Immortal of the Nine Realms

Dongfang Haojie was seething with anger. ”Yun Tiancheng is truly a sly one. He was utterly defeated by Brother Fang Chen before, and after that, he went silent and hid away. Now he’s come to our place and strut around like this.”

Fairy Tianyin’s expression was serious. ”The Zhongtian Dao Sect has been here for nearly half a year. Many of our brothers have already been injured. Sometimes, they would have to fight again before their wounds were even fully healed. Some of our brothers... have even died at their hands. What exactly is their purpose?”

Dongfang Haojie asked in a low voice, ”Could it be that Purple Pole Dao Academy unknowingly offended them? Is this their revenge against us?” Fairy Tianyin gently shook her head. ”It’s unlikely. They are from the Zixu Empire, which is far from the Azure Cloud Empire. The Purple Pole Dao Academy cultivators rarely go there. How could we have offended them?”

”I’ve heard that Jade Void Mountain and Chenxiang Temple have also been struggling. It seems that the Zixu Empire is targeting us this time. Perhaps there’s something else behind this.”

Dongfang Haojie hesitated but did not voice his suspicions. He wasn’t sure if the rumors he heard were true. For now, he could only keep up the pretense with Zhongtian Dao Sect and see when they would leave.

The disciple who had just stepped onto the stage was only at the sixth level of the Qi Refining Realm. He was the lowest-ranking cultivator from Zhongtian Dao Sect this time. As soon as he appeared, he scanned the crowd and then pointed at Little Cow Dung, who was standing beside Fang Jue. ”Your cultivation is not far from mine. How about a friendly spar?”

Little Cow Dung’s expression slightly changed. Over the years, he had rarely fought with others. He was not skilled in combat at all.

Fang Jue’s face darkened, and he placed his hand on Little Cow Dung’s shoulder.

Something felt off. The opponent didn’t choose anyone else but specifically picked Little Cow Dung, who had only returned to the academy recently.

Fang Jue glanced at Yun Tiancheng and saw him smiling at him. At that moment, he understood.

Fang Jue said in a deep voice, ”My junior brother is not good at fighting. How about you choose someone else?”

In the distance, the senior figures of the Zhongtian Dao Sect suddenly stopped talking. The one at the Enlightenment glanced at Immortal Void Rush before looking at Fang Jue. He said, ”Your disciple seems to have good relations with you. But as cultivators, we should face challenges head-on. If we avoid a fight, it would harm our Dao heart. How can there be any future with a Dao heart like that?”

Immortal Void Rush thought for a moment and glanced toward Fang Jue.

Fang Jue heard the words and felt a cold shiver run down his spine. The look in Yun Tiancheng’s eyes just now made him suspect that if Little Cow Dung went up, Yun Tiancheng might strike with the intent to kill.

It seemed like this was revenge. Yun Tiancheng had likely found out that Fang Chen was the one who had sent Little Cow Dung to the Purple Pole Dao Academy. He wanted to take the opportunity to settle old scores!

Fang Jue stepped forward, his gaze cold as he locked eyes with Yun Tiancheng. ”Yun Tiancheng, I’ll be the one to fight you!”

The disciples of Purple Pole Dao Academy were slightly startled.

Fang Jue is challenging Yun Tiancheng? Isn’t that asking for death?

Fang Jue had never been a match for Yun Tiancheng. Now, after all these years, Yun Tiancheng was even more powerful, having reached the late stage of the Foundation Building Realm. Fang Jue, on the other hand, was still only at the mid-stage Foundation Building Realm. How could he possibly win?

Dongfang Haojie couldn’t help but cover his forehead. ”This kid is too impulsive. If they fight, Yun Tiancheng has no reason to hold back.”

”Fine. Since you are in the mid-stage of the Foundation Building Realm, I will seal 90% of my cultivation and spar with you,” Yun Tiancheng immediately agreed, his face breaking into a smile. ”It’s just a pity that Fang Chen isn’t here. Otherwise, I would have liked to fight him again today.”

Dongfang Haojie couldn’t help but mutter under his breath, ”If Brother Fang Chen were here, you wouldn’t dare say that.”

”Daoist Yun, with your cultivation, is there a need to fight with someone at the mid-stage Foundation Building Realm? How about this: you can fight me instead. After all, you were defeated by me back then, and I imagine you’d want to try again.”

The crowd was slightly taken aback and quickly turned to look outside. Unknowingly, a group of people had appeared.

Among them were both human and demon cultivators. The person leading the group was a young man who looked around seventeen or eighteen. He exuded an air of otherworldly grace.

Fang Jue was slightly startled. ”Fang Chen?”

Immortal Void Rush was shocked.

Dongfang Haojie and Fairy Tianyin exchanged a glance, their expressions growing more serious.

Meeting Fang Chen after all these years was certainly a good thing. However, the time couldn’t have been worse. He had arrived at the wrong moment.

Little Cow Dung rubbed his eyes. He looked at Fang Chen for a while, growing excited. When Fang Chen brought him to the Purple Pole Dao Academy all those years ago, Little Cow Dung had been a young boy. Decades had since passed, making him almost unrecognizable.

”This is Fang Chen that Junior Brother Yun often mentions?”

”I heard he’s a sword cultivator, but... he doesn’t quite seem like one.”

”That’s right. I’ve seen other sword cultivators, and they’re all arrogant. They usually exude sharp sword intent. This person seems different.”

Yun Tiancheng was momentarily stunned, then smiled lightly. ”So it’s Daoist Fang. It’s been many years. I trust you’ve been well?”

He didn’t appear panicked at all. If anything, he seemed to have turned even more cheerful. He would finally be able to resolve the heart knot that had haunted him for decades.

”It’s him....”

Among the crowd, Sui Nianhua, who had joined the Illusion Department years ago, wore a complicated expression. She had been defeated by Fang Chen’s hand in the past at Grand Qian, and it had been a wound to her pride for many years. Seeing him again now, however, she realized she no longer held the same resentment or frustration from that time.

Fang Chen smiled and nodded in acknowledgment. ”Long time no see, long time no see.”

The Enlightenment Realm cultivator from the Zhongtian Dao Sect furrowed his brow. Not only did he notice, but the disciples beneath him also saw that there were some Spirit Void Dao Sect cultivators following behind in the crowd.

Isn’t the Spirit Void Dao Sect at Jade Void Mountain? Why were they here?

The Enlightenment Realm cultivator from Zhongtian Dao Sect asked coldly, ”Qian Wenjin, why aren’t you at Jade Void Mountain with Lin Hao? What are you doing here?”

Qian Wenjin shuddered. His gaze was filled with so much fear you would have thought he was staring death right in the face.

He lowered his voice and said, ”Elder Wang, Elder Lin is dead.”

Everyone exchanged confused glances. He couldn’t possibly be referring to Lin Hao from the Spirit Void Sect, could he?

Lin Hao was an Enlightenment Realm cultivator. How could he die just like that? There was no sign of him dying from aging or exhaustion.

A solemn expression appeared on the face of the Zhongtian Dao Sect Enlightenment Realm cultivator. ”Do you know what you’re saying?”

Qian Wenjin forced a bitter smile and replied, ”Elder Lin is indeed dead.”

”How did he die?” asked the Zhongtian Dao Sect Enlightenment Realm cultivator.

The atmosphere in the room instantly turned tense.

An Enlightenment Realm cultivator from the Spirit Void Dao Sect has died in the Azure Cloud Empire? How did this happen?

Qian Wenjin glanced at Fang Chen. When he saw Fang Chen nod at him, he gritted his teeth and revealed the truth.

”This senior right here killed Elder Lin,” he said, looking at Fang Chen.

Everyone was stunned.

The young man has killed an Enlightenment Realm cultivator from the Spirit Void Dao Sect?

The Zhongtian Dao Sect cultivator was taken aback. Qian Wenjin was a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator from the Spirit Void Dao Sect. He had neither reason nor courage to joke about a matter of this magnitude.

Therefore... this was real?

Fang Chen didn’t pay attention to the Zhongtian Dao Sect cultivator. Instead, he turned to the dazed Yun Tiancheng and smiled. ”Daoist Yun, I’ll seal ninety-nine percent of my cultivation and have a match with you.”

”Ninety-nine percent...” muttered Yun Tiancheng, his voice hoarse.

Voice quivering, he asked, ”May I ask, Fellow Daoist Fang, what is your current cultivation?”

”I’ve been lucky to advance to the Enlightenment Realm just recently.”

”...”

Yun Tiancheng staggered back, his Dao heart almost shattering on the spot.

This young man... is an Enlightenment Realm cultivator?