Immortal of the Nine Realms

”Purple Lightning Talisman...” The old Daoist stared at Fang Chen. There wasn’t a shred of disdain in his eyes anymore, but rather, endless seriousness.

This was the most powerful talisman he had ever seen in his life!

While he knew about Purple Lightning Talismans and had seen them before, most of those were of the low to mid-grade. There weren’t many of the high-grade, let alone top-grade Purple Lightning Talismans!

”I finally understand why you dared to come to my territory, Fellow Daoist.” The old Daoist spoke slowly. ”Turns out you’re here because you have a top-grade Purple Lightning Talisman to rely on. But I wonder... Now that you’ve used the talisman, do you’ve anything else to show me?” The old Daoist’s eyes were full of mockery. “What? Could it be that you have a second, or a third, top-grade Purple Lightning Talisman?” he jeered. ”You’ve killed four of my disciples and acted without restraint in my territory. Now that it has come to this, I’m afraid you’ll find death to be a luxury you cannot have in the future, Fellow Daoist.”

He firmly believed that Fang Chen could not possibly have any more Purple Lightning Talismans. Even if he had a second one, he could barely hold on. As for a third one?

That was completely impossible!

Just how expensive were top-grade Purple Lightning Talismans? Even a hundred low-grade spirit stones might not be enough to buy one of them!

Although Purple Lightning Talismans were consumables and were not as valuable as treasures, their power far exceeded treasures of the same price bracket by a lot.

A top-grade Purple Lightning Talisman could threaten those at the twelfth stage of the Qi Refining Realm. If it appeared in the market, there would be many people fighting for it! Even Foundation Building Realm cultivators would vie for it!

At certain times, its effect far surpassed that of treasures.

Such rare items are almost impossible to accurately price, and the selling price of each top-grade Purple Lightning Talisman couldn’t be standardized. Sometimes they could be sold for as much as two hundred low-grade spirit stones!

”Are you so sure, Elder? Then what do you make of this?” Fang Chen took out another Purple Lightning Talisman.

Where did he get these Purple Lightning Talismans from?! The old Daoist’s face turned a shade more serious.

Again, Fang Chen brought out another one.

The old Daoist’s face began to falter.

One, two, three, four....

When Fang Chen took out the fifth Purple Lightning Talisman, the old Daoist swallowed hard. ”Fellow Daoist Fang, let’s sit down and talk it out.”

”Ha... ha... ha....ha”

This wasn’t Fang Chen laughing. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ

Fang Chen and the old Daoist both turned to the source of the sound, one corner of the courtyard, only to see Li Huafeng lying there. Facing the old Daoist, he let out one crazed laughter after the other.

The old Daoist’s face darkened. ”What are you laughing at?”

Li Huafeng laughed wildly as he stirred in joy. ”I’m laughing because you’re about to die! You’re about to die! You have no idea about Fang Chen’s background! Hahahahaha!”

The old Daoist’s heart sank, sensing a looming sense of doom.

”Even Foundation Building Realm cultivators of the Southern Heavenly Sect treat him with respect. Do you really think he’s an ordinary cultivator? Your time is up, old man, your time is up!”

Foundation Building Realm cultivators of the Southern Heavenly Sect?

Treat him with respect?

The old Daoist was completely stunned.

He was a cultivator at the twelfth stage of the Qi Refining Realm; how could he not know about the Southern Heavenly Sect—one of the top sects in the Flame Empire. He knew very well how proud those Foundation Building Realm experts were; how could he not?

For him to be treated with respect by a Foundation Building Realm cultivator as a Qi Refining Realm cultivator? That only meant one thing! The background and identity of Fang Chen, this Qi Refining Realm cultivator before him, had to be much more prominent than the Southern Heavenly Sect!

Could it be that his Purple Lightning Talismans... were given to him by his seniors in his sect?

As this thought emerged, the old Daoist’s face changed instantaneously, displaying dozens of different emotions, all mixed in together. This speculation was highly logical!

”How about we bury the hatchet, Fellow Daoist? How many of your people have died back in Grand Xia? I can definitely compensate you. What do you think about these outer sect disciples?” The old Daoist hurriedly pointed to the group of ordinary Daoists who had rushed over. “They are all in the Earth Profound Stage, and there are even some in the Heaven Profound Stage. I can hand them all over to your Grand Xia Empire!”

Upon hearing that the old Daoist intended to hand them over to Fang Chen, those disciples’ faces turned blank. They had thought that by joining the Clear Sky Monastery, they would receive fair treatment. Who would’ve thought that they’d end up as commodities for casual transactions!

Fang Chen chuckled lightly. ”No need.”

The next moment, Little Sword, with the force of thunder, broke through the old Daoist’s spiritual shield and sliced his head off.

The Old Daoist’s head had already left his spine, rolling far away, but his pleas didn’t stop.

”Spare my life, Fellow Daoist!”

Seeing this scene, everyone—including Fang Chen—felt a chill run down their spines.

”The methods of immortals...” murmured Li Huafeng to himself.

Little Sword didn’t stop there. It immediately chopped the old Daoist’s head into pieces before it went on to dismember his corpse, completely severing his vitality.

Fang Chen was a little freaked out. ”Scared me for a moment there. He was still able to talk after having his head cut off. One really can’t judge cultivators using common sense.”

He went and searched around the Daoist’s corpse, and shortly later, he found a storage ring. Taking that, he went ahead and collected any treasures from the bodies of the other cultivators.

The ordinary Daoists stood still, dumbfounded, too afraid to speak or move.

”Lord Fang, How about we strike a deal?” offered Li Huafeng solemnly.

”You? A deal?” Fang Chen looked at Li Huafeng with half a smile. ”Let’s hear it.”

”Do you want to know... where the emperor is?” mouthed Li Huafeng.

The emperor, Xia Xuanji.

”You know where he is?” Fang Chen squinted slightly, setting up a spiritual shield around them. He walked slowly toward Li Huafeng. Now, their conversation couldn’t be heard by others.

”I have clues,” said Li Huafeng in a deep voice. ”If you take me back to Grand Xia and give me the martial arts techniques collected by this old man, I’ll tell you.”

”What? Are you not interested in walking down the path of immortality?” asked Fang Chen.

Li Huafeng’s face stiffened slightly, looking somewhat forlorn. ”The cultivation world is even more cruel than I had imagined. I don’t think it’s for me.”

”Speak up. As long as your clues are useful to me, I can agree to your request,” said Fang Chen.

Glancing at Fang Chen for a moment, Li Huafeng began, ”Lord Fang, you have always been trustworthy, I believe in you.” He paused for a moment. ”After I joined the Clear Sky Monastery, I once caught a glimpse of His Majesty, he was acquainted with the old man.”

The news immediately stunned Fang Chen.

Xia Xuanji knew the Master of the Clear Sky Monastery?

If he had guessed correctly, Xia Xuanji was definitely related to the Blood Spirit Sect. In that case, could Clear Sky Monastery also be a pawn of the Blood Spirit Sect?

”Do you know anything else?” asked Fang Chen lightly.

Li Huafeng shook his head slightly. ”No.”

”You have no evidence to back up your words,” said Fang Chen.

”You are right.” Li Huafeng nodded calmly. “I saw the emperor once, that’s all I have to say.”

Fang Chen fell silent for a moment.

”I will have someone send you back to Grand Xia.”

Li Huafeng heaved a sigh of relief. He knew that without Fang Chen’s help, he would never find his way back to Grand Xia on his own. He might not even be able to leave the island. The ships here only accepted spirit stones, which only cultivators possessed! He didn’t have any!

Suddenly, nearby Daoists, led by several Clear Sky guards, respectfully bowed to Fang Chen.

”We pay our respects to you, Master!”

Glancing at them, Fang Chen lightly said, ”I will not be the Master of the Clear Sky Monastery.”

The Daoists immediately became panic-stricken, and one of them hurriedly said, ”But you’ve killed the old master, Sir. If you don’t stay and become the new master, this island will soon be targeted by others! When that happens all of us will be in danger!”