Immortal of the Nine Realms

”Ninth Brother, do you still remember the way back?”

”Senior Sister, this way, see that mountain over there? I remembered it when we came.”

”Good thing you did.”

Xie Aman patted Fang Chen’s shoulder in approval, then gathered her strength and sped off ahead.

Little Immortal Honglian sighed softly. In the blink of an eye, they had already been trapped here for forty or fifty years, searching for an exit.

Eventually, Xie Aman finally admitted, albeit grudgingly, that they truly couldn’t leave.

As the chief core disciple of the Enlightenment God Palace and an eighth-transformation immortal who had fought countless battles and possessed an extraordinary mind, for her to concede defeat meant there was no escape.

Now, the three of them decided to retrace their steps and find that shabby Daoist again, to see exactly what he knew.

Meanwhile, more and more core disciples of the Enlightenment God Palace were arriving at Great Thunder Sound Temple. Since the Ancient Forbidden Zone now belonged to their own force, it was only natural that everyone wanted to seize some benefits.

The thirty-year exploration deadline had already passed. Most cultivators had withdrawn with their respective core disciples. The later arrivals were tasked with preparing for the next contest 100 years later.

But because Fang Chen, Little Immortal Honglian, and Xie Aman had encountered problems, their expedition teams had stayed behind instead of leaving. To those teams, it was an unexpected windfall. After all, the longer they remained, the greater their harvest would be.

Chen Enxue stood before the three motionless figures, studying them closely. Fourth Brother and the others were also present, clicking their tongues in wonder.

Chen Enxue suddenly asked, ”How many years has it been now?”

”40, maybe 50,” Nanming Ruyue replied gravely.

So many years had passed, yet the three had shown no change. The situation was looking grim.

”It looks they carried out a Soul Crossing Ritual,” he murmured, ”but that shouldn’t be possible. We already confirmed that the Underworld can’t be accessed here. If it were due to the Formation Heart, that might explain Ninth Brother, but what about her?”

Chen Enxue walked over to Fang Chen and fished out the sleeping sugar glider from his robes.

”Third Senior Sister, that’s Fellow Daoist Mi Yu,” a core disciple reminded her.

She nodded, putting the sugar glider back.

”Let’s assume Senior Sister and Ninth Brother somehow broke the rules of this place through the Formation Heart and gained the ability to enter the Underworld. But how can Fellow Daoist Mi Yu enter as well? That makes no sense, right?”

”Right.”

”Therefore, these three are probably dead,” Chen Enxue said matter-of-factly. ”Find a place to bury them. Then we’ll elect a new chief core disciple for our Enlightenment God Palace. I vote for myself.”

She looked around. ”Anyone else?”

Nanming Ruyue sighed. ”Third Senior Sister, they’re not dead.”

”You think I’m blind? Of course, I know they’re not dead,” Chen Enxue snapped coldly. ”So stop standing there like idiots and start figuring out what happened. If they’re trapped on the other side, then they can’t return to the living world. Send a message to Enlightenment Star. Have the Ghost Immortals of the Enlightenment Underworld Realm think of a solution!”

”Messages take time both ways,” Nanming Ruyue said. ”But I expect the Elder Council already knows and is working on it.”

”There are only a few decades left before the next contest begins,” Chen Enxue said with a frown. ”If those three don’t wake up, that battle will be in jeopardy. Has anyone contacted Second Brother yet? He should be able to make it here, right?”

”No idea...” someone muttered.

Wasn’t he reflecting in the Enlightenment Underworld Realm? If he really was involved in that incident, bringing him back now might not be wise.

”Whatever,” Chen Enxue said, brows furrowing. ”Let’s wait for the elders’ orders. You people are full of strange tricks normally. Find a way to fix this.”

”Yes...”

***

Several years later, Fang Chen and the others returned to that same city and entered the same teahouse. Inside, the same shabby Daoist was sitting there, smiling faintly as he looked at Xie Aman.

”So, little girl, can’t get out, can you? Admitting it now?”

Fang Chen expected Xie Aman to snap back immediately. Instead, Xie Aman gave a sweet smile. ”You’ve been here longer than us, Senior. Could you perhaps tell us which road leads out?”

The Daoist immediately put on airs, snorting twice. ”You’re still not even willing to call me an elder?”

”Elder~”

The Daoist nodded, finally satisfied. He explained, ”To tell you the truth, I don’t know how to get out either. If I did, I’d have left long ago. Why would I still be sitting here?”

Xie Aman’s smile stiffened. She turned to the other two and said flatly, ”Looks like we’re on our own. This old fellow is useless.”

”Your tone changes pretty fast, huh?” The Daoist sneered. ”I may not know how to leave yet, but I’ve found a few clues. If you want to get out, you’d best start treating me nicely. Otherwise, I might leave on my own and let you stay here to enjoy the cold yin wind.”

The sweet smile returned to Xie Aman’s face. ”Clues? You’re not lying to us, are you, Elder?”

”Do you even know this place’s origin?” asked the Daoist, face wide with a smug grin. ”If you did—and had stayed here as long as I have—you’d have found some hints too.”

This place’s origin?

The three exchanged glances, their eyes brightening. It seemed the shabby Daoist knew far more than he’d let on.

They had assumed he had fallen here while coveting some great treasure. Now it seemed there was another story.

”We’d be honored to hear it,” the three said in unison, bowing slightly.

The Daoist tapped his empty teacup.

Little Immortal Honglian immediately stood and poured him a fresh cup.

He took a sip, then began speaking slowly. ”Let me tell you, this place wasn’t always like this. Ever heard of an Underworld Buddha called the Ghost Mother of Self Transformation?”

The three looked at each other and shook their heads.

Fang Chen hadn’t heard the name either, but from the Daoist’s tone, it clearly belonged to someone extraordinary. Their so-called Ghost Kingdom was definitely related to it.

”Long ago,” the Daoist continued, ”some hateful outsiders came here from who-knows-where. They slaughtered everything in sight and demanded we submit. Of course, we refused. We fought back. But some among us harbored selfishness in their hearts and struck their own bargains with those invaders. Together, they unleashed a massacre across the Three Realms.”

At those words, all three felt a faint jolt of understanding. Little Immortal Honglian in particular seemed to know who these ”outsiders” were.

”Wait... my memory’s not what it used to be. Where was I?” the Daoist muttered.

”You were talking about the Ghost Mother of Self Transformation,” Xie Aman reminded.

”Ah, right.”

His eyes had grown hazy for a moment but cleared again.

”This land used to be lively. It was the birthplace of the Ghost Mother of Self Transformation. Even though she attained Buddhahood in the Underworld, her heart still yearned for the mortal realm. But later, disaster struck. She emerged from the Underworld to fight the invaders, and both sides perished. The outsiders could not survive, but neither could she. And not just her, every living thing here died with her. So she transformed herself into a ghostly realm, sheltering the souls that remained.”

The Daoist chuckled darkly. ”Where we are now... is inside her body.”