Immortal of the Nine Realms

Time passed second by second. From believing Fang Chen would be swiftly defeated, to seeing the battle drag into a stalemate, everyone’s impression of him changed drastically.

Even Lin Yuan hadn’t expected Fang Chen to last this long.

Even if Fang Chen were to lose after Yu Tiange broke free, he had already done himself proud for the day.

“This kid... what’s his connection to the Radiant Divine Dao Sect? His Radiant Divine Eyes seem purer than Yu Wuxia’s,” muttered Lin Dong.

Suppressing his surprise, he glanced at Yu Wuxia, then at Fang Chen and Yu Tiange within the arena, the corners of his lips lifting slightly.

Even if Fang Chen lost, it didn’t matter. Fang Chen had displayed the spirit worthy of a bronze jade token holder, and the two core disciples would surely remember him.

The other members of the temporary alliance exchanged looks, their expressions complicated. They were all bronze jade token holders, yet none of them had expected Fang Chen to seize the advantage in the very first exchange.

“Did we overestimate Yu Tiange? Maybe his opponents during his year were too weak, and that’s how he got his silver jade token?”

“Maybe... that could really be the case.”

What everyone thought would be a brilliant spell duel had unexpectedly turned into a contest of raw spiritual energy and cultivation.

About the time it took to boil a cup of tea, the lightning finally ceased. Fang Chen withdrew the power of the earth element, and Yu Tiange fell heavily to the ground, eyes shut, lips purple, already unconscious. His injuries weren’t severe. He had simply exhausted his spiritual energy and physical strength.

Lin Yuan and the others stared at each other in disbelief. “The captain... actually won...”

The scene felt oddly familiar.

Back when Fang Chen had defeated them, he had looked just as calm, barely even out of breath.

Could it be that, even against Yu Tiange, their captain hadn’t gone all out?

Lin Dong was also surprised by the result, but soon chuckled softly. It seemed the disciple he had accepted had quite the potential. After advancing to the Tribulation stage, his cultivation had already surpassed his peers by far.

Li Shanzi looked at Yu Tiange briefly, then turned his gaze toward Fang Chen. He said, “You hold a bronze jade token, yet you were easily able to defeat a silver token holder. Did you encounter some new fortuitous chance after advancing to the Tribulation Realm?”

Fang Chen clasped his hands respectfully. “Reporting to Senior. My Radiant Divine Eyes became slightly stronger after advancing to the Tribulation Realm.”

“Oh, the Radiant Divine Eyes? That does sound plausible.” Li Shanzi nodded casually, then smiled at the young man beside him. “Junior Brother Ji, I’ve heard that the Minor Immortal Realm preserves the most complete heritage of Daoist arts. Do they still teach the Radiant Divine Eyes there?”

“They do,” the youth replied, “but it’s not easy to cultivate them anymore. Below the fourth level, the Radiant Divine Eyes aren’t particularly impressive among most techniques. For example, the Nine Tribulation Lightning Body, if cultivated to the Ninth Tribulation level, would surpass even the perfected Radiant Divine Eyes in power.”

He glanced at Yu Tiange. “He lost because he stopped at the Tribulation Realm, others simply surpassed him.”

Then, sweeping his eyes across the gathered crowd, he said, “Some of you are external cultivators from this year, others from previous batches. Let this be a reminder—at every realm, countless others will be chasing you. If you stop striving, those once far beneath you will overtake you sooner or later.”

Everyone grew thoughtful. Yu Tiange’s defeat truly made them question whether they themselves had grown complacent over the years.

“Alright, let’s continue the matches.”

***

Half a year passed since that spontaneous duel.

Yu Tiange’s temporary squad was still led by him, but when facing Fang Chen, he had already put away his arrogance. He now regarded Fang Chen as his equal.

That match hadn’t just seen Yu Tiange fall to Fang Chen. Another silver jade token holder had also been defeated, by a bronze jade token holder, no less.

That defeat had been even more one-sided than Yu Tiange’s, so Yu Tiange’s loss didn’t look bad by comparison. In the end, neither Fang Chen nor the bronze jade token holder who had defeated the other silver token took first place.

Instead, the final winner turned out to be an ordinary bronze jade token holder who conveniently claimed victory after Fang Chen and Yu Tiange had exhausted their spiritual energy.

The incident taught many of them an important lesson. Even someone like Yu Tiange had, without realizing it, begun to shed his pride.

“Captain, I think we’re almost there!” Lin Yuan suddenly called out.

Everyone gathered at the front of the Immortal Boat and looked into the distance.

Far ahead in the starry void, a strange sight appeared. It was a planet, half blazing red, half bone-white cold.

On the burning red side, waves of heat rolled like molten tides, and the nearby planets glowed faintly red from its influence.

The white side was equally extreme, frigid and lifeless.

“A planet split perfectly in two, one half scorching, one half frozen. So this is the Formless Purgatory of extreme heat and cold?”

“Can cultivators even set foot there? If we’re not burned to ash, we’ll probably freeze to dust,” Lin Yuan muttered.

Even from this far, they could already sense the terrifying power radiating from that world.

As soon as Lin Yuan finished speaking, the void before them rippled and a massive fleet suddenly emerged from the emptiness.

Thousands of Immortal Boats appeared, their hulls carved with statues of arhats and bodhisattvas. When they aligned, layer upon layer, they merged into the shape of an enormous Thousand Armed Guanyin.

“The Black Dragon.” Li Shanzi’s face darkened as he exchanged a glance with the young man.

“It’s the Rulai Monastary... I wonder which Honored One has come,” the young man said gravely.

Li Shanzi stepped forward and called out solemnly, “Li Shanzi of the Enlightenment God Palace requests passage into the Formless Purgatory. I ask your honored side to make way.”

The only reply was the activation of array cannons from the opposing fleet.

From within the Thousand Armed Guanyin formation, dozens of radiant arms burst forth with blinding Buddhist light. They were violent, scorching, destructive, and utterly desolate.

Li Shanzi’s expression turned furious. With a sharp wave of his hand, the Black Dragon’s massive protective shield expanded, covering all the surrounding Immortal Boats.

Each ship’s core began to tremble violently, channeling torrents of energy toward the Black Dragon to sustain the barrier.

Lin Yuan and the others instinctively closed their eyes, unable to even look at that annihilating light. Moments later, the entire formation shuddered violently for several breaths before calm slowly returned.

By then, Fang Chen had already withdrawn his divine soul, witnessing the first clash between both sides with his own eyes.

He was astonished, and deeply impressed.

In that instant, he finally understood why figures like Li Shanzi were considered core disciples, why even fifth transformation Immortals obeyed their commands.

The power behind that one strike from the Thousand Armed Guanyin formation was likely equivalent to the attack of a sixth transformation Immortal.

And yet, the twin Black Dragon ships commanded by Li Shanzi had jointly formed a formation strong enough to block it. In other words, both sides commanded forces capable of matching a sixth transformation Immortal head-on.

“In the Upper Three Realms,” Fang Chen thought silently, “the pursuit of power has already transcended individual strength. Their path is far ahead of that of the cultivators in the Lower Six Realms...”

And in that realization, he began to glimpse the direction of his own future.