Immortal of the Nine Realms-Chapter 1502: Freed

“You’re awake? Then they should be waking up as well,” said the white-robed youth.

He smiled faintly at Fang Chen, then turned toward Xie Aman and Little Immortal Honglian.

Sure enough, both women slowly opened their eyes, confusion flickering within them.

“Senior Sister is awake!”

Nanming Ruyue and the others all breathed sighs of relief and hurried forward, asking what had happened.

Xie Aman smiled proudly at Fang Chen. “Ninth Brother, you did it.”

“Did what?” asked Li Shanzi curiously. “What happened to you all? You looked as if you were trapped in a trance.”

“This matter is rather strange,” Xie Aman said, waving a hand. “Best not to ask too much.”

Then she looked to the white-robed youth with a faint smile. “Elder Hou, so you came yourself. The Palace Lord already knows?”

He nodded. “Mm. The Palace Lord sent me to see for myself. He asked whether you encountered that so-called Buddhist Kingdom.”

“Buddhist Kingdom?”

The surrounding cores exchanged puzzled looks. None of them had ever heard of such a thing within Great Thunder Sound.

“It was indeed a Buddhist Kingdom, but not entirely so,” answered Xue Aman. “It’s hard to explain briefly. But, did any of you see a shabby Daoist just now?”

She glanced around, but there was no sign of him. If they had truly left the Ghost Realm, then the Daoist should have escaped as well.

“We didn’t see any Daoist,” the white-robed man said. “Explain everything in detail so I can report back.”

Xie Aman relayed the entire sequence by voice transmission. The white-robed youth nodded repeatedly, his expression darkening only when she mentioned the name Ghost Mother of Self Transformation.

“A ninth-transformation immortal...” he murmured. “No wonder even you were trapped. Fortunately, she was reasonable. Once she understood the cause, she released you. Otherwise...”

“Otherwise we’d be no different from dead,” Xie Aman said with a wry smile. “Perhaps even worse. A dead soul can still cultivate in the Underworld, but trapped in that Ghost Realm, you slowly lose all memory. Immortality without self, like a walking corpse.”

“Since you’ve escaped, my part here is done. I’ll be taking my leave,” said the white-robed man.

With a light wave of his hand, he summoned a Black Dragon Ship before them.

Just as he was about to depart, he stopped and turned around to look at Fang Chen. He had a faint smile on his face. “Fang Chen, the Palace Lord has already heard of your deeds. Your efforts were crucial to our victory at Great Thunder Sound, and you’ve mastered two kinds of Formation Immortal Arts. You’re now one of our key targets to nurture. You may return to the palace if you wish. There’s no need to stay for the next campaign.”

Nanming Ruyue and the others were astonished. Those words clearly came from the Palace Lord himself.

Their gazes toward Fang Chen held admiration, envy, and a touch of awe. This junior, who had joined Jueming Divine Palace only recently, had already caught the Palace Lord’s eye. In time, he might very well earn a seat among the Elders.

After a moment of thought, Fang Chen said, “I’ll remain here until the next battle is over.”

The white-robed youth nodded in approval. “As you wish.”

He then boarded the Black Dragon Ship and vanished into the sky.

“Where’s Third Sister?” Xie Aman asked.

“Third Sister’s meeting with the new core disciples to plan the next battle,” Nanming Ruyue replied. “From the intelligence we purchased from the Immortal Worshipping Palace, the Rulai Monastery will likely throw everything they have into retaking Great Thunder Sound this time.”

“All-out effort, is it?” Xie Aman mused. “Then we’ll have to go all out as well. Have we unearthed any Formation Hearts in these years?”

Fang Chen’s eyes flickered. He urgently needed a Formation Heart to dissolve the seal over the Great Thunder Sound, reopen the Yellow Springs Road, and send the Ghost Mother and her souls to the Underworld. That was why he insisted on staying. Only once she reached the Underworld, perhaps, would she truly awaken.

The brief act of sealing had already consumed much of his stored Yin lifespan. His Monarch Yan’s Seal now held barely 100,000 years’ worth.

“Three so far,” said Nanming Ruyue. “All with Third Sister.”

“Only three?” Xie Aman snorted. “Then the Rulai Monastery must’ve already harvested the rest clean. They held this place for over a thousand years, what’s left for us are scraps.”

She sneered faintly. “When the Grand Master once sent Wang Chongsong a Formation Heart, I wonder whether the Palace granted him that privilege, or if he found it himself and didn’t report it.”

Fang Chen considered buying one from Xie Aman, but the chances were slim, unless he could bring Wang Chongsong forward in person. Fortunately, Li Shanzi was also present. If he hadn’t left, then Wang Chongsong had to still be somewhere within the Great Thunder Sound.

“Senior Sister,” their Fourth Brother suddenly asked, “Elder Hou mentioned a Buddhist Kingdom, what exactly is it? The Rulai Monastery seems obsessed with the Great Thunder Sound. Is that the reason?”

“Some things aren’t convenient to discuss,” Xie Aman said lightly. “Walls have ears. If you know, others will soon know too. But yes, the Buddhist Kingdom can’t be hidden forever. The Rulai Monastery surely knows of our experience over these past years, that’s why the coming contest will be especially perilous.”

Everyone nodded gravely and stopped pressing for answers.

“How long until the battle begins?”

“Roughly 23 or 24 years.”

“23 years, then. That’s enough time. The Blood and Flesh Divine Palace, Taiyi Immortal Sect, and the Ten Thousand Stars Palace will all come to join the fun. By then, nearly everyone will be here.”

Xie Aman gazed into the distant stars, a faint smile on her lips. “Last time, Shao Guangyin didn’t call on them for aid. This time, we’ll let them take the vanguard.”

Fourth Brother was stunned. “Have them take the vanguard? At what cost to us?”

“We control more than twenty Ancient Forbidden Zones,” she said coolly. “We can spare some benefits. Give them a price they can’t refuse. Everything’s negotiable. What Shao Guangyin failed to secure, we will.”

Her smile turned cold. “Great Thunder Sound must remain under our control for at least 1,000 years. In this next contest, we either win, or die trying. Prepare yourselves.”

A quiet sigh rippled through the crowd. It felt as though the last war had just ended, and now another with the Rulai Monastery was already looming.

From that day on, Xie Aman threw herself into preparations for the coming battle.

Fang Chen rejoined Ji Gang and the others. Mi Yu was still asleep, but after the last battle they understood that her sleep was part of cultivating a special art where she was storing up power.

“Core Disciple Fang, come here for a moment. The old man has a few questions for you.”

A voice cut through the air as Immortal Taixu descended from the sky.

“Master,” Ji Gang said quickly, bowing deeply.

Elder Qin and the others also straightened, faces full of respect.

Among the cultivators of the Enlightenment God Palace, Immortal Taixu stood at the very peak, the equivalent of a great marshal commanding the whole army.