Immortal of the Nine Realms

"It is actually Fang Cangyue!?"

"She died all those years ago, yet she didn't enter the cycle of reincarnation. Instead, she transformed into a Soul Race and cultivated in secret within the Underworld!"

"For her to bring a hundred thousand Ghost Race army here proves her status among them is by no means low. Saint Wanqing must be backing her!"

"From the look of it, even Saint Wangqing has sided with the Fang Clan..."

"Half Saint Zhangxue might be in trouble now..."

"If I recall correctly, Fang Cangyue's death back then was heavily tied to her..."

"It won't be that much trouble. The Luoxue Alliance can easily protect Half Saint Zhangxue."

Incessant whispers drifted from the surrounding mist. Some were shocked, some astonished, others wary or solemn. The Half Saint Clans hailing from the Nine Great Saint Alliances were clearly shaken to their cores by Fang Cangyue's sudden appearance.

At that moment, Fang Qianxue led Wang Zhenlong and the others forward, cupping her hands to salute Fang Cangyue. The experts of the Fang Clan were deeply thrilled. It was their very first time learning that someone from their lineage had become a high-ranking figure among the Ghost Race in the Underworld.

Wang Chongsong was exceptionally excited as he transmitted his voice to Fang Chen and Fang Han. "I knew it! We are completely set for today!"

Fang Han was equally ecstatic, his face flushed with excitement.

Fang Chen inquired via voice transmission, "Old Wang, I just overheard some talk. Did this ancestor truly die at the hands of Half Saint Zhangxue?"

Wang Chongsong nodded. "It just so happens that the Inspection Division has thorough intelligence on this. Your ancestor, Fang Cangyue, was ambushed by a group led by Half Saint Zhangxue and died on the spot. Because of that, Half Saint Fang personally hunted her down. Though he couldn't find Zhangxue herself, he slaughtered a newly ascended Half Saint within the Luoxue Alliance to temporarily settle the score."

Fang Chen fell into thought. It seems the enmity between them runs deep. To think a kinsman could strike such a lethal blow.

With Fang Cangyue's arrival, the momentum of both sides had achieved a precarious equilibrium.

Before long, everyone suddenly felt the natural spiritual energy and Immortal Essence in the air begin to boil. Even the energies within their own bodies became affected, churning like scalding water and throwing their blood and vital qi into wild disarray.

"Half Saint Fang is about to appear!"

A look of deep solemnity appeared on everyone's faces.

Rumor had it that when a Half Saint was on the verge of ascending to become a full Saint, all forms of energy in their vicinity would boil in resonance. That was one of the heavenly anomalies signifying the birth of a Saint. Because the surrounding energies were boiling and out of control, everyone present, including Fang Chen, realized they could draw upon less than one percent of their usual strength.

They had been invisibly weakened a hundredfold!

Deep within the mist, Half Saint Zhangxue's gaze grew increasingly grim. Experts of the Limit Breaking Realm, such as Yun Qi, Old Ghost Xu, and Shentu, exchanged heavy glances, their countenances thoroughly solemn.

In the void, a massive Xie Zhi Gate slowly opened. At this moment, every eye was locked onto that single point. Fang Chen was consumed by curiosity. He desperately wanted to see if Half Saint Fang, Ancestor Lie, was indeed the old man.

A lean, middle-aged man stepped slowly out of the Xie Zhi Gate. His black hair cascaded like a waterfall, drifting in the wind. His expression was indifferent, cold as frost, and his entire being radiated a profound loneliness that kept the world at a distance.

"Half Saint Fang!"

Every divine ability expert within Zanglong City, whether from the Fang Clan or the visiting Half Saint Clans, whether in the Three Foundation Realms, Nine Transformations Realm, or the Limit Breaking Realm, bowed in unison. Fang Chen bowed along with them, a look of keen curiosity flickering in his eyes.

The man's features did bear a slight resemblance to the old man, but Fang Chen couldn't say for certain. Unlike his Second Uncle or Third Aunt, this ancestor didn't look completely identical to his appearance in the later generations.

At the same time, Fang Chen felt his internal Immortal Essence compressed even further upon the man's arrival. He could now command less than one-thousandth of his total power.

Half Saint Zhangxue is also a Half Saint, yet her presence didn't exert this kind of suppression. It seems that even among the same realm, a Half Saint on the verge of full ascension is vastly different from the rest. I wonder how far this aura extends. Within this domain, even other Half Saints are likely suppressed. What tricks could those in the Nine Transformations Realm or even Limit Breaking experts even have left?

For a fleeting second, Fang Chen felt as though Half Saint Fang had glanced his way. He couldn't tell if it was an illusion, because when he focused his sight, the man was already staring directly at Half Saint Zhangxue, as if his gaze had never shifted from the start.

A trace of contemplation flashed through Fang Chen's mind. That look just now felt so familiar... why can't I quite place it?

"Half Saint Zhangxue, are you willing to return to my Fang Clan? If you do, I shall let bygones be bygones," Half Saint Fang said flatly.

His voice wasn't loud, yet it resonated clearly in the ears of everyone present.

Half Saint Zhangxue stared at him, and her detached gaze finally registered a ripple of emotion. It was highly complex, tinged with both deep-seated hatred and a sliver of awe.

Ultimately, her expression hardened back into cold indifference. "You must be joking. I, Zhangxue, am not a member of the Fang Clan. How can one 'return' to a place they do not belong?"

She paused, looking down at the snow melting rapidly around them. The snowflakes falling from the sky were thinning, dissolving completely into nothingness before they could even touch the ground.

"Heh..." Half Saint Zhangxue let out a faint chuckle. "An immunity to all lesser laws... It seems you truly are about to become a Saint. Allow me to offer my congratulations. However, becoming one is no simple matter. I wonder how you intend to take that step today?"

"For me to become a Saint, I only have to give notice. There are no convoluted trials required," replied Half Saint Fang with a calm smile.

The crowd was stunned.

He only needs to give notice? To whom?

Before anyone could process their astonishment, Half Saint Fang suddenly gave a sharp cry. "Break!"

Standing directly above the Chaoxian Tower, he seemed to transform into a blinding pillar of white light alongside his command. A terrifying, sacred aura wrapped around his body, surging and skyrocketing into the heavens. The pure, holy pressure washed over the crowd, filling their hearts with instinctual dread and reverence.

The hidden experts concealed within the mist found themselves suffocating under the sheer weight of this ascending aura. Their expressions turned to pure terror. Is Half Saint Fang truly going to achieve Sainthood this easily?! Why has no one appeared to stop him?!

Seeing his aura grow stronger by the second, the members of the Fang Clan grew ecstatic, their palms sweating from intense nerves.

But right at that critical juncture, a thunderous voice boomed across the sky.

"Fang Lie, do not rush your ascension."

Along with the echoing voice, two figures materialized side by side in the heavens.

The man resembled a sovereign ruling over the cosmos, his body radiating faint, brilliant golden rays. With every blink of his eyes, divine light pierced the air. The woman possessed an aura somewhat similar to Half Saint Zhangxue, but she was clearly cut from a far superior cloth; her ethereal, peerless beauty made it impossible to look at her directly, inducing a sense of innate shame in anyone who stood before her, regardless of gender.

"Saint Jinyang!"

"Saint Luoxue!"

In an instant, countless Limit Breaking experts hidden in the surrounding mist cried out in sheer exhilaration. Yun Qi's face lit up with joy, while Half Saint Zhangxue directed a look of subtle, cold mockery toward Half Saint Fang.

With the sudden manifestation of these two true Saints, Half Saint Fang's ascension had been suppressed. His surging aura could no longer advance even a single fraction!