Immortal of the Nine Realms

”One, two...”

Fang Chen paused for a moment.

Seeing the other party remain silent, Chen Lingding softly said, ”Three....”

Gritting his teeth, he finally stopped resisting and allowed that force to enter his body.

Immediately, ancient golden runes swirled across his body, and before long, it completely merged into him.

Liu Xuan stood nearby with his head slightly bowed. Watching the scene, he couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. This cultivator of the Spirit God Sect was now one of their own.

At some point, Chen Lingding noticed the terrifying spiritual pressure had disappeared. His first instinct was to soar into the sky and flee.

”Go ahead and try to run. You’ll die.”

A detached voice echoed in his ear. Instinctively, he looked down, and sure enough, the yin energy at his feet was dissipating.

A cold dread rose from the pit of his stomach. Chen Lingding stopped fleeing and returned to face Liu Xuan and Fang Chen.

Immediately, his yin aura stabilized, no longer dispersing.

Chen Lingding let out a breath of relief before turning his gaze to Fang Chen. He spoke in a low voice. ”You’re the Lesser Underworld’s Monarch Fang?”

”Fellow Daoist Chen, let me introduce you,” Liu Xuan said. ”This is none other than Monarch Fang of our Underworld. From now on, you are under Monarch Fang’s command. You are no longer affiliated with Dangyin Mountain, nor do you have any ties to the Spirit God Sect behind you.”

Who the hell are you to decide that?!

Chen Lingding’s heart burned with anger, and he almost blurted it out, but his sense of reason suppressed it.

After a few breaths of silence, Chen Lingding looked steadily at Fang Chen. ”Monarch Fang, what technique did you just use? Did you place a restriction on me? If I defy you, you’ll detonate it and shatter my soul?”

”A restriction? You underestimate Monarch Fang. What he granted you was the Path of Ghost Gods,” Liu Xuan replied with a smile. ”Just like mine.”

A decree flickered briefly over Liu Xuan’s body before vanishing.

”Let’s speak elsewhere,” Fang Chen said with a soft smile.

***

Jiangguang City.

By now, Chen Lingding had understood many things, such as the death of Dangyin Mountain’s young master, and their suspicions about Jiangguang City.

”So now, both of us are officially recognized Ghost Gods? No longer just Yin Demons?” asked Chen Lingding.

He looked at Liu Xuan, then glanced at everyone. Taiyin Dragon King, Stone Dragon, and the others were present.

They were all proper Ghost Gods.

Unwittingly, the orthodox power of the Underworld had emerged once more. Though their foundation was far weaker than in the past, they still carried the lineage of Monarch Yan.

And Monarch Yan... had once ruled the Underworld.

As for demons like them, they weren’t even qualified to see Monarch Yan’s face. Before a true Ghost God, they had to bow and grovel.

This was something Chen Lingding had slowly come to understand after becoming a Yin Demon.

Chen Lingding looked at Fang Chen with a sour face. ”You are Monarch Yan, and I am a Ghost God conferred by your decree. My life and death are entirely in your hands?”

He said, ”Rumor says Ghost Gods can walk in the mortal realm and appear no different from the living?”

”These questions don’t matter now. What you should understand is that your fate lies in the lord’s hands,” the Taiyin Dragon King said with a faint smile. ”Back then, I had to beg personally to be granted the title of Ghost God. You’re far more fortunate than I was.”

Fortunate?

Chen Lingding thought about his identity. He was a Spirit God Sect member! In terms of background alone, he should’ve vastly outranked anyone in Monarch Yan’s lineage.

However, he knew that he was currently in the Underworld, where the situation was different.

”I only have one question. Can Ghost Gods really enter the Mortal Realm?” asked Chen Lingding, looking directly at Fang Chen.

Fang Chen gave a slight nod. ”Ghost Gods can naturally enter the Mortal Realm. They are no different from True Immortals of the Immortal Realm.”

”Indeed... In ancient times, Immortals and Ghost Gods were the same. Only, one resided in the Immortal Realm, while the other lived in the Underworld. The only difference was that the latter lived far longer,” Chen Lingding muttered to himself, a strange light flickering in his eyes.

”Now that you’ve weighed the pros and cons, what’s your decision?” Fang Chen asked with a faint smile.

”It’s already done. What choice do I have?” Chen Lingding stood up and cupped his hands. ”Of course I’ll follow you, Monarch Yan, and help conquer the world.”

He continued, ”I have a few men who’ve already infiltrated Jiangguang City. I’ll take them for a spin, then return to Dangyin Mountain. The young master’s death had nothing to do with what happened here.”

Fang Chen smiled and nodded. ”Is the master of Dangyin Mountain a Spirit God Sect cultivator?”

”No. He is the soul of an immortal mountain. He won’t join the Spirit God Sect. He looks down on them. But he is currently cooperating with them,” explained Chen Lingding. ”They capture immortal souls for him, and he acts as their enforcer, occasionally providing them with some Yin Lifespan Coins.”

”Immortal souls?” Fang Chen’s gaze flickered. ”Why does he want immortal souls?”

”He’s delusional. He thinks that by devouring immortal souls, he can escape his status as a great Yin Demon and become an immortal again.”

Chen Lingding sneered. ”But the truth is, he’s already a Yin Demon. Unless he reincarnates, that will never change. At best, those immortal souls only make his cultivation a bit stronger and more refined.”

Fang Chen nodded. ”Have you heard of Pitu?”

”Pitu?” Chen Lingding pondered for a moment, then shook his head. ”Never heard of it.”

”What about Song Zhili?”

”Never heard of him either.”

Chen Lingding seemed to guess something. ”Are they also Spirit God Sect cultivators? Enemies of Monarch Yan?”

”From now on, refer to him as the lord,” Taiyin Dragon King said.

Chen Lingding nodded with a smile. ”Got it.”

”The first is a true immortal. I’ve been looking for him for years. If you hear anything, let me know,” said Fang Chen with a smile. ”The second, Song Zhili, is a cultivator of the Spirit God Sect from the Chaotic Star. Have you heard of that place?”

”Chaotic Star...” muttered Chen Lingding.

He thought hard for a long while before shaking his head. ”No. The Nine Mortal Realms are vast, much larger than the Immortal Realm. There’s so much we simply don’t know.”

”Then it seems only Song Zhili’s faction can cross blades with me. They likely can’t summon other Spirit God Sect cultivators from elsewhere.”

Fang Chen smiled faintly. ”If you ever meet Song Zhili in person...”

”I’ll naturally be able to probe his connections,” said Chen Lingding. ”But my identity is too unique. As a great Yin Demon, suddenly appearing would arouse suspicion. We’d need a human agent from within the sect to approach him.”

He shook his head. ”But even if someone has been given a decree, their body can’t reach that so-called Chaotic Star you mentioned. That plan won’t work.”

”Here’s what we’ll do. Bring me some people to meet, just two at a time.”

”Alright.”

***

”Fellow Daoist Chen?”

In Jiangguang City, a few figures approached Chen Lingding with uncertain expressions.

”I was worried you’d run into danger, and I wasn’t at ease about this place. So I came to check on things personally,” Chen Lingding said softly as he glanced around.

They had no reason to doubt him. After all, Chen Lingding’s identity was unique. He had only ever belonged to the Spirit God Sect.

”I’ve been investigating. Aside from that so-called Empress Ci, there’s likely another great Yin Demon here.”

”With Jiangguang City’s resources, how could it possibly support more than two great Yin Demons? Two tigers can’t share one mountain.”

”This place is definitely suspicious. Let’s bring the news back and let the Mountain Lord decide how to handle it.”

”No rush. Let me take you to see an old friend first,” Chen Lingding said.