Immortal of the Nine Realms-Chapter 1525: Fangcun Mountain Realm

Old Sheng's gaze immediately fell upon Sheng Wu, but he remained silent. Whether Sheng Wu and Fang Xiaotian could truly be together this time actually depended on the two of them. Although his time with Fang Chen had been brief, he could tell that he was not a man who forced his opinion on others.

A bitter smile played on Fang Xiaotian's face. "Fifth Little Sister..."

Fang Chen shot him a look, then sized Sheng Wu up from head to toe before suddenly smiling. "The place Xiaotian is going is very, very far from here. It is possible we won't return for several hundred or even a thousand years."

Sheng Wu murmured to herself, a forced smile appearing on her face, "That far...? Going away for hundreds or a thousand years..."

She looked at Fang Xiaotian with a pained expression and said, "Then... you must remember to come back and visit me in the future, Brother Xiaotan... If I can live that long..."

"Big Brother, can't we just take Fifth Little Sister with us?" Fang Xiaohua pleaded, tugging on Fang Chen's arm like a spoiled child.

Fang Chen chuckled. "I never said she couldn't come along. I only said that once we leave, it might be a very long time before we return."

Fang Xiaotian and Fang Xiaohua's eyes instantly lit up. Old Sheng's spirit was bolstered as he immediately looked at Sheng Wu. Sheng Wu was the only one who hadn't recovered from the shock until she saw Xiaohua's anxious expression. Only then did realization dawn on her as she cried out in surprise, "I can go too?"

Fang Chen nodded. "If you are willing to follow Xiaotian, bringing one more person is not a problem."

Fang Xiaotian immediately patted his chest. "Big Brother, Fifth Little Sister won't cause any trouble for us. I'll keep an eye on her!"

"Even if you don't watch her, Old Sheng will. She is his blood kin, after all," Fang Chen joked.

Old Sheng said with a smile, "Core Disciple Fang, regarding the matters of the younger generation, we elders can only offer a bit of guidance. What fortunes she has in the future will depend on her own efforts."

Ji Gang noticed that Old Sheng had already changed his form of address to Core Disciple Fang, and he nodded slightly in approval.

At least the man knows how to conduct himself properly.

***

Half a day later, the Black Dragon Boat set sail once more. Although Lin Yuan and the others saw Fang Chen bringing several people onto the Immortal Boat, they didn't dare ask questions, only speculating quietly among themselves.

Fang Xiaohua and Sheng Wu were filled with excitement.

"We're flying so high!" they cried.

Duan Lingkong found the aura emanating from Huang Wuji to be somewhat forbidding and unapproachable. Feeling a bit fearful, he stood beside Fang Xiaotian. As the two of them watched the Immortal Boat break through the sky, their eyes flashed with thrill.

A few breaths later, the Black Dragon Boat finally entered Qingming.

Hundreds of thousands of Immortal Boats stood silently in the void. When Fang Xiaotian and the others saw this sight, their jaws nearly hit the floor. Old Sheng felt his blood surge, his heart churning like a stormy sea as he stared blankly at the fleet. On these ships, he sensed the auras of countless individuals in the Immortal Realm, all in varying stages.

"So... so many sixth and fifth transformations..." Old Sheng gasped inwardly, so shocked he was rendered speechless.

Chen Enxue and the others noticed the few new figures on the Black Dragon Boat, but they didn't pay much attention. With Fang Chen's current status, he could bring a dog into the team and no one would object. As long as he didn't bring hundreds or thousands of people at once, the Council of Elders would turn a blind eye.

"Baizhan, go and give that sixth transformation from Drunken Fate Star some pointers. Tell him the rules of this place," said Xie Aman with a faint smile, standing with her hands behind her back.

Baizhan nodded. "Understood."

He transformed into a streak of light, landing on the Black Dragon where Fang Chen and the others stood.

Fang Chen cupped his fist. "Exalted Immortal Baizhan."

Ji Gang also stepped forward to greet him.

Baizhan smiled. "Core Disciple Fang, there's no need to be so polite. Eldest Senior Sister sent me over."

His gaze fell upon Old Sheng as he said kindly, "Fellow Daoist, since Core Disciple Fang has permitted you to join his Nine Realms Expedition Team, you are now a member of the Enlightenment God Palace. This jade slip contains the rules of the palace. Make sure you memorize the first one well."

He tossed a jade slip to Old Sheng. Old Sheng instinctively checked it; the very first rule was, "One shall not betray the Enlightenment God Palace, nor a Core Disciple."

"Core Disciple Fang, I'll head back now," said Baizhan.

He smiled at Fang Chen, nodded to Ji Gang, and once again transformed into a streak of light to depart.

Old Sheng finished reading the slip and watched Baizhan's retreating figure with deep emotion. "Daoist Baizhan's cultivation is several times more refined than my own eldest brother's. Despite both being sixth-transformation immortals, the gap is immense..."

He had immediately sensed a vast and pure immortal essence from Baizhan. On Drunken Fate Star, you couldn't find a second sixth-transformation immortal like him. He alone could tear through every power on Drunken Fate Star, including the Great Victory Dynasty! He finally had a direct, visceral sense of the Enlightenment God Palace's foundation.

"Daoist Baizhan has been in the sixth transformation for a very, very long time. His foundation is already at perfection. I've even heard he has prepared his seventh-transformation immortal herb. He is only missing a single Immortal Register."

Ji Gang smiled, adding with a sigh, "The last Immortal Register in the Enlightenment God Palace ultimately went to my master. Daoist Baizhan will likely have to wait a few more years."

Old Sheng was startled. Master?

He hadn't expected Ji Gang to have an Ancient Immortal as a master.

Old Sheng's heart sank slightly. Even an existence like Daoist Baizhan can only wait bitterly for an Immortal Register. Someone like me...

"We're departing," Xie Aman's voice rang out in everyone's ears.

Ji Gang smiled and addressed Old Sheng, "Daoist Sheng, it's time for us to get to work."

He led Old Sheng to the designated station and began channeling immortal essence. Old Sheng followed his lead, mimicking the process. In an instant, countless immortal boats converged, forming the Black Dragon Formation.

As the massive Black Dragon Formation traversed Qingming at extreme speed, the shock on Old Sheng's face could no longer be concealed. Fang Xiaotian, Fang Xiaohua, Sheng Wu, and Duan Lingkong were all equally awestruck. Before this, they couldn't have imagined such power existed in the world.

Old Sheng looked at Fang Chen out of the corner of his eye. "So this is what it means to be a core disciple..."

Fang Chen was examining the route on the star map.

A newfound sense of reverence filled Old Sheng's heart.

He finally understood why the core disciples of the Enlightenment God Palace were titled as such. The methods displayed before him already exceeded his realm of understanding. As a sixth transformation-immortal, he could faintly sense that the Black Dragon Formation had melded into a single entity. Its master, Core Disciple Fang, with a single thought, could unleash a terrifyingly destructive force from this behemoth that linked countless cultivators together.

***

Meanwhile, in the distant starry sky, two figures appeared within a constellation territory that belonged to no top-tier power.

"Senior, your methods are truly divine," said Wang Chongsong with deep emotion.

In such a short time, without even an Immortal Boat Formation, he had been forcibly brought to the Fangcun Mountain Realm by Daoist Yun Que.

Daoist Yun Que shot him a glance. "Spare me the flattery. I wish to go to the Dao Enlightenment Platform. Lead the way immediately."

Wang Chongsong replied decisively, "Certainly!"