Immortal of the Nine Realms

Only at this moment did the crowd begin to understand why Qu Wanli had chosen to serve the demon race. The path currently taken by the Fallen Immortals was precisely the path the demons had trodden in the past. However, the demon race's methods were more refined as they did not alter one's fundamental temperament. If this world truly became a world of the demons, the future paths of cultivation might be completely overhauled.

A voice suddenly rang out.

"We cannot rely solely on one-sided words. He might be backed by the God Dao Sect or the Motian Division. A thorough investigation is required. If you want to save yourselves some trouble, just hand his soul over to me."

The crowd froze for a heartbeat before turning their gazes toward Fang Chen. Among those present today, figures of Xie Aman's caliber were not few. Some hailed from the Fangcun Realm, others from the Shenwang Realm, but without exception, they all knew of Fang Chen's unique identity.

Li Wanshan's expression shifted. "Monarch Fang, you mean..."

Qu Wanli's face paled. He squeezed out a forced smile. "Everyone, though he is the Monarch, his cultivation is meager. Are you truly going to let him give orders here? Suppressing him and seizing the throne of the Monarch is the righteous path! If one becomes the Monarch, they can suppress a corner of heaven and earth regardless of who rules the Nine Realms and be free from the restraints of others."

Slap!

Xie Aman raised her hand and delivered a stinging blow. Qu Wanli's vision went dark, and a relentless buzzing filled his ears. She turned to the crowd and smiled. "This old wretch is facing death, yet he still tries to sow discord. Surely you all won't fall for such a blatant trick?"

The crowd shook their heads dismissively.

"Naturally not..."

"Monarch Fang makes a fair point. We must first determine which side he serves. It isn't just the demons who wish to see the demon race win this war," a low-key young man spoke calmly.

Fang Chen had noticed him earlier. This man and the cultivators behind him possessed an arrogance that seemed etched into their very bones. Though they didn't flaunt it, that haughtiness was perceptible even from a distance.

"That is Yu Jingming of the Ancient Dragon God Palace," Xie Aman's voice sounded in Fang Chen's ear. "He is a seventh-transformation Ancient Immortal, but his combat strength is formidable. If it came to an Immortal Boat Formation battle, even I would have to exert considerable effort to handle him."

"Qu Wanli has indeed committed a grave error, but to kill him now might be hasty. Perhaps we should use other methods of interrogation?" Li Wanshan suggested.

"Li Wanshan, even though a Qu Wanli emerged from Qingkong Mountain, we haven't blamed your sect. But if you handle this with such obvious bias, we shall have to have a few words," a female cultivator suddenly interjected.

"I also agree with Monarch Fang's method. Use the Monarch's techniques to extract the truth directly. If Qu Wanli truly did this because he felt he had no hope of reaching the eighth transformation realm, then he is merely a fool. But if there is more to it, then he is both foolish and wicked. Either way, he is better off dead. He shouldn't be occupying an Ancient Immortal's Immortal Register. According to the rules, Qingkong Mountain can reclaim his Immortal Register."

"That is the leader of the Moonlight Immortal Palace, Jiang Qiuxiao," Xie Aman whispered to Fang Chen.

Fang Chen realised that while the core disciples of the Shenwang Realm were vocal, the Fangcun Realm side—aside from Xie Aman's slap—remained silent, watching without intent to interfere. This was likely to avoid creating friction between the two realms. Since they shared a common goal in this war, a rift now would be disastrous.

Under the pressure of Yu Jingming and Jiang Qiuxiao, the other core disciples of the Shenwang Realm expressed their agreement with Fang Chen's approach.

Li Wanshan frowned. "It is not that I don't wish to settle accounts with Qu Wanli, but..."

"But what?" Jiang Qiuxiao asked flatly.

"But..." Li Wanshan looked at Fang Chen. "I do not entirely trust this Monarch Fang."

The expressions of several core disciples shifted. Xianyue Guan and the others looked toward Li Yanjun. Unsurprisingly, he must have been unable to wait and informed Li Wanshan about Gu Yueling's existence. Realising they both shared the surname Li, the pieces clicked together.

The group had agreed on the way that Fang Chen would be the one to bring this up. Li Yanjun speaking early was a breach of that unspoken trust.

"Oh? You don't trust my Ninth Brother? Tell us why," Xie Aman said with a faint, dangerous smile.

"Before he joined the Enlightenment God Palace, did you know he was the Monarch?" Li Wanshan countered. "He hid his identity, moved between various sects, and traveled between the realm of the living and the Underworld. I cannot judge if he truly stands with us. Naturally, I cannot carelessly hand Qu Wanli over to him."

Wang Ye and the others relaxed slightly after realising they had misunderstood Li Yanjun. It seemed the suspicion was more general.

Qu Wanli regained some clarity and burst into laughter. "Li Wanshan, you aren't completely stupid. Hahaha!"

The laughter had barely begun when Xie Aman delivered another slap and knocked him unconscious once more. Li Wanshan's face twitched, but he remained steady.

"Lady Xie, my concerns are not without reason. In this current situation, the existence of a new Monarch breaks the fragile balance we currently hold. We should—"

"To hell with your balance." Xie Aman laughed. "What balance do we have left? Once the God Decree Ranking and the True Immortal Ancient Mirror manifest their power, and the demonic beast race joins the demons for a full-scale invasion, we'll either be driven out of the Nine Realms or die here. Is there a third path? Old Ninth being the new Monarch is a massive boon to us. I guarantee he stands on our side. I also hope none of you harbor ulterior motives that might push him to the other side. If that happens, forget the war—I'll strike you down first, using the full weight of the Enlightenment God Palace."

Li Wanshan's expression flickered through a dozen emotions. Finally, he made a decision. He struck Qu Wanli with his palm, instantly turning his physical body to ash and retrieving the Ancient Immortal Immortal Registry.

Xie Aman smiled. "Old Ninth, the decree."

Everyone's eyes turned toward Fang Chen. Yu Jingming, Jiang Qiuxiao, and the others watched with intense curiosity. This was their new Monarch; they never imagined they would live to see one.

Fang Chen casually wrote out a decree and struck it into Qu Wanli's soul. Before their eyes, the figure of Qu Wanli materialised once more.

"It truly is the aura of a Ghost Immortal..." someone whispered.

"Nonsense. This is a legitimate Underworld True God," another corrected.

Qu Wanli slowly woke up. He immediately sensed the wrongness of his new form. He cried out in terror, "What have you done to me!"