Chapter 127: The Pavilion of Immortality, the Seventy-Two Military Lords

After chatting with Zhou Xue for an hour, Fang Wang took Xiao Zi and moved back to the cave dwelling of the Third Branch, leaving the Shiyuan Hall to her.

Back at his dwelling, Fang Wang retrieved the Yellow-rank Sword Sovereign Token he had received from the Sword Saint. He probed it with his divine sense, and when he encountered resistance, he forcefully shattered it. Having reached the Duxu Realm, his divine sense was far beyond what it once was, allowing him to unravel the secrets of the token. According to the Sword Saint, once he surpassed the Ningshen Realm, he would be able to refine this token, which would guide him overseas to inherit the true legacy of the Sword Saint.

Soon, his divine sense made contact with the restrictions of the Yellow-rank Sword Sovereign Token. He channeled his spiritual power into it, following his divine sense to refine the barriers. The token was of a significantly higher grade than the disciple tokens of the Taiyuan Sect; while not quite matching the Dragon Jade Ring, it felt superior to any peak-grade magical artifact. It took a full three hours for Fang Wang to successfully refine it and establish a master-servant bond.

The moment it was successfully refined, a vast flood of memories rushed into Fang Wang’s mind.

The Longevity Pavilion!

Twelve Pavilion Masters, twenty-four True Immortals, seventy-two Military Sovereigns, Longevity Envoys... This was the hierarchy, ranked from highest to lowest. Each tier was further divided into Heaven, Earth, Mysterious, and Yellow ranks. Fang Wang’s Yellow-rank Sword Sovereign Token belonged to the lowest tier of the seventy-two Military Sovereigns. Even so, the seventy-two Military Sovereigns were power-wielders within the Longevity Pavilion, enjoying immense authority and privilege.

The memories also recorded the affiliated sects of the Longevity Pavilion, which numbered in the hundreds; even the Haoran Sect of the Great Chu was one of them. Not to mention the seventy-two Military Sovereigns, even the lower-ranking Longevity Envoys could command these affiliated sects to do their bidding. The Longevity Pavilion maintained a strict hierarchy where subordinates were forbidden from overstepping their bounds. Even if wronged, one had to formally petition the Pavilion; acting without authorization would invite a hunt by the Pavilion.

There was also a peculiar rule: if the power tokens of any rank were obtained and refined by an outsider, that person would be directly inducted into the Longevity Pavilion. The Pavilion recognized the token, not the individual.

After absorbing this massive influx of information, Fang Wang probed the token again. This time, he saw a holographic map similar to those found in the Taiyuan Sect’s senior disciple tokens, but this map was vastly larger. As Fang Wang’s divine sense ascended, he could overlook the entire continent. Looking down, he finally understood why Qi was called a land of barbarians; compared to the vast continent, Qi was merely a tiny speck—and this was considering that Qi was already larger than the China of his past life, illustrating just how expansive this world was.

As his divine sense rose further to survey the oceans, the continent began to appear small. He saw numerous green dots; by focusing on any one of them, he could automatically read their information. They were all affiliated forces and strongholds of the Longevity Pavilion, densely packed across the vast oceans. The sheer scale far exceeded the continent where Qi resided. Just by looking at the map, Fang Wang could feel the terrifying power of the Longevity Pavilion—it was truly a behemoth in the world of cultivation.

Within the map, Fang Wang also saw other continents of varying sizes. The one where Qi was located was by no means the largest. At the edge of the map, another continent was only partially visible, yet it already appeared immensely formidable. The Yellow-rank Sword Sovereign Token possessed many other wonders, including a communication feature; Fang Wang could send messages to other Military Sovereigns and Envoys, or issue direct orders to affiliated forces. He couldn't help but wonder: was the Longevity Pavilion not afraid of enemies seizing their tokens?

...

Time flew, and another four months passed.

Fang Wang’s cultivation growth had slowed significantly; he had never felt such stagnation before. It seemed he would have to head to the sea, as the spiritual energy of the ocean was far beyond what this continent could offer. Within the token, Fang Wang had located the Sword Saint’s cave dwelling and planned to visit it in the future; there might be many treasures to be found.

On this day, Fang Wang summoned the high-ranking officials of the Taiyuan Sect to Shiyuan Hall to announce his departure for Heaven-Peak Mountain.

"Go, then. Other sects have already begun heading there to besiege the Carefree Immortal, and sects from other dynasties are also rushing to rescue their respective monarchs," Chai Yi stated.

Fang Wang replied, "Actually, I can handle it alone."

Yang Yuanzi frowned, "Do not be careless. What if the Carefree Immortal has a backup plan, or if other cultivation forces move against you while you are both exhausted? What then?"

Fang Wang considered this and found it reasonable.

Zhou Xue, sitting on the Sect Leader’s cushion, spoke up, "In that case, the Vice Sect Leader shall personally select personnel to accompany Fang Wang to purge the old demon."

Upon hearing that Chai Yi would be accompanying them, the others raised no objections. Zhao Chuanqian volunteered to join, and Chai Yi did not refuse.

Half a day later, Fang Wang, Chai Yi, and Zhao Chuanqian led five thousand disciples toward the Northern Territory. These disciples were at least in the Spirit-Shaping Realm, with over five hundred in the Spirit-Dantian Realm and over a hundred in the Profound Heart Realm, including many branch elders.

Zhao Chuanqian flew at the front, wielding a large banner that harnessed the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, forming a protective gale around the group that significantly boosted their flight speed while conserving their energy. Fang Hanyu flew beside Fang Wang, his face still covered by a cloth to avoid frightening others.

"What are the odds of winning?" Fang Hanyu asked softly.

Fang Wang stared straight ahead and said calmly, "Fifty percent."

Fang Hanyu fell silent.

Along the way, the other disciples frequently glanced at Fang Wang, including the now-matured Ye Xiang, for they all knew the battle at Heaven-Peak Mountain was a decisive duel between Fang Wang and the Carefree Old Demon. Their role was merely to provide support. That Carefree Old Demon was someone who had easily defeated Xu Quming! Of course, they were full of confidence in Fang Wang, merely curious about what kind of earth-shattering battle it would be.

"When are you heading south?" Fang Hanyu suddenly asked again.

Fang Wang glanced at him, "Why? Do you want to come with me?"

Fang Hanyu huffed, "Naturally not, just curious."

"It won't be long," Fang Wang replied.

The spiritual energy of this continent could no longer satisfy him. Even after awakening the dragon vein, the energy was only suitable for lower-level cultivators. Once he went overseas, he planned to find a sea island and establish his own cave dwelling, much like the great powers of the past. Perhaps one day, long after he had left, his dwelling would become a secret realm for future generations to explore, much like the Great Sage’s Grotto or the Sky-Falling Secret Realm.

The brothers began to chat casually. Fang Hanyu also wanted to head south to seek his fortune, and eventually, the brothers decided to travel together to look out for one another.

...

In the Northern Territory, at Heaven-Peak Mountain, snowstorms raged. Groups of cultivators sat in meditation on a mountainside, having erected arrays to block out the wind and snow. They were from the Haoran Sect of Great Chu. Cliff Daoist and Xu Guang sat before a campfire; Yang Jin’er, who had previously interacted with Fang Wang in Sky-Falling City, was also there.

"When do we act? Are we still saving the monarch?" Yang Jin’er asked. She was still dressed in yellow, her makeup more exquisite than years ago, and a white tiger lay beside her.

Xu Guang remained expressionless, saying, "We are no match for the Carefree Immortal; we must not be rash. We will act only when Fang Wang engages the Carefree Immortal."

Yang Jin’er chuckled, "You truly have so much confidence in Fang Wang. It seems he really has terrified you to your core."

Hearing this, Xu Guang glared at her, but she stared right back, forcing him to endure in silence.

Yang Jin’er sighed and spread her hands, "I should have built a proper relationship with Fang Wang back in Sky-Falling City. What a pity. Now that he is the number one cultivator of the Seven Dynasties, he probably wouldn't even look at me if I tried to curry favor."

Back then, she had cultivated on the same floor of the training tower as Fang Wang and Hu Poxie. Although she had been interested in Fang Wang, she hadn't been overly enthusiastic. Who would have thought that in just a few short years, the top talent of the Seven Dynasties would transform into the supreme cultivator of the Seven Dynasties?

Xu Guang’s expression was grim, for Fang Wang’s title as the number one cultivator of the Seven Dynasties had been earned by stepping over him and his master.

Cliff Daoist ignored Yang Jin’er, sitting at the edge of the formation and gazing into the distance. The altitude was immense, the sky dim, and the distant peaks looked like looming demons. Cliff Daoist could sense a suffocating pressure. He was secretly alarmed; what exactly was the cultivation level of the Carefree Immortal?

Cliff Daoist was a Third-tier Duxu Realm cultivator, yet he could not determine who was stronger between Fang Wang and the Carefree Immortal, as both were far beyond him.

"Ji Rutian, what is your true background, and how did you manage to draw out such an old monster as the Carefree Immortal?" Cliff Daoist wondered silently. The thought of Ji Rutian filled him with unease. He always felt that Ji Rutian would not treat the Haoran Sect kindly, yet the sect could do nothing against him, and Ji Rutian had shown enough benevolence to make the weaker elders bow and submit.

At this moment, not just the Haoran Sect, but over twenty other sects and factions were gathered on the outskirts of Heaven-Peak Mountain. Most were there to rescue their respective monarchs. Of course, to them, the monarchs were not worth dying for; they were merely putting on a show while investigating the Carefree Immortal's intentions, so they all remained motionless.

Every sect was waiting for one person!

The Sword Saint of Great Qi, Fang Wang!

In the central area of Heaven-Peak Mountain, atop a jagged cliff, the Carefree Immortal sat on a stone platform. Floating above his head were eighty-one large banners, each imprinted with different beast motifs, fluttering and snapping in the wind.

The Great Chu monarch in the cage couldn't help but ask, "There are so many cultivators’ auras all around. Why are you letting them be?"

Great Chu had transformed into a cultivation dynasty over a century ago, so its monarch had the highest cultivation among all the captured royalty. He could sense the auras of cultivators occasionally approaching and then quickly slipping away.

The Carefree Immortal did not open his eyes, laughing dismissively, "Since they want to watch the show, let them come. When this immortal captures Fang Wang as a sacrifice, they will become sacrifices as well."

The monarch of the Northern Territory sneered, "Calling yourself an immortal, yet you need to perform sacrifices?"

"Mortals remain mortals. This immortal has no time to explain to you. Since you are destined to die, think about your regrets; don't make the same mistakes in your next life," the Carefree Immortal huffed, his tone full of disdain.

Xu Quming suddenly spoke, "You gave Fang Wang a year; you will regret it. The 'Heavenly Origin Treasure Spirit' is merely how the world sees him; his talent is by no means defined by such a label."