Immortal of the Nine Realms

The Void Immortal Sword Sect.

The moment Wang Chongsong’s bones were buried, the soul lamp he had left behind in the sect was extinguished. The mysterious death of their sect master sent shockwaves through the upper ranks of the sect, inciting deep rage and suspicion.

Through various private channels, each peak sent out disciples to investigate the true cause of Wang Chongsong’s demise.

One by one, pieces of intelligence trickled in. They came from different sources, yet they carried the same eerily consistent messages.

Today, the peak masters of each mountain, the elders of the Hall of Teachings, and even two Profound Immortals who rarely emerged from seclusion all gathered in the Sect Master Hall.

Peak Master Zhang Ling of Extreme Sword Peak scanned the room. Everyone looked grim with furrowed brows, glancing toward the entrance now and then, as if waiting for someone important to arrive.

Zhang Ling’s gaze landed on Wang Zhenlong, the sect’s sole Immortal King.

His expression was calm, devoid of emotion, his thoughts unreadable. However, Zhang Ling could easily guess the turmoil that must be roiling inside him.

In a corner of the hall stood many disciples from Extreme Sword Peak who were close to Fang Chen, such as Langya Wenqiu and the siblings Jing Xu and Jing Yuehan.

”Elder Wang, Sword Leader Fang has arrived,” announced a disciple respectfully upon entering the hall.

Everyone immediately straightened, their spirits rising.

Moments later, Fang Chen stepped into the hall. All eyes locked on him as he walked forward.

Wang Zhenlong offered a faint smile and gave a small nod. ”You’re back. Where’s your junior sister?”

Jing Yuehan also noticed that Fairy Yu wasn’t with Fang Chen, and a flicker of doubt flashed in her eyes.

Fang Chen replied with a cupped fist. ”She still carries the Inverse Immortal Demonic Embryo within her. She’s currently in a very secure location. I’m working on a way to resolve the threat it poses.”

The crowd was momentarily stunned. Their expressions turned subtly strange.

Jing Yuehan looked confused.

The Inverse Immortal Demonic Embryo hadn’t been resolved? Then what state had Fairy Yu been in when she returned before?

Wang Zhenlong nodded slightly and said, ”These years you’ve been away from the sect, traveling far and wide.... Did you meet the Sect Master?”

Fang Chen replied calmly, ”I did. In the Immortal Demon Sea.”

Everyone exchanged glances, their expressions growing heavier.

That location matched the intelligence they’d received. Wang Chongsong had died in the Immortal Demon Sea. And the one who killed him was now standing right here in front of them.

The bearded sword cultivator was the first to lose his composure. He stepped forward and snapped, ”Swordmaster Fang! The sect master’s soul lamp has gone out. People are claiming he perished in the Immortal Demon Sea at your hands. What do you have to say for yourself?”

Wang Zhenlong let out a long sigh, his voice low and heavy. ”He was my only son. I won’t let this pass without answers. I want to know whether he’s dead or alive. If he’s dead, I want to know how he died.”

Langya Wenqiu couldn’t help but interject, ”Honored Elders, Senior Brother Fang has no reason to harm the Sect Master. The news you’ve received may well be deliberate misinformation, meant to stir conflict and suspicion.”

Zhang Ling shot her a cold glance. ”This isn’t your place to speak.”

Langya Wenqiu froze for a moment, then gathered her courage. ”You asked us here today to give our impression of Senior Brother Fang. We’ve already said that we firmly believe he wouldn’t lay a hand on the sect master. That’s not who he is. What would he even gain from doing so?”

That struck a chord.

Yes... what would he gain?

The crowd unconsciously nodded.

With Fang Chen’s talent and status, becoming the future Sect Master or even rising to the level of a Supreme Emperor like Wang Zhenlong was only a matter of time.

Why would he assassinate Wang Chongsong?

The Void Immortal Sword Sect had always enjoyed internal harmony. Infighting was rare. Wang Chongsong had never suppressed Fang Chen. In fact, he had once personally led a campaign against the Great Expansion Dao Sect on Fang Chen’s behalf.

Fang Chen spoke calmly, ”To be precise, Wang Chongsong... Isn’t truly dead.”

Everyone paused, stunned. All eyes turned to him. The implication in those words was obvious.

Langya Wenqiu’s face paled in confusion. ”You really killed him, Senior Brother Fang?”

Wang Zhenlong swayed slightly, his eyes filled with disappointment, weariness, and a flicker of cold anger. However, he didn’t act. If Fang Chen dared come here openly, it meant he was prepared.

Perhaps the man from the Desolate Academy was already standing outside.

The bearded sword cultivator barked, ”Fang Chen, did you really kill the sect master? What did the Void Immortal Sword Sect ever do to wrong you? You’re the disciple of Supreme Emperor Wang, which makes the sect master your martial brother. Why would you do this to him!?”

Fang Chen turned and met Wang Zhenlong’s eyes. One gaze calm and unwavering, the other filled with stormy conflict.

Then Fang Chen said plainly, ”Wang Chongsong was a cultivator of the Spirit Blood Sect.”

A gasp rippled through the hall.

The sect master was a member of the Spirit Blood Sect?

”Utter nonsense!” The bearded cultivator laughed in disbelief, nearly choking on anger. ”You claimed Qin Hucheng was Spirit Blood Sect too, and he died by your hand. Now you’re saying the sect master was as well? Why not say that everyone here is a Spirit Blood Sect cultivator and kill us all, and the Void Immortal Sword Sect can be yours alone?”

”That reason isn’t convincing enough,” said a peak master. ”Even if the sect master really was a Spirit Blood Sect cultivator, you still had no right to kill him. You should have consulted Supreme Emperor Wang before taking any action.”

Wang Zhenlong asked, ”You just said... My son isn’t dead? What do you mean by that? His soul lamp has gone out. By all logic, he should be truly dead.”

”According to Immortal King Ji, Wang Chongsong has a thirty-six bone destiny. The one who died here was only one of them. I later went to Hongmo Star and confirmed it. Over there, there is also a Wang Chongsong,” shared Fang Chen, smiling.

He continued, ”If he were just a Spirit Blood Sect cultivator, I might have sought my master’s advice before deciding how to deal with him. But the Inverse Immortal Demonic Embryo in Little Yu’s body was planted by him.

”This time, he worked with Little Yu to lure me into an enemy’s trap. So why would I not destroy this bone destiny of his?”

Everyone looked confused, as if they understood a little, but most of it went over their heads.

Bone Destiny? Hongmo Star? Inverse Immortal Demonic Embryo? What are those?

Wang Zhenlong frowned. ”You’re saying... that my son isn’t actually my son?”

Fang Chen shook his head. ”I don’t know.”

He had no idea what method Wang Chongsong had used, nor did he understand what kind of technique the thirty-six bone destiny represented.

Possession? Rebirth?

”All of this is just your one-sided story. You admit the sect master died by your hand, but you haven’t proven his connection to the Inverse Immortal Demonic Embryo,” the bearded sword cultivator said in a low voice. ”You owe us an explanation. One for the entire Sword Sect.”

Fang Chen said, ”I’ve almost fully uncovered the details regarding the Inverse Immortal Demonic Embryo. Qin Hucheng alone wasn’t enough to plant it. Someone else in Extreme Sword Peak was helping Wang Chongsong with this plan.”

Zhang Ling frowned. ”What proof do you have?”

Fang Chen smiled and stomped lightly on the ground. ”Let Qin Hucheng speak.”

Everyone froze.

Let a dead man speak? How could the dead speak?

Just as they stood in stunned silence, a wisp of smoke spiraled and gathered beside Fang Chen, taking the shape of a figure familiar to all. ℯℯ𝘭.

Langya Wenqiu and the others gasped.

”Senior Brother Qin!?”

Qin Hucheng’s face was pale. He looked a bit ashamed as he cupped his fists toward Wang Zhenlong.

”Disciple pays respect to Supreme Emperor Wang.”