently at the Star River stage.

The cultivation art of Baihe Immortal Dao should mean that during cultivation, one's true essence gathers into rivers, right?

When Xin Chuang guided the immortal artifact to a landing outside Baihe Immortal Dao, Ding Huan sighed. He understood why the sect was called Baihe Immortal Dao.

The words "Baihe Immortal Dao" outside the sect gate did look rather grand, at least far more impressive than Chang Chang Danyi's Void Teahouse.

It was just that outside Baihe Immortal Dao there were several long rivers crisscrossing one another. Seen from afar, it did have a certain grandeur, but knowing that the name Baihe Immortal Dao actually came from those rivers, Ding Huan felt a touch of disappointment.

It seemed he could not expect too much from this Immortal Domain.

When Ding Huan and the others followed Xin Chuang into the Hexiandao Sect, Ding Huan finally felt immortal spirit energy.

Although the immortal spirit energy here was not yet very dense, one could at least cultivate.

Everyone was very satisfied. They had spent years surviving in the void, that place so starved of immortal essence.

Suddenly arriving at a place where one could absorb immortal spirit energy and cultivate — it felt as unreal as a dream.

"Steward Xin, you're back." A middle-aged man in yellow clothing descended from the void.

Xin Chuang hurriedly offered a salute: "Yes. Xin Chuang greets Elder Kong."

Elder Kong's face broke into a broad smile: "Ah, Steward Xin really worked hard this time. It looks like you've recruited quite a few talents this trip."

Xin Chuang quickly replied: "Yes, this time I recruited one array master…… Ding Huan, come here for a moment."

As he spoke, he beckoned to Ding Huan.

Once Ding Huan came over, Xin Chuang said, "Elder Kong, this Ding Huan is truly a talent. His array mastery is absolutely the strongest I have ever seen.

With him joining our sect, even climbing into the rankings of the Immortal Domain's immortal sects would be within reach for our Baihe Immortal Dao."

In the Fourth Immortal Domain, the top ten immortal sects have the chance to go to the Fifth Immortal Domain and establish a sect branch.

Many immortal sects, precisely because they found formidable people, rose rapidly — climbing into the ranks of the top ten sects in the Fourth Immortal Domain — and thereby gained entry into the Fifth Immortal Domain.

In the Fourth Immortal Domain, every place that has immortal spirit energy is owned by someone; there is only one exception.

That exception is the Fourth Immortal Domain's Sect Ascension Ground.

The Fourth Immortal Domain's Sect Ascension Ground does have immortal spirit energy, and quite dense at that.

This Sheng Daochang not only has immortal spiritual energy, but its area is also extremely vast.

The sprawling Sheng Daochang actually consists of nothing but a row of massive array screens.

On the largest array screen is the comprehensive strength ranking of all immortal sects; the higher the rank, the stronger the sect.

The ranking is primarily based on the sect's immortal spiritual energy concentration and its overall achievements in alchemy, artifact forging, talismans, arrays, cultivation plants, and refinement.

Sects that make it onto this comprehensive strength ranking won't feel ashamed just because they're ranked low on the array screen.

In fact, merely appearing on the ranking array screen is a mark of honor for an immortal sect.

Because many sects lack the qualifications to enter this ranking.

This array ranking only includes the top one thousand sects of the Immortal Realm; sects below rank one thousand have no qualification to appear on the array screen.

That's why Xin Chuang said there was a chance to make it onto the Immortal Realm sect ranking.

Besides the first array screen listing the Immortal Realm sects, there are also the Dao Law ranking screen, the Array Art ranking screen, the Alchemy ranking screen…

All these array screens are targeted at individuals.

Every cultivator who makes it onto a ranking array screen is among the elite of the Fourth Immortal Realm and a prime target sought after by all sects.

Master Kong clearly paid no attention to Xin Chuang's introduction of Ding Huan; he smiled warmly and said, "Good, good, we naturally trust Xin Zhishi's work."

"But this time, Xin Zhishi has just arrived at the sect and must go out again…"

Xin Chuang froze. No way? He'd just returned from recruiting, and now he had to go out again? Was he being exploited exclusively?

"Master Kong, could someone else be sent this time?" Xin Chuang couldn't help asking.

Master Kong said, "This is a real opportunity—the Immortal Sects Gathering. Are you truly not interested, Xin Zhishi?"

Immortal Sects Gathering?

Hearing it was the Immortal Sects Gathering, Xin Chuang hesitated briefly, then gritted his teeth and said, "Fine, I'll go again. Master Kong, I'm leaving these newly recruited people in your hands. Ding Huan, assign him to the Array Protection unit—he's very capable."

"Rest assured, the rest is up to me," Master Kong said, handing Xin Chuang a jade token, his tone brimming with assurance.

Xin Chuang clearly held high regard for Ding Huan; before leaving, he actively greeted him.

After Xin Chuang departed, Master Kong waved his hand, and a cultivator whose own realm was merely Immortal-Bridge Level hurried over: "Master Kong, what are your orders?"

Master Kong pointed at Ding Huan and said, "Gu Yuan, he's a new array master. Take him to familiarize himself with his duties and inform him of his tasks."

Master Kong hadn't even remembered Ding Huan's name—clearly, Xin Chuang's earlier instructions were completely wasted.

In his eyes, a mere insect who hadn't even reached Immortal-Bridge Level talking about array proficiency? Two words: haha.

This newcomer must have given Xin Chuang some benefit, which is why Xin Chuang remembered him and brought him to the sect.

Out of respect for Xin Chuang, he wouldn't expose him—and he'd even assigned Ding Huan his first task.

"Yes," the disciple replied, gesturing to Ding Huan.

After Ding Huan and Chang Chang Danyi arrived, the disciple said, "Follow me."

Then he led the way ahead.

Along the way, he explained the sect's rules: first, never approach any immortal peak of the sect; as for the sect's main hall, absolutely do not go near it—or face the consequences yourself.

Second, while on duty, never leave your post without permission, or you'll be expelled.

Ding Huan didn't care; even if not on an immortal peak, as long as he was within Baihe Immortal Dao, this level of immortal spiritual energy was sufficient for him to step into his next realm.