Immortal of the Nine Realms

The atmosphere between the two sides was heavy with silence.

Among the crowd, Fang Chen recognized more than one familiar face. There was Sun Yi, whose clone he had destroyed, and Zuo Xu, the son of Immortal Monarch Xiaoyao. However, neither of them stood at the front of their group. They trailed behind, clearly ranked lower than those leading.

”So it’s the eldest daughter of the Long Family’s First Courtyard, Long Xuan,” said a tall woman in the group.

She smirked as her gaze swept across Fang Chen and the others. Her eyes lingered for a moment on Yan Kun and Bai Qingming, but she soon turned her attention back to Long Xuan. ”You all got here pretty fast. Tell me, are these sword cultivators beside you all helpers your sword cultivator father brought from his hometown?”

Long Xuan replied flatly, ”What’s it to you? You’ll find out when the duel starts.”

The woman smiled. ”That’ll take a few more days. Since I happened to bring a few sword cultivators myself, why don’t we let them spar right here at the Sword Burial Palace?”

Long Xuan returned a confident smile. ”The duel is near. My father told me not to cause trouble. If you want to spar, you can do it after the match. But I’m afraid by then, you won’t be in the mood.”

At that moment, Sun Yi and Zuo Xu’s gazes swept over the crowd. When their eyes landed on Fang Chen, they were taken aback. Zuo Xu’s face was especially complicated. He had personally seen a Loose Immortal refer to Fang Chen as their lordso he had long assumed that Fang Chen’s background was extraordinary.

Recently, he had also heard that Sun Yi had been humiliated by him, which only confirmed his suspicions.

”It’s you!” Sun Yi’s face turned ashen. He rushed forward and pointed at Fang Chen while shouting at the tall woman, ”Cousin, that’s the one who killed one of my split souls!”

The crowd’s eyes instantly turned toward Fang Chen.

Though the specifics weren’t widely known, everyone was aware of the incident. Sun Yi had suffered a humiliating defeat in some backwater place. When the story spread, it was met with secret ridicule by some and righteous indignation by others.

Sun Susu’s eyes narrowed slightly as her gaze lingered on Fang Chen. ”Oh?”

Yan Kun glanced at Fang Chen with glee. It seemed the Sun Family’s sword cultivators would surely target Fang Chen on the Sword Burial Heavenly Steps. With that kind of attention, he might not even make it up the first step.

”He doesn’t look like much,” remarked Sun Susu, smiling. ”All of you, listen up. Don’t be too eager to climb the Sword Burial Heavenly Steps. Remember this man’s face. Help my cousin Sun Yi settle the score. Whoever brings me his head on the Sword Burial Heavenly Steps will be allowed to study a Sun Family sword scripture for a month!”

The Sun family sword cultivators’ eyes lit up with heat and bloodlust, and their stares toward Fang Chen turned razor-sharp.

”We obey!”

Long Xuan’s expression darkened. Just as the situation was turning tense, a young man arrived with several sword cultivators. Smiling, he addressed both sides. ”My ladies, we haven’t seen each other in years. Why not come sit with me for a while?”

”Fellow Daoist Zhu, it has been a while,” Sun Susu said with a half-smile. ”But I’m not in the mood today. Perhaps next time.”

”It’s because of that matter, right? No wonder you’re upset. I’d feel the same,” the young man sighed, glancing at Fang Chen with a look of derision. ”It’s one thing not to treat a member of the Sun Family with respect when he pays a visit to your region, but to kill one of his split souls? That’s another matter entirely. How can a lowly sword cultivator like you challenge your betters? Apologize and admit your fault, so you don’t cause trouble for your clan.”

A chuckle swept through the Sun Family’s side.

”Fellow Daoist Zhu, my father already handled that matter,” Long Xuan said with a frown.

Fang Chen glanced at the young man. His cultivation wasn’t low, but he clearly wasn’t a sword cultivator.

”Young Lady Long Xuan, who is this?” Fang Chen asked out of curiosity.

Long Xuan explained via sound transmission, ”The son of the Sword Burial Palace’s palace master, Zhu Kexiu. He doesn’t walk the path of the sword. Because of his father, he was accepted by a Loose Immortal from the Nine Immortal Mountain.”

”I’m Zhu Kexiu of Nine Immortal Mountain. As a neutral party, I’d like to mediate. This palace has been my home since childhood. I’d rather not see either of you ladies troubled by a mere sword cultivator. You understand what I mean, don’t you?”

”Sword Chief Fang, it’s just an apology. It’s not that difficult,” Yan Kun added with a smile.

”Yan Kun, right? I remember your name. Didn’t you climb the Sword Burial Heavenly Steps once?” Zhu Kexiu smiled at Yan Kun and nodded. ”I recall you’re someone who understands etiquette. If all the sword cultivators on your side were like you, maybe there wouldn’t be so much trouble.”

Yan Kun chuckled and replied, ”Some of them are just too arrogant.”

”Or maybe some people are just too spineless,” said Fang Chen, a chuckle escaping him as he looked at Yan Kun. ”Sword Leader Yan, if you want to grovel, go ahead. But why drag others down with you? What does the issue between me and Sun Yi have to do with you? Are you afraid that if the Sun Family holds a grudge, you won’t make it to the top of the Sword Burial Heavenly Steps?”

Yan Kun’s expression darkened. That was indeed his concern.

”You don’t need to worry about that,” Fang Chen said with a wave of his hand. He then turned to the Sun Family. ”On the day of the duel, I’ll cut down every Sun Family sword cultivator I see.”

The crowd was stunned.

Yan Kun’s expression turned odd. He finally understood what Fang Chen meant when he said that he wouldn’t need to worry. By uttering such blatantly ruthless words, Fang Chen had ensured he would become the primary target for all Sun Family members. They would spare no effort in cutting him down during the climb.

Zhu Kexiu’s smile faded.

Sun Susu’s gaze turned cold. ”Repeat what you just said. What do you plan to do to our Sun family sword cultivators?”

”You’re already deaf at such a young age? I am blind; you’re deaf. I say we would make a fine match. Is your family looking for a son-in-law? I’d be willing to risk it and sacrifice myself,” Fang Chen said sarcastically.

The surroundings fell into stunned silence. The Sun Family members who had been sneering now stared in shock and fury.

A lowly sword cultivator had just flirted with Sun Susu!?

Long Xuan was briefly stunned, but then a flicker of amusement flashed in her eyes. Before the Sun Family could explode, she quickly grabbed Fang Chen’s arm and pulled him away.

”Father’s still waiting. Let’s not keep him,” said Long Xuan hurriedly. She didn’t forget to call out, ”Fellow Daoist Zhu, we’ll be off now!”

Chen Zuozu and Yan Kun’s expressions changed drastically when they saw Long Xuan’s move. But neither said anything. They just gave Zhu Kexiu a quick bow and hurried after her.

As Zuo Xu watched this scene unfold, he became even more certain of his suspicions. ”He really has a background. He’s not afraid of even the Sun Family.”

He now believed Fang Chen might not even be a sword cultivator at all, perhaps he was someone important from Longyuan, Sihui, or Minghu.

Zhu Kexiu snorted coldly, ”A wild bumpkin like that truly has no sense of decorum or rules. If the situation weren’t so delicate, he’d be a corpse already.”

He turned to Sun Susu, whose face had turned icy as she stood in silence. He whispered, ”Don’t take it to heart, Young Lady Sun. Just settle it during the duel.”

Sun Susu slowly nodded and told the sword cultivators around her. ”You all heard him. Remember to cut out his tongue on the day of the duel. I’ll feed it to the dogs.”

”Yes, ma’am!”

Sun Yi hadn’t expected his incident to lead to Sun Susu being publicly insulted. He looked somewhat embarrassed. ”Cousin...”

”Our people from Yunlu City should be back soon. Worry about your brother’s whereabouts. As for that guy, don’t concern yourself. He’s already a dead man,” Sun Susu said coldly.

Sun Yi quickly nodded. ”Understood....”