In this instant, Yun Ze felt his entire being awaken.
This awakening was like recovering from a drunken stupor, suddenly returning to normalcy, affecting his vision, divine sense, and even his senses.
All his senses felt refreshed, leaving him with a sense of smooth, unimpeded flow throughout his body.
Yun Ze slowly opened his eyes. As he looked up at the sky, a phantom image materialized!
That was…
The one from the ancient past!
When he had formed his Heavenly Dao Foundation, this phantom image had also appeared in the sky, bestowing upon him an ancient certification and an additional thousand years of lifespan.
Its reappearance this time should also signify good fortune!
As Yun Ze gazed upwards, the phantom in the sky merely glanced down, then casually waved its hand. Two streaks of light descended from the sky like shooting stars!
Yun Ze was slightly stunned. The three immortal jades in his Qi Sea trembled faintly, as if sensing something.
Those were… immortal jades!
A possibility flashed through Yun Ze's mind. Though it was incredible, he quickly ascended to catch the two streaks of light!
But the moment he touched the shooting stars, his entire body shuddered. Before he could react, he plummeted to the ground like a falling star!
Boom!
With a muffled thud, before all the Emperor Lords could recover, Yun Ze crashed into the Nine Nether Gate, piercing through the surface of the continent!
Shi You frowned, quickly making the others vanish. With a flash, he appeared beside Yun Ze, beneath the Nine Nether Gate.
Yun Ze slowly got up, cradling the two immortal jades in his arms. One glowed with a green light, while the other radiated a fiery red.
"Immortal Jade, Demonic Jade!"
Shi You exclaimed upon seeing them.
These were the very immortal jades that had been lost, their whereabouts unknown. Why would they appear as rewards from the ancient past?
Ignoring Shi You's exclamation, Yun Ze looked up at the phantom image gradually dissipating in the sky.
It was merely a phantom!
The two immortal jades cast by this phantom alone were enough for him, a Land Immortal, to expend all his strength to resist, and he was even injured!
What… what realm was this?
Yun Ze's eyes were filled with fear, but more so with hope.
Now, out of the nine immortal jades, he controlled five. Sen Jue was in his elder brother's hands, and Yu Jue and Zhou Jue were within easy reach. Only Yao Jue remained missing.
If he could wield all nine immortal jades, perhaps he too would have a chance to reach such a realm.
This thought arose in Yun Ze's mind.
After the phantom image in the sky vanished, he finally lowered his head and collected the two immortal jades into his Qi Sea.
Instantly!
As the two immortal jades entered his Qi Sea, Yun Ze felt two profound energies surge into his heart, and the methods for using these two immortal jades instantly imprinted themselves in his mind.
The Immortal Jade could suppress the power of demonic cultivation techniques and enhance the power of immortal cultivation techniques.
It could also refine an immortal clone, whose strength would be equal to his own, and could withstand one fatal blow every hundred years.
Furthermore, it could refine spiritual energy into immortal fruits, which, when consumed, could lead to enlightenment.
This so-called enlightenment meant breaking through bottlenecks. While the effect was naturally not as potent as that of a chaotic primordial body, these immortal fruits were rare treasures for anyone.
The Demonic Jade, on the other hand, could suppress the power of immortal cultivation techniques and enhance the power of demonic cultivation techniques.
Similar to the Immortal Jade, the Demonic Jade could also refine a demonic clone, whose strength would be equal to his own, and could also withstand one fatal blow.
Additionally, the Demonic Jade could infuse a wisp of spiritual energy into another person's body, making them obey his commands at any time and become a demonic servant.
Yun Ze could, at any time, channel his own spiritual energy into a demonic servant, temporarily boosting their cultivation and strength.
Both the Immortal Jade and the Demonic Jade could refine clones. If used simultaneously, wouldn't that mean possessing triple the combat power, equivalent to three Land Immortals?
With a thought, Yun Ze activated both the Immortal and Demonic Jades simultaneously, following the usage methods now in his mind.
However, the expected clones did not appear beside him. Instead, his Qi Sea underwent a dramatic change!
Originally, Yun Ze had only one Nascent Soul. Having been formed from five glazed golden cores, his Nascent Soul was colorless, pure like glazed glass.
But after the Immortal and Demonic Jades were simultaneously activated, they transformed into two identical Nascent Souls, settling within Yun Ze's Qi Sea!
Three Nascent Souls?!
Yun Ze's heart trembled. When he regained his senses, he understood the reason for this.
The convergence of immortal and demonic energies!
Whether it was the Immortal and Demonic Jades, the Time and Space Jades, or the Five Elements Jades, as long as the corresponding immortal jades were gathered, unexpected uses would arise.
Yun Ze was not yet aware of the functions of the other two sets of immortal jades, but with the convergence of the Immortal and Demonic Jades, the outcome was the formation of immortal and demonic Nascent Souls.
As long as he willed it, besides gaining two extra lives and tripling his strength, he could also send these two Nascent Souls out of his body to form immortal and demonic clones.
His strength would then be equivalent to that of three Nascent Souls!
Yun Ze slowly opened his eyes and looked at Shi You with a smile, "Old Shi, now, not only you guys, but even ten times your number, wouldn't be able to do anything to me."
"Enough, it's not time for you to show off!"
Shi You appeared extremely anxious. "Those two things are the Immortal Jade and the Demonic Jade, right?"
"Yes."
"Why did they appear here?"
"How should I know?"
Yun Ze smiled helplessly and retorted, "I'm just a Land Immortal, not a true immortal. I can't divine the future, nor can I go up and ask that being."
"Then what use are you?"
Shi You said dismissively, "You're already a Land Immortal, and you don't even know this?"
Land Immortal offended you, did it!
Yun Ze rolled his eyes and didn't bother explaining to this unreasonable fellow.
He turned to survey their surroundings. "This is… Nine Nether?"
"To be precise, it's the border of Nine Nether."
Xiu Li Tian spoke, pointing in one direction. "From here, heading northwest for forty million li, it's all demon soldiers and demon slaves, all the way to Zhong Xuan Tian, where our human race's main camp is."
"Forty million li…"
Yun Ze frowned, but soon an idea formed in his mind.
He turned to Shi You. "Old Shi, I don't need the final trial you originally prepared for me anymore. How about we have a race to see who's faster?"
"Alright!"
Shi You knew what this kid was thinking and turned to the other Emperor Lords. "What do you guys think?"
"We're just idle anyway."
Dan Jing Sheng was the first to speak. "I have to return to Zhong Xuan Tian regardless, so it wouldn't hurt to try a different route."
"I have no problem with that either."
Xiu Li Tian also chimed in. "The Xiu family matter is almost resolved. I'll head back to the front lines and see how preparations are going."
Shi You then looked at the remaining Emperor Lords.
Since the Immortal Venerable and Demonic Venerable had no objections, the others naturally wouldn't say much and all nodded in agreement.
"Then let's divide into seventeen routes, with a width of a hundred li each. We'll race to see who reaches Zhong Xuan Tian first and who kills more demons!"
"Hey, let's not do seventeen routes."
Yun Ze interrupted, activating his immortal and demonic Nascent Souls and bringing forth his clones. "Nineteen routes. I'll take three myself. We'll add up the time for my three paths, so it's not like I'm bullying you."
Instantly, everyone present, including Shi You, was stunned.
They were all Emperor Lords and had studied the art of cloning.
They had personally witnessed Yun Ze's advancement to Land Immortal, so they naturally understood the difference between the Emperor Lord and Land Immortal realms.
When Yun Ze's two clones appeared, everyone was momentarily dumbfounded.
Land Immortals… all of them were Land Immortals!
Dan Jing Sheng rubbed his eyes and frowned, turning to Xiu Li Tian. "Do you think we should have dissected this kid back then and seen what he was made of?"
Xiu Li Tian didn't reply, merely glancing at Dan Jing Sheng. The meaning in his eyes was clear.
You didn't act sooner, what's the use of saying this now?
"Alright!"
Shi You's lips curled into a smile, and he then looked at the other Emperor Lords. "Are you ready? Don't lose to a junior, or you'll have no face to show."
This old scoundrel is digging a pit again!
No one took his words seriously.
After all, their opponent was a Land Immortal, a legendary realm. If it could be easily surpassed, why would it be a legend?
"Get ready, I'll start counting from three!"
Shi You chuckled and began, "Three!"
Instantly, he shot out like an arrow from a bow, reaching a hundred li away in a flash, leaving behind countless crimson splashes. Any demon within a hundred li radius of him vanished!
This old scoundrel, always trying to get an advantage!
Everyone was starting from the same point. Whoever left first would claim the hundred li ahead as their own.
Even the person who started second would have to deviate a hundred li to the side.
For Emperor Lords, this hundred li might not amount to much, perhaps only a moment's time.
But Shi You's tactic was truly unavoidable.
"You guys go ahead."
Yun Ze didn't rush to act. Instead, he looked at the Emperor Lords and said, "I'll take the outermost path."
As soon as he finished speaking, Yun Ze's two clones began to move, first reaching eight hundred li to the left and right respectively.
His main body, however, went nine hundred li away, preparing to set off towards Zhong Xuan Tian.
After the last Emperor Lord chose their path and departed, the three Yun Zes set off simultaneously!
They didn't do much, merely spreading their aura as much as possible, and then focused on traveling. Any demon with a cultivation level not exceeding the Integration stage would be instantly killed by this aura!
As for those with higher cultivation, all the Emperor Lords would temporarily stop to kill them carefully before leaving.
But Yun Ze was different. He only needed to slightly increase the intensity of his aura to achieve the same effect.
The forty million li journey, though seemingly vast, was merely a matter of a few hours for experts at the Emperor Lord realm.
For Yun Ze, it was even simpler.
With the amplification of his three Nascent Souls, let alone those in the Integration stage, even demons in the Tribulation Crossing stage would vanish into demonic energy in an instant along his path, which Yun Ze would then convert into spiritual liquid and store entirely within the Immortal Jade, subsequently transforming it into immortal fruits.
These immortal fruits were for the other Emperor Lords.
Since others had helped him so much, he couldn't let them return empty-handed, could he?
Each immortal fruit had the same effect: it could help one break through bottlenecks. The barrier of the Land Immortal realm was now gone, and combined with immortal fruits, as long as one possessed sufficient talent, there was a chance to comprehend the profundities of that final realm!
This was Yun Ze's gift to them, and also what they desired most.
As Yun Ze's physical body advanced, his divine soul also drifted upwards, overlooking the entire Nine Nether border.
With his divine sense as a Land Immortal, it was not difficult to discern that there were thirty-six Emperor Lords hidden within this entire Nine Nether border!
Their numbers were more than double that of the human race!
If they wished, they could launch a counterattack at any time, and the human race would have no means of resistance.
Yet, for nearly half a day, all the human Emperor Lords had disappeared, but the demons had not yet made a move. Even the Land Immortal had made a move, and they still showed no action.
This was strange, extremely strange!
He would have to see what they intended to do when he reached Zhong Xuan Tian.
Yun Ze frowned and involuntarily quickened his pace.
While he was returning the favor, he still needed to exert some pressure.
Apart from some Emperor Lords, a portion of them had become too accustomed to comfort. After reaching the pinnacle of the mortal world and experiencing tens of thousands of years, they had lost their drive for struggle and exploration!
Now, with a living Land Immortal before them, it was natural to stimulate them!
Yun Ze secretly accelerated his pace.
In less than an hour, he arrived before the human city in Zhong Xuan Tian!
Besides eliminating all the demons he sensed along the way, he also brought back all the other humans he encountered, placing them before the human city so they could recuperate inside.
This was a necessary measure to prevent information from leaking.
But even so, he was still first!
Undoubtedly the first.
He looked at the encampment built by the human race beneath the Nine Nether, but did not reveal himself. Instead, he stopped a hundred li away, waiting for the second Emperor Lord to arrive.
About an hour later, Shi You slowly arrived.
His expression was calm, but he looked at Yun Ze with a shake of his head and clicked his tongue.
"You're too fast! How long did it take you?"
"About fifteen minutes."
Yun Ze replied calmly and then asked, "By the way, you should know what those demon Emperor Lords are up to, right?"
"Of course, unlike some Land Immortal who knows nothing."
Hearing Shi You's jab, Yun Ze rolled his eyes again.
This guy's aggression had increased ever since he became a Land Immortal.
It was as if he would die if he didn't retort to Yun Ze in every sentence.
However, it couldn't be entirely blamed on him.
After all, he had remained in the Emperor Lord realm for tens of thousands of years, and now that he had helped Yun Ze become a Land Immortal, while he himself was still at the peak of the Emperor Lord realm, it was bound to be a source of sorrow.
"Alas, what a pity."
Yun Ze sighed and casually took out an immortal fruit. "This Land Immortal of mine knows nothing.
"Look, I don't even know how to use this fruit that condensed in the Immortal Jade in my Qi Sea. Isn't it pathetic? I'll just give it to Bu Bu and the others as fruit when I get home."
"Eat it as fruit? Have you no conscience!"
Shi You snatched the immortal fruit away. Of course, Yun Ze deliberately let him take it.
Others might not recognize its value, but someone from one of the four ancient aristocratic families would surely recognize it!
"This is an immortal fruit! It ignores cultivation realms and can help one break through limitations! You say it's useless?"
Shi You roared, wishing he could stuff it into his mouth right then and there.
However, the composure he had maintained for many years still allowed him to retain a shred of rationality, and he did not immediately stuff it into his mouth.
In his understanding, immortal fruits were things that took a thousand years to condense one!
If Yun Ze intended to keep it to break through to realms beyond Land Immortal, then he… he didn't want it!
"Oh, an immortal fruit?"
Yun Ze smiled. "Since you recognize it so well, I'll give it to you."
"Give… me?"
Shi You frowned and quickly threw the immortal fruit back to Yun Ze. "Forget it, forget it. This thing is incredibly precious, you should keep it well. Don't show it to me anymore."
"Precious?"
Yun Ze took out fifty immortal fruits that had just materialized in his Qi Sea. "What are you talking about? Say that again while looking at this pile of fruit?"
Shi You: ?!?
"These… are all immortal fruits!?"
Shi You was completely stunned.
Weren't immortal fruits supposed to be one per thousand years? How could there be fifty in just fifteen minutes?
Could it be…
Shi You was no ordinary person. Upon seeing this scene, he immediately realized.
He had been tricked, and tricked for tens of thousands of years!
These immortal fruits could clearly be mass-produced! It was just that the Chu family had kept them secret and hadn't revealed all the immortal fruits!
Shi You's old face flushed, and he stopped speaking, merely scooping up three immortal fruits and stuffing them into his spatial ring!
"Ahem, looking at the yield, it's not much. Then this old man will take three!"
"Alright, here are three for you."
Yun Ze smiled and didn't put away the remaining immortal fruits. He left thirty outside, intending to give two to each of the other Emperor Lords.
It wasn't that he was playing favorites, but immortal fruits, while having no side effects on the body, did affect one's state of mind.
If one could break through with just one fruit every time they reached a bottleneck, it would be a shock to the Dao hearts of these cultivators who had endured millions of years of arduous cultivation!
If they could endure it, it would be fine, but if they couldn't, then Yun Ze would have harmed them.
"By the way, you should have sensed those demon Emperor Lords, right?"
Shi You changed the subject and asked, "You didn't let them discover you, did you?"
"Naturally not."
Yun Ze replied casually. "I checked. Within the areas I passed through, I eliminated all the demons that sensed my presence. Some humans were also directly sent back by me."
"The news won't leak."
"That's good."
Shi You nodded. "This matter is of great importance and cannot be risked. We need to strike decisively. Let's wait for the other Emperor Lords to arrive."
"Alright."
Another three hours passed.
All the Emperor Lords arrived in succession.
Yun Ze distributed the immortal fruits to everyone and explained their uses.
After everyone had gathered, Shi You began the second meeting, this time targeting the demons.
The reason the thirty demon lords had not launched a full-scale attack on the human race was to collect the spiritual roots and bloodlines of human cultivators!
The more human cultivators died, the more spiritual roots and bloodlines they could collect, and the greater their chance of opening the Nine Nether Seal, releasing the true demon race from beneath the Nine Nether, and ruling this world!
Some of the Emperor Lords present were already aware of this information.
But this was the first time Yun Ze had heard of it.
No wonder the demons hadn't launched a full-scale attack. It was because of this…
After discussing the battle plan, they intended to eliminate these thirty demon Emperor Lords, and then discuss how to re-seal the Nine Nether Gate.
However, just as they were preparing to depart, a deafening roar suddenly exploded in their ears!
Boom!
Instantly!
The entire Nine Nether border began to shake!
Yun Ze was the first to regain his senses and scanned with his divine sense, locating the source of the tremor!
At a single glance, his entire being immediately furrowed his brow.
"Yun Ze, what's wrong!"
Shi You, sensing that something was amiss, quickly asked.
Yun Ze took a deep breath and exhaled four words: "Nine Nether… has opened!"