Chapter 121: So-Called Immortal Fate, Fang Wang's Statue

"The Mountain-River Heaven-Suppressing Fist is a technique capable of shattering the heavens. Its profundity is unfathomable; I have only mastered the basics, yet how does its power compare to that of Fang Wang?"

The man in golden robes looked down upon Daoist Ya and asked with a light chuckle.

He then unclenched his right fist, and everyone in the hall breathed a sigh of relief. The power released when the man in golden robes had clenched his fist was truly terrifying; despite their own high levels of cultivation, they had all felt an irrepressible urge to kneel.

Daoist Ya’s forehead was beaded with sweat. He replied, "I cannot compare them; I can only say that both are powers far beyond my reach."

The man in golden robes swept his gaze across everyone in the hall. "You once asked what I could bring to the Haoyue Sect if I were to become its Sect Master. What do you think of this supreme technique?"

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone’s eyes lit up. Several elders immediately bowed to thank the man in golden robes. The others, snapping out of their stupor, followed suit.

The man in golden robes turned his gaze back to Daoist Ya. "I will not hold your failure against you and your disciple, but such a situation must never happen again. Do not take on tasks beyond your capabilities, do you understand?"

Daoist Ya and Xu Guang sighed in relief and hurriedly bowed to thank the Sect Master.

A woman on the left spoke up: "Sect Master, how should we handle the matter of Fang Wang going forward?"

The man in golden robes turned his back to the crowd. "Judging by the reports, Fang Wang is no longer someone the Haoyue Sect can hope to manipulate. Let it go."

"But Liang Xunqiu likely died at his hands... So many cultivators witnessed the standoff between Liang Xunqiu, Fang Wang, Xiao Chen, and Fairy Lan Xin, and now only Fang Wang remains..."

An elder spoke with hesitation. The incident at the Fallen Heaven Secret Realm had cost the Great Chu its top genius and a pillar of the nation. Now, the cultivation world was rife with rumors and overwhelming pressure was mounting against the Haoyue Sect. As the sect supporting the state, how could they maintain their authority if they did nothing?

The man in golden robes did not turn back. He said slowly, "If the Haoyue Sect does not act, others will. If the Great Qi were to fall and the Taiyuan Sect ceased to exist, where would Fang Wang go then?"

Everyone looked at one another, not understanding which force the Sect Master was referring to. However, knowing that even Daoist Ya couldn't bring him back, they dared not intervene.

***

The Nine Sects Tournament, hosted by the Taiyuan Sect, proceeded as scheduled. The Taiyuan Sect welcomed an unprecedented level of bustle as the geniuses of the entire Great Qi cultivation world gathered there. Xu Qiuming of the Xuanhong Sword Sect personally led his delegation.

Fang Wang did not attend the tournament. The major sects had no complaints; their leaders were terrified of facing him, though the younger disciples were quite disappointed. Even if disappointed, no one dared to make demands of him.

With Fang Wang absent, the geniuses of each sect were able to show off their own abilities. The tournament concluded successfully, with disciples from every sect achieving good results—a satisfactory outcome for all.

One day, Fang Hanyu arrived with the younger members of the Fang family to visit Fang Wang. To liven the atmosphere, he asked Fang Mo to recount the events of the tournament. Fang Wang listened with interest, and the other members of the Fang family chimed in from time to time, shedding the unease they usually felt when alone with him.

The names mentioned most frequently were Xu Qiuming and Ye Xiang.

Since the end of the Fallen Heaven Secret Realm, Xu Qiuming had reached the Ning-Shen Realm. Although he did not compete, he demonstrated his sword formation to the various sects, allowing the younger generation to join forces to try and break it—this served as one of the assessments for the tournament. His display made the younger generation realize the vast gap between them and the second-greatest genius of the Great Qi.

Xu Qiuming himself had openly admitted that he was far inferior to Fang Wang. Since most of the younger generation had never seen Fang Wang in action, he took on an even more mythical status in their minds.

"Brother Hanyu also showed his mettle; I feel he is not much weaker than Ye Xiang," Fang Mo remarked with emotion.

Fang Ziqing nodded. "That’s right, Brother Hanyu’s Nine Dragons Divine Transformation Art has met no match."

Ever since Fang Wang had displayed the Nine Dragons Divine Transformation Art, the technique had spread. No one was surprised that Fang Hanyu also knew it; after all, he was Fang Wang’s brother. Very few dared to trouble him, and those who did were killed by him.

Hearing this, Fang Hanyu replied modestly, "Ye Xiang possesses a Local-Grade Treasure Spirit and has excellent combat talent. Compared to him, I still have a long way to go."

Fang Wang smiled, thinking that Fang Hanyu was merely being humble. Fang Hanyu had already broken through to the Xuan-Xin Realm, and with the Heart-Severing Evil Eye and the Sword Saint’s sword qi, he was arguably no weaker than Ye Xiang.

Moreover, Fang Hanyu had mastered a sword spirit that surpassed ordinary Local-Grade Treasure Spirits—it was a Natal Treasure Spirit forged for him by the Sword Saint. Zhou Xue had once mentioned that as Fang Hanyu’s control over the Sword Saint’s sword qi deepened, the grade of his Natal Treasure Spirit would continue to rise; reaching the Heaven-Grade would not be difficult.

With the divine techniques of the Jiyuan Sect, the inheritance of the Sword Saint’s sword qi, and the Heart-Severing Evil Eye, Fang Hanyu had long since defied his destiny, qualifying to contend with the top geniuses of the world. He was simply overshadowed by Fang Wang. Whenever people mentioned him, they easily thought of Fang Wang, and by comparison, he naturally seemed mediocre.

"Brother Fang Wang, what is your current cultivation level? Is the Ning-Shen Realm very difficult to break through?" Fang Xin asked curiously.

It had been three years since he returned to the Taiyuan Sect, and Fang Wang had only broken through one minor level, reaching the fourth stage of the Ning-Shen Realm. This speed felt slow to him, so he sighed, "It is indeed very difficult to break through, far beyond the previous realms."

When Fang Hanyu heard this, he knew Fang Wang’s cultivation speed was certainly not slow, but he didn't bother to point it out.

Fang Hanyu changed the subject. "By the way, Zigeng has gone south to the sea, saying he wants to seek his destiny. Who knows when he will return."

"Gone to the sea?" Fang Wang asked. "Did he tell his family?"

Fang Hanyu nodded. "The entire Fang household supports him."

Fang Xin smiled. "Grandfather is now grooming him as the fourth great genius of the family; he thinks very highly of him."

"And Zhou Xue also holds him in high regard," Fang Hanyu added.

Zhou Xue held a very high position in the hearts of the Fang family, especially among the descendants who had come to practice cultivation, as they had all received her guidance.

"Then let him go. Perhaps when he returns, he will be a great cultivator who stands above the Great Qi," Fang Wang laughed.

Afterward, Fang Hanyu chatted about the Great Qi cultivation world. In general, it had returned to peace; the nine sects lived in harmony, and there were no major disputes.

The Emperor, Zhao Qi, was also quite capable. He gave the commoners who went to excavate the dragon veins hope. They only had to work for ten years at most before they could return home, and those who performed well could return early and receive rewards from the Imperial Court. With various pro-people policies issued, the commoners no longer complained; many even begged to be allowed to go and dig the dragon veins.

The Imperial Court had money only because the Taiyuan Sect had taken the lead in forcing the various powerful clans to donate, creating the world as it was today. Throughout the dynasties, as long as the territory did not shrink significantly, if the people and the court were poor, it was simply because the clans had hoarded the wealth.

In the end, Fang Hanyu praised Zhao Qi for his wisdom. Zhao Qi had sent people to promote Fang Wang's name among the commoners, even building temples and statues for him, calling him the immortal who saved the Great Qi. Given that Fang Wang came from the Ducal Fang Mansion, this identity was easily accepted by the people.

Fang Wang didn't know whether to laugh or cry; he hadn't expected Zhao Qi to do such things.

Thus, they talked until dusk, when Fang Hanyu finally left with his kin.

Xiao Zi climbed onto the table. "Young Master, Fang Hanyu’s killing intent is growing stronger by the day. Aren't you worried?"

Fang Wang’s expression remained calm. "He surely knows this himself. Even if I were worried, what good would it do?"

The Battle-Fighting True Art could only temporarily cast aside emotions; it could not truly calm the heart. Besides, Fang Hanyu needed a long time just to practice the Nine Dragons Divine Transformation Art; he had no time to practice the more complex Battle-Fighting True Art.

Zhao Zhen floated out of the Soul-Swallowing Gourd and laughed. "I actually think he can carve out a path of his own. There is a streak of ruthlessness in him."

Fang Wang ignored them and closed his eyes once more.

Continue practicing!

Having spent nearly five thousand years in the Heavenly Palace, he had endured such difficult days; ten years of secluded meditation in reality meant nothing to him. Although his power was already great, with Great Void Realm cultivators appearing one after another, he had to improve his own cultivation—he could not fall behind.

***

Spring passed and autumn came; ten years flew by.

Fang Wang’s cultivation had reached the sixth stage of the Ning-Shen Realm. No one had disturbed him during these ten years, until today, when he suddenly opened his eyes.

It wasn't just him; Xiao Zi and Zhao Zhen were also jolted awake and looked up. The Third Peak was trembling slightly, as if from an earthquake, but it was very faint. Most importantly, the spiritual energy within the cave began to surge.

"Could it be..."

Zhao Zhen suddenly thought of something, his face filled with surprise and excitement.

Fang Wang immediately stood up and walked out of the cave. He went to the edge of the cliff and looked out. The spiritual energy of the other peaks was also surging magnificently. A visible mist of spiritual energy rose from the base of the mountains upward.

To be precise, the earth itself was overflowing with spiritual energy; the spiritual energy of heaven and earth was rapidly increasing!

Faintly, Fang Wang could feel an indescribable pressure from deep beneath the earth, like the might of the heavens.

"Indeed, the Great Qi has finally become a cultivation dynasty!" Zhao Zhen exclaimed excitedly.

Disciples from other peaks rushed out of their caves. Some were suspicious, some fearful, others exhilarated. The news spread rapidly.

"The Great Qi's transformation into a cultivation land is complete!"

A disciple flew on his sword, shouting loudly. Many others followed suit, flying between the peaks to spread the word.

At this moment, the door to Gu Li’s cave opened. Zhao Zhen immediately dove into the Soul-Swallowing Gourd to avoid being discovered.

Gu Li stepped out of her cave and walked to Fang Wang’s side. Looking at the magnificent scene, she sighed, "The plan of several decades has finally succeeded."

Fang Wang looked at her and saw that she had also reached the first stage of the Xuan-Xin Realm. Although not as fast as Fang Hanyu, her progress was definitely swift.

"This is a joyous occasion for everyone," Fang Wang said softly.

Gu Li turned to look at him. Her eyes, visible above her veil, were bright and clear. She stared at him and whispered, "I am preparing to leave."

"Where to?" Fang Wang asked.

Gu Li replied, "To the south, across the sea. The original plan was to head north to seek my destiny after reaching the Xuan-Xin Realm. But the Heaven-Stealing Holy Sect has appeared in the north, and their conduct is overbearing, as seen in their actions toward the Great Qi. My father has arranged for me to head south to the sea to seek my destiny instead."

Fang Wang nodded. "That is good. I wish you every success."

Even if the spiritual energy of the Great Qi increased, it only made cultivation easier; without higher-level Daoist techniques, how could one compete for higher realms? The Ning-Shen Realm was already the ceiling of the Great Qi.