Immortal of the Nine Realms

Fang Chen mulled over Wang Chongsong’s words carefully for a long while before finally speaking.

”So what you mean,” he said, ”Is that even if someone, like you, believes themselves to be a human, under the lure of profit, they might still stand by and watch, perhaps even approve what is happening while those beings plunder the Nine Mortal Realms?”

Wang Chongsong nodded. ”That factor can’t be ruled out. Many people appear trustworthy on the surface, but in truth are not. Perhaps what they do may seem right in your eyes, but can you be certain of their true intent?”

”For example... like you?”

”Yes, like me,” Wang Chongsong said with a grin. ”I wouldn’t truly trust you, and you shouldn’t truly trust me either. To accomplish this matter, I’m enough on my own. You can assist me here and there, but as for the core matters, I won’t hand them to you. Nor will I tell you what they are.”

He smiled. ”How about we exchange some information instead?”

”Alright,” Fang Chen said with a faint smile. ”I’ll ask first.”

”Go ahead.”

”Why did you plant the Inverse Immortal Demonic Embryo in Little Yu? Out of all those people in the Void Immortal Sword Sect, why her? And can she, like you, seal away her past-life memories?”

”That counts as two questions,” Wang Chongsong said with a shrug. ”But no matter. I can tell you. Her identity in her past life wasn’t simple. I once possessed a treasure that could reveal a person’s past and present lives. Unfortunately, it was stolen from me.”

A look of pain crossed his face as he sighed softly. ”As for sealing memories, that depends entirely on her. If she’s willing, she can seal them. I’ve experimented several times over the years. It’s impossible to strip away past-life memories when placing the Inverse Immortal Demonic Embryo.”

Past and present lives? The Grand Limitless Divine Mirror?

Fang Chen gave Wang Chongsong a strange look.

That fellow had probably lied to his senior sister. After all, the Grand Limitless Divine Mirror had been in Fang Chen’s possession from the beginning, until someone else grabbed it a few years ago.

No wonder Wang Chongsong had used the mirror’s clues as a bargaining chip to trade a Formation Heart from her.

”Now it’s my turn,” Wang Chongsong said with a faint smile. ”Monarch Yan’s inheritance of the underworld... did it fall to you?”

”Yes,” Fang Chen nodded, smiling slightly. ”The righteous path of the Ghost Gods might, in a way, help mitigate the dangers this whole affair brings.”

”Ha!” Wang Chongsong gave a derisive laugh. ”The righteous path of the Ghost Gods? If that were truly useful, we wouldn’t have lost so miserably. That path isn’t easy to walk, but these days, there are few left in the Nine Mortal Realms who are even striving for this cause. If you wish to use it to accomplish your goal, I won’t stop you.”

”Would you be interested in receiving a decree?” Fang Chen asked with a faint smile. ”With one, your actions would be much easier.”

”Oh, spare me,” Wang Chongsong said, waving his hand. ”If you try to confer me, we’ll walk separate paths from then on. The next time we meet, we’ll be mortal enemies.”

”We should’ve been enemies already,” Fang Chen said coolly. ”Back when you laid hands on Little Yu, you and I were already bound by karma. Regardless of who she was in her past life, in this life, she belongs to me. Were it not for you, she wouldn’t have ended up like this.”

”She isn’t dead,” Wang Chongsong replied calmly. ”It’s just that her present-life memories haven’t fully matured. From my perspective, I did nothing wrong. If you wish to seek revenge for that, I’ll oblige.”

He smiled lightly, his gaze steady, neither guilty nor afraid.

Fang Chen said, ”If reincarnation seals one’s memories, then you’re suggesting to let her reincarnate on Enlightenment Star through the Enlightenment Underworld Realm?”

Wang Chongsong’s expression shifted slightly. ”That could work. But throughout the process, you’ll need to avoid certain potential enemies, ones you haven’t yet discovered. If they discover you, you’ll die without a grave. Even as Monarch Yan, you won’t escape death.”

”Anyway, I can help you with this.”

Fang Chen frowned. ”How?”

”Not yet,” Wang Chongsong said. ”You’ll have to wait. Once I successfully infiltrate their ranks, then I’ll be able to help you manage it.”

He smiled, then paused for a moment. ”What are Yun He and the others up to lately?”

”I don’t know,” Fang Chen said with a shake of his head. ”I haven’t seen them in a long time.”

Wang Chongsong said, ”These Anomalies... do you know that if it weren’t for them using a forbidden technique, the Nine Mortal Realms would have fallen long ago? They sealed the souls of those reincarnated beings, preventing them from recovering their past-life memories. But the spell drained too much of their essence. It made them ill, their memories flickering between clarity and confusion. If not for that, if they could act freely, humanity’s cultivators might already have gained the upper hand.”

”It’s like a chess game,” Fang Chen said. ”They made a move to send their people into reincarnation, and this side countered by sealing their ability to regain their memories?”

”Something like that,” Wang Chongsong sighed.

”Now that the Inverse Immortal Demonic Embryo is under your control, as long as you don’t side with them, wouldn’t that mean they’ve already lost?” Fang Chen asked.

”Ridiculous!” Wang Chongsong snorted. ”Lost? Hardly. My past life isn’t the only one that mastered the Inverse Immortal Demonic Embryo. They devised that very technique because they discovered the Anomalies who intended to break the stalemate. Anyone who controls this art has the chance to shatter the confusion of the womb by themselves. If they awaken and spread the technique, the line between friend and foe will blur completely.”

He added indifferently, ”Otherwise, why do you think I’ve been experimenting for years, trying to refine it?”

”Any success?”

”Not a damn bit,” Wang Chongsong said bluntly.

”What about the Spirit God Sect and the Killing Spiritual Division?” Fang Chen asked.

”You noticed that?” Wang Chongsong looked mildly surprised, then chuckled darkly. ”Unexpected, isn’t it? The leader of the Spirit God Sect should be one of ours. His actions align with our aims, though whether his ultimate goal matches ours, that’s uncertain. As for the lower-level followers, they understand nothing. They merely seek to use mortal blood to refine Blood Spirit Pills, ensuring the sect’s foundations remain stable year after year.”

”And the Killing Spiritual Division?”

”As you probably guessed,” Wang Chongsong said, his smile thin, ”Their top figure belongs to the other side. Everything he does serves their purpose. But the ones below him? They’re simpler. Some lost family to the Spirit God Sect’s atrocities. Others merely couldn’t stomach its cruelty. There are countless motives, none worth tallying.”

He laughed lightly. ”I’ve been on both sides, so I probably understand it better than you. You’re feeling conflicted now, aren’t you? Can’t tell who’s friend or foe?”

”A little...” Fang Chen admitted.

”It’s simple,” Wang Chongsong said. ”Just do what you believe is right.”

He waved his hand in dismissal. ”Those wandering souls are our seeds. Since you got here first, I’ll leave them to you. I’d planned to take them myself and secretly send them to Enlightenment Star.”

”From now on, in the Enlightenment Underworld Realm, I’ll contact you directly,” he continued. ”But don’t come looking for me. Understand?”

Fang Chen’s eyes flickered. ”You intended to take them to the Enlightenment Underworld Realm?”

He had thought Wang Chongsong’s plan was driven by the affair with Fairy Yu, but now it seemed that from the very beginning, Wang Chongsong had meant to scatter those seeds. And he was on the verge of succeeding!

”You’re Monarch Yan now,” Wang Chongsong said. ”For the time being, they’ll be under your care. I’ll need some time to finish my preparations. Next time, I’ll come find you here. Just have someone ready to meet with me.”

”Why can the Formation Heart dissolve the seal here?” Fang Chen suddenly asked.

Wang Chongsong froze for a moment, then laughed. ”Why should I tell you? It’s not like I actually trust you.”

With that, he rose into the air and stepped into the Forgotten River. Beneath his feet appeared a boat, which cut through the waters and carried him swiftly away.