Immortal of the Nine Realms

Just as the two were about to continue on their way, they saw Li Xiuming and Mi Sheng appear in the distance. Chasing them from behind was the same dark shadow that had just left a few moments ago.

Seeing that the two were flying on swords, Li Daoye couldn’t help but feel a bit envious. "These two have already mastered the Sword Manipulation Technique.”

Fang Chen casually asked, “Is sword manipulation difficult?"

Li Daoye explained, "Sword manipulation is, of course, difficult. It's not like anyone can casually control a sword to fly on it. Sword manipulation requires cultivating one's sword embryo. The process of nurturing a sword embryo is similar to that of refining a flying sword. Even if the sword's master dies, it is difficult for others to refine and use their flying sword. Such flying swords are usually called Destiny Treasures. In addition to flying swords, some people also cultivate various bizarre Spiritual Treasures, depending on personal preferences."

Fang Chen's eyes flickered slightly. "What do you mean?"

"Ordinary treasures are formed naturally, but Destiny Treasures are different. They make use of treasures with existing Soul Imprints but are not yet formed. They are nourished with spiritual energy day and night and fed with essence blood. This cultivation method is called ‘nurturing a Destiny Treasure.’ Usually, sects don't have such an inheritance, and even in the Flame Empire, there aren't many with such inheritances." Li Daoye continued, "Take my Eight Trigrams Sect as an example. Every year, disciples go out to explore, hoping to find a cultivation method for nurturing Destiny Treasures. Even if the grade is low, it doesn't matter. A Destiny Treasure is much stronger than a normal treasure at the same grade. Not to mention that you can use it to fly through the air."

Fang Chen suddenly became interested, and he couldn’t help but glance at the buildings behind him. He wondered if there might be a similar inheritance here, which would make traveling much more convenient.

At that moment, Li Xiuming and Mi Sheng had already engaged in a battle with the dark shadow in the air. Both sides seemed evenly matched, but Li Xiuming and Mi Sheng were showing signs of falling into a disadvantage.

Finally, the two found an opportunity to break free from the fight and flew toward the mountain, landing not far from Fang Chen and Li Daoye while keeping an eye on the ferocious beast.

"It does not dare set foot on this mountain!" Li Xiuming couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief as he saw the reluctance of the ferocious beast to move forward.

"Have you two seen Xia Yu and the others?" asked Fang Chen.

Li Xiuming shook his head slightly. "They were chased by the stone golem demon, and we don't know where they went."

"It's their fate." Li Daoye sighed, then added, "Let’s not worry about them for now. This place must be the cave dwelling left by that powerful cultivator. Let's see if there's anything good left behind. I doubt that the martial artists from the Ji family could even make it here. What they found was probably some miscellaneous items on the outskirts!"

The dead immortal of the Ji Family did not have a high cultivation. With the meager ability that he had, it would’ve been difficult for even him to reach this place. Moreover, Ji Lengyue as well as that Nightmare Knights leader had both mentioned that the immortal master had been unwilling to step into the cave-dwelling, probably in order to avoid losing his life.

The four of them went up the mountain together and soon saw an arched door with a plaque that read "Pilgrimage Gate."

"Pilgrimage Gate? Quite a grand name." Li Xiuming smiled. "Could this be a Golden Core Realm cultivator’s cave-dwelling?"

As soon as Mi Sheng and Li Daoye heard this, their eyes lit up. If it were really a cave left by a Golden Core cultivator, that would be great.

After passing through the Pilgrimage Gate, the four of them walked a short distance and arrived at a large hall. The hall was somewhat dilapidated, but the damage it had sustained seemed more deliberate than natural.

"Someone has been here before,” said Li Xiuming, his expression a bit dark.

"Oh, damn it, I hope I didn't make this trip in vain. The losses would be too heavy!" cried Li Daoye, almost tearing up.

"They may not have taken away everything. Let's search together," said Li Xiuming.

"This place is not small. Let's split up and search," suggested Fang Chen.

Li Xiuming glanced at Fang Chen and, with a smile that wasn't quite like a smile, said, “There may be prohibitions and traps placed in here. It's safer for everyone if we go together. Your cultivation levels are not high, and if you encounter danger, my junior sister and I can help."

Li Daoye nodded. "Lord Fang, what he says makes sense."

Then his voice quietly sounded in Fang Chen's ear: "He's afraid that we'll find valuable things and keep them for ourselves. However, their cultivation is high, and if we disagree, they might resort to violence."

From the beginning, Fang Chen had no intention of trusting Li Xiuming and the others. He was well aware of the cruelty and selfishness prevalent in the cultivation world. Moreover, he did not know their background or sect and had no reason to trust them easily.

Fang Chen nodded slightly. "That works too. We'll trouble the two of you."

Li Xiuming smiled and waved his hand. "No problem." Then, the four of them entered the hall in front of them. Inside was a statue, and it was none other than Supreme Immortal Pudu.

The only difference was that the statue was broken on one side, indicating that the hall had been vandalized.

Li Xiuming faintly smiled. "I think I understand what happened here.The seniors who cultivated here might have been disturbed by enemies, forcing them to leave in a hurry."

Li Daoye looked puzzled. "If that's the case, any valuable items should have been taken away by the enemies long ago, right?"

Only Fang Chen kept staring at the statue. "Could it be that... Supreme Immortal Pudu started his path to immortality here, amassing worshippers?"

Fang Chen couldn’t help but feel suspicious; this place was quite spacious. Supreme Immortal Pudu might have once kept mortals here.

"Lord Fang, why have you been staring at this statue?" Li Daoye chuckled. "I remember this statue is called Pudu—"

"—Supreme Immortal Pudu. He’s worshiped in many places," said Fang Chen.

"Yes, yes, that's right." Li Daoye sighed. "Even the cultivators who were here worshiped him. He must be a true immortal."

"He must even be a prominent figure in the immortal realm." Li Xiuming smiled. "My Wuchang Mountain also worships a prominent figure. According to the elders of the sect, he is also a distinguished figure in the immortal realm. If we have the opportunity to ascend to the immortal realm one day, we might meet these great beings."

Fang Chen's expression turned strange. Could it be possible that Supreme Immortal Pudu had already ascended to the immortal realm, but... could still manifest his divine presence into the mortal realm? If that was the case, then such an ability would be terrifying.

"There's nothing here. Let's check the other places," said Li Xiuming, leading the group further into the next area.

As they walked, they passed by a medicinal field. The field was overgrown with weeds, but one plant with bright red fruits caught their attention.

Li Xiuming's eyes lit up. "Vermilion Fruit! And it's at least a hundred years old," he said. "A hundred-year-old Vermilion Fruit is worth at least two hundred low-grade spirit stones as it is incredibly beneficial to cultivators!"

Li Daoye's heart pounded. If he could get one, it would compensate for his losses this time. However, he noticed that there were only three Vermilion Fruits on the plant, and it seemed difficult to divide them equally.

"I'm already at the tenth stage of the Qi Refining Realm, and my junior sister is at the ninth stage. Our cultivation paths are getting increasingly challenging, so this item is extremely beneficial to the both of us." Li Xiuming looked at Fang Chen and Li Daoye with a smile. "We'll hold onto these three Vermilion Fruits for now. If we find more treasures later on, we can divide them equally, alright?"

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