Immortal of the Nine Realms

The core disciples were enraged.

”This woman doesn’t even want to negotiate with us?”

”What arrogance.”

”An outsider, already a prisoner in our hands, still looks down on us.”

Even though they understood that Fang Chen’s identity as the orthodox successor of the Monarch Yan was special, the Underworld was no longer what it once was. It had split into two. The most powerful faction in the True Underworld was still the Motian Division. In fact, even the pseudo-underworlds established by factions within the Floating Pagoda Realm might be stronger than the Lesser Underworld

Fang Chen smiled. ”You are trying to sow discord.”

The gray-robed woman’s expression changed slightly. ”You misunderstand.”

Fang Chen calmly said, ”The people here are all from the strongest sects of the Nine Realms. Their status is already at the very top of the Nine Mortal Realms. They are qualified to deal directly with the highest authorities. So if we are going to negotiate, we negotiate together. We reach a conclusion, and they return to report to their superiors, and then the higher-ups discuss a formal arrangement. I can’t decide something so important alone.”

Everyone inwardly let out a breath of relief. They had been worried that these two would negotiate privately. After all, this concerned whether the Nine Mortal Realms would be sold off. The matter was of extreme importance, and they needed first-hand information.

Finally, the woman relented. ”Very well. Then let’s all talk together.”

”The Nine Mortal Realms belong to us. They are our roots. There is absolutely no reason for it to be sold,” one core disciple declared firmly.

The others exchanged glances before voicing their positions as well. Most shared the same stance. Only a small minority remained ambiguous and avoided making definitive statements. Behind them stood one superpower after another, each backed by ninth-transformation immortals.

As long as half-step Heavenly Dao experts did not appear, these ninth-transformation immortals were the highest decision-makers of the Nine Realms. Although these cores could not fully represent those decision-makers, their attitudes still offered a rough indication of the overall stance.

The gray-robed woman looked at Fang Chen. ”And you?”

She was certain that as long as he agreed, she would at least leave here unharmed today.

”My stance is the same as theirs,” replied Fang Chen calmly. ”The Nine Realms are not for sale. We are not merchandise.”

The crowd was immediately relieved. The stance of the Underworld’s Monarch was critical.

The gray-robed woman frowned. ”But you cannot stop this from happening. If you cooperate with me, at least you and your factions can at least retain some initiative. The Conservatives have already sent out messages. I was on a mission not too far away when I received. That’s why I was the first to arrive. But I am certain others will receive it in a few more years. If they are primitive races who do not understand the common tongue, that would be one thing. But if they are like me, they will eventually come looking for you. Perhaps in a few hundred years, perhaps in a few thousand, but the outcome will not change.”

Everyone’s expressions grew increasingly grave.

Wang Ye suddenly asked, ”What do you mean by ’Conservatives’?”

”In ancient times, the Nine Demonic Beast Realms had faced a gradual decrease in immortal essence. Countless ninth-transformation immortals found themselves unable to break through, eventually splitting into two factions,” explained the woman. ”One faction insisted on exploring the Qingming Void, seeking a way to break past the limits of cultivation. The strongest among them believed that there must exist a path beyond the ninth transformation, that transformation into the Heavenly Dao was not the only option.”

Xianyue Guan frowned. ”Doesn’t the half-step Heavenly Dao Realm come after the ninth transformation?”

Half-Step Heavenly Dao?

The gray-robed woman was startled, then seemed to understand something. A faint trace of disdain appeared in her eyes. ”So that’s what you think comes after the ninth transformation? That’s not entirely wrong. But in truth, after the ninth transformation comes the Three Limit Breaking Steps.”

Everyone was shocked.

”Three Limit Breaking Steps?!”

Fang Chen asked, ”What are the Three Limit Breaking Steps?”

The gray-robed woman smiled faintly. ”These Three Steps beyond the ninth transformation represent the true path of cultivation. Countless predecessors have personally verified the Three Steps as the true direction of cultivation. After completing these Three Steps, a person’s bloodline undergoes its final evolution, and one enters an entirely new realm—Half Saint.”

”In the eyes of a Half Saint, what you call Half Step Heavenly Dao is nothing more than an ant that can be crushed effortlessly.”

Xianyue Guan sneered. ”Ridiculous! Above Half Step Heavenly Dao is the Heavenly Dao itself. Are you saying this so-called Half-Saint can rival the Heavenly Dao?”

The gray-robed woman said calmly, ”If this world still had a Heavenly Dao, then even multiple Half Saints would not be its match.”

”But the path of the Heavenly Dao itself is fundamentally flawed. The Heavenly Dao attains enlightenment through its world. It is shackled by countless restrictions, like a prisoner confined within a cage. The tremendous power it possesses only exists because this world nourishes it with the fate of all living beings.”

”Not to mention a Half Saint, even true Saints—or those above Saints—stand no chance against the Heavenly Dao. However, within the vast Qingming Void, an existence comparable to the Heavenly Dao exists, called a Realm Lord. Among countless star realms, only one Realm Lord may be born.”

Fang Chen looked at her. ”What is the difference between a Realm Lord and a Heavenly Dao?”

The gray-robed woman sneered. ”I’ve already said it. A Realm Lord is not bound by anything. Such an existence is powerful by its own nature and does not require the nourishment of a star realm’s fate. A realm ruled by a Realm Lord only grows stronger and more prosperous. It will never decline like the Nine Demonic Beast Realms, which are headed toward the end of transcendence because of the Heavenly Dao.”

”Perhaps the Heavenly Dao and the Realm Lord are two completely different paths. A Realm Lord represents the peak of transcendence. The Heavenly Dao represents its decline. After transcendence declines, cultivation is first lost, and all beings become ordinary. Then even the lifespans of mortals are slowly drained and nourished into the Heavenly Dao itself. And in the end... it becomes a dead land.”

The faces of everyone turned rigid. If the gray-robed woman was not lying, then this information could overturn the entire understanding of the cultivation world.

”What a bunch of nonsense!” Ye Qingqiu’s face flushed red, her eyes filled with anger. ”Your words are nothing but absurd fabrications meant to corrupt the Dao Heart!”

The gray-robed woman mocked, ”Isn’t the immortal essence in your world already nearly exhausted? My ancestors had already foreseen this outcome a million years ago. As I said, my race split into two factions. One insisted on exploring the Qingming Void while the other chose to remain here.

”There were two reasons. First, our peak experts needed a way to break past their limits. Second, they had already foreseen that this place would eventually become a dead land. They did not wish to see our race decline here or even go extinct. Thus, the Seeking Dao Faction was formed. We left the Nine Demonic Beast Realms, and after countless years and innumerable life-and-death extinction crises, we finally established ourselves outside and achieved our current prosperity.

”The other faction, which had stayed here, is what we call the Conservatives. They were the ones who had. And the distress signal that has now been sent out came from them.”