Immortal of the Nine Realms

The Black Dragon Immortal Boat had, without anyone noticing, already drifted off its original course.

Such a thing was impossible under normal circumstances, as the Immortal Boat’s star map was bound by an immortal seal. For all top-tier forces, their star map bore unique immortal imprints. To tamper with or influence it without the Immortal Boat’s master being aware was almost impossible.

Gradually, the Black Dragon Immortal Boat began to slow down. Fang Chen stepped up to the star map and took a glance.

Indeed, their current position no longer matched the route marked on it. Yet, they had been given no warning or alert at all.

Little Immortal Honglian flicked her sleeve lightly. One formation after another came to life, and within moments, the Black Dragon Immortal Boat was enveloped in over a dozen layers of protective barriers.

All types of offensive formations were also activated at once under the surge of her immortal essence. At the same time, the Formation Heart began to resonate with nearby Earth Dragon-class Immortal Boats.

If those Immortal Boats could arrive in time, Little Immortal Honglian would be able to activate the Immortal Boat Formation. But it was unlikely that they would make it in time, because their deviation from the course meant they were now far from the regions where cultivators of the Enlightenment God Palace patrolled.

A trace of urgency appeared on both Fang Chen’s and Little Immortal Honglian’s faces. After they had been working frantically for quite some time, the layers of protective barriers on the Black Dragon Immortal Boat suddenly began to vanish one by one.

Both of them turned around sharply. A figure had appeared at some point before the icy coffin, head lowered, silently examining the body within.

”You don’t need to panic,” the figure said with a soft chuckle. ”I only came to have a look. I won’t harm you, but I’ll be taking this corpse.”

The figure was shrouded completely in darkness, its appearance entirely obscured. The voice gave away neither gender nor age.

”So it was you who laid the trap that lured Senior Sister in?” Little Immortal Honglian’s voice was cold. ”Are you a cultivator of the Enlightenment God Palace?”

”Guess all you want. No matter how much you guess, you won’t be able to figure out who I am.”

The figure laughed and waved a hand. The layers of seals on the icy coffin broke open as easily as paper before him.

”Tsk, tsk. Xie Aman, the most promising genius to inherit the next Palace Master’s seat of the Enlightenment God Palace—dead. Just like that. What a pity.”

The figure gazed at the coffin. ”Or perhaps you’re... pretending to be dead? If you are, you’d best open your eyes now. Apart from me, there’s no one else nearby. Your Immortal Immortal Boat Formation cannot be deployed, and before me, an eighth-transformation Ancient Immortal, you have no chance of resistance. So why not talk properly instead?

”The elders really thought sending these two juniors to escort you would trick me into showing myself? Hahaha, so naive. I’ve shown myself, yes, but they don’t even know where I am. They’re probably still scouring the skies for this Black Dragon Immortal Boat. Just imagining their clueless faces makes me laugh.”

Xie Aman’s eyes snapped open. She stared at the figure coldly and said, ”Then laugh a few more times.”

She sat up from the coffin and asked, ”Go on, tell me, who are you? Most of the Nine Mortal Realms’ Ancient Immortals are registered. Your aura feels unfamiliar. Are you from the Lesser Immortal Realm, or... the Greater Immortal Realm?”

Lesser Immortal Realm? Greater Immortal Realm? thought Fang Chen, surprised.

He exchanged a look with Little Immortal Honglian, and both of them quietly stepped back.

This person had just claimed to be an eighth-transformation Immortal, which surprised him. He had thought that at most they would draw out a seventh-transformation Ancient Immortal, whether anyone would even take the bait had been uncertain. But to reel in such a big one, it was a royal flush.

An eighth-transformation Ancient Immortal stood among the highest echelons of existence. Among those who rarely appeared, only someone like Senior Sister, capable of using Formation Immortal Arts, could barely contend with such a being. However, they were currently far beyond the Enlightenment God Palace’s area of jurisdiction. There were no other Immortal Boats nearby, certainly not enough to form an Immortal Boat Formation.

”Where I come from no longer concerns you. The dead don’t need to know so much,” said the figure. Glancing at Fang Chen, he asked, ”I’m merely curious, back in the Lower Six Realms, how exactly did you escape?”

Xie Aman smiled faintly in return. ”If you won’t answer my question, why should I answer yours?”

The intruder sighed softly, extending his hand. ”Then let me send you on your way, before those old monsters of the Enlightenment God Palace catch up.”

His hand moved slowly toward her, so slow that one could easily dodge it, but that meant nothing when facing an eighth-transformation Immortal.

Fang Chen felt a trace of helplessness. He feared he might have to take Little Immortal Honglian and flee once again. But this time, he wouldn’t be able to take Xie Aman with him again.

Suddenly, Xie Aman slapped the figure across the face. ”Did I permit you to raise your hand?”

Neither Fang Chen nor Little Immortal Honglian saw clearly what had happened, but the intruder was unexpectedly hurled out of the Black Dragon Immortal Boat. Then Xie Aman rose and leapt after him, charging at even greater speed.

Qingming exploded with brilliant light.

Little Immortal Honglian looked at Fang Chen in astonishment. ”It seems... Senior Sister has been concealing her true strength all along. She’s... an eighth-transformation Ancient Immortal. Back in the Lower Six Realms, she was deliberately waiting for their opponent to appear.”

Fang Chen murmured softly, his eyes following the two battling figures, a wry smile tugging at his lips.

She must have changed her plan after hearing me call her name....

Little Immortal Honglian looked at him. ”If Senior Sister was an eighth transformation Ancient Immortal all along, that means she probably suspected someone would strike at her. So this trip to the Lower Six Realms wasn’t a trap, it was intentional?”

”It’s possible. In that case, her plan is already half successful. If she can take down this Ancient Immortal, she’ll uncover who’s behind this.” Fang Chen’s expression shifted. ”Fellow Daoist Hong, does the Enlightenment God Palace have any records about the Greater Immortal Realm?”

Back then, although he had captured Ji Tiandu and Lady Suya, their knowledge of the Greater Immortal Realm had been as limited as ordinary cultivators’ knowledge of the Lesser Immortal Realm. It was nearly useless. All he knew was that some great calamity had once occurred there, and that calamity had coincided with the Greater Underworld, the same disaster caused by Little Immortal Honglian’s fellow kin.

”You suspect this person came from the Greater Immortal Realm?” Little Immortal Honglian pondered for a moment. ”The Enlightenment God Palace does have some records. I’ve always enjoyed researching ancient texts, so I’ve read a few. At present, the Greater Immortal Realm seems to be in a state of extreme chaos. Demonic beasts run rampant, and true immortals are now rare.”

”Demonic beasts?”

”Yes, similar to Void Beasts, but not born in this era.”

Fang Chen nodded. That sounded about right. Those demonic beasts must have originated from Little Immortal Honglian’s homeland.

”Are those beasts truly that powerful? I recall that the Greater Immortal Realm once had countless immortal sects, all of which were extraordinary in strength. How could they possibly be unable to handle a few beasts?”

”They were destroyed long ago...”

Before she even finished speaking, Xie Aman reappeared, holding in her hand a corpse already devoid of life. Even so, her hair was only slightly disheveled, with not a single wound on her body.