Immortal of the Nine Realms

”I’ve met Huang Qingque in the Upper Three Realms. He’s now a core disciple of your Killing Spiritual Division,” Fang Chen shared calmly. ”Tell me, if I were to inform him of how you’ve been acting recklessly here, what do you think your outcome would be?”

Huang Longque’s heart lurched violently, his face turning deathly pale. The Upper Three Realms?! This instructor from the Desolate Academy actually... came from the Upper Three Realms?! Why does this small backwater place have someone from the Upper Three Realms!

A wild thought suddenly struck Huang Longque, and he looked at Fang Chen with shock. ”Y-you’re Ning Beiyou?!”

Within the Huang Clan of the True Martial Realm, he had heard that Huang Qingque held a certain Xie Zhi cultivator in extremely high regard. That person was named Ning Beiyou, and he was from the Upper Three Realms.

At this moment, Huang Longque had no doubt about Fang Chen’s origins, as news of Huang Qingque’s promotion to a core disciple of the Killing Spiritual Division was known only to a handful of people within the Huang Clan. By chance, his father knew, and thus he knew as well.

Fang Chen said nothing, merely watching Huang Longque calmly.

After a few breaths, Huang Longque finally slumped, defeated. ”I was wrong. I shouldn’t have run wild here. You may deal with me however you wish, just please don’t inform my cousin about what happened here.”

”Since you were sent by the Killing Spiritual Division, even if I care about them, I must give face to your cousin, Huang Qingque. So I won’t kill you, nor will I drive you away from Tuxiong Star, lest they send another blind fool to replace you.”

”How about this?” Fang Chen turned to the crowd of people watching. ”Bring me a flower.”

The cultivators of the Desolate Academy exchanged looks. A female cultivator reacted swiftly, tearing through the air. When she returned, she held a flower in her hand.

”I see you’re quite fond of this path and have some poetic talent. Take this flower for now.”

Fang Chen took the flower from the female cultivator and handed it to Huang Longque.

Having come into close contact with Fang Chen, the female cultivator withdrew with visible excitement, drawing many envious glances.

Huang Longque took the flower, momentarily stunned, unsure how Fang Chen intended to deal with him.

”From now on, you will stand here admiring flowers, savoring flowers. Each year, you must compose one poem. Only if it gains the patriarch’s approval will it count,” said Fang Chen, smiling. ”When you’ve completed one hundred poems related to flowers, you may leave this place.”

Huang Longque was dumbfounded.

Admire flowers here? Savor flowers? Compose one hundred poems before being allowed to leave?

Fang Chen’s smile widened. ”Of course, you may also leave right now.”

Huang Longque panicked. ”No, I won’t leave right away. Since I did wrong, I accept the punishment!”

What a joke, if this was all the punishment amounted to, why wouldn’t he accept it? As long as this matter didn’t reach Huang Qingque’s ears, everything was negotiable.

”It seems you understand the deeper meaning of what I’m doing. Tell me, what do you think it is?” Fang Chen asked.

Huang Longque stood there for a long moment before cautiously replying, ”This is meant to temper my temperament, to make me settle down, so I won’t act as rashly as before?”

Fang Chen nodded, then turned back to Xun Guozhu. ”Old Xun, the matter is resolved. You can let him go whenever you wish.”

Xun Guozhu looked at Huang Longque with a strange expression. ”This kid thinks your punishment is light. In truth, if I don’t give the nod, he’ll be standing here writing poems for the rest of his life.”

”I don’t think he’s very reliable up there.” Fang Chen subtly tapped his own head. ”But I do have ties with his cousin, so I can’t be too heavy-handed. Let’s observe him for a while. If he truly reforms, he might even be of use to you in the future.”

Xun Guozhu nodded. ”That works.”

Fang Chen left Xun Guozhu a sum of immortal crystals and a jade token representing a cultivator of the Enlightenment God Palace.

If someone came looking for Huang Longque from behind the scenes, presenting the jade token would ensure they wouldn’t dare cause trouble here.

After leaving the Desolate Academy, Fang Chen went to the Void Immortal Sword Sect.

Several hundred years had passed. Since sword cultivators of the Void Immortal Sword Sect had been able to enter the Underworld, their strength had also grown by leaps and bounds.

Wang Zhenlong laughed and scolded the moment he saw Fang Chen. ”You little brat, you still remember to come back and have a look?”

It was clear that his happiness was genuine.

”Master, haven’t I just been too busy?” Fang Chen laughed. ”Has everything in the sect been stable these years?”

”Quite stable. Nothing major has happened. Quite a few geniuses have emerged in the sect, and I’ve sent them all to the Underworld, with Bai Qingming guiding them,” said Wang Zhenlong. A sigh escaped him. ”That kid may have gone to the Underworld, but he hasn’t fallen behind in sword dao at all. His comprehension of sword techniques may already surpass mine.”

Fang Chen nodded. Back at the Sword Burial Heavenly Steps, Bai Qingming had obtained the Heaven Sundering Sword Intent. It was only a matter of time before he surpassed the older generation.

”Master, I see you haven’t been idle these past centuries either. Your cultivation shows signs of an imminent breakthrough.”

After studying Wang Zhenlong for a moment, Fang Chen took out the World Gourd and poured out a wisp of Origin Metal Qi.

”This is...?”

Wang Zhenlong’s eyes flickered. As a sword cultivator, he was especially sensitive to Origin Metal Qi. From that single wisp, he sensed a hint of threat. It seemed even sharper than the sword dao he cultivated!

”This is the first-transformation immortal herb of the Sword Immortal Path,” Fang Chen revealed. ”If refined after consumption, there’s a chance to become a first transformation Sword Immortal.”

Wang Zhenlong sucked in a sharp breath as he looked at the strand of qi. His gaze returned to Fang Chen, and he stared at him with shock. ”A first-transformation Sword Immortal? We sword cultivators... actually have a path forward?”

”We’ve always had one.”

Wang Zhenlong nodded repeatedly. ”Good. Very good. So sword cultivators truly do have a path to walk.”

Though he tried hard to steady his emotions, Fang Chen could see his arms and fingertips trembling slightly.

”Master, I happen to have some free time right now. Here are one hundred immortal crystals. Why not advance to the Immortal Realm? Consume the Origin Metal Qi and use these immortal crystals as assistance,” Fang Chen suggested. ”We can also take this chance to see which enemies the Void Immortal Sword Sect still has here.”

Wang Zhenlong’s expression shifted. He understood Fang Chen’s intentions.

After pondering for a few breaths, he couldn’t help but smile and nod. ”Alright. We’ll do as you say. I also want to see which fellows still refuse to accept the Void Immortal Sword Sect. The Central Continent should be fine. The main concerns are the Celestial Heaven and Northern Dipper.”

***

Several days later, Wang Zhenlong consumed the Origin Metal Qi and began his breakthrough with the aid of immortal crystals.

The Void Immortal Sword Sect made no attempt to conceal it. Thus, the aura of an Immortal King advancing to a First Rate Sect Leader spread across Tuxiong Star, quickly within half a day, or at most several days.

Naturally, this did not escape the notice of powerful beings within the Central Continent, Celestial Heaven, or the Northern Dipper.

At the Desolate Academy, Xun Guozhu suddenly looked up into the void, a smile appearing in his eyes. ”This junior... is also advancing to the Immortal Realm. As it should be.”

”It’s the Void Immortal Sword Sect?!”

”Wang Zhenlong is breaking through!”

”He didn’t use to be especially remarkable! who would’ve thought his progress after tribulation would be this rapid!”

One existence after another opened their eyes, each with a different expression.

At the Great Expansion Dao Palace, the Innate Dao Sect, and the Morning Star Dao Sect, Ouyang Xuanzhen, Immortal King Gu Xi, and Dragon Sovereign almost simultaneously sensed the terrifying aura coming from the Void Immortal Sword Sect.

”Ah... even he is about to become a First Rate Sect Leader....”

”He may not succeed. Still, let’s go see for ourselves. If we can learn a thing or two, it’ll be worth it.”