Immortal of the Nine Realms

Fang Chen quickly walked into the main hall and bowed respectfully.

”Old master.”

”Father, Mother.”

”Aunt.”

Fang Zhentian smiled warmly and nodded. Fang Canghai and his wife hadn’t seen their son for many years. They were both relieved and moved.

Fang Zhentian stroked his beard and smiled. ”You came back at just the right time. If you have any doubts, feel free to tell me. Whatever I can answer, I will.”

Fang Chen’s expression shifted. Just now, a mysterious aura had enveloped the entire main hall. Its profundity even puzzled him.

Several Day Walkers who had been stationed outside the hall were blocked by this aura, unable to see or hear anything inside.

”Father and mother show no signs of cultivation, and neither does my second uncle, but their lifespans are much longer than ordinary people’s,” said Fang Chen.

Fang Zhentian chuckled softly. ”It’s just the method of an Anomaly. It’s different from the path of immortality, but their lifespans are indeed longer than common folks, much like the ghosts and spirits of the Underworld.”

Hearing the word Anomaly, Fang Chen was certain his guess was correct. The old master truly was that Anomaly, not just someone who looked similar.

”Ghost God in the underworld feeds on Yin Lifespan, so their lives are prolonged. These people feed on Yang Lifespan, so their longevity is equally long,” explained Fang Zhentian.

”Yang lifespan...” Fang Chen mused.

Xia Yunxin looked confused, not understanding a word of the explanation.

Fang Zhentian said with a faint smile, ”Ghosts represent yin while humans represent yang. Since ancient times, yin and yang have always existed together. There’s no need to be too surprised.

”You’ve always been curious about what an Anomaly is. An Anomaly is like a human god, somewhat similar to a ghost god but essentially different. Ghost gods feed on Yin Lifespan, while we feed on Yang Lifespan. So Anomalies can live long lives, as long as their Yang Lifespan doesn’t run out, they can live forever.”

Fang Cangyou grinned. ”Exactly, exactly. The old master said that although we can’t follow the path of immortality, your father, mother, and I will eventually become Anomalies like him. When that happens, you won’t have to stand alone anymore. If anything comes up, our family will gather together and handle it. Be it fighting or dealing with things.”

Fang Zhentian glanced at Fang Cangyou and said, ”Your eldest brother and sister-in-law becoming Anomalies is certain. But you’re different. If you don’t work harder, you might not succeed and will have to wander in the Underworld.”

”Wandering the underworld isn’t so bad,” Fang Cangyou muttered in his heart, but on his face was a determined expression as he clenched his fist. ”I will definitely try my best.”

Xia Yunxin asked with a confused expression, ”Old Master, mother, uncle... what exactly are you talking about?”

”Yunxin, you’re still young and don’t understand some things. But it’s okay. Today you’ll just listen. If there’s anything you don’t understand later, your uncle will explain it to you,” said Fang Cangyou.

Xia Yunxin nodded. Unlike Xia Yunxin, Fang Chen understood the mystery of Anomalies. Even Master Yun He was one of them. Hearing suddenly that his parents and his uncle would also become one, he felt both surprised and joyful.

The surprise stemmed from how prone Anomalies were to being hunted, along with their many shortcomings. The joy was that the methods of Anomalies Being were mysterious and divine. Hearing the old man’s metaphor, they truly were like Ghost Gods among humans, surpassing the level of immortal cultivators.

Fang Zhentian explained, ”Humans, ghosts, immortals, demons. Each has their own path. The path of Anomalies is the original path of humans. But the world today is very different from how it once was, so becoming an Anomaly is no longer easy. And the methods of Anomalies are far less stable than in ancient times.”

He sighed softly. ”Sometimes we lose our memories, wandering all over the human world. Sometimes we are confused, sometimes clear-headed. There are many things we cannot fully control.”

”Take your parents as an example. A few years ago, they lost their memories and lost themselves. While wandering outside, they even gave birth to several younger brothers and sisters for you.”

Fang Canghai and his wife’s faces turned slightly red.

”Younger brothers and sisters?”

Fang Chen looked strange and asked, ”When will I get to meet them?”

Fang Zhentian said, ”They should be on their way back. You’ll meet them and return together.”

”I want to go too,” chimed Xia Yunxin softly.

Fang Cangyue glanced at her and said calmly, ”You’d better not get involved. If your connection with the Immortal Worshipping Sect hadn’t been discovered by your cousin, when exactly were you planning to tell us?”

Xia Yunxin was taken aback. She hadn’t expected Fang Cangyue to know about it too. Feeling guilty, she lowered her head and said nothing.

Fang Zhentian gave Fang Cangyue a look ”Enough. She’s still young, still lacking experience. She doesn’t know the true state of things. Had it been you in her place years ago, you might also have allied with the Immortal Worshipping Sect.”

He smiled at Xia Yunxin. ”Yunxin, your mother can’t walk the path of Anomalies, and neither can you. So in the future, be closer to your cousin.”

Xia Yunxin replied softly, ”Yes.”

Fang Chen suddenly asked, ”Master Yun He should have followed the path of Ghost Gods, right? Why did he later switch to the path of Anomalies?”

Fang Zhentian smiled, ”He lost. It was because he lost that he made the switch. At least at that time, there were still quite a few Anomalies alive in the mortal world. On the other hand, the Underworld was nearly overrun. I didn’t want you to follow the path of Ghost Gods either, but since there was an agreement with Yun He, I let you choose for yourself. You ultimately chose his path.”

Fang Chen’s expression grew serious. ”Grandfather, who was your enemy back then?”

No matter which path one takes, once taken, it’s taken. He had never regretted it. Even if the path of Anomalies was superior to the path of Ghost Gods in some way, so what? He couldn’t accept the occasional memory loss. That kind of instability was something he disliked.

”Very strong, extremely strong, but who exactly... I’ve forgotten.” Fang Zhentian shook his head with a smile. ”I only know these guys are still around today.”

”You forgot?” Fang Chen’s brows furrowed. ”Is it related to the demonic ancestor?”

”Demonic ancestor? Don’t know.” Fang Zhentian seemed to think seriously for a moment, then shook his head again. ”Don’t know, really forgotten.”

Fang Zhentian continued, ”The Immortal Realm... my memories are vague, but since even the Underworld was overrun, I imagine the Immortal Realm too was breached. The situation probably isn’t much better than the Underworld and was maybe even more chaotic than the mortal world.”

Fang Canghai and the others all showed grave expressions. Clearly, they had some understanding of this matter. Only Xia Yunxin was still confused, but inside her heart, a storm was raging.

Her family... seemed far more mysterious than she had imagined.

Fang Chen frowned. ”Old man, what exactly is their purpose? If they want to invade us, why have they... kept such a low profile all these years?”

”One thing is certain: they have always been active, but... ordinary people can’t perceive it. You know the Spirit God Sect, right? Well, these people are much better at their schemes. Compared to them, the Spirit God Sect is just children playing house.”

Fang Zhentian smiled. ”Besides that, we Anomalies mostly remember one thing.”

Fang Chen hurriedly asked, ”What things?!”

Anything Anomalies all remembered had to be of great importance!

Fang Zhentian gazed at Fang Chen, his eyes deep and unfathomable. ”People. People are very important.”