Immortal of the Nine Realms

About an hour later, six sword lights shot up from the Cloud Platform and vanished into the sky.

”Indeed, the Sword Transformation Technique is impressive. Even among Golden Core Realm cultivators of the same level, such speed is extraordinary,” a cultivator from the Langya Clan remarked softly.

Langya Da Zhao suddenly remembered something and said to Langya Wen Xia, ”You are responsible for arranging matters for the Grand Thousand Dao Sect. Young Master Fang’s name is listed there, so we should be cautious of any potential trouble from the Immortal Qin Clan later.”

”Don’t worry, Father,” Langya Wenqiu replied with a confident smile.

Although the Langya Clan was not on par with the other factions, it still held significant influence in the Azure Dao Manor. Given the recent setback suffered by the Immortal Qin Clan, the Langya Clan’s prominence would likely prevent any troublemakers from causing problems.

On the Immortal Boat, Li Daoye watched as Fang Chen departed, looking quite emotional.

Pei Qingfeng, who had quietly appeared beside Li Daoye, said, ”Focus on your cultivation in the Grand Thousand Dao Sect. With your talent, you have the potential to advance to the Golden Core Realm in the future.”

Li Daoye, seemingly aware of Pei Qingfeng’s presence beforehand, nodded and replied, ”I’ve decided to enter seclusion. I won’t come out until I break through to the mid stage of the Golden Core Realm. During this period, I plan to practice some of the Daoist techniques left by Young Master Fang.”

”Approved. Your status is unique, so you can practice any technique you wish,” Pei Qingfeng agreed, feeling a touch of emotion himself.

In recent days, he had heard some rumors and learned that Fang Chen was a disciple of the Void Immortal Sword Sect. Thus, whether Fang Chen was a disciple of Old Ancestor Hong Qing remained a question in his mind.

”By the way, Martial Uncle mentioned before leaving that there are many spies within the sect. Please keep an eye out for them,” Pei Qingfeng said.

”This is simple. I’ll root out all the spies once I come out of seclusion,” Li Daoye responded confidently. He was quite adept at dealing with spies.

***

The four sword cultivators from the Void Immortal Sword Sect included a senior male cultivator named Cheng Yuhan. Despite his literary name, he had a rather fierce appearance. The younger male cultivator was named Wang Hu, a name that seemed rather casual, but his face was quite refined, fitting the model of a handsome young man.

The two female sword cultivators were Cheng Qing and Cheng Shuang. The former was Cheng Yuhan’s younger sister while the latter was his cousin. It seemed that the Cheng Family members had a knack for the sword, as many of them could easily join the Void Immortal Sword Sect.

All four were disciples of the Extreme Sword Peak and had a good relationship with Langya Wenqiu, which was why they had traveled such a long distance to help. However, they encountered some issues along the way, which cost them several days and caused their delay.

”Senior Brother Fang, we really owe you one this time. Otherwise, my family would have been in serious trouble,” Langya Wenqiu said, chatting with Cheng Qing and Cheng Shuang about the negotiations and adding quite a bit of embellishment.

Cheng Qing was greatly impressed and couldn’t help but gaze at Fang Chen with admiration. There seemed to be little stars twinkling in her eyes.

”I didn’t expect that even the Heavenly King Zhen Manor got involved. Was it a coincidence that Gai Hong passed by, or did he come here deliberately...” Cheng Yuhan remarked with some surprise.

He glanced at Fang Chen with a peculiar expression. ”Junior Brother Fang, did he really not cause you any trouble?”

”Senior Brother Cheng... how would he dare to cause trouble for Senior Brother Fang...” Cheng Qing interjected.

Wang Hu smiled and said, ”Didn’t you hear Wenqiu mention that Gai Hong covered his face when he saw Senior Brother Fang? That shows he was scared.”

”That’s true. It’s a pity our cultivation isn’t high enough. If it were, we could have gone to the Immortal Dynasty Manor with Senior Brother Qin! That was quite something; I was so fired up that I practiced swordplay all night!” Cheng Yuhan said with enthusiasm.

”Speaking of which... the situation with the Azure Dao Manor does seem a bit odd,” Cheng Shuang said with a frown.

Langya Wenqiu’s expression changed, and she quietly shared her and Fang Chen’s suspicions. In her view, these suspicions were no longer just guesses but rather a solid conclusion.

”The Spirit Blood Sect? That explains it.”

The four of them sneered in unison, their eyes flashing with disdain.

”So it’s these lowly scum.”

”Senior Sister, after we return, report this to the higher-ups. The Spirit Blood Sect dares to attack our sect’s disciples. They’re courting death. We haven’t even settled the score for what happened with Junior Sister Yu,” Cheng Yuhan said fiercely.

Wang Hu and the others were momentarily stunned and exchanged glances. Realizing Fang Chen was present and that he had heard about Fairy Yu’s sudden disappearance, Cheng Yuhan couldn’t help but comfort him, ”Junior Brother Fang, Junior Sister Yu was just too considerate. She didn’t want to drag you down. You’ll see her again eventually.”

”Hopefully sooner rather than later... the Inverse Immortal Demonic Embryo...” Cheng Qing murmured softly.

”Alright, enough of that. The teleportation array is just ahead,” Cheng Yuhan quickly changed the subject.

In just a few days, after taking two teleportation arrays, they had already left the territory of Azure Dao Manor. With one more teleportation, they would reach the vicinity of the Void Immortal Sword Sect.

”Since we’re already at Black Dragon Manor, shouldn’t we take a trip to Black Dragon Lake?” Cheng Yuhan suggested during their journey.

”I’m fine with whatever. Let’s ask Senior Brother Fang,” Wang Hu shrugged casually.

Cheng Qing said with some resignation, ”Brother, you still can’t let it go? There’s no point in going to Black Dragon Lake.”

Cheng Yuhan glared at her. ”Who says I’m unwilling to let it go?!”

He looked at Fang Chen, his expression thoughtful. He suddenly smiled. ”Since Junior Brother Fang probably hasn’t been there, and we’ve already spent spirit stones on the teleportation arrays, why not drop by for a visit? It will be a good opportunity for Junior Brother Fang to broaden his horizons.”

”Senior Brother Fang, this Black Dragon Lake Senior Brother Cheng is talking about is quite the mysterious place. The Black Dragon Manor borrows its name from this lake,” Langya Wenqiu explained.

Fang Chen was intrigued. If the Manor had taken its name from the lake, it had to be very special.

”Junior Brother Fang, let me tell you, Black Dragon Lake has a type of fish called the Black Dragon Fish. This fish is truly extraordinary. Not only is its meat one of the finest ingredients in the world, but it also contains a kind of spiritual energy that can remove impurities from the Golden Core and purify it, making your Golden Core even more refined.”

Cheng Yuhan swallowed reflexively. ”Therefore, in order to prevent the Black Dragon Fish from being overharvested, Black Dragon Manor forbids cultivators above the Golden Core Realm from entering the water. They’ve set up prohibitions in the lake; fishing can only be done with equipment. If you’re lucky enough to catch one, it could be worth at least 3 mid-grade spirit stones.”

”Senior Brother, you didn’t mention that the entry fee starts at 5 mid-grade spirit stones, and you can only stay for 3 days.” Wang Hu sighed lightly. ”I accompanied you last time, and we ended up losing 10 mid-grade spirit stones without catching a single fish.”

”That was just a bad day. I refuse to believe it will be like this every single time,” Cheng Yuhan argued, clearly agitated.

He knew the others were reluctant to visit Black Dragon Lake, and only Fang Chen’s approval would make them agree. Realizing this, Cheng Yuhan quickly turned to Fang Chen and said in a flattering tone, ”Junior Brother Fang, your entry fee is on me.”

”Senior Brother Cheng, you seem quite obsessed with this,” Wang Hu said, shaking his head lightly.

Cheng Shuang smiled. ”It’s not that no one ever makes a fortune there in a day. If I weren’t so averse to it, I might be just like him.”

”Junior Brother Fang, how about we go take a look? The Black Dragon Fish indeed helps in purifying the Golden Core and can be greatly beneficial to Golden Core Realm cultivators. Since it’s on our way, it won’t take much time. Even if we don’t catch any, we might be able to buy a few from others if we’re lucky,” Langya Wenqiu suggested.

”Senior Brother Cheng, lead the way,” Fang Chen said with a smile.

Cheng Yuhan was overjoyed upon hearing his agreement. He immediately led the group in a different direction with excitement.