Immortal of the Nine Realms

Fang Chen’s sudden appearance left the Foundation Building Realm supervisor feeling indecisive. A miner falling into a demonic calamity was an extremely serious matter. Years ago, orders had been passed down from the higher-ups that any person experiencing a demonic calamity must be reported immediately!

After a few moments of silence, the supervisor glanced at the miners present and ordered, ”Keep an eye on this man. I will be back shortly.”

He then took to the air and departed.

The miners looked at one another in bewilderment. The fact that this person had easily intercepted a Foundation Building Realm’s flying sword suggested his cultivation was far superior. Moreover, his appearance at the exact moment Zhang Shaoming fell into the calamity, and his intervention to save him, made it hard for them not to draw certain conclusions.

They had heard Chen Shan speak of Zhang Shaoming’s past before he died. Apparently, before the world fell into chaos, Zhang Shaoming had been a brilliant genius, the kind that shone exceptionally bright. Due to the chaos and various tribulations, he eventually drifted here and became a miner like them.

Everyone had always assumed that Chen Shan was just boasting. It was only today that they realized it might actually be true!

”What a pity Chen Shan didn’t live to see this. Perhaps... his constant talk of Zhang Shaoming being able to avenge them... Was real,” remarked someone, looking at Chen Shan’s corpse with a hint of sorrow.

Suddenly, the crowd noticed the newcomer speaking in a low voice to the empty air beside him. They exchanged looks again, their expressions becoming even more bewildered.

”Tell me about Zhang Shaoming’s life. What kind of talents did he display back where you came from?”

Chen Shan, now a wandering soul, tried his best to suppress his shock and looked at Zhang Shaoming with a complex expression. He had witnessed everything, from the moment Zhang Shaoming had tried to take his body away for proper burial to when he fell into a demonic calamity.

Chen Shan had wanted to tell Zhang Shaoming not to worry about his remains many times. Pity, the dead could not communicate with the living.

Chen Shan asked, ”Senior, are you planning to take Zhang Shaoming as your disciple?”

Fang Chen glanced at Chen Shan and shook his head. ”No, I do not intend to take him as a disciple.”

Chen Shan’s face fell, reflecting his disappointment.

”But his future prospects will far exceed your imagination,” added Fang Chen.

Chen Shan was instantly overjoyed. He then began to recount the details of Zhang Shaoming’s youth.

”His talent for cultivation was high from a very young age. When the rest of us were in our teens, we were all at the second or third stage of Qi Refining Realm, but he was already at the seventh stage. He surpassed us by far too much.

”Aside from that, Zhang Shaoming was also skilled in the arts of divination and numerology. If you ever lost something, he can easily point you to where it is. If someone died while outside, he can pinpoint the location of their remains.”

He continued, ”This was all before he turned eighteen. Back then, the stories were treated as legends. Some didn’t believe them, while others were firm believers. But after eighteen, Zhang Shaoming rarely performed divinations for people. Over time, everyone forgot all about those things except for those of us who had known him since childhood.”

”After turning eighteen, Zhang Shaoming became taciturn and unlikable. I used to hate him, and even now, I still dislike him a bit.”

Chen Shan shook his head. ”Later, the world fell into chaos. The city we lived in was destroyed by a single move from a powerful expert. He and I were lucky and weren’t in the city at the time. Otherwise, we would have turned into lonely ghosts long ago.”

Hearing this, Fang Chen gazed silently at Zhang Shaoming.

Divination is a mysterious thing. Even after ascending to the realm of the immortals, one still found such matters profoundly enigmatic.

In his earlier years at the Void Immortal Sword Sect, the Desolate Academy, and now at the Enlightenment God Palace, he had never met anyone truly proficient in the art of divination. He hadn’t even seen an inheritance of such methods. Clearly, even for those in the Immortal Realm, this matter was considered... rather superstitious.

Looking back now, how similar were the former Li Daoye and the current Zhang Shaoming. Both had inexplicably gained the ability to perform divination and fortune-telling during the Qi Refining Realm.

Fang Chen was certain this was no coincidence. However, he couldn’t determine the reason behind this connection. He would have to wait until he returned to the Black Dragon Formation to contact his Senior Sister. Perhaps he could learn some clues from her.

At that moment, a thought suddenly struck Fang Chen and he said, “By the way, Little Mirror, your abilities are somewhat similar to theirs. Do you also rely on divination and fortune-telling?”

The voice of Mirror of the Universe rang out in Fang Chen’s ear. ”Brother, how am I anything like them? I simply know what’s between the heavens and the earth.”

Fang Chen smiled. ”You’re brushing me off. Tell me, if I want the truth, how many immortal crystals will it cost? I’m quite wealthy now. I might just be able to afford it.”

”No amount of immortal crystals will work. Some things can be said, while others are destined to remain unspoken. What can I tell you is this: try your best to keep this kid alive. There might be a surprise in the future.”

Once Mirror of the Universe finished speaking, it fell silent, as if it had gone to sleep.

Fang Chen didn’t press further. Based on his understanding of the Mirror, if it didn’t want to speak, it simply wouldn’t. Asking again would be meaningless. Regardless, the Mirror had already revealed a vital clue. It wouldn’t speak even for immortal crystals.

Fang Chen fell into deep thought.

”There is only one reason that would make a money-grubber suddenly lose interest in wealth—fear. What could possibly make it so afraid that it refuses to speak even for crystals?”

Meanwhile, the Foundation Building Realm supervisor who had left earlier returned through the air, following behind a Golden Core Realm cultivator.

”My Lord, it’s those two. One of them is a miner from our Baisheng Mine who suddenly fell into a Demonic Calamity. I intended to finish him off immediately to avoid future trouble, but then that person suddenly appeared and prevented me from acting,” explained the supervisor.

The Golden Core Realm cultivator nodded slightly, his gaze falling upon Fang Chen. When he realized he could not see through Fang Chen’s cultivation level, a look of solemnity crossed his face. He cupped his hands and said, ”Daoist, this man has fallen into a demonic calamity, it is only right that—”

Fang Chen waved his hand dismissively and said, ”This matter has nothing to do with you. Go about your business. Even if he turns demonic, no one will trouble you for it. I will be taking him with me.”

The Golden Core Realm cultivator was stunned, a bitter smile appearing on his face. He turned and left with the supervisor, only to return a moment later accompanied by a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator.

After observing Fang Chen for a while, the Nascent Soul Realm cultivator spoke to the Golden Core Realm cultivator.

”Leave it be. We cannot interfere with this senior’s business. Let the subordinates proceed as usual.”

”...Yes.”

The Golden Core cultivator bowed, but he was secretly shocked. Since even a Nascent Soul Realm expert didn’t dare to intervene, it meant the newcomer was at least a Middle Three Realms cultivator.

***

Several days later.

Zhang Shaoming’s eyelids twitched slightly, seemingly about to wake up. Fang Chen waited a while longer until Zhang Shaoming was fully awake. As soon as he saw Fang Chen, a bitter smile broke out on his face.

”Senior Demon Ancestor, you really are a lingering shadow that won’t disperse,” muttered Zhang Shaoming.

He scanned his surroundings and muttered self-deprecatingly, ”I thought I had woken up, but it seems I’m still trapped in the demonic calamity. So be it.”

He closed his eyes and began reciting that scripture under his breath once more.

Fang Chen’s expression turned slightly odd. Senior Demon Ancestor? Is he talking about me?

”Zhang Shaoming, you have already emerged from the demonic calamity. Why did you just call me the Demon Ancestor?”