Immortal of the Nine Realms

Chapter 1767: Can You Escape?

Xia Ji looked confused but didn't ask for the reason. He only nodded. "Alright. I'll have my people keep an eye out. If they see the old master, I'll be notified immediately. But if the old master is operating within the Upper Three Realms, then the Hidden Guard Division will have no way to intervene."

Worry appeared on his face. "Your identity has already been exposed now. Will you be targeted outside? Countless people are eyeing Monarch Yan's inheritance. They want to use it to seize control of the Lesser Underworld. Right now, you're like a piece of fat meat from which everyone wants a bite."

"There will certainly be people targeting me," replied Fang Chen calmly, "but I have ways to deal with it. You don't need to worry too much about that. The Lesser Underworld will probably be in chaos for a while. Have all factions pay close attention to any unfamiliar faces. If necessary, kill them on sight. No need to keep them alive."

Xia Ji nodded. He sighed. "I understand. In troubled times, harsh measures are needed. If we kill enough of them, they'll think twice before recklessly entering the Lesser Underworld again."

"Back when no one knew that Monarch Yan's inheritance had resurfaced, apart from those bastards from the Spirit God Sect using the Lesser Underworld for information relay, who else paid any attention to this place? Now things will be completely different."

Xia Ji fell silent for a moment. Finally, he asked curiously, "Fang Da, when exactly can the Floating Pagoda Realm and the Lesser Underworld be merged again? Only when that happens will the Underworld be truly complete. Right now, it always feels like something is missing."

Fang Chen shook his head with a smile. "Don't think about that for now."

If the current Lesser Underworld were to face the Motian Division, it would be utterly defeated. In fact, any of the pseudo-Underworlds controlled by top-tier factions could crush the Lesser Underworld. He might hold Monarch Yan's authority, but if the two realms were to be merged, many things would slip out of his control. The current separation actually served as a form of protection for the Lesser Underworld.

It might even be one of the special arrangements left behind by the Monarch Yan during the Three Realms Upheaval.

After chatting with Xia Ji for a while, Fang Chen took the accumulated Yin lifespan taxes collected over the years in the Lesser Underworld. He went to the Monarch Yan Hall to reinforce the barrier between the two realms once more, and only then returned to Jingtai Star.

***

Before they knew it, nearly a year had passed since the group arrived at Jingtai Star. On that day, Ye Qingqiu once again went to inquire about the queue for the Starry Teleportation Formation. However, she returned with a face ashen with anger.

Xian Yueguan asked curiously, "Core Disciple Ye, what happened? Why is your expression so ugly?"

"Our departure has been delayed again. We were originally supposed to depart in two days, but now it's been pushed back to one month later," answered Ye Qingqiu unhappily.

The group was surprised. They had already been waiting in line for a full year. How could it be delayed again?

The surprise quickly turned into vigilance. Something was clearly wrong.

Li Yanjun's expression turned extremely solemn. He subconsciously looked toward Fang Chen. "Could it be that our whereabouts have been exposed, and they are preparing to deal with us?"

"Moanrch Fang, why don't we hand the people we brought over to you? You go ahead first. One person draws less attention," he said.

The others exchanged glances and slowly nodded.

"That... might also work."

If there really was no other choice, then that was the only option. They actually still trusted Fang Chen quite a bit. They believed he should be able to safely bring everyone to the Feiyu Constellation.

"In fact, even if our whereabouts are exposed, it may not matter," said Fang Chen thoughtfully. "As long as the ninth transformation immortal around me cannot be dealt with, they can at most delay us. They wouldn't dare go too far. After all, even a cornered rabbit bites. They're also afraid we'll completely tear up all pretenses and force our way through the checkpoints."

"That does make sense," said Xian Yueguan thoughtfully. "The reason the situation in the Taicang Realm has remained balanced is that the ninth-transformation experts of all factions are keeping one another in check. If they really send a ninth transformation to deal with us, then the ninth transformation from the Fangcun Realm and the Shenwang Realm will seize the opportunity and make them pay a heavy price.

"Who would've thought that Monarch Yan's identity would be so special? And that he even has a ninth transformation to protect him? He is essentially an unpredictable variable they never accounted for."

Wang Ye nodded. "In that case, at most we just wait this one more month, and they will have to let us pass."

The group's mood immediately improved.

Ye Qingqiu snorted. "If they don't let us pass, then we'll just wash Jingtai Star in blood."

Xian Yue Guan nodded in full approval. "Agreed."

***

One month later.

The group arrived at the Starry Teleportation Formation. As before, Ye Qingqiu handled the negotiations. This time, the process was surprisingly quick. They were allowed through without incident.

Just as everyone had expected, the journey afterward became smoother and smoother.

Gradually, the Feiyu Constellation came into view.

Many cultivators were traveling toward the Feiyu Constellation. Immortal Boats constantly passed one another along the route.

At one point during the journey, Xian Yueguan went off to gather intelligence before returning to share what he had learned.

"Right now, the Taicang Realm has 19 major battlefronts and 132 secondary battlefronts. Originally, the Wandao Immortal Sect had been suffering repeated defeats on all these fronts. But after our people intervened, nearly half of the battlefronts have stabilized and reversed their situation.

"However, the awakened demon race has clearly invested serious effort as well. Our support can only prevent the situation from worsening. Trying to push them back is not easy. This kind of stalemate comes down to immortal crystal reserves. Whichever side runs out of immortal crystals first will lose."

Upon hearing that, everyone felt emotional. One of them murmured, "This war... might consume tens of thousands of years of accumulated foundation."

The deployment of an Immortal Boat Formation consumed astronomical amounts of immortal crystals during every second of its operation.

Apart from the core personnel carrying out special missions, nearly all cultivators of the Fangcun Realm and Shenwang Realm were fighting directly on the front lines. The remaining cultivators were engaged in direct combat across the battlefronts. The consumption of immortal crystals was terrifying beyond measure. In addition, ordinary immortal realm cultivators and Ancient Immortals also expended massive amounts of immortal essence in battle, which in turn consumed even more immortal crystals. All of this was an irrecoverable resource.

They couldn't help but recall Gu Yueling's words. The Nine Realms were dying. The era of transcendence was nearing its end.

***

One month later.

"If this continues, human cultivators will eventually have to step beyond the Nine Realms. I only hope we can discover a realm with immortal essence sooner," murmured Xian Yueguan.

Ye Qingqiu said coldly, "That's not enough. We also need at least one form of spiritual energy."

Everyone nodded silently.

Still, how difficult would it be to find such a world? Perhaps they will never witness it in their lifetimes.

Someone suddenly pointed ahead. "Hm? Isn't that Leng Buqi? He looks a bit... disheveled."

Not far away, more than ten Immortal Boats were traveling in haste. At the head of one boat stood a familiar figure, Leng Buqi, a core disciple of the Ten Thousand Star Palace. However, he now looked extremely battered. His Immortal Boat was heavily damaged, and his aura fluctuated wildly. Clearly, he was seriously injured.

They were already only half a month away from the Feiyu Constellation, so encountering him here was not particularly surprising.

Just as someone was about to greet him, a furious roar suddenly came from behind them.

"You still want to run? Do you think you can escape?!"

A blazing sphere of light, like a second sun, roared forward and smashed directly toward Leng Buqi and his group!