Chapter 1735: Reckoning
A deathly silence blanketed Fire Spirit Valley.
The light that had appeared in the eyes of Great Virtue Heavenly Venerable and Saintess Yuanyang when Daotian revealed himself had once again dimmed.
One cultivator after another felt their necks stiffen unbearably. With great effort, they slowly turned their heads and looked at Abbess Qing He.
"N–Ninth... ninth transformation?!"
Great Virtue Heavenly Venerable's voice turned bitter as his eyes shifted back and forth between Abbess Qing He and Fang Chen.
"Impossible..." muttered Saintess Yuanyang. "Even the chief core disciple wouldn't have a ninth-transformation expert protecting them."
Ninth transformation?
Those words snapped countless people back to their senses.
At this point, it wasn't only outsiders that were bewildered. Even Ji Sheng, Sheng Ning, and the others on their own side were equally lost. Only Venerable Fatian and a few others knew the truth.
"What core disciple? The one standing before you is the successor of Monarch Yan... far above your so-called core disciples..." Venerable Yunfu muttered softly.
Then, with a smile, he bowed toward Abbess Qing He. "Senior, your methods are extraordinary. Even a half-step ninth transformation was crushed to death with just half a finger."
"He's not dead yet," Abbess Qing He corrected.
Venerable Yunfu paused briefly before laughing awkwardly. "Yes, yes."
Daotian, pinned to the ground by yin energy, wore a face filled with shock and fury.
He was shocked that a ninth-transformation immortal was present, and furious that neither the God Dao Sect nor the Fallen Alliance had known about it!
How could they dare place me in such a dangerous place? If she kills me, wouldn't all my years of effort be wasted...?
At that thought, Daotian was overwhelmed with fear. Even when he had been hunted by the Ancient Dragon God Temple, he had never felt such terror.
"Can... can a core disciple of the Enlightenment God Palace really have a ninth-transformation protector?" Great Virtue Heavenly Venerable looked at Fang Chen and laughed bitterly at himself. "So we've been underestimating the Enlightenment God Palace... and underestimating you as well, Wang Ye."
At that moment, the same thought arose in the minds of the various core disciples from the Fangcun Realm and the Shenwang Realm. They looked at Fang Chen as if he were some kind of monster. Fortunately, this monster stood on their side.
With their knowledge and experience, they had never imagined that a core disciple could have a ninth-transformation immortal expert acting as their protection. It was simply absurd.
How many ninth-transformation immortals even existed in the world? In the current situation, every one of them should be stationed where they belong. Who could have expected one to appear on Mingwang Star?
They suddenly felt a trace of pity for Great Virtue Heavenly Venerable and Saintess Yuanyang. The truth was now clear. They had been completely set up.
The Ghost Immortals they brought had become Fang Chen's subordinates. The half-step ninth-transformation expert following them had been effortlessly suppressed by the expert Fang Chen brought. What else did they have to fight? There was no fight to be had.
The two of them also noticed the change in the gazes of the surrounding core disciples. Guessing what they were thinking, their expressions grew complicated.
Abbess Qing He's expression suddenly turned extremely serious. "Lord Fang, that feeling is back. We should finish this quickly. Once he locks onto our position, I'll have to return to the Yin Gourd."
Motian Dizang?
Fang Chen glanced calmly at Daotian and said indifferently, "Daotian, can you traverse the Underworld?"
Daotian hesitated for a moment before forcing himself to remain composed. He answered, "D–Divine Path cultivators... cannot traverse the Underworld."
Divine Path cultivators can't traverse the underworld? But Master Yunhe was a Yang Spirit and he could appear in Monarch Yan's Palace. No... this man's Divine Path cultivation comes from the God Decree Ranking. Could it be that his soul has been altered and restricted by it, preventing him from entering the underworld?
At that thought, Fang Chen inwardly sighed in regret. He had just seen a fleeting trace of fear in Daotian's eyes. Someone like this was easy to sway. A few words and he might have joined his side willingly. But now that it was revealed that he couldn't enter the Underworld, killing him was the only option left. At least this way, the God Dao Sect could be weakened.
Fang Chen glanced at Abbess Qing He. "Qing He."
She understood immediately. She gave a light sigh and then pointed at Daotian.
In the next instant, Daotian turned into sand. His entire body, starting from the head, crumbled into fine grains.
Seeing what happened to him, Saintess Yuanyang' face turned deathly pale. The blue flame on her tail flickered, mirroring her unstable emotions.
Venerable Fatian and the other three exchanged glances, feeling a chill run down their spines. Only now did they truly understand the gap between themselves and a ninth-transformation immortal.
It was like the difference between immortals and ants.
If a half-step ninth-transformation could be effortlessly crushed by a true ninth-transformation immortal, like killing a tiny insect, what about eight-transformation immortals like them?
After killing Daotian, Abbess Qing He returned once more into the Yin Gourd.
Fang Chen also noticed that after Daotian's death, no soul remained behind, confirming that he truly could not traverse the Underworld.
"The Divine Path..." Fang Chen murmured softly.
He turned to look at Great Virtue Heavenly Venerable and Saintess Yuanyang.
Saintess Yuanyang suddenly glared at Fang Chen. "Just now... she called you Lord Fang. Your surname isn't Wang!"
A faint sneer flickered in Ji Sheng's eyes.
Fang Chen did not answer her. Instead, he gave Venerable Fatian a slight nod.
The moment Great Virtue Heavenly Venerable and Saintess Yuanyang saw this, they realized what was about to happen. Shock appeared on their faces as they tried to speak, but were instantly killed by Venerable Fatian.
A faint green smoke rose from their bodies and was collected by Fang Chen.
Venerable Fatian extracted the registers from their corpses and handed them over. "My lord, these are their Ancient Immortal Registers."
In just a few short years, Fang Chen had already obtained four Ancient Immortal Registers.
So war really is a chance to reshuffle everything... No wonder so many ambitious people like to use it to redistribute power.
A trace of cold mockery flashed in Fang Chen's eyes. He understood this truth all too well.
Silence once again filled Fire Spirit Valley. No one dared to make a sound. Even breathing was deliberately slowed, or stopped altogether.
First, Abbot Wufa, a seventh transformation Ancient Immortal, was killed. Then, numerous sixth transformation Immortals native to Mingwang Star. Then Daotian, a half-step ninth-transformation. And finally, Great Virtue Heavenly Venerable and Saintess Yuanyang, once core disciples of the Grand Wei Study and key figures in the Fallen Alliance.
In such a short span of time, the deaths of these individuals likely set a record since the birth of life on Mingwang Star, for the highest concentration and rank of fallen powerhouses. And all of it... stemmed from this core disciple of the Enlightenment God Palace.
Doubts began to stir in the hearts of many. Could it be that the strength of the Enlightenment God Palace had far exceeded their imagination?
Fang Chen swept his gaze across the cultivators in Fire Spirit Valley. "In recent days, I've noticed that some of the younger generation on Mingwang Star believe that the Fallen Alliance is the rightful orthodoxy. That's only because you were born later. By the time you were born, the Fallen Alliance had already seized great influence and territory within the Taicang Realm.
"This kind of thinking is dangerous. You haven't even fallen to demonic cultivation yet, and you already think this way. If you truly fall, what then? The Fangcun Realm and Shenwang Realm have come to help. Surely they shouldn't have to guard against you while fighting the Fallen Alliance."
The crowd was stunned, not quite understanding his meaning.
Fang Chen looked at Venerable Fatian and the others and calmly said, "The four of you, I want you to cleanse Mingwang Star in the shortest time possible. Anyone who is a diehard supporter of the Fallen Alliance... send them to the Underworld for a while. Let them wait for reincarnation."
Many people immediately sucked in a cold breath, terror appearing in their eyes.
They understood now. This was a purge.
Ji Sheng grinned, feeling thoroughly satisfied. "With Ninth Brother's words... quite a number of people have just been sentenced to death."
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