Chapter 558: Perfect Timing

“What just happened here?”

The Fire Kirin spoke in a human voice and instantly transformed into a half-human, half-demon figure, a muscular man clad in a golden-scaled red robe.

What was terrifying was that his eyes were fiery red, and the inside of his mouth was red too.

His aura was overwhelming.

His cultivation level was unfathomably deep.

“Just now, just now, a high-level expert in a Taoist robe came here. He captured the Twin-Headed Fire Phoenix. We arrived too late. He flew south…” In desperation, Shui Miao lied big. His spiritual senses only detected a fierce heat wave, unable to gauge how deep the Fire Kirin’s cultivation ran.

“Damn it! Could it be Tu Lie of the Jie Sect? Bastard! I’ll chew him up!”

With a “whoosh,” the muscular man instantly transformed back into the Fire Kirin and flew off toward the south.

As soon as the Fire Kirin left, Lian’er hurriedly asked Zhao Tianyi, “Do you know who he is?”

“He seems to be the Fire Kirin from the Beast Clan! Among the Beast Clan, he ranks third in power, possessing the strength of a Xianzun cultivator. He seems to be a friend of the Fire Phoenix!” Zhao Tianyi was scared out of his wits, his face turning pale.

Clearly, he was a friend of the Twin-Headed Fire Phoenix.

To a Xianzun, killing everyone would be as simple as squashing an ant.

Lian’er stamped her foot, “You idiots almost got me killed!”

“Are you going to stay here and die? Hurry up and run!”

Shui Miao’s eyes flickered, grabbed Lian’er’s hand, and immediately fled.

“Big brother, what should we do?”

“Yeah, big brother, our situation is perilous. This mess started because of us, and the Beast Clan won’t let us off the hook.”

“Don’t panic, let me think…” Zhao Tianyi raised his hand, his eyes darting around, suddenly saying, “You all quickly gather everyone, take all our belongings, and head into the Ten-Thousand Great Mountains for refuge. I’ll go chase after that expert and ask him for instructions.”

“Alright!”

“Let’s go, go, go…”

A group of immortals scattered, each going their own way.

The entire Tianyi Sect became bustling with activity as thousands of immortals evacuated.

Zhao Tianyi wasn’t a fool. He could see that Shui Miao had tremendous potential. If Shui Miao could lead the Tianyi Sect, its strength would surely surge, so he hurriedly chased after Shui Miao.

Shui Miao and Lian’er arrived at the previous cave. The three hundred scattered immortals, already having excavated crystals, were waiting eagerly. Without a word, Shui Miao directly sealed them into the Holy Yuan Ring. Inside the Holy Yuan Ring, there were already many crystals Shui Miao had collected from the Fire Phoenix Mountain. Seeing this, the scattered immortals believed Shui Miao wasn’t after their little stash of crystals. Turning around, Shui Miao encountered Zhao Tianyi, who had come chasing after him. Zhao Tianyi immediately kowtowed, “Disciple, how could you abandon us? Please give us instructions on what to do next.”

Zhao Tianyi had recognized Shui Miao as the leader.

Shui Miao helped Zhao Tianyi up. Although his Holy Yuan Ring was large, it couldn’t hold so many immortals.

As Shui Miao was in a dilemma, Lian’er spoke to Zhao Tianyi, “Big brother Zhao, there are many vacant mountains in the Ten-Thousand Immortal Mountains. Why don’t you all hide there for now?”

“No good! We have too many people. Going there would attract the attention of the Celestial Army.” Zhao Tianyi was very troubled.

Shui Miao felt gloomy but had an idea, “Fine, since you all are willing to follow me, I can’t ignore your lives. Quickly gather everyone. I’ll take you all into a special treasure artifact. However, once inside, you mustn’t cause any trouble and can only meditate and cultivate.”

Shui Miao intended to bring everyone into his Realm Planet, but the Realm Planet was within his own spiritual domain. Powerful immortals entering might disrupt his domain, making it difficult for him to control. Thus, Shui Miao was very conflicted. But for everyone’s sake, he had to take this risk.

Seeing that Shui Miao intended to bring so many people, Lian’er grew worried, “Big brother, the situation is special now. We’ve incurred the wrath of a Beast Clan Xianzun. Now you’re taking so many people with you, which will take a lot of time. If the Fire Kirin catches up, we’ll all be in danger.”

“There’s no choice now. Don’t say any more. Hurry up and gather everyone. The faster, the better.”

Shui Miao quickly went to the cave entrance, sat cross-legged, and his mind stirred. He wanted to try first, bringing the three hundred scattered immortals into the Realm Planet to see if he experienced any discomfort.

Zhao Tianyi hurried back to gather everyone.

Lian’er guarded beside Shui Miao, growing increasingly anxious.

“Hmm?”

After the three hundred scattered immortals entered the Realm Planet, Shui Miao didn’t feel any pressure. Instead, he sensed his spiritual power growing stronger, and his immortal energy more potent. He could even channel and utilize the immortals’ energy.

This discovery delighted Shui Miao greatly.

“I understand now. They are all people who trust me. Once inside my realm, they have no defenses and relax completely. They become part of me, and I can harness their immortal energy. If they all fully relax and unite with me, I could harness everyone’s immortal energy. Wouldn’t that make me immensely powerful in an instant?”

This realization thrilled Shui Miao.

Thus, the more people in the Realm Planet, the stronger he became. Transcending levels to defeat powerful foes would become effortless.

However, these immortals had just arrived in the Realm Planet and didn’t understand the situation yet. Shui Miao needed to spend some effort explaining and ensuring they followed the rules.

Shui Miao sent a mental transmission to the three hundred scattered immortals, instructing them to behave properly.

At the same time, Shui Miao noticed these scattered immortals were also consuming the Realm Planet’s immortal energy.

Without sufficient immortal energy, they couldn’t stay. Shui Miao quickly transported a large amount of crystal stones into the Realm.

It was like maintaining an army. The larger the army, the greater its combat power, but maintaining it required resources. For immortals, the consumption of immortal energy was akin to ordinary people needing to eat.

Therefore, Shui Miao had to move all the obtained crystals into the Realm Planet.

Once Shui Miao had explained the rules and everyone sat down calmly to meditate, Shui Miao felt his power surge, increasing dramatically.

Right, he should arrange everyone according to the Yin-Yang and Five Elements layout to make the energy flow in the Realm smoother. Shui Miao’s mind stirred, and he set up a grand Yin-Yang and Five Elements Generating Formation in the Realm Planet, placing everyone into respective areas according to their elemental affinity. Thus, the energy field in the Realm became smooth and harmonious.

Placed in their ideal cultivation environments with ample immortal energy, the immortals’ moods became instantly cheerful and relaxed.

Most of these immortals cultivated only one type of energy, perfectly suited for this arrangement.

Before long, Zhao Tianyi arrived with a large group of immortals. To Shui Miao’s surprise, Zhao Tianyi had also brought along his brotherhood factions and allied forces, totaling no fewer than thirty thousand immortals!

Shui Miao accepted them all, sealing every immortal into the Realm Planet, classifying them, placing them in their respective positions, and then instructing them on the rules.

His power multiplied exponentially!

However, the consumption of immortal crystal stones was becoming increasingly terrifying.

Fortunately, these sects had brought their own crystal reserves, so it wasn’t entirely up to Shui Miao to sustain them.

To intimidate the immortals, Shui Miao also placed the half-grown dragon Huide into the Realm Planet.

“Big brother, you, what’s happening to you? Your cultivation seems to be growing stronger and stronger!”

Lian’er sensed Shui Miao’s increasingly powerful aura and suspected he possessed another world-shaking treasure.

Such matters were hard to explain, so Shui Miao simply said, “Lian’er, do you know where the Tianmo Sect is?”

At this moment, Shui Miao felt that going to the Tianmo Sect was the safest option.

Lian’er was taken aback, “Big brother, the Tianmo Sect is the second-largest sect in this wilderness, second only to the Beast Clan. What do you plan to do there!?” Lian’er was worried Shui Miao would provoke the Tianmo Sect’s authority again.

“Don’t worry. I have friends inside the Tianmo Sect.”

Shui Miao was busy and had little time to talk.

Inside the Realm Planet were over thirty thousand immortals. He needed to instill discipline in those who were unruly, making them stay quietly inside without causing trouble for him.

Shui Miao stood up, turned to look at the mountain, and with his spiritual senses, discovered that inside the immortal mountain there were still many crystal veins yet to be mined. His mind stirred, and the huge immortal mountain exploded. A massive vein the size of a small hill flew out, wrapped in Shui Miao’s immortal energy, and directly sealed into the Realm Planet.

Once this massive crystal vein entered the Realm Planet, it shattered and scattered into various elemental parts, spreading out to their respective areas.

For a sect, this small hill-sized crystal vein was already a considerable fortune. Yet inside Shui Miao’s Realm Planet, it was like a single drop of water merging into a river—utterly insignificant.

“B-Big brother, h-how did you do that!?”

Lian’er was completely stunned. Instantly splitting a mountain to extract its crystals—only a Xianzun could accomplish such a feat!

There were too many powerful beings in the Immortal Realm, and my more than thirty thousand followers were mostly scattered immortals. To grow stronger, I needed to boost their cultivation levels first! Shui Miao thought, without explaining, he waved his hand, “Let’s go. I’m heading to the Tianmo Sect now. I want to learn the Tianmo Supreme Art, conceal my aura, and unknowingly discern my opponents’ intentions. That way, even if I encounter a Xian Di in the future, I can anticipate their moves and strike first.”

“Big brother, I admire you so much! I’ll take you there right now!”

As Lian’er turned around, she saw a ball of fire shooting toward them from the distance.

Indeed, the one approaching was the third most powerful expert of the Beast Clan—the Fire Kirin.

“Perfect timing!”

Shui Miao’s mind raced. He wasn’t afraid at all and wanted to strike first. Instantly, he poured his full immortal energy into the “Fire Dragon Cannon,” ready to unleash it. Concealing his glove’s aura, he would wait for the perfect moment to strike suddenly and deliver a fatal blow.

“You brat! Do you have the guts of a bear and the gall of a leopard to dare deceive me? I’ll chew you alive!”

The Fire Kirin roared. A Xianzun cultivator, he had been tricked and humiliated by a mere Xianjun cultivator. How could he possibly swallow this humiliation?

“Want to chew me alive? Hmph, let me roast you first!”

Suddenly, Shui Miao struck with both palms. Across the heavens and earth, a terrifying dragon’s roar shook the skies.