âYouâŠâ
Elder Zhen, Xiong Tian, and the others glared furiously at the young man who had spoken.
âZhao Gu, why are you in such a hurry?â Bai Jun, standing nearby, said leisurely, âChanging their ingrained perceptions requires a bit of patience. Why not have a cup of tea instead?â
âHmph, Bai Jun, donât act all mysterious and cryptic in front of me. If you have the patience, then you can waste your time chatting with them. I have no such leisure.â
Zhao Gu snorted coldly and said, âIâd rather spend my time exploring this new place. Who knows, I might stumble upon something valuable.â
With that, Zhao Gu smirked and flew out of the spirit boat.
Seeing this, the other young men and women followed suit, flying out one after another.
âTsk, tsk, this place is truly weak.â
âIf I were to strike with my palm, I bet Iâd wipe out a whole crowd.â
âHaha, then give it a tryâŠâ
âThough the air here is quite fresh.â
âI donât care about the fresh air. Iâm more interested in finding a few useful cauldrons hereâŠâ
Elder Zhen and the others grew anxious, wanting to stop them, but with their strength, they couldnât even track their auras, let alone catch up. Zhao Gu and the others had already vanished without a trace.
âThereâs no need to panic.â
âBecause even if you wanted to stop them, you couldnât!â
Bai Jun said indifferently.
âWhat exactly do you want?â Elder Zhen asked with a grim expression.
âI told you, be patient!â
Bai Jun began brewing tea again, speaking slowly and deliberately, âUnlike them, I have the most patience.â
âSo here, Iâll explain everything to you step by step!â
Elder Zhen and the others turned their gaze to him.
âFirst, let me explain the true realms!â
âThe true realms are divided into the Five Human Realms, followed by the Nine Tribulation Realms, and then the Dao Realms!â
After taking a sip of tea, Bai Jun reopened the book titled *Nine Realms Compendium*.
âThe Five Human Realmsâafter mastering the basics of physical cultivation, one enters the Five Human Realms, which consist of five stages. In your understanding, these stages roughly correspond to the levels before becoming a Human Immortal. I wonât go into too much detail here.â
âThe Nine Tribulation Realmsâthere are nine tribulation stages. The levels from Human Immortal to Profound Immortal in your system roughly correspond to the First Tribulation Realm. The so-called Nine Transformations of the Profound Immortalâs tribulations are merely minor trials within the First Tribulation Realm. The Second Tribulation Realm encompasses your Profound Immortal to the 99th Layer of the True Immortal. What you call the Divine Tribulations of the 99th Layer of the True Immortal are actually just the trials of the Second Tribulation Realm. According to the orthodox system, your cultivation level is only at the Second Tribulation Realm. The Third Tribulation Realm, in your eyes, would be what you call a âgodââŠâ
At this point, Bai Jun smiled meaningfully.
âAfter the Tribulation Realms comes the Dao Realmsâdivided into four stages: Touching the Dao, Merging with the Dao, Unifying with the Dao, and Proving the Dao! I wonât explain these realms in detail, as they are far beyond your current understanding.â
After hearing Bai Junâs explanation, Elder Zhen and Xiong Tian were utterly stunned.
Their faces were filled with disbelief. If what he said was true, then their world was truly insignificant.
âWhether you believe it or not is up to you.â
Bai Jun smiled faintly. âNow, let me tell you about the origin of the black mist.â
âIt was caused by a polluted severed arm that fell from the cosmos. Most of Yunxing, except for a few areas, has been corroded by the black mist,â Bai Jun said calmly.
âWe already know that. You donât need to explain it again.â
Elder Zhen raised his head and retorted.
Bai Jun smiled faintly. âItâs no surprise that you know, but have you ever wondered why you know?â
Elder Zhen and the others were stunned.
They truly didnât know; it was just a legend.
âItâs simply because your masters wanted you to know,â Bai Jun said indifferently. âAs for the reason, itâs hard to say. Perhaps they felt that since they were about to abandon you, they should tell you a bit of the truth.â
âWait, if what youâre saying is true, then the Eight Great Sovereigns are still alive?â Xiong Tian seized the key point. âOur Nine Realms have existed for millions of years. Does that mean theyâve lived for millions of years?â
âMore than that,â Bai Jun said calmly. âLin Jiao, Chen Yu, and others are renowned even across Yunxing. To be frank, when they created your so-called Nine Realms, they were already at the Merging with the Dao stage!â
âAnd to progress from Merging with the Dao to Unifying with the Dao requires the power of faith. Thatâs why they created your Nine Realms and built a boundary wallâto seal you off.â
âHowever, while the boundary wall they built was meant to imprison and isolate you, it also protected you. Otherwise, this place would have already fallen into ruin.â
At this point, Bai Jun closed the book in his hand and looked up at Elder Zhen and the others.
âNow, let me explain our purpose here.â
âBecause of the black mist, the limited territory and resources are insufficient to sustain the population. Finding new habitable lands has become a top priority.â
âSo our mission is precisely that. Ten years ago, we set out on the Windbreaker Spirit Boat, wandering aimlessly through the black mist until we found your world today.â
âTherefore, our arrival here is a win-win situation.â
âWeâve found new territory, and youâll gain protection.â
After saying this, Bai Jun looked calmly at Elder Zhen.
âWhat makes you think this isnât an invasion?â Elder Zhen asked with a grim expression.
âThat depends on how you interpret it.â
Bai Jun replied indifferently.
âWhat if we refuse?â
Xiong Tian asked sternly.
âYou canât refuse.â
Bai Jun raised his head and said, âZhao Gu may be blunt, but heâs not wrong.â
âWith your meager strength, you canât defend your Nine Realms. This sealing array, for example, will collapse in less than half a year.â
âAnd that demon I killed earlierâeven if all the experts in your Nine Realms joined forces, you still wouldnât be able to kill one. Yet, their numbers are endless!â
âSo, itâs not that weâre forcing you. Itâs that you have no other choice!â
âOf course, the same goes for us.â
âBecause although your land is barren, itâs at least habitable.â
Elder Zhen and the others wore grim expressions.
They stood there, unsure of what to do.
Bai Junâs words had struck them like a thunderbolt, leaving them overwhelmed and unable to process everything immediately.
After a long silence, Elder Zhen, with a complex expression, raised his head and asked, âIfâjust ifâwe agree to what youâve said, what happens next?â
âItâs simple.â
Bai Jun said calmly, âWeâll set up a teleportation array and bring half of our people here. Weâll establish a base and order on this side.â
âTo accommodate enough people and avoid unnecessary conflicts, youâll need to cede two-thirds of the Nine Realmsâ territory to us. This way, we can coexist peacefully without interfering with each other.â
âOf course, weâll also rebuild the array to block the black mist. Additionally, weâll form specialized demon-hunting teams to eliminate any stray demons and ensure the safety of the people in the Nine Realms.â