Chapter 512: Parting Ways

"I can't be bothered beating you anymore. It's a waste of my energy," Lu Yun scoffed.

"You're completely right. My skin is really thick, so it doesn't really hurt me, but if you hurt your hand while beating me, then I could never forgive myself," Mo Yu said with a wide grin.

"Do you really not blame me for what I did all those years ago?" Lu Yun asked as she stepped out of Mo Yu's embrace and made her way over to the railing in front of her.

"The first few centuries after you sealed me away, I was indeed quite angry and confused, and after that, I even came to resent you a little. However, as more time passed, I simply missed you and couldn't work up the desire to resent you any longer," Mo Yu replied.

"I didn't think that the Reincarnation Palace would react so aggressively, to the point that they attacked my Infernal Frost Immortal Manor. The situation completely spiraled out of control from there, and the Heavenly Court ended up becoming the main beneficiary," Lu Yun sighed.

"It's alright, it's all in the past... Now that we've returned to the Northern Glacial Immortal Region, it's time that we settled the score with the Heavenly Court," Mo Yu said as he reached out to stroke Lu Yun's shoulder once again.

A loud slap rang out as the back of the hand was dealt a heavy blow.

"Don't go touching me as you please when there are other people watching!" Lu Yun scolded with her back facing Mo Yu, but there was a faint smile playing on her lips.

......

In the sky above a vast, nameless ocean.

Countless streaks of light suddenly erupted out thin air, then converged to form a rectangular door of light that was several dozen feet tall and giving off bursts of formidable spatial fluctuations.

The radiant golden light within the door of light flashed momentarily, following which a pillar of golden light erupted out from within. A pair of figures were sent flying out of the door of light alongside the golden pillar, following which the door of light quickly faded away.

The two figures were none other than Wyrm 3 and Han Li, both of whom had already adopted their disguises once again.

Not long after they parted ways with Mo Yu and Lu Yun, they were teleported out of the Infernal Frost Immortal Manor.

After taking a moment to steady himself, Han Li looked around with a slightly lost expression as he asked, "Do you know where we are right now, Fellow Daoist Wyrm 3?"

Wyrm 3 flipped a hand over to produce a jade slip that contained a map, and after inspecting the map for a moment to ascertain their location, she replied, "We're still in the Black Wind Sea right now, but we're very far away from Red Moon Island."

"Would I be able to have a look at that map?" Han Li asked.

"It's not worth much anyway, so you can have it. In any case, I most likely won't be coming back to the Black Wind Sea ever again," Wyrm 3 said as she casually tossed the jade slip at Han Li.

Han Li caught the jade slip, then cupped her fist toward her in a grateful salute.

"Do you have any plans from here, Fellow Daoist Han?" Wyrm 3 asked.

"I still have some private matters to take care of in the Black Wind Sea. After that, I'll probably be leaving the Black Wind Sea as well," Han Li replied.

"Just leaving the Black Wind Sea most likely isn't going to be enough. My advice to you is that you should leave the Northern Glacial Immortal Region altogether," Wyrm 3 said.

"That was my intention further down the line. Once news of Xiao Jinhan and Gongshu Jiu's demise reach the Heavenly Court, the entire Northern Glacial Immortal Realm is most likely going to undergo an enormous change. Those of us who have entered the Infernal Frost Immortal Manor will surely be targeted by the Heavenly Court, and that's not to mention that I'm already a wanted fugitive of the Immortal Palace," Han Li mused.

Even though he had managed to slay Gongshu Jiu in the immortal, there had been a huge element of luck in that battle.

If he were to unleash all of his most powerful abilities at once, then he really did possess the power required to slay a High Zenith Stage Jade Immortal, but the problem was that his limited immortal spiritual power reserves meant that he wouldn't be able to maintain this peak form for very long.

If it weren't for the fact that Gongshu Jiu had already been significantly worn down by Mo Yu and the resonance that had taken place between his and Wyrm 3's spirit domains, there was no way that he would've been able to secure that victory.

He was definitely going to be hunted by Heavenly Court immortal envoys of comparable cultivation base from this point onward, and the thought of that filled him with the burning desire to attain more power. Given the turmoil that was inevitably going to sweep through the Northern Glacial Immortal Region, this was clearly not a place where he could continue to cultivate in peace.

"With your unfathomable powers, your future should be a bright one with limitless potential, but in reality, it's one that's fraught with peril, and even the slightest misstep could lead to your demise," Wyrm 3 suddenly said.

Han Li's expression remained unchanged as he replied, "If you have something to say, then say it. There's no need to try and scare me."

"I'm not trying to scare you, Fellow Daoist Han, I'm merely stating the facts. The fact that you've cultivated both the Spirit Refinement Technique and the laws of time means that your days are most likely numbered," Wyrm 3 said.

"What do you mean by that?" Han Li asked as his brows furrowed slightly.

"There are some circumstances involved that I can't explain to you right now, but what I can tell you is that the best way for you to weather this storm is to become a true core member of our Reincarnation Palace. I can submit a recommendation for you if you'd like. Once you have the protection of the Reincarnation Palace, it won't be so easy for the Heavenly Court to target you," Wyrm 3 explained.

"Was I not a core member before?" Han Li asked.

"Reincarnation Disciples are supposed to be core members of our Reincarnation Palace, but due to the circumstances, your instatement as a Reincarnation Disciple was quite rushed, so none of the higher-ups of our Reincarnation Palace are aware of your existence," Wyrm 3 replied.

"I'm not completely opposed to the idea, but does the Reincarnation Palace really have the power to oppose the Heavenly Court?" Han Li asked.

"Compared with the Heavenly Court, we don't have any major subsidiary powers on the surface, such as the Immortal Palaces. However, underground organizations like the Ubiquitous Pavilion and the Transient Guild are far more covert, and there are too many such organizations to count littered throughout the entire Immortal Realm. I'm sure you're well aware of the cumulative power of such organizations," Wyrm 3 said.

Han Li fell into deep thought upon hearing this.

The Transient Guild was already an extremely powerful organization on its own, so if it really was just one of the countless subsidiary powers of the Reincarnation Palace, then the Reincarnation Palace would truly be a monolith of unimaginable proportions.

Even so, Han Li still didn't immediately jump to a decision. "I need some time to think about this."

Wyrm 3 had already anticipated this response, and she replied, "That's fine. I'm sure you'll decide to join us one day."

"In any case, it's true that I can't stay in the Northern Glacial Immortal Region any longer. Can you suggest any good ways for me to leave this immortal region?" Han Li asked.

"There are different ways to travel between immortal regions, but the most common method is to use interregion gates. Back when the Northern Glacial Immortal Realm was under the Infernal Frost Immortal Lord's command, there had been a total of eight interregion gates, but most of them have been destroyed since then, and at this point, there's only a single one left. It's under the control of the Northern Glacial Immortal Palace, and it's situated in the Extreme Star Palace."

"Only one? Doesn't that mean that I'll have no choice but to go through the Northern Glacial Immortal Palace if I want to travel to other immortal regions?" Han Li asked as his brows furrowed slightly.

"This is the only official route, and of course, it's inaccessible to our Reincarnation Palace, so we've created another avenue through which one can reach the nearest Black Mountain Immortal Region, but it's far more time and energy-consuming than traveling through an interregion gate," Wyrm 3 replied.

"How so?" Han Li asked.

"I'm not sure if you're aware of this, but aside from a very small number of immortal regions that directly neighbor one another, most of them are separated by vast primordial lands. These primordial lands vary in size, but all of them are extremely perilous. Through several million years of exploration, our Reincarnation Palace was able to establish a relatively safe route to the Black Mountain Immortal Region," Wyrm 3 explained.

"Why didn't the Reincarnation Palace just construct an interregion gate of its own? Wouldn't that be much safer and more convenient?" Han Li asked.

"An interregion gate is not just an ordinary super long distance teleportation array, Fellow Daoist Han. The entire teleportation process requires the participation of cultivators who are at or above the Golden Immortal Stage and are adept at using spatial powers. On top of that, an astronomical amount of resources is required to construct the gate, so it's not just something that anyone can afford to construct," Wyrm 3 explained.

"Perhaps that would be a major obstacle for other powers, but surely the Reincarnation Palace possesses more than sufficient wealth to accomplish such a feat," Han Li mused.

"You're right. Given the wealth that our Reincarnation Palace possesses, we could construct even three or four interregion gates in this immortal region with no problems. However, the operation of an interregion gate involves the usage of spatial law powers, and those law power fluctuations are impossible to conceal. Unless we construct the interregion gates but never use them, they'll eventually all be taken over by the Heavenly Court," Wyrm 3 explained.

"I see. In that case, can I access the established route that you just mentioned?" Han Li asked.

"As a Reincarnation Disciple, you have the right to use the route," Wyrm 3 replied with a nod, then flipped a hand over to produce a white jade badge that she tossed at Han Li.

"You can find all of the information pertaining to the route in this jade badge," Wyrm 3 said.

"Why didn't you use this jade badge as leverage to force me to become a core member of the Reincarnation Palace?" Han Li asked as he caught the jade badge.

"There's no need for me to do that. I'm sure you'll willingly make the decision yourself in the near future. Oh, and here's the fifth level of the Spirit Refinement Technique that I promised you earlier," Wyrm 3 said, then flipped her hand over once again to produce another jade slip that she tossed at Han Li.

Han Li caught the black jade slip, then briefly inspected its contents before stowing it away into his storage bracelet.

"I can see that you're a woman of your word, Fellow Daoist Wyrm 3. You have my thanks," Han Li said as he cupped his fist in a grateful salute.

"I still have some other matters to attend to in the Northern Glacial Immortal Region, so this is where we'll have to part ways," Wyrm 3 said, then immediately turned to depart.

However, she then suddenly turned around again as she continued, "Your cautious nature really reminds me of someone else that I know. If you ever get to meet him someday, I'm sure the two of you would really get along."

After that, she flew away as a streak of light, quickly vanishing into the distance.