Immortal of the Nine Realms

The sword transformation technique was much faster than traveling by boat, potentially reducing the remaining three-year journey by two-thirds. Ordinary cultivators avoided exhausting their spiritual energy over the sea, but that wasn’t a major concern for Fang Chen.

His spiritual energy was abundant, and it already neared the amount a grand completion stage Foundation Building Realm cultivator had. Coupled with his overpowered recovery abilities, unless he was dragged into a prolonged battle, his spiritual energy was nearly inexhaustible.

“Lord, it’s been three months... yet I still can’t master the Shadow Buddha Technique,” Fairy Yu said with a troubled expression, feeling somewhat guilty.

After witnessing the marvels of the Shadow Buddha Technique firsthand, she knew that if she could master it, she could alleviate much of the burden on Fang Chen amidst the relentless pursuit. Unfortunately, no matter how diligently she studied, she couldn’t grasp it, as if some unseen condition was restricting her.

“If you can’t master it, then so be it.” Fang Chen smiled. “You are already powerful enough to slay even late-stage Golden Core Realm cultivators with a single sword strike. Haven’t you noticed how smooth our journey has been?”

In three months, they encountered about twenty waves of Golden Core Realm pursuers, totaling over a hundred Golden Core Realm cultivators. At least eighty had fallen to Fairy Yu’s sword.

The peculiarity of the Inverse Immortal Demon Embryo was evident in that Fairy Yu would gain a portion of the lifespan of the people she killed. Fairy Yu would then use her technique at the cost of her lifespan, making each of her sword strikes immensely powerful. It was comparable to the second strike of the Eight Desolation Supreme Sword Scripture.

This method of battle made things considerably easier for Fang Chen. He usually only needed to use the first sword strike to cover Fairy Yu. If they encountered a grand completion stage Golden Core Realm cultivator, he would then resort to using the second strike. Unlike before, using the second strike now had an acceptable level of consumption; only the third strike would deplete his lifespan.

The Golden Core Realm cultivators they had defeated over this period brought Fang Chen numerous high-grade, yellow-rank treasures, with a few even carrying peak-grade, yellow-rank treasures.

In just three short months, Little Sword’s aura had grown significantly stronger, and Fang Chen’s Sword Body had also become more robust. Thanks to these constant battles they had, Fang Chen believed that by the time they reached Taichu, Little Sword would reach the fourth rank.

However, Fang Chen noticed a marked decrease in the frequency of their pursuers. Initially, they encountered a wave every four or five days. Now, it had been over half a month since the last wave of Golden Core Realm cultivators. This likely meant the word had spread that Fairy Yu was no longer alone, causing the Golden Core Realm cultivators to hesitate.

However, that was fine too, as it provided them a bit of respite.

As they traversed the sea, Fairy Yu suddenly pointed to the southeast. “Lord, weren’t you planning to acquire peak-grade, yellow-rank treasures? I remember there’s a maritime empire ahead that is similar to Taichu, a third-tier empire, where you can buy peak-grade, yellow-rank treasures.”

Fang Chen nodded lightly. “A third-tier empire?”

This was indeed a good opportunity. He currently had 470,000 low-grade spirit stones in his storage ring, which was a substantial number. However, if not converted into treasures, they were of little use to Fang Chen. He didn’t need spirit stones for cultivation or to restore spiritual energy; they were purely a form of currency for him.

“Let’s head to the maritime empire then,” Fang Chen decided. “We can stock up on what we need and prepare for any future encounters.”

A few days later, Fang Chen saw a stretch of land up ahead. However, it turned out to only be an island. This island, however, was expansive enough that the mortals living on it might never realize that their homeland was merely an island.

Upon reaching land, the power of the Shadow Buddha Technique became evident. Fang Chen and Fairy Yu moved swiftly through the shadows, making rapid progress toward their destination—the capital of the island called Guixu.

“Little Yu, have you ever considered that there might be more to what happened in the Void Immortal Sword Sect?” Fang Chen asked suddenly during their journey.

Fairy Yu’s expression changed slightly, and she nodded softly. “I have had my suspicions. It was strange that Gai Wu could easily enter my private chamber without anyone noticing. But I can’t figure out who would want to harm me. The senior brothers and sisters of Extreme Peak, as well as my junior brothers and sisters, have always treated me well. Senior Sister Jing took special care of me, and there was no conflict between us.”

“What if it was the Spirit Blood Sect?” Fang Chen mused. “You and Jing Yuehan appeared in the Grand Qian Empire, and then the Void Immortal Sword Sect killed numerous Spirit Blood Sect cultivators in the Middle Three Realms. The sect and the Spirit Blood Sect have a grudge against each other. The person who framed you might not have targeted you specifically but rather wanted to provoke a conflict between the Void Immortal Sword Sect and Heavenly King Zhen.”

Fang Chen sighed lightly and continued, “Have you considered what the outcome would have been if it weren’t for the Inverse Immortal Demonic Embryo?”

Fairy Yu sank into contemplation, and she murmured softly, “If it weren’t for the Inverse Immortal Demonic Embryo, I would have suffered humiliation and death. With the Void Immortal Sword Sect’s temperament... even if the opponent was the Heavenly King Zhen, the ancestors would have gone all out and spent years fighting him....”

“During this period, both sides would sustain significant losses,” Fang Chen added.

Anger slowly rose in Fairy Yu’s eyes. “So... if the Spirit Blood Sect orchestrated this, they would have indirectly avenged themselves?”

She realized that this incident had the hallmarks of the Spirit Blood Sect’s tactics. The seemingly accidental event could very well be the result of their manipulation.

However, how did they manage to even control the sword cultivators of the Void Immortal Sword Sect to betray their sect? The mere audacity of the Spirit Blood Sect’s infiltrating a sword sect was infuriating.

“So, because of the Inverse Immortal Demonic Embryo, you survived, Gai Wu was saved, and the battle between the Void Immortal Sword Sect and Heavenly King Zhen’s manor didn’t escalate,” Fang Chen mused. “Did you know who was closest to Gai Wu when he came to your sect?”

Fairy Yu smiled bitterly and said, “Lord, I was in seclusion at that time and wasn’t aware of the details. If I could contact Senior Sister Jing, she might know something.”

Fang Chen nodded. “I’ll find a way to get in touch with her.”

Once they acquired the Vast Origin Fruit and ensured Fairy Yu’s safety, he intended to settle this score. People like Gai Wu shouldn’t be allowed to continue existing. ℯℯ𝑙.

A few days later, Fang Chen and Fairy Yu arrived at the capital of Guixu. Before entering the city, Fang Chen used his divine soul to scan the area. He detected over a dozen Nascent Soul Realm cultivators. Moreover, there was also an aura that was extremely intimidating in particular, exerting unprecedented pressure on him.

Without surprise, the owner of this aura should be an Enlightenment Realm cultivator. That was also the first time Fang Chen had been so close to a Middle Three Realms cultivator, so he couldn’t help but feel a bit serious.

Can the other party see his divine soul like Senior Yun He and that elder from the Greenwood Sect? thought Fang Chen.

Thinking of that, Fang Chen didn’t dare to be as reckless as before. He took a quick look and then retracted his divine soul, quietly entering the city with Fairy Yu.

At the entrance of a bustling shop, Fang Chen looked up at the plaque with a faint smile on his face. ”There is also a Dragon Soaring Pavilion here. It seems that Che Yuxuan wasn’t exaggerating.”

Looking away from the plaque, Fang Chen walked in.

Since leaving the Hidden Cloud Region, he hadn’t seen any trace of the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion, indicating that their influence was limited to the Hidden Cloud Region