Immortal of the Nine Realms

“The Flamethief Immortal? Are there other countries who worship the same deity as you?” Fang Chen asked.

Abbess Clearlotus nodded. “There are quite a few of them.”

It could be either these deities were beings who had once existed and had left behind legends for others to revere them by, or that those countries used to be one whole and worshiped the same deity but had fractured over time.

“Let’s take a rest today. Tomorrow, I’ll have Tie Ma accompany you to Infernoblaze. How long would a to and fro trip take?” Fang Chen asked.

“Two to three months should suffice. I know some shortcuts,” Abbess Clearlotus replied.

Fang Chen pondered for a moment before putting down his brush and taking out a jade seal from his storage ring. One of the South Heaven Sect’s cultivators had given him this jade seal before dying. He was thinking of having Abbess Clearlotus deliver the seal, though he would have to first inspect its content.

He infused his spirit ki into the jade seal, but there was a thin soul energy barrier that prevented one from viewing its content. Of course, such a thin layer of soul energy was nowhere enough to hinder his powerful soul though.

He pierced through the barrier with ease, and the message inscribed into the jade seal flowed into his mind.

[Senior, we pursued Zhou Yizeng to a grade-9 state called Great Xia and found that he’s a Blood Spirit Cultist. We aren’t a match for him and are going to die in his hands, but please don’t avenge us. There is a cultivator here who possesses a twelve daosoul artifact. You’ll surely be able to emerge as the champion in our South Heaven Sect’s tournament if you obtain it. Please make a move soon lest this treasure falls into the hands of another.]

Fang Chen’s face darkened.

That fellow told the South Heaven Sect not to avenge him because of how powerful the Blood Spirit Cult was, but he told his senior to come to Great Xia to take his treasure. As the one who killed Zhou Yizeng, Fang Chen could be considered his benefactor, but he repaid his favor with ingratitude.

“For that, we wouldn’t hesitate to monopolize resources or fleece others out of their wealth. To put it bluntly, we are selfish people…”

Fang Chen was reminded of Li Daoye’s words. He shook his head in self-mockery before crushing the jade seal to dust. The world of cultivation follows the law of the jungle. It’d be naive to expect morals from others. I have to keep this in mind.

Abbess Clearlotus was curious about the jade seal, but she chose not to probe. Fang Chen turned his attention back to drawing talismans, and she focused her eyes on him too.

His graceful brush strokes are truly pleasant to the eye.

The following morning, there was a new stack of Purple Lightning Talismans placed in front of Fang Chen.

Spirit ki from the surroundings gushed into Fang Chen’s body, and his fifth immortal vein slowly manifested. Just like that, his spirit ki grew several fold.

Surprised, Abbess Clearlotus stood up and said, “Congratulations, young master.”

A cultivator making a breakthrough was something worth celebrating.

“Little Abbess, do you have a rough idea how the Purple Lightning Talisman is made now?” Fang Chen asked with a smile.

“A bit. Ah! Young master, I didn’t mean to memorize it…” Abbess Clearlotus belatedly remembered that such means were confidential to cultivators, and her eyes swam around in a panic.

“Don’t worry. I ought to present something of value to convince your master to make a move,” Fang Chen remarked with a chuckle.

He was previously unsure whether Abbess Clearlotus’ sect would be willing to deal with the Blood Spirit Cult for them, but from his encounter with the South Heaven Sect, he realized that the world of cultivation was highly pragmatic.

If he wanted a favor from someone, he would have to offer something in return.

“Little Abbess, I have fifty mid-grade Purple Lightning Talismans here. Take them with you, and don’t hesitate to use them if you find yourself in danger. When you return to your sect, tell your master and elders that I’ll teach them how to draw the Purple Lightning Talisman in exchange for them dealing with the Blood Spirit Cult for us,” Fang Chen said.

Abbess Clearlotus was stunned. “Young master, you’re saying that…”

“I’ll teach you how to draw the Purple Lightning Talismans. Just looking at the drawing process won’t be enough. You’ll need guidance as to where to exert more force and where to go lighter,” Fang Chen replied with a smile.

“Talisman heritage is invaluable. Young master, are you certain about it?” Abbess Clearlotus asked with a suppressed voice.

The Purple Lightning Talisman was not an ordinary talisman. A pinnacle Purple Lightning Talisman wielded the prowess of an all-out attack from a pinnacle Ki Refinement cultivator. Someone who was capable of drawing the Purple Lightning Talisman would be celebrated no matter where they went.

The Moon Monastery would be much stronger if they learned the art of drawing Purple Lightning Talismans.

Abbess Clearlotus was still worried that her master might be reluctant to help them, but with such a reward on the line, her master should be willing to make a move.

“I have thought things through. The art of drawing Purple Lightning Talismans is from my lineage. I’ll head to my sect and beg them for forgiveness in the future. You don’t have to worry about trouble befalling your Moon Monastery,” Fang Chen said. “However, I’ll only impart the skill to you, and you can only pass it down to your disciple. That’s my condition.”

“Yes, young master.” Abbes Clearlotus nodded.

Fang Chen called Tie Ma over and instructed him to escort Abbess Clearlotus to Infernoblaze. Tie Ma was hesitant upon hearing the order.

“Don’t worry, Old Huang and the others are around,” Fang Chen consoled him with a smile.

“Young master, I’ll return as soon as possible.” Tie Ma clasped his fist.

“Little Abbess might be a cultivator, but she lacks worldly experience. Take good care of her,” Fang Chen instructed.

Tie Ma grimly nodded before sneaking out of the Fang Manor with Abbess Clearlotus.

Shortly after the two of them left, Xu Ge rushed over in a hurry and reported, “Young master, Daoye insists that I call you over.”

Fang Chen rushed to the courtyard.

When he arrived, he saw Fang Zhentian meditating on the ground with a faint purple light shrouding his face. A huge amount of spirit ki had gathered around him, and it was steadily flowing into his body.

Fang Cangtian, Fang Cangyou, Fang Chen’s mother, Fang Zhixue, and the others stared at Fang Zhentian in astonishment. They couldn’t see or sense spirit ki, but they could see the faint purple light shrouding Fang Zhentian’s face.

Clearly, something was going on!

“Young master, you arrived on time! This is incredible! Forging his immortal vein in a single day; your Old Master is a true cultivator prodigy!” Li Daoye exclaimed in admiration. He grabbed Fang Chen’s sleeve and pulled it. “Won’t you allow me to take a trip back to the Eight Trigrams Sect? I want to call my father over to take your Old Master in as his disciple!”

“Then what am I supposed to call you?” Fang Chen asked.

“Your grandfather is my Junior Brother, so you ought to call me your Great Senior Uncle…” Li Daoye didn’t finish his sentence as he noticed the contempt in Fang Chen’s eyes.

Fang Chen ignored Li Daoye and instead quietly assessed Fang Zhentian.

My grandfather forged his immortal vein in a single day, just like me. However, I have my strong soul serving as a foundation, and I only inherited that after seeing that fairy in the Three Realms Mountain. My grandfather had no such fortuitous encounter, meaning that he’s a true prodigy!