Fang Chen said with a smile, "A Ghost of Self Transformation. It has lived for a very, very long time, but you can just treat it like a little brat."

Abbess Qing He flipped the ghost infant back and forth in her hand, yet she couldn't see any signs it was ancient.

Her eyes held a trace of skepticism. "It really lived a long time?"

Watching this scene play out, the Ghost Immortal couldn't help gulping. This ghost infant had been incredibly fierce just moments ago, slapping him a dozen times and seemingly knocking him an inch shorter. Yet now, in this woman's hands, it was behaving so submissively?

Fang Chen raised the Yin Gourd and aimed it at the Forgotten River, giving it a gentle pull. A light breeze stirred, and ripples spread across the normally placid surface of the river. In the next moment, wave after wave of wandering souls were sucked from the depths of the river into the Yin Gourd.

Half a day later, after confirming that the area didn't have any more wandering souls, Fang Chen finally put the gourd away.

Wang Zhanqi had seen enough to understand by now. His eyes were filled with wariness. The person before him was no mere core disciple of Enlightenment God Palace who had come to reinforce the Taicang Realm. This was an Awakened One, someone who knew the truth and understood exactly what kind of enemy they were facing.

Fang Chen looked at the Ghost Immortal and asked calmly, "How should I address you? Which Venerable do you serve?"

"I am—"

"Forget it, don't waste your energy trying to think of a fake name," interrupted Fang Chen.

He began tracing an imperial edict in the air. The decree, condensed from 150,000 years of Yin Lifespan, shimmered with a profound divine light.

Its ancient and mysterious characters even drew a side-glance from Abbess Qing He.The Ghost Immortal and Wang Zhanqi froze. Both of them guessed the truth almost simultaneously.

Before the Ghost Immortal could react, the decree landed upon him. He instinctively moved to resist, but Fang Chen's voice rang in his ears, "Following the Motian Division will only lead you to a dead end. Becoming a True God of the Underworld is the only righteous path in the Mortal Realm."

At the same time, the ghost infant hopped off Abbess Qing He and onto the Ghost Immortal's shoulder, resting a small hand gently on the crown of his head.

"You're right. Being a True God of the Underworld is indeed the righteous path. You've convinced me," said the Ghost Immortal in a low vice.

He nodded and closed his eyes, ceasing all resistance and allowing the new decree to wash away his old, weathered status. A moment later, his aura shifted. The change wasn't massive, but he felt noticeably more grounded and powerful.

Fang Chen smiled. "The path of that person in the Motian Division is, after all, an unorthodox one. What do you think of my path?"

"It feels... very good." The Ghost Immortal nodded then cupped his hands in a respectful salute. "I am Peng Xingwu, a native of Heman Star in the Taicang Realm, an external cultivator of the Wandao Immortal Sect. I serve under Venerable Jinglan of the Motian Division. This time, I was ordered by Venerable Jinglan to protect Wang Zhanqi, the core disciple of the Grand Wei Study."

"You? Protecting me? If you were actually competent, I wouldn't have ended up in this state," Wang Zhanqi sneered. He then looked at Fang Chen with a half-smile and said, "Who would have thought... I, Wang Zhanqi, would have such 'good luck.' Not long after waking up, I run straight into the successor of Monarch Yan"

A trace of curiosity appeared in Abbess Qing He's eyes. Monarch Yan's successor?

"You're quite calm," remarked Fang Chen, flippantly placing a decree on Wang Zhanqi.

Wang Zhanqi's expression shifted slightly.

Fang Chen smiled. "Tell me your plan. After capturing this Lone Light Star, what are you going to do next?"

White smoke began to rise continuously from Wang Zhanqi's body. He was resisting Fang Chen's question in his heart, which caused his soul to be constantly scorched by the decree.

Fang Chen said softly, "Daoist Wang, there's no need to throw away your life over this."

Wang Zhanqi's face turned pale, yet he still forced a strained smile. "Although... I don't quite agree with the decision from above. Flattening the Taicang Realm is far too hasty. It's easy to expose many flaws, and one misstep could damage too much of our clan's foundation. But as one of your human cultivators once said, how many return from ancient wars? My clan has already come this far. Do you think I would betray my own kind just to save my life?"

Fang Chen said calmly, "If your soul is destroyed, that's true death. From then on, you'll have no karma left in the mortal world, and no chance of reincarnation. Think it through."

Wang Zhanqi's expression grew more and more ferocious. White smoke kept pouring from his body, and his soul became increasingly faint. Yet the smile on his face remained unchanged.

"If in this life I hadn't cultivated at the Grand Wei Study, perhaps I really would have chosen to betray my clan. Unfortunately, the Grand Wei Study shaped me into what I am today. I may not have much, but I've got a backbone. Stop wasting your breath and give me a quick death."

"Alright." Fang Chen nodded. "I'll give you a quick death."

Wang Zhanqi felt a flicker of joy, thinking he would finally be freed. However, the other party went back on his word. The feeling made him extremely uncomfortable, as if even the pain of his soul being burned had doubled.

Wang Zhanqi shouted angrily, "You're not keeping your word?"

"Will you talk or not?"

"No!"

"Very well." 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

Wang Zhanqi's soul was instantly burned into a wisp of green smoke.

Fang Chen turned to Peng Xingwu. "Peng Xingwu, you protected him all the way here. You should know something about their plan, right?"

"I'm not very clear on their overall plan," answered Peng Xingwu. "But I do know that after he captured Lone Light Star, this place would become a supply and logistics base for their side. At the same time, he belongs to the Blood Demon Hall. The Blood Demon Hall has more than thirty core members and commands an army of a million. Wang Zhanqi was just the vanguard. Their core forces are still lying low in the rear. The news of Wang Zhanqi's defeat can't be hidden because there are too many cultivators here affiliated with the Blood Demon Hall."

He warned, "Once they receive the news, they will surely swarm here. When that happens, I'm afraid your situation will be quite dire."

Fang Chen fell into thought. In that case, did Senior Sister send me here merely to find that young man? Does he play a key role in the situation in the Taicang Realm, or...

Half an hour later, Peng Xingwu recounted everything he knew, even revealing the coordinates of Venerable Jinglan in the Floating Pagoda Realm.

"You're saying... Venerable Jinglan is still stationed in the Floating Pagoda Realm and hasn't come to interfere in the Taicang Realm?" Fang Chen asked, narrowing his eyes.

If that were the case, he could take Abbess Qing He there. The premise was that Jinglan City wasn't too far from here.

"The Venerable has always been stationed in the Floating Pagoda Realm. Even if he comes to the Mortal Realm, we don't know his true identity..." explained Peng Xingwu. "Just like me. I know there are cultivators from the Motian Division within the Ten Thousand Immortal Sect, but I don't know who they are, and they don't know who I am. This is a requirement from Venerable Jinglan. We're rarely assigned group missions and most of the time, we operate alone, like this time."

Fang Chen murmured, "Unfortunately, we don't have a map of the Floating Pagoda Realm, and we don't even know our current location..."

Abbess Qing He glanced at Fang Chen. "Lord Fang, do you want to go to Jinglan City?"

Fang Chen nodded.

Abbess Qing He smiled. "That's simple. I have a way."