Immortal of the Nine Realms

Chapter 1642: Young Master Yuans Generosity

These eyes were incredibly vivid. At first glance, they looked like the eyes of someone alive. But a closer look revealed they were petrified. From them, Fang Chen felt a heavy, desolate aura that seemed to carry the weight of countless ages.Eye of an Era ?

Fang Chen was shocked. He felt that this pair of eyes bore a striking resemblance to the descriptions in the Mirror of the Universe and the ancient records he had seen back at the Ji family.

Silently marking this particular Immortal Origin, Fang Chen's divine soul returned to his body. Just then, Young Master Yuan's voice drifted into his ears. "Daoist Fang, these Immortal Origin Stones all have their own origins. Some were excavated from the tombs of Ancient Immortals, while others were unearthed from ancient battlefields. What do you think of their quality?"

"The quality is acceptable," replied Fang Chen with a nod.

"Quality is... acceptable?"

Before Young Master Yuan could even react, Wang Bei was already looking at Fang Chen with skepticism. "Daoist Fang, are you claiming you've already finished examining all these origins? It hasn't even been ten minutes. You aren't intentionally acting this way just to appear more capable than us brothers in front of Young Master Yuan, are you?"

"Brother, do not be rude," Wang Nan scolded, smiling. "Daoist Fang is not a child. He wouldn't engage in such trivial games. This match is vital to Young Master Yuan. If he had such a flippant attitude, Young Master Yuan wouldn't have agreed to work with him in the first place."

Fang Chen could naturally tell the brothers were playing good cop, bad cop to squeeze him, but he wasn't annoyed. He simply chuckled and said, "Young Master Yuan, the quality of these Stones is indeed decent. How about I take one of them as my payment for this task?"

Seeing Fang Chen ignore them entirely, the Wang brothers' faces darkened.

The fourth-transformation immortal chimed in coldly, "Haven't we already come to an agreement? Your reward is that the Young Master will not cause you trouble in this Immortal Origin District henceforth."

"My sect has a rule. Without a reward, we do not act. If Young Master Yuan finds my presence here an eyesore, I can simply pack up and vanish from your sight," said Fang Chen indifferently.

The moment those words left his mouth, the expressions of the two Wang brothers and the fourth-transformation immortal turned visibly hostile.

Young Master Yuan showed no signs of anger. He simply offered a faint smile. "Since this is the rule of your sect, Daoist Fang, it would indeed be poor of me to violate it. It shall be as you say, you may choose any Immortal Origin Stone from here."

Joy appeared on Fang Chen's face. "You're a generous man, Young Master Yuan."

He pointed to one of the Stones. "I'll take that one."

Upon hearing that, Young Master Yuan flicked his hand, sending out a sliver of immortal essence that sliced the Stone neatly in two. Inside, a spiritual herb appeared, cut in two. The grade of this herb was mediocre. It wasn't even an immortal herb, merely something that could replenish a small amount of immortal essence. Its market price was about five immortal crystals.

The joy on Fang Chen's face gradually faded. He looked at Young Master Yuan expressionlessly, gave a light huff, and said nothing more.

The Wang brothers and the fourth-transformation immortal were stunned for a moment before they realized what had happened. Wang Bei couldn't help but sneer. "So the Stone Daoist Fang set his eyes on is only worth a few crystals?"

"Even a Master of Immortal Origin has moments where they misjudge. I suppose I should thank Young Master Yuan for his decisiveness; he saved me from a loss," replied Fang Chen with a dry smile.

Young Master Yuan remained silent for a few breaths before bursting into a hearty laugh. "Daoist Fang, I was merely curious to see what kind of treasure you had selected, so I acted a bit impulsively. Please, don't mind me. You may select another one as your payment for this task."

"I see. It seems I misunderstood you, Young Master Yuan."

Fang Chen gave a noncommittal smile, then began walking around the hall. He paused briefly before several Stones before finally settling on the one containing the pair of petrified eyes. This Stone didn't appear special in any way. It was rather average when compared to the rest of the collection. Earlier, the Wang brothers hadn't spent much time observing it, clearly not thinking much of it.

Fang Chen asked calmly, "Young Master Yuan, I'll take this one. Would you be willing to part with it?"

The Wang brothers nodded inwardly. At least he knows the rules.

As masters themselves, they understood that no matter how powerful a specialist was, it was impossible to be absolutely certain of what lay inside an Immortal Origin Stone. To judge a Stone correctly, one had to consider its origin, combine various external clues with the source's physical manifestations, and layer that over years of experience. This particular origin, by all indicators, was strictly average, and not of immense value, but not worthless either.

"Then this origin shall be your payment. I hope you will arrive as promised in a few days," Young Master Yuan said with a light smile and a nod. "If there is nothing else, you may return to rest for now."

"I shall take my leave," said Fang Chen

He nodded and left with the Immortal Origin Stone in hand. As soon as he departed, the fourth-transformation immortal immediately spoke up. "Young Master, this man is pushing his luck. To dare demand an Immortal Origin as payment... I think..."

"It is of no consequence." Young Master Yuan chuckled softly. "As long as we win this match, I wouldn't mind even if he opened his mouth like a lion and demanded a fortune. Once the bet is over, if he still refuses to join my ranks, it won't be too late to make a final decision."

The fourth-transformation Immortal Sovereign and the Wang brothers instantly understood the underlying meaning. A cruel light flickered in their eyes.

***

Upon returning to the inn, Fang Chen suddenly encountered a group of cultivators with extraordinary bearing checking in. There were two men and two women, appearing to be two pairs of Dao companions.

After returning to his private room, Fang Chen spent some time examining the Immortal Origin Stone in his hands. Shortly after, his divine soul exited his body and drifted toward the room where those two pairs of cultivators had settled.

One man and two women looked toward the most refined-looking male cultivator, their expressions filled with worry.

"Senior Brother, the Great Sorrow Army has likely set their sights on us. Can we truly capture a Fallen Immortal alive this time? If Great Senior Uncle and the others fail, I fear our situation will become dire."

"What is there to fear? Great Senior Uncle has been following us all along. With him here, as long as a Fallen Immortal shows their face, we won't fail." The refined male cultivator chuckled. "Those Great Sorrow Army fools think that by making a bit of noise, they can trick me into believing they aren't paying attention to this place. Little do they know, the information they received was painstakingly leaked by us. No matter what, we must bring a Fallen Immortal back this time."

The group chatted for a few more moments before changing the subject and settling into silent meditation. Throughout the entire conversation, they never once revealed their specific sect or origins.

To capture a Fallen Immortal alive? Since they know of their existence, it means they also come from the Upper Three Realms, but I can't be sure which sect they belong to. What is their purpose in capturing a Fallen Immortal alive?

Fang Chen observed the four of them silently, a grave look in his eyes. The only thing of true value on a Fallen Immortal was the demonic cultivation techniques of the demon race—the path to the ninth transformation that required no immortal medicine and was not restricted by the standard immortal pathways!

If his guess was correct, the actions of these four and the sect behind them were undoubtedly capital offenses.

Could it be that some eighth-transformation Ancient Immortal feels their path to the ninth transformation is hopeless and wants to attempt the path of a Fallen Immortal to force a breakthrough?

At this thought, the gaze Fang Chen cast upon the four gradually grew cold.