Immortal of the Nine Realms

Time flew by in the blink of an eye.

The trade conference was getting closer and closer, and Fang Chen had been busy making Illusion Spirit Talismans.

As Fang Chen depleted his spiritual energy and then recovered it, his reserves seemed to have no limit as it continued to increase without end. However, Fang Chen's cultivation was still stuck at the 12th stage of the Qi Refining Realm and didn't show any sign of a breakthrough.

The twelve golden immortal veins in his body became increasingly robust, resembling trees that propped up the world that was his body. The sword intent of Little Sword continuously merged with Fang Chen's flesh, tempering every cell and every drop of blood. Even his veins were strengthened.

Although his cultivation level hadn't increased, Fang Chen's strength was constantly rising.

During this period, he took some time to visit Lord Tiger and brought back ten thousand low-grade spirit stones. He also went to the Profound Void Temple and found that Xia Ji had already entered seclusion while Master Chanyuan had suddenly gone on a distant journey and was not in the imperial capital.

There were also several cultivators who came to visit Fang Chen, hoping that he'd help them take a look at a few Immortal Origin Stones they were interested in, but those were all turned away by Li Cang.

"Li Cang, where is the Spring Dawn Tower?" Fang Chen casually asked as he walked out of his quiet room.

He now had three more Illusion Talismans in his storage ring, and these were of higher quality than the ones he first made, being at the mid grade. These could create hallucinations that could affect even mid-stage Foundation Building Realm cultivators and could cause trouble for those in late stage or even those in the grand completion stage.

"Young Master, that is the strongest pavilion in the Grand Qian Empire. It’s run jointly by the royal family and the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion. It always has rare and fresh spiritual ingredients," replied Li Cang respectfully.

Fang Chen smiled and said, "Come, lead the way. I'll treat you to a good meal today."

Li Cang was ecstatic. He finally gained the privilege to accompany Fang Chen out!

As the two of them left the courtyard, they noticed that several third-branch guards were on patrol. They seemed to be questioning people.

"That was many days ago, how can I remember it clearly? And why are you asking about this now?" yelled one of the guards.

"I'm not a worm in Fang Chen's stomach, how would I know if he's here?" said another guard.

"What exactly are you third-branch people trying to do? Did Fang Chen do something wrong? There's no reason for this," another voice chimed in.

Li Cang's face turned surprised. "Young Master, it seems they are talking about you."

Fang Chen nodded lightly and led Li Cang to approach them.

As soon as the third branch guards saw Fang Chen, their eyes immediately lit up.

"Fang Chen is here. If you have questions, ask him yourselves," said one of the Grand Qian Guards, his eyes flickering with perplexity.

Among them, one person stood out. It was Lin Quan. He was one of the people who tried to apprehend Fang Chen from the Profound Void Temple back then with a lame excuse.

As soon as Fang Chen saw that it was Lin Quan, he immediately had a hunch as to what was happening.

They were probably here because of the Lin Family Head's disappearance. The Lin Family Head didn't disappear alone as well. He vanished with many skilled cultivators from the Lin Family.

It had already been over ten days since it happened.

Lin Quan stepped forward slowly and saluted respectfully. "Fang Chen, do you remember me? I am Lin Quan."

Lin Quan had a firm and handsome face. He was slender, tall, and clad in black armor, so he had a strong aura about him. He was clearly at the sixth stage of the Qi Refining Realm.

"Why are you people from the Lin Family here?" asked Fang Chen with a smile. "Out looking for another fugitive?"

Lin Quan's face froze. He smiled lightly and said, "You must be joking, Fang Chen. That matter from before was a misunderstanding and has long been resolved."

"We are here because the Lin Family Head as well as several Qi Refining Realm disciples have disappeared," Lin Quan explained.

"I've heard about this. However, the cultivation world is filled with danger and conflicts. Isn't it common for such incidents to occur? Maybe the Lin Family head took them out looking for rare treasures?" said Fang Chen.

"We have already ruled out that possibility. After multiple inquiries, we have reason to suspect that the Lin Family Head and others have fallen victim to underhanded methods," replied Lin Quan, anger in his eyes. He was especially furious since one of the Qi Refining Realm cultivators who had gone missing was his father.

"According to the laws of the Grand Qian Empire, both the inner and outer cities of the imperial capital must not witness senseless killings. If a cultivator kills, whether it's another cultivator or an ordinary person, they must be dealt with according to the law," explained Lin Quan.

Fang Chen nodded with a smile. "Indeed, rules are necessary for order."

"So may I ask, where were you on that day, Master Fang Chen?" asked Lin Quan slowly, pinpointing the exact time.

"If I remember correctly, I was cultivating in my room at the time," said Fang Chen with a smile. "You surely don't suspect me of being involved in the disappearance of the Lin Family Head, do you? All entries and exits from the inner city are recorded, so there is evidence anyway.

It was then that a voice suddenly butted in. "Grand Qian Guards, you guys should not act lawlessly. Fang Chen is a disciple of our Fang Family, how could he be involved in such a serious case? The Lin Family isn’t exactly very lawful anyway. They have enemies everywhere. There's no reason for our family to be involved in this case,"

It was Fang Ao, coming over slowly, followed by Fang Yun and Fang Jue.

His gaze was sharp as an eagle's. Just by looking at Lin Quan and the others, he caused them to feel pressured, as if a massive boulder was slowly crushing them.

Lin Quan's breath turned stifled, his face started showing signs of discomfort.

However, a surge of energy arrived at the nick of time, dispelling Fang Ao's pressure.

The head of the Fang Family, Fang Kun, had arrived with a middle-aged man in black armor. This middle-aged man was the person who dispelled Fang Ao's aura.

Lin Quan and the others hurriedly stepped forward to pay their respects.

"Lord Shentu!"

The third branch disciples around also bowed to Fang Kun. Their eyes showed surprise.

A Grand Qian Guards general actually came?

The Grand Qian Guards were the most elite military force in the Grand Qian Empire. Since the early days of the empire, the Grand Qian Guards had existed as a specially trained elite force for warfare.

Back then, the Grand Qian Guards were composed of martial artists, similar to the three thousand guards of the Profound Void Temple. They were experts at the Heaven Profound Stage, proficient in various martial arts, killing techniques, battle strategies, and tactics.

When they were coupled with powerful weapons, the Grand Qian Guards would become a headache even for those at the Foundation Building Realm. After many years of advancement, the Grand Qian Guards were now led by Foundation Building Realm cultivators, who led Martial Emperors.

Every Foundation Building Realm cultivator in the Grand Qian Guards had been an elite soldier who was specially selected to be nurtured into a Foundation Building Realm cultivator.

And it had to be said that Foundation Building Realm cultivators that came from a martial background often had much more lethal techniques than ordinary cultivators, earning them the title of "generals." Currently, there were thirty-six such generals in the Grand Qian Guards, each with varying cultivation levels!

Li Cang stepped forward and stood between Fang Ao and the black-armored general. "Brother Fang Ao, the younger generation acts on orders. Why make things difficult for them?"

The black-armored general looked at Fang Ao and chuckled lightly. He glanced at Li Cang with a hint of playful mockery in his eyes. A mere Martial King… even if ten of them stood in front of him, he wouldn't put them in his eyes.

"General Shentu, I understand that you have been investigating the matter concerning the Lin Family recently. But how could this matter be related to Fang Chen? It makes no sense at all," said Fang Ao calmly.

Fang Kun furrowed his brows slightly. "Fang Ao, General Shentu is just carrying out his routine duties. Even a slight possibility needs to be investigated. It's the responsibility of the Grand Qian Guards. Don't be hasty with your words."

"And what clues have been found so far?" asked Fang Ao.

General Shentu looked at Lin Quan, who shook his head gently. The general then smiled and said, "There's no need to rush. You can ask him whatever you want when you get back."

Fang Chen was slightly taken aback. Were they going to apprehend him?

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