51: Fairyland Novice Village

The Nine Heavens Chaos World-Ending Divine Lightning Tribulation!

In Lin Xuan's eyes, it was just an oversized jacuzzi with an all-you-can-eat buffet!

He stood right in the middle of the lightning sea, where a giant vortex formed by chaotic currents was greedily sucking in the descending World-Ending Divine Lightning. Thick bolts of red, purple, black, and gold lightning looked terrifying, but as soon as they touched the edge of the vortex, they were absorbed and refined. With a crackling sound, they were all transformed into pure energy, becoming nourishment for Lin Xuan.

“Harder! Did you not eat?” Lin Xuan yelled at the thunderclouds, craning his neck, still feeling the power wasn't strong enough. He felt like a balloon inflated to its limit, just waiting for that final 'pop'.

Finally, when the last super divine lightning bolt, tinged with dark gold and seemingly capable of shattering the very essence of laws, was forcibly crushed in his palm and melted into a warm current flowing into his body!

Pop!

That invisible barrier, the thin paper ceiling between the peak of tribulation transcendence and a higher realm, was finally broken through!

A completely new, boundless sense of power instantly filled his limbs and bones! Every cell cheered with joy! Deep within his Sea of Consciousness, the Chaos Nascent Soul vibrated violently. Its size didn't increase, but it became more solid and profound, like a chaotic star nurturing the embryonic form of a universe! Every movement he made carried a rhythm that faintly resonated with the laws of heaven and earth!

True Immortal!

Not the kind of watered-down immortal achieved by consuming pills, but a top-tier True Immortal with a solid foundation, tempered by the Heart Demon Tribulation, and then bathed in World-Ending Divine Lightning! Lin Xuan felt that with one punch now, he could explode the previously injured Blood Hell King ten more times!

The chaotic lightning sea that had been so arrogant above his head for so long seemed to have run out of strength. It rolled reluctantly a few times, then sporadically sent down a few weak residual lightning bolts, as if finding a way to save face, and then dissipated completely.

“Tch, done already?” Lin Xuan clicked his tongue, still wanting more, and stretched his muscles and bones. His joints crackled like small firecrackers.

Before he could properly savor the comfort of the True Immortal realm, this dark golden world suddenly became uncooperative! A vast, irresistible force of rules, like an invisible giant hand, suddenly gripped him!

“What the heck? Kicking me to the curb after I've served my purpose?” Lin Xuan only had time to utter a single complaint before he was flung away by that force of rules like a pebble shot from a slingshot! The light and shadows in front of him twisted and changed wildly, and countless spatial barriers were forcibly penetrated!

By the time he felt his feet touch solid ground and could see clearly, he was already standing in an endless desert.

The sand beneath his feet was scorching hot, a bright, blazing sun hung overhead, and the air was so dry it felt like it could ignite; taking a breath felt like his throat was smoking. In the distance, sand dunes undulated, stretching to the horizon, without a single blade of grass in sight.

“Is this the Immortal Realm?” Lin Xuan looked down at himself, his dark robe, which had become a bit blackened from rubbing in the dark golden world, and then at this desolate desert. He felt cheated. “What happened to the promised ethereal immortal energy and magnificent palaces? This looks even shabbier than the Demon Lands of the Abyss!”

He tried to circulate his cultivation technique and found that the immortal spiritual energy in this place was incredibly dense, hundreds of times stronger than in the Small Immortal Realm! It just felt a bit dry? Like it was mixed with sand. The Chaos Nascent Soul, however, was not picky. With a slight intake, it was like a whale swallowing, and the immortal spiritual energy within a hundred zhang radius was instantly emptied, forming a small vortex that then slowly refilled.

“Hmm, the energy purity is decent, just the taste is a bit lacking,” Lin Xuan commented, as if sampling inferior wine.

Just as he was contemplating which direction to go, a whooshing sound came from the horizon. Several streaks of light approached from afar, quickly landing not far in front of Lin Xuan.

The leader was a female cultivator, clad in light silver-white immortal armor that accentuated her tall, agile figure. Her long, black hair was tied into a neat ponytail, revealing a clear forehead and a heroic, somewhat wild-looking face. She had willow-shaped brows, almond eyes, a straight nose, and slightly thin lips that, when pressed together, conveyed a stubborn and capable demeanor. A simple, sheathed longsword hung at her waist. Her aura was steady, clearly that of a Heavenly Immortal! Behind her followed four team members dressed in similar standard leather armor, all at the Void Refinement stage of cultivation, each looking travel-worn, their eyes vigilantly sizing up Lin Xuan.

“Oh? A True Immortal?” The female captain's eyes flashed with surprise when she saw Lin Xuan. She immediately cupped her fists, her voice clear and sharp, with a slight hoarseness, clearly honed from years of shouting in the wind and sand: “Greetings, Daoist friend! I am Liu Ruyan, captain of the Qingyan City patrol team. May I ask where Daoist friend comes from? And what brings you to this desolate place?” Her gaze swept over Lin Xuan. Although his dark robe was a bit old, its quality was extraordinary, and he had sword-like brows and starry eyes, with an indescribably lazy yet profound aura? In short, he didn't look like a bad person.

Lin Xuan was just looking for a guide. Seeing someone approach, and a heroic female captain at that, whose attitude was also decent, he cupped his hands in return: “I am Lin Xuan. I just ascended from the lower realm and found myself in this sand pile as soon as I opened my eyes. I'm still a bit confused. A pleasure to meet you, Captain Liu!”

“Just ascended from the lower realm?” The team members behind Liu Ruyan all showed expressions of surprise and curiosity. Those who could ascend were top figures in the lower realms, but a newly ascended True Immortal in the Immortal Realm was essentially just out of the novice protection period.

Liu Ruyan, however, showed no contempt. Instead, her eyes lit up: “So you are a newly ascended Daoist friend! This place is the Flowing Fire Desert on the western frontier of the Immortal Realm. The environment is harsh, and low-level sand beasts and scattered Asura Clan scouts often appear. It is indeed dangerous for Daoist friend to be alone. If you don't mind, why not come with us back to Qingyan City to rest for a while? You can also familiarize yourself with the situation in the Immortal Realm.”

Lin Xuan had precisely this intention and went along with it: “That would be wonderful! Thank you, Captain Liu!”

Seeing Lin Xuan agree, a smile appeared on Liu Ruyan's face, making her heroic features soften considerably. She turned to her team and said: “Return to base! Back to the city!” Then she made a gesture of invitation to Lin Xuan: “Daoist Lin, this way.”

The group rose into the air and flew in one direction. Along the way, Liu Ruyan proactively began to introduce things to Lin Xuan.

“Qingyan City isn't large, just a small outpost on the frontier of the Immortal Realm, with a permanent population of only tens of thousands. The City Lord is Elder Tie Zhan, a Golden Immortal at the early stage, a righteous man responsible for guarding this area and fending off the unruly sand beasts in the desert and the occasional Asura Clan brats who wander over.”

“The Immortal Realm now, sigh, is not peaceful.” Liu Ruyan sighed, a trace of worry clouding her brows, “Those murderous Asura Clan are holding back our Immortal Emperors on the outer battlefield, while the Asura Kings and that damned Worm Mother lead hordes of insect offspring to plunder and destroy everywhere! Our various Immortal Realm clans are now fighting independently, barely holding onto some important immortal domains and resource points. For a small place like our Qingyan City, it's good enough if we can defend our own small territory.”

“Worm Mother?” Lin Xuan pretended to hear of it for the first time, but he knew this thing was crucial.

“Yes! That thing is the most disgusting!” A team member next to him couldn't help but interject, his face full of resentment, “It can endlessly produce insects! Those insects are like locusts, devouring everything and transmitting that devoured power to other Asura Clan! Many places in our Immortal Realm were gnawed away like that!”

Liu Ruyan nodded and added: “So, the front lines are tight now, and there's a shortage of manpower everywhere. A newly ascended True Immortal like Daoist Lin, as long as his identity is clear and he is willing to contribute, can register in the city and will soon be conscripted to places where he is more needed.”

As they spoke, at the end of the sand dunes ahead, the outline of a city appeared. The city walls were constructed from huge, dark green rocks, looking thick and sturdy. Figures flickered on the city walls; patrolling cultivators. People came and went at the city gate. Although not bustling, it was quite lively. Compared to the dead silent desert outside, this place was indeed a safe haven.

Just as they landed at the city gate, before Lin Xuan could properly observe Qingyan City, a sarcastic voice drifted over:

“Oh? Sister Ruyan, back from patrol? And you picked someone up?”

Lin Xuan looked up to see a young man, wearing a white immortal robe with gold trim, with an oily, powdered face, fanning himself with a folding fan, emerging from the city gate, surrounded by a group of followers. This person's cultivation was not low, a Heavenly Immortal at the mid-stage, but his aura was superficial, clearly achieved by relying on resources. His gaze first greedily swept over Liu Ruyan's heroic figure several times, then landed on Lin Xuan, his eyes immediately filled with undisguised scrutiny and hostility, especially after seeing Liu Ruyan's rather gentle attitude towards Lin Xuan; that hostility transformed into tangible jealousy.

“Zhao Yuanhao, whether I pick someone up or not, what business is it of yours?” Liu Ruyan frowned, her face openly showing disgust, her tone icy.

Zhao Yuanhao was choked for a moment, his face losing some composure. He immediately turned his aggression towards Lin Xuan, snapping his folding fan shut and pointing it at Lin Xuan's nose, his voice rising: “Sister Ruyan, as a patrol captain, your duty is to guard the safety of Qingyan City! A stranger suddenly appears in this desolate wilderness, and a newly ascended True Immortal at that? Who knows his background? What if he's an Asura Clan spy sent here?” The more he spoke, the more he felt he was in the right. He waved a hand at the followers behind him: “Come on! Take down this unknown fellow! Send him to the Law Enforcement Hall for a thorough interrogation!”

Those followers were all at the Void Refinement stage. Usually, relying on Zhao Yuanhao's father being a Golden Immortal Elder in the city, they had often abused their power. Upon hearing this, they immediately smirked and surrounded Lin Xuan.

Lin Xuan was amused. He had just arrived in the Immortal Realm and, adhering to the principle of keeping a low profile, didn't want to cause trouble. But he had just landed and encountered an ignorant jealous fool practically walking into his gun barrel? An Asura Clan spy? He had just slaughtered an Immortal Monarch-level Asura King as an appetizer!

He stood still, a playful smile even on his face, watching the Void Refinement stage followers surrounding him, his eyes like those watching a few small, flailing ants.