Immortal of the Nine Realms

The Nether Ruins were staggeringly vast. The longer Fang Chen stayed here, the more he came to comprehend just how boundless they truly were. It was similar to the Major Immortal Realm.

On the whole, it was a massive, singular consolidated space. There was no concept of stars or constellations here. It was as though a colossal hand had forcefully kneaded countless star realms together to form the Divine Realm.

And the Nether Ruins were merely a remote, fragmented corner within the Divine Realm. It was the territory of the human race.

Several months later, Fang Chen arrived at Zanglong City. Following Old Fei's instructions, he wore the official uniform of the Inspection Division and marched openly and arrogantly toward the Chaoxian Tower of Zanglong City.

Zanglong City no longer belonged to the territory of the Luoxue Alliance. Consequently, a divine ability user from the Inspection Division who hailed from the alliance appearing here would naturally attract the attention and scrutiny of various factions.

***

"Heir, is using the kid as live bait a good idea? Are you sure nothing will go wrong? His talent is remarkable. If we nurture him properly, his future achievements could easily surpass mine."

Chen Feifei stood by a window, watching Fang Chen make his way toward the Chaoxian Tower. He couldn't help but turn around to look at Wang Chongsong, who was quietly savoring his tea.

"It is precisely because his talent is remarkable that we must test him thoroughly. A person who possesses raw talent but lacks courage and brains is not worthy of working under my command," remarked Wang Chongsong, offering a faint smile. "Even that kid Shi Zhan admires him so much. I, too, want to see exactly what makes him so brilliant."

"Isn’t advancing from the three Foundation Building Realms to the ninth transformation in such a short amount of time brilliant enough?" Old Fei mumbled under his breath.

"I have told you countless times. Use your brain, use your brain."

Wang Chongsong shot him a look of disappointment, pointing directly at his own head. "The only reason the human race can secure a foothold in the Divine Realm at all is that our ancestors used their brains. If you don’t know how to use your brain, what use is a body full of brute force? Looking back across countless millennia, have there been few enslaved races? How many clans here managed to produce a Saint and break free from their status as slaves? At the very least, since the Human Race birthed a Saint, less than a handful of other races have successively broken free from the shackles of being slave soldiers."

Having said that, Wang Chongsong sighed softly with emotion. "Half Saint Fang is incredibly intelligent. To be able to contend with the Luoxue Alliance for so many years, having the strength of a Half Saint alone is far from enough. The information you reported this time proves that Half Saint Fang is weaponizing his mind again. If we want to know what he intends to do, we must see whether this kid Zhou Chen can bring us a pleasant surprise."

Old Fei wore a peculiar expression. "Zhou Chen...? Even if he goes there representing you, I'm afraid the Fang clan won't disclose too much to him, right? At most, we can only test the waters beforehand. Not to mention, the identity he represents is technically mine. In the eyes of Half Saint Fang, my status is as lowly and insignificant as a tiny bug..."

"Do you really think Zhou Chen's background is that simple?"

Wang Chongsong stood up and walked to the window. He caught sight of Fang Chen standing frozen before a vendor's stall, seemingly inspecting the items displayed for sale.

"Ah? Could Zhou Chen possess some sort of special identity?"

A look of shock surfaced on his face as he, too, stepped up to the window to scrutinize Fang Chen.

Wang Chongsong smiled with deep meaning. "Back at North Wind Ridge, I had already discerned that this kid's strength was out of the ordinary, so I specifically ordered men to investigate him. No matter how remarkable his methods may be, he is still far too green when facing the network of the Inspection Division. I have already unraveled half of his background."

"What background?"

Old Fei was incredibly curious. He had long wondered why that kid’s advancement speed was so unnaturally fast. It turned out he actually harbored a special identity. Could he perhaps be the direct descendant of some powerhouse who had reached the Three Breaking Limit Steps?

"I ordered my men to travel to the Mortal Realm to investigate his place of origin, the Great Zhou, and even interrogated the induction envoy of that area. Guess what this kid's true identity is? He doesn't even carry the surname Zhou. His surname is Fang!" Wang Chongsong said with a half-smile.

Old Fei’s heart leaped. "He is surnamed Fang!? Could it be..."

Having already guessed a massive portion of the truth, a trace of alarm and fear surfaced in his eyes, and he felt a sudden chill creep up the back of his neck!

"It's not what you think. He isn't a Xie Zhi spy planted on our side by Half Saint Fang, though we can't completely guarantee he isn't affiliated with them either. The reason I said I've unraveled half of his background is that I can only confirm he hails from the Fang Clan. Furthermore, despite the heavy layers of blockades, he managed to return to the Mortal Realm from the Divine Realm.

Wang Chongsong laughed. “However, he was injured and suffered a severe loss of memory, forgetting many things. Therefore, he has likely severed all active contact with the Fang Clan of the Divine Realm by now. This mission, for him, happens to be the perfect opportunity to re-establish contact with Half Saint Fang."

"So that's how it is."

Old Fei came to a thorough realization, though he quickly added with a hint of suspicion. "If he recovers his memories, even if he discovers something, he probably won't share it with us, right?"

Wang Chongsong said indifferently, "The Fang Clan doesn't share an irreconcilable blood feud with us. If Pei Buliao's intelligence holds true, it indicates that the Fang Clan intends to sit down and negotiate with us. Thus, Zhou Chen's special identity can play a pivotal role. The Wang Family might very well discern the Fang Clan's intentions much earlier than the Luoxue Alliance, allowing us to evaluate whether a collaboration is viable."

Having finished his piece, he spoke no further. He merely kept his position by the window, quietly gazing at the distant silhouette of Fang Chen's back. Old Fei also stared at Fang Chen, his eyes filled with deep contemplation.

***

Meanwhile, Fang Chen stood right behind the two of them, having listened to every single word of their conversation.

It appears the Wang Family's attitude toward the Fang Clan is indeed not as unyielding as the Luoxue Alliance's. Instead, they stand somewhere in the gray zone between potential cooperation and non-cooperation.

With that thought, Fang Chen swept a smiling glance over Wang Chongsong. In an instant, his divine soul returned to his physical body, and he continued making his way toward the Chaoxian Tower.

The Chaoxian Tower was exceptionally bustling, gathering divine ability users from all walks of life. Due to the highly unique nature of Zanglong City, where none of the Nine Great Powers had ever publicly claimed ownership, it currently existed as a lawless, masterless territory. Because of that, it was heavily favored by many divinity users who yearned for absolute freedom.

Fang Chen’s official Inspection Division uniform was simply too eye-catching. The moment he stepped into the Chaoxian Tower, a silence briefly fell over the immediate vicinity. However, a service boy quickly rushed forward to guide Fang Chen to a seat, and the surrounding clamor and bustling atmosphere promptly resumed.

The boy asked with a thoroughly flattering expression, "My Lord, what would you like to have?"

Fang Chen smiled faintly. "Three catties of wine and a few side dishes. Just serve whatever you recommend."

"Right away, sir!"

The service boy gave a quick nod and hurried off.

Before long, the wine and dishes were all served. Fang Chen sat back, enjoying the light bites while taking a slow, casual sip of his wine.

Meanwhile, Wang Chongsong and Chen Feifei kept their eyes glued to every movement on his end.

Roughly an hour passed. Just as the food and wine were almost completely finished, a young man carrying a heavy scholarly aura finally walked over with measured steps and sat down directly across from Fang Chen. The moment Wang Chongsong and Chen Feifei spotted this person, their eyes widened. This young man also held a decent amount of notoriety on the wanted list.

He was Fang Ding, a ninth-transformation expert at the ninth realm!

Fang Chen’s thoughts stirred. A ninth-transformation immortal?

He hadn’t expected them to dispatch a ninth-transformation immortal to deal with him. He had originally figured that sending a first- or second-transformation cultivator to meet with him would already be the absolute limit.

The aura this man exuded was roughly on par with what Fang Chen felt when he first laid eyes on the Palace Master of the Enlightenment God Palace.

Fang Ding looked at Fang Chen with a half-smile. "Do you have any idea that walking around Zanglong City wearing that uniform can get a person killed?"

"The higher-ups gave the orders. What can minor characters like me do?" Fang Chen replied helplessly, cupping his hand. "Zhou Chen, an inspector under Deputy Branch Officer Chen Feifei of the Lishui City Inspection Division, greets Senior."

He paused for a brief moment before adding, "Chen Feifei answers to Wang Chongsong of the Wang family."

Wang Chongsong's expression changed slightly. Did this kid just sell me out?