PCJ – Chapter 749 The Immortal Realm

Zhang Jiaohua stepped into that guiding light and instantly arrived in a breathtakingly beautiful world. To call it “picturesque” would be an understatement—this was scenery as if painted on a scroll.

Looking around, Zhang Jiaohua sighed with emotion: “This is the true Immortal Realm.”

White clouds coiled everywhere, mountain peaks seemed to grow directly from the clouds.

A crisp birdcall rang out—a white crane soared across the cloud sea. But this crane was no ordinary creature. Zhang Jiaohua could sense its aura, no weaker than that of a cultivator at the peak of Spirit Transformation. Its speed was astonishing—it disappeared from sight in the blink of an eye.

Zhang Jiaohua had no idea where he had landed. He only knew that he was atop a cloud-piercing peak. The light gate that had brought him here was already gone. He had thought that stepping into the Immortal Realm would place him among gatherings of cultivators, perhaps even greeted by others. Instead, he found himself in desolate wilderness, not a soul in sight.

“Chirp!”

A sharp call drew his gaze. On a nearby tree perched a bird he had never seen before. It was strikingly beautiful—but Zhang Jiaohua could tell it had no cultivation at all, merely a mortal bird.

He had expected the Immortal Realm to be filled with cultivators and spirit beasts. Yet here, even ordinary creatures with no trace of spiritual power existed. The discovery shocked him.

Zhang Jiaohua rose into the air and dove down the mountain.

Breaking through the thick sea of clouds, he beheld a more vivid world: dense forests, towering trees blotting out the sun, birds and insects singing, tigers roaring in the wilderness. It was clearly a vast and untouched primeval forest.

But the spiritual energy here—it was rich, nearly as dense as within his Dao Diagram. For a cultivator at the Return-to-Void stage, such abundant aura was essential, whether for training or casting spells. On Earth, even with the Dao Diagram, the meager aura could never let him cultivate so freely.

He decided to first understand this world before making plans. Most importantly, he needed to determine whether returning was possible. He worried this world might not even exist within the same dimension as Earth. The gateway could well be a one-way passage: Earth could connect here, but this world might not allow passage back.

If so, trouble loomed. Without him, Earth and the Meishan Sect would eventually face spiritual depletion. Yes, there were secret realms, spirit liquid reserves, and gathering arrays pulling in Earth’s thinning aura. But for the rapidly growing number of cultivators, it was still far from enough.

Moreover, when entering the Immortal Realm, Zhang Jiaohua had not left the Dao Diagram behind. Even if he had, without him maintaining it, the spirit springs inside would eventually wither and dry up. In the end, only Zhang Jiaohua’s own path could determine the Meishan Sect’s survival.

He released Leopard, Fat Cat, and Fat Monkey from his spatial treasure. They had long since stepped into the Spirit Transformation stage, and within the Dao Diagram had taken human form for many years. To his surprise, even outside, they maintained their human shapes.

“Jiaohua, can we stay like this forever now?” Leopard asked.

Zhang Jiaohua nodded. “Of course.”

Fat Cat looked around. “Where are we? This place feels strange.”

“Do you even need to ask? Jiaohua brought us to the Immortal Realm!” Fat Monkey said.

“So this is the Immortal Realm?” Fat Cat glanced around skeptically. “The aura is thick, yes, but where are the spirit beasts? If we could train here, it’d be no different from the Dao Diagram. If only we could connect this place with Earth, then all our sect members could move here—their progress would be far faster.”

“You still want to go back? I don’t think it’s possible anymore,” Leopard said, shaking his head.

“We’ll first establish ourselves here,” Zhang Jiaohua said, “then figure out a way back. Since we were able to come here, it proves this realm and Earth are connected. We just don’t yet know the method. Even if we don’t, surely someone here does.”

He picked a random direction and soared forward. But this Immortal Realm was strange. Flying higher only led him back into clouds. Stranger still, his Heavenly Eye could not pierce them. Thus he couldn’t observe the land from above, and could only push forward. Somewhere along this road, he would eventually meet people.

In these mountains, he saw no more powerful beasts like the crane. Ordinary animals abounded—most without a hint of aura, though some had minor cultivation. None posed any threat.

Traveling with Leopard, Fat Cat, and Fat Monkey, Zhang Jiaohua noticed the days here stretched longer than Earth’s—over twenty hours of daylight, with nights lasting only six or seven. The full cycle wasn’t too different overall.

After about a month of travel, Zhang Jiaohua finally discovered traces of people—not cultivators, but a simple mountain village.

The village consisted of wooden houses. The people lived by hunting and farming. Their clothing resembled that of ancient China. What shocked him most was that they spoke Chinese. The accent was odd, but he could understand it.

When he encountered them, the villagers were out hunting. They had been lucky and killed a fierce beast—soon the village would feast. But on their way back, danger struck: another beast blocked their path.