Secular Immortal of the Nine Realms - Chapter 205

Chapter 205: A Fish Surmounting the Dragon’s Gate

“Grar!”

It had been a long time since the bat fae last sustained an injury. It shrieked in anger upon having its wing pierced by the little sword, releasing a terrifying sonic pulse.

“Pu!”

Fang Chen felt his innards jolt. He was protecting his body with his spirit ki, but the impact still made him spew blood.

Just a single shriek from the bat fae was enough to injure him!

The martial artists that were scattering all around halted their footsteps and looked over with looks of fear. That howl had been terrifying for them too. Despite being far away, they still felt their blood being jolted into disarray. Some of them even suffered injuries as a result!

“Continue, don’t stop!” Ji Junhua roared. “Don’t forget what our goal here is. Leave the rest to young master Fang and our Old Master!”

“Yes, master!”

…

The bat fae screeched ceaselessly in hopes of pushing the little sword back via its sonic pulses, but each time it screeched, the little sword would pierce through its body once.

Fang Chen continuously channeled his spirit ki to protect himself. Initially, each sonic pulse would cause a crack in his protective layer of spirit ki, but he quickly noticed that the bat fae’s sonic pulse was weakening over time.

This meant that little sword’s attacks were working!

“Little sword, attack its vitals!” Fang Chen ordered.

Pu!

Boom!

The bat fae’s giant body fell heavily on the ground, creating a pit over ten meters deep. Its forehead had been punctured, and fresh blood and brain matter spurted out from the wound.

The little sword remained pristine without the slightest blood on it. It happily surged over to Fang Chen’s side as if asking for a reward.

“Hungry, eat, hungry, eat…”

“This fae is not bad. You don’t want to eat it?” Fang Chen tried asking.

“Uweh… Dis…gust…ing…” The little sword shook sidewards.

“You don’t take organic food. Got it.”

Fang Chen shot a thumbs up, as the final sliver of his doubt vanished. This was an expensive child to raise, given how it only ate artifacts, but it wouldn’t do for him to starve his own kid.

“Don’t worry. I’ll try to find some artifacts here for you to eat. If that doesn’t work, I’ll buy some for you in the market,” Fang Chen consoled it.

The little sword vibrated in satisfaction. The battle seemed to have exhausted it. It flew around for a while longer and probably felt bored, so it returned to Fang Chen’s body and dozed off.

Meanwhile, Fang Chen scavenged the bat fae’s corpse. Moments later, he pulled out a blood-red bead from its head. It was around the size of a fingernail.

“Is this the fae’s inner core?” Fang Chen’s interest was piqued, so he examined it.

He noticed that the inner core released a peculiar pulsation whenever his spirit ki came into contact with it. After some fiddling, the inner core suddenly released a piercing screech.

Boom!

The pit further expanded as a result of the sonic pulse!

“The abilities of a fae are centered in its inner core, and it can be triggered via spirit ki… This would make inner cores an ideal material for forging artifacts, right?” Fang Chen widened his eyes in realization.

The inner core’s aura noticeably weakened after releasing the sonic pulse. It was likely that the inner core’s energy could still be replenished while it was inside the fae’s body, but it turned into an expendable after it was torn away from it.

“The sonic pulse is strong enough to take down seventh or eighth stage Ki Refinement cultivators. I should be able to get a good price out of it,” Fang Chen murmured.

All of a sudden, he shook his head bitterly.

All this while, he had never been concerned about ki stones and artifacts as he didn’t have much need in that regard, but now that he had a little sword that preyed solely on artifacts, he needed to pay more heed in that direction.

Days slowly passed.

On the fifth day, Fang Chen stumbled upon an unkempt Ji Congyun. The stone fae was relentlessly chasing after him.

“Wait a moment, why is he so relaxed?!”

Ji Congyun saw Fang Chen seated on the ground, leisurely brewing tea with a proper tea set. His face immediately darkened.

Where’s the bat fae? Shouldn’t Fang Chen be in worse shape than me?

Fang Chen poured two cups of steaming tea before beckoning Ji Congyun over. “Elder Ji, come here and have a cup of tea.”

Ji Congyun flitted up to Fang Chen with a conflicted expression. He turned around to look at the stone fae, only to see the latter halting a distance away, reluctant to approach as if it had sensed danger.

“This…” Ji Congyun was baffled.

There was only one explanation for this situation—Fang Chen was much stronger than he had expected. To think that even the faes feared him!

He still remembered how Immortal Zuo had been put in a difficult spot when he entered this place back then, such that he dared not enter it a second time. It looks like there can be a huge gap even among immortals.

The stone fae spent several seconds staring deeply at Fang Chen before taking its leave.

Ji Congyun’s lips quivered. It took a few moments before he bitterly remarked, “I see that even the faes here fear young master Fang.”

“Try my tea.” Fang Chen pushed the teacup over.

Ji Congyun sat down and downed the tea. He didn’t hesitate despite the tea being steaming hot. He drank several cups consecutively before finally exhaling deeply.

“Elder Ji, there’s something I’d like to discuss with you,” Fang Chen said.

“Speak your mind, young master Fang,” Ji Congyun replied.

“Why don’t your Ji Clan switch over to serving our Great Xia’s imperial family?” Fang Chen smiled. “Your Chillwater’s imperial family is lacking, be it their potential or foundation.”

Ji Congyun maintained an impassive face, but a storm was brewing in his heart. Is Fang Chen coveting our Chillwater?

Sweat dripped from his forehead. He secretly eyed Fang Chen in his peripheral vision, but the latter seemed more focused on brewing his tea.

It was moments later before Ji Congyun finally replied, “Young master Fang, Chillwater has a long history behind it. The Ji Clan might have its conflicts with the imperial family, but those are still internal matters. It would be a different story if Great Xia joins the picture. It would spell the end of Chillwater. I don’t think our populace can accept that.”

“Isn’t it up to Ji Clan to decide what the populace thinks?” Fang Chen chuckled. “Chillwater will be a vassal to our Great Xia in name, but it’ll be under your Ji Clan’s rule. Our Great Xia won’t interfere in your internal affairs. All you need to do is pay us annual tribute.”

“Young master Fang, what if I refuse?” Ji Congyun’s complexion didn’t look too good.

“Elder Ji, you have lived for a long time. Your eyes might have turned turbid, but your heart is clearer than ever. Perhaps, in the near future, your Ji Clan might be blessed with cultivators,” Fang Chen replied with a smile.

Boom!

Those words raised tsunamis in Ji Congyun’s heart. Irrepressible greed flashed across his eyes.

“Young master Fang, will you bestow our Ji Clansmen with a fortuitous encounter if I accept your request?” Ji Congyun tried his best to maintain his composure, but his voice wouldn’t stop quivering.

Chillwater meant nothing at all compared to a chance to pursue immortality. If Ji Clan could nurture a few cultivators, they could transcend the limitations of a grade-8 state and perhaps even tower above grade-7 states too.

It was an opportunity to rise to greatness! He had to carefully think things through.

Fang Chen nodded with a smile. “As long as you agree, I’ll choose a few decent ones from your younger clansmen and impart them with a cultivation method.”

“I fear my agreement won’t be enough. Chillwater is backed by the grade-7 White Tiger Empire. They won’t allow such a thing to happen,” Ji Congyun replied.

Fang Chen smiled. Ji Congyun had started thinking on Great Xia’s behalf.