Immortal of the Nine Realms

"You seem to disagree with what I’ve said?" Ancestor Xia Yu paused to look at Fang Chen with a slight smile, then continued, "Well, you're not a cultivator, so you don't understand that in the eyes of mortals, we may seem invincible, but in reality, every step we take is extremely challenging and requires careful thought; otherwise, it could lead to irreversible consequences.”

Then, he added, “I’ve also heard that an immortal master had emerged in the Frost Water Empire who was involved with the Ji Family. Who would have thought that there would be cultivators in the Frost Water Empire. Even though that cultivator may have not been as skilled as your friend and was killed by him, that cultivator’s friends and family might not be willing to let it go. There might even be more than one. If that's the case, wouldn't there also be cultivators behind Guhe, Longdu, Yizhou, Qingsong, and other empires? Perhaps there are people like me who have left to seek the Dao sincerely and were able to find their own path to cultivation somewhere. It’s fine if they are weaker than me, but those stronger than me can effortlessly sever my path to immortality. The path to immortality is long and challenging, you see."

Fang Chen smiled. "Senior, if that's the case, why did you come back?"

"I’m just here to ask if there are still cultivators in the Frost Water Empire. If their strength is weaker than mine, I will help you deal with them. Otherwise, I will try to negotiate with them. Besides, I did not come here with a purpose in mind. I just happened to pass by here on my way to another place," said Ancestor Xia Yu.

It was then that another voice echoed from outside. "Senior Xia, is it done? Do you need us to take action?"

Another cultivator! Li Daoye's expression changed slightly.

Fang Chen pretended not to hear their voices, as they were meant to only be heard by cultivators, and Ancestor Xia Yu couldn't tell that he was one; he assumed him to be just an ordinary martial artist.

Two figures appeared behind Ancestor Xia Yu. They were a pair, a man and a woman, and their eyes were filled with arrogance.

Ancestor Xia Yu addressed the two politely. "Junior Brother Liu, Junior Sister Zhantai, I apologize for making you wait. Let me introduce you to this fellow Daoist."

The cultivation levels of those two were clearly lower than Ancestor Xia Yu's, and were at most in the fourth or fifth stage of Qi Refining.

"I am Li Daoye."

"Li Daoye?" The man and woman frowned, a touch of mild disdain in their eyes.

"Senior Xia, let’s go meet your great-grandson. And let us take a look at that thing you can't figure out while you’re at it. Let’s see if it's something valuable," urged the man.

Ancestor Xia Yu nodded repeatedly. He got up, took the two, and left without so much as a goodbye to Fang Chen and Li Daoye.

After they left, Li Daoye snorted. "What's so special about him? He’s just an ordinary disciple of the Heavenly Southern Sect. I am the young sect master of Eight Trigram Sect."

"Your talent isn’t that befitting of a young sect master,” jabbed Fang Chen with a smirk. “You're only at the third stage of the Qi Refining Realm. Those two you just met are at the fifth stage, and they don't seem much older than you."

Li Daoye immediately became unhappy and retorted, "The Eight Trigram Sect specializes in divination techniques. While we may fall short in cultivation, we can foresee things others can’t."

Fang Chen suddenly said, "If that's the case, then take a look at the imperial palace. See if there’s anything amiss."

Li Daoye shook his head. "The imperial palace? There’s nothing wrong there. I've looked at it several times before."

A hint of contemplation appeared in Fang Chen’s eyes. When his divine soul had previously left his body, he had sensed a faint threat from the imperial palace. That was also why he deliberately started avoiding wandering around the vicinity of the palace with his divine soul too much.

The young man had said something about going to the imperial palace to take a look at something. Could these two things be related?

"Are you really sure there's nothing unusual?" asked Fang Chen again.

“There’s nothing strange about it,” repeated Li Daoye again, but he started feeling doubtful, and surprised, he asked, “Did you notice something? Does Grand Xia have some hidden treasures?"

Fang Chen smiled. "Perhaps your cultivation level isn’t high enough for you to notice...."

The unexpected arrival of Ancestor Xia Yu and the other two disciples was indeed beyond his expectations. However, it might work out for the best. If the cultivators from Spirit Blood Sect appeared now, perhaps he could involve them as well. When that happened, it wouldn’t be up to them to decide if they wanted to be involved or not.

*

In the Hidden Courtyard.

Fairy Yu sat on the ledge, her hands under her chin. When she saw Fang Chen, she leaped up with joy. "My lord, I was wondering when you would come."

"Did anything happen in the palace while I was away?" asked Fang Chen with a smile.

"Nothing much,” said Fairy Yu. “It's just that people like Tao Yu and Ye Qinghe have become more flamboyant; they frequently attend gatherings with talented men and women in the capital. Occasionally, the crown prince would also make an appearance."

Fang Chen nodded slightly and then asked, "Is the corpse inside?"

"It's inside. I've been watching over it all this time," she said with a smile.

Fang Chen chuckled. "If you stay away from the Jade Immortal Boat for a long time those people might think that something happened to you.”

"I told them I have a slight cold. What can they do to me?" said Fairy Yu, her nose in the air.

With that, the two went into the room. Inside was the corpse of Immortal Zuo from the Ji Family, lying on the bed.

"His body hasn't decayed at all even after all this time. It’s really amazing," she marveled.

"Because there is spiritual energy in his body. As long as the spiritual energy in his flesh doesn't completely dissipate, his body won't decay," explained Fang Chen. He approached and rifled through Immortal Zuo’s body only to find a treasure with four Soul Imprints. There wasn't even a single spirit stone on him!

A cultivator at the sixth stage of Qi Refining who used a treasure with only four Soul Imprints could only be described as an impoverished loser.

Fang Chen took the treasure. Then, with a thought, a fireball rose and fell onto Immortal Zuo’s body, instantly turning him into ashes. The flame hadn’t touched anything else in the room.

Seeing that, Fairy Yu's eyes sparkled. “When can I learn such techniques, my lord?"

Fang Chen smiled at her, then said, "I'm planning to teach you a Qi Refining cultivation technique. Let's see if you can step into this path. If it doesn't work, don't force it."

Fairy Yu and the others were personally chosen by him. While their martial talents were excellent, it didn't necessarily mean they had the aptitude for cultivation.

It was then that Fang Chen's expression suddenly changed, and he snapped his head toward the direction of the imperial palace subconsciously.

After a moment, he turned to Fairy Yu. "Wait a moment."

With a thought, Fang Chen's divine soul soared through the air, arriving above the imperial palace in an instant. The threatening aura he had felt had become even stronger, to the point where he had been able to feel it before his divine soul left his body.

This indicated without a doubt that something unusual was happening in the imperial palace!

In the backyard of the palace, the Grand Xia Emperor had already dismissed everyone. Now, only Ancestor Xia Yu's group of three cultivators remained with him. Suspended in front of them was an object emitting a faint white light.

The man and woman looked astonished, and a splash of greed swirled in their eyes. "Senior Brother Xia Yu, how can Grand Xia have a Spiritual Marrow?"

The Grand Xia Emperor's gaze flickered. "Spiritual Marrow?"

Ancestor Xia Yu took a sharp breath, then looked at his two juniors. "Junior Brother Liu, Junior Sister Zhantai, are you saying that this jade object is the legendary Spiritual Marrow?” he asked, his heart palpitating. “It is said that the Spiritual Marrow has consciousness and consuming even a small part of it grants extraordinary talents! It could even lead us to immortality..."

Spiritual Marrow?

In the void, Fang Chen stared fixedly at the object. The threatening aura indeed emanated from it. That seemingly jade object seemed to have intelligence!

It was then that Junior Brother Liu snapped out of his stupor and quickly urged, "Quick, quick; suppress it! Don't let it escape. When the Spiritual Marrow appears, it chooses its own master. Since it has not fully awakened yet, we still have a chance to suppress it!"

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