Chapter 91: The True Art Reaches Great Perfection, the Way of Yin and Yang! Third update, seeking monthly votes.

After hearing Zhao Qi out, Fang Wang felt a surge of emotion.

Zhao Zhen was ruthless indeed.

He had even counted his own possible death into the bargain, clearly hoping Fang Wang would avenge him. And most crucially, Fang Wang could not refuse, because killing Lu Yuanjun was something he wanted as well.

Fang Wang fixed him with a steady look and asked, "Though Lu Yuanjun is the root of it all, the one who wants my Fang clan destroyed is imperial power itself. How do you know I do not mean to kill you first, and only then go after Lu Yuanjun?"

Zhao Qi lifted his head and said, "Because I have inquired about what sort of man you are. Ever since you began your path of cultivation, every person you have slain was a wicked one. You inherited the Sword Saint's legacy, and the Sword Sect plainly meant to destroy you, yet you spared him in the Sword Saint's name of never taking life. That shows your reverence for your master and your sense of duty. You taught so many sword practitioners in Sword Heaven Marsh and withheld nothing of the Sword Saint's inheritance, which shows the breadth of your mind.

"A man like you, one who honors his teachers and prizes righteousness, cannot fail to distinguish gratitude from enmity. Of course, if you insist on killing me, then do so. You are my only hope. If you will not help me, then I have no reason to live."

Fang Wang narrowed his eyes. "Who did you hear that from?"

"Your sworn brother, Gu Tianxiong!"

Fang Wang fell silent at once.

So Gu Tianxiong had been boasting about him like that outside?

Still, he truly had no desire to kill Zhao Qi. In the end, Zhao Qi was also a victim, and his grandfather Fang Meng still remembered the old ties of friendship with the founding emperor of Qi.

Fang Wang took the jade slip from Zhao Qi's hands and asked calmly, "What exactly do you want me to help you with? It should be more than merely killing Lu Yuanjun."

Zhao Qi's face lit up. Clenching both fists, he said, "Right now, the affairs of Great Qi are in the hands of the Grand Chancellor. Though he is only a chancellor in name, he is in truth the emperor in all but title. Yet he favors his own and acts with brutal cruelty. The court ministers are replaced every single day. I investigated him, and this Grand Chancellor is the offspring of an elder of the Chi Demon Sect. He forcibly conscripts commoners to dig for spirit veins, and he does not treat them as human beings at all. None of those sent to dig the spirit veins ever return alive.

"If this continues, chaos will surely engulf the realm. Perhaps many years from now, Great Qi will indeed become a cultivation dynasty, but that dynasty will be nothing like the Great Qi of today!"

"Sword Saint, you were born in the Fang Duke's residence. Your grandfather and the founding emperor rose from obscurity together and fought side by side for twenty full years before Great Qi was established. The realm of Great Qi contains the blood and sweat of the Fang family. Can you truly stand by and watch it collapse? I beg you, Senior, help me ascend the throne. You are the greatest prodigy of the Taiyuan Sect. If you speak on my behalf, the Taiyuan Sect will only lend its full support, and Lu Yuanjun may not necessarily be able to suppress you!"

"If I become emperor, I will surely promote the Fang Duke's residence and appoint the Duke of Fang as Grand Chancellor!"

When he finished, Zhao Qi suddenly knocked his head to the ground and kept it there, refusing to lift it.

Fang Wang looked at him and said, "The transformation of Great Qi into a cultivation dynasty is the trend of the times. How could I, alone, turn back such a tide?"

Zhao Qi said in a low voice, "I am not asking Senior to reverse the great current. I only hope the process can be slowed. If the span is stretched out, how many common folk would need to die? The Nine Great Sects are all chasing quick gain, which is why they let men of the Chi Demon Sect take the post of Grand Chancellor. They pretend not to know and merely wait to reap the rewards."

Fang Wang thought of his grandfather, of the commoner friends he had made in South Hill City before he began cultivating, and then of himself in his past life.

All of it flashed before his eyes in rapid succession.

Reason told him that a cultivator ought to be selfish. What he pursued was longevity, and after a hundred or a thousand years, who knew how many generations the mortal world would have changed through?

There was always a gulf between immortals and mortals. That was never an empty phrase.

Yet he also remembered his grandfather's words.

"My good grandson, immortality is elusive and mist-like. The most important thing in a man's life is what sort of man he chooses to be. And if you truly gain immortality and become an immortal, then you must also consider what sort of immortal you mean to become."

Fang Wang sighed.

In truth, this matter was not difficult. It did not require him to risk life and limb. He only needed to lend momentum, to stand behind Zhao Qi.

"Very well. Go back for now and wait for my news. This cannot be rushed, after all the sect master is still recovering from his injuries," Fang Wang said.

Zhao Qi was overjoyed when he heard this. He hurriedly bowed in thanks to Fang Wang, then rose and left.

Fang Zibeng turned to go as well, but Fang Wang called him back.

Zhao Qi looked back and said hesitantly, "Senior, I have no deep friendship with Brother Fang. I sought him out on my own. His attitude was that everything would follow your lead."

Fang Wang gave a slight nod, and Zhao Qi could only depart.

After Zhao Qi had gone, the mountain gate closed.

Fang Zibeng asked nervously, "Fang Wang, you don't blame me for bringing him here, do you?"

Though they were cousins, Fang Wang's renown had become too great over the years, and there was a trace of fear in Fang Zibeng's heart as well. In the battle at Azure Cicada Valley, Fang Wang had killed at least five thousand people. That was a record no cultivator in the present age could ignore.

"What nonsense are you thinking? We are brothers. Why make such a divide between us? The reason I kept you here was so you could wait until I finish reading this Yin-Yang Netherworld True Art. If it's genuine, then take it and cultivate it. Han Yu said you were the most diligent cultivator among them all, only limited by your aptitude. This Yin-Yang Netherworld True Art is a peerless divine art of the present age and should surely make up for shortcomings in talent," Fang Wang said irritably.

"Really? That seems improper..." Fang Zibeng was delighted, but also hesitant.

Fang Wang smiled. "Among family, there is no need for such distance."

With that, he took up the jade slip and read it with his spiritual sense.

Fang Zibeng drew a deep breath, then went to the stone table nearby and sat down. He stared blankly at Fang Wang, his heart roiling with a thousand emotions.

Fang Wang shone so brilliantly. It would be impossible to say he did not envy him at all.

After so many years of cultivation, everything had changed. Even the younger generation of the Fang residence had changed. Yet now it seemed that only Fang Wang had remained the same.

He was still so broad-minded, so forthright. From childhood to now, he had always been like this, always able to win the admiration of elders and the worship of his peers.

As Fang Zibeng looked at him, emotion welled in his heart.

At the same time, he made a decision. From now on, he would surely repay Fang Wang, even if it meant trading his life for Fang Wang's.

Nineteen years ago, if not for Fang Wang's intervention, he would have perished with the Fang residence in that night of annihilation. He already owed Fang Wang a life.

Fang Wang did not know what Fang Zibeng was thinking. At the moment, he was fully absorbed in studying the Yin-Yang Netherworld True Art. With Little Violet around, he was not afraid of Fang Zibeng launching a surprise attack.

A long time passed.

Fang Wang's expression changed. Fang Zibeng, who had been watching him the entire time, could not help growing tense. "What's wrong? Is there a problem with this technique?"

Fang Wang closed his eyes and exhaled slowly, then opened them again and looked at Fang Zibeng.

"The technique is fine. Keep it. Train hard with it. If you master it, your name will surely be known throughout the mortal world," he said.

The jade slip drifted into Fang Zibeng's hands. He stared at Fang Wang, somewhat stunned.

For some reason, he felt as though Fang Wang had suddenly changed, though he could not say exactly how.

"By the way, tell me about the major events in the cultivation world lately," Fang Wang said. Little Violet climbed onto his shoulder.

Looking at Fang Wang's profile, Little Violet thought darkly that strange state had appeared again.

Fang Zibeng came back to himself and said, "If we're talking about the biggest event in these past three years, it would have to be the destruction of Azure Cicada Valley. Xiao Kuang of the Golden Firmament Sect entered the valley alone and slaughtered wildly. He personally killed the new valley master. After that, the four Heavenly Kings of the Golden Firmament Sect all emerged and launched a frenzied campaign of revenge and pursuit against Azure Cicada Valley. By now, there are no more Azure Cicada Valley disciples left in the cultivation world, at least not openly. Because of this, the Golden Firmament Sect has replaced Azure Cicada Valley and become one of the Nine Great Sects."

Fang Wang's gaze changed slightly. At the thought of a certain possibility, he felt an inexplicable burst of delight.

"Aside from that, there is a cultivator from the Great Wei Dynasty who has been challenging the foremost experts of all the great sects. That man's name is Lu Changge. The sect masters of Yellow Infernal Mountain, Ancient Demon Mountain, and the Crimson Sun Sect have already suffered defeats at his hands. Where he will go next, no one knows."

When Fang Zibeng mentioned this matter, his eyes were full of envy.

What he would not give for such a carefree and dashing life.

Though he was low-key and honest, he too had a heart that longed for his name to be known under heaven.

Fang Wang listened with great interest. As for Lu Changge, he did not place him in the least in his eyes.

After three years of seclusion, he had already reached the fifth level of the Profound Heart Realm. Compared with three years ago, his strength was beyond all measure.

In this way, Fang Zibeng kept talking for a full hour before Fang Wang finally let him leave.

Once the mountain gate was closed again, Little Violet eagerly asked, "Young Master, is the Yin-Yang Netherworld True Art powerful?"

Fang Wang smiled. "Powerful. More powerful than you can imagine."

The Yin-Yang Netherworld True Art had taken him a full three hundred and eighty years to master, and that was only on the foundation of the Nine Dragons Divine Transformation Art and the Battle Mastery True Art.

At the beginning, he had not felt much difficulty. Many of the principles overlapped with the Battle Mastery True Art. But the longer he cultivated it, the more he could feel its power.

This was an esoteric supreme art involving yin-yang and the ghostly path.

It could seize souls, inhabit the dead, and discern the secrets of yin and yang.

Its strongest technique was the Nether Seal. If the seal were struck onto an enemy, it would brand itself upon that person's soul. Once the mark was laid, even if the two were separated by endless distances, the one who cast the seal could steadily gnaw away at the soul of the marked person through the Nether Seal. The absorbed fragments of soul would gradually transform into ghost soldiers under the caster's control.

The stronger the ghost soldiers became, the weaker the marked person's soul would grow, until the ghost soldiers were fully formed and the marked person lost his soul entirely, left with nothing but an empty shell, dying in extreme agony.

Fang Wang had already cultivated the Yin-Yang Netherworld True Art to great perfection. Against enemies whose cultivation was below his own, he could directly tear out their souls with a single palm strike and transform them into ghost soldiers for his own use.

Not only that, he could even interrupt the process by which souls were refined into ghost soldiers, and could even bestow strength upon the marked person through the Nether Seal.

And this process could cross the distances of space.

Its mysteries were endless.

It was no exaggeration to say that the Yin-Yang Netherworld True Art was the most exquisite art he had ever mastered. Its power was not reflected merely in destruction or killing. It carried lethal force, yes, but it also helped him step into the Dao of yin-yang and the ghostly path.

Precisely because the Yin-Yang Netherworld True Art was so vast and complex, Fang Wang's three hundred and eighty years did not feel tedious. Every day brought a new discovery, a new understanding, and he reveled in it.

Of course, the Nether Seal was not truly invincible. If the difference in realms was too great, he still could not forcibly penetrate an enemy's magical power to control their soul.

The Battle Mastery True Art helped him command magical implements and weapons. The Yin-Yang Netherworld True Art helped him master the Dao of yin-yang. Then what of the Heavenly Dipper Saint Body True Art?

At that moment, Fang Wang's longing for the Heavenly Dipper Saint Body True Art reached its peak. He still remembered what Zhao Qi had said.

Gather the three supreme true arts, and there would be a chance to obtain an immortal destiny.

What would that immortal destiny be like?

Fang Wang's heart was filled with confidence and anticipation. He had, in a sense, stepped onto a path entirely different from Zhou Xue's. Zhou Xue had once said that in her previous life, she had never obtained the three supreme true arts of the Extreme Vast Sect.

Only by walking different roads could one move forward side by side, or even surpass.