Immortal of the Nine Realms

Amongst the nine prefectures of the Southern Region, the Southern Sorrow Prefecture was the place with the harshest living conditions. The climate was even worse than that of the Southern Immortal Prefecture, and there would be occasional ferocious gales that would sweep across the barren crops.

If it weren't for a branch of the Grand Xia River passing through there, the land would have long been unsuitable for people to live in, and it would no longer be considered one of the nine prefectures.

"My lord, the Carefree Palace is located in the Southern Sorrow Prefecture. Are they really related to Xian Wuchang’s rebellion? Couldn’t King Xiang just be trying to push away the responsibility onto someone else...” asked Jue Panshi as he wiped the sweat off of his face with a puzzled look on his face.

Even a Qi Detonation Stage martial artist like him found it difficult to endure the climate here. If one could stay in such a harsh place, it was unlikely that one would have many miscellaneous thoughts.

"King Xiang knows he can’t shrink away from the responsibility. That’s not why he said what he said. It’s the same for him whether Carefree Palace is involved or not. The only reason he brought up the Carefree Palace was to give this matter a conclusion by preventing them from causing trouble and creating a mess in the future." Fang Chen smiled faintly. "My old man knew that there was something off about the Carefree Palace right from the very start. That’s why he had started investigating them. After all these years, he was finally able to vaguely guess their origins.”

The origin of Carefree Palace?

Jue Panshi couldn't help but look toward the mountain road not too far away.

At the end of the mountain road, he saw the ancestral site of Carefree Palace, a place that ordinary people wouldn’t be able to find.

What's the origin of Carefree Palace? He wondered.

Fang Chen explained as they walked toward the mountain in the distance. "They are the surviving members of an imperial family from another empire who wandered into Grand Xia. They had stayed hidden for many years, waiting for a chance to use the soil of Grand Xia to restore their country.”

The surviving members of an imperial family? So the Carefree Palace has such an origin...

Jue Panshi and company were stunned, and astonishment appeared in their eyes.

Finally, after the time it took to brew a cup of tea passed, everyone arrived at a Daoist temple.

The temple’s majestic architecture as well the green smoke that billowed from within gave one a sacred, grand feeling.

"I'll go and call for someone."

Fang Chen gently waved his hand. "No need to call anyone. There is no one in there. Let's go in and take a look."

No one is here? Did everyone from the Carefree Palace run away?

Jue Panshi's brow scrunched up; Carefree Palace couldn’t have reacted so quickly. After all, even if they had received the news, they would still need some time to respond.

To confirm his thoughts, Jue Panshi smashed the main gate into pieces and then led his men inside. And indeed, not a single soul was inside. The temple was completely silent, save for the chirping of birds.

Many members of the Valiant Saber Guards looked at Fang Chen with even more respect He had been able to determine that Carefree Palace was empty without even stepping inside. This was not something a normal person could do. It was truly extraordinary.

Stepping into the main hall, Jue Panshi saw Fang Chen standing in front of the statue of Supreme Immortal Pudu, silent.

Jue Panshi reported in a low voice, "My lord, there is indeed no one left. They’re all gone..."

Fang Chen didn’t answer. He didn’t even answer after a few breaths worth of time. He only continued to stare at the statue.

Jue Panshi felt a little embarrassed at being ignored, but he ordered his men to stay put inside the main hall, and he quietly waited on the side.

Little did they know, Fang Chen's divine soul had long left his body and was now hovering in mid-air. He looked at the statue of Supreme Immortal Pudu with astonishment.

The ordinary statue appeared somewhat extraordinary in Fang Chen's eyes. It emitted a faint golden light, and strands of visible white qi seemed to come from all directions as it entered the statue continuously.

Fang Chen was secretly shocked, and he muttered, "Is this incense offered by the citizens of Grand Xia? There's really such a thing in the world?"

If those strands of white qi were really incense offered to Supreme Immortal Pudu, then he might truly be real.

A true immortal?

It was then that something truly astonishing happened! The statue’s eyes opened and it slowly turned toward Fang Chen, then spoke.

"Nascent soul leaving the body?" said Supreme Immortal Pudu.

"No... You only have five immortal veins. You’re only at the fifth stage of the Qi Refining Realm!” Supreme Immortal Pudu’s tone changed, and there was a hint of astonishment in his voice. "Your divine soul is unusually powerful. Did you swallow some saint-grade spiritual herb listed on the Heavenly Spiritual Herb Ranking?”

Fang Chen was inwardly astonished, but he feigned calmness. It was that not hard. After all, this was not the first time something like this happened to him. Senior Yun He had also discovered his powerful divine soul during their encounter.

"Are you... Supreme Immortal Pudu?" asked Fang Chen respectfully.

"Yes, I am." The voice of the supreme immortal’s astonishment vanished, and his voice turned ethereal and lofty. Looking Fang Chen up and down, he said, "I’d never expected that there would be an anomaly like you in the empire that worships me. Tell me; what spiritual herb did you consume in your youth?"

"I haven't consumed anything of the sorts, senior," replied Fang Chen respectfully.

"None?" Supreme Immortal Pudu's seemed suspicious, but after a few breaths of silence, he didn’t push the matter. He said indifferently, "Your empire seems to have a weak fortune. It's rare to produce a cultivator like you. You can be considered to be someone like me, and our meeting can be considered fate. I'll bestow upon you a cultivation method. Be sure to practice it diligently."

With that, Supreme Immortal Pudu slowly raised his hand, and an invisible mark appeared in the air.

Suddenly, Fang Chen felt a cultivation method appear in his mind. It was a Qi Refining cultivation method and covered the first to the twelfth stage.

"I'll also bestow upon you a hundred low-grade spirit stones."

Another mark rose, and a map appeared in Fang Chen's mind.

"Go to the location marked on the map. There’s a hundred low-grade spirit stones there. However, it might be difficult to get there with your current cultivation. Wait until you reach the twelfth stage of Qi Refining before going there," said Supreme Immortal Pudu calmly.

Fang Chen glanced at the map in his mind.

Even though it was incomplete, it marked a location he had never heard of before: Gui Han.

However, as Fang Chen carefully examined the surrounding geographical features, he was shocked; Gui Han was clearly near the Frost Water Empire!

"Alright, I cannot linger in the mortal realm for too long. This is farewell. In the future, if you encounter any issues in your cultivation and see my divine statue, you can ask for guidance by projecting your soul."

After Supreme Immortal Pudu said that, his divine statue gradually returned to normal.

Even though everything had returned to normal, and what had happened appeared to be a figment of his imagination, Fang Chen's memories told him that what he had just seen was not some illusion.

With a thought, his divine soul returned to his physical body.

He turned to Jue Panshi and said, “Let’s go.”

Leaving just like that? Jue Panshi was somewhat astonished, but he obediently followed Fang Chen out the temple.

After they descended the mountain, Fang Chen glanced back in the direction of the Carefree Palace, his eyes wary.

What good could come out of a cultivator pretending to be a god?

Senior Yun He himself had mentioned that even he wasn't sure if immortals truly existed. The first thing that came out of Supreme Immortal Pudu’s mouth was enough to expose his identity.

Compared to Senior Yun He, Supreme Immortal Pudu seemed more like the head of some cult!

As for the Pudu Qi Refining cultivation method that he had bestowed upon him, Fang Chen had no intention of practicing it, nor did he have any intention to let others practice it. He was afraid that the other party might have ill intentions

Not long after Fang Chen left, the divine statue of Supreme Immortal Pudu seemed to move once again, and in a quiet voice, it murmured, "The saint-grade medicine herbs on the Herb List... Once he cultivates the Pudu Qi Refining Method, I can know his exact location. Perhaps I can learn from him about the location of the saint-grade spiritual herb."