Necropolis Immortal

Indeed, immortals.

Apart from the cultivators of the chief worlds, there were only immortals left in the fourth realm now. Everyone’s internal force had been transmuted to immortal force.

Spirit paper was eagerly pursued in the fourth realm, but it was nothing special to Earthlings. It was just the immortal version of a newspaper. So what?

The civilization of cultivation on Earth had evolved to an utmost. After twenty thousand years of development, it was essentially another world of immortals. Immortal dao flourished and immortals populated the planet. The three factions that’d once warred over it were no more and Immortal Stratum on Kunlun Mountain was its governing body.

But in the fourth realm, spirit paper was a novelty. It recorded everything that happened in the realm, from important events that impacted the status quo down to minutiae such as who pioneered what combat art and which Nihil World Sovereign broke through to sequence.

It was disseminated by the Formula Academies that could be found throughout the realm. A new paper was issued everyday; immortals fought to purchase the latest copy. It was a source of the realm’s trends and news.

While a civilization of cultivation had prospered in the fourth realm of the past, it was more a way of survival, not of living. Everyone was a powerhouse and quested for higher great dao. They knew nothing else.

Arrival of spirit paper overturned the fourth realm, adding a human touch to this great realm. The currency accepted for it was the cultivation resource of the times—enigma stones.

They came from the enigma stones that Chu Xingran had left with Lu Yun. After Lu Yun planted them in the world of immortal dao sequence, they flowered when immortal dao took root in the fourth realm.

Enigma stone veins were classified as rare commodities in modern times. They were immensely valuable—Nihil World Sovereigns couldn’t bear to use even an inferior rank stone in cultivation. Only shavings were used to purchase spirit papers, not whole stones.

Spirit papers brought immense enjoyment to the lives of fourth realm immortals and subtly changed their lifestyle. Some sequence experts were even willing to publish their cultivation insights, thus earning fame throughout the realm since submissions were credited.

They also received a hefty sum of enigma stones from the Formula Academies for their contribution.

Most important was that the concept of a calendar was finally imprinted on people’s minds. Each issue was printed with the day’s date. The current issue, for example, was the publication of the second day in the seventh month of the twenty-eight thousandth, nine hundred and thirty-sixth year of the Xuanhuang calendar.

Although immortal dao had traversed the fourth realm and adopted all denizens as part of its jurisdiction, there was no single ruler for the fourth realm. The political situation was as it was before. Every sect, clan, and faction ruled and fought for themselves.

When Lu Yun used the war to uproot factions that’d defected to the chief worlds, he didn’t go one step further to conquer the entire realm. Everything was to remain free and unfettered, just as immortal dao sought to be.

Anyone who dared set down a universal calendar would be rejected or attacked by the rest of the land. However, the record of time on the spirit papers was the Xuanhuang calendar used from the world of immortals to the Hongmeng. No one opposed its usage. Instead, it was unobtrusively accepted by the realm.

Everything in conjunction resulted in massive changes and swift improvements to the fourth realm.

These days, the most popular articles were reports regarding the chief world cultivators. The papers had made a detailed explanation of the relationship between the chief worlds and Land of Reincarnation before any outsider invaded.

As for those who’d experienced countless reincarnations or been present at the land’s conception, or those who’d obtained a local identity—Lu Yun exposed them all. Only when the people knew the truth could they make the proper judgment calls and decisions.

……

“The latest spirit paper is finally here! I wonder what’s happened to those outsiders who barged into Sir Chu Xingran’s Nihil Homeland. They talked about that group a couple issues ago!”

Lines formed early each morning in front of the minor worlds occupied by the Formula Academies. They were filled with customers waiting to purchase the latest publication.

Spirit papers had made Chu Xingran’s name known far and wide in the fourth realm. What he’d done to the realm was laid out in front of everyone, but no one cared what he’d inflicted in the past. The only thing they paid attention to was that the enigma stones currently used for cultivation were a result of his doing.

Thus, many hailed him Sir Chu Xingran as a mark of respect.

“Sovereign King Meng Wang of the Formula Academy is also the emperor of the original Hongmeng from the last era! The last issue published his thoughts and reflections on various great daos and cultivation methods. It’s said that he’ll continue to share his combat arts and methods in the spirit paper!”

A hubbub of conversation arose when people learned that the original emperor was still alive. As Sovereign King Meng Wang, he’d accessed twenty-three levels of sequence. The news swiftly made its way through the fourth realm; he was also a key player in why the spirit paper was able to be distributed throughout the realm and accepted by all.

It was due to the spirit papers publishing his cultivation thoughts and some of his stronger methods and combat arts that made it such a draw for crowds of cultivators. Of course, the issues featuring his articles were much more expensive than regular issues.

“It’s here, it’s here!” someone called out as several youths walked out with a large chest. It was filled with newspapers printed on speciality paper. The same scene happened across all Formula Academies at nearly the same time.

“Gimme one!”

“I want one too!” The line surged as people pushed forward, deathly afraid that it would sell out before it was their turn.

“Don’t fight, don’t fight! There’s one for everyone. Each person is limited to one copy and no more!” shouted the academy disciples as they handed out papers.

……

“Patriarch Of The Golden Dragons, The Golden Dragon King, Did This To His Nephew!”

“Chu Xingran Fails To Make The List Of The Four Great Geniuses Of The Chief Worlds! Jiang Kui Is Last, Ao Qin Of The Dragons Is Third! First Place Fought Thirty Level Sequence Experts For Three Days Straight!”

“Dragon Genius Of The Previous Gen Is A Bully! Thirty Levels of Sequence Is…”

“Chief Worlds Tremble! Dragons Terrorize Nihil Homeland And Force Cultivators Into Horrific Acts!”

Headlines full of shock value that left much to the imagination were emblazoned across the front page, stoking hot-blooded sentiment.