Chapter 1144: Three Flower Gathering

The issues at Dangyin Mountain were temporarily resolved. With Chen Lingding and the others stationed there, even if the Mountain Lord wanted to make a move on Jiangguang City, they would be the ones to step in and mediate.

Arriving at the Adjudication Division, Du Yunxu waited patiently until Fang Chen finished speaking with Jiang Yushu before reporting, "Lord, Lord Xing Jintuo of the Martial God Division wishes to see you."

"Xing Jintuo?" A flicker passed through Fang Chen's eyes. He turned to Jiang Yushu with a smile and said, "Elder Jiang, shall we go take a look together?"

"Certainly." Jiang Yushu smiled and nodded. "I've long heard that Lord Xing is exploring an entirely different path. I'd like to see it for myself."

***

Martial God Division.

Marshal Xiao Lang stood beside Xing Jintuo, listening to him explain his insights into martial cultivation. Sometimes he nodded; other times he looked puzzled.

Suddenly, Xing Jintuo reached out and lightly tapped the void. A ripple appeared in the air, then tore open a small rift.

Marshal Xiao's expression grew solemn. "Lord Xing, is this what you call 'cultivation breaking through the void'?"

"That's right." Xing Jintuo nodded. "At first, I thought breaking the void was like a cultivator ascending to the Immortal Realm. But recently, I realized... It's not us going there, but something that comes to us."

Marshal Xiao frowned in confusion. "Something that comes to us?"

With a flick of Xing Jintuo's finger, a strange power surged from the small rift. It was neither spiritual nor yin energy, but something resembling lightning, imbued with a pure destructive intent.

This energy might have resembled lightning, but it was much more refined. It seemed to exist for solely one purpose—destruction.

Xing Jintuo looked at the energy as a father might gaze at his child. "Can you see it?"

Marshal Xiao scanned the space, then sighed softly. "I can't see it."

Xing Jintuo nodded. "Likely because I was the one who broke this part of the void, not you. If you can break the void through martial cultivation and grasp this power, you'll no longer be bound by the limits of your lifespan. Your strength would rival the paths of the True Immortal or Ghost Gods."

"How can one break the void through martial cultivation?" Marshal Xiao asked.

Xing Jintuo sighed. "I'm still exploring. Part of it comes from effort, but I suspect a large part is luck."

Fang Chen stared at the rift in the void, a glimmer of curiosity in his eyes. "Cultivation breaking through the void...."

Xing Jintuo really seemed to have opened a unique spatial domain. Even Fang Chen couldn't see the power that Xing Jintuo spoke of.

Noticing Fang Chen's arrival, Xing Jintuo and Marshal Xiao both turned and cupped their fists in salute to Fang Chen.

"Lord."

Fang Chen nodded. He asked Du Yunxu and Jiang Yushu, "Can the two of you see the void that Lord Xing has opened?"

Both nodded in unison.

"And the power within it?"

They shook their heads.

Just like Marshal Xiao, they couldn't see the energy either.

"But... I can sense it," Du Yunxu said gravely. "It feels like a pure destructive force, without a trace of impurity."

"Lord, I have a hypothesis," Xing Jintuo said, cupping his fist.

"Go ahead," Fang Chen replied with a smile.

Xing Jintuo pointed to the rift. "I suspect that communicating with this ability is the first step into the martial path. What I've done... It is merely an entry point."

"Merely reaching the entry point allows you to defeat a third-transformation Loose Immortal?" Fang Chen mused.

Allows him to defeat a third-transformation Loose Immortal?

The crowd was stunned to hear that. This was their first time hearing about this.

All eyes suddenly turned to Xing Jintuo, staring at him in disbelief.

A third-transformation Loose Immortal was equivalent to a third-transformation great Yin Demon. They were terrifying existences whose abilities were hard to imagine.

Many had questioned the purpose of setting up a Martial God Division, wondering what use martial cultivation had for wandering souls. However, had they known that the head of the Martial God Division had such an achievement under his belt, they wouldn't have doubted the division for even a second.

"Lord Xing, your hypothesis still needs validation, but you've undoubtedly stepped onto a path none of us have seen before," said Fang Chen, eyes flickering. "This void energy you mentioned...."

"It's the power I obtained after breaking through the void. For now, I've named it void energy," Xing Jintuo shared with a smile. "I've found that it greatly benefits the soul. It tempers the soul continuously. The only downside is that it appears to reduce lifespan."

Everyone exchanged looks.

"Reduces lifespan?"

No wonder martial artists died young. It seemed their path inherently opposed longevity.

However, this was the Underworld, where lifespan was hardly a rare commodity. With enough Yin Lifespan Coins, a person could live forever.

"Lifespan isn't a problem here in the Underworld. Besides that, any other drawbacks?" Fang Chen asked.

"None so far," Xing Jintuo replied with a shake of his head. "The reason I invited you here today is because my soul has undergone some unusual changes from training with the void energy."

"What kind of changes?" Fang Chen asked casually.

Xing Jintuo lowered his head, and everyone noticed three bulges had formed on the crown of his head.

Jiang Yushu couldn't help but chuckle. "Horns?"

Du Yunxu stepped forward to examine him closely, then shook his head. "Can't make anything of it."

"Three Flowers Crown..." Marshal Xiao suddenly said. "In martial legends, there's a realm called the Three Flowers Crown... but I've never seen it myself."

"Exactly. I believe this is it." Xing Jintuo nodded, staring at Fang Chen. "Lord, if such a legend exists, it means someone may have once walked this path like me. But somehow, the lineage was severed."

"Not necessarily," countered Fang Chen. "As far as we know, no one else has ever displayed signs similar to yours. These three bumps might be the Three Flowers, or they might be something else. The only certainty is that they're connected to the void energy."

"They're definitely connected. Every time I absorb void energy now, it floods directly into those three spots," Xing Jintuo said.

"Maybe it's similar to forming a Nascent Soul after the Golden Core Realm?" Du Yunxu suggested.

"Perhaps. Or perhaps not. Lord Xing, in your cultivation going forward, it might be best to slow down a bit. At least confirm it won't harm you first," Fang Chen advised.

Xing Jintuo nodded. "I'll be cautious."

After leaving the Martial God Division, Fang Chen paid a solo visit to the Yin Walker Division.

"Has the list of infiltrators from the Spirit God Sect been compiled?"

"It has. As of three days ago, the total is 9,347 individuals," Shen Tucang replied, handing Fang Chen the document.

"Lord, how should we handle them? Arrest and interrogate them all?"

Fang Chen returned the list to him. "Kill them all."

"All of them?" Shen Tucang was taken aback. "Some of them might know important things...."

"No matter what they know, we don't have the manpower to deal with them. Look across the Nine Realms. The Spirit God Sect has agents everywhere. At this point, some tactics must change," replied Fang Chen with a faint smile. "Just kill them all."

Shen Tucang nodded. "I understand."