Immortal of the Nine Realms

It seemed that this was the first time the bat demon had been injured in a long time. "Roar!"

Having a wound pierced through its wing by the little sword caused the bat to let out an angry roar, and terrifying sound waves swept forth in all directions.

"Puff—" Fang Chen's internal qi and blood surged, and he immediately used his spiritual energy to protect himself. Still, he spat out a mouthful of blood. He suffered some injuries just from that roar alone!

The Ji Family martial artists, who had scattered in all directions, halted in their tracks and jerked their heads back toward the source of the shriek, looking horrified. The roar had been truly terrifying. Despite being far away from them, it had caused their internal qi to go haywire, almost causing them to sustain injuries!

"Continue, don't stop!" shouted Ji Junhua sternly, "Remember, you only have your mission to worry about! The rest will be handled by Young Master Fang and the ancestor!"

"Yes!"

***

The bat demon continued to roar, attempting to use sound waves to repel the little sword. However, every time it roared, the little sword would pierce through it.

Fang Chen protected himself with spiritual energy. Initially, the sound waves caused cracks in his spiritual energy, but gradually, he noticed that the power of the bat demon's sound waves was diminishing.

Fang Chen commanded, "Little Sword, attack its vitals."

Puff!

With a resounding crash, the massive body of the bat demon fell heavily to the ground. The tremendous impact caused the ground to crack and sink a few yards deep. A gaping hole had appeared on the bat demon’s forehead, flowing out with pink, gooey liquid. A mix of blood and brain matter made for the sight.

The little sword was completely unblemished, free from any trace of blood. It flew back down and levitated in front of Fang Chen, seemingly seeking recognition.

"Hungry, eat, hungry, eat..."

Fang Chen inquired tentatively, "This demon looks good. Don't you want to eat it?"

"Ugh... disgusting... nauseous..." The little sword kept shaking.

"Not eating flesh and blood is commendable." Fang Chen gave a thumbs up, finally putting aside his last bit of concern. Even if it was a bit more expensive, he couldn't let his child suffer.

"You're hungry, right? Don't worry; let's see if we can find a few treasures later. If not, I'll buy some for you at the market," said Fang Chen, comforting the little sword.

It was only when the little sword heard those words that it finally calmed down. After the bout of incessant demands subdued, tired and bored, it returned to Fang Chen's body to continue its deep slumber.

After some thought, Fang Chen approached the bat demon's corpse and searched around. Then, he took out a thumb-sized, blood-red bead from its brain.

"Is this the demon’s core?"

Fang Chen was quite interested and immediately started to study it.

He discovered that when his spiritual energy touched the core, there seemed to be a special fluctuation. After fiddling with it for a while, the core suddenly emitted a strange sound wave.

Boom!

The crater around the bat shook once more and ate up more space, with cracks spreading around. This time it was due to the sound wave released!

"So, the demon’s core contains its ability, and it can be activated using spiritual energy.” Fang Chen was suddenly enlightened. “Looks like it could be used to refine treasures, too."

The core’s aura seemed to have noticeably diminished after the use of its ability. This meant that, while still in the demon’s body while it was alive, the core could be replenished once more, but if it were to be taken out, then it would become a consumable item.

The power of the sound wave is not to be underestimated. It shouldn't be a problem for it to deal with cultivators in the seventh or eighth stage of the Qi Refining Realm. It should fetch a good price if sold, pondered Fang Chen.

Fang Chen couldn’t help but suddenly let out a sigh. He didn't care much about treasures before, and his desire toward them didn’t used to be strong. However, now that he had gotten his hands on the little sword, this silvery beast that devoured other treasures, he needed to seriously reevaluate his line of thought regarding this aspect.

And so, the days passed in the cave, and by the fifth day, Ji Congyun appeared again, disheveled and beat up. The giant stone demon was still chasing after him relentlessly.

"Wait, why is he so laid back?" Ji Congyun saw Fang Chen sitting down, even taking out a tea set to brew tea leisurely. His expression changed dramatically. His face was full of confusion. And where’s the bat demon?

Logically, Fang Chen should’ve been more miserable than he was!

Pouring himself a cup of hot, steaming tea and another for Ji Congyun, Fang Chen waved him over. "Senior Ji, come over and have a sip."

Ji Congyun came to Fang Chen with a leap, looking somewhat bewildered. He first turned to look at the giant stone demon, only to find that it was hesitating in its tracks, seemingly sensing some danger.

"What the..." Ji Congyun was somewhat shocked, but there was only one explanation—it must’ve been that Fang Chen’s strength actually surpassed his original estimations, by a large margin even.

It's worth noting that when Immortal Zuo entered this place initially, he was thrown into a miserable state by these demons and never dared to step in again!

After about five or six breaths of silence, the giant stone demon gave Fang Chan one last, long glance, then suddenly turned around and walked away.

Ji Congyun's lips moved slightly, and after a while, he forced a bitter smile. "So even the monsters in this place fear you to some extent."

Fang Chen didn't say much. He just pushed the teacup toward Ju Congyun. "Have a drink."

Ji Congyun sat down, raised the cup, and drank it all in one swing, without any fear of getting scalded, even though the tea was freshly boiled.

After drinking several cups, Ju Congyun finally sighed deeply.

Fang Chen smiled faintly. "Senior Ji, may I discuss something with you?"

Ji Congyun's eyes flickered slightly. "What is it? Lord Fang, please speak."

"Your Ji family, instead of pledging itself to the royal family of the Frost Water Empire, why not vow your loyalty to the royal family of the Grand Xia Empire? In terms of heritage and prospects, the Frost Water Empire is no longer comparable to Grand Xia."

Ji Congyun's face didn’t falter, but inside, he was astonished. Fang Chen wanted to annex the Frost Water Empire?

Cold sweat slowly trickled down his forehead.

A moment of silence ensued as Ji Congyun watched Fang Chen make tea leisurely. After a while, JI Congyun cut the silence, speaking slowly. “Young Master Fang, the Frost Water Empire has a long history. Even if the Ji Family occasionally disagrees with the royal family, it could be said that it’s at most a family dispute.

"But if we join the Grand Xia Empire, it's different. I'm afraid millions of people would be strongly against such a move, which could very well result in the fall of the empire as a whole.

"Whether the people agree or not, isn't it for your Ji Family to decide in the end?” Fang Chen chuckled. "Officially under the jurisdiction of Grand Xia, in reality governed by your Ji Family. Grand Xia won't interfere in your internal affairs. Just asking for some taxes and provisions every year would be enough."

Ji Congyun's face turned sour. "What if I don't agree?"

Fang Chen smiled thinly. "Senior Ji, you've lived for so long, and you're clear on many things. Perhaps in the future, your Ji Family will also produce a few cultivators."

Boom!

These words instantly stirred waves of shock and greed in Ji Congyun's heart. An uncontrollable desire flashed in his eyes.

"If I agree to your request, will you teach the cultivation method to the descendants of my Ji family?" Ji Congyun struggled to maintain his composure, and his voice still trembled ever so slightly.

The Frost Wate Empire meant little to him in the face of getting a chance to cultivate immortality. If the Ji Family could produce a few cultivators, they would by themselves surpass an eighth-tier empire. Even a seventh-grade empire wouldn’t dare make a move against them recklessly! This would be akin to... a fish leaping over the dragon gate!

The conditions Fang Chen offered made him consider carefully.

Fang Chen nodded with a smile. "As long as you agree, I will choose one or two promising youngsters from the younger generation of your Ji Family and pass on the cultivation methods to them."

"But just my agreement is not enough. Behind the Frost Water Empire is the seventh-tier White Tiger Empire. They may not agree," pondered Ji Congyun.

A trace of amusement flashed in Fang Chen's eyes. Ji Congyun had already started considering the interests of the Grand Xia Empire.

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