Immortal of the Nine Realms

Divine Realm, Qingming, Fang Lie’s Inner Domain.

Eight massive, magnificent gateways to separate Inner Domains floated quietly in the spatial void. Behind each portal stood a true Saint of the Human Race; with the sole exception of Saint Wangqing, every single big shot had arrived.

By this point, several months had already bled away since the systematic downfall and downgrade of the God Race. The massive socio-political tempests triggered by that cataclysm had temporarily failed to reach the insulated, distant corner of the Nether Ruins. Consequently, the upper echelons of the Human Race did not harbor any immediate panic regarding the matter.

”Saint Wangqing has still not arrived. Should we wait for her?” Saint Jinyang inquired, breaking the silence.

At his words, several Saints shifted their gazes toward Saint Wandao. It was an open secret that Saint Wandao shared an incredibly close, unbreakable bond of friendship with Saint Wangqing. If she intended to show her face today, he would undoubtedly know.

”Saint Wangqing commands a highly unique, dual status. She stands simultaneously as a Saint of the Human Race and a Saint of the Soul Race,” Saint Wandao explained with a casual smile. ”Therefore, when it comes to the ultimate structural allocation of this single Saint Blood Bodhi, she remains entirely unconcerned. It is perfectly fine for the nine of us to arrive at a final determination on her behalf.”

”Saint Wangqing truly remains detached from the mortal coil, failing to place even a matured Saint Blood Bodhi in her eyes.” Saint Jinyang chuckled, his tone visibly loosening up by several degrees. ”Does she truly believe it makes no difference whatsoever which of our people consumes this medicine?”

Had the terrifying Saint Wangqing been physically present to voice her stance, every single one of them in the room would have been forced to evaluate their words with extreme caution.

”Precisely. As long as it does not fall into the hands of an external, rival race, she yields zero objections,” replied Saint Wandao smoothly.

”Then this matter becomes considerably easier to untangle,” said Saint Jinyang, his expression shifting. His sharp gaze suddenly pierced through the magnificent spatial veil to lock directly onto Fang Chen, who stood quietly beside Fang Lie. ”The nine of us Saints are discussing who should receive the Saint Blood Bodhi. Why on earth is a mere junior permitted to stand in our presence?”

”Why shouldn’t he be present? This specific Saint Blood Bodhi was won by his own hands,” Fang Lie countered flatly. ”Claiming the absolute number-one rank across the entire cosmos in the Saint Tower Battles is a historical milestone that even the top twelve races, excluding the God Race at its peak, cannot guarantee achieving in every generation. Once he attains Sainthood in the future, he will rightfully stand as the First Saint of the Human Race. Allowing him to observe our internal deliberations and strategic decision-making ahead of time carries absolutely no harm.”

”You’re that certain he will successfully ascend to a Saint in the future?” sneered Saint Jinyang. ”Based on the data I possess, across the history of the Saint Tower Battles, less than one in ten peerless paragons who claimed the top spot of their respective tiers ever managed to successfully break through to become Saints, including those who were individuals born from the prime lineage of the God Race. You are placing far too heavy a burden of expectation onto this junior of your family.”

Fang Lie laughed robustly. ”What does that have to do with you?”

Saint Jinyang’s countenance instantly turned deathly grim. Those gathered could clearly perceive his boiling fury condensing into visible, rhythmic waves of energy that crashed violently against the borders of his Inner Domain portal, nearly spilling over into the central void.

After a long, suffocating pause, Saint Jinyang declared in a low, echoing hiss, ”Fang Lie, a considerable amount of time has slipped away since the formal conclusion of the Saint Tower Battles. Even the undisputed number-one race beneath the heavens has collapsed into total ruin overnight. Surely, the ownership of that Saint Blood Bodhi in your possession should be definitively settled today?”

He bypassed the previous friction entirely, driving the tip of his spear directly into the core agenda.

”Regarding the allocation of this Saint Blood Bodhi, I have a firm proposition to make.” Fang Lie nodded slowly. ”I suggest we store it away securely. If Fang Chen encounters external obstruction or a bottleneck when he attempts his own ascension to become a Saint in the future, he shall consume this medicine to break the gate.”

”Do you have any shame!” barked Saint Jinyang, his expression twisting sharply.

He had completely failed to anticipate that Fang Lie would deliver a proposition so thoroughly unvarnished and self-serving.

Under normal circumstances, the ultimate consumer of a supreme resource of this tier would invariably be meticulously selected from among the veteran Half Saints who had a chance of attaining Sainthood. For example: Half Saint Jinwu, Half Saint Zhangxue, Half Saint Zhangling, Half Saint Shi, or Half Saint Wang.

The Human Race could casually produce nearly a hundred peak Half Saints who had spent millennia building their foundations, all deserving to compete for this prize. Yet, with a single casual sentence, Fang Lie intended to lock away a supreme herb purely to reserve it for a mere sixth transformation cultivator?

”Saint Fang’s arrangement involves his own long-term strategic calculations. In my estimation, letting this Saint Blood Bodhi remain in storage for the time being carries zero negative consequences,” Saint Wandao mused after a moment of heavy contemplation. ”To the current Human Race, gaining or lacking a single true Saint at this precise moment does not fundamentally alter our geopolitical standing. Have you all not just witnessed how an entity as unimaginably supreme as the God Race could be wiped from reality by a single casual sentence from an Envoy of the Qingming Alliance?”

”The God Race is the God Race, and the Human Race is the Human Race! If you wish to claim that an extra Saint yields zero structural impact to a titan lineage like the God Race, I can understand. But to our Human Race, every single additional true Saint represents the manifestation of an extra Supreme Bone across our entire population! Saint Wandao, do you genuinely dare to declare that such an upgrade yields no real elevation for our people?”

Saint Jinyang sneered coldly, his eyes flashing with deep-seated resentment. ”Back when Fang Lie was a mere Half Saint, you were already constantly exchanging glances with him, shielding him at every turn. If not for your secret intervention, how could his fragile Inner Domain have possibly withstood a full-force strike from me in the past? Today, Fang Lie has become a Saint, and I have no desire to dredge up those ancient grievances. However, when it comes to this Saint Blood Bodhi, you must stand upon an absolute, impartial foundation for the good of the race instead of showing such blatant, unbridled favoritism purely due to your personal friendship with Fang Lie!”

”Saint Wandao, we cannot accept Fang Lie’s unilateral determination on this matter,” Saint Luoxue interjected, her cool, ethereal voice resonating clearly beside the ears of the gathered arbiters.

Saint Heifo spoke up. ”In truth... the ultimate ownership of this Saint Blood Bodhi should not be decided in such a hasty, casual manner. Under my tutelage, there is a core disciple who has possessed profound, transcendent spiritual roots since his youth. His comprehension of Buddhist laws is incredibly deep, and he successfully achieved the realm of Half Saint six millennia ago. He has remained in deep, unbreaking seclusion within his Inner Domain to this very day, lacking nothing but that absolute final spark of destiny. If we grant him this Saint Blood Bodhi, he will be able to break the gates of Sainthood and achieve Buddhahood in a single day.”

Hearing that, Fang Chen shifted his gaze toward the Inner Domain belonging to Saint Heifo. Although a thick layer of cosmic mist intentionally obscured the deeper layout of that domain, he could still catch a fleeting glimpse of its staggering scale. Countless ancient, magnificent Buddhist temples stretched across the horizon.

Sensing Fang Chen’s gaze, Saint Heifo appeared to give him a benevolent smile through the fog before gently nodding.

”Actually... I think that Saint Fang’s arrangement stands as the most strategically sound option available to us,” Saint Chenxiang remarked, her eyes sweeping briefly across Fang Chen. ”The sheer, absolute difficulty of a human cultivator fighting his way to the number-one spot during the Saint Tower Battle is something every single entity in this room should comprehend intimately. We were all young once, and we all personally tested ourselves within the Saint Tower Battle. The best of us had barely managed to make it into the top hundred thousand. This is not because we humans are inherently untalented, but because our racial foundation is far too shallow. Our number of Supreme Bones is far too small.”

”Now that a peerless human paragon capable of claiming the absolute number-one spot has finally emerged, we should take a longer-term view. Not just this single Saint Blood Bodhi, every single premium resource our race accumulates from this day forward should be systematically centered around Fang Chen, preparing an unshakeable foundation for his future path ahead of schedule.

”Even if we must prepare a foundation ahead of schedule, there is absolutely no necessity to execute it this early. He is a mere sixth-transformation cultivator,” countered Saint Jinyang in a low, gravelly hum.

He paused briefly, turning his sharp gaze toward the remaining Saints who had yet to voice their stances. ”Saint Duobao, Saint Danzun, Saint Beixuan... where do the three of you stand?”

”Let us simply proceed in accordance with Saint Fang’s words and lock this Saint Blood Bodhi away in storage for the time being. The current situation is entering an incredibly turbulent era; our Human Race ought to maintain a thoroughly low profile and carefully evaluate the shifting winds. The catastrophe that befell the God Race may not necessarily fail to cascade down upon our own heads,” declared the habitually silent Saint Beixuan slowly.

Saint Jinyang’s countenance shifted violently, a look of profound, bitter unwillingness flashing across his dark eyes.

”Since even Saint Beixuan has delivered such a judgment, let us temporarily ratify this decision.” Saint Duobao chuckled softly, smoothing over the tension.

”Personally, I find myself far more fascinated by the underlying truth of the God Race’s downfall,” Saint Danzun suddenly interjected, his tone rich with academic curiosity. ”Consider this. The God Race has held absolute dominion over the Divine Realm for countless eras, their foundational accumulation is deep and vast beyond measure, and the mystical methods wielded by that supreme Realm Lord exceeded our current boundary by an astronomical margin. Even an ancient titan like Saint Long was entirely incapable of matching his stride. Why on earth would an entity of that supreme caliber actively choose to launch a rebellion? Why would he willingly raise his blade against the absolute majesty of the Supreme Qingming Alliance?”