Immortal of the Nine Realms

Looking at his son’s corpse, Xue Shan’s face turned ashen.

Even as a cultivator in the Ascension Realm and the vice head of the Ninth Academy, his heart twisted as he watched his son die before his eyes.

He slowly turned to look at Fang Chen, his eyes cold, with a faint trace of murderous light shimmering within.

As for Long Ao, he wasn’t exactly angry at Zhang Zhong’s death. What mattered to him was that he had lost face. His pride as a member of the Long family had taken a hit.

Behind him, the sword cultivators and disciples of the second branch exchanged puzzled glances. A sense of disbelief flickered in their eyes.

Zhang Zhong’s strength had ranked among the top five sword cultivators in the Ninth Academy during the Enlightenment Realm competition. He had performed exceptionally well.

In the family, only a handful of people in the Enlightenment Realm had been able to match him. After all, sword cultivators were considered elite warriors, their offensive power often surpassing their peers.

Yet the very same Zhang Zhong had been defeated in a single move, and worse, by a country bumpkin brought in by Li Changsheng!

Long Xuan stole a glance at Fang Chen, looking lost in though. This sword cultivator Father found is certainly skilled. No wonder he could defeat even Sun Yi’s split soul.

Bai Lingyue and the others grew more solemn.

That sword of his....

Sword cultivators were known for their killing intent. The moment they struck, an air of slaughter would be unleashed. But Fang Chen had not only refrained from drawing his sword, but none of them had even picked up on any trace of killing intent.

Despite that, the Long Family’s sword cultivator had been overwhelmed by a single strike.

The disparity in skill and technique was far beyond what they had imagined.

”Cousin, do you think the sword cultivator my husband brought can stand a fight?” The woman in the soft dress smiled faintly, her voice calm and confident. ”You’ve already seen for yourself. Now that you’ve seen that the person my husband brought is qualified, you can rest easy.”

Long Ao’s smile was tight and forced. ”This kid is quite skillful indeed. Looks like my brother-in-law is serious about helping the Long Family. But... this match doesn’t prove much. My brother-in-law has brought over ten people. Let’s pick one to face Zhang Gaotian.”

Everyone knew that Long Ao would not let this matter go easily today. He wouldn’t rest until he found a way to regain some face for himself.

This wasn’t just about the country bumpkin sword cultivator; it was directed at Li Changsheng, his brother-in-law.

Once Long Ao’s intentions became clear, the Long family’s cultivators fell silent, waiting for Li Changsheng’s response.

Li Changsheng smiled faintly. ”Long Ao, have you forgotten about the wager between the main and second branches? If the sword cultivators I brought get injured during these matches, how are we supposed to proceed to the Burial Sword Heavenly Steps?”

He paused for a moment before adding, ”If you’re afraid, just admit it. If you want to concede, the main branch will only take half of the wager.”

Long Ao chuckled lightly and waved his hand dismissively. ”The wager between our branches is just a small matter, nothing to concern ourselves over. What I’m more worried about is the wager between the Long Family and the Sun Family. If we make even the slightest mistake and lose the wager, even if my cousin protects you, the old ancestors above won’t stand idly by.”

Long Ao looked at Li Changsheng with a smirk. ”I’m doing this for your own good. Let me test the sword cultivators you brought and see what they’re made of.”

He pointed at Fang Chen. ”This one has passed the test and barely has enough strength to qualify for the Burial Sword Heavenly Steps, but what about the others?”

Bai Lingyue suddenly spoke up. ”Ancestor Li, let me give it a try.”

Long Ao’s smile deepened as he glanced at Bai Lingyue. ”You have the courage of a sword cultivator, I see. You’re in the early stage of Soul Splitting Realm, right?”

Li Changsheng smiled faintly. ”Let’s see how capable you really are.”

Long Ao turned his attention to Xue Shan. ”Is there anyone else willing to test their strength?”

His tone was blatantly taunting.

Xue Shan, though still struggling with the grief of losing his son, managed to push through the pain. He handed his son’s body to one of the attendants and then selected a young sword cultivator from the crowd.

This cultivator, also in the early stage of the Soul Splitting Realm, walked up to Bai Lingyue with a cold, piercing gaze.

”Once this match is over, I hope you won’t hold a grudge,” said the sword cultivator, his voice cold and direct.

Li Changsheng gave Long Ao a glance before letting out a small chuckle. He turned to Bai Lingyue. ”Give it your all. Don’t hold back.”

Bai Lingyue naturally wouldn’t be holding anything back. He was already incredibly dissatisfied with the way they had been treated till now, filling him with frustration.

Even if he couldn’t do anything about the arrogant Long Ao, he could at least vent his anger on the sword cultivators on his side.

The sight of these sword cultivators bowing and scraping only fueled Bai Lingyue’s rage.

Bai Lingyue didn’t notice the slightly strange look in Li Changsheng’s eyes.

The battle started, and as soon as Bai Lingyue drew his sword, he realized something was terribly wrong.

Not only was his opponent’s sword incredibly powerful, but he struck at extremely tricky angles. Each of his strikes followed the most precise trajectory.

After a few exchanges, Bai Lingyue still failed to gain any edge over his opponent, causing him to break out in cold sweat.

He had almost met his end at his opponent’s sword several times!

It had been many years since he last experienced such a spine-chilling sensation.

Li Changsheng sighed softly in his heart.

Sword cultivators from Celestial Heaven, Northern Dipper, and Central Continent indeed possessed a stronger mental fortitude compared to those from Prison Wind Lands. After all, walking the path of invincibility for years had tempered their sword hearts to an extraordinary degree of resilience.

However, precisely because of that, their practical experience paled in comparison to the sword cultivator of Prison Wind Lands. The sword cultivator here engaged in battles year after year, serving as the sharp blades of the great clans. Regardless of the conflict, it had become an unwritten rule that the sword cultivators would be the first to fall.

Sword cultivators who emerged from mountains of corpses and seas of blood were far superior to Bai Lingyue and others in the art of combat.

Thinking of that, Li Changsheng couldn’t help but glance at Fang Chen. This young man is indeed an exception.

”Not good! Bai Lingyue might lose his life.”

”Are the sword cultivators of the Prison Wind Lands really this formidable? Any random fighter can push someone nearly at the level of a sword leader to the brink of defeat?”

”Even if Bai Lingyue isn’t a sword leader, he’s not far from it. Yet, facing a sword cultivator from the Long family, he’s utterly outmatched!”

The crowd’s expressions turned grim.

Bai Qingming watched intently for a few moments before shaking his head slightly.

Bai Lingyue was no match for this opponent, and his defeat was only a matter of time.

In just a few dozen exchanges, Bai Lingyue had already sustained two deep, bone-revealing wounds. In contrast, his opponent hadn’t even had a single corner of their robe grazed by Bai Lingyue.

As Bai Lingyue’s flaws became more apparent, his expression grew increasingly desperate. Seizing an opening, his opponent swung their sword with deadly precision. Bai Lingyue’s scalp tingled, and he nearly panicked. Without hesitation, two of his split souls burst forth from his body, fleeing in opposite directions.

The split soul left behind had no time to escape and was instantly obliterated by the opponent’s sword strike. But the opponent didn’t stop there. They pursued Bai Lingyue’s fleeing split souls.

The few who had initially considered stepping in to challenge Xue Zhong now gasped in shock.

Fang Chen had been right earlier—they likely stood no chance against Xue Zhong. If not for Fang Chen’s intervention, they would’ve suffered the same fate as Bai Lingyue.

Bai Lingyue still had his split soul, which meant he had extra lives to spare. But for those at the Enlightenment Realm like them, they only had one life to lose.

After losing one split soul, Bai Lingyue’s strength was greatly diminished, making him even less of a match for his opponent. He could only dodge frantically, all while casting pleading glances toward Li Changsheng.

Unfortunately, Li Changsheng made no effort to interfere.

In despair, Bai Lingyue turned his gaze to Yan Kun and the others, but none dared to intervene at such a moment.

Intervening would be like willingly putting their hands into the fire.

In utter despair, Bai Lingyue pinned his last hope on Fang Chen. ”Sword Leader Fang, save me!”