"You need… high-grade spirit stones to activate the Starry Sky Great Transfer Formation…. Brother, you'd better wait for someone to come and pick you up."

"For him to spend high-grade spirit stones on someone like me, who's practically useless, is strange. He said I should walk around here if I recover my cultivation. What do you think that means?"

"Brother, this question is hard for me to answer. Human hearts are hard to fathom. I'm just an immortal artifact…"

Fang Chen smiled. He put the mirror away and leaned on the broom, using it as a walking stick to slowly descend the mountain.

The True Martial Realm was both familiar and unfamiliar. It was familiar because he had heard of it from Senior Brother Pitu, who was from this very domain. It was unfamiliar because the land he now stood on could very well be another star, and he didn't know how far it was from the Central Continent Empire.

"The head of the Killing Spiritual Division... He has been battling the Blood Spirit Sect all this time, by sending me here, is he implying that this place is connected to the Spirit Blood Sect?

"Did the First Rate Sect Leader of the Spirit Blood Sect come from the True Martial Realm? Or did the teachings of the Spirit Blood Sect originate here and spread to the Ancient Desolate Domain?"

"He could have sent a Profound Immortal to investigate, or even an Immortal King. Why waste high-grade spirit stones to send me here?"

"If it doesn't have anything to do with the Spirit Blood Sect, what is his true intention? To exile me?"

Returning to the Daoist temple's entrance, Fang Chen began his cleaning duties for the day, temporarily putting his thoughts aside, though the voice of the late head of Wolong Temple echoed in his mind.

It was the old headmaster of Wolong Temple who had received him on the very first day he had arrived here. If it weren't for his intervention, how could an old man like him, without any proof of background, enter the Daoist records in Wolong Temple?

"Daoist Fang, my time is short. After I depart, you must look after Wolong Temple for me. If one day we are fortunate enough to meet again, I will return the favor."

These were the exact words of the old headmaster of Wolong Temple. After saying this, he passed away, as if he had anticipated it.

This event occurred a year ago. After hearing those words, Fang Chen thought that the old headmaster of Wolong Temple was merely feigning death to escape, and would return one day. However, as time passed, he never appeared. Eventually, Fang Chen had Zhu Long dig up the headmaster's grave, only to find that his body had decayed.

He found it strange that an old man with connections to the Spiritual Killing Division Master would be living in a distant corner of the True Martial Realm.

Could it be that his final words were just a wishful thought?

"Old Master Fang, the world is in turmoil. Do you have any relatives? Should I send someone to check if they are safe?"

The Daoist who spoke wore a square scarf, straw sandals, and a patched-up Daoist robe. He looked quite similar to the beggar from before. The only difference was that one was a cultivator, and the other was just a martial artist in the middle stage of the Houtian.

Fang Chen smiled lightly. "Daoist Jingkong, are you planning to leave the mountain?"

Daoist Jingkong nodded. "Now that the Yue Empire has taken control of this area, according to the rules, all temples and monasteries here must no longer worship the previous deities and Buddhist statues."

"From now on, we can only worship the Spirit God. Therefore, I need to leave the mountain and hire some stonemasons and carpenters to craft statues of the Spirit God."

"Is the Yue Empire so overbearing?"

"Old Master Fang, you should mind your words from now on. Although Wolong Temple does not interfere with worldly matters, if the Yue Empire catches wind of you speaking like that, a disaster would be imminent."

Fang Chen smiled. "Daoist Jingkong, do you know what these Spirit Gods look like?"

Daoist Jingkong said, "I know a little. In fact, many of the common folk at the foot of the mountain have switched to worshiping the Spirit God over the years. They say the Spirit God is highly effective, and that's why the incense offerings at Wolong Temple have been declining. Do you have any relatives? After I leave the mountain, I can ask someone to write a letter for you."

Fang Chen shook his head lightly. "Yes, but they are far away, and letters can't reach them. There's no need to trouble you."

Daoist Jingkong nodded. "Not long ago, I heard about a common family who had been worshiping the Spirit God for generations. They were granted a pill, something called the Blood Spirit Pill. It just so happened that the family had a son who was born with a dull mind. After taking the pill, he became exceptionally intelligent and immensely strong. The Emperor of the Yue Empire even personally summoned him. I don't know if this rumor is true, but if it is, it might not be unreasonable for Wolong Temple to switch to worshiping the Spirit God."

After speaking, Daoist Jingkong hurriedly left the mountain.

Fang Chen muttered to himself, "The Blood Spirit Pill…"

He seemed to understand a bit more now.

If his assumption was correct, the so-called Spirit God… might actually be the leader of the Spirit Blood Sect. The Spirit Blood Sect might even be following the incense path.

As long as the First Rate Sect Leader from the Ancient Desolate Domain couldn't come to the True Martial Realm and destroy the local Spirit God Sect, there would be no way for the Spirit Blood Sect's leader, who had attained Dao through incense offerings, to be threatened.

"Absorbing the power of incense in the True Martial Realm, and refining pills through karma in the Ancient Desolate Domain... Now, where exactly is that sect leader? Is he in the True Martial Realm or the Ancient Desolate Domain?

The head of the Killing Spiritual Division has already found some clues, but for some reason, he does not dare to step into this place easily. So... he sent me here, someone who has lost all his cultivation.

"Is it that because I have no cultivation, I can remain more hidden, making it harder for the... Spirit God Sect to detect me? Can the Spirit God Sect monitor the Starry Sky Great Transfer Formations around the world?"

Wang Fu, leading a group of young Daoist disciples, walked out of the temple and looked to be going down the mountain for supplies. Upon seeing Fang Chen standing still in a daze, he couldn't help but show a look of disdain.

He berated, "Old Fang, Wolong Temple doesn't take in people who don't contribute. Though you're old and were brought in by the old headmaster, you can't just rely on your seniority. Autumn is here, and there are falling leaves every day. If you don't sweep them today nor tomorrow, the Wolong Temple will sooner or later be buried by fallen leaves."

"Yes, there are leaves falling every day. If they're not swept today or tomorrow, soon there will be more, and it'll be harder to clean up," said Fang Chen.

He smiled and nodded, then began to sweep the leaves on the ground.

Wang Fu snorted. "Hmph."

He left, leading the group of disciples down the mountain.

***

Several days later, in the firewood room.

Fang Chen sat in silence, and he could feel spiritual energy continuously flowing into him.

Unknowingly, an immortal vein began to form within him.

After that, a second one formed, then a third, and a fourth. The immortal viens currently taking shape were unlike his previous ones—they were no longer tained by mixed energies, only the pure essence of the Dao.

The first layer of Qi Refining.

The second layer of Qi Refining.

The third layer of Qi Refining.

The fourth layer of Qi Refining.

The fifth layer of Qi Refining. All the way to the 12th layer of Qi Refining.

Fang Chen's spiritual energy grew increasingly powerful, and unknowingly, two figures appeared beside him.

The black and white paper figures exchanged a smile.

"The lord has recovered his cultivation."

Fang Chen had initially thought that even if he regained his Qi Refining Realm cultivation, it would take some time to return to his peak state.

However, he never would have thought that the moment he formed his first immortal vein the influx of spiritual energy would become unstoppable.

His divine soul once left his body. This time, however, it was entwined with Zhu Long. It was formed from Zhu Long's blood essence and was continuously merging into his soul.

The soul power that had not increased for a long time surged almost frantically, making his soul increasingly condensed.

At that moment, Zhu Long seemed to sense something. It silently approached, not to Fang Chen's physical body, but to his soul.

It could see Fang Chen's soul.

Seemingly making a difficult decision, Zhu Long puffed up its cheeks, then spat out eight blood beads in quick succession. Each blood bead that landed on Fang Chen's soul transformed into a stream of Zhu Long's essence. Eight beads meant eight streams.

If anyone could see Fang Chen at that moment, they would notice nine Zhu Longs winding around him. These dragons continued merging into his soul, making it more solid and imparting a special aura.

𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

At this moment, both Fang Chen's physical body and soul were being improved in different ways.

…

In a mountain surrounded by immortal qi, two figures sat on the ground with a chessboard in front of them.

One of the figures slightly furrowed his brow and then sighed. "This move, you won. He walks your dao."

Yun He nodded gently. "It should be so. That sword—do you want to take it back?"

"No, I'll let him keep it."

"Thank you."