Immortal of the Nine Realms

The clansmen of the four major branches stared at the Wang Clan divine ability cultivator, now thoroughly roasted, and they were terrified.

The Hechuan Wang Clan was publicly acknowledged as the number one clan in Hechuan Prefecture, the head of the seven great clans. Even the Prefect of Hechuan had to give the Wang Clan face, allowing many Wang Clan members to enter the government offices and hold positions. That's how every prefect managed to exercise complete control over Hechuan Prefecture, ensuring their orders flowed smoothly. This Wang Clan divine ability user, whom Elder Huofeng had respectfully addressed as "Ancestor Wang," was precisely the reason they were able to achieve this.

Ancestor Wang had returned from the outside world over three hundred years ago. During the past three hundred years, the Wang Clan had only grown more prosperous under the leadership of Ancestor Wang.

Now, however, an unbelievable scene had unfolded. This towering figure, whom ordinary people dared not even imagine in their heads, was lying miserably upon Heaven Fang Mountain, right before the Fang Clan ancestral lands.

The crowd was shocked.

Cold sweat drenched Fang Sheng's back. He only felt a chill surge up from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head. Just moments ago, he had nearly attacked Fang Chen. He could not imagine what would happen if he were struck by such lightning.

Just as silence blanketed everything, Ancestor Wang suddenly opened his mouth, releasing a puff of white smoke.

Everyone was taken aback.

He's still alive?! Is a divine ability user's life this tenacious? Even lightning can't kill him?

"This... is... all a misunderstanding," said Ancestor Wang weakly, rasping out the words.

Misunderstanding?

The crowd's expressions turned strange. That was clearly him surrendering and raising the white flag.

Ancestor Wang struggled to stand, but Fang Chen said calmly, "You've suffered severe injuries. Standing will do your wounds no good. Kneel while you speak."

Ancestor Wang was stunned. Humiliation flashed through his eyes, but in the end, he obediently knelt on the ground instead of forcing himself to stand.

Seeing the dignified divine ability user of the Wang Family kneel before the Fang Clan ancestral shrine, everyone felt a wave of ecstasy and shock rush through their hearts.

"Tell me why you came here today," ordered Fang Chen calmly.

Ancestor Wang said, "The elder of the Huofeng branch promised me that if he obtained the position of clan chief, he would hand over the complete Blazing Fist to the Wang Clan."

Upon hearing this, Elder Huofeng immediately coughed out a mouthful of blood and nearly fainted.

"You cannot faint yet. At the very least, this matter must be explained clearly," Fang Chen suddenly said.

Hearing him, Elder Huofeng ultimately failed to lose consciousness and could only lower his pale face.

The clansmen of the Huofeng branch were terrified. Meanwhile, the members of the other three branches were utterly furious, their breathing growing heavy.

"So is the Blazing Fist truly something your Wang Clan desires?" Fang Chen asked.

At this moment, Fang Longshan, Fang Qiurou, and the others seemed to realize something, and their expressions shifted slightly. Even Elder Huofeng looked up in astonishment.

He stared blankly at Fang Chen.

What did those words mean?

The Blazing Fist was not something the Wang Clan wanted?

The Wang Clan cultivator's eyes flickered slightly. "What do you mean by that, sir? The Blazing Fist is indeed something my Wang Clan desires. We wanted to use it for mutual verification and see whether we could create an even better foundational fist art."

Fang Chen smiled. "Fang Hai, Fang Ling, strike him again."

Before the Wang Clan cultivator could cry out, two streaks of Azure Lightning shot from the children and directly landed upon him.

A miserable scream burst from his mouth as the lightning struck him so hard he could not catch his breath for a long while.

The scene fell utterly silent. The only sound left was the sound of cackling lightning sizzling across the Wang Clan cultivator's body.

"Same question as before, what happened to the Fang Clan divine ability cultivators outside the Great Zhou? Why has not a single one been able to return? And what reason caused you to covet the Blazing Fist?" Fang Chen asked calmly.

Ancestor Wang didn't answer for a long time. Finally, he said, "I truly don't know what you're talking about..."

"Brother Fang Chen, isn't it simply that the Wang Clan wants our Fang Clan's Blazing Fist?" Fang Yue whispered.

Fang Qiurou chuckled lightly upon hearing this. "Father, if the Wang Clan truly wanted the Blazing Fist, why would they need to work through Elder Huofeng? If a Wang Clan divine ability cultivator personally visited the Fang Clan, would the Fang Clan truly dare refuse? A Fang Clan without a divine ability cultivator is like a skinny tiger without teeth or claws. The reason they dared not do so openly is that they fear future reckoning.

"In that case, our Fang Clan's divine ability cultivators outside the Great Zhou must possess tremendous fame and prestige." She paused briefly before speaking again. "With that as the premise, if the Wang Clan cultivator was not acting under someone else's orders, how would he dare covet our Fang Clan's Blazing Fist? After all, the Wang Clan's foundation is also within the Great Zhou. Are they not afraid of their entire clan being exterminated one day? So Uncle Fang believes that this visit was not because he wanted to come, but because he had no choice but to come."

Fang Yue remained stunned for a long while before finally understanding the logic behind it, his eyes filled with uncertainty and shock.

Fang Longshan seemed thoughtful, his expression suddenly becoming extremely grave.

Fang Qiurou looked at Fang Chen and smiled. "Uncle Fang, did I guess correctly?"

Fang Chen nodded with a smile before turning toward the Wang Clan cultivator. "More or less."

"You will only have a chance to live today if you truthfully tell us everything you know. Otherwise, this lightning will descend upon the Wang Clan."

The Wang Clan cultivator revealed a look of despair. "I'll speak..."

"Your Fang Clan divine ability cultivators indeed possess tremendous prestige within the Divine Realm. The strongest among them already stands at the peak of the Half-Saint Realm, gazing toward sainthood!"

Confusion appeared on everyone's faces.

Peak of the Half-Saint realm?

They did not know what realm this was. Subconsciously, they thought of Martial Saints, but they also clearly understood that Martial Saints and the Half-Saint mentioned by this man should differ as vastly as heaven and earth.

Had Fang Chen not previously learned from Gu Yueling about the major realms of the Three Limit Breaking Steps, Half-Saint, and Saint, he too would have been utterly confused.

A flicker passed through Fang Chen's eyes. Standing at the peak of the Half-Saint realm, gazing toward sainthood...

"Does the human race possess Saints in the Divine Realm?"

The Wang Clan cultivator looked at Fang Chen in astonishment, as if asking how he could not even know about it. After a moment, he answered, "The human race has always had Saints. Otherwise, our race would long ago have become enslaved by others."

So this period is still not the earliest era of humanity. Back then, the Demon Race ancestors spent a million years before taking that step. A human race that already possesses Saints, under the rule of the Supreme Qingming Alliance, naturally has a certain degree of autonomy.

The Fang Clan is being targeted because... someone does not wish to see the Fang Clan ancestor become a Saint? With no external enemies to worry about, internal conflict truly appears everywhere.

Fang Chen sighed to himself before calmly asking, "Why have none of the Fang Clan divine ability cultivators ever returned to the Great Zhou?"

"Because your Fang Clan Half-Saint offended a Saint..." The Wang Clan cultivator forced out a bitter smile. "The Saint issued an order declaring all Fang Clan divine ability cultivators to be sinners. Naturally, they are forbidden from returning to the Great Zhou."

A faint smile appeared in Fang Chen's eyes. "So that person is only half a step away from becoming a Saint. Otherwise, how could the countless Fang Clan branches throughout the Great Zhou still live peacefully? It is because some people do not dare touch us. They fear that once that person becomes a Saint, he will carry out a reckoning."

The situation was better than he had imagined. At first glance, the Fang Clan appeared weak, possessing only a single Half-Saint outside. Yet it was precisely because of that Half-Saint that certain people remained wary and dared not truly exterminate the Fang Clan. Even when attempting to obtain the Blazing Fist, they needed to find scapegoats and acquire it indirectly, reducing the chance of being implicated in the future.

This was a balance that would continue to exist unless that Half-Saint was suppressed, a balance difficult to break.

"Only... why did the human race later migrate to the Nine Mortal Realms and lose nine transverse bones?"

This question once more surfaced within Fang Chen's mind.