Immortal of the Nine Realms

Fang Chen had already prepared for the worst. Before striking, the two Ancient Immortals had used some kind of technique to seal off everything around them.

He could escape immediately, by traversing into the Underworld with his physical body, but he didn’t have enough power left to use the World Gourd to bring Little Immortal Honglian and their senior sister with him.

If he abandoned them now, and the senior sister somehow survived, he would never be able to return to the Enlightenment God Palace. That would mean losing his greatest disguise.

But if he stayed, he could easily die. Even a residual shockwave from a clash between two Ancient Immortals was enough to reduce him to dust.

Their only path forward would be to live on as Ghost Gods.

“The Nine Glaze Cauldron?” The senior sister’s expression darkened. “Chen Sansui of the Five Poison Sect?! You dare meddle in this matter too?”

In that instant, the robe upon her body flowed like water.

Fang Chen and Little Immortal Honglian suddenly felt their vision go black as they were wrapped within the robe’s fabric.

Through its dim veil, they could faintly see their senior sister’s graceful form, her silhouette outlined with almost no concealment.

The robe seemed to block the seals of both Ancient Immortals. Both Fang Chen and Little Immortal Honglian could move again.

Little Immortal Honglian’s expression turned grave. “Senior sister’s robe must be her spiritual treasure. If this were a one-on-one battle, with her abilities, she wouldn’t lose to anyone who isn’t an eighth-transformation Ancient Immortal. But now that she’s facing two seventh-transformation Ancient Immortals at once... she has almost no chance of victory.”

“Our strength can’t influence a battle of this level,” Fang Chen said quietly, a thoughtful look in his eyes.

He could, at this moment, use the World Gourd to take Little Immortal Honglian and flee. But what then? Not only did the senior sister gift him with a Candle Dragon Immortal Boat, but she also had ambiguous ties to Wang Chongsong. He couldn’t flee and leave her behind.

However, the World Gourd likely couldn’t contain a being of her level. And even if it could, the five elemental energies within would instantly expose him. She would immediately realize that he had deceived her back at the Yuan Magnetic Five Elements Mountain.

Fang Chen was not Wang Chongsong. He couldn’t be sure that the senior sister wouldn’t attack him once angered. So he couldn’t risk it.

“You’re right,” Little Immortal Honglian said solemnly. “With our strength, we can’t intervene at all. It seems... there’s a traitor among the core disciples of the Enlightenment God Palace.”

The senior sister’s earlier words had made that much clear. Only a handful of people knew about her mission. To set such an elaborate trap, it had to be one of them.

“In theory,” Fang Chen murmured, “it shouldn’t just be for personal revenge. Doing this just for a grudge would be far too reckless. There must be another purpose.”

As he spoke, they could still feel the raging battle outside, it had reached its peak. Yet, under the protection of the robe, they felt almost nothing, which meant their senior sister was still holding on, resisting that deadly assault. For her to fight back against two Ancient Immortals... her methods were indeed extraordinary.

“Another purpose...? To seize a treasure? Or perhaps the Formation Heart?” Fang Chen thought aloud. “But no, that alone wouldn’t justify such a trap. Though valuable, the Formation Heart isn’t worth targeting an Enlightenment God Palace core disciple like her.”

“Wait,” Little Immortal Honglian said suddenly, eyes widening.

She seemed to have realized something.

Seeing Fang Chen’s questioning look, she hesitated briefly before sending him a voice transmission. “There’s a rule within the Enlightenment God Palace that few outsiders know. Since Senior Sister is the chief core disciple, she’s being cultivated as the next ninth-transformation immortal.

“When the palace master’s lifespan eventually ends, she’ll inherit that position and ascend to the ninth transformation herself. If she’s eliminated now, the Enlightenment God Palace will have to select a new core disciple to replace her.

“That means... someone must believe the Palace Master’s lifespan is nearly at its end, and they’re making their move early.”

Fang Chen’s eyes narrowed. “A battle for the position of chief core disciple?”

Her speculation wasn’t baseless. If the prize was the right to ascend as the next ninth transformation, it was indeed possible someone would spend enormous resources, even inviting two seventh-transformation Ancient Immortals to lay such a trap.

Yet the conspiracy ran deep. The handprint’s owner likely came from the Rulai Monastery, one of the top powers in the Fangcun Realm, just like the Enlightenment God Palace.

If the Immortal Worshipping Palace was also involved, it meant the traitorous core disciple wasn’t acting alone, but had powerful forces behind them.

“There’s more than just two Ancient Immortals,” Fang Chen said grimly. “If your guess is right, and this is a battle for the position of chief core disciple, the enemy wouldn’t rely on just two of them.

He continued, “If Senior Sister survives this, both the Rulai Monastery and the Immortal Worshipping Palace will suffer dearly, so they must be absolutely certain of their victory.”

“Absolutely certain?”

“Didn’t Senior Sister mention an eighth-transformation Ancient Immortal in the Heavenly Saint Sect?” Fang Chen continued. “What if the attackers deliberately chose to act here, because that eighth transformation Immortal is their hidden trump card?

“If things go awry, he’ll step in.”

“For now, Senior Sister can still resist, it’s because they’re deliberately holding back, testing whether she has any trump cards left, or if someone from the Enlightenment God Palace is secretly guarding her.”

Little Immortal Honglian’s face paled. “Then we’re doomed?”

She hadn’t expected that a trip to the Lower Six Realms would turn into something like this.

“The Enlightenment God Palace must already be taking action by now,” Fang Chen said. “If we can make it back, we’ll probably be witnessing quite the spectacle soon.”

Then he looked at her. “Little Immortal Honglian, I might have a way to escape.”

“What way?”

“I can’t explain right now. Just enter this gourd.”

Fang Chen produced the World Gourd, pointing it toward her.

Little Immortal Honglian blinked in surprise, then nodded and entered the gourd without resistance.

“Senior Sister,” Fang Chen said out loud, “I might have a way out.”

Outside the robe came her calm, slightly amused voice. “No need. Those two Ancient Immortals are nothing special. Give me the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, and I’ll send them both to the void.”

“Arrogant!” Fang Chen sighed. “Senior Sister, if their goal is your position, then they’re aiming for the path to the ninth transformation itself. For something that important, do you really think they’d send only two seventh-transformation Ancient Immortals?”

There was a pause. Then her voice entered his ears again. “What are you thinking?”

“I have a method to escape,” Fang Chen replied. “If you’re willing to restrain your aura and enter my World Gourd, I might be able to take you directly out of here.”

“You? A mere first transformation Immortal? Even if your methods are exceptional, you—”

“Man, come on, listen to me.”

Her voice cut off abruptly. Fang Chen instantly felt a murderous pressure fall upon him, so sharp he almost reflexively fled into the Underworld.

After a moment, she said, “If I suppress my aura, their attacks will break through instantly. You’ll have less than one breath of time to do it. Will that suffice?”

“It’s enough.”

The next moment, just as he had said, she blocked one more combined strike from the two Ancient Immortals, then retracted her aura and dove into the World Gourd.

Fang Chen vanished with it, slipping straight into the Forgotten River.

Boom...

The golden handprint and the Nine Glaze Cauldron, having lost their target, slammed into each other and exploded, sending waves tearing through the azure sky.

Then, silence.

The void fell utterly still.

Of Fang Chen and the others, there was no trace left behind.

After a long time, two figures slowly emerged from the depths of Qingming, one behind the other.