Immortal of the Nine Realms

The little sword danced around Fang Chen, jumping and spinning and displaying a lively, playful demeanor, as if inviting praise.

A pleased look could be seen on Fang Chen’s face.

The little sword had indeed not disappointed him; neither Fireballs nor Ice Arrows could harm it in the slightest. Even a low-grade Purple Lightning Talisman had only been able to slightly damage the Walking Corpses, but in front of the little sword, they were as soft as tofu.

Dancing in joy as it was, the little sword didn’t forget to express its dissatisfaction. ”Stinky, stinky...”

Apparently, the stench of the zombies had irked it.

Fang Chen nodded slightly. ”It is a little smelly....”

”Hungry, hungry... so hungry....”

”Wait a bit, I’ll feed you soon,” comforted Fang Chen.

They were currently communicating only on a spiritual level, so no one else could hear them. What the onlookers saw was Fang Chen smiling faintly as the aura around him became more profound by the second and a silver flying sword about a foot long swirling and dancing around him.

The flying sword that had just killed two Walking Corpses a few moments ago!

A trace of astonishment could be seen in Senior Brother Zhou’s eyes. Even he hadn’t expected that two Walking Corpses would be so easily killed by Fang Chen’s flying sword.

Could this flying sword be a mid-grade, yellow-ranked artifact? This thought couldn’t help but cross Senior Brother Zhou’s mind, but as soon as it had arisen, it was immediately denied by him.

No, that’s impossible; mid-grade, yellow-ranked artifacts have powerful Soul Imprints. How can a mere Qi Refining Realm cultivator control one? he thought silently. Besides, such treasures are rare even within the Blood Corpse Sect....

But this didn’t lessen Senior Brother Zhou’s surprise, but rather, it revealed a sense of horror and dread in his eyes. If the little sword wasn’t a mid-grade, yellow-ranked artifact yet it had been able to display such terrifying power that even Walking Corpses couldn’t resist, it would only mean that Fang Chen was a legendary sword cultivator!

Could the wandering cultivator in front of him be a sword cultivator who was controlling his destiny flying sword?

He increasingly felt that this was extremely close to the truth.

No wonder the opponent had remained so indifferent, showing no signs of fear; sword cultivators were an extreme bunch within the cultivation world. They devoted their entire lives to swordsmanship, channeling all their efforts into mastering the Sword Dao and casting away any unnecessary skills. This state of mind and sheer focus on their path made sword cultivators possess extremely destructive power, one which stood at the very pinnacle of the cultivation world. With their swords, they could break through myriads of techniques.

However, they did have one drawback; sword cultivators were overly dedicated to combat and too fond of battle, resulting in their lifespans being much shorter than those of cultivators of the same level. What did cultivators seek? Immortality. Even if an ordinary cultivator had the opportunity to become a sword cultivator, they might not choose that path. It was too dull, too singular, and often, too short-lived. Not to mention, even if one wanted to follow the path of the sword, sword inheritances were scarce in the cultivation world.

When the people of the Frost Water Empire, who initially had the upper hand, had witnessed that scene, their faces turned pale with fright. They subconsciously looked toward Senior Brother Zhou, their pillar of support, only to find that his expression was also not quite right.

Snapping out of her dazed state, Senior Sister Wang jerked her head toward Senior Brother Zhou and shouted, ”Aren’t you going to do anything, Senior Brother Zhou? He destroyed my two Walking Zombies! He ruined years of my hard work!”

Senior Brother Zhou’s lips rose into a bitter twist. ”Sister, your opponent... might be a sword cultivator.”

”A sword cultivator?” Senior Sister Wang was slightly stunned, and she gradually turned incredulous. She instinctively looked at Fang Chen, and the thoughts began to swirl in her mind.

Being cultivators, they were not foolish, and she, too, perceived the clues Senior Brother Zhou had discovered. Suddenly, a chill ran down her spine, and even the resentment in her eyes lessened, replaced by a sense of fear.

”Sword cultivator? They are that scared of such cultivators?” Fang Chen’s thoughts flickered slightly as he observed the expressions of Senior Brother Zhou and Senior Sister Wang. Their faces seemed to answer him.

However, Fang Chen was unaware of the differences between sword cultivators and ordinary cultivators. Could it be that merely possessing a personal flying sword as a treasure qualified one to be a sword cultivator?

”Fellow cultivator, there was a misunderstanding earlier,” said Senior Brother Zhou suddenly as he bowed to Fang Chen. ”I was not aware that you have inherited the legacy of a sword cultivator. It seems your master was a renowned expert of his generation, right?”

Upon witnessing this scene, the people from the Frost Water Empire panicked. Did they just concede? The cultivators from the sixth-ranked empire actually admitted defeat?

Ji Congyun heaved a sigh of relief in his heart. With this, everything was settled.

Ji Congyun looked at the Emperor of the Frost Water Empire with a smile that seemed to carry a hint of disdain. The emperor’s face was pale, and beads of sweat the size of beans continuously oozed out of his forehead. Seeing his frightened face, a faint trace of contempt flickered in Ji Congyun’s eyes.

Fang Chen chuckled. ”As I’ve said before, I am a wandering cultivator.”

”Yes, yes. I understand.” Senior Brother Zhou nodded, no longer probing into Fang Chen’s background.

The temperaments of sword cultivators were peculiar. After all, fighting with the sword every day for tens and hundreds of years, or even thousands of years, spending time either in battles, or preparing for them, made these people unique. They couldn’t be treated like ordinary cultivators.

Moreover, the crucial point was that all sword cultivators held grudges, and not just any grudges, but extremely deep-seated ones.

Senior Brother Zhou had once heard a rumor.... It said that a cultivator who had just embarked on the path of a sword cultivator was killed by a senior cultivator with a single slap. The incident provoked the wrath of that cultivator’s master; however, the master was not a match for that senior and was injured in the fight between them. As the fight continued, a group of sword cultivators suddenly descended from the sky and killed the senior cultivator and then uprooted the sect behind him overnight. Even that senior cultivator’s powerful backer couldn’t avenge his death. The battle between the two sides continued for several years, with constant involvement of stronger cultivators. It was a relentless exchange, with more powerful entities joining the fray over time.

In the end, the senior cultivator’s backers and whoever was behind them had to apologize to the group of sword cultivators, paying a heavy price to finally bring closure to the matter.

”Senior Brother Zhou... is he really a sword cultivator?” Senior Sister Wang’s face lost its previous arrogance, resembling more of a frightened young girl now. Even her tone softened.

”If he isn’t a sword cultivator, how could your Walking Corpses have been defeated in a single exchange? Breaking through anything you throw at him with a single swing of his sword.... With a sword in hand, sword cultivators are truly invincible,” explained Senior Brother Zhou with a wry smile, simultaneously flattering Fang Chen.

Breaking through anything with a single swing of his sword? Everyone stared blankly at Fang Chen. Even the cultivators from the sixth-tier empire had to use such words to describe Fang Chen. The onlookers found it really hard to even begin to imagine Fang Chen’s terrifying strength now.

Regret, endless regret, that was all the emperor of the Frost Water Empire felt right now. He was consumed by it. If he had known that it would end in this way, he would have willingly handed over the throne to the Ji family. At least, that way, Han Qin wouldn’t have died. Just the thought of it pained him. Han Qin had been the only young martial artist in the royal family to be able to reach the Heaven Profound Realm. And now, she was gone.

Fang Chen smiled. ”Since it’s a misunderstanding, what do you think we should do next?”

What should we do next?

His heart on tenterhooks, Senior Brother Zhou cautiously suggested, ”I will take my junior sister and leave. We won’t interfere in matters concerning the Frost Water Empire from now on.” He pinned the blame on himself. “We shouldn’t have even intervened in the first place. After all, both Grand Xia and Frost Water are part of the same lineage, subsidiaries of the White Tiger Empire and also subordinates of the Green Fox Empire.”

The Green Fox Empire was his own home nation. It ruled over a dozen seventh-ranked empires, with the White Tiger Empire being one of them.

Fang Chen’s smile widened slightly. ”That won’t do.”

Senior Brother Zhou’s expression changed slightly. Sighing, he said, “Then, how do you think we should handle the situation?”

He only hoped to quickly take his junior sister away from this place and leave. He didn’t want anything to do with Fang Chen ever again. Sword cultivators were really just that troublesome. If they got into a fight... Fang Chen himself could be manageable, but what he feared wasn’t him, it was the existence behind him. If they provoked an unbeatable enemy for the Blood Corpse Sect, he and his junior sister would probably be the first ones crushed by the Blood Corpse Sect’s sect master.