Chapter 1538: Five Hundred Years in Prison

Seeing that Fang Chen refused to yield and was actually going to ram his Immortal Boat, Ma Ji laughed in anger.

Ever since his last run-in here, which had resulted in him being locked up for a while, he had come to understand the rules of the Nanqing Constellation perfectly. If this stranger dared to cause trouble now, their end would be miserable.

Looking at the attacking Immortal Boat, the cultivators standing near Ma Ji smirked, their eyes mocking.

"To ram an Immortal Sovereign’s boat... he must be tired of living."

"If this were anywhere else, we’d definitely show him what’s what."

Ma Ji wasn't alone this time. He had brought a sizable team. Most were first- or second-transformation Loose Immortals. They even had a third-transformation immortal among them. With over ten people, they were essentially the prototype of an elite expedition team for the Lower Six Realms. They had no intention of dodging the attack. Since this was Nanqing Constellation, they’d let the local authorities handle the aftermath. With Ma Ji’s fourth-transformation cultivation, they weren’t worried that their boat would be damaged.

The other boats in the queue noticed the commotion and quickly figured out the cause.

Someone sighed, "Too impulsive. Doing this will only trigger Nanqing’s sanctions."

"The Ten Directions Immortal Sect won't allow anyone to mess around at the Qingming border."

"Regardless of who’s at fault, causing trouble here has only one outcome. Let's see how many years they get."

Voices of both pity and schadenfreude rose from the crowd. At the same time, within the Seven Colored Star River, the terrifying Giant Puppets detected the disturbance. They slowly turned their giant heads, their solemn and majestic eyes locking onto the Black Dragon Boat.

Ma Ji was smiling. And so was Fang Chen.

The light around the Black Dragon Boat suddenly retracted, and then it lightly “tapped” into Ma Ji’s boat.

It seemed like a minor bump, but cracks instantly spider-webbed across Ma Ji’s boat. Pieces of spiritual materials that should have been incredibly durable began to peel off and disintegrate. It looked like a paper boat tossed into a furnace, consumed by invisible flames that spread with lightning speed.

Ma Ji was stunned.

Every cultivator on his Immortal Boat was equally horrified. In less than a breath, the entire boat had disintegrated. Moreover, the terrifying shockwave didn't stop there. It swept toward Ma Ji and his crew like a tidal wave. Instinctively, they flared their Immortal Essence to form protective barriers.

In the very next instant, the barriers shattered. Their robes were shredded into pieces, and their personal belongings were blasted away, floating aimlessly within the Qingming. The cultivators themselves were sent tumbling helplessly through the Qingming until the puppets arrived, catching them in palms the size of small mountains.

Pfft!

Ma Ji spat out a mouthful of blood. Clutching his chest, he stared in disbelief at the Black Dragon Boat and the figure standing upon it. A figure that felt hauntingly familiar.

How is this possible? Is this man a fifth-transformation Immortal Sovereign?!

Ma Ji’s eyes flickered with fear. If he had offended a fifth-transformation powerhouse, his current situation was looking very grim.

The owners of the nearby boats sucked in cold breaths, staring at the Black Dragon Boat with pure shock.

What kind of boat possessed such terrifying power that a mere bump could obliterate a fourth-transformation Immortal’s boat? It had even blasted the clothes right off their backs!

"This guy has a huge background. No wonder he dared to strike at the border."

"No matter how big his background is... he still has to follow the rules of the Ten Directions Immortal Sect, right?"

"True. Let’s see how they handle this."

To see the drama unfold, several boats that had already cleared the border purposely stayed behind to watch the aftermath.

The Black Dragon Boat is still impressive. Even without the condensation of the Black Dragon Formation, its raw power is enough to ram a fourth transformation Immortal half-dead,

Fang Chen thought with satisfaction.

Meanwhile, the puppet holding Ma Ji and his crew moved in front of Fang Chen’s boat. Other puppets converged from different directions and surrounded the Black Dragon Boat. Fang Xiaotian and Fang Xiaohua didn't panic. Their horizons had long been broadened.

"This is the Qingming Border of the Ten Directions Immortal Sect. By fighting here, you have violated the law. Please come with us," boomed the puppet’s cold, mechanical voice.

"The laws of the Ten Directions Immortal Sect don't apply to me. Tell Immortal Longfu to come and speak with me," said Fang Chen calmly.

The laws don't apply to him?

The crowd gasped. Ma Ji and his men were starting to panic. In this situation, no one would dare lie. Otherwise, they’d face the full suppression of the sect rather than a simple legal punishment. The severity was on a completely different level.

The only possibility was that this person truly had a status high enough for the Ten Directions Immortal Sect to grant him an exception!

At that moment, Ma Ji finally recognized Fang Chen, his pupils dilating in shock. "It's him! How can it be him?!"

He remembered seeing this man years ago during another dispute here. Back then, the man was just a junior standing behind a newly ascended fourth-transformation Immortal!

How is this possible?!

The surrounding puppets suddenly went silent. After a long moment, a new light flickered in the eyes of the leading puppet, looking much more “alive.”

"The arrival of a core disciple of the Enlightenment God Palace! I will come to welcome you personally!" said the puppet again, but this time, its voice was filled with emotion and clearly being remote-controlled by someone important.

Enlightenment God Palace... core disciple...

For cultivators who traveled within Qingming, their knowledge was much broader than average. They might not know every sect in the Upper Three Realms, but the name 'Enlightenment' was like a clap of thunder to their souls.

"It’s... a cultivator from the Enlightenment God Palace..."

"I heard the word 'core'..."

"Why would such a heavyweight come here?"

Waves of shock rippled through the onlookers. If such a person stamped their foot in Nanqing Constellation, the entire system would tremble!

Ma Ji felt like a punctured balloon. He looked the same on the outside, but his spirit had completely collapsed.

Fang Chen smiled. "No need for formalities. I'm here on private business. Just have your puppets clear the way."

"Understood."

The puppets immediately stood aside.

Everyone watched in silence as the Black Dragon Boat vanished from the Qingming Border into Nanqing Constellation.

"As for you lot, for offending an Enlightenment Core Disciple, you are hereby sentenced to five hundred years in prison, per the laws of the Ten Directions Immortal Sect," sentenced the puppet as it tightened its grip on Ma Ji and those caught.

Though these Loose Immortals were technically stronger than the puppets themselves, not one of them dared to resist. Hearing the sentence, they fell into despair.

Ma Ji’s lips trembled, but he didn't say a word. One of his crew members cried out in protest, "I've never heard of that law before! This isn't fair!"

"It was just revised," snorted the puppet coldly and carried them off toward the prison in Nanqing Constellation.

The cultivators on the Immortal Boats still waiting in line felt a chill run down their spines.