Han Yi's impression of Mountain Lord Wangxi was deeply ingrained.
Back in the primordial chaos beyond the Grand Unity, he had followed behind the Myriad Tribulations Dao Ancestor, witnessing the entire birth of the Halo Passage. After the halo's creation, Mountain Lord Wangxi emerged from the chaos, informing him about the Dao God Sect and the Dao God Alliance.
During that encounter, Han Yi also met the strongest being of the primordial era, the Grand Heavenly Venerable Hongjun.
Thus, Han Yi could never forget that scene.
When he arrived, Mountain Lord Wangxi, standing before the Gray Tower, noticed Han Yi. His gaze flickered with a momentary doubt, but he quickly recognized him.
The memory of beings in the Dao Harmonization Realm was truly terrifying.
Though nearly five thousand years had passed, Mountain Lord Wangxi still recognized Han Yi. His doubt stemmed from the fact that when they first met, Han Yi had only just entered the Grand Unity Realm. Now, however, he was in the Dao Realm, not merely at its first step but clearly having advanced beyond the initial stage. Moreover, another power lurked within him.
It seemed to be the power of the Chaos Divine Clan, deeply concealed. Even Dao Fruit-tier experts would struggle to detect it if Han Yi chose to conceal it, yet Mountain Lord Wangxi's keen senses could not be deceived.
Mountain Lord Wangxi averted his gaze, showing no further interest in Han Yi.
However, his fleeting glance had piqued the curiosity of the other Daoists standing beside him, who now turned their attention to Han Yi, their eyes lingering with keen interest.
Among these Daoists were the Sixth Mountain Lord, also at the Dao Harmonization Realm, and four External Dao-level Mountain Lords.
These six Mountain Lords, led by Mountain Lord Wangxi, were the organizers of this Mountain Lord Competition.
Han Yi found a spot and stood quietly, observing the other Dao Realm cultivators participating in the competition, particularly the four Dao Fruit Tier experts.
He didn't dwell long on the Dao Fruit Tier experts, knowing he couldn't discern their true capabilities without provoking them. Instead, his gaze returned to the Gray Tower, but he still found nothing of note.
Soon, the designated time arrived, and all the Dao Realm cultivators had assembled.
With a wave of his hand, Mountain Lord Wangxi unleashed a beam of Dao Light. The light struck the Gray Tower, less than a hundred meters away, and the massive door at the base of the tower slowly creaked open.
Despite the tower's opening, Han Yi dared not probe it with his Dao Thought, nor did any of the other cultivators present. Those who had reached this point were no reckless fools.
"During this Mountain Lord Competition, eighty percent of the Dao Realm participants are from Demon Witch Mountain, while the remaining twenty percent are External Dao Realm cultivators who obtained Sword Tokens. Rest assured, whoever emerges victorious and claims the Mountain Lord position will do so in accordance with Demon Witch Mountain's regulations."
"The method of this competition is simple: The first nine Dao Realm cultivators to reach the third floor of the Witch Tower will become the ninety-first to ninety-ninth Mountain Lords of Demon Witch Mountain."
"As for how to reach the third floor, you are free to explore your own methods. Within the Witch Tower, all means are permitted."
"Now, please begin."
The gathered Dao Realm cultivators, who had been listening intently, reacted with astonishing speed. Almost as soon as Mountain Lord Wangxi's words faded, they surged forward, employing various techniques as they madly charged toward the open entrance of the Witch Tower's first floor.
Han Yi was naturally among them.
In the blink of an eye, he held nothing back. Activating the Dao Technique: Traceless and the Boundless True Realm Divine Art, golden light enveloped him as he flashed downward.
In an incredibly short span of time, he had already surpassed numerous Dao Realm cultivators, even outpacing three Dao Fruit Tier experts. He was now only behind the Dao Fruit Realm cultivator closest to the entrance, having already overtaken Mountain Lord Wangxi and the others as he lunged toward the open doors.
Following closely behind Han Yi was another Dao Fruit Tier cultivator, and behind him, yet another cultivator at the First Step of the Dao Realm.
Among this group of Dao Realm cultivators, there were outstanding figures besides Han Yi.
Whoosh!
Countless figures blurred into motion, all hurtling toward the gate of the Witch Tower's first level.
As they approached, the cultivators realized the tower was growing larger—or rather, they were shrinking. The time around them flowed at least a hundred times slower than normal Chaos time.
Though the Witch Tower appeared unremarkable from the outside, its internal space and time operated by special rules. Even the space and time near the gate, once the tower opened, differed dramatically from the surrounding Chaos.
Han Yi experienced this phenomenon acutely. The closer he got to the gate, the more the tower, which had originally seemed less than a hundred meters tall, suddenly loomed with overwhelming height, a change so abrupt it defied his understanding.
Simultaneously, the surrounding time slowed to a crawl. This temporal resistance made every movement feel sluggish and uncomfortable, as if time itself were dragging him down.
At that moment, it wasn't just Han Yi who felt this way. All the Dao Realm cultivators rushing towards the entrance experienced the same sensation.
From Mountain Lord Wangxi's vantage point at the gate, he observed the Dao Realm cultivators charging towards the first-floor entrance of the Witch Tower. As they crossed the threshold, their speed gradually slowed, and their facial expressions became clearly visible.
The leading Dao Fruit Tier cultivator took a full nine breaths to completely cross the threshold before vanishing instantly.
Immediately following was Han Yi, who took only an additional tenth of a breath longer than the first.
Over the next few moments, more than three hundred figures crossed the threshold one by one, each disappearing into the tower. The last Dao Realm cultivator required a staggering twenty-three breaths to complete the passage.
Under the influence of the Witch Tower's spatiotemporal rules, the speed of the participating Dao Realm cultivators became starkly differentiated.
Throughout this process, the six Mountain Lords supporting the competition watched silently. Once all the cultivators had entered, Mountain Lord Wangxi waved his hand again, emitting a beam of light that sealed the Witch Tower's gates shut once more.
"This Witch Tower is far too mysterious," sighed an External Dao-level Mountain Lord. "Even after being on the mountain for so long, I still don't know its origin or where the First Mountain Lord obtained it."
"Mountain Lord has said that only those who have reached the Heavenly Venerable stage are worthy of knowing the tower's origins," another External Dao-level Mountain Lord replied softly, his eyes shimmering with a hazy light.
"Moreover, I've entered the tower three times, but each time I emerge, all memories of what happened inside vanish," a third Mountain Lord said, frowning. "A tower that can erase memories even from the External Dao Realm is truly extraordinary."
Wangxi, the Mountain Lord, interrupted another Mountain Lord who was about to ask further questions. "Enough," he declared solemnly. "Stop beating around the bush. I don't know where this Witch Tower came from either. On all of Demon Witch Mountain, perhaps only the First Mountain Lord knows. Even Fellow Daoist Saint Flame likely doesn't have a clue."
Having said this, Mountain Lord Wangxi fell silent. He casually assumed a meditative posture, his eyes half-closed, devoid of any flickering light. Yet, through his slightly narrowed eyelids, he gazed at the enigmatic Witch Tower before him, his heart far from the calm he claimed to possess.
In truth, Mountain Lord Wangxi wasn't completely ignorant of the mysterious Witch Tower. Through a chance encounter, he had learned one of the greatest secrets of the Nine Great Dao Domains, and this very tower was central to that secret.
However, such profound secrets, as the Mountain Lord had said, were only fit to be known by those who had reached the Heavenly Venerable stage. For those below that level, even knowing them would only disrupt their Dao Heart and bring no benefit.
Seeing Mountain Lord Wangxi's demeanor, the other five Mountain Lords refrained from asking further questions. They casually found their own positions and began meditating.
Following established patterns, each level of the Witch Tower contained countless spaces, each distinct from the others. The fastest cultivators reached the third level in about three days, while the slowest were halted on the first level, unable to progress beyond it.
However, once nine cultivators reached the third level, the Mountain Lord Competition would conclude, without needing all Dao Realm cultivators to clear the tower.
Meanwhile, after traversing the gate area where the laws of space and time differed drastically from what he had ever experienced, Han Yi finally followed the first Dao Fruit Tier cultivator into the Witch Tower. As soon as he crossed the threshold, the surrounding space abruptly transformed into an endless, mysterious mountain forest.
And now, Han Yi found himself hovering above this vast mountain forest.
Before he could react, an unfamiliar sensation, almost overwhelming, suddenly struck him.
Gravity.
The gravity here was pulling him downward with relentless force.
No.
It wasn't just gravity. The fundamental laws of this realm, including the laws governing gravity, were completely different from those of the outer realms—whether the Jade Balance Realm, the Primordial, the Chaos, or even Demon Witch Mountain.
This was why he couldn't fly and was rapidly accelerating downward due to gravity.
Despite this sudden change, Han Yi remained calm. Adjusting his posture, he gently stomped his foot downward.
Boom!
A massive explosion erupted beneath his foot, sending a shockwave downward. Harnessing the recoil, he stabilized himself in mid-air, no longer falling under the influence of gravity.
Though the laws had changed, the basic principles of physics remained constant.
After regaining his balance, Han Yi probed his surroundings with his Dao Thought. He was shocked to find that its range was now limited to only about a hundred miles. This suppression was terrifyingly potent.
Han Yi attempted several Dao Techniques, only to discover that none of them worked here. For example, the Dao Art of Tracelessness had no effect on his speed, whether he used it or not. In other words, this technique was completely suppressed in this space.
The same applied to other techniques like Sword Flight, Formless, Four Origins, and Void Sword Realm.
Even Divine Arts proved ineffective. The Immeasurable True Realm and Limitless Divine Pupil offered no benefits.
He then tried various Immortal Arts, but they too proved useless.
He even drew several Dao Swords. Though the swords themselves retained their power, the Sword Spirits within them had fallen into a deep slumber, suppressed by the space's power.
These tests took only a few breaths to complete.
After completing the tests, Han Yi felt a chill in his heart.
This space was unlike any he had ever encountered before, leaving him with a profound sense of insecurity—a primal reaction to the loss of his power.
Fortunately, he had cultivated the Divine Clan Divine Canon and reached the Immeasurable Realm. His physical body was far beyond ordinary.
This strength remained unchanged, unaffected by the space's altered laws.
Han Yi continuously adjusted the force beneath his feet, maintaining his position in mid-air.
He surveyed his surroundings, but without his Dao Thought and Immortal or Divine Arts, his range of vision and perception was limited to about fifty kilometers.
Within this range, he detected two cultivators in the Dao Realm, both at the First Step. They had also noticed the peculiarities of this space and employed their own methods: one summoned an Immortal Sovereign-level flying beast, a Demon Immortal, and perched atop its back, while the other stood upon the shoulders of a thousand-meter-tall Immortal Puppet.
Both methods allowed them to see further and observe a larger area.
Han Yi's eyes lit up.
As expected, those who can reach the Dao Realm possess extraordinary means.
At that moment, a dazzling purple light swept past him from the side, continuing on to the opposite direction.
Accompanying this light was the phantom shadow of a massive purple tower. The colossal shadow suddenly appeared in the direction the light had come from, flickered briefly, and then vanished.
This purple light and the Purple Phantom Tower were undoubtedly connected to clearing the first level of the Witch Tower.
Han Yi and the other two Dao Realm cultivators within a hundred-mile radius all acknowledged this. Without hesitation, they all headed towards the direction of the Purple Phantom Tower that had flashed by moments earlier.
However, neither the Immortal Sovereign-level Demon Immortal nor the Immortal Puppet could match Han Yi's speed.
Han Yi unleashed his full power with a single stomp. This time, it wasn't to stabilize himself. Beneath his foot, it was as if countless nuclear bombs had detonated. The explosive energy instantly obliterated hundreds of towering trees and devastated the intricate mountainous terrain, leaving behind a crater several kilometers in diameter. Around the crater's edge, dense cracks radiated outward in all directions, their influence spreading far and deep.
Harnessing this terrifying force, he moved at a speed just slightly slower than that of the Immeasurable True Realm, fleeing madly.
In an instant, he had already overtaken the Immortal Sovereign-level Demon Immortal, whose wings blotted out the sky and moved countless times faster than lightning, and shot straight towards the Purple Phantom Tower.
The Dao Realm cultivator seated on the avian Demon Immortal watched Han Yi flash past, his expression subtly shifting.
"So fast! This Dao Realm cultivator's physical body is terrifying. No, wait, that's right, he's of the Chaos Divine Clan. Hiss... our Demon Witch Mountain has never had a Mountain Lord from the Chaos Divine Clan. Could this be the first exception?"
Meanwhile, the Dao Realm cultivators controlling the Immortal Puppets were also grappling with their thoughts.
They relied on external power, and since this power hadn't reached the Dao Realm level, their speed couldn't keep up with Han Yi's, leaving them helplessly trailing behind.
On the other side, Han Yi charged forward at full speed. As he ran, he encountered increasing numbers of Dao Realm cultivators. Some weren't even Human cultivators, but Demon Immortals or members of the Foreign Race who had achieved Dao. They unleashed their True Bodies, flying or running, all with the same goal: to reach the Purple Phantom Tower.
Along the way, some attacked him, but the rules were different here. Even attacks that would be formidable in the outside world were weakened by over 90%, making them easy for Han Yi to dodge.
These attacks were too weak for Han Yi to bother with. He didn't even slow down.
Although the Purple Phantom Tower appeared close, even at Han Yi's incredible speed, it took a full incense stick's time to finally reach it.
The tower was intangible. Before Han Yi arrived, he saw two figures charge directly into it and vanish without a trace.
Is it really this simple? the thought flashed through his mind. If this was all there was to the first trial, it was far too easy.
Without hesitation, he charged into the tower himself.
This Mountain Lord Competition was an assessment of speed. The first nine Dao Realm cultivators to reach the third level of the Witch Tower would become Mountain Lords, while the rest would be eliminated. There was no room for hesitation.
After entering the tower, Han Yi was engulfed in boundless purple light. When the glow dissipated, he found himself in a Void Land.