Immortal of the Nine Realms

“So it’s gotten that bad...” Ji Tianjun’s gaze grew distant for a moment before he gave a bitter smile. “The problems here have never been resolved, mainly because those Yang Gods are simply too vile. They keep meddling in our affairs and sabotaging our plans.”

“First of all, the lost key must be found,” said Little Immortal Honglian slowly.

She explained, “Once the key is found, a major step of the plan will be complete. Our homeland can then pay a heavy price to send that artifact back into this world. Then, we will be able to reincarnate here. That is the foundation for re-establishing our clan. As long as the key remains missing, we cannot reincarnate, because the people here have not yet all been cleansed. If they, too, are allowed to reincarnate, the situation will only grow worse.”

Ji Tianjun mused, “But... theoretically speaking, that key shouldn’t have gone missing. Our clansmen are currently investigating this matter in every possible way. Once the cause is found, the rest will be easy.

“Their Underworld here is also a problem. There are two Divine Artifacts we still cannot control. But once the first issue is resolved, that problem will likely be solved as well.”

“That’s your problem,” said Little Immortal Honglian coolly. “I’ve only just reincarnated here. I’m not yet qualified to get involved.”

“Your Highness, should I first assist you in becoming one of the core disciples of the Enlightenment God Palace?” Ji Tianjun asked cautiously.

“There’s no need for your help,” Little Immortal Honglian said calmly. “Other clansmen have already made contact with me. They know what to do next.”

“Then... will you allow me to stay by your side for now? I mean no offense, only that it would be easier to protect you. The expedition team you’re in seems...”

Ji Tianjun observed her expression, a hint of hope flickering in his eyes.

“That expedition team is just fine,” Little Immortal Honglian said with a faint smile. “My captain has the potential to become a core disciple of the Enlightenment God Palace, perhaps even a major figure in the future. I’ll become his friend, find a way to awaken his memories. He’ll make an excellent ally.”

She perhaps didn’t even realize that a subtle, unfamiliar emotion flickered in her eyes as she spoke.

Ji Tianjun frowned ever so slightly, then smiled. “That’s good, then.”

Fang Chen glanced at her with a smile, letting out an amused snort.

Oh? It seems Fellow Daoist Honglian thinks quite highly of me.

It appeared that Little Immortal Honglian was capable of awakening a person’s past-life memories. However, it didn’t seem like she could do it on a large scale, but instead on an individual basis.

And there was that key they mentioned, capable of restoring everyone’s true identity at once.

“By the way,” Little Immortal Honglian suddenly asked, “do you know about the Spirit God Sect?”

Fang Chen blinked, caught off guard. Why is she suddenly asking about that sect?

“I do,” Ji Tianjun replied, nodding slowly. “I suspect there are Yang Gods within the Spirit God Sect, ones who know the truth of this world. Their cultivators roam the Nine Mortal Realms, slaughtering mortals under the guise of refining the Blood Spirit Pill.”

“They are, after all, our people,” Little Immortal Honglian said coldly. “They shouldn’t be allowed to continue like this. Among those mortals they slaughter, there could be souls capable of becoming our clan’s bravest warriors. Do you have a way to counter them?”

Ji Tianjun gave a helpless smile. “Your Highness, I’ve only recently regained my memories. Apart from meeting you, I’ve contacted only a few other clansmen, and none of them are strong. But from what they’ve deduced, the existence of the Killing Spiritual Division may very well be something our clan established to counter the Spirit God Sect.”

That revelation struck Fang Chen like a bolt of lightning. The two couldn’t see him, but if they could, they would have seen the sheer shock on his face.

“Hmm. Still, all of you should act cautiously. Both sides are probing each other, but we hold the advantage. All of this rests on the foundation our ancestors laid. If not for the few who discovered this place long ago, our clan would never have had such a retreat. It’s a pity, those ancestors were brave beyond measure, nearly breaking through the two most unique powers of this realm. Yet in the end, they fell... to the most unassuming of mortals.”

After some further discussion, Ji Tianjun arranged for Little Immortal Honglian to be escorted back.

“Fellow Daoist Honglian,” Lin Yuan asked curiously, “that senior who called for you, was he from your sect?”

Little Immortal Honglian nodded lightly. “You could say that.”

She glanced briefly at Fang Chen, then ignored Lin Yuan and returned to her cabin to recover.

A wry smile appeared on Fang Chen’s face as he sensed her enter meditation.

It’s getting harder and harder to tell who’s human and who’s not.

He never imagined that one day he would learn that the Spirit God Sect, which he had always seen as filth, might actually be fighting the common enemy of the Nine Mortal Realms.

And that the Killing Spiritual Division, in contrast, was the blade wielded by the enemy’s camp.

“Forget it,” he thought coldly. “Whether you’re human or ghost, you’ll end up in the Underworld all the same. Once you’re there, it doesn’t matter which you are.”

The Underworld was the true foundation—to control it was to control the Nine Mortal Realms.

The enemies had indeed realized this, and had torn through the Underworld and the Immortal Realm, even stealing the Divine Artifact Little Immortal Honglian had spoken of, no doubt the treasure that governed reincarnation.

If one day they recovered the key, and the Nine Mortal Realms fell... then Fang Chen would stand guard over the Underworld till the very end.

Perhaps that was exactly what the old master and the others had been striving for.

“But their situation seems unclear too. Perhaps that’s why they can’t act freely here? Or is it simply that the distance makes crossing over impossible?”

That thought stirred within him. He remembered the trace of helplessness that had crossed Little Immortal Honglian’s face as she spoke with Ji Tianjun.

“If it’s the former,” he mused, “then even if they make it here, they’ll have to face the true powerhouses of the Nine Mortal Realms. As long as their memories remain sealed, they aren’t truly demons. If it’s the latter... Well, either way, if we can delay long enough, they might just collapse on their own.”

“Little Immortal Honglian said humanity hasn’t yet been cleansed, that means a great many human souls are still lingering in the Floating Pagoda Realm or the Lesser Underworld. If they can reincarnate again, given enough time, order could be restored. Or better yet, have these demons reincarnate here a few hundred times until they’re completely assimilated.”

Fang Chen decided that when the chance came, he would research this further, to see if there existed another method of reincarnation. That might be the first step toward breaking the stalemate.

After several more years of travel, their ever-growing fleet finally drew near the Formless Purgatory.

Before their eyes unfolded a massive chaotic battle, hundreds, even thousands, of Immortal Boat formations clashing. One of them resembled the Black Dragon Formation, yet differed slightly. Its form stretched for tens of thousands of feet.

At that moment, it was locked in fierce combat with another formation, the power of their formations so vast that no nearby fleet dared to approach.