Immortal of the Nine Realms

Fang Chen briefly explained the events leading up to now, but he glossed over some of the details. Naturally, that led to Long Jingyao and the others forming all sorts of speculations.

What shocked them most was that the Master of the Thousand Dao Tower turned out to be a cultivator from the Spirit God Sect.

A second-transformation Loose Immortal from the Sun Family asked, ”How did you... manage to save us from the Thousand Dao Tower with your strength?”

”Senior, you don’t need to know that.” Fang Chen glanced at him. ”Saving you was incidental. The one I wanted to save was Heaven Calamity Dragoness.”

The crowd was taken aback by Fang Chen’s bluntness, but a flicker of realization soon flashed in Long Jingchun’s eyes.

He realized that this was karma. His aunt had stood up for Fang Chen back when he was on the Sword Burial Heavenly Steps. Now, a miracle had happened, and Fang Chen came to return the favor.

The Heaven Calamity Dragoness looked pleased. Even though she still had many doubts, after understanding Fang Chen’s reason for saving them, she chose not to press further.

”Child, is this Longyuan, or is it Minghu or Sihui?” asked the Heavenly Calamity Dragoness.

As she spoke, she waved her hand lightly, sending the gourd over to Fang Chen.

This gourd could hold living beings and withstand the burning of the Coldwater Immortal Flame without the slightest damage. Clearly, it was no ordinary item.

Fang Chen put away the gourd, looked around briefly, and shook his head. ”This isn’t a chaotic star.”

”Not a chaotic star?”

The crowd was startled.

Both the Long and Sun Familys controlled several Starry Teleportation Formation, but all of them led to remote and desolate locations, none of which compared to a chaotic star.

”In any case, Little Brother, your rescue spared us the fate of being refined into pills. We’ll remember this debt.

“If I could, I would properly thank you for your grace, but they constipated our spatial artifacts before capturing us. We have nothing on us now to repay the favor.”

The Loose Immortals of the Sun Family cupped their fists together.

The Heaven Calamity Dragoness said calmly, ”Your Sun Family still has several strongholds within Prison Wind. If you cannot repay now, let him go take it himself.”

The Sun Family’s Loose Immortals exchanged glances with awkward expressions. Those deployments were left in anticipation of a day like this, a final hope for the Sun Family’s resurgence. If they just handed them over, how could the Sun Family ever rise again?

The Heaven Calamity Dragoness looked toward the second tribulation Loose Immortal of the Sun Family. ”Sun Maotian, what do you say?”

Sun Maotian pondered for a few seconds, then quietly transmitted a message to Fang Chen with a few words.

”Little Brother, I’ve given you the method for activating the array. There you’ll find some of the spiritual materials accumulated by the Sun Family. Take as much as you need,” Sun Maotian said.

Fang Chen bowed with a cupped fist. ”Many thanks, Senior.”

This was an unexpected gain. Given the Sun Family’s foundation, anything they set aside as a fallback would be substantial.

The Heaven Calamity Dragoness smiled and casually grabbed at the void, condensing a token from the power of the metal element. She tossed it to Fang Chen.

”The Old Flood Dragon of Longyuan once owed me a favor. Given what I know of his character, if you ever find yourself in trouble, show him this token. He’ll help you once.”

”The Old Flood Dragon of Longyuan?”

Not only were the Sun Family’s Loose Immortals shocked. Even Long Jingyao and the others wore astonished expressions.

That old flood dragon was no ordinary creature. No one knew how many years he had lived, and he hadn’t made a move in a long time. His full strength remained a mystery.

All anyone knew was that six hundred years ago, the one time he did act, he subdued two third-transformation Loose Immortals with a single strike.

”Aunt, if you have ties with the Old Flood Dragon, shouldn’t we ask him to step in and get justice for our Long Family?” Long Jingchun asked quietly.

The Sun Family’s Loose Immortals also looked contemplatively at the Heaven Calamity Dragoness.

She responded blandly, ”The Old Flood Dragon is a demon cultivator. He hasn’t acted in years because his tribulation is approaching. Asking him to take on two third tribulation sword cultivators, not to mention the Thousand Dao Tower’s leader... It’s nothing but wishful thinking.”

After a pause, she turned to Fang Chen. ”Child, is Long Wu still in their hands?”

”They’re unharmed,” Fang Chen replied.

A faint smile formed on the Heaven Calamity Dragoness’s face. She nodded gently. ”I’ll soon attempt to break through to the third transformation. If I succeed, would you take us back to Prison Wind with that gourd?”

Fang Chen’s eyes flickered. ”Granny, are you confident you can take on sword cultivators of the same rank?”

The Heaven Calamity Dragoness’s eyes held a trace of pride. ”Sword cultivators may be powerful, but us of the Dragonblood Clans are no pushovers. With our true dragon bloodlines, our divine abilities are not necessarily inferior to theirs.”

”Aunt, are you really confident about ascending to the third transformation? But we don’t even have a single Immortal Crystal right now....”

Long Jingchun and the others were both shocked and elated.

”I sense strong spiritual energy here. There must be Immortal Crystals still hidden around.”

The Heaven Calamity Dragoness glanced around the area.

The Sun Family’s Loose Immortals couldn’t help feeling envious. The Long Family still had the Heaven Calamity Dragoness, while the Sun Family now had no one even remotely on her level.

Half a moment later, Fang Chen took his leave and stepped back into the Yellow Springs.

The Loose Immortals couldn’t see the Yellow Springs, only that Fang Chen disappeared in an instant. Even with their formidable divine senses, they couldn’t trace his escape at all. They didn’t have any idea what kind of escape technique he might have used to make him disappear so flawlessly.

Only now did they begin to understand just how Fang Chen had managed to rescue them from the Thousand Dao Tower.

”His cultivation isn’t high, yet his methods are incredibly mysterious... who exactly is he?” Sun Maotian muttered as if to himself, though he kept glancing toward the Heaven Calamity Dragoness.

”His homeland once produced two anomalies,” replied Heaven Calamity Dragoness calmly.

”No wonder...”

The Sun Family’s Loose Immortals exchanged baffled looks. They had no idea that within the Long Family’s domain, there had even been anomalous beings.

To become an anomalous being was no trivial matter. Even among their ranks, and among the fallen third transformation Loose Immortals of the Sun Family, none had the potential or knowledge to walk that path.

***

Lesser Netherworld. The capital city.

Fang Chen sat at the head of the hall, flanked on both sides by the Yin Monarchs of various departments. There was Acting Yin Monarch of the Nether Guards Division, Qiu Jing, Night Walker Monarch, Jing Xue, Day Walker Monarch, Du Yunxu, Monarch of the Underworld Official Division, Qi Tianran, Left Registrar, Liu Xuan, Right Registrar, Zhang Gao, Monarch of the Judgment Division, Jiang Yushu, along with the Ten Judges, Monarch of the Reincarnation Division, You Fang, Acting Monarch of the Yin Walkers, Shentu Cang, and Monarch of the Soul Capturing Division.

Outside the hall stood senior officers from each department, including former Minister of War of Grand Xia, Ye Dongming, and others.

Bai Qingming and Bai Lingyue were among the crowd. The former appeared calm, while the latter looked visibly excited.

Although the two of them didn’t possess strong cultivation, their aura was among the weakest present, none around them dared to look down on them.

Everyone knew that the two were true confidants of Lord Fang, just like Jiang Yushu and the others.

Jiang Yushu, despite being a mortal, had taken the seat of Monarch of the Judgment Division, an event that had stunned all factions.

It broke a tradition that had lasted countless years in the Underworld.

It was now clear that the most crucial positions were no longer controlled by the likes of Shentu Cang and his faction. That meant... others now had a real chance to ascend to the top.

Within the hall, Jing Xue and the others were nervous. None of them knew why Lord Fang had suddenly summoned everyone... or what instructions he was about to give.