Decade-long Period of Silence

Chen Yi had done all he could—both what was necessary and what went beyond. Whether Chen Lingxiu could be reborn now depended on her own destiny.

After delegating all tasks, he withdrew his attention. The avatar he had sent to the Carefree Sect instantly transformed back into a string of nine Chaos-Colored Beads, forming a necklace that settled around Xu Jinghong’s neck.

This wasn’t meant to control Xu Jinghong, but to suppress his power—lest his slightest movement while learning Xiuzhi’s resurrection method accidentally collapse the heavens and earth!

After all, the Purple Star Continent couldn’t yet withstand the presence of a Mystic Immortal, let alone one at the peak like Xu Jinghong. Even a wisp of his aura could crush the fragile laws of ordinary True Immortals!

Thus, the suppression array formed by the nine Chaos-Colored Beads was essential. If Xu Jinghong refused to wear it, finding it uncomfortable, his only alternative was to hole up with Chen Yi in the Illusory Star Pocket Realm.

But clearly, embracing Xiuzhi’s divine statue, he cared little for such minor restraints. He stayed on Carefree Island, learning from Lin Yuyu while doubling as the security chief for the trial Reversal Secret Realm.

Once news spread that the Reversal Secret Realm’s trial site was located at the Carefree Sect, cultivators from across the land flocked to it. With crowds came chaos—all sorts of troublemakers emerged, and the weak, third-rate Carefree Sect couldn’t possibly manage them effectively.

Were it not for the official endorsement of the Calamity-Sovereign, the sect would’ve been overrun by greedy opportunists in an instant!

Of course, they dared not act openly—but covert schemes were rampant.

With a wave of his hand, the Calamity-Sovereign established six trial secret realms. Five were placed under the dominion of mighty sacred sects, while the Reversal Secret Realm was assigned to the long-declined Carefree Sect… Who would’ve thought they deserved such preferential treatment?!

Truthfully, they didn’t. Were it not for Ancestor Lingxiu’s legacy, the Reversal Secret Realm would never have landed on Carefree Island.

It had to be said—though Ancestor Lingxiu had ascended 300,000 years ago, her lingering grace still shielded the Carefree Sect.

First, the Calamity-Sovereign’s special favor deterred any overt plundering.

Second, the presence of Security Chief Xu Jinghong ensured no demon or ghost could stir even a ripple before him.

Lastly, Ancestor Lingxiu’s statue stood before the secret realm’s entrance. Only those who paid devout homage could enter—others were disqualified and expelled.

"Ancestor Lingxiu, eternal and mighty, still protects us, her useless descendants, even after 300,000 years…"

"Shameful we are, to burden our ancestors so! This humiliation is etched in my bones. I will strive harder, push further—today a Foundation Builder, tomorrow a Golden Core!"

"Tears soak my Foundation Pill, but I swear to shatter illusions and prove my path to immortality! Even if the Nine Netherfreezes my bones, I will rewrite my fate!"

"The Carefree Sect shall rise again!!!"

"......"

Every disciple of the Carefree Sect gritted their teeth.

The days of being scorned for poverty and weakness would one day become stepping stones to towering heights.

The Purple Star Continent flourished, and ten uneventful years passed in the blink of an eye.

A decade might be long for mortals, but to cultivators, it was but a fleeting moment.

The six trial secret realms opened a new path for traditional cultivators to gather resources.

These realms were all formed from the law-essence of fallen Golden Immortals or higher. Using them as training grounds for Purple Star’s cultivators was almost wasteful.

Especially since Chen Yi didn’t enable the buffing functions—survival and fortune were left to fate. Defeating the guardian puppets wouldn’t drop law fragments, only rare resources embezzled from Ling Xiao’s treasury…

This drastically reduced the consumption of the realms’ law-essence.

Though the number of participating cultivators far exceeded all chat group members combined, the expenditure was even lower than during the group’s usage.

The chat group’s 10,000 years of use had drained nearly 1% of the law-essence. Yet after a decade of trials on the Purple Star Continent, the realms remained pristine.

The stark difference stemmed from Chen Yi and Ling Xiao’s divergent priorities.

Ling Xiao sought to rapidly nurture top-tier experts. He didn’t fear expenditure—results mattered, and he was wealthy.

But Chen Yi?

His goal was to elevate the overall standard of Purple Star’s cultivators. The exceptional would naturally rise above the masses, while the mediocre still benefited from developmental gains. Most crucially—he was broke!

Wealth was relative. Though Chen Yi had embezzled a fraction of Ling Xiao’s treasury, making him the continent’s richest, his resources were meager by immortal realm standards.

Especially since he aimed to steer the Purple Star Continent toward ascension—the required resources were astronomical!

For now, he had enough. But Chen Yi never focused solely on the present. He planned far ahead, never engaging in battles without reserves. Was a half-full granary sufficient? Could he feel secure without stockpiling?

Thus, he kept a covert eye on the Little Golden Dragon, ready to join the fray at any moment.

Yet, strangely, during this decade of silence… the Big Silly Dragon seemed back to normal, while the once-aggressive Wuji had gone quiet.

This puzzled him.

"All thunder, no rain—what is Wuji playing at? Letting the Little Golden Dragon run rampant in the so-called immortal realm, harvesting top-tier resources… Are you really just giving them away?"

"That idiot Ling Xiao’s hiding too. I left in haste last time, influenced by external will, and failed to plant contingencies. Now I’m at a disadvantage…"

"This won’t do. If they stay inactive while their true intentions remain unclear, I’m the one losing out."

"Seems I’ll have to break the stalemate myself."

With that thought, Chen Yi’s true form slowly rose.

After a decade of tempering, his physical capacity had more than doubled since his 82nd Immortal Ascension Tribulation.

Last time, he could only absorb 49 perfected Chaos Divine Thunder essences before reaching his limit. This time, his modest goal was to devour over 100—enough to make the tribulation scream!

The 83rd clash with the Immortal Ascension Tribulation… the mere thought excited him.

For the sake of Purple Star’s stable growth, he’d suppressed himself too long. It had been ages since he last felt this burning anticipation.

To put it bluntly—he wanted to mess with the tribulation, to indulge in some thrilling fun!

Of course, provoking the tribulation was just the means, not the end.

His true aim… was to bolster his confidence against Wuji and Ling Xiao!

Currently, merging all 121 avatars could only produce one five-star entity—too few, too weak for direct confrontation.

Letting the enemy slaughter them? Unacceptable!

There was only one path: create more avatars, ensuring he’d never run short.