Immortal of the Nine Realms

According to the flow of information within Monarch Yan’s Seal, if the Yin Beast Decree succeeded, the ancient tree demon would become a special Ghost God.That was how it was unique. It could traverse freely between the two realms by Monarch Yan’s will, without expending any Yin Lifespan. Because of that, its decree was far more costly than the Day Walker lineage, but if the decree succeeded, it could move effortlessly between realms.

Ordinary Ghost Gods, when summoned by Monarch Yan to the Mortal Realm, would consume a portion of Yin Lifespan for every crossing.

Fang Chen had stayed in the Floating Pagoda Realm for several years, yet he had rarely seen a true sentient Yin Beast. More often, what people called Yin Beasts were once human wandering souls who, through endless slaughter and karmic entanglement, lost their minds and turned into Great Yin Demons. They were brutal, mindless creatures that could hardly be called sentient.

Fang Chen thought, If Monarch Yan’s Seal recognizes it as a sentient Yin Beast, then this tree’s previous form must have been a true, living spirit beast. Whether in the Mortal Realm or the Underworld, plant spirits live for countless years. It wasn’t fully transformed into a demon, yet it still survived to this day. Its nature must have had something to do with that.

Watching the ancient tree’s resistance grow weaker and weaker, Fang Chen finally relaxed. If nothing unexpected happened, this decree had an eighty to ninety percent chance of succeeding.

Most of the spirit beasts from its era had either perished in ancient wars or been erased by the flow of time. Without extraordinary talent, the ancient tree could never have lingered until now.

Before long, the Yin Lifespan within Monarch Yan’s Seal had dropped to a little over 300,000. Nearly 400,000 years of Yin Lifespan had already been consumed to compose the new decree, which now gradually overlaid the old one.

The process was slow, but steady progress was being made.

”For the Day Walker lineage, a fourth-transformation Yin Demon usually costs about 60,000 years of Yin Lifespan,” Fang Chen calculated. ”Half that for a soldier, double that for a Yin Beast, so about 120,000. At this rate, with more than 400,000 years expended already, this tree’s strength must be at least a fifth transformation Yin Demon, Realm, perhaps even sixth.”

He sighed in awe. To subdue such a creature would be a tremendous boon for him. If the beast’s power could also power the Zhu Long, then he would essentially have a fifth, or even sixth-transformation, expert at his command.

With Huang Wuji, Yuting Zhai, and the others, he could soon form a formidable team, one capable of unleashing seventy to eighty percent of the Zhu Long’s full potential.

The strength of the Enlightenment God Palace’s core forces largely came from the large number of auxiliary cultivators attached to them. If the palace hadn’t been able to quickly equip its core members with such teams to support their growth, a single person alone could never pilot a vessel like the Black Dragon Immortal Boat and deploy the Immortal Boat Formation effectively.

***

The days slipped by, and before long, the ancient tree’s old, worn decree was finally erased, replaced by the new one that continued to pour into its being.

Its countless vines slowly withdrew into its trunk. The gnarled, chaotic branches began to shed their old bark, revealing layers of fresh, tender green beneath.

Fang Chen could feel a new bond forming between them, something similar to the connection he shared with Little Sword and Little Mirror.

However, the tree’s consciousness remained hazy, guided only by primal instincts of seeking fortune and avoiding danger.

”As expected of a sixth transformation Yin Beast,” Fang Chen murmured. ”In the Mortal Realm, it would be just a step away from becoming an Ancient Immortal. No wonder someone like Old Huang, a fourth-transformation Sword Immortal, was completely powerless before it.”

He smiled faintly and turned back toward the bridge, calling Tang Mingde and the others to cross.

Tens of millions of wandering souls entered the city without seeming crowded, though most stood in bewilderment, not knowing what to do next.

Fang Chen summoned Tang Mingde and other souls who had been powerful cultivators in life to oversee the resettlement of the souls.

Tang Mingde was entrusted with the position of temporary city lord, and the other souls, acknowledging his strength and Fang Chen’s command, voiced no objection.

Fang Chen then instructed Huang Wuji to stay behind and guard the city, while he returned briefly to Jiangguang City to bring back Empress Ci.

Shortly later, Empress Ci arrived with Fang Chen. She looked around the ancient, weathered city in astonishment. ”This place is...”

The age that lingered in its stones was far older than even her own long life.

”You’ve experience governing a city,” Fang Chen told her. ”This place lies within the Floating Pagoda Realm. You’ll be in charge of maintaining order here. They might not stay long, but while they do, I need you to look after them.”

He then turned to Tang Mingde. ”Empress Ci will assist you in ruling this city. If there’s anything you don’t understand, ask her.”

”My thanks, Empress Ci,” Tang Mingde said, bowing respectfully.

Suppressing her surprise, Empress Ci smiled. ”It’s fine. If you need anything, come to me.”

She didn’t quite understand why Fang Chen would make such an ordinary wandering soul the city’s lord, but she didn’t bother to think too deeply about it. It wasn’t her place to question Monarch Yan’s intentions. She only needed to carry out his orders.

Fairy Yu stood beside her, eyes sweeping the surroundings in suspicion before landing on the ancient tree.

”Little Yu,” Fang Chen said with a smile, ”stay by Empress Ci’s side and don’t cause her any trouble.”

”My lord,” Fairy Yu said with a frown. ”I can’t shake the feeling that something’s off. What are you scheming this time?”

”Nothing,” Fang Chen said lightly, rubbing her head before leaving with Huang Wuji.

With Empress Ci overseeing the city and the ancient tree guarding it from the shadows, trouble would be hard to find, unless a seventh-transformation Great Yin Demon came charging in.

But Fang Chen had already checked the surroundings. It was nothing but desolation. There were no signs of movement, not even a single ordinary demon, let alone one at the seventh transformation.

Upon returning, Fang Chen and Immortal Qingyu made a trip to the Honglian Immortal Sect. There, they met Little Immortal Honglian and its patriarch, a first-transformation immortal.

The two sides held a cordial meeting, resolving the grudge between the Qingyu Immortal Sect and the Honglian Immortal Sect.

By then, the half-year deadline set by his senior sister had arrived.

On the Black Dragon, she ordered Hundred Battle Immortal Sovereign to take her expedition team back to the Enlightenment God Palace, bringing Lin Yuan and the others along as well.

Hundred Battle Immortal Sovereign hesitated, wanting to speak but holding his tongue, finally nodding in agreement.

Normally, someone of the senior sister’s status would travel with far more guards, not fewer. But her identity was special, so special that even the council treaded carefully around her.

Hundred Battle Immortal Sovereign had no grounds to refuse.

The senior sister turned to Little Immortal Honglian and said, ”Junior Sister Hong, why don’t you return with them?”

”I’ve never visited the Lower Six Realms,” Little Immortal Honglian said with a smile. ”I’ll accompany you this time, Senior Sister.”

Their senior sister glanced at Fang Chen, then smiled knowingly. ”Ah... I see. You’re worried I might find out. Very well, you can come too.”

”Captain, we’ll wait for you back at the Enlightenment God Palace then,” Lin Yuan and the others said, stepping forward to bid him farewell.

As Hundred Battle Immortal Sovereign led them away, their senior sister took out a jade slip and crushed it. A heavenly gate opened instantly, and with it, the Black Dragon and the three of them vanished from sight.