Chapter 817: The Great Expansion

"I've been cultivating for about three years now."

Fang Yu's words drifted gently into the ears of the Green Dragon King, into Yan Ruyu's ears, into the ears of the Green-Clothed Young Dragon King, and into the ears of all the young demonic cultivators and elder demonic beasts present, causing disbelief to rise on every face.

No one was not stunned; nearly everyone thought they had misheard.

"What? Senior Fang says he only began cultivating three years ago? Did Senior forget to add a few zeros? Is it not thirty years, or three hundred?"

"Three years to reach this level? Impossible. Even the ancient Great Emperors could not advance from the Wheel and Sea Realm to the Immortal Platform Realm—never to the point of sitting and discussing the Dao with a powerhouse like the Green Dragon King."

"Three years? That's impossible. What can you accomplish in three years of cultivation? Even advancing from the Wheel and Sea Realm to the Palace Secret Realm would take eight or nine years."

"Indeed, each major realm—the Wheel and Sea Secret Realm, the Palace Secret Realm, the Four Extremities Secret Realm, the Transformed Dragon Secret Realm, the Immortal Platform Secret Realm—requires decades of cultivation to master, especially as progress slows the higher you go; a single minor realm may take decades to breakthrough. Three years? You can't even begin!"

Almost none of the young demonic males and females could believe Fang Yu's words; it was simply too unbelievable, utterly contradicting the norms of the Cultivation World, so most refused to accept it.

But the Green Dragon King's expression changed drastically—he had a feeling this being spoke the truth, and had no reason to lie about something like this.

Three years?

If it were truly only three years to reach his own realm, the Green Dragon King could not fathom such an unparalleled genius existing in this world.

This surpassed the category of genius—it belonged to myth, the myth of myths.

To reach the Immortal Platform Realm in three years—even the ancient Great Emperors could not have achieved it.

Yet the Green Dragon King truly felt this being had accomplished it in only three years, and he even sensed this being held many secret trump cards yet unused; if all were unleashed, he might not be the victor.

"A Young Emperor, a Young Emperor—this friend Fang is truly a Young Emperor!"

The Green Dragon King's heart surged with turmoil; countless thoughts swirled in his mind—he was stunned, trembling, incredulous, yet after disbelief came calculation: should he take the initiative to wed Princess Yan Ruyu to Fang Yu, forging a powerful alliance between these youths, binding himself to a Young Emperor? He even pondered whether any of his descendants, male or female, were beautiful enough to marry this Young Emperor.

Yet in the end, all these calculations transformed into admiration on the Green Dragon King's face. "Friend, you are truly a child of heaven, unparalleled in the world. Please reside here for a few days—I shall fulfill my duty as host."

"Hmm."

Fang Yu smiled.

The banquet continued; most demonic males and females believed Senior Fang was boasting—no one could cultivate so fast—but only those like the Green-Clothed Young Dragon King, Yan Ruyu, Ye Fan, Pang Bo, and Tu Fei knew he spoke nothing but truth.

The Tai Xuan Sect had an unparalleled genius who, in only three years of cultivation, rose from a mortal to the First or Second Level of the Immortal Platform Realm, creating a myth.

The myth was now before them; the young males and females all showed Fang Yu their gentlest faces.

The grand banquet was wildly lively: demonic maidens danced, males drank, goblets clinked, and the scene resembled a fairyland, making one forget all worldly troubles.

This was happiness. This was joy.

When the banquet ended, it was already the next day; many of the young males and females who had reveled the day before slept deeply, while Fang Yu used his spiritual sense to observe it all.

There truly was joy here.

Unlike the deceit and treachery beyond this small world, unlike the cruel cultivation of the Eternal Life Realm, pausing to observe and feel was also a form of cultivation.

Since obtaining the secret technique for cultivating the solitary Secret Realm of the Primordial Holy Body, Fang Yu had reached the state of one life and one death; to achieve full completion, he still needed eight lives and eight deaths.

The second life was easy, but the second nirvana—transitioning from life to death, death to life—was another process of excavating one's potential and awakening one's spiritual will.

Fang Yu, residing in this small cave heaven, began the process of his second nirvana.

No one disturbed Fang Yu; his cultivation site was perfectly safe.

Five days later, immense spiritual and vital energies emerged from Fang Yu's body; he successfully completed his second nirvana, reaching the realm of two lives and two deaths.

This small world was now bustling with activity; many rumors spread.

"Brother Fang, you've finally emerged from seclusion—a major event has occurred."

Ye Fan and Pang Bo, seeing Fang Yu emerge, were ecstatic and rushed over to tell him.

During Fang Yu's seclusion, countless rumors had spread: all pointed to one thing—the Nine Secrets had been discovered in a city in the Northern Region: Licheng.

It all began with a tomb raider.

Not long ago, an ancient weapons shop in the Northern Region purchased a broken bronze bell, upon which the characters "Nine Secrets" were found, instantly causing an uproar.

The shop carefully restored the bell, uncovering over a hundred ancient characters, deducing it was a funerary artifact unearthed from an ancient cultivator's tomb.

The bell bore few inscriptions, their meaning vague, but one phrase stood out: their family possessed the lineage of the Nine Secrets.

The Nine Secrets each possessed unimaginable power—supreme divine arts coveted by all, shaking past and present.

Each was so powerful that, in ancient times, they were split apart and scattered across the world, never to be reunited.

When news of the Nine Secrets on the bell spread, countless cultivators went mad; any one of the Nine Secrets was an invaluable treasure.

The ancient weapons shop could not keep the secret; the news spread quickly, and many deduced the likely location: Licheng.

Thus, cultivators from numerous great sects and factions had already received the news and were heading to Licheng.

But Ye Fan and Pang Bo had not left these past days, for Brother Fang was still in seclusion—they could not abandon him to seek the Nine Secrets alone.

"Since one of the Nine Secrets exists, let's go out, take a look. We've stayed in this small cave heaven long enough—it's time to travel."

Fang Yu's expression shifted; a smile appeared on his face.

"Good!"