Chapter 54: Hai Tong

Qu Yi also learned from the Artifact God that the space teleportation array on this stone altar was originally designed so that the person in the circular formation would be the first to teleport. However, Emperor Hao had left a backdoor, likely designed for those who studied arrays. By stepping on an inconspicuous spot on the stone altar, the order of teleportation could be changed, allowing the person in the nine-character circle to be the first to leave.

Therefore, Qu Yi deliberately talked with the powerful warriors from the eight sects for a while, keeping his right foot fixed in one spot on the stone altar. Of course, the warriors had no idea that Qu Yi had changed the order of teleportation. Thinking he had received special instructions from Emperor Hao, they cursed loudly once again.

After leaving first, Qu Yi arrived at the last region of the Eight Deserts Palace—the Northeast Deserts. Where he landed was an empty valley, surrounded by snow-capped mountains that appeared desolate. Even his spiritual senses detected nothing but barrenness, as if there was no sign of life here at all.

Yet, on one of the snow-capped mountains near the valley, there stood a figure—still but imposing. The person wore gray clothes, had a cold expression, and lifeless eyes. Standing atop the mountain, he gave off an aura of overwhelming power, as if the heavens themselves were pressing down on him.

Qu Yi stopped and fixed his gaze on the gray-clad figure at the summit, studying him closely. His spiritual senses were already in communication with the Artifact God.

“Artifact God, this person is strange. I can’t sense any fluctuations in his vital energy, and his expression seems to indicate he has no soul, yet he’s not dead,” Qu Yi asked curiously.

“It’s not strange. His soul has been sealed. He’s not dead, but it’s as good as it.” The Artifact God replied indifferently.

Hearing this, Qu Yi was shocked. If a soul could be sealed, Emperor Hao’s abilities were truly terrifying.

“Artifact God, could this gray-clad man be the guardian of the Northeast Deserts?” Qu Yi calmed down slightly and pressed further.

“It seems so. I guess Emperor Hao wants you all to escape from this gray-clad man’s pursuit. If you make it there, you’ll reach the space teleportation array,” the Artifact God said calmly again.

After hearing this, Qu Yi examined the gray-clad man more closely, trying to discern his attack patterns, but found nothing. The man’s energy was completely concealed.

“Artifact God, just how strong is this gray-clad man’s attack power? You must know.” Qu Yi had no choice but to turn to this mysterious Artifact God once more.

Although Qu Yi had many ways to save his life, he still didn’t want to rely too much on treasures like the Dimensional Ball, Divine Formula Cards, or the Star Luo Ding. He wanted to rely on his own strength to fight this gray-clad man a few rounds.
The Artifact God remained silent for a while before saying with a faint smile, “Qu Yi, although your strength is enough to instantly defeat experts at the Tribulation stage, you can’t even block a single strike from this gray-clad man. Because this person has already reached the Human Immortal realm and grasped the fundamental laws of the water element—even experts at the Great Vehicle stage can’t withstand his strike.”
Hearing this, Qu Yi was shocked and stared in astonishment at the gray-clad man on the peak.
Was this person that strong?
“Artifact God, you said this gray-clad man has reached the Human Immortal realm and understands the fundamental laws of the water element. What does that mean? Does it mean that when I ascend to the Immortal Realm, I’ll have to cultivate these fundamental laws?” An idea flashed through Qu Yi’s mind, and he immediately asked.
Qu Yi still didn’t know anything about cultivation in the Immortal Realm. Although he possessed the divine formula technique “Five Qi and Three Flowers,” the Artifact God refused to tell him, so Qu Yi couldn’t access the higher levels within it.
The Artifact God was silent for a moment before slowly saying, “If my guess is correct, the cultivation levels in the Immortal Realm are divided into three tiers: Human Immortal is the lowest, Earth Immortal is in the middle, and Heavenly Immortal is the highest. All three realms involve cultivating the fundamental laws, relying on one’s own understanding to progress.”
Qu Yi was once again surprised. At least now he knew some basic knowledge about the Immortal Realm and its power hierarchy.
“Artifact God, you said this gray-clad man has reached the Human Immortal realm. What kind of realm is that exactly? What’s his fighting style?” Qu Yi asked urgently.
He was worried about the unknown attacks. He didn’t want to be facing this man’s sword at his neck without knowing how it would strike.
The Artifact God was silent again before saying calmly, “It’s hard for you to understand this realm right now. Let me give you an analogy: You’re like a fish in the ocean, and this gray-clad man’s attacks are like the entire ocean—it can trap you and exert tremendous force. The only way you can escape is through speed. Use your fastest speed.”
Qu Yi pondered over this carefully.
Meanwhile, the strong warriors from the eight sects arrived in waves and landed in the valley.
“Qu Yi, what hint did Emperor Hao give you again?”
“Qu Yi, you’re really cunning! You tricked us into occupying the first eight circles while you calmly entered the ninth.”

“Qu Yi, I want to have a one-on-one fight with you. How about we use self-destructive Yuan Ying techniques? Dare you?”
“Qu Yi, it’s the final stage of the Eight Deserts Palace. You won’t be able to act carefree much longer.”
…
One after another, the strong warriors from the eight sects uttered fierce threats, clearly very dissatisfied that Qu Yi was the first to reach the Northeast Wasteland.
Qu Yi could only smile in response, calmly staring at the gray-clad figure on the peak.
Seeing that Qu Yi didn’t reply and instead looked up at the sky, the warriors from the eight sects also raised their eyes and naturally saw the gray-clad figure on the peak.
“How is it that this gray-clad person doesn’t show any fluctuations in true energy?”
“Not only is there no true energy fluctuation, it seems he doesn’t even have a soul.”
“No, there’s still life force in his body. Although we can’t sense his soul, he’s definitely not dead.”
“I sense a dangerous aura!”…
The warriors from the eight sects used their spiritual senses to sense the gray-clad figure, expressing various reactions and growing increasingly uncertain.
Just as everyone was confused, Emperor Hao’s voice rang out.
“Everyone, this Hai Tong was captured by me back then, and I’ve sealed his soul. His strength has reached the level of a Human Soul Immortal. As long as you manage to escape from his grasp, you’ll be able to pass this stage.”
Soon, Emperor Hao’s voice disappeared.
Hai Tong was the name of this gray-clad person.
The ten major sects in the cultivation world were all supported by powerful figures from the realms of immortals, demons, and monsters, so they were somewhat aware of the situations in the immortal realm.
There were three levels of strength: Human Immortal, Earth Immortal, and Heaven Immortal. Each level was further divided into two sub-levels: Soul Level and Spirit Level.
A Human Soul Immortal was one rank stronger than a Human Soul Level being.
After hearing Emperor Hao’s words, the warriors from the eight sects all showed fearful expressions, clearly realizing the terrifying strength of this Hai Tong and worrying that they might be killed by him.
“Good heavens, this person actually has the cultivation level of a Human Immortal. How are we supposed to deal with him?”
“Is Emperor Hao trying to kill us all? Even beings at the Great Vehicle stage can’t withstand a single strike from a Human Immortal. How can we, who are still at the Tribulation stage, escape?”
“We must escape! We’ve reached the final stage of the Eight Deserts Palace. We absolutely can’t die here.”
“Now I finally understand why Emperor Hao wanted us to compete in speed. It was to deal with this Hai Tong. There’s only one way to escape now—release our speed.”
“Since Hai Tong’s soul has been sealed, he only has his physical strength. We still have a chance to escape.”

The warriors from the eight sects once again expressed their emotions, showing concern, but some also displayed great confidence. At that moment, Haitong on the peak suddenly stepped forward, turning his head toward everyone in the valley. The plain silver sword in his right hand was already raised. “You all can run away now,” Haitong said kindly, holding up the sword as a reminder. Yet, there was still no sign of soul energy or vital force—only his usual coldness. Qu Yi and the warriors from the eight major sects, a total of twenty-six people, immediately flew in nine different directions, escaping at their fastest speeds. Meanwhile, the sword in Haitong’s hand cut through the sky, leaving a brilliant arc of light as it headed straight for the entire valley.