Immortal of the Nine Realms

Fang Chen gave a nod. ”I met a Nascent Soul cultivator named Du Fei.”

The surrounding cultivators looked at each other in astonishment.

”Elder Du Fei?”

Du Fei had been missing for many years; they had all assumed he had died somewhere out there. They didn’t expect Fang Chen to have met him.

Du Huiru’s expression turned tense as she took a few steps forward. ”May I ask where my brother is?”

”Well... let’s talk inside,” replied Fang Chen, smiling.

An apologetic look appeared on Du Huiru’s face, and he said, ”You’re right, Fellow Daoist. It was rude of me.”

Fang Chen followed Du Huiru into the Profound Seeking Sect’s reception hall. After the tea and pastries were served, Du Huiru couldn’t hold back and asked again about Du Fei. She even offered three thousand low-grade spirit stones for any news about him.

”Fellow Daoist Du, I’m afraid I’ll have to disappoint you. Fellow Daoist Du Fei has already passed away. What I encountered was only his remains,” Fang Chen said softly as he put down his teacup.

Du Huiru was stunned, and a look of denial appeared on her face as she started shaking her head. ”He passed away?! Impossible! My brother is a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator! He still had many years to live. How could he have passed away so easily?”

Fang Chen remained silent.

Seeing this, Du Huiru’s face darkened.

Fang Chen took out a set of remains, along with a stone tablet.

Du Fei had once carved his last words onto the stone tablet. Fang Chen had thought that if he ever returned Du Fei’s remains, having Du Fei’s last words would help explain the situation, so he had dug it up and brought it along.

The moment Du Huiru laid eyes on Du Fei’s bones, a blank look appeared on her face. Her eyes then shifted to the words etched on the stone tablet as emotion started to grip her. Disappointment, heartbreak, anger... various emotions flickered in her eyes. After a few breaths, she took a deep breath and said to Fang Chen calmly, ”This is not my brother. It seems you have mistaken him for someone else. If there’s nothing else, please leave.”

Fang Chen quietly looked at her and smiled. ”Is there something you can’t speak about? It’s fine. Since I brought Du Fei’s remains here today, I naturally have no fear of any danger.”

”The words on this stone tablet are complete nonsense. The Grand Elder of our sect is now at the peak of the Enlightenment Realm and is the most outstanding cultivator the Profound Seeking Sect has seen in nearly a thousand years,” Du Huiru said in a low voice. ”The contents on the stone tablet are nothing but slander against the Grand Elder. If you don’t leave now, you might not be able to later.”

At that moment, a middle-aged man walked into the reception hall with a group of cultivators, smiling as he looked at Du Huiru and Fang Chen. He said, ”Madam, I heard there’s an honored guest here? Someone who claims to know your brother?”

”This is my husband. You just said you admired our Grand Elder. He is his father,” Du Huiru introduced the newcomer to Fang Chen. She then smiled at the middle-aged man and said, ”It’s a misunderstanding. This fellow daoist has urgent matters to attend to and is about to leave.”

The remains and the stone tablet had already been swiftly put away by Du Huiru, but her actions were not subtle, and anyone who wasn’t a fool could sense something was wrong.

”Leave? Our Profound Seeking Sect’s hospitality is not so shallow. If word got out, what would others think of us?” said the middle-aged man, smiling. ”Even if it’s just a misunderstanding, since you’re already here, please stay for a few days and allow us to properly host you.”

He looked at Fang Chen warmly. ”Unless, of course, you have your own reasons that make you afraid to stay, Fellow Daoist?”

Du Huiru noticed that the reception hall was now surrounded by cultivators, and a flash of panic crossed her eyes.

Fang Chen picked up his teacup and took a sip. ”To be frank, I came today not only to return Du Fei’s remains to the Profound Seeking Sect but also to meet the Grand Elder he spoke of.”

He looked around at the group that had gathered and showed a smile. ”There’s no need for all this fuss. I’m just one person.”

The cultivators behind the middle-aged man exchanged glances. ”Du Fei’s remains?”

”So, after all these years of his disappearance, Du Fei died at your hands?” The middle-aged man narrowed his eyes slightly. He suddenly grabbed Du Huiru by the arm. ”Dear, you’ve been foolish, inviting such a dangerous murderer into our sect. If he were to harm the baby in your belly, what then?”

Fang Chen’s eyes lit up in realization. He looked at Du Huiru’s abdomen and indeed sensed a small life gathering there.

No wonder Du Huiru’s reaction had been so strange.

”Your father was a cultivator of the Spirit Blood Sect. Judging from your attitude now, you must also be part of the Spirit Blood Sect, right?” Fang Chen said calmly. ”Go call him here. With your cultivation, you have no right to speak to me.”

The middle-aged man’s face fell, his gaze sharpening as he stared at Fang Chen.

Meanwhile, the cultivators behind him appeared somewhat confused. They knew about the existence of the Spirit Blood Sect, but had never imagined that the Profound Seeking Sect would have any connection to it.

”You wanted to see this old man, and here I am.”

A figure slowly stepped into the reception hall.

Everyone quickly saluted upon seeing him.

The newcomer had a tall and imposing stature, moving with the presence of a dragon and the strength of a tiger. Though his hair was silver, he appeared full of vitality. Only his gaze was somewhat gloomy.

He looked at Fang Chen indifferently. ”Where are Du Fei’s remains? Take them out.”

Fang Chen smiled. ”Nothing much to see. You’re indeed at the peak of the Enlightenment Realm. I assume you’ve already prepared the Condensing Spirit Liquid.”

”Condensing Spirit Liquid?” Hearing the mention of that item, the Grand Elder of the Profound Seeking Sect was momentarily stunned. Then he fixed his gaze sharply on Fang Chen. ”Who exactly are you?”

He had originally thought that person was only here due to some contingency Du Fei had left behind, but the mention of the Condensing Spirit Liquid made it clear that the man’s purpose was far more complicated.

”Father, there’s no need to waste words with him. If he dares accuse you of being a cultivator of the Spirit Blood Sect, it’s clear that he is an enemy,” the middle-aged man said coldly. ”We should simply strike and eliminate him.”

The voice of the Grand Elder of the Profound Seeking Sect rang in the middle-aged man’s mind. I can’t see through his cultivation.

The middle-aged man was stunned. His father was at the peak of the Enlightenment Realm, yet even he couldn’t see through the opponent’s cultivation?

”I want to buy the Condensing Spirit Liquid in your possession. Once I have it, I’ll leave. What do you think?” Fang Chen proposed.

”Buy Condensing Spirit Liquid? Do you even know that this item is essential for advancing?” replied the Grand Elder of the Profound Seeking Sect.

He secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Since the other party’s purpose was the treasure, it seemed he wasn’t from the Killing Spiritual Division.

As long as he played along carefully, he could get through this.

”Of course I know. Otherwise, why would I want it? I already have some on hand; I just need a little more to gather enough for advancement,” Fang Chen said with a smile and nodded.

Du Huiru’s eyes were a bit confused.

Why did this man come here, really? Could he have only passed by here coincidentally and decided to bring back my brother’s remains?

The Grand Elder of the Profound Seeking Sect said calmly, ”Condensing Spirit Liquid is extremely valuable. I don’t have much myself. If you truly need it urgently, I could part with some... But I wonder what you intend to use to pay for it?”

”With your life.”

A flash of sword light flickered before anyone could react.

The Grand Elder collapsed heavily in front of Fang Chen, his head slowly drooping. Blood, mixed with a whitish pulp, dripped onto the floor, one drop at a time.

The surrounding cultivators stood frozen in place, staring blankly at the scene. Even as Fang Chen calmly got up and took the Grand Elder’s storage ring, no one dared to move.