Mysterious mirror hanging high

Before the Iron Feather Demon Immortal finished speaking, the chaotic air currents in the distance suddenly surged violently. In that air current that was enough to annihilate all things, an indescribable opportunity was gathering and manifesting!

A celestial mountain, radiating a soft, clear light, appeared to have been forcefully "squeezed" out of the chaos.

The fairy mountain was shimmering with light and filled with spiritual energy... What was even more captivating was that, in the crevices of the steep cliffs of that fairy mountain, a spiritual herb was growing tenaciously, emitting a unique fragrance.

The spiritual herb was about three feet tall and had nine leaves. Each leaf displayed a different Daoist color, some as red as flames, some as blue as water, and some as green as dripping water, making it look quite extraordinary.

"That's... the [Refining Immortal Herb]! And it's a complete form with nine leaves already grown!"

A prodigy from the alchemy faction suddenly exclaimed, his voice trembling with extreme excitement.

He stared intently at the immortal herb, his eyes gleaming with an uncontrollable greed: "Ancient texts record that this herb only grows in places where the innate energy is most abundant! Its leaves contain a trace of the wonder of 'refining the false into the true.' If a cultivator at the peak of the Celestial Immortal realm were to consume it when breaking through to the True Immortal realm, their chances of success would increase by 30%!"

"This...this is priceless!"

"Senior Tieyu! Quick! Quickly move the instrument panel closer!"

"Yes, senior! This immortal herb is a great opportunity; it might even give you hope of breaking through to the True Immortal realm!"

However, just as everyone was excited and eager to rush out of the ritual plate to seize the immortal opportunity, the Iron Feather Demon Immortal, who needed this immortal herb the most, seemed completely indifferent to it.

The next moment, the surging chaotic energy flowed directly over the newly manifested immortal mountain.

The incredibly solid mountain offered no resistance to the erosion of the airflow, quickly crumbling and then disintegrating like a sandcastle.

The alluring [Refining Immortal Herb], upon contact with the chaotic energy, didn't even struggle the moment it touched the airflow. With a soft "poof," it transformed into a wisp of the purest chaotic energy and merged into the surrounding chaotic energy.

From the moment the immortal mountain appeared to its complete annihilation, only two or three breaths passed, so fast that no one could react in time.

One second it was an unparalleled destiny to immortality, the next it was all nothingness, as if everything just now was just a dream.

A profound sense of loss enveloped everyone. Many of the prodigies still had lingering desire and excitement on their faces, but their expressions had frozen, making them look rather comical.

After a brief silence, a sneer broke the stillness.

"Ha, a bunch of ignorant bumpkins, utterly ridiculous."

Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw that Fu Changting had stood up at some point, arms crossed, his handsome yet effeminate face filled with undisguised mockery and disdain. His narrow eyes swept over the crowd as he spoke:

"At the edge of the Immortal Realm of the Fourth Heaven, in this chaotic flow of energy, all sorts of rare and precious natural treasures will randomly emerge as the boundaries expand."

Fu Changting said slowly and deliberately, "It could be a spiritual medicine, a spiritual treasure, or even some kind of innate cultivation technique scroll. It might even give rise to some living beings..."

"But what are they? They are nothing more than random aggregations formed by the chaotic collisions of primordial energy during the expansion of the Immortal Realm's boundaries."

He extended a pale finger, pointing to the chaotic energy that had just devoured the immortal herb: "These things only exist for a fleeting moment. A gust of wind, a slight change in the chaotic energy, and they immediately disintegrate again, returning to chaos. You actually dared to dream of obtaining them? What a fool's dream!"

Fu Changting looked at the grim faces of the crowd and smirked: "As for this chaotic energy itself? Hmph, this stuff can easily erode and dissolve even a Golden Immortal's body. If a Golden Immortal gets even a trace of it, their foundation will be damaged, and they will suffer severe injuries that are difficult to heal. With your meager cultivation, you probably can't even withstand a trace of this energy. You would instantly perish, your souls and spirits would be destroyed, and your true spirits would be gone!"

"But the items are genuine."

Jian Yunyuan added, "If anyone is brave enough, they can try picking them. As long as they can succeed before the chaotic air currents rebound, they will have truly gained an opportunity."

"Of course, just as Fellow Daoist Fu said, even a Golden Immortal cannot guarantee that he can escape unscathed from such a place. Is it worth risking one's own path and life for a few material possessions?"

"Some are bold and lucky."

The Iron Feather Demon Immortal said leisurely, "Among the creatures of this world, there are those with noble destinies and those with lowly destinies... There are always those gamblers with lowly destinies who come one after another to the Fourth Heaven to gamble for their opportunities."

"They actually managed to win some."

"But if there's even one in a billion, that's extraordinary."

"The Immortal Realm is too vast, and there are too many living beings. Every year, countless cultivators risk their lives to come to the Fourth Heaven to try their luck and seek opportunities... The number of cultivators who die here every year is innumerable."

“You are all among the most outstanding talents in the entire Immortal Realm. There is no need for you to have such a gambling mentality as those who are desperate.”

Just then, the surging chaotic air currents in front of them suddenly twisted and expanded violently deep inside, as if some enormous creature was struggling and colliding wildly inside!

Boom—

Immediately afterwards, an indescribable and terrifying force suddenly tore through and expanded the chaotic airflow!

A colossal claw, whose size defies description, pierced through the blurred boundary between chaos and darkness, reaching into the edge of the fourth heaven of the immortal realm.

Immediately afterwards, the monster's head—or rather, the part resembling a head—squeezed in through the torn gap in the chaos.

It has an outline similar to a giant whale, but it is entirely composed of countless writhing, entangled shadowy tentacles, without a fixed shape, constantly changing on the edge of twisting and disintegration.

When Jing Yu saw the monster, her expression changed slightly.

He had seen this monster before—back in the Immortal Continent!

"This is... the monster that crashed into the boundary wall of the Immortal Continent back then!"

However, unlike back then, the aura of that monster was far inferior to that of the one before. The aura emanating from this monster was simply terrifying, and Jing Yu suspected that it might even have surpassed the realm of a True Immortal.

The monster only poked its head out slightly before the chaotic energy surged up and ultimately "squeezed" it back into the Dark Realm.

Iron Feather Demon Immortal's eyes flashed, and he said calmly:

"That is the [Extraterrestrial Demon], a monster that lives in the [Dark Realm]... It has always been eyeing the beings of the Immortal Realm with covetous intent."

"This extraterrestrial demon appears to be at the True Immortal Perfection level, but due to the special nature of extraterrestrial demons, they are almost immortal... so the chaotic energy that can severely injure a Golden Immortal is not fatal to them, at most it can only drive them back to the Dark Realm."

"These monsters occasionally peek out into the Immortal Realm to hunt. Many prodigies have been killed in the past. You must be careful not to be swallowed by them."