Chapter 1577: A Chance Encounter

Chapter 1577: A Chance Encounter

Ten years passed in the blink of an eye.

Fang Chen glanced at the star map. The Black Dragon Boat was now in the vicinity of the Linglong Constellation. Traveling through Qingming was usually a mind-numbing affair, but fortunately, having Little Sword to chat with made time pass more easily.

A few days later, Fang Chen could see the Linglong Constellation with his naked eye. The place seemed quite lively, and at the border, numerous Immortal Boats were lining up to enter. As Fang Chen approached and took his place in the queue, a first-transformation immortal cultivator soon came flying toward him in a hurry. The cultivator stopped before reaching the Black Dragon Boat and bowed respectfully. "May I ask, are you a core disciple of the Enlightenment God Palace?"

Fang Chen returned the gesture, then answered, "I am. You are?"

"This humble one is Ning Xun, a disciple of the Ning Clan." Ning Xun’s expression was deferential. He asked cautiously, "Might I ask what brings a core disciple such as yourself to our humble abode?"

Fang Chen smiled. "Does coming to your Linglong Constellation require a formal report?"

Ning Xun startled, immediately realizing he had misspoken. He scrambled to correct himself. "You misunderstand! It was a slip of the tongue. I only meant that if you have business to attend to here, the Ning Clan might be able to offer some assistance."

Fang Chen said nonchalantly, "I am simply bored. Passing through the area, I thought I’d stop by and take a look."

After a pause, he swept his gaze across the Immortal Boats entering and leaving and asked, "It seems quite busy here. Is there something happening lately?"

Ning Xun hurried to explain, "A member of our Ning Clan recently promoted to a fourth-transformation immortal and is celebrating his wedding to his Dao companion. Various factions have sent representatives to offer their congratulations."

Just then, another Immortal Boat tore through the void. Fang Chen recognized this vessel. It was something only core disciples of the Killing Spiritual Division were permitted to operate.

A core disciple from the Killing Spiritual Division is here too?

Fang Chen’s expression shifted as he spotted a familiar figure standing at the front of the Immortal Boat.

Ning Xun hurriedly excused himself and scrambled over to the other vessel, a bitter smile surfacing on his face.

Ordinarily, one wouldn't see a single core disciple from these top-tier factions in years. Even those who hailed from the Ning Clan rarely returned. How on earth did two show up at the exact same time today?

Huang Qingque’s attention wasn't on Ning Xun. He had spotted the Enlightenment God Palace’s Black Dragon Boat from a distance. After staring for a moment and recognizing that familiar face, he was overjoyed. He immediately stowed his immortal boat and flew straight toward Fang Chen.

Ning Xun blanked for a second, then dumbfoundedly followed behind him.

Fang Chen lowered the Black Dragon Boat's protective shield, allowing Huang Qingque to land safely. As for Ning Xun, he didn't dare set foot on the deck and simply stood outside the vessel, watching from a respectful distance.

"Daoist Fang! It’s been a long time since we parted at the Great Thunder Sound," said Huang Qingque, cupping his hands with a look of deep emotion.

Fang Chen replied with a smile and a bow. "It wasn't convenient to speak freely back then, so I couldn't catch up with you, Daoist Qingque. It was quite a regret."

"Speaking of which, I truly never expected you to become a core disciple of the Enlightenment God Palace. Not to mention that battle at the Great Thunder Sound, your methods were truly eye-opening," said Huang Qingque, sighing in admiration.

He then asked curiously about Fang Chen’s journey.

Fang Chen briefly explained how he had inadvertently obtained an invitation, became an external cultivator, and finally, with a bit of luck, rose to become a core disciple. Despite the brevity of the tale, Huang Qingque was left slack-jawed.

With the backing of the Huang Clan in the True Martial Realm and a stroke of good fortune, he had managed to become a core disciple of the Killing Spiritual Division and enter the upper echelons. He hadn't expected the man before him to have even more heaven-defying luck.

Huang Qingque laughed. "So, did Daoist Ning send you a message to attend his wedding as well?"

Upon hearing that, Fang Chen was genuinely surprised. "Daoist Ning? Ning Beiyou is getting married?"

So, the Ning Clan member Ning Xun mentioned, the one who had been promoted to a fourth-transformation Immortal Sovereign and was marrying his Dao companion was actually Ning Beiyou. What a massive coincidence.

Huang Qingque was taken aback. "You didn't know? Then what brings you here?"

Fang Chen smiled. "I just happened to be passing by and stopped to resupply. As you know, sailing through Qingming is quite a dull affair."

Huang Qingque suggested, "Then it’s perfect! Come with me to the wedding. I'm sure he'll be delighted to see an old colleague."

He then glanced at Ning Xun. "Does an Enlightenment God Palace core disciple's vessel still need to wait in line?"

"Not at all!" replied Ning Xun instantly.

He personally took the lead, guiding the Black Dragon Boat through the pass.

None of the cultivators in the queue dared to breathe a word of protest. Normally, cutting in line might cause a stir, but with a Ning Clan member leading the way and the recognizable silhouette of a Black Dragon Boat, no one was foolish enough to speak up.

Once inside, Huang Qingque had Ning Xun lead the way toward the Ning Clan's ancestral lands.

On their way there, Fang Chen asked curiously, "Daoist Qingque, regarding the Xie Zhi matter... was there ever a follow-up?"

"Xie Zhi..." Huang Qingque let out a soft sigh. "It was only after I became a core disciple that I truly understood how the higher echelons within the Killing Spiritual Division viewed Xie Zhi. They believe Xie Zhi had no reason to exist. Its very presence causes immense pressure to surge from all factions, pressure that few can withstand." If one isn't careful, it could easily incite a mutiny within the division, becoming a source of instability."

"So, it seems the Xie Zhi is unlikely to ever be restarted," noted Fang Chen thoughtfully.

"Actually..."

Huang Qingque hesitated. He glanced at Fang Chen before lowering his voice. "There was something back then that you didn't know. Given your status at the time, knowing it wouldn't have done you any good anyway."

"What was it?" asked Fang Chen with a smile.

He had a rough idea of what Huang Qingque was about to say.

Huang Qingque shared, "Our true target back then wasn't actually Immortal Dayu. We didn't tell you the truth in order to throw people off the scent. The real target was Immortal Taixu."

"Immortal Taixu? He was also a cultivator of the Killing Spiritual Division?"

Fang Chen reacted with mock surprise at the news.

Huang Qingque nodded. "Indeed. At that time in the Ancient Desolate Realm, Immortal Taixu was already the highest-ranking officer of the Killing Spiritual Division."

“I’ve heard that within the Lower Six Realms, the division assigns a seventh-transformation Ancient Immortal to each region to act as the guardian. How could Taixu have been the highest officer?"

Huang Qingque said with a grave expression, "Because the Killing Spiritual Division’s guardian in the Ancient Desolate Realm... vanished."

"A seventh-transformation Ancient Immortal went missing?" Fang Chen looked at Huang Qingque with surprise. "Daoist Qingque, I am no longer a member of the Killing Spiritual Division. How can you tell me something so significant?"

Even though he had known about this for a long time, he could see that Huang Qingque had an ulterior motive for bringing it up now.

"Well..." Huang Qingque gave a sheepish smile. "The truth is, Immortal Taixu found out we were investigating him. To appease his fury, Xie Zhi was disbanded, and you, Daoist Ning, and the others were stripped of your status..."

He then requested, "So, I was wondering... could you help me get in touch with Immortal Taixu? I have some clues I’d like to confirm with him."