Immortal of the Nine Realms

Gai Hong looked at Langya Batian with a smile that was not quite a smile. “Think carefully. Is there any pill that can identify a Spirit Blood Sect member? If you had taken this pill, I wouldn’t have had to take action against you. Now that you refuse, the evidence is conclusive.”

Langya Batian’s face turned green. He continued to deny, “Young Master Gai, my refusal to take this pill is only because I fear it may be poisonous and could waste my years of cultivation. It has nothing to do with whether I’m a Spirit Blood Sect member.”

“You can deny it all you want. I know you are one. From now on, I have countless ways to drag it out of you. You can choose not to talk, but let’s see how long you can endure,” Gai Hong said with a light smile. “You should trust in the torture techniques of the Heavenly King Zhen Manor. For a Spirit Blood Sect member like yourself, I’ve already thought of 999 methods. I hope you get to try each one.”

Fang Chen glanced at Gai Hong. 999 methods? He must be bluffing.

A hint of fear flashed deep in Langya Batian’s eyes, but he still had no intention of confessing.

“Fang Chen, my friend, my mission here is complete. Let’s take him back to the Eastern Continent. If any useful information is extracted, we’ll share the credit,” Gai Hong said, smiling at Fang Chen.

After that, Gai Hong closed his eyes to sense something. Moments later, he sighed softly. “This little bit of merit is not enough to make a difference. It’s my own fault for lacking the right mindset and being too driven by personal gain. Otherwise, I could have earned more.”

He turned to Fang Chen with curiosity. “How much merit have you gained?”

“Merit, huh...”

Fang Chen took a moment to sense it. There was no noticeable change; the familiar aura of merit had not appeared. He remembered back when he first felt it, the immense power of merit had greatly aided him, not only restoring his lifespan but even bringing him back to life.

However, this time....

Fang Chen thought self-deprecatingly, It seems I won’t receive Heaven’s favor this time. It’s fine, though.

As a member of ancient Daoist traditions, Fang Chen revered the Three Divine Beasts, Solar Beast ’Mu’, Azure Lightning Beast ’Cang’, and Lunar Beast ’Ye’. He practiced the Heavenly Abhorrence Technique, which ’Mu’ even used to contend against Heaven for its position.

Given this, he and Heaven were on opposing sides. Not only was he unlikely to receive merit, it seemed unlikely that he would receive merits in the future as well.

Fang Chen smiled at Gai Hong. “Not much, but better than nothing.”

Gai Hong nodded. “That’s normal. When it comes to merit—unless you have a special mindset you operate with—the more you understand about it, the less you tend to receive.”

Qing He and Fang Qingyao should be considered people with special mindsets. Their beliefs are both pure and simple. But it also isn’t very beneficial to be a Spiritual Killing Division member with this mindset, Fang Chen thought to himself.

This naive and simple way of thinking might net them many merits that aid their cultivation, but it also had significant drawbacks. In battles, their shortcomings would become apparent. They are more suited for quiet cultivation rather than practical combat.

Gai Hong probed, ”By the way, I see that you’ve reached the early stage of the Golden Core Realm... Have you considered exploring the Ancient Immortal Road? I’ve heard that various sects are preparing to cultivate a batch of Immortal Seedlings.

”Young Lady Jiang will probably have to go there soon as well. With your abilities, you could gain a lot from the Ancient Immortal Road and possibly encounter significant opportunities.”

”Perhaps someday, if the chance arises.” Fang Chen nodded. ”Where is Gai Wu currently being kept?”

Gai Hong began to answer instinctively but then stopped midway, looking at Fang Chen with a strange expression.

”You don’t still intend to cause trouble for him, do you? Can’t this grudge be put aside? After all, it was all the fault of the Spirit Blood Sect,” Gai Hong said, casting a glance at the imprisoned Langya Batian.

”Gai Hong, if I were to say... Gai Wu must die, would you still host me the same way?” Fang Chen said calmly.

”...”

Gai Hong was silent for a few moments before smiling and saying, ”I can’t say for sure. I don’t have a deep bond with Gai Wu, but he’s also my brother and my father’s legitimate son. If he dies, my father will undoubtedly be furious, which is why I want to persuade you. If you ever find him with me around, I’ll help him. I hope you can understand.”

He paused. ”Of course, that possibility is quite low. My father knows that Gai Wu has made a big mistake. Even if it’s not you, it will be the Void Immortal Sword Sect after him. So Gai Wu is hidden away in a very secretive place. You won’t be able to find him.”

Gai Hong appeared very confident.

The territory under the jurisdiction of the Central Continent Kingdom was vast beyond measure. Even Gai Hong didn’t know every inch of the land, so it was not too difficult for the Heavenly King Zhen Manor to hide someone.

Unless a First Rate Sect Leader was out for him personally, no one should be able to find him. Even the old sword immortal of the Void Immortal Sword Sect would be unable to find Gai Wu, let alone the current Fang Chen.

”If he still manages to die at your hands under these circumstances, we can only say it’s his fate and he couldn’t escape it,” Gai Hong added.

”Nothing is absolute in this world. Just because he can’t be found now doesn’t mean he won’t be found in the future. Talking to you has given me some insights. You’re not a bad person. I hope that in the future, we won’t end up as enemies,” Fang Chen said with a smile.

He cupped his hands in farewell before turning to leave.

Gai Hong did not see him off, instead, he pondered over Fang Chen’s words and instinctively touched his right cheek.

“Hope we won’t become enemies... Let’s hope so.”

”Are you really taking me away? What are you going to say to my clan’s elders?!” Langya Batian said anxiously, fearing that Fang Chen might ’speak out.’

Gai Hong sneered. ”What am I going to say? Do I look like someone who needs to explain his actions to the Langya Clan? What a joke!”

Soon after, as Fang Chen had just landed on the Cloud Platform, the Immortal Boat transformed into a streak of light and disappeared into the sky. The Langya Clan’s cultivators quickly gathered around.

”Senior Brother Fang, where is Senior Batian? Why didn’t he come down?” Langya Wenqiu asked in surprise.

”Oh, Gai Hong insisted on hosting him,” Fang Chen said with a smile.

Everyone found this somewhat strange but didn’t think much of it, except for Langya Xing Zhou, who seemed lost in thought.

At that moment, Qi Jian approached Fang Chen with his son, Qi Fa. They were both wearing warm smiles. ”Fang Chen, my friend, my son’s earlier remarks were somewhat abrupt. I hope you won’t hold it against him.”

”Yes, yes, I misunderstood you earlier. If there’s a chance, I’ll make it up by drinking three cups in apology,” Qi Fa said with a sincere expression, cupping his hands in apology.

”You are too kind,” Fang Chen replied.

”If you ever have the chance, you’re welcome to visit my residence. I must take my leave now,” Qi Jian said with a smile.

Nodding, he turned and left with his son.

He hadn’t spoken a word to Langya Xing Zhou throughout the encounter.

Jiang Tian’ai arrived next to Fang Chen and said, “Young Master Fang, please accompany me for a walk around here.”

Fang Chen looked at her and nodded lightly. As they were about to leave the Cloud Platform, Jiang Tian’ai addressed the female cultivators from the Immortal Giant Sect. ”I’ll be taking a walk with Young Master Fang. We won’t be going far, so please don’t follow us.”

The female cultivators from the Immortal Giant Sect exchanged glances, weighed the situation, and nodded slightly after a moment.

At that moment, Grandma Li, standing silently beside Langya Wenqiu, suddenly sent her a voice transmission. ”Young Lady, you must work hard.”

Langya Wenqiu looked puzzled receiving that. “Work hard? Work hard for what?”