Chapter 2401: Crisis on the Blood Sky Continent
In the air above a certain region of the sea in the Spirit Realm, two groups of whale-like low-grade sea beasts were engaged in a fierce battle for some unknown reason.
Sections of beast carcasses were occasionally rising up out of the seawater, and the nearby area of the sea had been completely stained red.
All of a sudden, an extremely fearsome aura erupted from the seabed, and the two groups of sea beasts immediately ceased their battle before fleeing in different directions in an alarmed manner.
In the blink of an eye, peace and quiet returned.
Right at this moment, the seawater parted, and a giant black ark emerged on the surface of the ocean.
The ark was over 10,000 feet in length, resembling a massive black beast.
The deck of the ark was packed with human cultivators, most of whom appeared to be quite young, and they were all extremely excited as they took in their surroundings.
There were also some cultivators who had closed their eyes and seemed to be sensing something in silence.
The Inkspirit Holy Ark had returned from the Small Spirit Sky, and in the instant that it did so, the passageway in the form of the ball of rainbow light finally crumbled.
Thus, if Han Li wanted to return to the Small Spirit Sky in the future, then he would have to seek out another corresponding ancient altar for a chance to do so.
At this moment, Han Li and Nangong Wan were standing side by side at the front of the ark, and everyone else gave them a wide berth out of respect.
"So this is the Spirit Realm. As expected, the purity of the spiritual Qi here really is far superior to that of the Small Spirit Sky. Only in a place like this will cultivators like us have a chance at making further progress and strive toward ascension to the True Immortal Realm," Nangong Wan murmured to herself.
"The Spirit Realm is indeed a superior place for cultivation than the Small Spirit Sky, but there still aren't that many Grand Ascension Stage beings in this realm. For weaker races like our human race, having one or two Grand Ascension Stage beings would be enough to claim a spot in the Spirit Realm. However, there are some super races that possess numbers of Grand Ascension Stage beings in the double digits. Of course, there are disparities in power even among Grand Ascension Stage beings, and the most powerful Grand Ascension Stage beings can match true spirits in battle and easily slay several ordinary Grand Ascension Stage beings at once," Han Li said with a smile.
During his time in the Small Spirit Sky, he had already given everyone a rough description of the Spirit Realm and the human race here, so they weren't completely oblivious to this realm.
"Judging from the confidence you're exuding, you must be one of those anomalies among Grand Ascension Stage beings. I didn't think that our human race would be in such a bad situation in the Spirit Realm, but surely the situation is going to improve with your efforts," Nangong Wan sighed.
"I'm confident in my ability to match any Grand Ascension Stage being in battle, but I've only recently progressed to the Grand Ascension Stage myself, so it'll take some time for me to lead the human race on a resurgence," Han Li said.
"Of course. I trust that you'll definitely be able to accomplish this someday," Nangong Wan said as she turned to Han Li with a gentle look in her eyes.
"I certainly hope so," Han Li replied.
"How are we going to return to the Tian Yuan Continent? Are we going to cross the sea?" Nangong Wan asked.
"That won't be necessary. I'm familiar with the manager of the He Lian Trade Guild on the nearby Blood Sky Continent; he should be able to arrange for a teleportation formation to send us back to the Tian Yuan Continent," Han Li replied.
"That would be best; I really want to see the habitat of our human race in this Spirit Realm," Nangong Wan said with a smile.
Han Li merely smiled and offered no response, then directed the Inkspirit Holy Ark toward the Blood Sky Continent.
Several months later, the Inkspirit Holy Ark arrived above a certain major seaside city on the Blood Sky Continent, and it was hovering in mid-air above a triangular building.
Han Li and Nangong Wan were situated in the hall of the building, speaking to an uneasy middle-aged man who was sweating profusely.
"What? You're telling me that Fellow Daoist Bi Ying has already perished and your trade guild has withdrawn most of its forces? Are you sure you're not playing a prank on me? How could this have happened in such a short time?" Han Li interrogated with a cold expression.
"I wouldn't dare lie to you, especially not about something like this, Senior Han. Almost everyone on the Blood Sky Continent is already aware of this; if you don't believe me, you can go ask anyone else," the middle-aged man hurriedly replied with a wry smile.
"How was that man able to kill so many Grand Ascension Stage beings at once? It's downright unimaginable no matter how I look at it. Has your trade guild managed to ascertain that man's identity yet?" Han Li asked.
"I'm afraid I don't have the answer to that. Perhaps our headquarters will have more accurate information, but I'm only responsible for this branch, so I don't know much at all," the middle-aged man replied after a brief moment of hesitation.
"You don't know much? That means you know something, so go ahead and tell us what you know; surely my dao companion is qualified to hear this information," Nangong Wan said with a smile.
Han Li had naturally already told her about the man who had performed several large scale blood sacrifices on the Blood Sky Continent, and she had been given a massive fright upon hearing about such a fearsome figure.
"'Of course. If Senior Han wishes to hear the information I have, then I'll tell you everything I know," the middle-aged man hurriedly replied.
Han Li's expression eased slightly upon hearing this, and he nodded in response.
Nangong Wan also put on a serious expression as she prepared to listen to what the man had to say.
The middle-aged man reflexively lowered his voice as he revealed, "The circumstances surrounding that man are very peculiar. He seems to have initially appeared on the Blood Sky Continent, but it can be ascertained through his cultivation arts and abilities that he's definitely not actually from this continent, or even this realm, for that matter. Thus, there are circulating theories, stating that he could be a powerful being from another realm, or a true immortal who descended from a higher realm. According to the information I've received, I think the latter is most likely to be true."
Nangong Wan's expression immediately changed slightly upon hearing this, and even Han Li was quite stunned by this revelation. "How can you be so sure that this man is a true immortal?"
"Apparently, there was a witness who saw that man in battle from afar, and he seemed to have incurred backlash from the power of the realm in the form of chains of laws, which had bound his physical body and sealed away most of his powers. If this man isn't a true immortal, then how could that have happened? There are some extremely fearsome beings that exist in more powerful realms, but none of them are capable of killing so many Grand Ascension Stage beings at once, especially when there are beings of Master Bi Ying's caliber among them. Even the ancient true spirits, heavenly phoenixes and true dragons, shouldn't be capable of this," the middle-aged man analyzed.
"If those really were chains of laws, then your analysis is most likely correct. However, I'm still rather skeptical that a true immortal would descend into our Spirit Realm. I'll pay the headquarters of your trade guild a visit to make sense of the situation. By the way, now that Fellow Daoist Bi Ying has passed away, who's managing the trade guild? And where is that man now? Is he still performing blood sacrifices?" Han Li asked.
"Our trade guild is currently being joint managed by several elders, and a new manager will be selected in the future. As for that man, he's continuing to perform blood sacrifices, and almost all of the living beings in the eastern region of the Blood Sky Continent have been wiped out. However, around two months ago, he forced his way into the Blood Mark Sect and slew two of the sect's Grand Ascension Stage seniors along with thousands of disciples, then departed using the sect's intercontinental teleportation formation," the middle-aged man replied.
Han Li and Nangong Wan's expressions both changed slightly upon hearing this, and the former asked, "Intercontinental teleportation formation? Do you know which continent he went to?"
"According to our investigation, he seemed to have traveled to the Thunder Continent," the middle-aged man replied.
Han Li's expression eased slightly upon hearing this, but the concern in his eyes lingered as he asked the middle-aged man a few more questions before departing from the hall with Nangong Wan, flying back to the giant black ark in the sky.
In the air above a boundless green lake on the Thunder Continent, a translucent thread was flying through the air at an incredible speed.
In the blink of an eye, it had already covered a distance of tens of thousands of feet, and it continued onward without pause.
All of a sudden, an island with sparse greenery appeared up ahead, and the translucent thread abruptly descended toward it.
A huge crater suddenly appeared on the summit of the only mountain on the island, and a white-robed young man appeared alongside a silver-robed woman, the former of which was half-knelt on the ground.
"We'll rest for four hours, then continue," the white-robed young man said after throwing up a mouthful of blood, then rising to his feet in the crater in an unsteady manner.
"Is four hours going to be enough? You're already severely depleted; there's no way you can continue to frequently unleash that secret technique like this," the silver-robed woman said.
"Hmph, do you have a better plan? I don't know what's going on with that bastard, but he's suddenly entirely fixated on hunting us down rather than performing more blood sacrifices. If he hadn't suddenly arrived at the Blood Mark Sect before I even had a chance to correctly calibrate the teleportation formation, we wouldn't have ended up here on the Thunder Continent," the white-robed young man harrumphed coldly in response.