Immortal of the Nine Realms

Chapter 284: Cunning and Devious

Yu Yuefan's face turned incredibly grim. If Immortal Sea Dragon wasn’t going to make a move, wouldn't he have been humiliated for nothing? If this was the end of the matter, then from now on, all the cultivators in the empire would know that the esteemed senior brother, the eldest disciple of Heavenly Southern Sect, had been effortlessly defeated on his own turf!

The sixth king sighed. This is getting a bit troublesome, he thought.

But it was still only a bit of trouble, he wasn’t exactly too worried about the swordsman; the imperial family wasn’t to be trifled with, too. They had the backing of a fifth-tier empire, so if the sword cultivator wanted to find trouble, he was pretty confident he could deal with him.

"If you’re not making a move, then I'll have to take my leave," said Fang Chen with a faint smile, then re-invited, "You only have one chance. Wouldn't you like to reconsider?"

The crowd stared blankly at Fang Chen, confusion rising in their hearts. Were all sword cultivators this arrogant? Wasn’t provoking Golden Core Realm cultivators plain madness?

"No wonder they say sword cultivators are lunatics. Better not provoke them; they've trained themselves silly!" transmitted Daoist Ya to Fire Cloud Immortal.

Fire Cloud Immortal transmitted back, "You can’t be sure that he’d trained himself silly. Maybe he’s so audacious because he has a trump card up his sleeve? I think that’s why Immortal Sea Dragon is treading carefully here, he might be worried about that.”

Daoist Ya came to a realization. "That might actually be possible!"

Watching from the side, Xia Yu's expression was complicated. Who would’ve thought that, one day, someone like this would rise from Grand Xia—someone who could throw his own weight around in the Heavenly Southern Sect's territory, humiliating a Golden Core Realm cultivator in front of hundreds of Foundation Building Realm cultivators of the empire.

Zhong Yue and his company went stiff, stiffer than ever, and cold sweat slid down their cheeks and down to the floor, forming little splashes.

Not only did their sect leader not offer a way out for the Golden Core Realm ancestor, but he had even placed him in such a precarious position! How could a dignified Golden Core cultivator bear such humiliation?

"You can leave. If I said I won't make a move, then I won't," replied Immortal Sea Dragon with a thin smile.

The crowd was secretly horrified. Immortal Sea Dragon was really, really worried about whoever was behind this sword cultivator!

Even though it was somewhat unexpected, upon careful consideration, it seemed quite normal. If it were them, even if they were at the Golden Core, they wouldn't want to provoke sword cultivators, too. What if the swordsman had a Golden Core Realm cultivator behind him?

Chuckling lightly, Fang Chen beckoned for everyone to leave. "Let's go," he said. Zhong Yue and the other two, along with Zhang Xiaoke, quickly followed suit.

Elder Su watched with mixed feelings. She had already guessed that the relationship between Zhang Xiaoke and Fang Chen was not simple; perhaps he hadn’t just been a pancake seller back at Grand Xia.

The surrounding cultivators made way for them, not daring to block their path. Their eyes followed Fang Chen and the others, watching as they were about to leave the sect.

Yu Yuefan's turned uglier with every step they took away.

The Foundation Building Realm cultivators of the Heavenly Southern Sect exchanged glances and then looked at the ancestor of the Heavenly Southern Sect. However, he was as calm as ever, as if he truly had no intention of intervening in this matter, just watching Fang Chen leave.

Just when Fang Chen and his group were about to step through the mountain gate, they heard Immortal Sea Dragon laugh. "Young friend, please wait a minute."

Fang Chen halted his steps. Zhong Yue and the other two broke out in cold sweat, on edge. Zhang Xiaoke stopped, wearing a smile on his face, unafraid of what was about to come.

Few feared death within the Hidden Courtyard—most of them had brushed shoulders with death, many times at that.

The expressions of the crowd changed slightly.

Yu Yuefan's eyes lit up. "Is Immortal Sea Dragon having second thoughts?" When he saw the smile at the corner of the ancestor’s mouth, a thought suddenly hit him. It had all been a test! They were testing the swordsman, probing if he really had a trump card! If the sword cultivator really had a surefire trump card up his sleeve, why would he choose to leave instead of using it?

Fang Chen pivoted around. "You’re having second thoughts?"

"I suddenly feel that the grudge between us runs deep and needs to be resolved." Immortal Sea Dragon chuckled. "How about this, if you can withstand one strike from me, I'll let you leave..." He paused, then added, "Otherwise, you die."

A chill ran down everyone’s hearts. Immortal Sea Dragon was about to make a move!

Fang Chen chuckled lightly. "All of you, wait here." He then retraced his steps until he was about a hundred zhang away from Immortal Sea Dragon. "Go ahead, I happen to want to see whether Golden Core cultivators are as earth-shattering as rumored, too.”

Immortal Sea Dragon didn’t waste any extra words, and he swished his sleeve. The metal energy in the air instantly condensed, forming a spear that landed beside Fang Chen's feet thunderously.

The spear was only three inches away from Fang Chen, and the sharpness it emitted made his skin tingle. That was similar to the Five Elements Technique, but it wasn’t like anything he had seen the Five Elements Technique conjure; the weapon formed from Immortal Sea Dragon’s metal energy was no less powerful than an ordinary mid-grade, yellow-rank treasure.

Fang Chen’s lips curled. The man was testing him. Really, everyone who was able to cultivate the Golden Core Realm was both cunning and cautious.

Little Sword, can my second-rank sword body withstand this strike?

Not really, no. But you won’t die.

What if we were at the third rank?

We would be able to take it, but we’ll be left slightly injured.

Fang Chen nodded.

For an ordinary Qi Refining Realm cultivator, this strike would undoubtedly result in their doom. But the fact that Little Sword said it couldn't withstand it but he wouldn't die was enough proof of how remarkable the second rank of the sword body was. If he was at the Golden Core Realm and his sword body was at the third or fourth rank, he’d probably be able to take someone like Immortal Sea Dragon easily.

Immortal Sea Dragon eyed Fang Chen from up above. "Why aren’t you making your move? Perhaps you think you'll die?"

"Stop probing me. If you want to even the score, be decisive about it. Being timid and hesitant will only leave you a laughingstock," said Fang Chen.

The sixth princess's expression was complicated. This guy hasn't changed one bit!

Back in Grand Xia, except for being slightly more polite when facing her father, Fang Chen treated everyone just like this. Even today, in the cultivation world, not only did he not show fear in front of a Golden Core cultivator, but he acted as if he was the one at the Golden Core Realm!

While the sixth princess found his attitude irritating, she couldn't help but admire him for it, for it was something she couldn’t do herself.

Immortal Sea Dragon silently watched Fang Chen, then suddenly chuckled. In an instant, four golden giants, each about fifteen meters tall, appeared and circled Fang Chen. The giants were constructed entirely of metal element energy. Wielding long blades in their hands, they slashed down at Fang Chen from all directions.

The power of their strikes was terrifying. Even a small hill might be split into four pieces by their blades!

The crowd gasped in shock.

The metal element was the most difficult element to control of the five. To most of those here, forming a sword or a blade wasn’t much of an issue—but to condense golden armored giants, that was a different story altogether. And they couldn't do one, much less four at once!

Most cultivators were only able to learn the earth and water elements in their lifetimes, as most neither had the talent nor the time to learn and practice them. Yet, Immortal Sea Dragon had been able to effortlessly condense four golden armored giants, which showed just how vast the gap between Golden Core Realm and Foundation Building Realm cultivators was.

Any one of these golden armored giants could easily annihilate any Foundation Building Realm cultivator here, including the sects behind them!

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