Immortal of the Nine Realms

Kong Lin's voice echoed through the valleys of Three World Mountain. A long moment passed, yet there was not a single breath of response.

"Does your Sect Ancestor truly slumber here?" Fang Chen asked Kong Lin with a half-smile.

Kong Lin let out a bitter laugh. "It is absolutely certain. Unless the Ancestor left this place without my knowledge."

Suddenly, a voice rang out clearly beside their ears. "I haven't left. But why have you been decreed as an Underworld True God?"

With a thought, Fang Chen led Kong Lin toward a nearby thatched hut. The hut appeared abandoned for many years, its walls weathered and crumbling. Yet Fang Chen felt the coincidence was rather strange. Many years ago, there had been a house here, though not this specific one.

Not far from the hut, a coffin had once been buried, and he had slept within it. Nearly a thousand years have passed since then. The house of that time had long since turned into ash, and the grave showed no traces of its existence.

Yet now, the earth there was slowly sinking. A Black Jade Coffin slowly rose from the shifting sands like a boat floating on water. A face manifested upon the surface of the coffin with cold eyes fixed upon the two men.

After studying Fang Chen for a moment, the face let out a soft exclamation of surprise.

"I remember you. You were buried here once. You were my neighbor."

Fang Chen smiled, his expression somewhat complex. "That... is truly a coincidence."

He never would have imagined that the place where he was once buried would happen to be the very spot where the Ancestor of the Spirit God Sect slumbered.

A look of utter shock crossed Kong Lin's face. Monarch Fang once slept here? He was neighbors with our Sect Ancestor?!

He suddenly wondered if there was something truly special about this plot of land. Otherwise, how could a future monarch and the Spirit God Sect Ancestor both have chosen this spot for their rest?

"It likely wasn't a coincidence. Back then, the aura on your body was quite peculiar, tainted with a sliver of the Heavenly Dao's intent. Were it not for that, I wouldn't have allowed you to sleep here for all those years."

Having said her piece, the woman turned her cold gaze back to Kong Lin. "Tell me, where has your physical body gone? Why were you granted an Underworld decree? Does it mean a new monarch has finally manifested in the Underworld again?"

Kong Lin instinctively glanced at Fang Chen. Seeing him nod slightly, Kong Lin bowed respectfully. "Ancestor, the one beside me is Monarch Fang."

"Monarch Fang? Him?"

The face on the Black Jade Coffin registered clear astonishment. A plume of black smoke billowed from the coffin and coalesced into a woman dressed in flowing black gauze robes. She stared at Fang Chen unblinkingly for a long time, then frowned.

"I remember you lying here. From that day to this, only a few thousand years have passed. Back then, you were but a mere Qi Refining Realm cultivator. Now, you've become Monarch Fang? Kong Lin is an eighth-transformation Ancient Immortal, yet he willingly accepted your decree. I find this difficult to comprehend."

A few thousand years ago? Just a mere Qi Refining Realm cultivator?

Kong Lin's heart was filled with terror. This man had reached his current height in only a few thousand years? To him, a few thousand years was but a fleeting moment in the grand tapestry of time...

Fang Chen smiled. "One can only call it a series of fortuitous coincidences."

The woman in black nodded slightly. "That is the only explanation. Tell me, why did you have Kong Lin introduce me to you? You may be Monarch Fang, but you are not a ninth transformation expert. By all rights, you do not have the qualifications to see me. However, I can make an exception this time."

Fang Chen asked calmly, "Do you know the current state of the Nine Realms?"

"What do the affairs of the Nine Realms have to do with me?" replied the woman indifferently. "I am slumbering here to heal my wounds. Do not bring the troubles of the outside world to my door."

"If you do not care for the Nine Realms, then what did the actions of the Spirit God Sect over the years represent? Was it merely a simple desire to refine qi and blood into Blood Spirit Pills?"

"Monarch Fang, surely you didn't come to my door for such a trivial matter?" A trace of mockery appeared in the woman's eyes. "It was merely using the blood and qi of the demon race. Do you intend to stand up for them?"

Kong Lin did not dare interfere in such a topic. He stood low-profile to the side and stared at the tips of his toes silently.

Fang Chen shook his head. "You wished to use that method to weaken the demons, but in truth, you also damaged the foundation of the human race. Before their memories are awakened, they are humans, not demons. I did not come today to persuade you to change your philosophy. I am here to inform you that the Spirit God Sect has been abolished by me. From now on, you are forbidden from acting according to your former doctrines. If you do, I will break your sect apart, piece by piece, from top to bottom."

Kong Lin remained silent, though his heart pounded like mad. He was now an Underworld True God. If his other identity as a Spirit God Sect Elder falls through, so be it.

The woman in black was stunned for a moment, then she burst into laughter. Her laugh was as clear and sharp as a ringing bell.

"Abolish the Spirit God Sect? Based solely on your status as Monarch Fang? Setting aside that your authority only covers that tiny corner called the Lesser Underworld, even if the entire Underworld were under your command, could you possibly reach into the Mortal Realm? To me?"

She paused and looked at Fang Chen from head to toe. "If I were to strike you right now, do you think a mere Kong Lin could stop me? Perhaps in a few years, the Nine Realms will hear the news on how Monarch Fang was pinched to death like an ant by the Ancestor of the Spirit God Sect."

"You are injured. Your current cultivation should be somewhere between the eighth and ninth transformations," Fang Chen countered. "I don't even need to call several eighth transformation experts to deal with you. If I call but one ninth transformation expert, how will you respond?"

The woman fell into a sudden silence. Finally, she said flatly, "Try calling a ninth transformation expert then. I would like to see which ninth transformation being is willing to be at your beck and call. Do you truly think you can replace Monarch Yan?"

Fang Chen took out the Yin Gourd and gave it a gentle shake. Abbess Qinghe instantly appeared before them.

"Qinghe, this is the Ancestor of the Spirit God Sect. I'll have to trouble you to flip her coffin lid and invite her out to sit and have a proper talk."

Abbess Qinghe was taken aback. "The Spirit God Sect Ancestor?"

She stared intently at the woman in black, and a rare spark of anger appeared in her eyes.

The woman was stunned. "An actual ninth transformation expert?"

Seeing Abbess Qinghe stepping toward her, her expression shifted rapidly. Just as Abbess Qinghe reached out to pry open the coffin lid, the woman waved her hand.

"No need to use force. I will come out myself."

With that, she transformed into black smoke and vanished. The coffin lid slid open slowly, and the woman sat bolt upright before stepping out. She looked at Fang Chen and said coldly, "Let us find a place to talk properly."

Fang Chen pointed to the thatched hut beside them. "No need to search. This hut will do."

The woman hesitated, then nodded slightly and followed Fang Chen into the hut. There was nothing inside but two sets of skeletal remains. The woman frowned and looked at Fang Chen.

"Monarch Fang, let us discuss your desire to abolish the Spirit God Sect. Is there any room for negotiation?"