Chapter 965: First Appearance of an ‘Essence Realm’

Shang Xia’s appearance and display of skills got rid of the last reservations Lou Yi and the others had.

With his agreement to take part in their plan, Lou Yi and the others quickly made the arrangements.

However, Shang Xia noticed that even though Lou Yi and the rest were frequently entering and exiting the camp set up by the Emptiness Drifting Mountain, they tried to remain undetectable. They seemed to be actively avoiding some sort of surveillance as they raced to prepare everything without alerting anyone.

Finally getting a good opportunity to speak to Huang Yu alone, Shang Xia quickly approached and muttered in a low voice, “Why does this whole thing seem rushed? Aren’t they thinking too simply? Do they really think they can remain undetected by the True Immortals of the Emptiness Drifting Mountain?”

Huang Yu arranged his supplies and whispered his reply, “Yeah, they seem really rushed... Looks like Lou Yi and the others are forced into a corner.”

Raising his head, Huang Yu swept his gaze across his surroundings trying to be as quiet as possible. After ensuring there was no one around, he lowered his eyes and muttered, “I went to hit up a few acquaintances earlier and got my hands on a piece of interesting news. Not too long ago, another Martial Dipper Realm expert in the Emptiness Drifting Mountain comprehended his martial intent and entered the grand completion stage!”

“Another Martial Dipper Realm expert?” Shang Xia frowned.

If he wasn’t mistaken and if Lou Yi didn’t make use of any special methods of hiding his cultivation, Shang Xia could be sure that he barely completed the refinement of his fifth fate dipper. His cultivation should be at the large completion stage of the Martial Dipper Realm.

Huang Yu nodded. “Originally, there was only 1 Martial Dipper Realm expert in the Emptiness Drifting Mountain at the grand completion stage. That person has been competing with Young Master Yi for a chance to enter the Martial Void Realm. Even if Lou Yi’s cultivation is a little weaker, he has True Immortal Chong Shan behind him and he was able to remain in the competition.”

Shang Xia understood what was going on and he couldn’t help but add, “Looks like even in a great power like the Emptiness Drifting Mountain it’s extremely difficult to get a chance to enter the Martial Void Realm!”

Huang Yu chuckled to himself before he continued, “If there was only 1 grand completion stage Martial Dipper Realm expert fighting for his spot, Lou Yi might be able to grasp the opportunity by using all the resources available to him. However, now that a second expert at the grand completion stage of the Martial Dipper Realm has appeared, it would be extremely inappropriate for Lou Yi to leapfrog both of them for the chance of ascension. When that happens, chaos would break out in the Emptiness Drifting Mountain. That is exactly why True Immortal Chong Xu passed down word that the only people who would be able to fight for a chance at ascension would be the 2 grand completion stage Martial Dipper Realm experts. Coincidentally, the news of True Immortal Chong Shan reaching the end of his lifespan arrived and the Lou Family came to the conclusion that True Immortal Chong Xu is taking advantage of the situation to get rid of the Lou Family once and for all!”

Shang Xia nodded slowly and muttered, “Hmm... This truly seems too coincidental. It’s hard for anyone to think that there isn’t anyone plotting anything behind the scenes.”

“It doesn’t matter if it’s a giant scheme or not. This is our only chance to infiltrate the Solitary Peak Heavenly Lake. One has to know that the death warrior that has been sent there is extremely loyal to True Immortal Chong Shan. Lou Yi took over as the person in charge of the mission and the death warrior swore his loyalty over to him. Lou Yi is the only one who has a way to contact the death warrior and even though I met him once, he hid his appearance back then. I was unable to recognize him.” Huang Yu explained.

“I get it.” Shang Xia nodded once in acknowledgment. However, he wondered out loud the next moment, “Wait a second... The Emptiness Drifting Mountain is one of the great powers in the Spirit Abundance World. They can’t only have 2 experts at the grand completion stage of the Martial Dipper Realm, right? Isn’t this a little too pitiful?”

One had to know that the Tongyou Institution barely existed for 40 years but they already had 2 Martial Dipper Realm experts who comprehended their martial intent and entered the grand completion stage. Kou Chongxue and Shang Xia were both experts at that level, and Kou Chongxue even managed to step into the Martial Void Realm.

Of the other Elyusims in the Spirit Luxuriant World, Huang Jinghan and the others also managed to comprehend their martial intent...

Huang Yu’s movements froze for a second before he growled in annoyance, “Yeah, yeah, yeah, you can say all you want because you’re not in their shoes. If not for the fact that you guys were led by Kou Chongxue and helped the Azure Ascension World to ascend to the Spirit Luxuriant World, how many of you would be able to enter the grand completion stage of the Martial Dipper Realm? Do you know how many donkey years it will take?”

Shang Xia revealed a brilliant smile while he continued to ask, “So... If the Spirit Abundance World conquers the Azure Oddity World, will it be able to ascend?”

“Impossible! They won’t even be close!” Huang Yu snorted without even thinking about the possibility. “An Azure World is an Azure World at the end of the day. The Azure Oddity World can’t even compare to the Azure Ascension World back then!”

One didn’t even have to mention the fact that the Spirit Abundance World wasn’t the only one who had their eyes on the Azure Oddity World. There were other powers waiting to get a share of the loot and with the Spirit Abundance World standing at the peak of what a Spirit World could be, they would need far more than the world origin from an Azure World to take the final step. Even if they threw in the Azure Ascension World back then for good measure, it wouldn’t be enough!

“Of course, if the Spirit Abundance World managed to devour the Spirit Luxuriant World... It might be possible for it to cross the threshold and ascend. It’s too bad they failed their invasion twice. With the Spirit Luxuriant World slowly consolidating its foundations, it would be highly impossible for the Spirit Abundance World to devour it.” Huang Yu concluded.

Shang Xia nodded but thought of a question that had been burning in his mind for some time now. “About the Superior Worlds everyone has been mentioning in the Star Origin City... What exactly are they called?”

“They are called Essence Worlds!”

...

Lou Yi and the others completed their preparations very quickly, but during that time, Huang Yu managed to make a trip out.

When he came back, everyone who was supposed to be leaving for the Solitary Peak Heavenly Lake had already gathered. Lou Yi, Lou Zhe, and Mister Fei were all present, but there was another fourth element Martial Dipper Realm expert who went by the name of Shan Yunchao among them.

“Brother Huang, you really know how to make full use of your time... You managed to run all the way over to Sixteenth Sister’s place in such a short amount of time...” Lou Zhe winked at Huang Yu as soon as he returned.

“Junior Sister Zhen gave birth to my daughter some time ago and I haven’t seen them for some time now... Of course I would be worried...” Huang Yu didn’t seem to care about their teasing as he said whatever he liked without feeling the slightest bit of shame.

Lou Zhe coughed twice before grunting, “You old thing... It’s no wonder Sixteenth Sister is so attracted to you. Anyway, my niece should be a little older than a year old, right? Sixteenth Sister is a Martial Extermination Realm expert regardless... Do you really think she’s still feeling weak because she gave birth so long ago?”

Huang Yu maintained a stern look and he continued bullshitting, “Young Master Zhe, that’s where you’re wrong! It’s precisely because Junior Sister Zhen is at the Martial Extermination Realm that she lost a portion of her extermination qi after giving birth. She has to adjust her condition to prevent herself from being injured in the future. Heh, what am I telling you these things for? You won’t understand anyway!”

“Huh?” Lou Zhe was utterly confused by what Huang Yu said and he growled, “What do you mean I won’t understand?”

Raising his arms casually, Huang Yu decided to remain silent. After interacting with them for so long, he knew that Lou Zhe was someone who wouldn’t give up until he won the argument. The more he spoke, the worse their conversation would become.

Finally getting rid of Lou Zhe’s questioning, Huang Yu turned to look at Shang Xia whose gaze was burning into him.

“You actually have a family? You even have a child now!” Shang Xia asked.

An unnatural light flashed through Huang Yu’s face and he chuckled in embarrassment. “Oh... Haha! Yeah... Yeahhh...”

Shang Xia could see the awkward look on Huang Yu’s face and assumed that it was because he was feeling guilty about Wei Qiongyi and Wei Zheng. An empathetic look soon appeared on his face and he chuckled, “Oh! I have to congratulate you on that! I have to meet them in the future and I hope Brother Huang can convey my well wishes...”

Considering their status in the Spirit Luxuriant World, Shang Xia was supposed to be Huang Yu’s junior. However, since Huang Yu introduced him as ‘Shang Jianqi’, a friend he met in the Star Origin City, he had to act the part and make them seem like members of the same generation.

He didn’t notice how Huang Yu’s smile turned even stiffer as he mumbled, “Of course, of course...”

Fortunately, Lou Yi and Mister Fei approached with the other expert who seemed to be in his thirties, and interrupted the ‘conversation’.

“Brother Shang, this is Senior Brother Shan Yunchao! He’s True Immortal Chong Shan’s direct disciple!” Lou Yi introduced. “True Immortal Chong Shan is really old and his disciples rarely appear in public. Senior Brother Shan is his most famous disciple!”

Shan Yunchao cupped his fists towards Shang Xia and chuckled, “I believe our plan will be much more successful with Brother Shang’s involvement!”

Shang Xia responded modestly, “No, no... I’m not that special. Young Master Lou might have exaggerated my abilities. My skills aren’t that amazing... Of course, I will try my best to make this a success!”

Both of them continued to exchange pleasantries as it was their first meeting. Fei Gu and Huang Yu weren’t strangers to Shan Yunchao and didn’t do the same.

After familiarizing himself with everyone, Shang Xia quietly inspected their cultivation realms.

He could tell that Lou Yi, who refined 5 fate dippers and reached the large completion stage of the Martial Dipper Realm was the strongest. Shan Yunchao and ‘Shang Jianqi’s’ cultivation was at the fourth element of the Martial Dipper Realm and should be ranked just behind him. Huang Yu came next at the third element of the Martial Dipper Realm, and so was Fei Gu. Fei Gu’s cultivation seemed to be at the second element of the Martial Dipper Realm, but Shang Xia could tell that he had refined his third fate dipper and was merely hiding his true cultivation realm. [1]

Disregarding any existence at the True Immortal Realm, the 6 of them could be considered an extremely terrifying squad of experts. If they compared themselves to the factions in the Spirit Luxuriant World, not a single superpower would be able to gather experts at their level.

Even in the Spirit Abundance World, they would probably be able to do anything they wished as long as no Martial Void Realm True Immortal interfered. They would probably be able to suppress any Holy Land if they went all out.

“The Solitary Peak Heavenly Lake suffered great losses in terms of their high-level experts. Now that they have sealed off their mountain, all they’re relying on is their grand formation and their Elysium. Their seniors or ancestors also left behind some hidden trump cards, but as long as we manage to infiltrate them without anyone noticing us, we will be able to catch them off guard by working together with our spy. When that happens, we have a 90 percent chance to successfully enter their Elysium.” Lou Yi explained.

Shang Yunchao’s appearance showed that True Immortal Chong Shan had already agreed to the plan. Lou Yi and Lou Zhe were direct descendants of Immortal Chong Shan and they definitely had treasures the Martial Void Realm True Immortal personally prepared.

Everything was ready and they prepared to leave for the Heavenly Lake Continent in the Eastern Region.

Before they left, Shang Xia wondered out loud, “Oh... Why don’t we travel above the heavenly screen? Wouldn’t we be able to save a lot of time that way?”

As a peak-tier Spirit World, the Spirit Abundance World was much larger than the Spirit Luxuriant World! They had to travel to the Eastern Region’s Heavenly Lake Continent from the Western Region, and even by traveling above the heavenly screen, they would take a long time. If they travel across the land... Even with their flying speed, they would need several days to arrive!

Shang Xia’s sudden question caused the atmosphere to turn a little weird.

Before Lou Yi and the others could say anything, Huang Yu muttered, “Brother Shang, this...”

Shang Xia revealed a look of embarrassment and chuckled, “The Spirit Abundance World truly deserves its reputation as a peak-tier Spirit World... The World’s Will is exceptionally powerful. This... Hehe... My cultivation has been severely suppressed.”

“Brother Shang, didn’t you feel it back then when you passed through the heavenly screen?”

Of course, all of them saw how he tore a hole through the heavenly screen back then without alerting the guards above. He should have felt the suppression then...

Shang Xia sighed, “When I entered the heavenly screen, the suppression of the world caused my combat strength to be restricted to that of a third element Martial Dipper Realm cultivator. That was why I alerted the experts stationed there when I forced my way out...”

Lou Zhe quickly asked, “This... Brother Shang, if your cultivation is suppressed, will your ability to destroy formations be affected?”

Lou Yi interrupted before Shang Xia could respond. “Heh, since Brother Shang chose to join us, there’s no point in second-guessing ourselves and giving up halfway!”

He turned to Shang Xia and chuckled, “Brother Shang, if you need to know, all of us need to move cautiously when carrying out the mission. It’s true that the journey will be shortened by tens of times if we travel above the heavenly screen, but there is nowhere to hide up there. There are countless squads patrolling the heavenly screen and True Immortals would scan the region from time to time. It’s nearly impossible to remain undetected up there. Things will be different if we travel across the land. Not only will they be less cautious, but there are countless ways for us to conceal our tracks. As long as we are a little more careful, no one will be able to discover what we’re doing.”

Huang Yu also added, “Brother Shang, the moment we arrive in the Heavenly Lake Continent, we will have to descend no matter what. Even if we travel above the heavenly screen now, you will feel the same sense of rejection when you re-enter the world. You might as well use the journey there to adapt to the feeling to prevent yourself from being flustered when the time comes. In case anything goes wrong, our whole plan will go up in smoke!”

Shang Xia sighed softly in response, “Looks like I didn’t think things through. I’ll stick to the plan. Young Masters, please relax. Even if my cultivation has been restricted, it will only affect the time taken to get rid of the formation! I might need a little more time, but the level of formations I can break won’t be affected.”

1. Yes, no Lou Zhe was mentioned in this ☜