Immortal of the Nine Realms

“What!? We have younger siblings again?”

Fang Zhixue was stunned, finding it hard to believe. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ

“Congratulations!” Li Daoye exclaimed in delight. “The two elders are still in their prime. This is truly joyous news.”

Fang Zhixue immediately turned to leave.

“Where are you going?” Li Daoye asked instinctively.

“To pack up and head home for a bit.” Fang Zhixue’s steps paused, looked at Fang Chen, and said, “Brother, come home with me this time.”

Fang Chen smiled and waved his hand. “Even if we go back, we won’t be able to see them. It’s a bit complicated.”

Li Daoye instantly understood, quickly excused himself with some matter to attend to, and took his leave.

When only the siblings remained, Fang Chen told Fang Zhixue everything.

“So Father and Mother never came back all these years because they were walking the same path as Grandfather... Anomalies... Yang Spirits...” Fang Zhixue murmured, a trace of worry surfacing on her face. “Brother, you said Anomalies sometimes forget their memories. What if one day Father and Mother forget about us...?”

Fang Chen smiled and assured her, “Not likely. I suspect there’s a pattern. Anomalies may sometimes forget certain things, but not to the extent of forgetting their closest kin. They could even forget they’re Anomalies and still not forget us.”

Fang Zhixue gave a wry smile. “Thinking about it, the immortal path is actually the most stable.”

“Each has its advantages and disadvantages,” Fang Chen said.

After a pause, he continued, “This time I’m going to the Nanqing Constellation. It’s one of the thirteen most prosperous regions in the Ancient Desolate Realm. I plan to take a group of Three Thousand Dao Sect disciples with me to settle there.”

“I’m going too.”

Fang Chen nodded. “Alright.”

Fang Zhixue was a little surprised that he agreed. She had thought he would try to stop her, since the more prosperous a place was, the more dangerous it tended to be.

“Cultivation isn’t about staying in one place in seclusion until old age. That’s why sects occasionally send their disciples down the mountain to experience the world. Wasn’t it the same for Li Daoye and Abbess Qing He?” Fang Chen smiled. “This is the perfect chance to use a journey to see if you can form a Nascent Soul in one go.”

This was something he had planned for years. Eggs couldn’t all be kept in one basket. It was the perfect opportunity to send Fang Zhixue far away.

He truly wanted her to travel as well. Her wandering soul had already been conferred a decree. Even if she ran into danger, she could abandon the immortal path and walk the path of Ghost Gods instead.

***

In the years that followed, Fang Chen selected disciples from the Three Thousand Dao Sect, the Void Immortal Sword Sect, and the Desolate Academy. There were altogether 100 people, including Li Daoye and Fang Zhixue.

For this trip to the Nanqing Constellation, Fang Chen brought along the old flood dragon.

Upon hearing that they were heading for the Nanqing Constellation, the old flood dragon asked to bring ten juniors with him. Fang Chen generously gave him twenty spots and also brought Long Wu and Dongfang Haojie.

***

The Nanqing Constellation had no Starry Teleportation Formation—not for lack of ability, but because local cultivators forbade it.

Thus, after taking a shortcut through the Underworld to reach the closest point to the Nanqing Constellation, Fang Chen could only take an Immortal Boat to get there.

The journey would take about a year.

According to the Hidden Guard Division’s information, the Great Desolate Immortal and Immortal Xingyu had also set out. But it would likely take them more than a decade to arrive, far later than Fang Chen.

In the pitch-black void, divine radiance enveloped the Immortal Boat as it tore through space at high speed.

Onboard, over a hundred figures, regardless of cultivation, all had eyes brimming with excitement and fervor.

It was their first time entering the legendary Nine Heavens.

“They say that in the Nine Heavens you can’t breathe,” a young Void Immortal Sword Sect cultivator murmured. “Even if we cultivators stay long, we’ll eventually die unless our cultivation allows us to sustain embryonic breathing for over a hundred years.”

He was in the Foundation Building Realm. Beside him were a few fellow Foundation Building Realm cultivators, some from the Three Thousand Dao Sect, others from the Desolate Academy.

“A hundred years may not even be enough. Look at the speed of this Immortal Boat. Look at this Immortal Boat. It moves this fast only because Ancestor Fang himself propels it. If it were us, we’d lose our way in this endless void.”

“Our destination is called the Nanqing Constellation. I think I read about it somewhere in an ancient text. Back in the days of ancient cultivators, such a place was no different from the Immortal Realm!” someone said excitedly.

Everyone secretly clenched their fists, hearts pounding uncontrollably. None of them had imagined that one day they would follow their ancestor to such a sacred place.

At that moment, Fang Chen walked to the front of the crowd with the old flood dragon.

He said, “There’s something I told you before we set off, but I’ll say it again.”

Everyone looked at them with reverent eyes.

Among them were many old acquaintances of Fang Chen, Dongfang Haojie and his wife, Li Daoye, Fang Zhixue, his three disciples, Zhao Jiaolong and Hua Miaoqing from the Desolate Academy, Jing Yuehan, Jing Xu, and Langya Wenqiu from the Void Immortal Sword Sect.

“You’ve often seen cultivators fighting over territory before, right?” The old flood dragon smiled. “Where we’re going, the fighting will be even fiercer. You must not reveal your origins, lest you could bring disaster upon your homeland.”

Everyone agreed, firmly remembering his words.

Their origins could not be exposed; if they offended someone truly formidable, the result could be the destruction of Creation Star and Tuxiong Star.

Especially the twenty juniors the old flood dragon had brought. They had heard of the fate of the Nine Immortals Mountain Holy Land.

That holy land, considered the number one power on Creation Star, had been wiped out overnight; what chance did they have in comparison?

Once the old flood dragon delivered his warning, he ignored the crowd and went with Fang Chen to the bow of the ship, gazing out with emotion.

“Some call this place the Nine Heavens, others call it the Azure Expanse. I’ve heard no less than ten different names.”

Fang Chen smiled. “I’ve heard it’s called the Universe.”

The old flood dragon pondered, then smiled and nodded. “Whatever the name, it’s best we come here as little as possible. If spiritual energy runs out, even Loose Immortals will suffocate. That’s why most cultivators prefer to use Starry Teleportation Formations. Unless forced, they won’t easily venture into such dangerous territory.”

He glanced down at the boat beneath their feet and sighed. “This Immortal Boat is nothing more than an ordinary earth-grade treasure. If I hadn’t advanced to the fourth transformation, I might not have been able to drive it to the Nanqing Constellation.

“Once we get there, if there’s a chance, we should get a heaven-grade Immortal Boat. When I traveled before, I heard that some great powers have ships so fast that even a first-transformation Immortal piloting one could leave fifth or sixth transformation Immortals in the dust.”