Chapter 1004: The Land of Chaos

A moment later, the white-clad man whom Tao Ji had called "Palace Master" appeared in a grand hall deep within the Gold Origin Immortal Palace.

Suspended in the hall was a golden disc about a foot in size, emitting bright golden light and forming a complex communication array.

He took out a purple token, one side of which was engraved with three small golden seal-script characters reading "Nine Yuan Temple," while the other side bore a majestic landscape of mountains and rivers.

Just as the white-clad man was about to place the token into the communication array, his eyes flickered slightly, and he stopped.

After pondering for a moment, he put the token away again and turned to walk into a hall in the outer section.

"Summon the attendants!" the white-clad man said loudly as he sat down on the main seat in the hall.

As soon as he spoke, the void before him rippled, and two figures appeared out of thin air.

One was a gray-haired old man with small, darting eyes, a nose nearly twice as long as an ordinary person's, and two withered yellow mustaches above his lips. At first glance, he resembled a giant rat that had become a spirit.

The other was a burly man in a black robe that swept the ground, his arms crossed over his chest, a black ghost-head war blade strapped to his back, and a cold expression on his face.

"Palace Master, what are your orders?" The two bowed to the white-clad man and spoke simultaneously.

The gray-haired old man's voice was shrill, like the squeak of a field mouse, while the black-robed man's voice was rough and hoarse, piercing the ears like steel needles.

"Lü Yun, go to the Northern Frost Immortal Domain and investigate that Han Li. Start from the time he ascended to the True Immortal Realm, and don't overlook even the smallest detail," the white-clad man instructed.

"Yes," the gray-robed old man nodded.

"Black Blade, go to the Heaven Pine Temple and track down Han Li's whereabouts. Be sure to find him, but don't alert him," the white-clad man then said to the black-robed man.

"Yes!" the black-robed man immediately nodded.

"Go," the white-clad man waved his hand, and the two figures before him flickered and vanished in an instant.

The white-clad man closed his eyes, leaned back in his seat, and a faint smile appeared at the corners of his mouth.

At that moment, Han Li was riding a sky-blue flying carriage, shooting forward as a blue rainbow.

This flying carriage was found in the storage device of the Skeleton True Man; its quality was no less than that of his previous jade-green flying carriage.

He sat cross-legged inside the carriage, controlling its advance while waving his hand, sending over a hundred storage devices flying out from his sleeve—spoils taken from Tao Ji and the others.

Han Li took Tao Ji's storage device and probed it with his divine sense. A moment later, a golden token appeared in his hand. One side was engraved with a dragon pattern, the other bore the characters "Tao Ji," and at the bottom were four small characters: "Gold Origin Immortal Palace."

He frowned slightly as he looked at the token.

Having been entangled with the Heavenly Court for so many years, he was quite familiar with the various immortal palaces and their identity tokens.

This identity token was an elder token of the Gold Origin Immortal Palace.

He put the token away and examined the storage device of that Jin Chuan, quickly confirming his identity as an elder of a major sect in the Gold Origin Immortal Domain, the Heavenly Water Sect.

As for the other Golden Immortals, half were under the Gold Origin Immortal Palace, and the other half were from the Heavenly Water Sect.

These cultivators were not low in cultivation and held certain statuses within the palace or sect, but to Han Li now, aside from a considerable amount of immortal jade stones, most of the items in their storage devices were unremarkable.

He casually sorted these items into categories, planning to later exchange the immortal artifacts, pills, and materials for immortal jade stones. Such a quantity of immortal jade stones would be enough for a Tai Yi stage cultivator to go into seclusion for at least a million years.

As he sorted, Han Li's face showed a contemplative expression.

Leaving aside the Heavenly Water Sect, the Gold Origin Immortal Domain was considered one of the major domains under the Heavenly Court, governed by at least a Da Luo stage cultivator—far beyond the Northern Frost Immortal Domain where he first arrived in the True Immortal Realm.

Having killed one of their elders and so many Golden Immortals, though no witnesses remained, who knew what means they might have to track him down.

But as the saying goes, "one debt doesn't weigh down the body." Killing Heavenly Court personnel was no great matter; since his identity was already exposed and he was wanted, they wouldn't spare him for killing one fewer elder. So he might as well go all the way—kill one if one comes, kill a pair if two come.

His current cultivation and physical strength were far beyond when he first arrived as a minor True Immortal. Even if a Da Luo stage cultivator came in person, even if he couldn't defeat them, he was confident he could escape.

But behind the Gold Origin Immortal Palace was the vast organization of the Heavenly Court, which included Dao Ancestors. His previous disturbances might not have attracted their attention, but that might not hold true in the future. Though confident in his strength, he wasn't arrogant enough to contend with the entire Heavenly Court.

It seemed there was no other choice but to conceal his tracks for now.

Han Li then flipped his hand and took out several thick books, flipping through them rapidly.

These books, found in the storage devices of Tao Ji and the others, were about the Gold Origin Immortal Domain.

The books carried by Tao Ji and his men were naturally of fine quality, detailing the topography, geography, and culture of various places in the Gold Origin Immortal Domain.

Han Li multitasked, reading several books at once. With his current memory, he finished them in no time.

His eyes flickered for a moment, then he made a hand seal and pointed.

The flying carriage flashed blue and immediately changed direction, speeding forward.

Over ten years passed in the blink of an eye.

Somewhere in the Gold Origin Immortal Domain, a blue meteor streaked across the sky and slowly stopped, revealing a blue flying carriage.

Ahead of the carriage lay a vast golden mountain range, towering high into the clouds. The range stretched endlessly to both sides, reaching the horizon like an enormous golden natural barrier.

The golden mountains were surrounded by a dense golden mist, making the peaks within appear indistinct, adding a sense of mystery.

"Finally here," Han Li said, standing on the flying carriage and looking at the mountains ahead with a relieved expression.

Beside Han Li stood a black-robed young woman—Ti Hun, who had only recently awakened.

Her face still looked somewhat pale, but as she gazed at the massive mountain range, a hint of surprise flickered in her beautiful eyes.

This mountain range was called the Gold Origin Mountain Range, the premier mountain range in the Gold Origin Immortal Domain. Unlike the complex terrain of the Northern Frost Immortal Domain, which had many seas, the Gold Origin Immortal Domain consisted of a single enormous continent, and the Gold Origin Mountain Range stretched from west to east, spanning nearly half the continent.

In terms of area, the Gold Origin Mountain Range was definitely the largest Han Li had ever seen.

Not only was it vast, but it was also a place where wealth and danger coexisted.

This domain was called the Gold Origin Immortal Domain, named for its abundant metal-attribute spiritual energy, and the Gold Origin Mountain Range was the gathering place of the domain's metal-attribute spiritual veins.

The metal-attribute spiritual energy within the mountains was extremely dense, giving birth to countless metal-attribute spiritual materials. Almost all cultivators in the Gold Origin Immortal Domain came here to explore and seek treasures.

However, due to the excessive concentration of metal-attribute spiritual energy, many natural metal force fields formed deep within the mountains. The deeper one went, the stronger the force fields, greatly affecting the strength of ordinary cultivators.

Moreover, the abundant metal-attribute spiritual energy gave rise to many peculiar metal beasts. These creatures, formed entirely of metal-attribute spiritual energy, were powerful and, being native to the area, were unaffected by the metal force fields, giving them a significant advantage in battles with cultivators.

Between the metal force fields, metal beasts, and other dangers in the mountains, countless treasure seekers lost their lives here each year.

But great wealth comes with great risk. The dangers of the Gold Origin Mountain Range could not stop the greed and confidence of countless cultivators, and treasure seekers continued to pour in endlessly.

The Immortal Palace naturally would not ignore such a natural treasure trove. In fact, the Gold Origin Immortal Palace was located at the western end of the Gold Origin Mountain Range, and it had long tried to bring the range under its control.

Unfortunately, the mountain range was too vast. The Gold Origin Immortal Palace could only manage a small portion of the western part, while the rest was controlled by countless sects and families.

These areas lacked unified governance, and the major powers fought openly and covertly for their own interests, resulting in great chaos.

Han Li had come to the Gold Origin Mountain Range precisely because of its chaotic environment.

He had already opened over nine hundred acupoints in his body. Based on past experience, continuing to open immortal acupoints should be much easier.

With a large amount of immortal jade stones on hand, he planned to go into seclusion here for a while to improve his cultivation as much as possible in a short time.

Regardless, the sudden attack by Tao Ji and his men had instilled a sense of urgency in him.

With a thought, he activated the Reincarnation Palace mask to change his appearance, becoming a dark-faced, black-bearded man, and suppressed his cultivation to the early Golden Immortal stage.

"Master, should I also use the Reincarnation Palace mask to change my appearance?" Ti Hun asked, seeing Han Li's actions.

"This is the Gold Origin Immortal Domain; no one knows you here. No need for the trouble," Han Li shook his head, then urged the flying carriage forward, quickly entering the Gold Origin Mountain Range.

Up close, the Gold Origin Mountain Range appeared even more majestic, exuding an overwhelming pressure that shook the heart.

Compared to the vast mountains, Han Li and Ti Hun were like two tiny ants, insignificant.

The spiritual energy here was quite abundant, mostly metal-attribute, with very little of other attributes.

Such a special environment was excellent for those practicing metal-attribute techniques, but very unfavorable for others.

However, the environment had no effect on Han Li; he relied on pills for cultivation, not on external spiritual energy.

"Master, where are we going next? Find a place in these mountains to go into seclusion?" Ti Hun looked around and asked again.

"There are many cities established by sects and powers in the Gold Origin Mountain Range. Let's take a look first. If the outside is relatively safe, we'll cultivate there," Han Li said after a moment's thought.

"Alright!" Ti Hun nodded.