Chapter 1582: Ghost Gate

Chapter 1582: Ghost Gate

Fang Chen remained submerged in the shadows, silently watching the purple-robed fat man depart. Once the man had vanished into the swirling mist, Fang Chen used his Yin Gourd to systematically collect the wandering souls from the Candle Dragon's back, preparing them for the next time he would have Wang Chongsong send them into reincarnation.

There was nothing left to investigate in the ghost city. Since it belonged to the Ten Thousand Star Palace, any clues from the early years of the Nine Realms had likely been scrubbed away long ago.

Returning to the living world a step ahead, Fang Chen rose from the deck of the Black Dragon Boat and kept his gaze fixed on the spot where the fat man's physical body lay. About the time it took to finish a cup of tea, the purple-robed man "woke up."

Wearing a look of utter frustration, the man scanned his surroundings before pulling out a stone gate. He opened it right in front of Fang Chen, stepped inside, and the gate slammed shut before vanishing entirely.

The fat man was gone. Not a trace of his aura remained in the vicinity.

Having watched this unfold, Little Sword's eyes were wide and round. "Little Chen, that was a spiritual treasure! Its aura felt even stronger than mine!"

She scrunched up her nose, sniffing the air as if trying to catch the lingering scent of the treasure.

"Stronger than you? Then it must be ranked within the top three hundred. Its function seems similar to a Starry Teleportation Formation," remarked Fang Chen as his expression turned grave.

If the fat man could use that treasure to leave the Linglong Constellation directly, its power was nothing short of heaven-defying. In both the Lower Six and Upper Three Realms, establishing a teleportation array between constellations was notoriously difficult. It was a problem even top-tier factions struggled to solve. For a single spiritual treasure to achieve a similar effect was staggering.

Fang Chen's mind immediately began filtering through the data of the top three hundred spiritual treasures. He started from rank three hundred and worked his way up.

He recalled the Rebirth Wooden Fish ranked at eighty-seven, held by Shao Guangyin—the Honored One of Rulai Monastery—whose power rivaled Xie A'man after he succumbed to his demonic state. If Shao Guangyin's spiritual treasure was only ranked eighty-seven, was the fat man's treasure even higher?

His thoughts came to a halt when he reached rank fifty on the list.

The treasure was called Ghost Gate.

The Ghost Gate... it has 'Gate' in the name, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's that specific stone door.

Fang Chen continued to scan further up the list, identifying several other spiritual treasures that resembled stone gates, but he couldn't be certain.

"Little Mirror, if I wanted to know the detailed information regarding that purple-robed fat man, would the cost be high?" asked Fang Chen

He intended for the Mirror of the Universe to narrow down the options.

"Large. Extremely large."

Fang Chen nodded. "I see."

He could now be certain that the fat man had a significant background. His cultivation might not necessarily be lower than Wang Chongsong's, and he possessed more than one spiritual treasure, with that stone gate in particular possessing a singular, strange ability.

***

Several days later, Fang Chen steered the Black Dragon Boat back to the Ning Clan's ancestral lands. Because Ning Beiyou's wedding had been combined with the celebration of his advancement to Immortal Sovereign, a great many Ning Clan members had returned from the outside world.

"To tell you the truth, one wouldn't usually see this many individuals of the Immortal Realm here," said Ning Xun as he led Fang Chen and Huang Qingque to a viewing platform.

Looking out, one could see countless immortals strolling through the air, coming and going. Some were Ning Clan cultivators, while others were guests who had come to offer their congratulations.

"Quite a few of them have impressive backgrounds," remarked Huang Qingque with a faint smile, pointing toward a stout male cultivator treading upon red clouds. "That one is from the Red Moon Sect. Within the Fangcun Realm, the Red Moon Sect is considered a first-tier power."

He then pointed toward a female cultivator who was being escorted by a large entourage. "That one is—"

Fang Chen felt a twinge of admiration. Huang Qingque truly lived up to his reputation as a cultivator of the Killing Spiritual Division who had personally founded the Xie Zhi. He indeed had a unique talent for information gathering. Even here in the Ning Clan's territory, he could identify the origins of so many different cultivators.

A Ning Clan cultivator happened to be receiving several old friends from first-tier factions. As they passed by and saw Ning Xun leisurely enjoying the view with others, he couldn't help but frown.

"Cousin Ning Xun, why aren't you at your post at the border? What are you doing back here? Ning Beiyou's wedding day hasn't arrived yet. It wouldn't be too late for you to come for a celebratory drink when the day actually comes."

Ning Xun hurriedly cupped his hands in a respectful salute and answered, "Greetings, Brother Ning Heng."

He then glanced at Fang Chen and Huang Qingque before smiling at the man. "I happen to be hosting a few old friends. I have already handed over the affairs at the border; there won't be any issues."

"Old friends?"

Ning Heng nodded, sensing Fang Chen's second-transformation aura and Huang Qingque's third-transformation aura.

Huang Qingque had managed to break through once since arriving in the Fangcun Realm.

Ning Heng said, "Fine, go ahead and host your friends."

As a fourth-transformation immortal, he naturally had little to say to anyone below his rank. He continued leading his own friends—fellow fourth-transformation immortals from first-tier factions—toward the inner depths of the ancestral lands.

"I apologize for that display," said Ning Xun, bowing quickly to the two.

He hadn't missed the fleeting look of disdain in Ning Heng's eyes. However, since he couldn't reveal their true identities, such misunderstandings were inevitable.

Inside, though, he felt a secret sense of satisfaction. Those Immortal Sovereigns were hosting guests from first-tier factions, but he was hosting core disciples from top-tier powers! While the Killing Spiritual Division was arguably a step above first-tier, the Enlightenment God Palace was a true juggernaut, boasting over a thousand Immortal Boat Formations.

Fang Chen and Huang Qingque exchanged smiles, then looked back at Ning Xun.

"It's no matter," said Fang Chen.

Such trivialities were far too common to stir even a ripple of emotion in them.

As the days passed, the date of Ning Beiyou's wedding finally arrived. Ning Xun led Fang Chen and Huang Qingque to a seating area near the center. Given his modest reputation within the clan, bringing two friends to sit here wasn't seen as an overstep.

Ning Xun asked nervously via sound transmission once they were seated, "With your status, you could easily sit at the head table. Are you sure you won't reconsider?"

Fang Chen and Huang Qingque had a simple plan. Watch Ning Beiyou get married quietly and then leave. They had no intention of socializing with the Ning Clan's members. The Ning Clan's Ancient Immortals hadn't made an appearance, but a sixth-transformation immortal had arrived, clearly a figure of immense seniority.

"Look at the groom. Doesn't he look like a total blockhead?" joked Huang Qingque, pointing toward Ning Beiyou while gloating.

Ning Beiyou was currently standing before the sixth-transformation immortal, listening to instructions and nodding repeatedly as he was told exactly what to do.

Fang Chen chuckled. "You'll have your day too."

"Me? Probably not for a long time. My family doesn't exactly need me to go out and secure political marriages."

"Cousin Ning Xun, you're here? Perfect!"

At that moment, Ning Heng approached with two friends. Seeing that all the seats were already taken, he had grown a bit anxious, but the moment he saw Ning Xun, his eyes lit up. He requested, "We were a bit late and couldn't find seats. Could you three give up your seats for us?"

Give up our seats?

That completely threw Ning Xun off, a look of pure bewilderment crossing his face.