Somewhere inside the mountains of Kunlun Secret Realm, a white pillar of light shot up into the sky.

From its brilliance, a peerless figure in white emerged.

She had slender, long legs and a voluptuous body. Her movements screamed elegance and nobility as if the Immortal queen had descended on earth once again.

The person was the Holy Jade Pool Maiden Sage, Yu Zhi.

“I’ve broken through to an Eighth-grade Heavenly Immortal.”

Yu Zhi was surprised when she felt her newly gained power.

Among all the Heavenly Champions, being a Heavenly Immortal was already considered the best of the best, let alone an Eighth-grade Heavenly Immortal.

“I wonder what realm Brother Chu has broken through to now,” Yu Zhi muttered to herself.

Chu Kuangren had gotten more or less the same amount of Opportunities of Fortune as her.

However, she started off as a Fifth-grade Heavenly Immortal while Chu Kuangren was just in First Grade.

Therefore, she expected Chu Kuangren to only break through to the Sixth Grade or the same realm as hers, the Higher Third Grade.

“I’m looking forward to it.”

Meanwhile, in another mountain cave, Chu Kuangren was still cultivating. Immortal Sparks were swirling around him, and powerful aura fluctuations gathered around him as if he was the supreme Immortal King.

Having cultivated for half a year, he had refined more than half of the Opportunities of Fortune he obtained in Kunlun Secret Realm, and his cultivation level was a lot higher than before.

It was not the Sixth- or Seventh-grade that Yu Zhi speculated but a Ninth-grade Heavenly Immortal!

More importantly, he was still growing stronger!

Buzz!

All of a sudden, Chu Kuangren opened his eyes, which shone with a terrifying light, and his aura surged.

“I’m a Great Perfected Ninth-Grade Heavenly Immortal!

“Now, I’m one step away from becoming a True Immortal!”

What did it mean to be a True Immortal?

Being a True Immortal meant understanding one’s true self!

Being a True Immortal means rediscovering one’s roots!

The difference between a True Immortal and a Heavenly Immortal was huge. It was more than the difference between an Earthen Immortal and a Heavenly Immortal.

That particular step was difficult for anyone to cross. Many Heavenly Immortals had gotten stuck here for their entire lives and died without even breaking through.

Fortunately, Chu Kuangren did not have such concerns as his understanding of Dao surpassed even a common True Immortal.

Hence, breaking through a True Immortal would be just a matter of time.

What he lacked was experience.

“Great Perfected Ninth-grade Heavenly Immortal doesn’t make me invincible, but it’s enough for me to triumph over all the younger generations. Moreover, I’ve got many trump cards under my sleeves.” Chu Kuangren smiled.

Then, he summoned the Fantasy Roulette for a gacha roll.

“Congratulations, Host! You’ve won a God-tier prize, the Golden Rule Order.”

“Huh?” Chu Kuangren hummed in surprise.

The Golden Rule Order was one of the academy’s Three Great Conjurations.

In addition to his Hundred Scholar Assemblage Diagram and Scholarly Snowpeak Heart, he now had all three conjurations!

“I wonder how powerful would I get if I cast all three of the conjurations together.” Chu Kuangren was rather intrigued.

After that, he left the cave.

The moment he stepped out, his Immortal Consciousness informed him that Yu Zhi was also out.

“Boss, boss! You’re finally out!”

Lil Fox jumped out of nowhere and said, “Something has happened to Zhao Fangfei, Lan Yu, Cao Yun, and the others.”

She briefly updated Chu Kuangren about what happened.

Chu Kuangren’s eyes flickered when he learned what happened.

“Oh, I see they have a death wish.”

…

Back at the mountain valley, the battle continued.

Lan Yu, Cao Yun, and the others might have their powers severely weakened under the influence of the Thousand Eyes Formation, but they were Heavenly Immortals, after all.

No matter the number of zombies, they were still able to defend themselves for some time.

Moreover, they were not the target but the bait to lure Chu Kuangren out.

As long as Chu Kuangren remained absent, the Soul Vanquisher would never use his true trump card. That was why Lan Yu and the others could drag it out for as long as they did.

“I really did not expect them to last this long,” the Soul Vanquisher praised.

Under the influence of his Thousand Eyes Formation, common cultivators would have lost their minds and allowed the zombies to drown them. However, Lan Yu and company were able to resist it for as long as they did, and it was not an easy achievement.

It only proved how powerful their willpower was.

“Too bad they’re related to Chu Kuangren.”

The owner of the voice belonged to a person hiding within the formation, who was watching Lan Yu and company with a frosty gaze.

The person was Zhi Lei from the Holy Violet Tribe of the Immortal Hall.

Other than Zhi Lei, there were also other people hiding in the formation, and they were all gathered here by the Soul Vanquisher to fight Chu Kuangren.

“Is Chu Kuangren still a no-show?”

A frosty hoarse voice sounded in the Soul Vanquisher’s ears.

The voice was transmitted through Immortal Consciousness.

“We gather here because we want to fight Chu Kuangren. If he doesn’t come, this plan will be over before it even starts.”

“That’s right.”

“Soul Vanquisher, you better not disappoint us.”

Voice after voice was transmitted through Immortal Consciousness, urging Soul Vanquisher to provide an answer.

However, the Soul Vanquisher maintained his confident smile and said, “Please wait for a little longer, everyone. I’m sure Chu Kuangren will be here soon.”

He strongly believed that given Chu Kuangren’s personality, the man would never turn his back on Lan Yu and his friends when they were in danger.

Even if he could see through the fact that the killer formation was set up specifically for him, he would still come forth.

Just because he was Chu Kuangren, the Hundred Academy’s Chief and the Fengdu Ghost Emperor, his pride and reputation would forbid him to turn away.

“Maybe it’s not exciting enough yet. Why don’t we kill a few of them?” a cold voice said.

Then, a pitch-black figure emerged from the void.

It was a young man with a pale look on his face and cold, silent death qi swirling around him.

The aura he emanated was no weaker than the Corpse Demon successor’s.

“Yincao Wuguan’s successor, are you sure you want to reveal yourself now?” the Soul Vanquisher said.

The man was one of the Ten Hellions Temple Kings of Yincao Underworld, the successor of the Wuguan Tribe.

“There’s nothing to be afraid of. Yincao Underworld would have to go up against the Fengdu Ghost Emperor sooner or later, so revealing myself now or later doesn’t make a difference,” the Wuguan successor said nonchalantly.

The cultivators who gathered to fight Chu Kuangren were not supposed to reveal themselves in his absence because they were unsure if their target would show up once they exposed themselves.

After all, if they exposed themselves and Chu Kuangren decided to ignore them, things would get awkward quickly, and they would become Chu Kuangren’s target instead.

However, Wuguan’s successor did not care about it at all. Since he would have to fight Chu Kuangren eventually, choosing when to reveal himself did not matter.

Wuguan’s successor sized up Lan Yu and company with a lightning-fast gaze, and at the next moment, he attacked. His figure flashed like a bolt of lightning that soared across the sky.

“Be careful!” Lan Yu sensed the dangerous presence coming and did a backhand swing with her scepter.

The scepter’s radiant qi collided with a withered palm, and the clash between the two terrifying energies caused a huge explosion.

Lan Yu was forced backward a few hundred meters.

The Wuguan successor clicked his tongue in surprise. “You really are something to have such a powerful sensory ability under the Thousand Eyes Formation.”

“Your energy… You’re from the Underworld,” Lan Yu said. She quickly scanned across the void and added, “If the successor of the Underworld is here, it means there are others. Are you guys so afraid of Master?” she mocked.

“You won’t be able to save yourself with that silver tongue of yours.”

The Wuguan successor’s expression turned grim, and his eyes were cold. Raising his hand, powerful samsara energy exploded in the void.

The Hell’s Gate vortex appeared, and Yin soldiers gushed out from within, including Heavenly Immortals like Hei Bai Wuchang and the Ox-headed and Horse-faced Demons.

“Kill them all!” the Wuguan successor bellowed.

With that, the Yin soldiers threw themselves forward.

However, the Yin soldiers suddenly sensed something that shook them. They looked up into the sky with fear and deterrence.

Kaboom!

A loud explosion later, the entire enchanted barrier started to shake.