Secular Immortal of the Nine Realms - Chapter 137

Chapter 137: Warning

The ancestor of the Great Xia’s emperor?

Fang Chen jogged his memory. The Imperial Xia Clan does seem to have an ancestor named Xia Yun.

Xia Yun chuckled. He turned to Li Daoye and asked, “I heard you’re from Infernoblaze?”

“Indeed.” Li Daoye nodded.

“Have you heard of Infernoblaze’s South Heaven Sect?” Xia Yun asked.

“I do. Wait a moment, could you be…” Li Daoye was taken aback. Could he be a cultivator from the South Heaven Sect?

“Indeed. I traveled for a long distance after leaving Great Xia before arriving at Infernoblaze Country. I was fortunate to be able to join the South Heaven Sect,” Xia Yun said with a smile. “My old servant in Great Xia sent me a message, saying that a cultivator from Infernoblaze is here. So, I rushed back to take a look.”

“Ah, so you’re from the South Heaven Sect! Pardon my earlier discourtesy.” Li Daoye clasped his fist.

“May I know which sect you are from?” Xia Yun asked.

“I am just an unaffiliated cultivator,” Li Daoye replied with a lowered head.

Xia Yun didn’t say a word, but disdain flickered across his eyes. There was a clear hierarchy of disdain in the world of cultivation.

Cultivators thought nothing of mortals, seeing them as no more than air, so they didn’t bother showing them any contempt. Rather, it was unaffiliated cultivators with incomplete heritage that drew their scorn.

“It’s tough as an unaffiliated cultivator. I went through such a phase myself. I was lucky to have caught the South Heaven Sect’s eye and found a footing for myself,” Xia Yun said with a sigh. “You might be an unaffiliated cultivator, but you have already reached third stage Ki Refinement. Why are you getting involved in secular affairs then? Great Xia is a grade-9 state, and there are no resources for cultivators here. May I know what you covet from this place?”

At this point, Xia Yun turned to look at Fang Chen.

“I am on close terms with young master Fang,” Li Daoye replied sheepishly.

“With a mortal? You’re an interesting one.” Xia Yun laughed.

Li Daoye was perplexed. He can’t tell that Fang Chen is a cultivator? No wonder he’s able to use the Moonsunk Gold Truncheon. This only made him even more curious about Fang Chen’s cultivation level.

Over the conversation, Fang Chen figured out that Great Xia’s emperor must have felt threatened by the cultivator in the Fang Clan and his recent triumph over Chillwater’s immortal and Ji Lengyue, so he had someone invite Xia Yun back.

Prior to this encounter, he didn’t know that there was such a figure in Great Xia.

“You’re Fang Chen, right?” Xia Yun looked at Fang Chen.

“Indeed.” Fang Chen nodded.

“Your Fang Clan has served Great Xia for many years. Your grandfather is Fang Zhentian, right? I have met him a couple of times. He’s indeed a military prodigy. Is he in the manor? Call him out. I’d like to reminisce about the past with him,” Xia Yun said.

“Our Fang Clan has already moved to the southern region,” Fang Chen replied apologetically. “My grandfather has grown old. I’m afraid that the journey back might take a toll on him.”

“You moved to the southern region?” Xia Yun was surprised. Moments later, he slowly nodded. “That’d be for the best.”

“You look young, elder. Could you have reached Foundation Establishment? I heard that Foundation Establishment cultivators can live to two hundred,” Li Daoye asked out of curiosity.

“Foundation Establishment?” Xia Yun laughed. “That realm is beyond reach. I wouldn’t have returned if I had reached Foundation Establishment. Cultivators who have reached that level would have long severed their ties with the secular world. It’s a pity my talent is lacking. I have only reached eighth stage Ki Refinement after many years of training. I’m still unable to sever my ties with the secular world.”

“Eighth stage Ki Refinement!” Li Daoye was astonished.

That was enough to make one a formidable expert in the world of cultivation. At the very least, cultivators of such caliber were rare to find in Infernoblaze.

Take Eight Trigrams Sect for example, even though his father was a Foundation Establishment cultivator, he was already advanced in age. He was worried that no one would take over his role after he passed away, which was why he had a son so late in life.

Other than his father, only a handful of elders had reached eighth stage Ki Refinement.

Sensing Li Daoye’s shock, Xia Yun chuckled softly. “Such cultivation is nothing in the South Heaven Sect. There are plenty of experts there who are stronger than me.”

“Elder, you don’t look to be an eighth stage Ki Refinement cultivator. Ordinary cultivators at that level only have a lifespan of around 135 years…” Li Daoye remarked.

The glee in Xia Yun’s eyes deepened. “I was fortunate to have found two stalks of Longevity Grass. Each stalk can increase one’s lifespan by eighty years, and I ate one.”

“Increase one’s lifespan by eighty years?” Li Daoye gasped. “Such spirit herb would be considered a top treasure in Infernoblaze. Even pinnacle Foundation Establishment cultivators would step in for it! What happened to the other stalk?”

“I presented it to the South Heaven Sect,” Xia Yun replied.

Li Daoye and Fang Chen finally realized how Xia Yun was able to join the South Heaven Sect. It turned out that he had done them a huge favor.

“I heard from my great grandson that you helped Great Xia advance to a grade-8 state?” Xia Yun turned to Fang Chen. “That is a bad move. Great Xia’s foundation is not yet on par with other grade-8 states. I don’t think this daoist will be staying in Great Xia for long either. Once he’s gone, Great Xia will just be a grade-8 state in name. That would put it in a quandary.”

“Foundation can be slowly built,” Fang Chen replied.

Xia Yun shook his head. “You’re still too young. Listen to me and reject the grade-8 conferment.”

“Elder, Great Xia won’t have to offer tribute to Chillwater once it advances to a grade-8 state. It can also receive annual tribute from Guhe, Longdu, and Yizhou. That’ll help Great Xia build up its foundation,” Fang Chen remarked with a frown.

“I shan’t interfere if you insist on it, but to allay my great grandson’s worry, I want you to give me a straight answer. Does your Fang Clan eyeing Great Xia’s imperial throne?” Xia Yun asked.

Fang Chen shook his head with a smile. “Elder, if you’re worried about the Xia Clan losing its power, why didn’t you step forward and help Great Xia when it was struggling over the last few years?”

“Since I have embarked on the path of immortality, it’s only right for me to sever my ties with the secular world… Cultivators should avoid contact with mortals lest it bring about bad karma,” Xia Yun replied with a matter-of-factly attitude. “I won’t make a move unless Great Xia isn’t in mortal danger… and even so, I’d only protect the Xia Clan. The rest will be up to fate.”

Are cultivators that selfish? Fang Chen was startled, but the thought of Abbess Clearlotus and Li Daoye put his mind at ease. There are selfish cultivators out there, but not all of them will be like that.

In other words, Xia Yun was saying that Great Xia couldn’t offer enough benefit to warrant him to make a move. Even if the enemy was just the likes of Greenpine, he would still hold back lest they have a cultivator or two.

It was normal for empires to crumble and dynasties to change, and there was no reason for cultivators to get involved in such affairs, but that was only if they were outside of it from the very start.

To refuse to make a move when one’s homeland was in trouble—that was no longer about severing one’s secular heart or not. At least, Fang Chen would beg to differ.

Thinking back, Xia Yun had first asked about Li Daoye’s background before daring to reveal his motive. If Li Daoye had any background despite only being at third stage Ki Refinement, it was unlikely that Xia Yun would have warned Fang Chen as he did.