Immortal of the Nine Realms

Empress Ci brewed a pot of tea for Fang Chen. Seeing him lost in thought, she did not interrupt him and turned to gaze at Gai Wu with a half-smile.

Gai Wu looked uncomfortable. The silence stretched for a while before he couldn’t help himself any longer. ”Fang Chen, I’ve told you everything you want to know. Now, I’m just a wandering soul. I can’t do anything. Do you really have to humiliate me like this?”

Fang Chen took a sip of his tea. ”You said the Void Immortal Sword Sect’s sect master is a Spirit Blood Sect member. Do you have any real evidence, or are those just empty words?”

Gai Wu sighed dejectedly. ”I have no evidence at all. I only know his identity. If it weren’t for that, I never would’ve joined the Spirit Blood Sect. With his methods, there was no need for him to let me know about this. To this day, I’ve never even seen his face. If he appeared before me now, I probably wouldn’t recognize him.”

Fang Chen said, ”The sect master... could be considered my senior brother. His father, Wang Zhenlong, was my master in the Void Immortal Sword Sect. I am not going to trust your words easily.”

He set the teacup down and walked toward the palanquin. ”You can stay with the empress for now.”

”Wait!” Gai Wu became anxious. ”Do you know why Fairy Yu condensed the Inverse Immortal Demonic Embryo?”

Fang Chen paused for a moment and turned to look at Gai Wu, smiling. ”Why?”

Gai Wu said in a deep voice, ”It was the will of your sect master. Qin Hucheng and I were putting on this act. We never intended to cause too much trouble; having a reason was enough.

”It was your sect master who forced me to seal a burst of qi within a talisman and inject it into Fairy Yu. After that, she condensed the Inverse Immortal Demonic Embryo.”

He looked at Fang Chen grimly. ”If you don’t believe me, you can go back and investigate. She wasn’t the only person who condensed the Inverse Immortal Demonic Embryo.”

Fang Chen nodded slightly. ”I will verify this. Until then, you’ll have to stay here.”

As Fang Chen prepared to leave, Gai Wu’s face twisted with reluctance. ”Qin Hucheng was involved in that matter too! Why are you only dealing with me and not him?”

Fang Chen didn’t respond. Gai Wu, in despair, was pulled into a room by a slender arm around his neck.

Yu Qingmei looked on helplessly, wanting to intervene but feeling powerless.

***

Fang Chen was lost in thought as he reflected on the information he’d gathered from Gai Wu. If what Gai Wu said was true, the sect master’s background would be far from ordinary.

The Inverse Immortal Demonic Embryo reminded him of the demon he had encountered during the catastrophe in the past. The mention of the Demon Ancestor raised many questions. Who was this Demon Ancestor?

Fang Chen had no way of knowing. It could be a Loose Immortal from the Nine Realms of the Mortal Realm or perhaps some other entity.

He pondered, ”Is it because Fairy Yu has a special constitution unknown to me that she was chosen to condense the Inverse Immortal Demonic Embryo? Was this an experiment? Or was there some other purpose behind it?”

Fang Chen’s thoughts came to a halt. At this point, he wasn’t sure if Gai Wu’s words were true. People like him were adept at deception, and anything he said could be designed to mislead Fang Chen. He decided to verify the matter when he had the chance and only then reconsider.

Soon, the group arrived at the Forgotten River. It looked even more desolate than before. One boat after another emerged from the vast white mist, each calling out the names of those whose thoughts resonated with it.

”Junior Brother, what are they doing?” Qin Hucheng asked with some curiosity.

”To cross the Forgotten River, you need someone to row the boat for you and guide you,” Fang Chen replied with a faint smile. ”If there’s someone who cares about you in the Underworld, all you need to do is reach the Forgotten River, and they’ll sense you if you aren’t too far from them. By forming a boat using their lifespan, they can row you into the city and re-establish the connection between you.”

”What about my parents?” Qin Hucheng asked.

”Your parents did not die in the Central Continent Empire, nor did they die in Lixiao. Even if they entered the Underworld, they are too far from you to sense you.” Fang Chen smiled softly. ”But if you change your mind, you can always tell me. I can have someone help you search for them.”

Qin Hucheng replied, ”Search? It seems like you hold quite a position in the Underworld. The last time I ventured into the Underworld, I only made it this far, to the Forogtten River. But I met a few wandering souls along the way. From their words, I learned just how vast the Underworld is. It is far beyond the likes of the Central Continent Empire.”

He paused, reflecting. ”Compared to this place, the Central Continent Empire is like a tiny grain of sand. The Underworld is like an infinite expanse of starry sky.”

The Era Immortal King chuckled and said, ”Finding two wandering souls who have been dead for so many years in a place like this is probably harder than a nameless nobody advancing to become a First Rate Sect Leader. Yet, Instructor Fang speaks so casually about it. Are you really confident, Instructor Fang? Or are you simply trying to deceive Qin Hucheng by painting this grand picture?”

”Instructor Ji, it is useless to try and sow discord between us,” Qin Hucheng countered casually. ”While Fang Chen and I walk different paths, I know his character well.”

”Yes, I know his character too. But I’m not so sure about yours, Brother Qin,” responded the Era Immortal King, lightly smirking. ”You’ve caused me a lot of pain.”

A massive ship slowly sailed from the Forgotten River and docked. At that moment, a familiar voice rang out, one that Qin Hucheng recognized immediately. It was Gai Hong, who was staring at him with a cold expression. Standing next to him were Du Yunxu and Li Badao.

The Blood Spirits Sect members immediately recognized Gai Hong’s identity, looking shocked. ”It’s the Giant Antler Emperor....”

Qin Hucheng clasped his fists and spoke politely. ”I feel a bit better seeing you, Gai Hong. At least I didn’t die for nothing. My sword strike was fast, so you shouldn’t have felt any pain before dying. There’s no need to hold a grudge over it now.”

Gai Hong’s voice was sharp, his eyes gleaming with a cold and calculating expression. ”Who killed the other here? Why do you make it sound like I’m the one at fault?”

Gai Hong jumped down from the massive ship and immediately charged toward Qin Hucheng before landing a punch. Qin Hucheng swiftly countered, landing a punch that knocked Gai Hong to the ground.

Gai Hong stared at him in disbelief. He roared in anger, ”You... dare even hit back!?”

He immediately lunged at Qin Hucheng again, and the two fought fiercely.

Now that they had died, they had lost their former power. It was now a simple contest of brawn. They were fighting like ordinary mortals.

The Era Immortal King and the others briefly glanced at the fight but lost interest, shifting their attention to Du Yunxu and Li Badao.

These two wandering souls emanated a great sense of pressure, indicating that their strength in the underworld was no less formidable.

Du Yunxu clasped his fists in respect. ”Lord.”

After that, his gaze swept over Stone Dragon and the wedding procession. A flicker of unease passed through his eyes.

The aura of these two... is very similar to Yin Demons!

Fang Chen casually said, ”These guys have quite the significant status in the Mortal Realm. Is there a place in the capital suitable for imprisoning them?”

Du Yunxu paused for a moment, glancing at Immortal King Ji and the others. He responded thoughtfully, ”The Capital’s Nether Guards Division doesn’t handle criminal matters, but there is a prison where they could be kept. However, the Judgment Division is much more skilled in matters of punishment. The issue lies in our relationship with Shen Tucang....”

Fang Chen smiled. ”It’s not a problem. Take them to the Nether Guards Division first. Later, we will visit the Judgment Division. I haven’t visited them since taking my post. It would be impolite to delay any further.”

Du Yunxu was quite shocked upon hearing that. He felt that this trip might not be as easy as it seemed.