Immortal of the Nine Realms

Fang Chen’s mind stirred, sensing Little Immortal Honglian’s unusual emotions.

He could guess what she was thinking. She probably thought that he had chosen to stay behind for her sake. In truth, such an assumption was not entirely wrong. He had already decided not to let Little Immortal Honglian out of his sight.

Her words drew everyone into silent contemplation.

In the end, Lin Yuan, from the Demonic Insect Immortal Sect, sighed softly. ”In truth, we all came from the Langgui Constellation. It’s only natural for us to stick together after arriving here. But if Fellow Daoist Fang has a better path ahead, you need not stay behind because of us.”

”Cultivation is like swimming upstream. If you’re not advancing, you’re already falling back. Only by constantly climbing to the peak can one witness the world’s most unique scenery.”

Yu Wuxia and the others exchanged glances but said nothing, their gazes simply fixed on Fang Chen.

”Joining another team might offer greater safety,” Fang Chen said calmly, ”but you all heard what was said earlier. The rewards are distributed according to cultivation level and the number of participants. I’m only at the Tribulation Realm. How much of a contribution could I make in a team that already has Ascension Realm cultivators and even a first transformation Taiyi Immortal? After one expedition to the Ancient Forbidden Zone, the benefits I obtain will likely be far less than you imagine.”

He smiled faintly. ”So I choose to stay, because I’m betting on something bigger. Together with all of you, after turning in seventy percent of our spoils, I’ll take the larger share from the remaining thirty percent. Perhaps the profits will far surpass anything the Mysterious King can offer.”

Everyone’s eyes lit up.

Meng Qingling couldn’t help but laugh. ”Now that’s what a cultivator should sound like! What’s the point of fretting over gains and losses? It’s this kind of spirit that defines a true cultivator! Our strength may not yet compare to theirs, but that doesn’t mean it never will. We have to brave dangers and snatch food from the jaws of tigers! That’s how one stands above others!”

The group cheered in agreement, one after the other.

The path of cultivation had always been a gamble. Fang Chen’s decision to stay and wager everything alongside them stirred everyone’s fighting spirit. If fortune favored them, they might seize a great opportunity in the Ancient Forbidden Zone and rise to prominence overnight.

”Senior Lin once said we should first familiarize ourselves with this place before retrieving the Immortal Boat,” Meng Qingling suggested. ”Now that everyone’s here, why don’t we go collect it right away?”

”I’ve heard the Enlightenment God Palace’s Immortal Boats are quite special. I want to see what makes them so!”

The others nodded in agreement and turned toward Fang Chen.

He, too, was curious about the special Immortal Boat that Lin Dong had mentioned, so he led the group to the Hall of Merits.

Whether to claim spirit stones, retrieve an Immortal Boat, or turn in treasures from the Ancient Forbidden Zone, all had to be done through it.

When they arrived, they happened to see a large group swaggering inside. The leader was a first-transformation Immortal. He stood tall and upright, his steps steady and powerful, exuding the aura of a dragon among men.

Behind him followed several Ascension and Tribulation Realm cultivators. Some of them were already boasting to acquaintances about their recent success.

”Our captain led us into Ancient Forbidden Zone No.157 and seized a spirit herb needed by first-transformation Taiyi Immortals, the Mysterious Ice Cicada Grass.”

A chorus of sharp intakes of breath filled the hall. The weakest cultivators around were at the Dao Union Realm. Only cultivators of that realm barely possessed the qualification to explore the Ancient Forbidden Zones.

Upon hearing of the team’s spoils, fiery desire flashed in everyone’s eyes.

As a first-transformation immortal herb for the Taiyi Immortal Path, the Mysterious Ice Cicada Grass was worth at least two hundred immortal crystals! Even after deducting the Enlightenment God Palace’s share, they could still keep sixty immortal crystals!

Such a fortune would make not only a first transformation Immortal but even a second or third transformation Immortal jealous!

The presiding elder of the Hall of Merits, a second-transformation Immortal, greeted the expedition’s captain warmly. In front of everyone, he accepted the Mysterious Ice Cicada Grass and then handed over sixty immortal crystals.

”Captain,” Lin Yuan whispered as he leaned closer, ”I just found out... that was the Tiger King Expedition Team. Seems that most of the famous teams here use the word ’King’ in their names.

”That first-transformation immortal is called the Tiger King. He follows the path of the Blood Flesh Demon Immortal, and his true form is that of a beast cultivator,” Lin Yuan continued.

Fang Chen wasn’t particularly interested in such gossip. His mind was instead preoccupied with figuring out how to gather 3,000 immortal crystals.

Maybe I could find a secluded place, pretend to have discovered the path to True Immortality in the Ancient Forbidden Zone, and sell the information?

Fang Chen quickly dismissed the idea.

No... If Wang Chongsong ended up like that, doing the same would draw too much attention from the higher-ups. Should they send even one or two Ancient Immortals to investigate, my skills would never fool them. I would be in deep trouble.

It would be wiser to make use of the Mirror of the Universe and wander around Ancient Forbidden Zone No.157 to see what opportunities presented themselves.

If danger arose, there was always the fourth-transformation Sword Immortal, Huang Wuji, who could appear to fight. Even a fifth-transformation immortal would have to think twice before crossing him.

After the Tiger King Expedition Team received their crystals, they left in high spirits, leaving the Hall of Merits noticeably quieter.

Fang Chen led his group to the elder. He bowed. ”Senior, we’re here to collect our Immortal Boat.”

The elder glanced over them casually, his gaze soon drawn to the bronze glow of the jade token hanging at Fang Chen’s waist. A smile spread across his face. ”Oh, so you’re the newcomer Fellow Daoist Lin brought back recently? And you even earned a bronze jade token during the assessment? Not bad, not bad! If you came with him, you must be from the Langgui Constellation too. Work hard! You’ve got a promising future ahead.”

As he spoke, he drew a miniature Immortal Boat from his sleeve and handed it to Fang Chen.

”This is the standard Immortal Boat of the Enlightenment God Palace, the Essence Long.”

”It carries an Immortal Imprint, classified as a low-grade Heavenly Artifact. However, since cultivators of your level would struggle to activate it, we’ve made a few modifications. Once you refine it yourselves, you’ll understand its secrets.”

A Heavenly Artifact?

Everyone’s eyes gleamed with excitement.

They had only just become affiliated cultivators of the Enlightenment God Palace, yet the Immortal Boat they were granted was already a Heavenly Artifact.

For those at the Dao Union Realm, Heavenly Artifacts were usually distant dreams, unattainable in a lifetime. To obtain one so easily now, even if it was just an Immortal Boat, spoke volumes about the immense resources and heritage the Enlightenment God Palace possessed.

”Junior Brother Fang, you’ve already collected your Immortal Boat?”

A familiar voice came from behind. Turning around, they saw Xu Qian. Her expression was one of deep contemplation. After giving them a brief smile, she turned to the second-transformation Immortal and said, ”Senior Wu, the Chongxu Expedition Team has merged into our Mysterious King Expedition Team. This was their previous Immortal Boat. We intend to exchange this for maintenance and reinforcement of ourBattle Dragon Immortal Boat.”

She handed over a miniature Immortal Boat.

Only then did Fang Chen and his group notice that more than a dozen Tribulation Realm cultivators stood behind Xu Qian, all looking dejected.

Using an Immortal Boat to exchange for repairs and reinforcement for someone else?

Everyone’s expressions shifted slightly.

Could it be that Xu Qian’s earlier attempt to recruit Fang Chen was not for his strength, but for his qualification to claim an Immortal Boat?

At that realization, Meng Qingling and the others couldn’t help but shoot Xu Qian a few dark, resentful glances.