Immortal of the Nine Realms

”Immortal Monarch Huodao? Are there any other empires beside the Flame Empire who worship them?” asked Fang Chen.

Abbess Qing He nodded. ”Quite a few.”

Fang Chen gradually began to understand; either these Immortals had truly existed in the past, leaving behind legends that spread far and wide and that were worthy of worship, or it was that an empire which had worshiped an Immortal had disintegrated in the past into other smaller empires.

”You can rest for today. Tomorrow, I’ll have Tie Ma accompany you on the trip to the Flame Empire,” said Fang Chen. “How long does a round trip take?”

”Two to three months should be enough. I know some shortcuts,” answered Abbess Qing He.

Thinking for a moment, Fang Chen placed the brush in his hand down at the table and retrieved a jade slip from his storage ring. It was the jade slip the cultivators of the Heavenly Southern Sect had passed onto him before their death. He planned to have Abbess Qing deliver it to the sect on her way. But before that, he needed to have a look at its content for himself, just to be sure.

With a thought, spiritual energy surged into the jade slip. It was only now that Fang Chen discovered that there was a faint soul energy on the jade slip that acted as a barrier that prevented others from viewing its contents. However, the weak soul energy was nothing before Fang Chen; like a fragile glass panel, it easily broke, revealing the information within.

Senior brother, we hunted Zhou Yiseng to a remote place and discovered he was a cultivator of the Spirit Blood Sect. We were no match for him and died in his hands. Senior Brother, do not seek revenge for us. However, the place we chased Zhou Yiseng to has a cultivator that possesses a treasure with twelve Soul Imprints. If you get your hands on it, you should be able to easily secure first place in the sect competition! Please make a move as soon as possible to prevent this weapon from falling into someone else’s hands!

Fang Chen’s face fell.

Even at death’s door, the leader had warned the cultivators of the Heavenly Southern Sect not to seek revenge against the Spirit Blood Sect. Instead, he urged his senior brother to head over to the Grand Xia Empire to seize Fang Chen’s weapon!

Fang Chan had, in one way or another, delivered them justice by killing Zhou Yiseng. The cultivator was clearly repaying kindness with enmity.

Fang Chen suddenly recalled Li Daoye’s words, and he couldn’t help but shake his head lightly. ”Cultivators are really selfish and self-absorbed assholes. They wish to obtain all the resources they can and wouldn’t mind exploiting the masses...”

With that, his fingertips lightly exerted force on the jadeslip, crushing it to powder.

”The cultivation world seems to take the law of the jungle to the extreme, and it has no simple characters,” murmured Fang Chen to himself in a self-deprecating manner. This was a wake-up call for him, and he resolved to pay more attention to such issues in the future.

Abbess Qing He was somewhat curious about the origin of the jade slip, but she didn’t press for details. When she saw that Fang Chen had returned to task and was about to craft another talisman, she continued to watch with renewed interest. The way he looked as he worked was very pleasing to her eyes.

By the time the sun was out, a stack of Purple Lightning Talismans had appeared in front of Fang Chen.

It was then that invisible spiritual energy continuously poured into Fang Chen, and gradually, his fifth Immortal vein was finally condensed. The spiritual energy within him surged once again, increasing by several folds.

”Congratulations, my lord,” exclaimed Abbess Qing He, surprised. She jerked to her feet as her face blossomed with joy; advancing in cultivation for a cultivator was as momentous as marriage, or even celebrating a life of long age. It was a truly joyous occasion!

”Abbess Qing He, do you have a better understanding of how to craft Purple Lightning Talismans now?” asked Fang Chen, his face hung with a smile.

”I’ve remembered some, uh,” she uttered, then seemingly realizing something, a hint of panic rose on her face, and she subconsciously added, “um... but, my lord, I didn’t mean to commit any of your methods to memory.”

”No worries,” reassured Fang Chen. “If I want your master to take action, I need to offer something in return.”

Fang Chen chuckled. He had hesitated before about asking Abbess Qing He and her sect to extend a helping hand in dealing with the Spirit Blood Sect, but not anymore.

When the time came to offer back some benefits, he couldn’t be stingy.

”Junior Sister, there are a total of fifty Purple Lightning Talismans here, and they should be considered to be of intermediate quality. When you reach your sect, just inform your elders that I am willing to trade these Purple Lightning Talismans with them,” continued Fang Chen.

Abbess Qing He was somewhat shocked. ”Young Master, are you saying...”

”I’ll teach you how to craft Purple Lightning Talismans. Watching the process is not enough. You need guidance on where to apply more force and where to act a little more delicately,” explained Fang Chen with a smile.

”Imparting a talisman inheritance is extremely valuable, my lord. Have you thought it through?” whispered Abbess Qing He.

Purple Lightning Talismans weren’t ordinary talismans. Those who could craft them were highly sought after wherever they went. After all, the power of a high-grade Purple Lightning Talisman could rival the full force attack of a peak Qi Refining Realm cultivator. If the Concealed Moon Hermitage gained the inheritance of Purple Lightning Talismans, it would result in a significant improvement in the strength of the sect.

Earlier, Abbess Qing He was worried about whether her master would be willing to take action, but with the introduction of Purple Lightning Talismans as an incentive, she felt her master would likely agree to make the trip.

”Naturally, I’ve thought it through. These Purple Lightning Talismans are passed down from my sect. In the future, I will personally go to make amends. You can rest assured; no trouble will befall you,” asserted Fang Chen with a smile. ”However, I will only pass them on to you, and you can only pass them on to your disciples. That’s my condition.”

Abbess Qing He nodded slightly. ”Of course.”

Fang Chen then called Tie Ma over and instructed him to accompany Abbess Qing He on her trip. When Tie Ma learned that they were heading to the Flame Empire, a silver of hesitation appeared on his face.

”I have Ol’ Huang and the rest by my side. There’s no need for you to worry.”

Tie Ma nodded, then promised, ”Young Master, I will return as soon as possible.”

With that Fang Chen looked at Abbess Qinghe and gave her a final bit of advice. ”Even though you are a cultivator, your life experience is a little lacking. Take care on your journey and be careful,” he cautioned.

Abbess Qing He nodded with a solemn expression. Then, she and Tie Ma quietly left the Fang Manor.

Not long after their departure, Xu Ge hurriedly ran over. ”Lord, Daoye asked me to invite you over.”

In a serene courtyard, Fang Chen saw Fang Zhentian sitting in meditation on the ground, a hint of rosy light appearing on his face, and a faint purple aura enveloping him.

Near him, spiritual energy was vibrating as it poured into him. Fang Canghai, Fang Cangyou, Fang Chen’s mother, Fang Zhixue, and several others were standing nearby, marveling at the scene. They couldn’t see or perceive the spiritual energy, but the rosy light on Fang Zhentian’s face was visible to them.

The sight was extraordinary!

”My lord, you’ve arrived right on time! This is incredible, truly incredible. In just one day, he managed to condense an Immortal vein! Your grandfather is a genuine Immortal Seed!” exclaimed Li Daoye, rushing forward and grabbing Fang Chen by his sleeve. ”Can I go back to the Eight Trigrams Sect? I want to personally invite my father to accept your grandfather as a disciple!”

Fang Chen was taken aback, and his face turned strange. ”If that happened, what would I call you?”

”Your grandfather would be my junior brother, so, naturally, you’ll have to call me Senior Uncle,” uttered Li Daoye, but when he saw the way Fang Chen’s eyes had loomed over him in disdain, he shut his mouth.

Ignoring Li Daoye, Fang Chen calmly observed Fang Zhentian. He couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. Like him, his grandfather has also condensed an Immortal vein in a single day.

However, there was a difference between Fang Zhentian and him; Fang Zhentain didn’t have a divine soul as Fang Chen had. Fang Chen had only obtained it after his encounter with that Immortal at Three World Mountain.

So, everything pointed to the fact that his grandfather was a true, genuine Immortal Seed, a cultivation genius!