Chapter 1988: What You Said Is Right

Enlightenment God Palace.

Chen Feifei retrieved one million immortal crystals from his Pifu Sand and placed them before Fang Chen. "Monarch Fang, every faction is preparing for war. Over these years, the Nine Realms' reserves of immortal crystals have grown increasingly scarce. This is the amount the Enlightenment God Palace could produce without hindering its core operations."

He cupped his hands. "Aside from these, the various factions are on their way to deliver more immortal crystals. I estimate they will reach around ten million in total."

Hearing that amount, Fang Chen couldn't help but sigh.

Given the current depletion of resources in the Nine Realms, even a ninth-transformation immortal would find it extremely difficult to accumulate such a fortune. Furthermore, this amount was enough for a ninth-transformation Immortal to expend their immortal essence extravagantly without worrying about damaging their foundation or depleting their lifespan.

"Little Brother, these immortal crystals smell absolutely wonderful," the Mirror of the Universe's voice echoed in Fang Chen's mind, filled with excitement and delight.

Fang Chen asked, "You told me before that my ninth-transformation immortal herb requires only two hundred thousand immortal crystals. Should I let you hold on to the rest for now?"

"Why bother storing them? If you're going to store them somewhere, you might as well store them inside me. Otherwise, whenever you need my help, you'll have to give me another batch of immortal crystals. What a hassle! Besides, didn't the Palace Master of Enlightenment God Palace mention that more immortal crystals are already on their way? Once such an enormous amount arrives, keeping them in your possession won't do you much good anyway, Little Brother!"

Fang Chen found Mirror of the Universe's words reasonable, although its true intentions didn't escape his notice. But if the outsiders descended, there might not be enough time for Mirror of the Universe to absorb the immortal crystals. Refining such an enormous pile would surely take time.

Meanwhile, Chen Feifei was curious. "Monarch Fang, may I ask what these immortal crystals will be used for?"

Since the Hidden Guard Division had been responsible for notifying the various factions to gather together immortal crystals, and Division Head Xia offered no further explanation, none of the factions knew their purpose.

If it was to boost personal strength, medicinal pills were clearly far more practical and easier to refine than raw immortal crystals.

Fang Chen raised his hand and the Mirror of the Universe appeared in his palm. "This treasure needs them."

Chen Feifei was slightly caught off guard and inspected the Mirror of the Universe in Fang Chen's hand. Judging solely by its appearance and aura, there seemed to be nothing particularly remarkable about this book. If it was a spiritual treasure, its aura seemed to be even weaker than that of the lowest-grade spiritual treasures. But if it was only an Immortal Imprint treasure, what qualifications did it have to consume so many immortal crystals?

Could it be something akin to the History Immortal Book? Chen Feifei mused inwardly.

The next moment, he watched as the Mirror of the Universe floated above the pile of immortal crystals. The crystals began rapidly vaporizing, transforming into mist that continuously flowed into the Mirror of the Universe.

Chen Feifei was stunned. The book really could devour so many immortal crystals. Even an ordinary ninth-transformation immortal couldn't absorb this many.

Fang Chen smiled. "It will take some time to devour. Where has Old Wang gone? I haven't seen him around."

Chen Feifei replied, "Master has already located the Taiyi Lotus and is preparing to enter seclusion to break through to the eighth transformation realm. But before that, he needs to return to Fangcun Mountain with Aman."

Fang Chen knew Wang Chongsong had once reincarnated at Fangcun Mountain with a rather elevated status, so making a trip back was entirely reasonable.

Fang Chen smiled. "Has Old Wang stopped concealing his identity from Senior Sister?"

"Master kept his identity hidden from Aman as he was previously worried that what he needed to handle would drag her down. Now that God Dao Sect has collapsed and the conflicts within the Nine Realms are basically settled, there is no longer a need to keep it hidden."

Fang Chen was curious. "I heard in the past that Old Wang was an external cultivator of Enlightenment God Palace who later accidentally obtained the Taiyi Immortal Path, resulting in suppression from all factions. What was the inside story behind that?"

As the Palace Master of Enlightenment God Palace, Chen Feifei ought to know the truth.

"Actually, that matter was somewhat connected to the Demon Race. At the time, Master obtained the Taiyi Immortal Path. He happened to clash with the Ancient Demonic Sect behind the scenes. Obtaining the Taiyi Immortal Path exposed part of his identity, and the Ancient Demonic Sect pursued the matter relentlessly. They investigated Master continuously until they eventually tracked him all the way to Fangcun Mountain."

Chen Feifei sighed emotionally, "As you know, the strength of the Ancient Demonic Sect far exceeds what appears on the surface. So while we seemingly held the upper hand, in reality we were terrified of leaving traces for them to follow. Master was worried this matter would affect the Enlightenment God Palace. He was also concerned that having his identity exposed would make it inconvenient for him to operate in the future. Thus, he set up a trap, which led to the events that followed. That trap did manage to fool the Ancient Demonic Sect."

Fang Chen chuckled. "That certainly sounds like Old Wang's handiwork."

He chatted with Chen Feifei for a while longer. Seeing he had no further matters here, Chen Feifei took his leave.

Not long after he left, Fairy Yu and Fang Zhixue arrived together.

"Brother, we plan to return to Tuxiong Star for a while to see the changes over there," said Fang Zhixue.

"Return to Tuxiong Star?"

Fairy Yu tugged on Fang Chen's sleeve coquettishly. "Young Master, I haven't been back in a long time either."

Fang Chen nodded. "Alright then. Lu Yuan is over there. I heard from Xia Ji that she has advanced to Half Saint. However, when you return, I'll have Xia Ji dispatch a squad of Yin soldiers to protect you. The outsiders could descend at any moment, so it's better to take precautions."

Fang Zhixue and the others were instantly overjoyed. They hurried out of the main hall laughing and giggling.

"I told you! As long as Sister Yu speaks up for us, we are definitely going!"

Hearing the voices echoing outside the hall, Fang Chen broke into a soft smile.

Now that Fairy Yu's situation was resolved, a burden had finally been lifted from his heart.

However, he was still worried about Little Immortal Honglian. She was the Ancient Demon's goddaughter, yet she had betrayed him. Even if the Ancient Demon hadn't killed her on the spot, he might still have done something to harm her.

***

Several months passed.

The Mirror of the Universe's voice interrupted Fang Chen's thoughts.

"Ah, comfortable! It's been so very long since I last devoured this many immortal crystals. I feel in peak condition right now."

Looking at the Mirror of the Universe, which was glowing with brilliant golden light, Fang Chen suddenly had a thought. "Little Mirror, can you locate the Ancient Demon?"

"Locate him? That would require an astronomical amount of immortal crystal. One million isn't enough. Besides, with your current strength and with the Eighteen Heavens Prison Tower, you will find it extremely difficult to gain any advantage over him. If you want to deal with an existence like that, you need at least one Inner Domain."

"Yeah, you're right." Fang Chen nodded. "It's just that with the path I am currently walking, upon reaching ninth-transformation, condensing an Inner Domain is far more difficult than I previously imagined."

His experiences in the Nine Profound Mirror had taught him something. Even when using the Foundation Fist as a baseline and following the Saint Canon, it had taken him three thousand years just to condense an Inner Domain, and it was extremely chaotic. And even then, it had quickly collapsed after suffering a backlash from the power of the Inner Domain.

Now, attempting to condense an Inner Domain through the Immortal Path was even more difficult.

It felt as though every advantage he possessed suddenly became absolutely worthless. Neither his ability to regenerate and enhance immortal essence nor his powerful primordial spirit offered any help when it came to condensing an Inner Domain.

The Mirror of the Universe fell silent for a moment before suddenly asking, "How much longer until the remaining immortal crystals arrive?"