Soon, Qin Xuan realized an important point, her expression turning concerned. "Mother, if Qin Nie is really dead, the ancestors will likely investigate thoroughly…."

"It’s of no concern. Once you’re dead, no matter how influential you were, no one will care anymore," Chu Lan said with a faint smile. "Go and invite Uncle Wang over."

Qin Xuan nodded. "Yes."

She quickly left.

"Feng’er, although Qin Nie is dead, the Immortal Qin Clan will no longer treat you as before. I need to arrange a way out for you and your sister. After you leave the Immortal Qin Clan, I can then proceed with some matters," Chu Lan said softly to Qin Feng.

"Mother, no matter what it is you need to do, I’ll stay by your side," Qin Feng said resolutely.

"Your current cultivation level is insufficient. You wouldn’t be of much help," Chu Lan replied with a smile and a shake of her head.

Qin Feng forced a smile. He regretted wasting the past years and wished he had devoted himself to cultivation, which might have allowed him to contribute more.

"Mother, what do you mean by arranging a way out?" Qin Feng asked softly.

"The Grand Thousand Dao Sect. I want you and Qin Xuan to go there together. I don’t care how, but you must become disciples of the Grand Thousand Dao Sect. But you must not reveal your true identities. Act as if you are ordinary cultivators and focus on your cultivation in the Grand Thousand Dao Sect," Chu Lan instructed.

"Grand Thousand Dao Sect?" Qin Feng was surprised. He hesitated. "Although Young Master Fang’s methods are indeed extraordinary… the Grand Thousand Dao Sect’s orthodoxy has long since declined. Even if we were to join a Dao sect, there are many other options to choose from. Why…"

"You are still too young to understand." Chu Lan sighed. "That sword strike from Daoist Fang was not an ordinary move; it was a sword technique."

"A sword technique?!" Qin Feng swayed, his face filled with disbelief.

The esteemed Young Master Fang could be a sword cultivator?

Though the Immortal Qin Clan held a significant position in the Azure Dao Manor and even had a Dao Union Realm ancestor, he had never truly witnessed a sword cultivator in action and had only heard of them.

Sword cultivators were incredibly rare within the Central Continent Empire’s borders. They could only be found in sword sects. But the Immortal Court would never allow outsiders to enter.

***

"Lord Fang, where are you planning to go? Are you going to find those people on the list?" Li Daoye curiously asked, following right behind Fang Chen.

"I’m returning to the Grand Thousand Dao Sect. The Azure Dao Manor will soon be in chaos, so you should stay with Lady Chu. She should be able to protect you," Fang Chen said.

The list had already been sent out via the Killing Spiritual Division’s token, and responses were coming in. Although it was unclear whether it was Goddess Shen Ji herself, Fang Chen no longer needed to involve himself further.

They would handle everything perfectly anyway.

All he had to do was to head back to try to condense his Golden Core.

Li Daoye's eyes lit up. "We’re going back to the Grand Thousand Dao Sect? That sounds great; I’ll join you too. I’m also a disciple of a Dao sect. If I could join the Grand Thousand Dao Sect and become brothers with Lord Fang, wouldn’t that be wonderful?"

"You plan to join the Grand Thousand Dao Sect?" Fang Chen scrutinized Li Daoye. "The Grand Thousand Dao Sect is deeply entangled in karmic connections and is the thorn in many Dao sects’ side. It might not be the towering haven you imagine, and it could bring you more trouble than protection."

"Honestly, Lord Fang, I’ve calculated it, and any connection with you is a chance for me. Those five hundred low-grade spirit stones are proof of that," Li Daoye said earnestly. He pulled out a storage ring and tossed it to Fang Chen. "Right, this is He Baiyan’s storage ring. I secured it right away."

Fang Chen thought for a moment before throwing the ring back to Li Daoye. "Since you put it that way, let’s consider it your fortune."

Li Daoye's eyes sparkled. "Thank you, Lord Fang!"

Half a month later, Fang Chen brought Li Daoye back to the Grand Thousand Dao Sect. Pei Qingfeng and others received the message and gathered in the main hall.

Fang Chen pointed at Li Daoye. "Fellow cultivators, this is Li Daoye, who wishes to join the Grand Thousand Dao Sect. What are your thoughts?"

Pei Qingfeng was surprised, and he sized up Li Daoye’s cultivation level. He suggested, "How about I take him as a disciple?"

The others similarly evaluated Li Daoye, wondering why their martial uncle would return from a visit to the Immortal Qin Clan with a Foundation Building Realm cultivator in tow.

Fang Chen patted Li Daoye’s shoulder. "It makes sense for Pei Qingfeng to accept you as a disciple. He is in the Golden Core Realm. He wouldn’t try to bury your potential."

Li Daoye, seizing the moment, immediately knelt and performed the ritual to acknowledge his new master.

Pei Qingfeng’s face showed a hint of a smile, and he immediately ordered someone to bring the black book to register Li Daoye.

"All right, now pay your respects to your martial uncle," Pei Qingfeng said with a light smile.

Martial uncle?

It didn’t take long for Li Daoye to understand, his brows rising.

Pei Qingfeng frowned slightly. "What are you waiting for, perform the ritual."

"Greetings, Martial Uncle Fang.…"

Li Daoye awkwardly performed the ritual, regretting his choice.

He had unexpectedly fallen three generations below Fang Chen.… He had originally wanted to be brothers with him.

"Do your best to settle in. You can pick out a few Dao techniques to cultivate. I need to go into seclusion for a while," Fang Chen instructed.

He signaled Pei Qingfeng with a look and left the hall.

Pei Qingfeng hurriedly followed.

"The Immortal Qin Clan and Langya Clan are about to go to war, which might affect the Grand Thousand Dao Sect. Keep an eye on things," Fang Chen said.

"A war is really about to start?" Pei Qingfeng’s eyebrows furrowed slightly, his expression solemn. He quickly nodded. "I will keep watch. If there’s trouble I cannot handle.…"

"I will have Little Black help."

Pei Qingfeng realized the implications. "Martial Uncle, are you planning to travel far again?"

"It depends," said Fang Chen, smiling.

With that, he vanished into thin air.

Fang Chen’s retreat in the Grand Thousand Dao Sect was once a secluded courtyard where Ancestor Hong Qing stayed, featuring a private spirit spring and fertile fields, abundant in spiritual energy.

During the years of Ancestor Hong Qing’s disappearance, no disciple of the Grand Thousand Dao Sect, including Pei Qingfeng, dared to occupy this place.

Entering the quiet room, Fang Chen took out the storage rings of Yue Long and Qin Nie and started to refine them.

After half a day, he had completely refined the Soul Imprints on the storage rings and opened them to check inside.

Yue Long’s storage ring was orderly, containing several thousand low-grade spirit stones and one top-grade, yellow-rank spiritual treasure, along with a few technique scriptures and a Three Solar Fruit.

Qin Nie’s storage ring was somewhat unusual. Apart from some scattered low-grade spirit stones, which were unimportant, there were precisely three hundred mid-grade spirit stones! Moreover, there was a low-grade, profound rank spiritual treasure stored in the ring.

Fang Chen was slightly astonished. "Qin Nie was only at the Foundation Building Realm and was favored by the Spirit Blood Sect. Yet, his possessions were much richer than those of a Nascent Soul Realm like the Surpassing Dragon Battle General?"

Needless to say, these three hundred mid-grade spirit stones came just in time. Adding them, Fang Chen now had six hundred mid-grade spirit stones, enough for another venture into the Realm of Three Thousand Dao with some to spare.