Frankly, Ye Wen didn't entirely believe Zhang Sanfeng's words in his heart! If Zhang Sanfeng truly possessed a method to ascend an entire sect to the Immortal Realm, why would he still be stubbornly defending Earth?

Couldn't he just take the entire Wudang Sect and leave? After all, what was the point of cultivation for these cultivators if not for ascension?

Moreover, without ascending to the Immortal Realm, Zhang Sanfeng would very likely turn to dust in a few hundred years. Therefore, Ye Wen concluded that Zhang Sanfeng was either lying to him, or the method he mentioned had a significant flaw that Zhang Sanfeng himself dared not attempt.

Noticing Ye Wen’s unenthusiastic reaction, Zhang Sanfeng understood his concerns and immediately said, "This method is actually quite troublesome, and the danger level is not low. However, Master Ye possesses the Nine Provinces Cauldrons..." "What does this have to do with the Nine Provinces Cauldrons?" Zhang Sanfeng chuckled, "The Nine Provinces Cauldrons contain immense spiritual energy, and this technique requires a massive amount of spiritual energy to sustain it.

Otherwise, problems could arise at the most critical moment, resulting in..." "Soul scattered and spirit extinguished?" Ye Wen thought to himself, As expected, this technique truly has a major drawback. So, even before Zhang Sanfeng detailed the method, Ye Wen had lost interest in listening.

"Compared to such an unreliable method, I would prefer a more stable approach: slowly cultivating to that realm, and then seeking ascension to the Immortal Realm!" Zhang Sanfeng hadn't anticipated that Ye Wen could resist the allure of ascension. After all, Ye Wen and these cultivators were simply not on the same path; there was a vast ideological gap between them.

That single point cultivators were most obsessed with was something Ye Wen, in his current state, couldn't comprehend—he simply didn't know what was so great about the Immortal Realm. It was like when he first transmigrated; his ideal was simply a wife, children, and a warm hearth.

But a series of changes forced him to strive for the rise of the Shushan Sect, leading him down this current path step by step. Later, after shattering the void, he learned that the harsh environment wasn't suitable for people like them, so he started thinking about how to secure a stable living environment.

Now that he had found a suitable immortal realm for them to reside in, his junior brother and Li Xiaoyao had both emerged from the Cauldron, he had accepted a few reasonably obedient new disciples, and he had a beauty in his arms—he truly had no reason to leave. In fact, the last time he shattered the void, it was because the Nine Provinces Cauldrons forcefully kicked him out; otherwise, he wouldn't have shattered it.

Furthermore, he already knew that the lifespan of his group would reach at least a thousand years. Was there any need for him to be overly attached to leaving?

Absolutely not! Therefore, while Zhang Sanfeng's proposal held some appeal for Ye Wen, it was limited!

Especially after hearing that the method carried significant danger, he had even less reason to risk his life. If these people intended to use force to compel them to leave...

well, if they truly had that capability, they probably would have just wiped them out already, right? There was no need for all this meaningless talk.

In short, with matters reaching this stage, there was only one way to conclude: Zhang Sanfeng, Yiyangzi, and the others withdrew. After they left, Ye Wen used the Nine Provinces Cauldrons to repair the leaks in the South Sea Immortal Palace.

This sealed off the Shushan Sect completely from the outside world, allowing them to focus solely on living and cultivating within this realm. Meanwhile, the Wudang and Huashan Sects set about rectifying their respective factions, particularly taking on the task left by the Kunlun Sect: merging several minor worlds to create a new, larger one, more suitable for cultivators to live in.

Twenty years later, Zhang Sanfeng and Yiyangzi successfully integrated the small worlds into a new universe. This process inevitably led to conflicts with powers in Japan and Europe, as they discovered other small worlds while tidying up, resulting in a massive war.

However, the Chinese cultivators ultimately prevailed. This great war significantly weakened supernatural forces across the globe, and the Seven-Colored Dou Qi of China gradually became the common power in the secular world.

Zhang Sanfeng, who created the new world, became a legendary figure in the cultivation world, but Ye Wen remained unaware of these events and had no interest in inquiring. After completely severing ties with the cultivation world, the Shushan group lived a very peaceful life.

They would wake up, tidy things up, eat breakfast, and then start practicing until dinner time. Afterward, they would play games or watch a movie before retiring for the night.

Originally, given the physical capabilities of these individuals, not sleeping wouldn't have mattered. However, they retained their previous lifestyle habits; eating, drinking, and sleeping were all maintained.

Of course, seclusion was a different matter. Take Ye Wen, for instance: when he was focusing on cultivating to a critical juncture, he often sat in meditation for an entire month without moving an inch.

This time, he also sat down to meditate as usual, but what set it apart was that Ye Wen sat for a full half a year and showed no signs of stopping. Observing Ye Wen’s exterior, one could only see wisps of fragrant, blood-colored smoke swirling and rising.

The dense crimson hue had almost dyed the surrounding space into a sea of blood. Strangely, this crimson world did not evoke disgust or terror; instead, it contained a vibrant life force, emitting a soul-refreshing fragrance continuously.

“The Blood Firmament technique has two cultivation methods in the original text! One is quite evil: using the essence blood of others to cultivate a blood-sea-like vigor, thereby increasing one's own power!” “The other method…” The other method was what Ye Wen was currently practicing.

In Ye Wen’s palm, only a blood-colored Sky Crystal the size of a fingernail remained—this was the crystal pillar of the Blood Firmament. If Ye Wen refined this final piece of crystal pillar, it would signify that he had completely mastered the Blood Firmament.

It turned out that the Blood Firmament was vastly different from the previous eight layers of vigor; once cultivation began, it could not be easily interrupted! This was because the first step of cultivating the Blood Firmament involved infusing one's own essence blood into the Sky Crystal.

The crystal would then temper the essence blood and return it to the cultivator. During this process, the Sky Crystal absolutely could not be let go of, nor could the process be halted.

If one carelessly let go, the cultivator, whose mere thread of life was sustained by the power of the Sky Crystal, could perish instantly—irrevocably, even with Ye Wen’s formidable power nearing the realm of ascension, he couldn't save himself after his own blood had been drained. Because of this, since beginning the cultivation of the Blood Firmament, Ye Wen had remained seated in this mountain not far from their dwelling, without leaving.

If Ye Wen hadn't informed everyone of his location and if the others didn't check in on him periodically, they might have assumed something had happened to him. “But if this continues, I don’t know when it will end!” Although Ye Wen didn't open his eyes, focusing solely on cultivation, he was perfectly aware of the surrounding situation.

The Sky Crystal in his palm, after shrinking rapidly at the very beginning of the cultivation, was now shrinking slower and slower—and although the majority of his vital blood energy had returned, Ye Wen understood that the purest essence within the Sky Crystal would only enter his body at the very end, along with his blood essence. Only then would the Blood Firmament be considered truly mastered!

But right now, he couldn't see the day of completion. Judging by the current size of the Sky Crystal, Ye Wen could easily halt the cultivation and resume it later.

However, he had a feeling: if he couldn't complete it in one go, his cultivation might stagnate at this level! This feeling came somewhat inexplicably, but Ye Wen dared not take chances with himself.

He had no choice but to endure here, slowly cultivating, until the crystal shrank to its current size and absolutely refused to become any smaller. Ye Wen had circulated his internal true energy to its maximum, but he discovered that his current power seemed insufficient to complete this final step of the Blood Firmament.

“Could it be that my current power is still lacking?” Having a suspicion, he finally sighed inwardly, “That trace of essence cannot be retained after all, but being able to use it now is quite timely!” The moment the thought arose, the Glazed Essence stored in his Dantian was instantly absorbed by the Blood Firmament True Qi within the Dantian. The previously slow increase in the Blood Firmament vigor immediately became much stronger, and with every circulation of the mental technique, the Blood Firmament vigor that digested a portion of the essence grew stronger.

Eventually, the suction generated in his Dantian gradually intensified, and Ye Wen finally felt the almost imperceptible return of blood essence becoming increasingly powerful. It even reached a point where the speed rivaled that of the initial cultivation phase.

In just one day, the Sky Crystal that had never disappeared finally vanished, and the Blood Firmament vigor contained within flowed into his body along with his own blood essence. Opening his eyes, streaks of blood-red light emanated from them.

Ye Wen took a deep breath, and the crimson smoke swirling around him entered his body through his mouth and nose. When he exhaled, he only released ordinary white vapor, which was merely breath mist caused by the low temperature.

“Finally, I’ve mastered this damned Blood Firmament!” With the Blood Firmament achieved, Ye Wen had no desire to continue practicing. This was because, upon mastering the Blood Firmament, he vaguely felt he had touched upon the threshold of ascension.

If he advanced further, it would be impossible not to ascend. What needed to be done now was to wholeheartedly teach his disciples and refine the Nine Provinces Cauldrons.

When the time was right in the future, he would bring all the Shushan disciples out of the Cauldron. However, things never proceeded according to human wishes.

Just as Ye Wen finalized his plans, a sudden change occurred. For some unknown reason, the ring on Ye Wen’s finger suddenly flashed with brilliant light and, against Ye Wen’s will, began to siphon away his entire cultivation power.

Furthermore, while Ye Wen was cursing his luck, it directly shoved a Sky Crystal into his hand. “Damn it, is this the Profound Universe?” The moment the thought crossed his mind, that Sky Crystal seemed to obey an unspoken command and immediately began to operate, causing Ye Wen to burst out cursing, “You can’t do this!

Forcing me to cultivate! Isn’t this technique supposed to be incredibly hard to cultivate?

Why are you throwing yourself at me so shamelessly?” Unfortunately, no matter how much Ye Wen cursed, he couldn't stop the operation of the Profound Universe. What differed slightly from the Blood Firmament was that the Profound Universe vigor only circulated once within Ye Wen’s body before settling down.

Afterward, the Profound Universe Sky Crystal simply rested in Ye Wen’s Dantian. No matter how he tested it, there was no reaction whatsoever.

“What… what the heck?” He had expected to seize the momentum to master the Profound Universe and then be forced to ascend again, but unexpectedly, the tide turned. The Profound Universe quietly settled down and lay dormant, like a dead pig that couldn't be stirred, rendering its vital energy unusable no matter how Ye Wen tried to mobilize it.

“Could it be… this layer of technique relies on my own comprehension?” After thinking it over, he could only reach this conclusion. Ye Wen, who had always resisted techniques requiring enlightenment, never expected the Hun Tian Bao Jian, when cultivated to its peak, would end like this.

The Profound Universe, famously deemed impossible for anyone to master, was indeed extraordinary. Even with the Sky Crystal in hand and sufficient power, it remained unusable due to the inability to grasp the profundities of the Profound Universe.

“Sigh, what kind of mess is this?” Frustrated, he emerged from his cultivation, waved a hand at the White Bear lying by his mouth, and the poor creature was finally allowed to return to its den to sleep. Ignoring the White Bear, which was waving at him with excitement, Ye Wen returned to his residence with a furrowed brow.

Upon his return from seclusion, there was naturally a lively reunion. Xu Xian also showed great enthusiasm for Ye Wen's emergence, mainly wanting to ask how much his cultivation level had increased.

Ning Rushue merely sat nearby, smiling as she listened to the fellow disciples chat. Huayi served Ye Wen tea from a teapot, while Huang Rongrong was asleep leaning against Xu Xian.

Li Xiaoyao was still eating heartily, chewing with wide jaws. This scene gradually eased the tension in Ye Wen's brow.

He felt, Why worry so much? Enjoying the present happiness is what matters.

Any problems can be addressed slowly later. With this mindset, Ye Wen comfortably resumed his former peaceful life.

However, just one week later, he lost that relaxed feeling entirely. “This… where have I ended up?” An endless expanse of grassland stretched out, with rolling mountains visible in the distance.

However, they must have been quite far, as even with his keen eyesight, he could only vaguely make out a small part of them. He looked behind him; there was also an endless grassland.

He had emerged from a thick fog just moments ago; how could he have arrived here? “Did… did anything strange happen just now?” The group had been living peacefully in the Changbai Immortal Realm for ten years.

One day, feeling bored, they decided to go out for a stroll, perhaps camp somewhere. The first month passed peacefully, but one day they suddenly encountered a blizzard.

Despite their profound powers, they couldn't see through the snowstorm. Suddenly, an idea sparked in Ye Wen’s mind, and he casually unleashed a sword qi, splitting the wind and snow before him in two.

He vaguely glimpsed an area in the distance seemingly free of snow and proceeded forward, cleaving the sword qi path as they went. As they walked, they somehow arrived at this unknown location.

Unable to figure it out, Huayi finally offered an uncertain statement: “After Master cleaved the blizzard with sword qi, we just kept moving forward, as if nothing strange had happened!” Huayi tugged at the fox-fur scarf around her neck, feeling a bit warm. “Strange, it seems warmer here?” The Changbai Immortal Realm was perpetually covered in ice and snow; even cultivators felt the chill.

Only clothes made from the furs found within the Changbai Immortal Realm could ward off this peculiar, biting cold. Everyone wore similar attire.

As Huayi spoke, everyone realized the temperature here was significantly warmer than in the Changbai Immortal Realm. Even after undoing their padded coats, they no longer felt the bone-chilling cold that pierced the internal organs.

The group took off their outer coats and watched Ye Wen, who stood frowning in silence, knowing they wouldn't get an answer for a while. They gathered in small groups to chat or watched the White Bear, which was lying on the ground with its tongue hanging out, playing dead.

This bear had followed them out and was clearly uncomfortable with the sudden change in temperature. Having been raised for ten years but never growing larger, the small cat, now only the size of a palm, had somehow acquired a large leaf somewhere and was fanning the playing-dead White Bear.

“Garfield, ignore that fellow. Come fan me!” Garfield was the name Ye Wen had given the small cat.

This name was met with protests from everyone—except for Xu Xian. Therefore, among those present, only Xu Xian called the cat that.

The cat Garfield turned its head to look at Xu Xian, then turned back, pretending not to have heard. “Hey… you dead cat!” Just as everyone found it amusing that Xu Xian was being ignored by a small cat, Ye Wen suddenly exclaimed, “Ah!

I figured it out. This must be the Immortal Realm!” “Huh?” At these words, everyone turned their heads simultaneously, looking at Ye Wen with disbelief.

Ning Rushue’s mouth hung open in skepticism. “That’s impossible, right?

Going out for a casual trip and ending up in the Immortal Realm? If the cultivators who tried everything but failed to ascend heard this, wouldn't they spit blood?” Ye Wen countered, “I am not speaking nonsense, but after careful consideration, the only plausible explanation is that the sword qi I unleashed just now inadvertently agitated the Profound Universe vigor within my body.

And the Profound Universe is said to be capable of tearing through space. It’s highly possible that I unintentionally split space with my sword qi, which is how we traveled from the Changbai Immortal Realm to this immortal domain.” Everyone was speechless but couldn't think of a more reliable explanation for the moment.

Just then, the group spotted a contingent of people in the distance chasing someone riding a magical artifact toward them. Upon seeing Ye Wen’s group, the pursuer immediately shouted, “Fellow daoists of which Immortal Sect are you?

Please help us!” Hearing this, the first thought that flashed through Ye Wen and the others’ minds was: Immortal Sect? Damn, could this really be the Immortal Realm?