Chapter 1518: Land of Trials

Fang Chen had originally assumed that among the core disciples left behind to guard this place, there would be several others like Ji Tianjun who had broken through the cognition. Now, it seemed there weren't many individuals like that among the core disciples.

However, he couldn't rule out the possibility that some were simply more meticulous, choosing not to reveal themselves or communicate even in such a seemingly secure environment. After all, the Rulai Monastery was also a top-tier power in the Fangcun Realm, and during the last struggle, several individuals capable of entering the Demonic State had appeared. This included Shao Guangyin, the Honored One of the Rulai Monastery, whose status was equivalent to Xie Aman's. After entering the demonic state, he had even fought Xie Aman to a standstill, a testament to how formidable those methods were.

By that logic, aside from Little Immortal Honglian, there were certainly other key core disciples within the Enlightenment God Palace who belonged to their side. Currently, at the top of Fang Chen's list of suspects was the Second Senior Brother. Xie Aman could almost certainly be ruled out, but others, like Chen Enxue and her peers, remained under suspicion.

"Ji Tianjun, you are already at the third transformation but haven't consumed your next immortal herb yet. Which immortal path do you plan to take?" asked the mysterious man.

"Previously, I wanted to take the Path of the Immaculate Immortal. That path aligns quite well with our original cultivation methods, but the requirements were impossible to meet. Now, I can only try for the Grand World Immortal Path. I am still waiting for the fourth transformation herb."

"Then I shall congratulate you in advance."

The man clasped his hands and turned to leave.

Ji Tianjun stood in place, pondering for a moment, then suddenly whispered to himself, "Among the numerous Lands of Trials in the Lower Six Realms, I wonder when we will finally see results. If I cannot witness my race's reign over this realm in this lifetime, I can only leave it to the efforts of the younger generations..."

With that, he turned and walked away.

Fang Chen's eyes narrowed.

Numerous Lands of Trials?

This sentence revealed a significant amount of information. It confirmed that these demons had already established some sort of organization capable of exchanging intelligence. Furthermore, certain entities were conducting trials in the Lower Six Realm similar to Wang Chongsong's, likely with the goal of breaking the veil of cognition.

"Little Immortal Honglian, Ji Tianjun, Shao Guangyin... the fact that they could break the cognition suggests their methods are unique and likely impossible to replicate easily. This is why they need the Inverse Immortal Demonic Embryo in Wang Chongsong's hands. It should be the simplest and most convenient method currently available, yet that secret belongs to Wang Chongsong alone.

"Perhaps his status and position are far higher than those of Little Immortal Honglian and the others. Additionally, the Path of Immaculate Immortal shares similarities with their original cultivation style? I should learn more about that path. Perhaps I can reverse-engineer the traits of their techniques."

Fang Chen looked up at the sky. In the next instant, his divine soul returned to his physical body.

The large fleet that had been lingering in the starry sky immediately set sail, moving away from Great Thunder Sound.

During the decades of travel, Fang Chen received more feedback from his avatars. Only a small portion came from avatars like Fang Yanguan. The primary source was Fang Tianzun. Every time Fang Tianzun refined a new type of spiritual energy, his own cultivation would surge, sending increasingly vast waves of power back to Fang Chen.

Inside the cultivation chamber of the Immortal Boat, protected by layers of restrictive spells, a phantom star map floated before Fang Chen, allowing him to monitor the Black Dragon Boat's position at any time.

"Drunken Fate Star isn't far away now. I wonder what cultivation level Little Tian and Little Hua have reached by now. Old Sheng is a sensible man. With him looking after them, their safety shouldn't be an issue."

Fang Chen gazed at the star map, lost in thought. Little Sword had already come out to stretch and was playing with the ghost infant not far away.

Fang Chen discovered that the Great Decree for Summoning Yin Beasts acted somewhat like a two-way street. Not only could he summon the ghost infant to his side, but the infant could also communicate its emotions to him.

This time, the ghost infant had conveyed an urgent sense of longing, wanting to come over and play. Only then did Fang Chen specifically test the Great Decree. As expected, no matter where he was, he could call the ghost infant to him at any time, provided it was willing.

In this regard, the Ancient Tree could not compare to the ghost infant. The tree's consciousness remained in a state of chaos, devoid of emotion and driven only by instinct. Back when Fang Chen and Huang Wuji had entered the Underworld City, the Ancient Tree had merely sought to devour Huang Wuji by instinct while instinctively avoiding Fang Chen due to his status as Monarch Yan.

Fang Chen suddenly felt a wave of fatigue.

"The time is nearly up. He needs to go back."

Clearly, maintaining the Great Decree for such a long duration came with a heavy toll. The ghost infant immediately grew reluctant, hiding behind Little Sword and sticking his tongue out at Fang Chen.

Little Sword asked pitifully, "Little Chen, he's so well-behaved! Can't he stay here and play with me forever?"

Usually, she could only chat with Fang Chen or bicker with the Mirror of the Universe. Finding a playmate whose mental maturity was a match for her own was rare, and she was naturally unwilling to part so soon.

Fang Chen promised with a smile, "The Great Decree requires Immortal Essence to maintain, and mine is nearly exhausted. I'll call him over to play again next time."

"I guess it'll have to wait until next time, then."

Although reluctant, Little Sword understood the logic. She picked up the ghost infant and handed him over to Fang Chen.

"Go back to your mother for now. I'll call for you again next time," soothed Fang Chen with a smile.

He then promptly sent him back to the Underworld.

"Daoist Fang."

At that moment, Little Immortal Honglian's voice drifted in from outside the door. Seeing this, Little Sword was about to transform back to her original form, but Fang Chen stopped her with a light wave of his hand.

"There's no need. Now that I've mastered Formation Immortal Arts and hold a significant status among the core disciples, it's perfectly normal for me to possess a spiritual treasure. From now on, you don't have to hide inside me every waking moment."

Little Sword was pleasantly surprised. "Really?"

After receiving Fang Chen's confirmation, she rushed forward excitedly to swing the door open.

Outside the door, Little Immortal Honglian was momentarily stunned when she saw Little Sword dressed in a set of cultivation robes.

Even the loose, oversized robes could not fully hide Little Sword's petite and exquisite figure. Seeing that the robes clearly belonged to Fang Chen, her expression instantly darkened.

"Who are you? Why are you in Daoist Fang's private room?"

"Big Sister Hong, I am Little Chen's spiritual treasure!"

Little Sword was no stranger to Little Immortal Honglian. In fact, she knew ninety-nine percent of the people Fang Chen knew, with only a very few exceptions.

Little Immortal Honglian was stunned motionless. "Spiritual treasure?"

She had never seen a spiritual treasure capable of such advanced human transformation. For a spiritual treasure to take human form was ten million times more difficult than it was for a member of the demon race.

"Fellow Daoist Hong, let me introduce her. Her nickname is Little Sword. Her formal name is the Yuan Magnetic Five Elements Divine Sword," said Fang Chen as he walked over with a smile.

"Wait... The Yuan Magnetic Five Elements Divine Sword? Wasn't that the spiritual treasure that just made it onto the Spirit Treasure Rankings a few years ago? Ranked 300th?"

She was shocked. Back when that treasure first entered the rankings, it had sparked a fair amount of discussion among the core disciples. After all, across the Nine Mortal Realms, the Spiritual Treasure Rankings only listed the top 300 most powerful treasures.

Even most core disciples of the Enlightenment God Palace did not possess a top-300 spiritual treasure. In some respects, the value of such a treasure was significantly higher than that of a Black Dragon Boat. Though if one factored in the Formation Heart, they might be considered equal in value.

"I never imagined that spiritual treasure would belong to you, Daoist Fang. Can all the treasures on the ranking transform into human form?"

Her faint hostility vanished instantly, replaced by curiosity as she began to circle Little Sword.