Immortal of the Nine Realms

"There is no room for negotiation."

Fang Chen smiled. "The Spirit God Sect will be abolished. As for the manner of its dissolution, that depends entirely on your attitude."

"My attitude?"

The woman in black gauze glanced at Abbess Qinghe with her deep furrowed brows. "The Spirit God Sect is spread across the Nine Realms. To truly abolish it is a task even I, as the Sect Ancestor, would find difficult to accomplish. Even if I were to command its disbandment, would those beneath me and those beneath them actually listen? They would simply form smaller sects and act as their own master. Without restraint, they would spawn countless forms of chaos."

"I have already taken that concern into account. My so-called 'abolition' refers only to the current doctrines of your Spirit God Sect. Specifically, the abolition of your so-called Blood Spirit Pills. If you cooperate and alter the sect's core tenets, the Spirit God Sect will no longer be a cancer upon the Nine Realms."

"Cancer?"

The woman's fury flared, but when her gaze landed on Abbess Qinghe, she could only force her anger back down. She said in a heavy voice, "I do not believe there is any issue with our current doctrine. Since the Three Realm Upheaval, the Immortal Essence has vanished. Every resource in this world is finite. To use them is to deplete them. The demon race continuously reincarnates and encroaches upon these dwindling resources.

"By refining them into Blood Spirit Pills, we not only reduce the number of demons in the Nine Realms but also provide other cultivators the opportunity to ascend. What is improper about this? In my eyes, it is a solution that benefits everyone."

Fang Chen nodded. "If I had not experienced it myself, perhaps I would have looked upon your methods with approval."

"Experienced it?"

The woman was startled. She studied Fang Chen closely once more, and a strange light suddenly flickered in her eyes.

"You have likely recognised me by now. Once, right here at Three World Mountain, I led an army to war against the Qingsong Empire. In that battle, many died, and your Spirit God Sect harvested Blood Spirit Pills."

Fang Chen's smile turned thin and cold. "I have experienced it, and therefore, I do not approve of your methods. In times like these, matters are usually decided by whose fist is larger. My fist is currently larger than yours, so I ought to abolish your sect."

For a moment, the woman was speechless.

"Those who died, regardless of whether they were demon reincarnations, were my comrades and acquaintances before they drew their final breaths," Fang Chen said flatly. "You simply claim they are demon reincarnations and therefore deserve to die? What logic is that? In this world today, how many pure-blooded humans can even be found? What methods do you have to distinguish them? Among those your sect has murdered, were there truly no pure humans? Perhaps your own thoughts are selfless, but those beneath you do not think the same."

He took a step forward. "They do not know the truth of the world. They only know that by using the blood and essence of mortals and refining away the karma, they can obtain pills to increase their cultivation. Thus, they are simply evil and nothing more. You have only one choice now: change the doctrine of the Spirit God Sect and control those beneath you. And then, take your sect's cultivators and stand ready to join the war at any moment."

The woman stared coldly at Fang Chen with a flicker of wariness in her eyes. "Even if I agree to change the doctrine now, how can you be certain I am not merely feigning compliance?"

Fang Chen shook his head. "I know what you fear. You fear the Monarch Yan's decree, and you fear being bound to my will. But do you have a choice?"

The woman's face turned ashen. "At worst, we perish together."

Fang Chen nodded in agreement. "Very well. If we perish together, I shall simply have to spend a bit more effort to scrub the Spirit God Sect from existence. What disadvantage is there for me?"

The woman took a deep breath. "Were it not for the Spirit God Sect continuously purging demon reincarnations over the years, what state do you think this world would be in now? I do not ask you to approve of my methods, but I hope you will not harbor prejudice against my sect because of personal grievances."

Fang Chen laughed. "The demons have been reincarnating for so long. How many have actually awakened their past memories? All of this is managed by the efforts of the Yang Gods. Their direction is different from yours, but their goal is the same. As long as the demons cannot awaken and are assimilated through reincarnation, what difference is there between them and us? In terms of bloodline alone, it has never changed from the start. You claim to have reduced the number of demon reincarnations, but in reality, you have reduced the foundation of our human race."

"In the end, you still do not approve of my ways," the woman said quietly after a long silence.

"Correct. I do not." Fang Chen nodded. "Give me an answer now. Life, or death?"

"Before I give you my answer, I wish to know the current state of affairs," the woman mumbled.

"Nothing much has changed," Fang Chen said. "Except that the demon race and the Motian Division have joined forces with the God Dao Sect and are preparing to invoke chaos across the Taicang Realm. After that, they will target the Fangcun and Shenwang Realms. Eventually, they will descend upon the Lower Six Realms."

The woman was stunned. "The situation has deteriorated to such an extent? They dare to appear so brazenly?"

She hadn't expected the Nine Realms to reach such a crisis while she slept. Neither the God Dao Sect nor the Motian Division was easy to deal with. Despite its years of growth, the Spirit God Sect was far from being able to compete with such powers.

A sliver of doubt appeared in her heart. Could my methods truly have been wrong?

If she had grown the Spirit God Sect through normal means from the beginning, perhaps they would have had a true place among the great powers of the Nine Realms today, rather than being a sect caught between orthodox and evil.

"But those demons... they are truly loathsome..."

Suddenly, the woman's eyes filled with murderous hatred. Abbess Qinghe's expression shifted as she watched her intently. Kong Lin's heart skipped a beat, and he prepared himself to strike. His fate was now tied to Monarch Fang; if anything happened to Fang Chen, he could kiss his existence goodbye.

The murderous light in the woman's eyes slowly faded into a calm resolve. "I can change the doctrine of the Spirit God Sect. I can also accept your decree."

She looked steadily at Fang Chen. "But I want to make a bet with you."

"What bet?"

"Let's bet on who is right. If in the future you discover that my methods were correct, I want you to apologise to me and revoke the decree. In a few more years, we will definitely know who was right and who was wrong."

Fang Chen considered this for a moment, then nodded. "I accept. You may now cross to the Underworld."

***

The Underworld.

The woman in black gauze remained motionless and allowed the golden light of the decree to surge into her body. As she merged completely with the decree, it signaled that from this day forward, the Spirit God Sect would never be the same again.