"Such an Immortal King's aura…"
The purple-robed elder gazed towards the direction of Xiaoyao City, or more accurately, at the vast area beneath the sky above Xiaoyao City.
To the eyes of true immortals, it appeared empty, and even ordinary Tribulation Immortal Kings wouldn't sense anything.
But in the vision of the purple-robed elder, a grand world was evolving there, vast and unparalleled. Just a wisp of its aura was no weaker than the aura of an ordinary Immortal King.
"The aura is actually a world…"
The purple-robed elder trembled. The auras of most Immortal Kings usually took the form of an object, such as a heavenly pillar or an ocean.
But this grand world's aura was more than just an aura; it encompassed countless other auras.
"The Martial Ancestor is definitely not a newly ascended Immortal King."
The purple-robed elder steadied himself. How could a newly ascended Immortal King have such a grand aura? Although an Immortal King's aura is not directly proportional to their power, this grand aura could not be displayed by an ordinary Immortal King.
A world containing many phenomena, even those peak Tribulation Immortal Kings who had cultivated for millions of years couldn't achieve this.
"An Supreme Immortal King. Only an Supreme Immortal King who has mastered complete creation force could possibly condense such an aura."
The purple-robed elder took a deep breath. Tribulation Immortal Kings are divided into two types.
First are the normal Immortal Kings, including newly ascended, ordinary, veteran, and peak Immortal Kings. While there are differences in power among these four levels, mainly due to their mastery of creation force, the differences aren't vast. Even a peak Immortal King would find it hard to kill a newly ascended Immortal King.
At the Tribulation stage, after overcoming the physical and mind tribulations and mastering creation force, their survival abilities become exceptionally strong. If they couldn't win, they could still escape.
The second type of Tribulation Immortal King is the Supreme Immortal King.
Supreme Immortal Kings have mastered complete creation force, and some even more than one type of creation force. Their power has virtually no limits. Some ancient Supreme Immortal Kings could easily kill a peak Immortal King.
Thus, even among Tribulation Immortal Kings, Supreme Immortal Kings are beings to be feared and respected.
Of course, the number of Supreme Immortal Kings is exceedingly small, with only a few known.
"I never expected the Martial Ancestor to be an Supreme Immortal King..."
The purple-robed elder felt a chill down his spine but couldn't help feeling curious.
Every existence leaves traces, especially an Supreme Immortal King. Becoming an Supreme Immortal King requires more than just seclusion; it requires interaction with the outside world and exploring numerous secret realms. The growth trajectory of any Supreme Immortal King cannot be completely secret.
But the Martial Ancestor…
The purple-robed elder, considering himself knowledgeable, had never heard of any Supreme Immortal King related to "Martial."
"Could it be an old one from the prehistoric era who has resurfaced?" the purple-robed elder speculated.
A long time ago, there was a historical break in the Spirit Realm, and before this break was the prehistoric era. It's said that the Spirit Realm in the prehistoric era was extremely glorious, with Immortal Kings traveling the universe. But due to a cataclysmic event, many Immortal Kings fell, leading to the current era of the three thousand Dao States.
The purple-robed elder could only attribute Lin Yuan's sudden appearance as an Supreme Immortal King to the prehistoric era. Otherwise, there was no other explanation.
"Time to leave. Whether it's an Supreme Immortal King from the prehistoric era or not, it's best not to approach."
Before understanding this Supreme Immortal King's character, the purple-robed elder decided to stay away.
If Lin Yuan were merely a newly ascended Immortal King or even a veteran or peak Immortal King, he wouldn't mind interacting.
But an Supreme Immortal King from the prehistoric era? The purple-robed elder dared not approach without caution.
The stronger one is, the more they understand the terror of an Supreme Immortal King, especially one from a glorious prehistoric era.
"Go." The purple-robed elder turned to leave.
But the next moment, he froze.
A figure had appeared nearby, with hands behind their back, facing away from him.
"It's the Martial Ancestor…"
The purple-robed elder's scalp tingled. To appear beside him without him noticing, not even a peak Immortal King could do that—only the Martial Ancestor could.
"Greetings to the Martial Ancestor."
In a flash, the purple-robed elder slightly bowed with respect.
Since the Martial Ancestor had appeared here, it meant he had been discovered. Running now was clearly too late.
"Hmm." Lin Yuan glanced at the purple-robed elder, feeling quite satisfied.
He had revealed part of his strength not only to promote the martial arts cultivation system but also to attract other Tribulation Immortal Kings.
This would allow him to obtain the true upper-layer information of the Spirit Realm.
The Spirit Realm was vast, and the three thousand Dao States were only a small part. If Lin Yuan had to find those Tribulation Immortal Kings himself, it would take a lot of time.
So, he opted for waiting for them to come to him.
The moment the purple-robed elder approached Xiaoyao City, Lin Yuan had sensed him.
As the purple-robed elder observed the Martial Ancestor's aura, Lin Yuan was also observing him.
Though he didn't know what method the purple-robed elder used, Lin Yuan had felt a faint sense of being watched in that moment.
This observation was only superficial and couldn't detect Lin Yuan's essence, but it was still impressive.
"Is there something the Martial Ancestor needs me to do? I will obey," the purple-robed elder volunteered.
Although he didn't know the Martial Ancestor's purpose, since he appeared, it wouldn't be just for a meeting.
"I have a few questions for you," Lin Yuan said casually.
"Please ask, Martial Ancestor."
"As long as I know, I will speak without reservation."
The purple-robed elder breathed a slight sigh of relief.
It didn't matter if it was a few questions or hundreds; he would answer without hesitation.
"Where do most Tribulation Immortal Kings stay?" Lin Yuan asked directly.
So far, there were few traces of Tribulation Immortal Kings in the three thousand Dao States. Not only in the Dongyun Dao State but even in the core Dao States, there were only legacies left by Immortal Kings.
Other Dao States occasionally had rumors of Immortal Kings, but they were just rumors.
For example, in the Nine Rivers Domain, there were rumors of it being the "land of transformation" for a Tribulation Dragon King.
As for the Immortal Kings themselves, they remained unseen.
This puzzled Lin Yuan. Though Tribulation Immortal Kings were rare, they had long lifespans. Even if one didn't emerge in a single era, accumulations over multiple eras should yield a few.
"Where are the Immortal Kings?"
Lin Yuan's question made the purple-robed elder's heart skip a beat.
He was more certain that Lin Yuan was an Supreme Immortal King from the prehistoric era.
Otherwise, how could he not know such common knowledge?
Generally, only newly ascended Immortal Kings, especially those without background, would ask this question.
If they had Immortal King elders, how could they not know?
But clearly, Lin Yuan wasn't a newly ascended Immortal King. The purple-robed elder had never seen Lin Yuan in action, but he already regarded him as an Supreme Immortal King.
Having the power of an Supreme Immortal King but being ignorant of this era's affairs—it had to be a relic from the prehistoric era.
Thinking this, the purple-robed elder grew more respectful. He knew little about the prehistoric era, only that a catastrophe occurred, leading to the fall of even some Supreme Immortal Kings.
Surviving Supreme Immortal Kings from that era were undoubtedly the elite among the elite.
"Replying to the Martial Ancestor, in this era, most Tribulation Immortal Kings are found in two places."
"One is the desolate lands beyond the three thousand Dao States. Although desolate and far inferior to the three thousand Dao States, they bear traces of the prehistoric era, which greatly aids us ordinary Immortal Kings."
The purple-robed elder paused slightly on the words "prehistoric era" and glanced at Lin Yuan, who remained calm and unmoved, making the elder's heart tremble again.
"Desolate lands beyond the three thousand Dao States?" Lin Yuan pondered. He had once explored the desolate lands with his primordial spirit but found nothing and lost interest.
"The second is the Nine Heavens. But for us Immortal Kings, the first four heavens are unremarkable. The real significance starts from the Fifth Heaven. Usually, only peak Immortal Kings or Supreme Immortal Kings can reach it."
The purple-robed elder continued.
"I see." Lin Yuan nodded slightly.
Since the transformation of his Tai Chi power, and the fusion of his Yin and Yang primordial spirits into the Tai Chi primordial spirit, he had reached the combat power of an eighth-rank invincible, or Supreme Immortal King.
He had long ascended to the Fifth Heaven but had yet to encounter another Immortal King.
After all, the Fifth Heaven was vast, and even Supreme Immortal Kings were like drops in the ocean.
Moreover, Lin Yuan's Tai Chi primordial spirit was observing the "wonders" and "phenomena" of the Fifth Heaven, using his Unrivaled Insight to comprehend them, rather than seeking out other Immortal Kings.
Not encountering them was normal.
"It's said that the Ninth Heaven holds great secrets related to the end of the prehistoric era. All Supreme Immortal Kings aim to enter the Ninth Heaven…"
The purple-robed elder suddenly said.
Lin Yuan's expression remained unchanged.
He had heard of the legends about the Ninth Heaven.
The Nine Heavens of the Spirit Realm, accessible to true immortals at the Dao Fusion Stage, were not a secret.
There was an ancient saying related to the Nine Heavens of the Spirit Realm:
"There are always people better than you, and skies beyond skies. In the Ninth Heaven, there are celestial beings."
Here, the Ninth Heaven was the Ninth Heaven, but what celestial beings were had no clear explanation.
Next, Lin Yuan asked a few more questions.
Mostly about common knowledge.
Such as how many Supreme Immortal Kings exist in this era, and so on.
The more the purple-robed elder answered, the more frightened he became, but he truthfully shared everything he knew.
"One last thing."
Lin Yuan looked at the purple-robed elder and spoke.
"Please speak, Martial Ancestor," the purple-robed elder responded immediately, without hesitation.
"I've heard that Tribulation Immortal Kings master some form of creation force. What creation force do you possess?"
Lin Yuan asked.
From his close observation of the purple-robed elder, he was sure the elder had not opened an inner world.
But the elder's power, as Lin Yuan sensed, was not weaker than an eighth-rank evolver in the main world.
Without relying on an inner world yet comparable to an eighth-rank evolver, the key likely lay in the "creation force" mastered by Immortal Kings.
"Martial Ancestor, the creation force I possess is called Innate Purple Qi." The purple-robed elder extended his right hand, showing wisps of purple gas swirling around his fingers.
"Hmm?"
Lin Yuan observed closely. "Could you give me a wisp?"
"If the Martial Ancestor wants it, of course." The purple-robed elder was puzzled but, as a Tribulation Immortal King, it was simple to share a bit of his creation force.
"Alright."
"You may go now."
"If I need you, I'll contact you."
Lin Yuan stored the wisp of Innate Purple Qi, speaking calmly.
"Yes."
The purple-robed elder sighed in relief, bowed to Lin Yuan again, and quickly turned to leave.
In a place countless miles away from Xiaoyao City.
The purple-robed elder revealed himself, finally relaxing.
"Seems like the Martial Ancestor isn't a bloodthirsty Supreme Immortal King." The elder was still shaken. The prehistoric era supposedly had some Supreme Immortal Kings who enjoyed hunting Immortal Kings.
"The Martial Ancestor asked many questions about the Supreme Immortal Kings of this era. Does he have another purpose?"
After settling down, the purple-robed elder began to ponder.
He speculated that perhaps the Martial Ancestor aimed to restore the glory of the prehistoric era?
"No matter what the Martial Ancestor's goal is, I must seize this opportunity." The purple-robed elder decided. He had obtained the Martial Ancestor's contact information.
This meant the Martial Ancestor allowed him to stay in touch.
Being able to contact an Supreme Immortal King at any time, especially one from the prehistoric era, was an enormous opportunity.
Initially, the purple-robed elder intended to stay away from the Martial Ancestor due to uncertainty about his character.
Fearing he might encounter a bloodthirsty Supreme Immortal King, he hesitated to approach.
But now, after a brief interaction, the purple-robed elder felt he had some understanding of the Martial Ancestor. Although limited, he sensed the Martial Ancestor wasn't a reckless killer.
Martial Temple.
Lin Yuan returned to his cave.
"Prehistoric era?"
"And the Ninth Heaven?"
The purple-robed elder's answers showed the greatest reaction to these terms, revealing emotions of reverence and fear.
"Forget it."
"These matters can wait."
Lin Yuan stopped pondering.
Whether the prehistoric era or the Ninth Heaven, these were not his current priorities.
What Lin Yuan truly wanted to confirm now was the creation force possessed by the purple-robed elder.
Innate Purple Qi.
Lin Yuan raised his right hand, and a wisp of purple gas appeared—the Innate Purple Qi left by the purple-robed elder.
"This aura…"
Lin Yuan observed carefully and concluded.
This Innate Purple Qi was similar to the cosmic power he mastered—the Tai Chi force.
...
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