Chapter Two: The Immortal Cage

One year later, on a clear morning, Feiyun Peak.

It should now be called the Immortal Cultivation Academy. Feiyun Peak, along with Shencai Peak and the starship Jet, had remained in the same positions they occupied a year ago when Tang Yi was married. Following Tang Yi’s master plan, Feiyun Peak had been established as an academy, aptly named the Immortal Cultivation Academy. On the plaza, over a thousand people were arranged in neat, square formations, performing their morning exercises. On the main podium of the plaza, Hua Ruoxue paced slowly, her hands clasped behind her back, her eyes scanning the students below. She wore a simple, elegant white dress. Her hair was pulled up in a modest style, secured with a phoenix hairpin that shimmered in the sunlight. Yet, even more dazzling was the ring on her finger—the one Tang Yi had used to propose to her.

In truth, two years ago, when Tang Yi and his group first returned to Earth, he had already foreseen his sudden disappearance and had made all the necessary arrangements. Once Tang Yi vanished, Jet immediately executed the plan he had left behind, notifying Hua Ruoxue and everyone else to gather in the ship’s integrated hall to play a recorded video.

"Hello everyone. By the time you watch this video, I suppose I will have ascended. Yes, I think that’s what you would call it, so please don't worry. Actually, I knew this day would come the moment we returned to Earth. While I wasn't sure of the exact date, the margin of error was only about a month. Everything is going according to plan, and the execution now rests on you. The full strategy is stored in the starship Jet. From this moment on, Ruoxue is the captain of the ship. Jet will follow her orders exclusively. ... Finally, Ruoxue, place the engagement ring into the upgrade device in the laboratory. Jet will unlock and upgrade it. There will be a surprise waiting for you!"

Hua Ruoxue stopped pacing and let her hands drop. She sighed, stroking the ring on her finger. Suddenly, she and the thousand students on the plaza were instantly transported to the plaza on Shencai Peak. This was one of the ring's functions, a feature that still left many new students in awe. In truth, the ring possessed powers so vast they were beyond imagination, though most remained unaware of its full potential.

According to Tang Yi’s plan, the academy would become one of the greatest powers of the future, yet it differed from other sects or clans. It could be called a great blessing for rogue cultivators. If one were merely a student, regardless of their sect, clan, or lack thereof, they could study at the academy by paying a certain amount of spirit stones or materials. Furthermore, the instructors hired by the academy were all masters or elders from major sects. Students could choose the techniques they wished to learn; while these techniques were publicly available, they were not easily mastered by just anyone.

The resident instructors received generous compensation, whether in spirit stones, materials, or herbs. The wealth Tang Yi left behind could last for tens of thousands of years, to say nothing of the massive cultivation base he had established inside the starship, which was a truly inexhaustible source of riches.

Half a year ago, Zhang Sanfeng ascended. His ascension was standard, witnessed by hundreds. A pillar of seven-colored light descended from the heavens, enveloping him, and under its guidance, he slowly vanished into the horizon.

"Master Zhang, you must find Brother Tang!" Hua Ruoxue prayed silently in her heart.

...

The Immortal Realm...

It was a peculiar planet, a hundred times the size of the Sun in the solar system. Yet, it was not a luminous star but an ordinary planet. Unlike typical celestial bodies, it remained stationary, neither rotating nor revolving. Even more miraculously, nine stars orbited it, each ten times the size of the Sun. Beyond these six bodies, there was not a single planet, not even a stray meteorite, for tens of billions of light-years in every direction.

"Ah... whew..." Movement stirred at a certain spot on the planet. A figure emerged from the ground.

"Huh? Where is this? Wow... why am I stark naked? I need to find some clothes quickly." The person who appeared was Tang Yi, who had been missing for over a year.

"What kind of ghost place is this? Not a soul in sight. Logically, this should be the Immortal Realm, so why is there not even a trace of spiritual energy, let alone immortal qi?" After traveling for a while, Tang Yi realized something was wrong. He discovered that the cost of circulating spiritual power here was a hundred times higher than in the cultivation world, though his superpowers functioned normally. What frustrated him was that after flying at a low altitude for a long time, he saw nothing but dust—not a single plant, not a single animal. Aside from the massive sun in the sky, there were no clouds and not a breath of wind. It seemed as if Tang Yi was the only living being in the entire world.

After flying for who knows how long, Tang Yi finally spotted a hint of green on the horizon.

"Haha... a forest! Finally, a lead!" Tang Yi laughed, executing a spatial shift to arrive directly amidst the greenery.

"What kind of plant is this? How strange. Whatever, I need to get some clothes first." Tang Yi looked at the two-meter-tall plants with slender leaves, which looked like giant versions of grass.

He plucked a stalk, which had dozens of leaves. It shifted rapidly in his hands, and in moments, a set of underwear and a tracksuit appeared, though they were bright green.

"It’s too ugly being all green! I need a different color." Tang Yi muttered to himself, feeling unsatisfied after putting them on.

Ten minutes later, Tang Yi, now wearing a light blue tracksuit, soared into the sky to survey the area. He muttered to himself, "This godforsaken place—the consumption of spiritual sense and power is so high here, it’s unusable. My superpowers only have a sensing range of a hundred kilometers; I have to rely on my clairvoyance. At least I can still fly. Heh... wait, there’s human activity! Could this not be the Immortal Realm? That shouldn't be right!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he vanished, reappearing ten seconds later in the small village he had spotted.

"Young man, don't waste your immortal essence. There is nothing here to replenish it." An old man with a white beard, wearing a somewhat tattered long robe, sat at a stone table and spoke to the newly arrived Tang Yi.

"Immortal essence?" Tang Yi sat down opposite the old man. "So, does this mean this is the Immortal Realm?"

"The Immortal Realm? I suppose you could call it that. Judging by your words, you must have just ascended from the lower realms? You’re certainly unlucky, then! Haha..." The old man laughed, but stopped abruptly, staring at Tang Yi.

"Say, old man, you’re looking at me like that—do you have some ulterior motive? I’m a normal man!" Tang Yi crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back.

"Cough... cough... Young man, you misunderstand. I just realized I cannot see through you, and I find that quite puzzling." The old man began to fiddle with the tea set on the stone table, brewing tea, and poured a cup for Tang Yi.

"Come, have some tea. I imagine you must be thirsty." The old man pushed the cup toward him.

"Right, thank you!" Tang Yi took a sip and asked, "Old man, what should I call you?"

"You may call me Perfected One Tianji."

"Oh, Perfected One Tianji. You said 'I suppose you could call it that' earlier—what kind of place is this exactly? Could you tell me about it?"

"Hmm, since we have a connection, I will tell you in detail. This place can be called the Immortal Realm, and it can also be said that it is not. We call it the Immortal Prison!"

"The Immortal Prison? What do you mean?" Tang Yi asked, curious.

"To speak of this prison, one must first mention the three forbidden zones of the Immortal Realm..." Perfected One Tianji began to speak at length.

Half a day later, Tang Yi sat there like a stone statue, his eyes vacant and motionless.

"Sigh, look on the bright side. That is why I told you earlier not to waste your immortal essence. You sit here for a while; I’m going back to have my meal." The old man stood up and walked into the small stone hut behind him.

"God... you can't be playing with me like this!" Tang Yi suddenly shouted at the sky. "Wait, no, it might not be that hopeless. Heh, I’m off..." His figure vanished once more.