Immortal of the Nine Realms

On Lone Light Star, the various formations were busy assessing their casualties from the recent skirmish. Although the clash had been brief, quite a number of Immortal Boats had been destroyed.

The core disciples of the Spirit God Sect kept glancing toward Kong Lin and Fang Chen. When they had been summoned by Kong Lin and brought here, they had all been puzzled.

Ever since war broke out in the Taicang Realm, the Spirit God Cult had issued a strict prohibition against involvement to maintain a neutral stance.

Having suddenly participated in a battle and on the side opposing the Fallen, they felt a sense of unease. Compared to the Alliance of the Fallen, or even any top-tier sects, the Spirit God Sect’s strength was far inferior. However, since Kong Lin was an elder, the core disciples under him had no choice but to obey.

***

”Core Disciple Xuan, this is Elder Kong Lin of the Spirit God Sect,” Fang Chen introduced Kong Lin to Core Xuan and Chen Dongdong. ”He will be stationed here to guard the star with you while you wait for the next wave of reinforcements.”

The two quickly cupped their fists in respect. ”Many thanks for your righteous assistance, Elder Kong.”

Kong Lin nodded. ”Think nothing of it.”

Core Xuan and Chen were still reeling from the shock. The Spirit God Sect, known for its unwavering neutrality, had actually been summoned by a core disciple of the Enlightenment God Palace.

They couldn’t help but wonder if the Enlightenment God Palace’s influence in the Upper Three Realms was actually that overwhelming, or if it was Core Disciple Wang who possessed such vast connections that even the Spirit God Sect in the Taicang Realm treated him as a close ally.

After the two core disciples left to tend to their duties, Kong Lin turned to Fang Chen with a look of hesitation. ”Young Lord, there is another elder of my rank within the sect nearby. My core disciples and I cannot stay here for long or it will be impossible to explain our actions.”

”You won’t have to wait long,” Fang Chen smiled. ”As for the explanation, I believe you are clever enough to find one.”

***

A few days later, Fang Chen left Ji Gang on Lone Light Star to manage the Expedition Team he couldn’t take with him. He then brought Old Sheng and Daoist Mi Yu aboard the Black Dragon Boat and sailed into the void of Qingming.

”Senior Sister Xuan, do you think Core Wang is on a secret mission?” asked Chen Dongdong as he watched the boat disappear.

”Most likely. Why else would he leave his Expedition Team behind?” replied Core Xuan gravely. ”I fear this mission is exceptionally perilous.”

Chen Dongdong agreed. ”Naturally. A core disciple without their Expedition Team loses 99% of their combat power. However, Core Wang has that incredibly powerful Ghost Immortal bodyguard. He should be safe.”

They both thought of the two traitors who had died mysteriously on their own ships just days prior. They hadn’t even seen the Ghost Immortal appear, which led them to conclude he was likely an eighth transformation.

***

Mingwang Star.

The Qingming Border was a scene of chaotic activity. Countless immortal vessels traveled back and forth. A very ordinary-looking boat slowly merged into the queue and waited to pass the border.

Sheng Ning stood behind Fang Chen like a loyal old servant, slightly stooped. Mi Yu remained asleep in Fang Chen’s chest pocket, while Zhang Shaoming had been tucked away inside the Yang Gourd. Since the Demon Ancestor had already targeted him, Fang Chen felt the gourd was the safest place to prevent any specialised tracking methods from finding the boy.

”Young Master, the border guards here are exceptionally strict,” whispered Sheng Ning.

”Indeed,” noted Fang Chen.

Within his line of sight, monks dressed in crimson robes were systematically boarding and searching every boat. These monks were grim-faced and moved in five-man squads. Each squad was led by a fourth-transformation immortal whose robes featured a black Profound Snake embroidery, distinguishing them from the rank-and-file.

Mingwang Star was located within the war zone. Fang Chen needed to use the Star’s Starry Teleportation Formation to reach the rear of the Fallen’s territory. Avoiding this route would cost him several centuries of travel time. He had initially planned to sneak in using the Shadow Buddha Technique, but his investigation revealed that the Fallen had implemented a travel pass system.

Without a travel pass, one could not access the teleportation formation. And the only way to get a travel pass was to enter the border through normal procedures and pay a fee in immortal crystals. Fang Chen suspected this was simply a way for the Fallen to fund their war effort. They didn’t seem to care if the pass went to an enemy cultivator and probably thought a few stray individuals couldn’t change the tide of the war in their rear anyway.

At that moment, a cultivator from a neighboring boat in the queue suddenly called out to Fang Chen. ”Daoist, which direction are you coming from? What’s the situation over there? Have the Fallen struck yet?”

”They’ve likely pushed through. I saw some small-scale skirmishes before I left,” replied Fang Chen casually.

”Sigh, who knows how long this war will last? I don’t care who wins or loses, I just want it to end,” lamented the man. He seemed starved for conversation and leaned in closer, whispering mysteriously, ”Have you heard? People from the Fangcun Realm and the Shenwang Realm have arrived in our Taicang Realm.”

”They have? I hadn’t heard,” Fang Chen shook his head while keeping an eye on the crimson-robed monks.

They were nearly finished with the boat in front of them.

The sect governing Mingwang Star was the Kudu Monastery. Intelligence suggested that while the Grand Abbot hadn’t ”fallen” himself, he had led all 100,000 monks of the monastery to defect to the side of the Fallen.

”They’ve done more than just arrive—their record is staggering!” said the man excitedly. ”There’s a Core Disciple named Wang Ye who has already made it onto the Black Sun Empire’s Wanted List. I heard that if you kill him, you get three thousand immortal crystals and an Immortal Register! If you don’t need the Immortal Register, you can swap it for equivalent Immortal Herbs.”

Fang Chen was genuinely startled. ”Wang Ye? What did this cultivator do to earn such a bounty from the Black Sun Empire?”

”He killed Yun Xiujie, the son of the War King! That’s the direct bloodline of a ninth-transformation immortal. How could he not be on the Wanted List?”

Fang Chen fell silent.

Old Sheng’s eyes flashed with horror. He hadn’t realised Yun Xiujie had such a terrifying background—the son of a ninth transformation! He felt a wave of relief that Fang Chen had used a pseudonym.

Fang Chen fell into thought. If this War King is a ninth transformation, has he awakened demonic memories, or did he simply defect?

He turned to the talkative cultivator and asked, ”If the War King’s son has fallen, has the War King himself not set out to take revenge?”

Yun Xiujie’s soul was currently sitting inside Fang Chen’s Yin Gourd. Given the boy’s pedigree, he might be a useful bargaining chip. The only worry was that if the War King actually made a move, Lone Light Star would be doomed and Ji Gang and the others would be in danger.