Scarlet bale spirits had once appeared in the yin spirit tide of Azure Province, the one that’d blotted out the heavens and covered the earth. Dao immortals of those times hadn’t been able to put up any resistance before they were gnawed down to nothingness.

The yin tides of the world of immortals were far more frightening than those of the lower worlds, and there were many more high level spirits in the ones that attacked the world of immortals. There were also far fewer yin spirits in the Quiet Realm than compared to the usual lower worlds.

A scarlet bale spirit that was incredibly terrifying in the eyes of other immortals was completely harmless to Lu Yun. One slash from Quietus created a void of yin spirits wherever it passed through, connecting with the scarlet spirit at the end and cutting it straight through.

That immediately sent the yin and dead spirits into chaotic disarray. Milling around, some pounced on Lu Yun in a disorganized fashion. He dispatched them all with a few casual strokes.

Within the boundary, senior sister Luan and the others gaped at the human youth in mid air.

“I’m afraid… we overthought the situation just now. That expert doesn’t need our rescue at all, he’s probably a supreme genius from the world of immortals who’s practicing his combat arts on the spirits here,” senior sister Luan chuckled ruefully.

They’d seen geniuses of this caliber before. Things were relatively calm in the world of immortals these days as a bloodbath would arrive in less than seventy years. All of the world’s factions were keeping themselves in check to save their strength for those times. No retaliation had been forthcoming even when Dao Academy disciple Silverblaze killed the prince of Qingfu Nation.

In comparison to the usual squabbles, the yin spirits of the world of immortals turned into everyone’s training targets. A myriad of geniuses emerged from seclusion, each bolder and more adept than the last. They charged into the endless tides of dead spirits to hone their craft—in the eyes of the Corpse Refiners, the somewhat ordinary young man in the air was one of them.

Only that standard of genius would think of etching formations of heaven and earth into battle zombies.

……

“Luan Qi of the Corpse Refiners greets this senior brother. Please forgive me if I affronted you earlier.” Senior sister Luan Qi quickly walked up to greet the newcomer when he entered the boundary.

Though the Corpse Refiners had lost a battle zombie, it was much more serious that they’d interrupted a genius in training. If he sought to vent his spleen on them, they wouldn’t be able to withstand his fully justified anger.

“No matter.” Lu Yun knew what identity they’d assigned to him and went along with the situation. “What is the status of this Quiet Realm?”

“In response to senior brother, this realm is much the same as any of the other lower worlds. However, there are fewer yin spirits here compared to elsewhere.” Luan Qi quickly added, “It does seem that the immortals of this world don’t welcome us though.”

“Don’t welcome us?” Lu Yun blinked. She meant visitors from the world of immortals.

“That’s right, they don’t like having us here. There is one thing more bizarre about this realm than the others… At least several tens of thousands of immortals have visited this realm over the past ten years, but they’ve all died. Apart from a hundred Corpse Refiners and a few Dao Academy senior brothers that have entered the palace floating above us, there is no one else who visits this world anymore.”

“What?” Lu Yun’s eyes widened. “You say that academy disciples have entered that palace?”

“That’s right!” Luan Qi and her peers looked at each other. This genius senior brother was likely from the Dao Academy.

The Dao Academy prospered entirely too well these days and counted hundreds of millions of disciples within its campus and the three hundred sixty-five cities of Dusk Province. It was the undisputed titan of the world of immortals. Though it didn’t vie for the title, it was the greatest heavyweight of them all regardless.

“I see.” Lu Yun nodded slightly and thought of those abandoned races. “You should go notify your other senior brothers to return to the world of immortals. The Quiet Realm is a newly born realm compared to the others, which makes it more dangerous than the other lower worlds. You’d be dying for nothing if you stay here.”

“Understood.” Luan Qi and the others started before leaving in search of the others.

“There’s something wrong with all of the immortals and cultivators here.” Lu Yun frowned slightly as he watched them head out.

The little fox burrowed out of Lu Yun’s robes and swept a look around the surroundings. “None of the surroundings here are real, it’s a massive Great Formation of Myriad Returns that’s refined illusion into reality!”

“What?” Lu Yun’s jaw dropped. “It’s all fake?”

“This world is dead. The boundary and everything inside it is all illusion,” murmured the little fox as she lifted her head. “The source of the formation lies within the palace in space.

“Also, there’s no such thing as indigenous cultivators or immortals here. Apart from the seven Corpse Refiner disciples we just spoke to, there’s nothing else alive here!”

Dismay gripped Lu Yun. He didn’t doubt Miao’s words—her mastery of illusory formations was much higher than his. She was also an empyrean realm master, enabling her to see through many things that he couldn’t.

Lu Yun possessed the Spectral Eye and the observational skills of a formation grandmaster, but his cultivation level was still weak. Thus, many things beneath the heavens could still pull the wool over his eyes.

“I need to save them!” He darted forward and caught up to Luan Qi and the others.

“Senior brother?” The group stopped out of curiosity when they saw the genius flash in front of them. “Do you have any other instructions, senior brother?”

“Go back to the world of immortals right this moment. Go back right now! All of your peers are dead. Tell the four guides by the Ascension Pool that a fox told them to list the Quiet Realm as a forbidden area. No immortals are to descend here, and no immortals from this realm are allowed to ascend to our world!” Lu Yun’s tone was uncommonly severe.

“Impossible!” bursted out one of the male disciples when he heard those words. “My master is a mighty High Immortal of the Great Firmament! How would he die to a scarlet bale spirit?”

Lu Yun’s frown deepened. He wanted the seven to notify Mo Yi and the others because he wanted to allow them to enter the Dao Academy. Otherwise, he could easily notify the guides through his nascent spirit.

He didn’t want to do things that way, however. It was an entirely different matter when these Corpse Refiner disciples brought the message compared to if he did it himself. He wanted to foster autonomy within Ascension city, just like how the Dao Academy could now operate without him.

“Hahaha—my good disciples. You’ve finally come back, and with a young friend! Come come, introduce him to your master.” A youthful looking man arrived on swordback at this time with a few other disciples.

Now frowning ferociously, Lu Yun interposed himself in front of Luan Qi and the others.

“Are you something formed out of illusion, or one of those scarlet bale spirits in the skin of immortals?” A black light flashed through his eyes.