ISWI Chapter 1017-1018 (Patreon)

Chapter 1017: Wang Xuanji's Humiliation!

As the quasi-immortals and Great Emperors all headed toward the Immortal Path, a large number of low-level cultivators were left behind in the immortal city. Although they could also enter the Ninth Realm of the Immortal Path, they did not dare join the excitement.

A battle between top-tier existences could reduce them to dust with the slightest aftershock. It was safer to stay far away. They all sighed with emotion. Never in the history of the cultivation world had things been this lively. It was already unprecedented for three supreme experts to appear in the same era within one cultivation world.

Now, a prodigy from the immortal realm had suddenly emerged as well. This final generation's Immortal Path was terrifyingly lively.

Originally, outsiders had believed that the Immortal Qi of this era would most likely belong to the Heavenly Emperor's heir. But now, that was no longer certain.

As for the battle between the Eight-Crowned King and the immortal realm female prodigy, most people guessed that the female prodigy would be more terrifying. After all, in her earlier clash with Hua Yunfei, she had clearly not used her full strength. And no matter how strong the Eight-Crowned King was, how much stronger could he be than Hua Yunfei? Even with the World Tree enhancing him, his chances seemed slim.

…

Ninth Realm of the Immortal Path.

Wang Xuanji stepped out of the teleportation array, her azure robes fluttering. She scanned her surroundings, then revealed a confident smile. Her figure turned into a streak of azure light and shot forward.

Soon after, the group of quasi-immortals arrived on the second teleportation array. But they could no longer see Wang Xuanji. They only sensed terrifying collisions coming from the depths of the starry sky in the Ninth Realm. The two had already begun fighting.

Hua Yunfei, among the crowd, raised an eyebrow and prepared to follow the flow to watch the battle. The quasi-immortal beside Hua Yunfei had a good relationship with the Heavenly Evolution Holy Land and was of the same generation as Hua Yunfei's martial granduncle. He looked at Hua Yunfei with lingering shock in his eyes.

Although Hua Yunfei was not Wang Xuanji's match, his strength was still frighteningly powerful. This kid had hidden far too deeply.

"Yunfei, this should be your true body, right?" he could not help asking.

Hua Yunfei smiled faintly. "Of course, it is my true body. I have already reached the end of my path in this realm. There is no need to hide behind avatars anymore…"

The quasi-immortal ancestor's face twitched. It was unclear whether he believed him. Just as he was about to say something more, his pupils suddenly shrank as he looked ahead. All the quasi-immortals present reacted the same way, staring forward in shock. Their divine senses had detected Wang Xuanji's aura rapidly returning.

In the next moment, Wang Xuanji appeared in their line of sight. However, she had not flown back on her own. She had been smashed back.

The proud, domineering expression that had once filled her face was gone, replaced by pure shock and disbelief… Even after flying backward such a great distance, Wang Xuanji still could not stop her body.

Under the dumbfounded gazes of the crowd, she slammed heavily into the ground of the Ninth Realm. Several sacred mountains collapsed and vanished instantly, leaving behind only a bottomless crater.

Everyone's mouths hung wide open. What had just happened? They had not even reached the battlefield, yet the battle was already over? The immortal realm female prodigy who had felled a quasi-immortal with a single glance had been smashed down like this? Had the Eight-Crowned King made a move? But how was that possible? How could the Eight-Crowned King be this terrifying?

Doubt and disbelief filled every face.

At that moment, Wang Xuanji flew out from the deep pit. Her already fair and delicate face had turned even paler, her lips completely drained of color. The incredulity in her expression was even greater than that of the quasi-immortals around her.

Because she had seen the Eight-Crowned King. She had personally exchanged blows with him. Yet the shock the Eight-Crowned King brought her far exceeded her imagination.

At this moment, Wang Xuanji even lost her composure. "How is this possible… How is this possible? How can such a terrifying person exist in a mere lower realm? Even before my immortal root was dug out, I might not have been able to steadily defeat him!"

She had not suffered any serious injuries. After all, she possessed an immortal king bloodline, so she was not so easily wounded. But it was obvious that the Eight-Crowned King had not truly attacked either.

She still wanted to fight again, but the moment she recalled the Eight-Crowned King's overwhelming dominance and invincibility, an involuntary wave of guilt, humiliation, and confusion washed over her.

She had gone through so much hardship to descend to this lower realm, exhausting countless resources from her family and carrying the expectations of innumerable clansmen.

She should have swept through this world, seized the World Tree, ascended to immortality, restored her cultivation, and then entered secluded meditation for countless years until she finally became an Immortal King.

Yet now, she had been blocked at the very first step. She could not defeat the owner of the World Tree. This was no longer just about failing to obtain the World Tree. It had become a question of whether she could even return to the immortal realm.

The thought of being trapped in this world until her lifespan ran out, or perishing alongside the realm when it eventually collapsed, filled Wang Xuanji with bitter unwillingness.

She refused to accept such an ending. She wanted to recover her peak strength, become an immortal ancestor, and lead her entire family to stand tall across the nine heavens and ten lands.

Wang Xuanji clenched her fists tightly beneath her sleeves. But it was not hopeless… She simply lacked a suitable weapon. If she had an immortal weapon in hand, her combat power could surge once more. She might then be able to contend with the Eight-Crowned King on equal footing. If she could find helpers as well, suppressing the Eight-Crowned King would be well within reach.

As for helpers… The Hua Yunfei from earlier was not weak, and there was also the Heavenly Emperor's heir—the one everyone kept mentioning and repeatedly trying to push into the fray, seemingly quite hated by others. If she could subdue those two, everything could still turn around.

Wang Xuanji's eyes shone brightly as she looked at the crowd. "I need an immortal weapon. Grant me one, and I will impart to you a scripture of an Immortal King… At the same time, before I leave this realm, I will return the immortal weapon. I will not take it away."

The immortal weapons of this world were all low-grade. Wang Xuanji looked down on them and naturally had no intention of keeping any.

Upon hearing her words, the crowd exchanged glances. If this had been the Wang Xuanji from back in the immortal city, countless forces would have eagerly offered their immortal weapons in hopes of building a connection with this immortal realm female prodigy. Even trading for a single spot to enter the immortal realm would have been an enormous gain.

But now… Everyone hesitated. The main reason was that Wang Xuanji had been defeated far too quickly. Moreover, she had not charged back to fight again.

Everyone present was an old fox; they could all tell that she had most likely been crushed by the Eight-Crowned King. Although they did not know why, nor could they understand how the Eight-Crowned King had become so powerful, they were unwilling to speak up in public and risk drawing the resentment of the Dao One Holy Land later.

They might contact this immortal realm female prodigy in private afterward, but certainly not for any Immortal King scripture. Although such scriptures were precious and existed only in legends for most forces, the Age of Dharma's End was approaching. What use was an Immortal King scripture then? They only wanted a quota to enter the immortal realm.

Seeing that no one spoke, Wang Xuanji shook her head, unconcerned. She could simply seize one by force later. It would not be a big problem. Her gaze then turned toward Hua Yunfei. "The Eight-Crowned King is extraordinary. Are you willing to follow me and fight alongside me… In the future, aside from the World Tree and the Immortal Qi, all other treasures will belong to you! I will also impart to you a scripture of an Immortal King!"

Hua Yunfei frowned slightly. He too was shocked by the Eight-Crowned King's strength. After all, he understood Wang Xuanji's power clearly. That divine technique that directly slashed at the soul was nearly impossible to block. It could almost be said that whoever it struck would die.

Yet the Eight-Crowned King had suppressed it so easily. It was hard to imagine. Moreover, Wang Xuanji's words left him somewhat disgusted. She was simply too arrogant…

Chapter 1018: Are You from the Wang Family?

You invite me to take action, yet the most precious World Tree and Immortal Qi both go to you. What do I get? Are you just brushing off a beggar? This woman really doesn't treat people from the lower realm as human beings at all.

Although Hua Yunfei felt dissatisfied in his heart, he did not show it. Instead, he smiled and asked, "Is the Eight-Crowned King really that powerful?"

Upon hearing this, the crowd also looked on with great curiosity. In truth, the Eight-Crowned King had always remained in the Ninth Realm, overlooking everything. As long as one wished, anyone could go and challenge him.

Yet from the opening of the Immortal Path until now, no one had dared to court death. Today, someone had finally gone to challenge him, and the result was completely unexpected. They too were extremely shocked. Was the Eight-Crowned King truly this strong?

Wang Xuanji's mouth twitched slightly. The issue with the Eight-Crowned King was no longer about being "strong." He was simply invincible. After all, whether in the immortal realm or the cultivation world, no matter how powerful a quasi-immortal became, they were still only quasi-immortals, not true immortals. Even if one relied on various external objects to barely contend with a true immortal, one's own realm remained within the quasi-immortal stage.

One might approach a true immortal in a single aspect—strength, Qi, speed, or the like—but not comprehensively. In the end, one would still be crushed. But the Eight-Crowned King was different. When that aged gaze had looked directly at her, she had felt as if she were facing a genuine immortal.

In every aspect, he had nearly become no different from a true immortal. If not for the complete absence of Immortal Qi on his body, Wang Xuanji would have suspected that he had already secretly become an immortal.

In short, if she still possessed her immortal spirit root, she could have fought him. But now that it was gone, both her Qi and soul had fallen below the quasi-immortal realm. In a one-on-one fight, she was definitely no match.

"He is very strong… I have only just descended and have not yet adapted…"

Wang Xuanji spoke with some difficulty.

Hua Yunfei looked at Wang Xuanji and guessed even more from her words. Shock rose in his heart as well. After all, Wang Xuanji's combat strength should not have been far from his own. Yet she had been beaten so badly that she could barely speak of it. Just how terrifying was the Eight-Crowned King?

Having guarded this realm for a million years and able to awaken at any time, the Eight-Crowned King's foundation was truly too deep. He was far stronger than the Celestial Prince. Fortunately, he himself had not stepped forward.

"Are you willing to follow me?"

Wang Xuanji did not want to continue on this topic and asked seriously.

Hua Yunfei naturally had no interest in working for her for free. He would only make a move if his junior brother could not defeat the Eight-Crowned King either, in which case he would naturally join forces with him.

However, looking at her peerlessly beautiful face and extraordinary bearing, he thought for a moment and smiled. "I no longer have any intention of contending for immortality… But my junior brother, the Heavenly Emperor's heir, obviously will not give up. If the immortal fairy is interested, you may go seek out my junior brother for cooperation. He might also have immortal weapons more suitable for you."

Wang Xuanji felt somewhat displeased by Hua Yunfei's refusal and frowned slightly.

However, Hua Yunfei was too slippery. The one before her was clearly just an avatar. Since his true body had already left, saying anything more would be pointless. She could go find the Heavenly Emperor's heir first. Once she subdued him, she would also obtain a suitable immortal weapon. Then, before the Immortal Qi officially appeared, she could challenge the Eight-Crowned King again.

Yet whenever she thought of the Eight-Crowned King's overwhelming dominance, Wang Xuanji still could not suppress a wave of palpitations. There was one thing she kept buried deep in her heart. The Eight-Crowned King had suppressed her with a single raise of his hand without even using the World Tree…

An unprecedented sense of heaviness settled in Wang Xuanji's heart. She glanced at Hua Yunfei, then flew straight toward the teleportation array. Only after she left did voices finally rise from the crowd.

The quasi-immortals and Great Emperors were all shocked to the extreme. They had originally expected a world-shaking battle today. No one had imagined it would end so anticlimactically. Even a terrifying existence like the immortal realm female prodigy could not withstand the Eight-Crowned King for even a moment. Just how terrifying was the Eight-Crowned King, who had been unrivaled in this realm for a million years?

For a time, the rankings in everyone's hearts shifted once again. They had all believed that once the Heavenly Emperor's heir reached the quasi-immortal realm, he would undoubtedly stand at the top of this world, unmatched by anyone.

But today's events had changed everyone's minds. The Heavenly Emperor's heir was indeed monstrous, but he might truly be no match for the Eight-Crowned King, who had remained unrivaled for a million years.

Thinking of this, the crowd could not help but look up at the sky with awe and reverence.

…

What had happened in the Ninth Realm quickly spread throughout the entire cultivation world.

The news of Hua Yunfei, who had hidden for countless years, the female prodigy who had descended from the immortal realm, and the Eight-Crowned King, who remained unrivaled despite the era's countless prodigies, caused widespread discussion.

Countless cultivators sighed with emotion. Even the Heavenly Emperor's era, known for its abundance of prodigies, could not compare to the brilliance of this generation.

Yet no matter how many prodigies appeared, the Eight-Crowned King still stood firm in the Ninth Realm, and no one could force him to step out.

At the same time, news that the immortal realm female prodigy had gone to find the Heavenly Emperor's heir spread like wildfire.

After all, the Heavenly Emperor's heir had never been defeated. He could already slay immortal thoughts as a Great Emperor, so once he reached the quasi-immortal realm, he would surely advance even further.

With the help of the female prodigy, they might actually have a chance.

In short, everyone understood that even though the Eight-Crowned King was terrifying, a final battle would still take place. On that day, they would finally see the Heavenly Emperor's heir fight with his full power.

This was what all cultivators were eagerly anticipating. After all, every battle the Heavenly Emperor's heir had fought that outsiders could witness had been completely one-sided.

The only time he seemed to have fought for a long time was against the Celestial Prince's avatar. But now, people believed that he had only been fishing, waiting for the Celestial Prince's true body to take the bait.

Therefore, everyone was extremely curious about how terrifying the Heavenly Emperor's heir would be when he fought with all his strength, and whether he could shake the Eight-Crowned King, who had been unrivaled for a million years.

…

Outside the Heavenly Evolution Holy Land.

A figure descended with a powerful rush. Clad in azure robes embroidered with golden threads, her long hair dancing in the wind and radiating immortal aura, the woman was none other than Wang Xuanji.

A trace of irritation flickered in her eyes. This descent to the lower realm had been far more difficult than expected because the owner of the World Tree was far stronger than anticipated. She actually had to seek cooperation from others.

To her, this was a humiliation. She had heard some rumors about the Heavenly Emperor's heir before coming. He was indeed extraordinary.

But it was not enough to truly shock her. After all, immortal thoughts were merely remnants of a true immortal's soul. Even after reviving, they might not compare to peak quasi-immortals like Hua Yunfei. It was nothing too surprising.

However, subduing him as a subordinate to help restrain the Eight-Crowned King would be quite useful. Moreover, he seemed to possess considerable wealth and might be able to provide an immortal weapon suitable for her.

Thus, Wang Xuanji had arrived. She hovered above the Heavenly Evolution Holy Land and suddenly released her quasi-immortal aura.

In an instant, the mountain-protecting grand formation of the entire Heavenly Evolution Holy Land shook violently. Numerous auras rose up in response. Among them, three quasi-immortal auras surged forth.

But Wang Xuanji did not even spare them a second glance. They were not worth her attention. She simply spoke indifferently, "Have Ye Chen come out to see me!"

Her voice rang out like the will of heaven, spreading throughout the entire Heavenly Evolution Holy Land.

The next moment, the three quasi-immortals of the Heavenly Evolution Holy Land flew out. Among them was Elder Shangguan, whom Ye Chen had brought back.

However, standing in front of the three was a Great Emperor realm cultivator.

He looked like a scholar, exuding an air of scholarly elegance and a gentle aura. "Fellow Daoist must be the immortal realm prodigy who has descended. I am Feng Baiyu, the Holy Master of the Heavenly Evolution Holy Land! May I know your honorable name?"

Wang Xuanji glanced at Feng Baiyu and said calmly, "Wang Xuanji!"

"Wang Xuanji? That terrifying soul power… Are you from the Wang Family, the immortal king clan?"

Feng Baiyu narrowed his eyes as he spoke.