Immortal of the Nine Realms

Fang Chen pondered, I’ve reached the early stage of the Tribulation Realm.... It won’t be long before I get to the Ascension Realm. There’s an important matter to consider next... I should decide which Immortal Path I will take....

His advancement to the Tribulation Realm didn’t excite him that much. Instead, he began to analyse the different Immortal Paths.

There were countless Immortal Paths in the world. While others needed to consider how far an Immortal Path could go, Fang Chen could simply feed Mirror of the Universe immortal crystals and uncover the immortal medicines required in any path. Thus, it was only a matter of which Immortal Path suited him best, not which one was most complete.

It was universally acknowledged that the True Immortal Path was the best—this conclusion had been verified through countless years in the Immortal Realm. If he found no better alternative, he’d walk the True Immortal Path.

However, when searching for the corresponding immortal medicines, he’d need to act discreetly and cautiously, lest he catch the Minor Immortal Realm’s attention.

Had he been in the Lower Six Realms, he might not have been so worried, but now that he couldn’t enter the Underworld in the Upper Three Realms, he had temporarily lost his strongest trump card.

If he attracted the attention of fifth-transformation or sixth-transformation immortals, even with the help of Huang Wuji, Fang Tianzun, Fang Xuanyang, and Fang Renjian, it would still be hard to retaliate.

Meng Qingling bowed in admiration. ”Congratulations, Leader! With your ascension to the Tribulation Realm, the core strength of our team will only grow stronger!”

”Congratulations, Daoist Fang!”

Yu Wuxia and the others also chirped in to congratulate him.

Although there was some envy and jealousy in their hearts, their congratulations were genuine. Now that they were on the same team, the stronger the team’s overall strength, the greater the benefits for everyone.

”Our leader is probably immersed in the joy of his breakthrough. Do not disturb him,” reminded a team member.

”Yes, he needs space to stabilise his aura,” said another member.

The group rushed to make way for him.

After a cup of tea’s time, Fang Chen retracted his aura. His body seemed to shimmer briefly with flowing light.

He cupped his fist toward Lin Dong and thanked him for his protection.

Lin Dong smiled and said, ”Mm, you have just ascended to the Tribulation Realm. Your cultivation still needs some time to stabilise. Fortunately, the assessment still has a few years before it ends, so you can focus on stabilising your cultivation on the Immortal Boat.”

Fang Chen nodded.

***

Several years later, Immortal Taixu and the others finally completed the assessment task.

Not only did they travel across the Eight Major Constellations, but they also visited many famous places under the Eight Major Constellations. In total, the Enlightenment God Palace recruited thousands of external cultivators. Such efficiency in talent gathering was something most sects couldn’t achieve.

Just when Yu Wuxia and the others thought they were about to be taken by Lin Dong to the Enlightenment God Palace, they were surprised when he led them to a distant planet far from Langgui Constellation. The journey alone took more than ten years, most of which was spent traveling through Qingming.

”This planet was discovered during my exploration efforts. The cultivators here are relatively weak, and resources are scarce. The only advantage is that it is close to Ancient Forbidden Zone Number 157,” explained Lin Dong as he led them to a cave dwelling he had established here, which was independent of the planet.

Here, they saw many cultivators—some at the Dao Union Realm, some at the Tribulation Realm, some at the Ascension Realm, and several first and second-transformation Immortals. They treated Lin Dong with great respect. From time to time, groups of cultivators would drive their Immortal boats into Qingming.

”You will stay here for a long time, until you achieve Loose Immortality,” commanded Lin Dong indifferently.

He explained, ”During this time, you can choose to cultivate in seclusion or explore Ancient Forbidden Zone Number 157. According to the minimum standard for external cultivators, the Enlightenment God Palace will provide you with twenty high-grade spirit stones annually. If you want more, you’ll have to obtain them from Ancient Forbidden Zone Number 157. However, whatever you find within Ancient Forbidden Zone Number 157, you’ll have to hand over seventy percent.

”Additionally, the Ancient Forbidden Zone has yet to be claimed, which means you’ll encounter Qingming Exploration Teams from other major factions.”

The team’s expressions turned grave.

Seeing the looks on their faces, he paused and added, ”We have agreements in place, but there are still significant risks. You’ll also have to face the dangers from the Ancient Forbidden Zone itself. Well, at least you all are qualified to explore the place. This qualification is something many cultivators in Upper Three Realms can only dream of.”

With that, he led them to a mountain range where countless cave dwellings were located. He chose twenty uninhabited cave dwellings and arranged for Fang Chen and the others to settle in them.

He looked at Fang Chen and said, ”I’ve taken you as my disciple, but I did not hold any grand feast for you. When you ascend to the Ascension Realm in the future, I will hold a formal ceremony and properly receive you as my disciple. For now, you’re just a registered disciple. Every year, I will give you ten additional high-grade spirit stones.

”Moreover, since you’ve upgraded your jade token to the bronze rank in the assessment, you’ll get ten additional high-grade spirit stones annually. Altogether, you’ll get 40 high-grade spirit stones each year. When the time comes, you may proceed to the Hall of Merits to claim them.”

Turning to the others, he ordered, ”Rest for a few months, get familiar with the operations here, and then go collect the Immortal Boat assigned to your team. The Enlightenment God Palace’s Immortal Boats are crucial in the Ancient Forbidden Zone. They are key to whether you can return alive.”

After Lin Dong left, the group gathered together to talk for a while, then returned to their respective cave dwellings.

Fang Chen released Huang Wuji from the World Gourd and sighed, ”I thought we’d be entering the Enlightenment God Palace, but it seems we’ve been taken to this remote place.”

”Young Master, how about I find an opportunity to contact the Immortal Worshipping Palace to cancel our contract and directly purchase the information you want?” suggested Huang Wuji.

Fang Chen thought for a moment before shaking his head. ”I have another way. It might require a lot of immortal crystals. Stay in the World Gourd for now, and when I leave this place, I’ll find an opportunity to release you.”

Huang Wuji nodded and returned to the World Gourd.

Fang Chen took out the Mirror of the Universe and inquired, ”If I want to know the whereabouts of Wang Chongsong, how many immortal crystals will it cost?”

”Old pal, if you want to know his whereabouts, it will cost quite a bit. At least 20,000 immortal crystals,” answered Mirror of the Universe.

20,000?

That was indeed a lot. He only had around 900 immortal crystals on hand, a long way from the 20,000 needed.

Back at the Immortal Exchange, even the Immortal Register had only cost 16,000 immortal crystals and seven taels of immortal marrow. At 800 immortal crystals per tael, the Immortal Register had been valued at around 21,600 immortal crystals.

Didn’t that mean that Wang Chongsong’s whereabouts were more valuable than an Immortal Register?

”Old pal, you might try asking in a different way,” hinted Mirror of the Universe. ”That might reduce the number of immortal crystals required.”

Fang Chen’s expression shifted. ”A different way?”

After pondering for a while, he asked, ”What about the whereabouts of Immortal Changkong? How many immortal crystals would that cost?”

”3,000 is enough! Just 3,000!” replied Mirror of the Universe joyfully.

It had been a long time since it had business. Mirror of the Universe couldn’t be happier to strike a deal.