Immortal of the Nine Realms

Yu Qingzhi remained silent, his frustration building as Fang Chen also kept quiet. His emotions were becoming increasingly hard to control, and a deep sense of irritation rose within him. He had never felt so constrained, and the feeling was suffocating.

”Let’s talk about the people on the list,” said Fang Chen, breaking the silence. ”Are all the names complete? If there are any omissions, I hope you’ll bring them up now.”

Yu Qingzhi paused for a moment. Voice tinged with suspicion, he asked, ”Are you from the Killing Spiritual Division?”

”Can’t you tell?” Fang Chen smiled lightly. ”You tried to refine the Hidden Cloud Region, and I intervened to prevent it. You must have locked on to me long ago.”

Yu Qingzhi fell silent. He had indeed sent the Azure Dragon Battle General to kill Fang Chen back then. At that time, he had considered Fang Chen no more than an insignificant ant, at best a speck of dust on the ground.

The failure of the Hidden Cloud Region operation hadn’t been a huge loss for him, and he had largely forgotten about it. However, as Fang Chen gradually made a name for himself in the Central Continent Empire, Yu Qingzhi began to pay more attention to him. Up until today, he had still been underestimating Fang Chen. To him, the gap between them was like a chasm. He had fancied himself a towering pine, standing firm amid changing winds.

He had even been secretly pleased with himself for enrolling in the Three Thousand Dao Sect, thinking that Fang Chen wouldn’t know his true identity.

Yu Qingzhi spoke slowly. ”Who exactly are you? What status do you have in the Underworld? Why are they treating you with such deference?”

What he actually wanted to ask was why Fang Chen was so powerful. He couldn’t understand how a Fusion Realm cultivator like himself couldn’t match him. In the Mortal Realm, Fang Chen was just a cultivator at the early stage of the Enlightenment Realm.

Although Fang Chen was worlds apart from the Golden Core Realm cultivator he had once been, an Enlightment Realm cultivator still paled in comparison to a Fusion Realm cultivator.

”Senior Brother Yu, you’re not in a position to demand answers. I am the one who’s asking the questions here, not the other way around,” Fang Chen said casually. ”Now, if you have omitted any names from the list, you better spill them before it’s too late.”

”This list is fake. Do you truly think I would trust Daoist Du’s words?” Yu Qingzhi coldly retorted. ”The identity of the Spirit Blood Sect’s cultivators is a well-guarded secret. Why would I easily reveal them?”

”I knew you’d say that,” said Fang Chen, smiling. ”But it doesn’t matter. Whether they are Spirit Blood Sect cultivators or not, I’ll verify it all one by one.”

Yu Qingzhi chuckled. ”With you alone? They’re scattered across many places, and it would take hundreds of years just to verify them all.”

Soon, however, the laughter in Yu Qingzhi’s tone faded, and his expression slowly stiffened as he saw Fang Chen’s smile grow wider.

He had forgotten a crucial point: Fang Chen was a member of the Killing Spiritual Division....

In this world, if any group could make the Spirit Blood Sect cultivators wary, it would be the Killing Spiritual Division cultivators.

As the Radiant Sun Spirit Lord, Yu Qingzhi had no idea who the founder of the Killing Spiritual Division was, nor could he fathom how many cultivators served the Killing Spiritual Division.

”Have you figured it out?” taunted Fang Chen. ”I don’t even need to verify this list personally; I can simply hand it over to the Killing Spiritual Division.”

Yu Qingzhi’s heart was heavy, as though a heavy stone had been pressed on it.

Could the Killing Spiritual Division have grown so powerful that they gained a foothold in the Underworld?

”One last time, are there any mistakes on the list?” asked Fang Chen calmly. ”You should know that whether you speak or remain silent doesn’t matter; the only thing at stake here is how I will deal with you.”

Yu Qingzhi fell silent for a few breaths, staring at Fang Chen. Finally, he said, ”If I tell you everything and join the Killing Spiritual Division, can I return to the Mortal Realm alive?”

Fang Chen’s expression remained indifferent. ”You are a Spirit Lord; you should know how many Blood Spirit Pills have been refined over the years, using the blood and karma of mortals as the base. How much of your cultivation has truly come from those pills?”

”It is the duty of the Killing Spiritual Division to stop people like you from committing such evils. Don’t think about returning to the Mortal Realm; you should focus on how to make the most of your life here in the Underworld.

”You have two options: first, I throw you into the Forgotten River; second, you can go to a desolate place, which is still much better than being lost here forever. The choice is yours.”

Yu Qingzhi remained silent for a long time, seemingly caught in an intense internal struggle. After a while, his face sagged, and he said, ”I will tell you whatever you want to know. In fact, I even know the identity of a Spirit Immortal, and I can reveal it to you. I just hope that you will keep your promise.”

***

Several hours later....

Yu Qingzhi again revealed many things related to the Spirit Blood Sect, such as the titles of each person on the list, the tasks they were currently working on, and their future plans. He explained everything in great detail.

In addition, he disclosed the identity of the Spirit Immortal he knew to Fang Chen.

A Spirit Immortal is a title for the top three cultivators of the Spirit Blood Sect. The Spirit Immortal Yu Qingzhi mentioned was Azure Dao Manor’s Qi Jian. He also confirmed that the Spirit Blood Sect had indeed been the ones to stir the recent disputes between the Azure Dao Manor’s Immortal Qin Clan and the Langya Clan.

Fang Chen wasn’t surprised; he had already harbored some doubts about Qi Jian’s true identity.

”I noticed that, aside from you, there’s no one else from the Yu family on this list. Doesn’t the large Yu family have any other Spirit Blood Sect cultivators?” Fang Chen asked.

Yu Qingzhi was slightly taken aback for a moment. He numbly nodded. ”That’s indeed the case. Becoming a cultivator of the Spirit Blood Sect is about opportunity.”

Fang Chen remarked, ”This is strange. I heard that your Yu Family’s ancestor, the one planning to ascend to the rank of Immortal King, is also a major figure in the Spirit Blood Sect. It seems that there are other Spirit Blood Sect cultivators who are trying to sabotage his ascension.

”By the way, your sister, Yu Qingmei, is also a cultivator of the Spirit Blood Sect, planted by them in Heavenly King Zhen Manor.”

Fang Chen snickered. ”Why didn’t you tell me about these matters, Yu Qingzhi? I treated you with sincerity, and yet you concealed the truth, betraying my trust.”

Yu Qingzhi shot to his feet. He took a few steps backwards, his face full of fear as he stared at Fang Chen.

How did he know?!

Yu Qingzhi’s scalp tingled.

Could it be that everything the Yu Family has done over the years has been under the watchful eyes of the Killing Spiritual Division?

At that thought, a cold chill spread from his feet to the top of his head.

”By the way, there’s one more thing you probably don’t know. Yu Qingmei’s son, Gai Wu, is also a cultivator of the Spirit Blood Sect.” Fang Chen smiled lightly. ”Your nephew has been hiding his identity well. On the surface, he is no different from a playboy. But he has been plotting and scheming behind your back so much that you, his uncle, never realized.”

”Impossible!” retorted Yu Qingzhi. He tried to maintain his composure. ”Gai Wu can’t be a cultivator of the Spirit Blood Sect... Wait, you think the matter with the Void Immortal Sword Sect was his scheme? You’re wrong about that.”

Fang Chen continued, ”You didn’t even notice how successful Gai Wu’s actions were. It’s a pity, though, that he seems to have a rebellious nature and plans to strike against the Yu Family. But tell me, which Spirit Immortal in the Spirit Blood Sect wouldn’t want to see your ancestor fail in his ascension to Immortal King?

”At this point, you don’t need to hide anything. The Killing Spiritual Division hasn’t moved against your Yu Family yet because they’re probably waiting for the right moment. If you speak now, even if your Yu Family is wiped out by the Killing Spiritual Division, you can drag your enemies down with you. Why not take the opportunity?”