Chapter 1573: Stand Alone In Its Brilliance

"Fifth Senior Brother, you are as sharp as ever. The reason I mentioned this today is precisely because of the words 'descended upon the world,'" said the core disciple.

He cupped his hands and swept a half-smiling glance over the crowd. "Have any of you ever seen mortals and cultivators undergo a demonic calamity together?"

"How is that possible?"

"Nonsense."

"Perhaps what your clan brother saw wasn't a demonic calamity at all."

"Could it be demonic cultivators playing tricks?"

Many core disciples voiced their skepticism. Fang Chen quietly asked the core disciple next to him and learned that the speaker's surname was Ning. This immediately brought to mind Ning Beiyou, the Xie Zhi cultivator he had encountered before. That man hailed from the Upper Three Realms, and the Ning Clan was considered a fairly potent force within the Fangcun Realm of the Upper Three Realms.

If the Enlightenment God Palace, the Blood Demon Divine Hall, the Taiyi Immortal Sect, the Ten Thousand Star Palace, and the Rulai Monastery were considered super first-class powers, then the Spirit God Sect and the Killing Spiritual Division sat somewhere between first-class and super first-class. The Ning Clan, where Ning Beiyou came from, was barely first-class. They had an eighth transformation immortal presiding over them, but as for Immortal Boat Formations, they likely had very few, and perhaps enough to count on one hand.

Through his inquiries, Fang Chen confirmed that this Core Disciple Ning was indeed a member of the Ning Clan.

"I didn't see it with my own eyes, but based on my clan brother's description, it doesn't seem like the work of demonic cultivators," said Core Disciple Ning with a faint smile. "He said that all people, whether mortal or cultivator, had fallen into a demonic calamity at the exact same time."

"The entire territory?"

The crowd was stunned. Their interests were immediately piqued, and they began to hammer him with questions.

Nanming Ruyue smiled and said, "Even with our methods, it would be difficult to plunge an entire territory into a demonic calamity, wouldn't it? Not to mention that the Three Calamities and Nine Tribulations are laws of the Heavenly Dao. How could we possibly touch them?"

Core Disciple Ning replied, "Exactly, I thought it was strange too, so I personally questioned him. I believe he wasn't lying to me. Since he said the entire region fell into the calamity, then it must have happened. Some became demonized, while others remained unaffected.

"Furthermore, before the demonic calamity descended, rumors had begun to spread that the cultivation world would plunge into chaos and that a demonic calamity was imminent. No one believed it at first. But now that it had really happened, people had no choice but to believe. These demonized individuals speak a different language. When they first awaken, that's when they let down their guard the most. If you test them with specific words, and they reply, you could fish them out."

"There was news beforehand?" One core disciple laughed. "Not even we of the Enlightenment God Palace have ever heard anything about this. Who could possibly predict that a demonic calamity would descend? It sounds to me like there is a hand behind all of this. But that has nothing to do with us. The matters of the Lower Six Realms are far too distant from the Upper Three Realms."

The group seemed to brush the topic aside and moved on to other things.

Fang Chen observed quietly. He realized that while the core disciples present had shown brief curiosity, none of them had any strong desire to investigate further.

He inwardly sighed. To core disciples, an incident occurring in some corner of the Lower Six Realms was truly not something worth treating with gravity.

"Speaking of these methods of demonization, it reminds me of the battle for the Great Thunder Sound back then. I recall Shao Guangyin and a few other core disciples from the Rulai Monastery briefly turning into demons as well, didn't they?" remarked Fang Chen casually.

Given his special status as the Ninth Brother, his words naturally drew attention and prompted a response. The topic was instantly pulled back as several core disciples who had experienced that battle alongside Fang Chen nodded in agreement.

"Right! Those methods were terrifying. Shao Guangyin was far inferior to Eldest Senior Sister, yet after falling into that demon state, he actually fought her to a draw?"

"Before that, we had never heard of such a method. I wonder if it's some new technique developed by the Rulai Monastery that they are now testing in the Lower Six Realms?"

"Those monks! They speak of compassion, yet they never seem to do any good."

"

Hehe

. You misunderstand them. They care only about saving themselves at first. Only after crossing the other shore and becoming Buddhas do they intend to save all other beings."

"This is quite interesting, Core Disciple Ning," said Nanming Ruyue. "Where exactly did your clan brother discover this? I'll send someone to investigate and see if it has any connection to the Rulai Monastery."

Core Disciple Ning gave a sheepish laugh. "I didn't actually ask for the specifics..."

The Lower Six Realms were vast, and he didn't truly care enough to ask, nor did he ever intend to make the trip himself. He was merely curious.

"In that case, forget it," said Nanming Ruyue, shaking his head with a smile.

The topic drifted away once more. This time, Fang Chen did not attempt to steer the conversation back. He couldn't be certain if any of the core disciples present were awakened members of the Demonic Race, like Little Immortal Honglian. If he brought it up repeatedly, he would inevitably be targeted.

***

A few days later, the Dao Discussion Meet concluded. Fang Chen brought Jiang Tianai back to Renzu Mountain in Dongsheng. They happened to run into Fang Zhixue and her group, returning amidst cheers and laughter. Old Sheng followed leisurely behind the three of them. Seeing Fang Chen there, his eyes immediately lit up.

Fang Chen asked with a smile, "Did you three go into Dongsheng? Was it fun?"

Duan Lingkong and Sheng Wu quickly adopted respectful expressions upon seeing Fang Chen, while Fang Zhixue and the other two were much more casual.

"Brother, the Dongsheng Empire is bigger than I imagined! Compared to our old Grand Xia, it really is like a whale in the ocean compared to an ant on land," commented Fang Zhixue, laughing. "But it's so strange! The empire is huge, but it has hardly any cultivators! When Little Hua performed a little trick, people started treating her like some immortal, practically worshiping her!"

Fang Chen said with a faint smile, "Try not to interfere too much with the affairs of the mortal world. Now that you've finished your tour, it's time to dedicate yourselves to your cultivation. If you find it boring here, you can join someone's expedition team and broaden your horizons."

The eyes of the group lit up. They had been entertaining this plan for a while but refrained from mentioning it, fearing Fang Chen wouldn't allow them to take such risks.

Fang Zhixue asked playfully, "Brother, you trust us that much? Aren't you afraid we'll run into danger out there?"

"Flowers in a greenhouse cannot withstand the wind and rain, but the plum blossom in the cold wind stands alone in its brilliance."

As Fang Chen spoke, a touch of gentle sentimentality flickered in his eyes. He then introduced Jiang Tianai to the group. Learning that she was an old acquaintance from Fang Chen's time in Grand Qian, Fang Zhixue naturally grew closer to her.

"If you plan to see what lies beyond Expedition Star, you can go ask Yu Tiange and the others. They have experience, and they fought their way out of Expedition Star back in the day."

After a moment's thought, Fang Chen took out the Candle Dragon Immortal Boat and handed it to Fang Zhixue.

"This was a gift to me from my Eldest Senior Sister. Now, I am giving it to you. This is a fifth-grade Immortal Boat, the Candle Dragon Boat. Not just anyone could use it. Don't go around showing it off. But it could be just the thing you need to save your lives in a moment of danger."

Fang Zhixue was overjoyed. As a Dao Union Realm cultivator, she could instantly sense the terrifying power contained within the Candle Dragon Immortal Boat.

Fang Xiaohua immediately crowded forward. "Sister, let me see!"

Sheng Wu also stepped up curiously. Although Duan Lingkong and Fang Xiaotian wanted to approach as well, they maintained their composure in Fang Chen's presence, trying to appear a bit more mature.

Fang Chen smiled. "Old Sheng, have you grown accustomed to staying here?"

"I have, I have. I must say, I much prefer this place over Great Victory," answered Old Sheng. He then asked with great anticipation, "Core Disciple Fang, I wonder if you'd allow me to follow them to see the world?"

When he had seen the vast array of spiritual materials available for exchange in the Merit Halls—items he normally could never even touch, and the various immortal herbs—his heart had been itching to earn some merit of his own.