Chapter 1694: Half the Foundation
Seeing Fang Chen mention that three-eyed outsider, Xie Aman smiled. "That is precisely why we imprisoned him in the Ten Thousand Heavenly Prison to ascertain his origins before making a final decision."
Fang Chen looked confused. "With your methods, there should be many ways to interrogate him. Why go so far as to keep him locked in the Heavenly Prison?"
"Old Ninth, this relates to the unique traits of the Otherworldly Dao," Xie Aman explained. "That individual has been imprisoned in the Heavenly Prison for over three thousand years. Through deduction and experimentation, we have even learned his language; while not one hundred percent accurate, we can comprehend at least seventy to eighty percent of his meaning.
"But as long as he refuses to speak, we remain unable to clarify the detailed circumstances behind him. This is because this Otherworldly Dao was born an immortal and possesses no divine soul. His lifespan is incredibly vast, and he can traverse Qingming without needing immortal essence."
Fang Chen was slightly stunned. "Born immortal? No divine soul? Able to walk through the void without immortal essence?"
Xie Aman smiled. "This is what he claimed personally. As for the specifics of whether it is true or false, we have no way to verify it. He says our bloodlines are inferior, nowhere near as noble as his. We have verified that he indeed has no divine soul and can indeed survive in the void without immortal essence. Based on this alone, his bloodline is certainly not simple."
Fang Chen was shocked. He had thought the existence of the demon race was already fatal enough for the human race. He hadn't expected that in the Nine Realms, such Otherworldly Dao had long been suppressed and imprisoned by the Enlightenment God Palace.
According to Xie Aman's description, he could fully imagine that the race behind the three-eyed Otherworldly Dao had likely completed countless cycles of evolution within the universe.
Even as powerful as the Nine Realms or the Immortal Realm were, everyone was incredibly fragile when first born. That was true for Xie Aman, and it was true for him as well. Only through cultivation and the accumulation of hundreds or thousands of years did they gain their current capabilities. Even so, whether it was him or Xie Aman, they still couldn't survive in the void without relying on immortal essence.
Xie Aman continued, "Because he has no Origin Soul, many methods of interrogation cannot be used. Furthermore, since he appears very weak to us now, I fear certain techniques might kill him outright. He is an existence we do not yet understand. We don't even know if a soul remains after death, or if... the soul directly returns to the Underworld of their own side.
"Because of this, we cannot act rashly and must even safeguard this outsider's life. Over countless years, there have actually been quite a few similar Otherworldly Daos. There are over a dozen in the Heavenly Prison, and sects like the Taiyi Immortal Sect have also encountered some while exploring the Ancient Forbidden Zones. Some are already dead, their corpses drifting through the void, eternal and indestructible. Others were merely slumbering and are now also held in custody."
"Old Ninth, do you know why the demon race wants our Nine Realms so badly?"
Xie Aman smiled, a trace of faint mockery appearing in her eyes. "Because they hit the wrong jackpot. They encountered an invasion by the Otherworldly Dao and suffered a total collapse on all fronts. That is why they are thinking of migrating their entire race."
She paused for a moment and then continued, "Furthermore, us humans didn't originate in the Nine Mortal Realms. From the perspective of the demon race, we are the outsiders. That's a point that must be acknowledged.
She looked at Fang Chen. "So, before arriving here, what did we encounter? Did we, like the demon race, encounter the Otherworldly Dao? In the Qingming, does encountering an Otherworldly Dao equate to a 'life-or-death' struggle? The higher-ups are still considering these matters, and the final decision is to take things one step at a time. We will not take the initiative to contact the Otherworldly Dao, nor do we wish for them to find us here. We only want to quietly accumulate strength within the Nine Realms.
"Our true goal is to make the territory of the Nine Realms larger and more expansive, finding regions where immortal essence naturally exists. After all, there will come a day when immortal crystals are completely exhausted. When they run out..."
A strange light swirled in her eyes.
"There will be no immortals in the world."
"No immortals in the world..." muttered Fang Chen.
Indeed, if the day came when immortal crystals were entirely depleted, all Immortals in the world would lose their source of power. In the end, the Ascension Realm would become the pinnacle of cultivation.
However, he did not seem to be subject to this. As long as his immortal essence was exhausted, it would on its own. He didn't need to rely on anything external.
He instinctively looked in the direction of the sun.
Xie Aman said with a faint smile, "Old Ninth, stop worrying about the outsider. Consider the matters at hand. Go and prepare, we are almost ready to depart."
"Understood."
Fang Chen nodded and turned to leave.
***
Dongsheng Kingdom.
A faceless woman stood beside Fang Chen. She was the Dao manifestation of the Primordial Immortal Eyes.
"Brother, why did you call for us so urgently?"
Fang Zhixue arrived through the air, bringing Fang Xiaohua with her.
When Fang Xiaohua saw Fang Wushi, a look of joy appeared on her face. "Sister Wushi."
Fang Wushi gave no response.
"In a while, I will be heading to the Taicang Realm with Senior Sister and the others," said Fang Chen. "This trip may take several hundred years, or perhaps over a thousand."
His gaze pierced through the clouds, landing on an orphanage where a little girl about two or three years old sat in a corner with her chin in her hands, watching the other children play. She seemed to be excluded, but she also appeared not to care.
Fang Zhixue was slightly startled and asked instinctively, "Going for that long? Can't we go too?"
"Though you need experience, it is not this kind." Fang Chen shook his head. "During this time, stay safely on Enlightenment Star and help me keep an eye on Little Yu."
Fang Zhixue's expression shifted. "Fairy Yu?"
Fang Xiaohua asked curiously, "Is she my future sister-in-law?"
She had heard some stories about Fairy Yu from Fang Zhixue and looked forward to meeting her.
"You could say that." Fang Chen smiled. "Every time she reincarnates, it will be in the Dongsheng Kingdom. I have already arranged this. You will be provided with the location of her reincarnation when the time comes."
Fang Zhixue's expression turned determined. She nodded. "Understood, you can go with peace of mind. Xiaohua and I will help keep an eye on Fairy Yu."
"To be safe, Fang Wushi will stay with you during these years." Fang Chen smiled. "There is also Fang Tianzun. He is currently in secluded cultivation at Renzu Mountain. If you encounter a situation that even Fang Wushi cannot handle, he will take action."
Fang Zhixue was about to say what possible danger there could be on Enlightenment Star, but then she thought of the recent demonic corruption incidents, and her heart chilled.
"Brother, do you think there are still demonized individuals here?"
"Just a precaution. Whether there are or not... I can't say for certain."
***
Ten years later.
Outside Enlightenment Star, countless Immortal Boats from various stars appeared once again. The scene was somewhat similar to the time they campaigned against the Great Thunder Sound. But today's spectacle was clearly hundreds of times more grand than it was back then!
"It's countless, simply countless..."
Duan Tianying stood beside Fang Chen, gazing at the innumerable Immortal Boats filling the starry sky, marveling repeatedly.
"There must be over a million Immortal Boats here, right? Core Disciple Fang, just how deep is the foundation of the Enlightenment God Palace?"
"I don't know either, but the vessels before us likely represent half of the Enlightenment God Palace's total foundation."
A look of wonder appeared in Fang Chen's eyes. He had already received notification that a total of three hundred core disciples would be heading to the Taicang Realm this time. The remainder would stay to garrison the Fangcun Realm.
