Immortal of the Nine Realms

Chapter 832: Monarch Yan’s Seal

Xing Xian was confused. He repeated, ”Your senior brother?”

He didn’t know what Fang Chen was talking about. However, he knew it wasn’t the right time to ask. He remained silent and followed Fang Chen with Ji Liang.

The Greater Underworld had one advantage: it was a chaotic place by nature.

While Shaohua City might be a bit more organized, it wasn’t much better. The massive city gates were unguarded, and there was no one to manage who entered or left, so it was free for all to come and go as they pleased.

As Fang Chen observed the scene inside Shaohua City, he sent a voice transmission. ”Is the soul-crossing ritual Ji Liang and the others use something you taught them?”

”Indeed,” Xing Xian responded.

”The soul-crossing ritual technique must require a catalyst, right? What catalyst do you use?” asked Fang Chen.

He looked around and noticed that Shaohua City was quite similar to the mortal realm’s cities. The food scene, in particular, was impressive, with a wide variety of ingredients on display.

Some people were drinking and celebrating on the streets, accompanied by beautiful-looking Yin Demons. The food they were eating was infused with a kind of yin energy, similar to Yin Lifespan Coins, but slightly weaker.

Xing Xian transmitted, ”We had planned to use the blood of the Yin Lunar God Beast. A Yin Walker once mentioned that this blood is best for soul-crossing rituals.

”Unfortunately, the person we sent couldn’t succeed and didn’t bring back the beast. So, I made the Soul Calling Incense. This requires high-grade spirit stones as a catalyst. I wouldn’t normally use this as a medium unless absolutely necessary.”

His eyes were scanning the area, seemingly trying to find his bearings.

Fang Chen nodded slightly. ”High-grade spirit stones... Soul Calling Incense....”

It seemed that there were many different mediums for soul-crossing rituals. Furthermore, these mediums likely affected the solidity of the soul after they entered the underworld.

His soul was inherently unique. Furthermore, after merging with the blood essence of nine Zhu Longs, he possessed the strength of an Immortal King as soon as he entered the underworld. Naturally, he couldn’t detect any subtle differences in the surroundings.

Before long, Xing Xian led Fang Chen and Ji Liang to a residence with a white lantern hanging at its entrance. The candlelight inside the lantern flickered faintly, its flame dim and unstable.

Xing Xian’s face showed a hint of nervousness as he took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

After some time, the door creaked open, and a hunched old man stepped out. His cloudy eyes lingered on Xing Xian for a few moments before he nodded lightly and said, ”Come in.”

Fang Chen glanced at Xing Xian. ”Who is this?”

”The guardian of the house left by Monarch Yan,” Xing Xian replied gravely. ”Don’t worry, he can definitely be trusted. Monarch Yan would not have made a mistake.”

A guardian left by Monarch Yan?

Fang Chen was slightly surprised. Didn’t that mean that this hunchbacked old man was from the same era as Monarch Yan? To have lived for so long... His strength must be unfathomable.

No wonder Fang Chen couldn’t feel any yin energy fluctuations coming from the guardian despite how high his cultivation was in the Underworld. It was as if the old man was an endless, pitch-black abyss. He was impossible to gauge or fathom.

Entering the house, the guardian led them to a courtyard and looked at Ji Liang and Fang Chen with indifference.

”Which one of you will go inside?” he asked.

Xing Xian cautiously cupped his hands. ”Senior, is this the place where Monarch Yan passed away?”

The guardian nodded lightly. ”He never left this courtyard before his death.”

Xing Xian asked, ”If someone inherits Monarch Yan’s inheritance, will it cause any anomalies? There are likely many great Yin Demons in Shaohua City watching with keen interest.”

The guardian remained still, staring at Xing Xian, causing him to feel a creeping unease, his scalp tingling. After a long moment, the guardian finally spoke in a low voice. ”It shouldn’t cause much of a disturbance. He has no reason to harm you.”

With that, the guardian turned and left.

Xing Xian stood there for a few breaths, slowly understanding the implications of the guardian’s words. He turned to Fang Chen and bitterly laughed. ”Young Master Fang, you can go in. Monarch Yan should have already made the necessary preparations, so there shouldn’t be any unexpected anomalies.”

Fang Chen understood the meaning behind the guardian’s words. After a brief moment of contemplation, he nodded and stepped into the small courtyard.

Xing Xian watched Fang Chen’s retreating figure, then glanced at Ji Liang. A light sigh escaped his lips. This opportunity should have belonged to Ji Liang. Alas....

The courtyard was quiet and clean. It didn’t look like an abandoned place that had been left for many years. Perhaps the guardian occasionally came by to tidy up.

Inside, there was a bamboo building. Upon entering, Fang Chen saw a seal sitting in the center of the hall. The seal was wrapped in yin energy, like a candle flame in the dark of night. It was impossible not to notice.

Fang Chen circled the seal. It was about three inches in length, no different in size from an ordinary seal.

The closer he got to it, the stronger the desire to grab it became.

Fang Chen took a step back, carefully observing the seal. It felt almost alive, as if the seal itself possessed some form of life.

Perhaps sensing the resistance in Fang Chen’s heart, the yin energy surrounding the seal grew denser, eventually coiling into thousands of threads that began to envelop him.

Fang Chen’s expression darkened as the countless threads of yin energy surrounded him, sealing off all exits. The energy surged into him like an endless web, linking him to the seal. His face changed from pale to purple as his consciousness was slowly being squeezed, the feeling that these yin energies were trying to replace his very being.

Fang Chen’s eyes sharpened with sudden resolve. ”A mere seal is... trying to possess me?”

His thoughts stirred, and the yin energy within him surged in response. The nine-headed Zhu Long phantom appeared, roaring into life. In a flash, the endless strands of yin energy that surrounded him were severed by the dragon’s gnashing jaws.

However, Zhu Long did not stop there. It surged toward the seal with renewed vigor. Within just ten breaths, it completely devoured the dense aura of yin energy wrapping around the seal.

Having been consumed, the energy flowed back into Fang Chen, satiating the dragon’s hunger.

At this moment, the seal no longer carried the eerie, lifelike sensation it once had. Fang Chen observed it, his thoughts swirling. He suspected that the seal had been left in place for too long, gradually absorbing and accumulating yin energy, which was naturally laced with an unseen thread of causality, one that bound it to the larger workings of the underworld.

It seemed this seal, once a mere artifact, had taken on a life of its own through the accumulation of these forces.

With the presence of causality, it was easy for the seal to give birth to a demon. The yin energy he had just encountered was likely the essence of an underdeveloped Yin Demon. If this seal were truly the legacy of Monarch Yan, and if it had birthed such a demon, Fang Chen would have had no choice but to flee.

Taking two slow steps forward, Fang Chen reached out and grasped the seal. The moment his fingers touched it, a command seemed to resonate in his ears:

”Today, by the will of the reincarnated Immortal Seedling, Fang Chen of the mortal realm temporarily assumes the position of Monarch Yan. He is ordained by Heaven, with eternal longevity and prosperity.”

As the voice faded, Fang Chen’s gaze fell upon the seal in his hand. He slowly turned it over and saw the character ’Chen’ inscribed on it. This character represented both himself and Monarch Yan, signifying that this seal was now fully under his control.

He focused his mind and felt the yin energy within him gradually flow into the seal. As he did, another line of text appeared on its surface.

Yin Lifespan: 800 years.

Fang Chen then took out the Yin Lifespan Coins that he had received from Xing Xian. As they transformed into waves of rich yin energy, they began to flow into the seal. The yin lifespan within the seal steadily increased.

900 years. 1,000 years. 1,400 years. 2,000 years. 3,000 years.

As the last of the Yin Lifespan Coins were consumed, the seal now held a total of 3,000 years of Yin Lifespan.