Immortal of the Nine Realms

Ning Beiyou and the others were stunned at first, then flew into a rage.

With just a few words, these immortals had stripped them of their positions as Division Masters, just like that?

”Immortal Dayu, you don’t have the authority to strip Division Masters of their posts. This requires several layers of approval. What you are doing is against the rules,” Xu Nangui gloomily said.

”I will begin the process of approvals as soon as I leave the Nanqing Constellation. Don’t hold onto false hopes. With my position, no one will be able to protect you,” Immortal Dayu said coldly. ”You entertained Huang Qingque in his reckless schemes. You should have anticipated this day.”

”Enough. This time, we truly lost. The winner is king, the loser is the bandit,” said Huang Qingque. ”Just listen to Immortal Dayu. From now on, we are fellow Daoists, no longer comrades.”

A former Xie Zhi cultivator gave a bitter smile. ”Fellow Daoist Qingque, doesn’t that make us... a total joke?”

Huang Qingque comforted them. ”You cannot twist the arm of a stronger man. We’ve done what we could, and our efforts over the years weren’t in vain. I believe that if the higher levels of the Killing Spiritual Division ever wish to reorganize Xie Zhi, the precious experience we leave behind will be of use to them. Our efforts won’t be for nothing.”

Ji Du Kongyuan and Immortal Feilu said nothing. Immortal Longfu gave a small smile, but did not refute Huang Qingque’s words.

After turning in their Killing Spiritual Division jade tokens and Xie Zhi tokens, the group departed the valley one after another under the gaze of Immortal Dayu and the others.

Just as Fang Chen was about to leave, Wang Chongsong called out to him, saying a few kind words. He also shared that he had some insights into puppet arts and hoped they could draw closer in the future.

Fang Chen nodded respectfully in response before leaving the valley.

”You really have to admit, the group Huang Qingque had gathered is full of top-tier talents,” Immortal Longfu sighed. ”If they hadn’t offended every Division Master over the years, they might well have risen high within the Killing Spiritual Division with their strength.”

Immortal Dayu sneered coldly. ”Huang Qingque was too hasty, so hasty that even Huang Daojing couldn’t restrain himself from moving against him. This goes to show how untenable Xie Zhi was in the Killing Spiritual Division.”

Ji Du Kongyuan nodded. ”Though I’ve been in the Nanqing Constellation for a while now, I’ve heard quite a bit of gossip within the division. Xie Zhi’s existence has caused plenty of unrest within the division, with complaints all around.”

”What we need now is stability. Xie Zhi’s existence is the opposite of that.” Immortal Feilu smiled faintly. ”Some Division Masters’ methods may not be perfect, but they haven’t harmed the foundation of the division. They should be given more chances. It’s not good to wipe them out in one stroke.”

”Four honored superiors, I was only dragged here to make up the numbers. If there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave,” Wang Chongsong said with a beaming smile, clasping his hands.

The four sixth-transformation Immortals’ expressions stayed indifferent as they nodded slightly. In their eyes, only experts at their level counted as true peers. Below the sixth transformation, even as colleagues, one was still lacking.

***

The wandering souls of Ji Tiandu and Madam Suya, who had followed Fang Chen relentlessly, finally understood his origins.

Ji Tiandu’s expression was heavy. ”Sister-in-law, if he is a cultivator of the Killing Spiritual Division, then our earlier guess was wrong. It wasn’t the Lesser Immortal Realm obstructing us.”

Madam Suya frowned. ”The last time you negotiated with Huang Qingque of the Killing Spiritual Division, asking him to ease his hand on Tuxiong Star. Did you say anything that might have offended him?”

She suddenly realized that their failure on the Tuxiong Star might have hinged on Ji Tiandu.

Knowing him well, she suspected he may have unintentionally offended Huang Qingque, which caused the Killing Spiritual Division not only to withhold help but to act against them.

Ji Tiandu’s expression grew uneasy. ”My words were not overstepping. I could not have offended the Killing Spiritual Division. We negotiated, and they accepted both our and the Spirit God Sect’s terms.”

Watching Huang Qingque walk ahead of the group, Madam Suya’s eyes flashed with horror. ”Then why did they stab us in the back? I suspect the Great Desolate Immortal... may have been schemed against by the Killing Spiritual Division.”

Ji Tiandu sucked in a sharp breath. ”You mean... the Great Desolate Immortal was schemed against by Huang Qingque?”

As he recalled the details, his skin prickled with goosebumps.

Could the enmity between Great Desolate Immortal and Immortal Xingyu have all been orchestrated by the Killing Spiritual Division?And Xi Zian of the Myriad Immortal Palace... was he not also killed by that old man?

Leaving behind the aura of a Blood Flesh Demon Immortal, tricking Immortal Xingyu into believing the Great Desolate Immortal had struck?

Ji Tiandu gnashed his teeth in hatred. ”Damn it! If it really was the Killing Spiritual Division, we’ll have to settle this debt with them sooner or later.”

Up ahead, Huang Qingque walked together with the group. They were no longer Xie Zhi, no longer Division Masters of the Killing Spiritual Division. The mission had ended early. There was no need to conceal their identities anymore.

”Fellow Daoist Qingque, are we really going to leave with our tails between our legs? Do you truly not know which of those four is the traitor?”

One former Xiezhi cultivator spoke up. ”You could at least tell us. Even if we can’t act now, we should at least know what is going on.”

All eyes turned to Huang Qingque.

He sighed and shook his head. ”Perhaps Division Master Duan had found some clue, but now that he has fallen, that lead is cut off.”

The group fell silent.

They returned to the courtyard in Shikong Market, where they had first gathered.

”Everyone, it is I who implicated you this time. If in the future you encounter trouble, you may go to the Huang clan and look for my father. He will lend a hand.” Huang Qingque lifted his teacup. ”I’ll use tea in place of wine to toast you all, wishing each of you a bright future.”

Everyone raised their cups and downed their drink.

Ning Beiyou suddenly said, ”Fellow Daoist Qingque, from your words, it sounds as if you won’t be staying in the True Martial Realm?”

”I promised my family that if Xie Zhi failed this time, I would follow their arrangement and head to the Upper Three Realms to cultivate,” Huang Qingque shared softly.

The group exchanged glances, a smile rising. For them, this was good news. Having a former comrade cultivating in the Upper Realms might bring them unexpected help someday.

”May your journey go smoothly, Fellow Daoist Qingque,” said Xu Nangui.

Then, curious, he asked, ”We know little of the Upper Three Realms. Have you gathered any information about them in advance?”

”Don’t be fooled by their mysterious reputation. They are not such wonderful places. The struggles there are far bloodier than in the Lower Six Realms. My family intends to send me there to temper myself, so I’ll be prepared in advance to become a fourth-transformation immortal.”

Huang Qingque seemed unwilling to speak further and shifted the topic.

The next day, under everyone’s gaze, Huang Qingque departed.

Fang Chen and the others also each went their own way.

Outside Shikong Market, Fang Chen glanced back once. Something about all this felt off.

Perhaps both Huang Qingque and Immortal Dayu were hiding secrets of their own. But Fang Chen no longer intended to involve himself in this chaos. Once he bought the Immortal Marrow, he would leave the Nanqing Constellation and return to his cultivation.