Immortal of the Nine Realms

Everyone chuckled. Although they could not see Song Zhili’s face, they could easily imagine the look on his face right now. As a dignified third transformation, Loose Immortal, Song Zhili had never before felt the world so absurd as he did today.

What were these people laughing at? What exactly were they laughing at?! Since when had the Killing Spiritual Division’s methods become so unfathomable?!

Fang Chen exchanged a few words of greeting with the people from Yu Tingzhai, then personally led Song Zhili into the Underworld.

On the way, Song Zhili finally confirmed that he had become a wandering soul, making peace with reality.

Song Zhili adjusted his mind and asked in a mild tone, as if chatting with an old friend. ”I truly underestimated you. Yu Tingzhai’s promotion to the fourth transformation has something to do with you, doesn’t it? The one beneath the iceberg, if I am not mistaken, should be the Deputy Division Master of the Heavenly Sword Division, right? Sword cultivators are known as crippled immortals. How did he advance to the fourth transformation?”

”How about this... I ask you a question, then you ask me a question. How about that? That way it’s fair.” Fang Chen smiled. ”Where are Wang Chongsong’s other bone destinies right now?”

Song Zhili was silent for a few breaths before shaking his head. ”I don’t know. He has always acted in secrecy and would never tell me something so important.”

”All right, it’s your turn to ask.”

”Was Yu Tingzhai’s promotion to the fourth transformation related to you?”

”I don’t know.” Fang Chen shook his head. ”How did Wang Chongsong obtain the Taiyi Immortal Path back then?”

Song Zhili was momentarily stunned. How could he not know how Yu Tingzhai advanced to the fourth transformation? From the information he had obtained, he could conclude that Yu Tingzhai had long ago pledged allegiance to him.

In fact, he suspected that Yu Tingzhai was controlled by some means in that man’s hands. Otherwise, why would a dignified fourth-transformation Immortal be so loyal to the Killing Spiritual Division?

Why would he go so far as to kill him, offending the Great Desolate Immortal? Even provoking a conflict between the Great Desolate Immortal and the Myriad Immortal Palace was clearly revenge for when the Myriad Immortal Palace destroyed the Nine Immortal Mountain Holy Land and the Heavenly Sword Division.

This matter had nothing to do with the Yin Holy Sect, so to make Yu Tingzhai act this way was definitely more than a matter of profit.

With that in mind, Song Zhili understood he would have to answer a few useful questions before the other party would clear any of his doubts.

After pondering for over a dozen breaths, and just as a faint river came into view ahead, Song Zhili suddenly said, ”No one knows how Wang Chongsong obtained the Taiyi Immortal Path, but later he was suppressed by experts from the Upper Three Realms. The Taiyi Immortal Path was then taken by various factions. This revealed a few clues. All of us fellow disciples suspected that it had something to do with the ’Enlightenment God Palace.’”

He paused, then asked, ”Beneath the iceberg... was it really the Deputy Division Master of the Heavenly Sword Division?”

Song Zhili stared intently at Fang Chen while awaiting his answer.

Fang Chen’s eyes narrowed. Enlightenment God Palace?

The Three Upper Realms were different from the Lower Six Realms. The cities in the Underworld that were connected to the Upper Three Realms were likely all within the Floating Pagoda Realm. That meant that the Hidden Guard Division of the Lesser Underworld could not reach into the Upper Three Realms, and thus could not obtain useful intelligence.

”How could the person beneath the iceberg be the Deputy Division Master of the Heavenly Sword Division? He is a crippled immortal. For sword cultivators, the road ends at the third transformation. Do you really not know, or are you just pretending not to know?”

Fang Chen smiled faintly before asking his next question. ”What’s the background of the Enlightenment God Palace?”

Hearing Fang Chen’s answer, Song Zhili relaxed slightly. He didn’t really care who was beneath the iceberg. If he were still alive, perhaps he would have asked, but now that he was dead, as long as it wasn’t the Heavenly Sword Division’s Deputy Division Master, then whoever it was had nothing to do with him.

Everyone knew that for sword cultivators, there was no path beyond the third transformation, hence they were called crippled immortals. This was why he had been so at ease in using the Heavenly Sword Division back then.

If a path for sword cultivators to ascend to immortality were to appear in the world, it would undoubtedly be an earth-shaking event for the Nine Mortal Realms, perhaps even more significant than the appearance of a brand new, never-before-walked complete immortal path.

”Enlightenment God Palace. A top-tier force in the Upper Three Realms.” Song Zhili mused, ”I don’t know the specifics, as I have never set foot in the Upper Three Realms in all my life. Unlike the Lower Six Realms, the Upper Three Realms have the Gates of the Immortal Realm. To pass through them, you either need an invitation or pay an enormous price.”

Gates of the Immortal Realm?

It seemed the Hidden Guard Division had collected similar information before. Fang Chen had never paid much attention to it, so he had not studied it closely.

Song Zhili explained, ”Right, the reason we suspected a link to Enlightenment God Palace is because Wang Chongsong once received an invitation, which allowed him to go to the Upper Three Realms. The owner of that invitation was a female cultivator from the Enlightenment God Palace.

”After that, Wang Chongsong’s cultivation skyrocketed. Even in the Upper Three Realms, he made a bit of a name for himself, until it was discovered that he was walking the Taiyi Immortal Path. None of the top-tier forces had mastered that path. For a lowly cultivator from the Lower Six Realms to possess it and rise to sixth transformation was why he was suppressed.”

Fang Chen smiled faintly. ”You seem to have a grudge with him.”

Song Zhili replied blandly, ”Because of Wang Chongsong, the Heavenly Saint Sect was oppressed within the Spirit God Sect at every turn. He offended far too many people, not just cultivators within the sect, but also many in the Upper Three Realms. The Heavenly Saint Sect’s low profile all these years wasn’t simply because of that Xu fellow. If it were you, you’d be at odds with him, too.”

”His so-called thirty-six bone destinies, are they a Taiyi Immortal technique?”

”Fellow Daoist Fang, it’s my turn to ask you.”

”All right, go ahead.”

Song Zhili had originally wanted to ask about the Frost Water Immortal Flame, but he was almost certain it was the doing of the man before him. After all, even Xu Changshi was in cahoots with him. Asking about it would clearly waste his turn.

By the time they reached the banks of the Forgotten River, Song Zhili drew a deep breath and asked bluntly, ”Were you the one who stole the Frost Water Immortal Flame?”

After asking this question, Song Zhili felt a moment of relief, as if he had severed a lingering attachment.

Fang Chen smiled and nodded. ”Yes, I stole it. You can answer my earlier question now.”

”The thirty-six bone destinies... are not a technique of the Heavenly Saint Sect. Before Wang Chongsong went to the Upper Three Realms, I had never heard of it, nor seen him use such a method. I don’t know the details, but it should be like the Taiyi Immortal Path, both related to Enlightenment God Palace.”

Song Zhili smiled faintly. ”With Fellow Daoist Fang’s abilities, going to the Upper Three Realms to investigate wouldn’t be difficult. You could visit Enlightenment God Palace and perhaps find out what exactly happened to Wang Chongsong over there, that turned him into this rambling, half-crazed state.”

He paused, then asked, ”Fellow Daoist Fang, why did Yu Tingzhai and the others pledge allegiance to you? What benefits did you give them?”

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

He pulled Song Zhili forward in a single step onto a bridge. Before long, they arrived at the Hidden Guard Division in the capital.

Looking at the enormous signboard of the Hidden Guard Division, Song Zhili smiled and said, ”The Immortal Worshipping Palace has long been investigating the relationship between the Hidden Guard Division and your Killing Spiritual Division. Their findings indicate that all of this is tied to Monarch Fang here. But they are certain that even the Killing Spiritual Division doesn’t know who this Monarch Fang really is.

He glanced at Fang Chen. ”Fellow Daoist Fang, why did you bring me to the Hidden Guard Division?”

The smile on his face grew strained. Though he kept up his composed act, in truth, having become a wandering soul and losing his cultivation had dulled his control over his emotions; he wasn’t as deft at concealment as before.