Immortal of the Nine Realms

"How long will it last? That's really hard to say. Naturally, both sides hope to conclude the negotiations as soon as possible. Once the talks are settled, I estimate there won't be any major issues for at least tens of thousands of years.

Daoist Yun Que chuckled. "As for the Demonic Beast Race, they also wouldn't dare completely tear apart relations with us directly. Otherwise, we would move to exterminate them entirely rather than letting them develop unchecked."

Fang Chen fell silent. Only after finishing two pots of tea did he finally speak again. "And about that matter of the false Heavenly Dao?"

Daoist Yun Que smiled. "Your information network is quite impressive. Though I suppose that's natural. You're both Monarch Yan and Ninth Core Disciple of the Enlightenment God Palace. It's not surprising you know about this. You don't need to worry about the false Heavenly Dao anymore. The patched-together false Heavenly Dao created by the demon race has already been suppressed by our side. Otherwise, how could the Taicang Realm war have entered the negotiation phase so quickly?"

Fang Chen finally relaxed. "That's good."

Daoist Yun Que continued, "And incidents like the one where your identity was exposed earlier won't happen again either. That's one of the prerequisites for the negotiations, and they've already agreed to it."

At that moment, an exceptionally handsome young man and woman entered the teahouse. Countless gazes were instantly drawn toward their extraordinary bearing. Even those who had traveled throughout the Dongsheng Empire and possessed knowledge and experience far beyond ordinary people were captivated by the pair. These two seemed less like mortals of the human world and more like immortals descended from the heavens.

The two ascended directly to the seventh floor and walked straight toward Fang Chen and Daoist Yun Que.

"You two may stop there," said Daoist Yun Que as he tossed a pastry into his mouth and looked at them with slight disdain. "I knew your Demonic Beast Race wouldn't accept things so easily. You were bound to make some little moves behind the scenes."

The handsome young man cupped his fist politely. "Brother Mu, we come without ill intent."

"I can't accept you calling me Brother Mu. Your seniority far surpasses mine. Before you, I'm merely a junior," Daoist Yun Que replied coldly.

The handsome young man smiled. "On the path of cultivation, the capable are teachers. Brother Mu once nearly ascended to the position of Heavenly Dao. Based on that alone, you are qualified to stand as our equal."

Daoist Yun Que could not be bothered with him and instead turned to Fang Chen. "You've probably heard of these two long ago, though this is your first time meeting them. The man is the True Immortal Ancient Mirror, and the woman is the God Decree Ranking. They possess the strength of Half Step Heavenly Daos, but they cannot act recklessly. At least before they possess absolute certainty, they won't dare move against you. Otherwise, the Demonic Beast Race will be exterminated."

The woman whose beauty could topple kingdoms heard this, and her eyelashes fluttered lightly before she bowed toward Fang Chen. "This little woman is surnamed Lu, named Fengshen. Greetings, Monarch Fang."

"And I am surnamed He, named Zhenxian. Greetings, Monarch Fang."

Daoist Yun Que smiled. "Their surnames follow those of their masters. One is a Deer Beast, the other a Crane."

A subtle shift crossed Fang Chen's expression as he cupped his fist toward the two. "You two have traveled from afar. What brings you here?"

"To pay our respects to you, of course. And we would also like to request the return of one of our clansmen from your hands," answered He Zhenxian with remarkable courtesy.

Fang Chen feigned ignorance. "Who?"

"Gu Yueling," Lu Fengshen answered softly.

"Surely the two of you know that she may remain in anyone's hands except... the Demonic Beast Race's?" Fang Chen sighed softly. "You should return."

Upon hearing this, He Zhenxian and Lu Fengshen did not leave. Instead, they stood silently in contemplation for a moment.

Suddenly, He Zhenxian produced a crystal as pure and clear as water. Instantly, Fang Chen felt Little Sword become incomparably restless, expressing immense yearning and desire toward the crystal.

"This is a Spirit Nurturing Stone. It was born alongside the Nine Mortal Realms when they first came into existence. Very few remain now. It can nourish supreme treasures. Within you resides a spiritual sword. If it is nourished with the Spirit Nurturing Stone, it could enter the top ten of the Spiritual Treasure Ranking." He Zhenxian's expression was incomparably sincere. "I am willing to exchange the Spirit Nurturing Stone for my clansman."

Daoist Yun Que looked at the Spirit Nurturing Stone with surprise. "A Spirit Nurturing Stone... so you still retained something like this. No wonder... no wonder..."

He finally seemed to understand how the True Immortal Ancient Mirror and the God Decree Ranking had restored their vitality.

Little Sword's voice rang in Fang Chen's ears. "Little Chen, don't trade with them. These two are old swindlers."

Fang Chen examined the Spirit Nurturing Stone for a while before suddenly speaking. "Are you selling this stone? If so, your Demonic Beast Race can receive preferential treatment during reincarnation in the Underworld in the future."

He Zhenxian and Lu Fengshen exchanged a glance, both frowning simultaneously. "Monarch Fang, we possess our own Underworld and also control a fragment of the Reincarnation Mirror. On the contrary, your Lesser Underworld doesn't even possess a single fragment. So there's no need for you to concern yourself with reincarnation matters."

So I'm being looked down upon.

Fang Chen smiled. "I won't exchange Gu Yueling for this Spirit Nurturing Stone. The implications behind this matter are something the two of you surely understand. You should return."

He Zhenxian pressed again. "Monarch Fang, you govern the Underworld. Matters of the Nine Mortal Realms should logically have nothing to do with you. If you could command a spirit treasure ranked within the top ten, do we really need to explain the benefits?"

Fang Chen nodded. "A spiritual treasure ranked in the top ten should possess Half Step Heavenly Dao might, just like the two of you. If one could control such a treasure, they truly could roam freely across the Nine Realms."

Seeing that Fang Chen seemed tempted, Lu Fengshen immediately added, "Monarch Fang, when that time comes, your strength will finally match your current status. Even against that person from the Motian Division, you would no longer need to fear."

"In merely a thousand years, you could reach a realm ordinary people might never attain in a hundred thousand years. Such an opportunity absolutely cannot be missed."

Fang Chen smiled. "How about changing the condition? Then we can continue discussing."

The two immediately fell silent.

After a long while, He Zhenxian first looked at Daoist Yun Que, then at Fang Chen. The aura around him became unfathomably deep.

"You've decided to make a move? Do you think there's no reason why I'm here today?" Daoist Yun Que said calmly. "Careful, or I might taint your spiritual essence and send you back into slumber again."

With only a thought, a strange power suddenly appeared at Daoist Yun Que's fingertips. It was neither immortal essence nor spiritual energy. Instead, it seemed to originate from some destroyed era.

Fang Chen could not help sighing to himself. The Radiant Divine Eyes originated from the Twilight Solar God Beast. So he truly is the progenitor of this path.

He Zhenxian and Lu Fengshen appeared extremely wary of that strange power. After several breaths of silence, they deeply glanced at Fang Chen before turning around and leaving together.

Daoist Yun Que withdrew the power at his fingertips and sighed toward Fang Chen. "Now that those two have their eyes on you, you'll have to be more careful in the future. I can't remain by your side every moment."

After speaking, his expression suddenly became focused, as though he were listening to something. Only after a while did he smile and nod. "Those two have already left."

"Senior Yun Que, the power you used earlier to frighten them away was..."

Fang Chen truly felt curious.

Daoist Yun Que pointed toward a nearby table not far from them. "Actually, it had little to do with that power. At most, it could only bluff them temporarily. The one who truly scared them away was this person."

Li Daoye waved happily. "Lord Fang!"