Chapter Twenty: The Realm of Immortals, Demons, and Spirits

After killing Hua Yan, frightening away the Blood Demon Du Zhongjun, and striking a deal with Barbarian Qian, Qiankun returned to Misty Mountain Manor and summoned Qin Yu. He explained everything, handed over what he had gained from slaying Hua Yan, as well as several supreme-grade spirit stones obtained from Barbarian Qian, and then imparted to Qin Yu the advanced cultivation methods of the Nine Revolutions Origin Technique. Only after these arrangements did he quietly leave the mortal realm of Purple Profound Star, making his way to the Immortal, Demon, and Beast World.

In truth, over the years, Qiankun had already secretly explored the Nine Swords Immortal Mansion and the Ni Yang Realm, studying the arrays and restrictions set by Ni Yang Immortal Emperor. Yet, he had not taken the Enigmatic Divine Scroll hidden in the Ni Yang Realm, finding no need for it.

Qiankun had long intended to venture to the Immortal, Demon, and Beast World to visit the Enigmatic Divine Palace, but delayed his journey out of concern for Qin Yu. Now, with Qin Yu in possession of a Sword Immortal Puppet as a means of self-preservation and Qiankun’s earlier actions having further secured Qin Yu’s safety, he could finally leave with peace of mind.

Upon arriving in the Immortal, Demon, and Beast World, Qiankun did not proceed directly to the Enigmatic Divine Palace. Instead, his first act was to enter seclusion for cultivation.

This world was a vast cosmic expanse, seemingly endless, suffused everywhere with infinite origin spirit energy. It was divided into four great regions: the Immortal Realm to the east, the Demon Realm to the south, the Beast Realm to the west and north, and in the northeast, a special domain—the Dark Star Realm—inhabited by the original natives of this universe.

The borders between the Immortal, Demon, Beast, and Dark Star Realms were far from clear-cut; their edges intertwined and overlapped in complex ways.

After arriving, Qiankun chose a common cultivation planet in the Blue Bay Starfield, where the Immortal and Demon Realms converged. Having familiarized himself with the place, he performed a Grand Shift, relocating to a desolate mineral planet. There, by combining spatial techniques and formation arts, he drew in the boundless spirit energy of the cosmos, continuously absorbing it to fuel his evolution from the Dark Star to the Black Hole stage.

In the blink of an eye, over a century passed. Qiankun advanced in one leap from the Dark Star stage through the Black Hole stage, reaching the Origin Point realm. Yet the next transformation could not be propelled by external spirit energy; it required the power within the viscous space connected to the Black Hole.

Qiankun had expected his breakthrough to the Black Hole stage to cause a great disturbance, as had happened with Qin Yu. However, the Immortal, Demon, and Beast World remained eerily calm. He could not help but wonder if the universe’s master, Lin Meng, knew he was an outsider and so refrained from any fanfare on his behalf.

Qiankun did not dwell on this; in fact, he preferred that Lin Meng remain unaware of his presence. But was that truly possible?

Since rapid advancement was no longer feasible in the short term, Qiankun turned to cultivating the Nine Revolutions Origin Technique. With a body of sufficient strength, the power unleashed in tandem with spatial laws would be formidable.

The power hierarchy in Lin Meng’s universe differed from that of the Primal World. After several decades of cultivation, Qiankun perfected the sixth revolution of the Nine Revolutions Origin Technique, rendering his physical strength equal to that of a ninth-grade Immortal Emperor. Coupled with his profound understanding of space, not only ninth-grade Immortal Emperors, but even slaying a Deity would be as easy as crushing an ant.

Estimating that Qin Yu would soon ascend to the Immortal, Demon, and Beast World—Qiankun refrained from passing him the Dark Star cultivation method, wishing not to interfere too much with his growth—Qiankun left his secluded mineral planet and began to roam the world. With his powerful divine sense, he could scan the entire realm in a single thought. Mastery of spatial techniques allowed him to reach any location at will. In little more than a decade, Qiankun had visited every place of interest.

In the Silver String System of the Blue Bay Starfield, the Maple Moon Planet was the first cultivation planet Qin Yu visited after ascending. In the blink of an eye, Qin Yu had already spent over ten years there.

One deep night, in the residence of Elder Liu Minghan—of the Liu Clan, one of the three great families of Maple Moon Planet—Qin Yu’s disciple, Liu Hanshu, came to pay respects and inform the elder of Qin Yu’s impending departure.

Qiankun, who had long since arrived on Maple Moon Planet, quietly slipped into the Liu Clan’s estate without alerting anyone.

“What a lovable, foolish boy!” Sensing Liu Hanshu’s resolve to warn Qin Yu at the cost of his own life, Qiankun shook his head with a soft sigh. With a thought, he appeared by Liu Hanshu’s side, placed an antidote pill into his body, and casually lifted the seal on his nascent soul.

The surrounding disciples—Wu Bo of the Jade Sword Sect and Liu Minghan, the Liu Clan’s elder—were both shocked, staring wide-eyed at Qiankun. “Who are you?”

“Who am I? You nearly killed my grand-disciple and you dare ask who I am?” Qiankun sneered, his words leaving Liu Hanshu, who overheard, dumbfounded.

Grand-disciple? Wu Bo hesitated only a moment before drawing his sword to strike at Qiankun.

With a casual flick of his finger, Qiankun’s fingertip flashed with golden light, meeting Wu Bo’s immortal sword head-on.

“How arrogant, trying to block my immortal sword with your finger? You court death!” Wu Bo sneered inwardly. Yet, with a crisp shattering sound, his expression stiffened as he saw his sword crumble. In the next instant, a beam of light shot from Qiankun’s fingertip, piercing Wu Bo’s body and reducing him to a cloud of blood.

Liu Minghan trembled all over, his face turning deathly pale at the sight. In that moment, with the air quivering, Qin Yu’s figure flickered into view, further draining the color from Liu Minghan’s face.

“Master?” Qin Yu’s eyes lit up with joy at the sight of Qiankun, and he hurried forward to bow respectfully.

Liu Hanshu, regaining his senses, quickly knelt and saluted. “Grand-disciple Liu Hanshu pays his respects to Grandmaster!”

“Heh, that’s enough, kid, get up!” Qiankun smiled, helping Liu Hanshu to his feet, then turned to Qin Yu. “Xiao Yu, you’ve taken on an excellent disciple!”

But then Qiankun couldn’t help but add, “Still, you do have quite a knack for getting into trouble. Some big trouble is heading your way soon. But I trust you can handle it; your affairs are yours to resolve. Just make sure you protect your disciple!”

“Big trouble?” Qin Yu was momentarily startled, but quickly replied, “Master, please rest assured, I can handle it.”

“Good! Very well! Until fate brings us together again, my disciple.” Satisfied, Qiankun patted Liu Hanshu on the forehead, then vanished with a Grand Shift.

Rubbing his forehead, Liu Hanshu muttered in confusion, “Why did Grandmaster hit me before he left?”

But then his eyes lit up in surprise. “Master, I think Grandmaster just passed me a cultivation method—one specifically for forging the body! It seems extremely powerful.”

Qin Yu shot him an amused look and laughed. “Naturally! To be granted the Nine Revolutions Origin Technique by your grandmaster is a great fortune indeed.”