Chapter 389: 389. Chapter 385: This Is Not a Good Place

389. Chapter 385: This Is Not a Good Place

Opening Wu Hongtian's ring, Ding Huan saw a full five to six hundred thousand low-grade immortal crystals.

Ding Huan clicked his tongue inwardly—this guy really could save up.

Having cultivated to mid Jin Xian in the void, and still keeping five to six hundred thousand low-grade immortal crystals in his ring, he was practically a little expert at hoarding money.

There were a great pile of technique jade slips and various Dao-method jade slips, none of which interested Ding Huan. What surprised him was that he discovered a handwritten notebook in Wu Hongtian's ring.

Ding Huan took the notebook out; clearly it was already quite old.

Opening to the first page, it turned out to be a record of the Fourth Immortal Domain.

"The first day I entered the Fourth Immortal Domain, I already sensed that this immortal domain was somewhat strange. Sure enough, after I later advanced to True Immortal, I could no longer make any progress. I simply left the Fourth Immortal Domain—this is not a good place…"

Reading to here, Ding Huan's heart gave a jolt; Wu Hongtian's intuition was remarkably keen.

Ding Huan began to think of his own first time entering the Fourth Immortal Domain. Back then, his mind was set on nothing but raising his cultivation within the immortal domain; he had never once considered that there might be something wrong with the domain.

That was a kind of blind confidence he had in the immortal domain. Since it was an immortal domain—a place of higher-level heaven-and-earth rules—what problem could there possibly be?

But later, as he cultivated, he found that the heaven-and-earth rules of this immortal domain were indeed flawed. Not only could one not advance to Jin Xian, one couldn't even comprehend the path of a second-tier immortal array master.

"Today, in the void, I found a way to seek out Void Immortal Essence Sprouts. This is absolutely the most important thing on my journey in pursuit of the great Dao. From today on, I no longer have to worry about resources…"

"I went to the Fourth Immortal Domain again. That feeling actually faded, but I trust my own intuition—this Fourth Immortal Domain truly has a problem."

"I sense that Void City is going to undergo a great change, that an opportunity will come in the future, so I built many cave dwellings in Void City."

"No good—cave dwellings in Void City have no ownership; anyone can build them. I must establish some order in Void City. My current cultivation is too low; I need to at least wait until I reach Mystic Immortal before I can do this…"

"I never expected that the Myriad Void Swamp is actually the place where one leaves the interface where the Fourth Immortal Domain lies, but with my current strength, going in would be seeking death.

I must wait until I advance to Mystic Immortal, and until the cave dwellings in Void City turn into immortal crystals, before I go to the Myriad Void Swamp."

……

Ding Huan flipped on. Everything below was Wu Hongtian's cultivation experiences and insights in the void, along with plans for his future path and some premonitions.

As for the Myriad Void Swamp, however, this was the first time Ding Huan had heard of it.

According to Wu Hongtian's meaning, being in the Fourth Immortal Domain was actually being trapped within a certain interface realm; only by crossing the Myriad Void Swamp could one leave the Fourth Immortal Domain.

Then what about the Fifth Immortal Domain he had heard of within the Fourth Immortal Domain? Could the Fifth Immortal Domain also be within this same interface realm?

Was it also said that the Fifth Immortal Domain could only be reached by passing through the Myriad Void Swamp?

As for the man Wu Hongtian, Ding Huan would not pass judgment, but Wu Hongtian's alertness toward the future was absolutely something he ought to learn from.

He put away Wu Hongtian's notes.

Ding Huan decided to first crack the array token, then enter the Fourth Immortal Domain once more to have a chat with Reminding Shen Yi.

One immortal array flag after another was refined out by Ding Huan, and he repeatedly and continually perfected his array Dao.

There were indeed some array jade slips in Wu Hongtian's ring, but Ding Huan couldn't be bothered with a single one of them.

As his array Dao level advanced, the array methods stored in his memory were far more powerful than the array-Dao jade slips in Wu Hongtian's ring.

Three months later, Ding Huan stepped into the second-tier immortal array master rank, formally becoming an array master capable of laying out second-tier immortal arrays.

One year later, Ding Huan reached the third-tier immortal array master rank; at the same time, his void array patterns likewise stepped into the third-tier immortal array pattern tier.

Ding Huan knew this was very likely still not enough. He did not copy the array token, and continued to study immortal array Dao.

Two years later, Qi Qi Yonghan and Mu Zhen advanced to True Immortal Level One; Ding Huan was still studying array Dao.

Another few months passed, and Ding Huan stopped his array Dao research.

Ding Huan suspected he had once again encountered the same situation as inside the Fourth Immortal Domain. In the void on the periphery of the Fourth Immortal Domain, at most he could only become a third-tier immortal array master, and could not become a fourth-tier grand array master.

This was probably the same as the situation he had encountered in the Fourth Immortal Domain.

It should be a limitation of the heaven-and-earth rules, preventing him from advancing further on the array Dao.

If what he studied were not array Dao, but rather single-mindedly cultivating—

Then here too he could only cultivate to the Mystic Immortal realm, and after reaching Mystic Immortal he would likewise be unable to advance.

A third-tier immortal array master, going to copy the array patterns of a fourth-tier immortal array—he didn't know whether it would work.

Ding Huan took out that array token once more. Although the array patterns on the token were intricate, with all manner of array-pattern laws Lin Li.

Compared to when Ding Huan had studied this array token a few years ago, it was much easier now—at the very least he could understand what those array patterns were for.

Completely copying out this kind of array token was out of the question, but Ding Huan felt that many array patterns he could not carve out, yet could be substituted with other array patterns.

Another three months passed. Ding Huan had not copied out an identical array token, but he had produced a substitute array token.

At least thirty percent of the array patterns within were ones he had derived through the Grand Cosmos Art, and then used to replace the original array patterns.

Ding Huan didn't know whether this array token would work; he had made it according to his own understanding of all the array patterns on the original token.

If it truly wouldn't work, then he could only use the array token Reminding Shen Yi had given him.

"Ding Sect Master…" Seeing Ding Huan come out, Qi Qi Yonghan was overjoyed and immediately came over to greet him.

He and Mu Zhen had cultivated to True Immortal Level One, and after stabilizing, they had not continued cultivating.

Ding Huan waved a hand: "Let's just address each other as friends. Don't call me Sect Master anymore—I'm not any kind of sect master now. Let's go, we're heading to the Fourth Immortal Domain."

"I've heard that the Fourth Immortal Domain can only be entered through application at specific times; I'm afraid now is not the right time." Mu Zhen said carefully.

"Let's go try it first." Ding Huan controlled the iron wok, and with Qi Qi Yonghan and Mu Zhen, spent two days once more arriving outside Void City.

Looking at the still-ruined Void City, Ding Huan found it hard to understand why Wu Hongtian would have been optimistic about Void City.

This place's heaven-and-earth rules limited cultivators to advancing only to Mystic Immortal, and it was only facing an even worse Fourth Immortal Domain—how good could it possibly be?

Some cultivators who knew Ding Huan, upon seeing Ding Huan return once more to the outside of Void City, all widened their eyes, thinking they had seen wrong.

Nearly three years ago Ding Huan had been chased by Wu Hongtian and fled Void City; by all rights, Ding Huan should have been doomed beyond doubt.

How could he still have come back here again?

Not only had Ding Huan returned, even the two people he had saved had returned as well—this…

Could it be that Wu Hongtian had been killed?

Wasn't Wu Hongtian already at the Mid-True Immortal stage? How could he be killed?

Ding Huan also felt uneasy. He arrived at the barrier runes outside the Fourth Immortal Realm, pulled out the imitation rune tablet he had forged, pressed it against the runes, and activated it.

The runes rippled, then a clear gate appeared. Ding Huan rejoiced: "Hurry in."

He stepped through in one stride.

Qi Qi Yonghan and Mu Zhen followed closely behind Ding Huan into the Fourth Immortal Realm. The runes behind them sealed shut, leaving no trace.

"I didn't expect it to actually work." Ding Huan excitedly glanced at the rune tablet in his hand—only now did he notice its rune patterns had collapsed, rendering it useless.

It seemed the copy he made was single-use—but that was enough.

At least he no longer needed to beg others for a rune tablet every time he left or reentered.

"Ding Huan, why is the immortal qi here weaker than in the void?" As soon as they entered the Fourth Immortal Realm, Qi Qi Yonghan sensed the problem.

Mu Zhen also felt the immortal qi here was insufficient. How could one cultivate with this level of immortal qi?

Ding Huan hesitated before saying: "In the Fourth Immortal Realm, you can only join one immortal sect. Inside the sect, there is immortal qi."

"I'll go check out one sect first. Whether you two can join—if you can't, we'll find another way."

Ding Huan had wanted to explain that the Fourth Immortal Realm might have some issues—but he himself didn't yet understand what those issues were. How could he explain?

"What about you?" Qi Qi Yonghan asked.

Ding Huan sighed: "I plan to leave the Fourth Immortal Realm. This place isn't suitable for me. I don't yet know the details—I need to go inside and ask."

He didn't say he'd take Qi Qi Yonghan along—he didn't even know his own future. How could he take Qi Qi Yonghan with him?

Besides, as long as Qi Qi Yonghan and Mu Zhen stayed inside an immortal sect in the Fourth Immortal Realm, it would be enough.

They were different from him. The Great Cosmos Art required only sufficient heavenly and earthly immortal qi and adequate cosmic rules—his cultivation faced almost no bottlenecks.

Staying longer in the Fourth Immortal Realm would be a waste of time for him.

Qi Qi Yonghan and Mu Zhen were different—they were currently True Immortal Layer One. To reach True Immortal Peak, they'd need at least a thousand years in a place within the Fourth Immortal Realm with sufficient immortal qi.

…

Immortal Mist Alchemy Sect.

Sect Master Reminding Shen Yi hadn't had an easy time lately.

The Immortal Sect Master Assembly, hosted by the Fifth Immortal Realm, was about to begin again—and one of its agenda items was the issue of rune tablets in the Fourth Immortal Realm.

He had lent out the rune tablet—and it never came back.

Two years ago, he already knew Ding Huan had been killed by Wu Hongtian.

But he couldn't find Wu Hongtian, nor could he locate the rune tablet.

If it was discovered he had lost the rune tablet, this wouldn't be a minor matter.

At best, he alone would be expelled from the Fourth Immortal Realm, and Immortal Mist Alchemy Sect would be absorbed into another sect.

At worst, he'd be taken to the Fifth Immortal Realm. Being taken there might sound like a good thing—but being taken away meant death.

Reminding Shen Yi sighed. He had originally thought lending the rune tablet to Ding Huan would result at most in the confiscation of the sect's immortal crystals and some of its resource gains in the Fifth Immortal Realm.

He never expected that once lent out, it would never return.