146: The lineage of True Immortals has appeared.

"Senior, are you really going to the Ruoshui Secret Realm?"

Profound Limitless was somewhat puzzled.

Calculating the time, the Secret Realm should have already closed; the Ferryman would no longer be ferrying people across.

Without his ferry boat, it was impossible for anyone below the True Immortal Realm to cross the Ruoshui River.

He had already told Senior all of this, but Senior didn't seem to care and continued to lead him along toward the Ruoshui Secret Realm.

"Naturally," Lin Chen said with a slight smile.

"But... even if the Secret Realm hasn't closed, only those with a bone age of no more than three thousand years can enter. Senior, you..."

Lin Chen still smiled and said, "It's fine. We'll talk about it once we get there."

...Meanwhile.

At the very core of the Ruoshui Secret Realm, the Profound Ice remained unmelted for eternity.

In the place where the cold Qi was most intense stood a palace carved from ice crystals.

In the center of the palace, a transparent crystal coffin floated quietly.

Inside the coffin lay a woman dressed in a light blue Flowing Immortal Dress; her beauty was world-toppling, as if she were merely asleep.

Her skin was lustrous, and her long hair fell like a waterfall.

Her entire body radiated a bone-chilling Dao Rhyme.

She was the master of this Secret Realm, the Ancient True Immortal—Fairy Li Meng—a primary wisp of her Divine Soul remaining in the world.

At this moment, on that seemingly eternal and beautiful face, her long eyelashes trembled slightly.

Fairy Li Meng's remaining consciousness slowly woke from a slumber of millions of years.

"Is it... time..."

A weak thought, carrying endless vicissitudes and exhaustion, echoed in the empty Ice Palace: "The Secret Realm's Origin... is nearly exhausted... This time should be the final opening..."

Her Divine Thought swept across the entire Secret Realm extremely weakly, sensing the young auras filled with vitality and desire that had broken into this place.

"This sleep... has been truly long... However, after the Secret Realm closes this time, I will fall back into slumber once more."

"I just don't know if there will ever be a day to wake up from this sleep."

"If I wake up again in the future, will this Qinggu Heaven Domain... still be the same?"

There was a hint of daze and reminiscence in her thoughts, as if she remembered the earth-shattering Heaven Domain War from ages ago.

"Tens of millions of years have passed, and the world has changed... Once this Dao field completely closes and dissipates into the void, will there... still be anyone in the world who remembers the name of the Ruoshui True Immortal, 'Fairy Li Meng'?"

A faint wisp of melancholy and unwillingness lingered in the remnant soul's heart.

After a long silence, that thought suddenly became clear and firm: "Since it is the will of heaven that has allowed This Immortal's remnant soul to persist until now and wait for this final batch of fated individuals... then I shall no longer wait passively!"

"Instead of waiting for the remnant soul to dissipate after endless ages, it's better to take a gamble now and fight the heavens for a sliver of life!"

"I hope that among these Prodigies, I can find This Immortal's truly fated person!"

"If I cannot find them, This Immortal will simply dissipate and accept fate!"

As her determination settled, an earth-shaking upheaval occurred at the core of the entire Ruoshui Secret Realm!

"Rumble—!!"

The lead-gray clouds in the sky spun frantically, forming a massive vortex. Endless ice and snow were swept into it, turning into a destructive blizzard!

The earth cracked, and the ten-thousand-year-old Profound Ice collapsed, revealing bottomless, dark fissures!

Even more terrifyingly, space shattered like glass, with countless spiderweb-like cracks spreading out, and the aura of destruction filled every inch of the air!

"What's happening?!"

"Is the Secret Realm going to completely collapse?!"

"Look over there! What is that light?!"

All the Prodigies within the Secret Realm were so terrified by this apocalyptic scene that their faces turned pale.

A Prodigy swung his sword to shatter a falling giant block of ice, looking toward the direction of the vibrations with uncertainty.

Just then, an indescribable, incredibly pure blue pillar of light, containing the endless Origin of the Ice Dao and True Immortal Laws, suddenly shot up from the Ice Palace at the very core of the Secret Realm, piercing through the vortex and shooting straight into the sky!

Within the pillar of light, palaces could be faintly seen floating, and Dao runes danced like dragons!

A vast, ancient, and majestic will descended along with the pillar of light, instantly enveloping the entire Secret Realm!

"The true immortal inheritance! The True Immortal Longevity has appeared in the world!"

A well-informed Prodigy trembled with excitement and shouted hoarsely, "It's in the direction where that pillar of light rose! Hurry! If we're late, there will be nothing left!"

At this moment, all the Prodigies went mad, rushing toward the direction of the light pillar regardless of the cost.

On the other side.

Zhao Qian was leading the people from Taiqing Academy, hurrying along.

Suddenly, he felt something strange as the blue pillar of light shot up and the vast True Immortal will abruptly descended upon the Secret Realm!

Zhao Qian's whole body shook violently!

He looked up sharply toward the light pillar, his face turning extremely ugly in an instant as he couldn't help but curse, "Shit, shit, shit! That direction... is where the Ruoshui Immortal Palace is located, which we spent a huge price to find out!"

"How could it... how could it suddenly appear at a time like this?!"

The academy elders had planned everything step by step just so he could safely approach the Ruoshui Immortal Palace and obtain that item.

He never expected the Ruoshui Immortal Palace to reveal itself so proactively, in such an unannounced way that was almost like a self-explosion!

This threw all his plans into disarray!

"Quick! Everyone keep up! Full speed ahead, no matter the cost!"

Zhao Qian no longer cared about safety. Clear light flared around him as he turned into a streak of light, leading the charge toward the light pillar, his face full of anxiety and determination. "We must not let anyone else get there first!"

"If that thing is snatched by someone else, This Young Master will skin you alive!"

The people from Taiqing Academy also knew it was the most critical moment and followed him through the collapsing snow and shattered space, gritting their teeth.

"Damn, damn, damn, is this the True Immortal's will?"

The people of the Wending Sect had just obtained many rare Medicinal Pills and Pill Formulas from the 'Cold Jade Pill Room' left by an ancient Alchemist when they encountered the great earthquake of the Secret Realm, the blue pillar of light shooting up, and the descent of the True Immortal's will.

That direction... wasn't too far from them.

"Could it be that the true immortal inheritance is right there?"

Yang Hao looked surprised, and everyone else had the same thought.

"Let's go, let's go! Let's check it out!"

Xiao Bufan was the first who couldn't hold back and rushed out.

"Alright!"

Everyone looked at each other and, without further hesitation, followed... Ripples appeared in the void as the figures of Lin Chen and Profound Limitless quietly emerged.

Lin Chen sat atop a large black dog, and before him stretched an endless, pitch-black river; its water was as thick as ink and deathly silent.

At this time, there were still some Cultivators lingering here who had not been chosen.

They were unwilling to accept it and refused to leave.

Seeing the two men and the dog arrive, they all cast scrutinizing glances.

"Senior, we've arrived." Profound Limitless's expression was grave. "The Ferryman is gone. This river... cannot be crossed. Unless one is a powerhouse at or above the True Immortal Realm, it is absolutely impossible to cross the Ruoshui River."

Lin Chen stopped, looking at the quietly flowing Ruoshui River thoughtfully.

"That might not be the case."

Lin Chen finally spoke, his tone calm.

"Senior, you... you want to force your way across this river?!"

Profound Limitless's heart tightened, and he hurriedly tried to dissuade him. "It's fundamentally impossible without reaching the True Immortal Realm! In the past, many experts didn't believe in the legends and insisted on forcing their way across the Ruoshui River. Without exception, they all died in there!"

"Senior! You absolutely must not be impulsive!"