Immortal of the Nine Realms

"I have already said it: you can't kill me. Even if you swapped in another Yang God, the result would be the same."

Saint Jinyang looked toward Li Jingnian with complete indifference. With a casual flick of his wide sleeve, dense Limit Breaking enveloped him. To pierce through that power and injure him, the attacker would have to be at least a Half Saint.

Li Jingnian's expression remained unchanged. He delivered his sword strike, completely unaffected by any of this.

Fang Zhentian also watched quietly, though a trace of faint mockery suddenly flashed in his eyes.

Puchi!

Saint Jinyang's head went spinning high into the air.

His Limit Breaking power had been breached, an opening torn right through it. Relying on that opening, Li Jingnian had taken Saint Jinyang's head.

A terrifying sword intent instantly sealed away the vitality within Saint Jinyang's body and began suppressing him without pause.

Reduced to nothing but a head suspended in midair, Saint Jinyang stared at the scene before his eyes in absolute disbelief.

His mouth opened. "How could this be..."

Fang Zhentian wore a faint smile. "We can't kill you, that's true. But suppressing you is still possible."

"Impossible... His sword..."

Saint Jinyang stared blankly at Li Jingnian, who had tilted his head back and was guzzling wine from his gourd.

"It wasn't his sword; it was mine," said Fang Zhentian calmly. "I've been nurturing him as my sword for many years. After unleashing this strike, I'll have to nurture another for many years. But it was well worth it."

"Using a person as a sword... Fang Lie, you are a complete lunatic."

Raging fury ignited in Saint Jinyang's eyes. "You sword cultivators are supposed to be reckless brutes! You are supposed to take the sword in your hand and slash your way through everything without asking why! That's the conviction a sword cultivator should uphold! How could you possibly use a person as your sword? You are treacherous! What part of you resembles a sword cultivator!"

"I used to think the same way you do—that the Sword Dao had to remain exceptionally pure if one wished to break through into a new realm." Fang Zhentian let out a sigh. "But then reality slapped me across the face. Look at the current predicament of our Human Race, and look at the persecution our Xianhong lineage has suffered. Everything has to change. From the very moment of our exile, I decided that I would never wield a sword again. I would only become someone who nurtures swords."

As they spoke, Li Jingnian wiped the wine stains at the corner of his mouth and looked at Saint Jinyang with a half-smile. "This life of mine, as well as this one sword strike, I prepared all for you. Now that I have unleashed this strike, I can finally reincarnate in peace."

Saint Jinyang stared fixedly at Li Jingnian. "You have already become a Yang God. How could you possibly reincarnate?!"

He suddenly realized that his understanding of the Nine Realms was far shallower than he had imagined. Just what exactly had these Yang Gods been doing all these years?

"Judging by the time, the twenty-six realms of the world have just about faced complete annihilation." Fang Zhentian smiled. "With that, Saint Wangqing, who was originally born into the Soul Race, should have obtained an opportunity to cleanse her identity. Given my understanding of her, she will not disappoint us."

"Saint Wangqing cleansing her identity...?"

Saint Jinyang's expression was a storm of shifting emotions. Even back when he himself had still been a Saint, his understanding of this extraordinarily mysterious Saint had been extremely limited. He knew little more than the rumors circulating outside. Privately, he had barely exchanged more than a few words with her.

But he did know that although Saint Wangqing had originally been human, she had caught the attention of an important figure from the Soul Race early on.

Following her death, she naturally became a member of the Soul Race, becoming a Saint strictly with a Soul Race physique. It was only later, after humanity suffered its calamity, that even that powerful Soul Race figure had been unable to protect Saint Wangqing, resulting in her being exiled alongside them.

"You...you all are gambling?!"

The fury within Saint Jinyang's eyes gradually faded.

Fang Zhentian laughed loudly. "Correct, we are. How could the situation remain unchanged forever? We are only missing the final step. If our gamble pays off, a portion of our clansmen will be able to use the Demon Race's methods to return to the Supreme Qingming Alliance. They might not even need to remain confined to the Divine Realm."

"Why didn't I think of that...?" muttered Saint Jinyang to himself. "Humans nowadays are born directly within the Nine Realms. They don't bear the imprint of the Supreme Qingming Alliance, so naturally they don't bear the imprint of the Divine Realm as well. And the place of reincarnation likewise bears absolutely no restriction. Why didn't I realize that Saint Wangqing headed to the Demon Race in preparation for cleansing her own identity?"

He paused. Then, as though suddenly realizing something, he looked at Fang Zhentian and burst into laughter. "Fang Lie, you overlooked something! Unless they are killed by cultivators of the Supreme Qingming Alliance, even if the Soul Race wants to receive them, there's nothing they can do!"

"Does that matter require you to worry over it?" Fang Zhentian said indifferently. "You can still hold out for quite a while. Weren't you feeling sleepy?"

Saint Jinyang nodded his head. "I am tired."

His head then descended and reattached itself to his corpse. Slowly, he closed his eyes. His body seemed to lose all color, turning completely black and white.

Fang Zhentian raised a hand and swept it through the air, drawing Saint Jinyang into his sleeve.

Li Jingnian looked at Fang Zhentian and chuckled. "And what about me?"

"Wait."

"Alright."

Li Jingnian nodded. He closed his eyes. His body instantly dispersed.

Where he had originally been standing, a sword remained. Fang Zhentian picked it up and stored it within his sleeve as well. Then, he turned around and strode away.

***

Floating Pagoda Realm.

Fang Chen and Motian Dizang stood side by side in the void. Chen Feifei and the rest stood further away, quietly observing the scene unfolding before their eyes.

The human factions cultivated and raised by Saint Jinyang were currently being watched by the Yin Soldiers. One after another, they leapt into the Forgotten River.

Every one of these human cultivators had been a mighty figure who dominated their own territory within the Nine Realms. Who knew how many years they had cultivated to achieve what they possessed today? They were unwilling to sink into the Forgotten River, but they were even more unwilling to die. If they remained within the Forgotten River, then perhaps one day they might still have a chance to embark upon the Ghost Immortal Path.

"At the very least, with these millions of human cultivators heading to sleep within the Forgotten River, cleaning up the sects they belonged to afterward will become much easier," Chen Feifei murmured softly.

"There is no need to clear them out thoroughly. At the end of the day, they are all part of the Human Race's foundation. We can turn a blind eye to some of it," stated Wang Chongsong.

Chen Feifei nodded.

Motian Dizang looked toward Fang Chen. "You are a true Monarch Yan now. What do you plan to do next?"

"Help you ascend to the throne of the Heavenly Dao. As for other things, I haven't given it any thought for the time being. I need to wait for someone. I just don't know whether there'll be enough time. Afterward, I will head out to search for the Ancient Demon."

Motian Dizang said indifferently, "For his adoptive daughter? I know you have a pretty good relationship with her. From the very moment I learned you were Monarch Yan, I ordered people to investigate your background. There are cultivators from the Motian Division within the Enlightenment God Palace."

"That's perfectly normal."

"After today, I shall have them withdraw."

"No need. It's all the same anyway."

"......Mhm."

Chen Enxue came over and first sent Fang Chen a warning through voice transmission. "Old Ninth, she is like really old! Don't let her fool you!"

Then, she pointed at the Forgotten River and asked, "If someone uses Yin Lifespan to bring them back out, lifespan to fish them back up, wouldn't we have locked them away for nothing?"

"They are not right there." Fang Chen smiled. "Third Senior Sister, look closer."

Chen Enxue carefully peered downward. Only then did she suddenly notice an incomparably enormous figure beneath the Forgotten River. It seemed large enough to carry away more than a million people at once.