Immortal of the Nine Realms

”This is my junior brother, his surname is Fang.” Jing Xu casually introduced Fang Chen, then returned his gaze from the two old men to scan the surroundings. ”You arrived early; were there any unusual occurrences here before we came?”

Just a simple look around was enough for Jing Xu to spot numerous disciples from Immortal Courts and several peak masters from the Void Immortal Sword Sect, including Zhang Ling, the master of the Extreme Sword Peak.

”Unusual occurrences? Not really. These two have been playing chess for nearly a month straight,” the plump man shook his head and communicated through voice transmission. ”Brother Jing, you’re a sword cultivator, and I’m just a loose cultivator with less experience than you. Do you think we can gain some benefits here today?”

His eagerness for Jing Xu to come was based on a practical reason. As a rogue cultivator, the most prominent figure he knew was probably Jing Xu. After arriving, he noticed that many of the surrounding cultivators had intimidating backgrounds. With all these people here, it was very likely that the rogue cultivators would walk out empty-handed. Having Jing Xu by his side might improve his chances.

”Benefits, huh...” Jing Xu thought for a moment and then conveyed through voice transmission, ”I’ve heard that one of these two is from ancient times, a remnant soul left by a senior. Due to his condition, he’s a bit out of touch with reality; he doesn’t even realize he’s dead. If he encounters a fated cultivator, he may grant them a few ancient techniques.”

”If you want to gain benefits, I’m afraid you’ll have to wait for this senior to finish his game and then casually approach him. If he happens to take a liking to you, he might impart a few ancient techniques,” Jing Xu said.

The plump man was stunned. ”A remnant soul!?”

He instinctively rubbed his eyes and looked back at the two old men. No matter how he looked, he couldn’t tell which one was the remnant soul Jing Xu had mentioned. They both looked very much alive.

In the following days, everyone maintained silence as thousands of cultivators arrived daily. Among them were significant figures from the Immortal Court and various sects, with the number of Dao Union Realm presences increasing by over a hundred compared to before.

As for the Profound Immortals, the crowd couldn’t distinguish their auras. However, it was very likely that some Profound Immortals had also arrived, even if they couldn’t perceive them.

Fang Chen even spotted Su Mo from the Immortal Dynasty Manor, along with Gai Hong and the elderly Chen from last time. This person had received two slaps from him when the nine consciousnesses took over his body.

Li Chuan and the others had arrived a few days earlier, but since they hadn’t seen Fang Chen and Jing Xu, they went over to Zhang Ling.

Cheng Yuhan and the others arrived late.

”Finally made it!”

Noticing that the chess game was still ongoing, they sighed in relief.

Langya Wenqiu scanned the crowd, looking for Fang Chen and Jing Xu.

She immediately spotted the two and flew over to join them. ”Brother Fang and Brother Jing!”

After reuniting, Cheng Yuhan eagerly inquired about the situation.

Jing Xu shook his head, his expression unusual. ”These two haven’t said a word. Who knows how long this game will last? It could take a year or more....”

Cheng Yuhan’s face was filled with excitement. ”Then we’ll wait for as long as it goes on! An opportunity like this is rare!”

Meanwhile, hidden in the unseen void, an extremely luxurious Immortal Boat was anchored.

On the ship stood several figures, one of whom cast a light glance at Fang Chen. ”Wang Zhenlong, this kid was quite impressive when he was in the Immortal Dynasty Manor. I heard he’s now under your tutelage?”

Standing next to him was a gaunt old man, Fang Chen’s current master, the Supreme Emperor of the Void Immortal Sword Sect, Supreme Emperor Wang.

Wang Zhenlong smiled slightly. ”He has a connection with our Void Immortal Sword Sect. You wouldn’t hold a grudge against a junior, would you, Emperor Gai?”

As he spoke, he looked at a stout middle-aged man beside him. The middle-aged man, dressed in plain attire, appeared unremarkable. That was, however, Heavenly King Zhen from the eastern continent, one of the most powerful Immortal Kings in the Central Continent Empire.

Before Heavenly King Zhen could respond, a thin, sinister-looking old man in a purple Daoist robe coldly interjected, ”Heavenly King Zhen wouldn’t hold a grudge against a junior, but your Void Immortal Sword Sect is being too arrogant. You think you alone is enough to represent them? Where’s that old Sword Immortal? Are you planning to strike against us from the shadows?”

”Old fool, are you afraid?” Wang Zhenlong looked at the old Daoist with a grin, his tone one of mockery.

The old Daoist’s eyes flashed with a hint of coldness. ”Wang Zhenlong, you really have no manners. I was already cultivating when you hadn’t even been born yet.”

Wang Zhenlong laughed heartily. ”But that doesn’t change the fact that I once beat you up, does it? What’s the matter? Now that you’ve broken through to the Ascension Stage and become an Immortal King, have you forgotten about that?

”How about we have a little spar right now? It’s been a long time since I’ve fought with an Immortal King. Let me see if you’ve really made any progress, old man. If you lose, your Great Expansion Dao Gate can close its doors for another two thousand years. By then, we’ll both have passed on, and I won’t have to see your ugly face again.”

Aside from Heavenly King Zhen, Wang Zhenlong, and the old Daoist, there were two other figures on the immortal boat. A green-faced old man and an old woman whose features constantly shifted.

The old woman’s left face appeared to change endlessly, sometimes looking young, sometimes old, sometimes male, and sometimes female.

They exchanged glances, and the green-faced old man said calmly, ”Wang Zhenlong, I know that your sword sect has extraordinary techniques. When him and I were Profound Immortals, Daoist Ouyang indeed couldn’t match you. But now he’s an Immortal King. You should show him some respect.”

”Senior Qing Xiang, I respect you, but I can’t muster any respect for this old fool,” Wang Zhenlong said, cupping his hands in a half-bow while glancing disdainfully at the old Daoist, his eyes filled not with respect but with contempt.

The old Daoist’s face became increasingly grim, his aura fluctuating erratically.

Heavenly King Zhen said blandly, ”Everyone, let’s not forget why we’re here today. The last time these two anomalies met... I remember it was 1,200 years ago?”

The green-faced old man nodded slowly. ”About right.”

A solemn expression spread across the faces of the others. Some of them felt nostalgic.

1,200 years ago... none of them were Immortal Kings. But back then, the abilities of those two anomalies had still been astonishing!

”They played a game of chess the last time they met, too. After the game, they each left behind a legacy that vanished without a trace. One legacy was taken by Celestial Heaven, and the other by Northern Dipper. We in the Central Continent Empire have lost a lot of face,” Heavenly King Zhen said calmly. ”This time, I hope everyone will not hold back. If you see Celestial Heaven or Northern Dipper making a move, kill without mercy.”

The group fell into silence, each lost in their thoughts.

”Emperor Gai, I have a Daoist under my command who may have met the Heavenly Cloud Emperor before. Why don’t we wait until their game is finished and have him meet the Emperor? Even if his mind isn’t quite right anymore, he might recall something and perhaps directly bestow a legacy,” the old Daoist suddenly suggested.

Hearing this, Wang Zhenlong sneered coldly. ”Isn’t that Daoist named Hong Qing? He’s a cultivator from the Three Thousand Dao Sect and was captured by your disciple and imprisoned in the Great Expansion Dao Gate for years, just waiting for this day, right?”