Immortal of the Nine Realms

A look of contemplation flashed on Xu Qinghe’s face. ”Ghost Immortals? What sort of path is that? In the old days, there was no such thing as a Ghost Immortal in the Underworld, only Ghost Gods.”

Fang Chen thought for a moment and then described the scenes he had witnessed inside the Ghost Immortal Tower to her.

”A Fragment of the Book of Life and Death?” Xu Qinghe’s gaze turned solemn. ”Aside from that, what else does the Enlightenment Underworld possess?”

”They likely also possess the Divine Furnace,” shared Fang Chen. ”The Enlightenment Underworld has a Demon Refining Tower that can take mindless Yin Demons, throw them inside, and refine them into the purest Karma.”

”The Divine Furnace of the Furnace Division Lord from the Reincarnation Division? That’s impossible. The Divine Furnace was shattered before my very own eyes during the great war. It was a primordial treasure born at the dawn of the Underworld. No one could repair it. Once it’s destroyed, it’s gone.”

Xu Qinghe shook her head, her tone certain. ”This Demon Refining Tower you speak of is likely a new Yin Artifact forged using a fragment of the Divine Furnace as its core.”

She paused, a look of bittersweet realization crossing her face. ”It seems the inheritances left behind in this realm have been carved up and divided among the top-tier powers of the current Nine Realms. This Underworld exists in name only. You, as Monarch Yan, have been completely and utterly stripped of power.”

”When I received the inheritance, this place was already in this state. It’s not a matter of being stripped of power; if I need the Divine Furnace in the future, I will find a way to take it back,” replied Fang Chen.

”A fragment of the Divine Furnace,” Xu Qinghe corrected. ”Anyway, regarding the Ghost Immortals you mentioned, I’ve recalled something. At the very beginning of the previous Monarch Yan’s reign, there was a Great Yin Demon who refused to submit. He attempted to rebuild the Underworld and replace Monarch Yan himself.”

She continued, ”The cultivation level of this Great Yin Demon was infinitely close to the Heaven Dao of the mortal world. Had the Monarch Yan fought him head-on, without considering the power boost granted by the Monarch Yan inheritance, he would not have been his match. This demon, relying solely on his own strength and peerless talent, pioneered a path extremely similar to the Ghost God path.

”Yin Demons who walked this path could gain the qualification to absorb the power of Karma and manifest themselves in the mortal realm. I recall some people used to call this Dao the Path of Ghost Immortals. It shared quite a few similarities with the Immortal Paths of the Mortal Realms. Now it appears that this Ghost Immortal path has a very significant connection to the Book of Life and Death.”

Xu Qinghe’s words left Fang Chen deeply shocked.

Such a monumental figure existed in the Underworld? Someone who, without any status, could match Monarch Yan?

”The fact that people are still walking this path today suggests that he might still be alive. He never showed his face during that great war. Looking back, he was likely just protecting himself,” said Xu Qinghe. ”In the current Underworld, has anyone attempted to confer the title of Monarch Yan upon themselves?”

”I have not heard of such a thing,” replied Fang Chen.

”That is strange. If he preserved his strength, there is no reason for him to remain in hiding after the previous Monarch Yan was defeated.” Xu Qinghe’s brow furrowed slightly. ”It is possible he encountered something that has made it impossible for him to extricate himself.”

”Senior, how should I address the person you just mentioned? If his strength was greater than the previous Monarch Yan’s back then, I fear he would be even more powerful if he had lived until now.”

”At the time, he called himself Motian Dizang. If he is still alive, you might find some clues if you look around. However... If you truly encounter him, do not hesitate, just run. If he discovers you are the current Monarch Yan, he will swallow you whole.”

After saying that, Xu Qinghe seemed to recall something, and her expression shifted. ”You mentioned earlier that the Enlightenment Underworld has a Demon Refining Tower; do they also have a Reincarnation Division?”

”They do.”

”...”

Xu Qinghe fell silent for a few moments, then asked for detailed information regarding the Enlightenment Underworld’s Reincarnation Division.

After a long while, she said, ”In that case, these wandering souls I am protecting will finally have a place to go. This is a good thing. Once the timing is right, the wandering souls here can enter the Reincarnation Division. They are the seeds of the human race and should go to the Mortal Realm.”

”Senior, I was just about to inform you of this. When the time is right over there, I will come here to lead these souls away,” said Fang Chen, bowing with his hands clasped.

”If there is anywhere you need help, feel free to speak up,” offered Xu Qinghe. She pointed at the ghost infant. ”Although my cultivation has not yet recovered, this little fellow has a fair bit of ability himself.”

The ghost infant seemed to understand she was praising him and let out another silly, giggling laugh.

Xu Qinghe looked at Fang Chen for a moment, then said, ”How about this? How much Yin Lifespan do you have on hand? Is it enough to write a decree for Summoning Yin Beasts?”

Fang Chen glanced at the ghost infant. ”Senior, do you mean...”

”Indeed. He is quite special. Conferring him as a Ghost God won’t work, but you can still establish a connection through the Great Decree for summoning Yin Beasts. In the future, if you encounter danger in the mortal realm, his help could resolve a thing or two.”

Xu Qinghe continued, ”Given his current strength, if you have two million years of Yin Lifespan, it should be sufficient.”

”Two million years... I’m still quite short.”

Fang Chen let out a bitter smile, but he knew that if he could confer the ghost infant with the Great Decree, the benefits would be immense. He didn’t want to miss this chance.

”Senior, I happen to be heading back to the Lesser Underworld. I will see if I can scrape together two million years of Yin Lifespan. If it’s not enough, I will simply have to wait a while longer,” said Fang Chen.

Xu Qinghe nodded. ”Very well. We will always be here.”

Fang Chen glanced at Little Immortal Honglian and said, ”I’ll have to ask you to look after Fellow Daoist Hong for the time being.”

Returning to the Lesser Underworld wouldn’t take long; if he hurried, half a day would be enough for the round trip.

”Go on.”

***

Using the power of the Forgotten River, Fang Chen returned to Jiangguang City almost instantly. He tracked down the Xing Shan, checked the accounts, and prepared to head to the Lesser Underworld with the accumulated Yin Lifespan from nearly two hundred years.

Since his last departure, nearly two hundred years had passed. During this time, Xing Xian had managed Jiangguang City quite capably. However, for a place as vast as Jiangguang City, this amount of time hadn’t brought massive growth. The annual surplus of Yin Lifespan fluctuated. Sometimes they even had to subsidize the city’s operations. After everything, the surplus this time was only about 2.4 million years, all of which was absorbed by Monarch Yan’s Seal

Moving from Jiangguang City to the Lesser Underworld, the annual surplus was even less. As the number of divisions and personnel in the Lesser Underworld increased, the annual overhead had become significantly larger than before. The surplus from nearly two hundred years was only about 3 million years. Leaving a portion as a reserve, Fang Chen took only 2 million years of Yin Lifespan.

The Yin Lifespan within Monarch Yan’s Seal instantly surged to over 4.8 million years.

***

Monarch Yan’s Hall

Fang Chen stood before the barrier between the two worlds. By now, the barrier had become very thin, making the figures on the other side appear increasingly clear.

There was a letter here left by Yun He. It stated that he had helped reinforce the barrier once and urged Fang Chen not to take this place lightly, reminding him to replenish the Yin Lifespan in time.

Fang Chen gave a wry smile and immediately poured the Yin Lifespan from Monarch Yan’s Seal into the barrier. He only stopped once he had exactly two million years Yin Lifespan left in the seal.

The barrier between the worlds became exceptionally thick and solid once more. The figure on the other side seemed so frustrated that they were practically jumping with rage.