Chapter 1327: Keeping the Appointment

"He's gone?"

Just as Gan Jiuzhen paused to gaze into the distant sky, a ripple stirred beside her, and a figure materialized out of thin air—it was the Reincarnation Palace Master.

However, his form appeared somewhat hazy and translucent, as he was merely a projection clone.

Gan Jiuzhen simply nodded silently, showing no surprise at the Reincarnation Palace Master's appearance.

"What do you think of him now?" the Reincarnation Palace Master asked.

"He feels terrifying to me now, completely different from before. Even describing him as vast as an abyss or ocean falls short. I've only felt this kind of presence from you. How did his strength change so drastically?" Gan Jiuzhen composed herself and said.

"If I'm not mistaken, he has already severed his Good Self. His strength is now not far behind mine," the Reincarnation Palace Master said with a slight smile.

"Really? That means, in such a short time, he has broken through from the mid-stage to the late-stage of the Da Luo realm?" Gan Jiuzhen's expression shifted abruptly.

"How he did it is not my concern. But you must remember one thing: the reason the Supreme Laws are called supreme is that they are closer to the origin of the Heavenly Dao. Especially after severing the 'Evil Self' and 'Good Self,' the Supreme Laws begin to allow one to merge with the Heavenly Dao, and one's strength becomes incomparable to before. The Law of Reincarnation is like this, and so is the Law of Time," the Reincarnation Palace Master said slowly.

"I had only heard that the Supreme Laws were special, but now I have a more intuitive understanding. It seems I need to step up my efforts too," Gan Jiuzhen took a deep breath and clenched her fists.

"Every gain comes with a price. Those who cultivate the Supreme Laws walk a more arduous path, especially those who enter the Da Luo realm—every step is fraught with danger. How vast is the True Immortal Realm? Countless talented individuals seek to comprehend the Supreme Laws, but what is the result? You must not let this disturb your mind. You have your own path," the Reincarnation Palace Master saw through Gan Jiuzhen's thoughts and said directly.

"Yes," Gan Jiuzhen said sheepishly.

"If you are willing, from today onward, you may travel through the mortal world for a while," the Reincarnation Palace Master said.

"Travel through the mortal world?" Gan Jiuzhen was taken aback.

"If goodness does not exist, how can it be severed? Most cultivators, in the process of cultivation, have lost the initial goodness of their hearts, even inferior to ordinary mortals. Only by understanding what goodness is can you act with purpose," the Reincarnation Palace Master said with profound meaning.

Hearing this, Gan Jiuzhen seemed to grasp something, but for a moment, she could not fully comprehend the meaning of his words, standing there in silence.

"Unintentional goodness can bring blessings to one's soul in reincarnation during rebirth. Even though I can control the Six Paths of Reincarnation, altering the fate of those who are truly good is not easy..." the Reincarnation Palace Master seemed to mutter to himself, continuing.

"Yes, I understand. Father, you... are you really going to keep the appointment?" Gan Jiuzhen nodded thoughtfully, then looked up and asked.

"Our war with the Heavenly Court is inevitable. Your mother has already been taken by the Heavenly Court. Jiuzhen, you cannot afford to have anything happen to you," the Reincarnation Palace Master looked at Gan Jiuzhen, his tone unconsciously softening.

"I want to go with you to rescue Mother," Gan Jiuzhen said.

"No. You stay here obediently and do not leave even an inch!" the Reincarnation Palace Master said sternly.

This was the first time Gan Jiuzhen had seen the Reincarnation Palace Master with such an expression, and her heart trembled, but her gaze toward him still held a trace of determination.

"Only if you are safe can I focus entirely on dealing with the Heavenly Court. Leave your mother's matter to me and that Han Li," the Reincarnation Palace Master sighed softly, patted Gan Jiuzhen on the shoulder, and then vanished with a flicker of movement.

Gan Jiuzhen stared at the empty space before her, opened her mouth, stood still for a long time, and then turned and flew toward the depths of the palace.

...

Dragon Abyss Immortal Domain, Tianhai Continent, Mist Dragon City.

The Dragon Abyss Immortal Domain was abundant with water; over eighty percent of the domain was vast ocean, with only twenty percent being land, dotted with countless islands scattered across the domain.

Tianhai Continent was the largest continent in the Dragon Abyss Immortal Domain, and Mist Dragon City was its largest city.

Built along the coast, Mist Dragon City was strategically located at the junction of several continents. The city was extremely prosperous, known to everyone in the entire Dragon Abyss Immortal Domain.

But even more famous was the Mist Dragon Sect outside Mist Dragon City.

The Mist Dragon Sect was an extremely ancient sect in the Dragon Abyss Immortal Domain, founded countless millennia ago, and had long held the position of the number one sect in the domain.

Later, the sect's once-in-a-millennium genius cultivator, Feng Qingshui, rose steadily and ultimately broke through to the Dao Ancestor realm, bringing even greater fame to the Mist Dragon Sect, which resounded throughout the True Immortal Realm.

Now, the Mist Dragon Sect was at its zenith, with formidable internal strength and a thriving atmosphere.

At the center of Mist Dragon City was a square, a hundred miles in size, patrolled by teams of blue-robed guards.

These were all outer disciples of the Mist Dragon Sect, responsible for maintaining order in Mist Dragon City.

Not only Mist Dragon City, but the entire Tianhai Continent was largely under the jurisdiction of the Mist Dragon Sect, and even the Immortal Palace of the Dragon Abyss Immortal Domain found it difficult to intervene.

In the center of the square stood a huge blue archway, towering into the clouds like a colossal blue peak.

Countless array patterns were engraved on the archway, covering it like a spiderweb, with lines of arrays spreading down from the archway and radiating to every part of the square below.

The square was densely packed with teleportation arrays, large and small, over a thousand in number. Each teleportation array was connected to the archway by array lines, and all were now glittering brightly.

These teleportation arrays connected to the various immortal domains of the True Immortal Realm, with countless people coming and going every day.

A flash of white light appeared within one teleportation array, and six figures emerged from it.

Five of them were chatting and laughing, appearing close, while only one man in a green robe stood slightly apart.

"Wow! This is Mist Dragon City, truly magnificent, and the spiritual energy of heaven and earth is so rich, much better than our Tianheng Immortal Domain," exclaimed a blue-clad girl among the five, taking a deep breath.

"Of course, the Longyuan Immortal Domain is one of the thirty-six major domains, naturally far superior to Tianheng. It's worth that we five siblings staked our entire fortunes to buy the teleportation talismans to come here," said an old man in black robes.

This man had reached the Golden Immortal stage, the highest cultivation among the five, and the others clearly regarded him as their leader.

Hearing this, the other four showed joy on their faces.

"Of course, we must also thank Fellow Daoist Han, otherwise we wouldn't have been able to pool the teleportation fee," the old man in black robes said, looking at the green-robed man with a smile.

"You're too kind, Fellow Daoist Huo. It's mutual benefit. The teleportation array can carry six people at once, and since you five were willing to take me along, I also saved quite a few immortal spirit stones," the green-robed man replied with a smile.

"You're too polite, Fellow Daoist Han," the old man in black robes nodded to the green-robed man.

"Now we have very few immortal spirit stones left, and hard times lie ahead. Let's work hard here from now on and strive to establish ourselves as soon as possible," he then turned to the other four and said.

"Yes," the other four answered in unison.

"Fellow Daoist Han, you are also a loose cultivator. Why not join us? With more people, we can look out for each other," the old man in black robes turned to the green-robed man again and said.

"I have other important matters, so I won't travel with you all. I wish you smooth cultivation," the green-robed man said with a slight smile, cupping his hands.

The old man in black robes showed a hint of disappointment but said nothing. He cupped his hands to the green-robed man and then led the other four flying toward the city.

The green-robed man did not leave immediately but looked around.

"That cultivator over there, this teleportation plaza is not your courtyard where you can stand around as you please. Move along quickly!" A tall, thin guard nearby saw the man in green robes standing still, thought he was stunned by the scene within the city, and with a hint of smugness, coldly shouted.

The man in green robes seemed not to hear, standing motionless.

The tall, thin guard's face darkened. A rogue cultivator from some minor immortal domain dared to ignore him, a disciple of the Mist Dragon Sect. He was about to go over and drive him out, while also giving him a harsh lesson.

But as the tall, thin guard approached within ten zhang of the other, his angry steps gradually slowed, and a strange expression appeared on his face.

The man in green robes was clearly standing there, doing nothing, but as soon as one drew near, one's divine soul involuntarily began to tremble, and the closer one got, the more violently the divine soul quaked.

This man in green robes was none other than Han Li. After returning from the Netherworld Realm to the Black Wind Sea, he had traveled at full speed and finally arrived at this Dragon Abyss Immortal Domain.

At this moment, his divine sense spread out, probing the situation here.

The Dragon Abyss Immortal Domain was too vast, far beyond the Crane Cry Immortal Domain. Even with Han Li's current divine sense, he could not completely cover it, only able to probe a small part of the domain.

However, the Tianhai Continent where he stood was fully enveloped by his divine sense, and everything within the Mist Dragon Sect was also laid out before his eyes.

But then, he frowned slightly.

Not only Nangong Wan, but even that Feng Qingshui's aura could not be sensed at all.

Nangong Wan went without saying; he was most familiar with her. As for Feng Qingshui, though he was a Dao Ancestor, how could he evade the sweep of Han Li's seventh-level Spirit Refining Art divine sense, which he had achieved by overdrawing the power of his soul from countless lifetimes?

"Could Zhen's intelligence be inaccurate?" Han Li speculated inwardly. After pondering for a moment, he turned and looked at the guard not far away, a hazy light flickering in his eyes.

The tall, thin guard's eyes immediately became dazed, and then countless memories and images surfaced in his pupils—precisely all the experiences of the tall, thin guard from childhood to the present, flashing by with extreme speed.

Having had that experience of traveling through the True Immortal Realm and witnessing countless customs and all kinds of people, Han Li's control over the Spirit Refining Art had become even more smooth, reaching a level of handling heavy matters with ease. Probing the memories of a Taiyi-stage cultivator was naturally effortless, no longer requiring the domineering soul search of the past.

Han Li quickly finished examining this person's memories. Though not extensive, he still gained some information about the Mist Dragon Sect. His figure flickered and vanished from the spot.

In the distance, the dazed light in the tall, thin guard's eyes immediately disappeared, and he snapped back to his senses with a start.

"Eh, what just happened?" The tall, thin guard frowned, feeling as if something was missing from his mind.

He reached up and scratched his head, looking around, but soon shook his head again. Muttering a few words under his breath, he continued his patrol of the plaza.