Chapter 409: Ruling the Mortal Realm (Bonus Chapter—Seek Subscription)

The "Qian Yuan Yu Tu" appeared small, but its craftsmanship was exquisite.

Its map contained vast amounts of information—mountains, rivers, even the locations of ancient teleportation arrays—requiring the potent spiritual sense of a Nascent Soul cultivator just to barely scan it.

Of course, for Fang Xing, it was effortless.

He first sought the Hanhai Immortal Realm and found it occupied only a tiny corner of the eastern map.

The Dahuang Immortal Realm lay west of Hanhai, its territory vast, yet on the map it appeared as but a single large island.

Surrounding both Hanhai and Dahuang Immortal Realms was a ring of strange, pitch-black seawater, labeled "Xuanming Sea."

North of the Xuanming Sea lay the Liyang Immortal Realm.

Further east were nine smaller and larger immortal realms: Shuangji, Muling, Feixuan, Baiguo, and others.

Even all these immortal realms combined occupied less than one-tenth of the map.

The rest were either death zones where even a Divine Transformation elder could perish by accident, or spirit-dead lands.

"This map... is extremely valuable."

Fang Xing nodded, gazing at the locations of the ancient teleportation arrays and the routes connecting the major immortal realms.

Though these routes were perilous, a Divine Transformation elder could traverse them with caution.

It was, in essence, a strategic map.

"You Liyang Palace gained such an advantage yet did nothing to seize it—deservedly so, you've come to this."

He muttered to the nearby Qian Zunzhe.

Qian Zunzhe's smile turned awkward, but he could only swallow his humiliation.

Several years later.

Feixuan Immortal Realm.

Tianma Plain.

Dark clouds filled the sky; only upon closer inspection did one realize they were countless sky-floating islands blotting out the heavens.

On the islands stood cultivators of all kinds, countless forbidden runes scattered everywhere, battle aura surging skyward, manifesting as armored divine generals, celestial birds, and exotic beasts...

On the ground, armies of every hue mingled—orthodox, demonic, and Buddhist forces alike.

From demonic corpse formations, to orthodox-raised spiritual beasts and war titans, to Buddhist monk-soldiers—it was a complete spectrum, everything imaginable.

A single glance revealed no end to the horde.

Clearly, after today, Tianma Plain—a once obscure backwater—would resound throughout the entire Qian Yuan Great Realm.

The opposing sides were distinct Divine Transformation factions.

One side even had over a dozen fifth-rank wild beasts holding the line.

Their bodies loomed like mountains, radiating primordial savage aura that made ordinary cultivators dare not linger nearby.

One of them, a late-stage Divine Transformation beast king, resembled a Taotie, its face grotesque and terrifying, glaring at a white-robed young sword immortal in the opposing ranks.

"Lord of Dahuang..."

Fang Xing smiled faintly: "Since our parting in Dahuang, I've missed you dearly..."

Several years ago, after conquering Liyang Palace and obtaining the Qian Yuan Great Realm map, he began a frenzy of slaughter.

His first destination was the Dahuang Immortal Realm—he entered the wilds alone with his sword, slaying fifth-rank wild beasts.

These ancient beasts were no match for him; only the Lord of Dahuang, possessing Taotie bloodline, used a stunning innate ability to barely escape death.

All other fifth-rank ancient beasts were reduced to alchemical ingredients.

After conquering Dahuang, Fang Xing pressed on without pause, sweeping through Shuangji, Muling, Baiguo, and other immortal realms...

These realms had at most a few holy sects and a handful of Divine Transformation cultivators—utterly unable to resist the power of his Cultivation Void sword.

Before other immortal realms could react, he seized six of them in one breath.

Only when he reached the seventh—the Feixuan Immortal Realm, located at the center of the Qian Yuan Great Realm—did he meet true resistance.

Other holy sects had united to form a massive army and erected a colossal array spanning nearly half of Feixuan, blocking his advance.

Now, the great battle was about to erupt!

Fang Xing glanced at his own side and saw a ragtag coalition bearing different banners.

Liyang Palace, Wuji Hall, Dahuang's Ten Sects, Biyun Palace, Shenyou Sect...

All were conquered immortal factions, their Divine Transformation elders bound by soul prohibitions.

Even the Piaomiao Immortal Palace had been dragged into this.

Gu Zunzhe and Jin Zunzhe held the Two-Realm Banner, staring at the array of Divine Transformation cultivators across the battlefield, their expressions grim.

Yet these subdued Divine Transformation elders had full confidence in their master.

After all, the outcome of an immortal realm war always hinges on top-tier power!

Though Tianma Plain's army looked terrifying, most were merely local forces.

Only these Divine Transformation cultivators had been summoned.

Whether via ancient teleportation arrays or crossing the deadly zones between realms—it was all simple.

"Are all the top cultivators of the Qian Yuan Great Realm gathered here?"

Gu Zunzhe sighed.

"Not just cultivators—even the demonic beasts and wild beasts have been dragged in."

Jin Zunzhe sighed wistfully: "I wonder if today's battle will see us rule the Qian Yuan Great Realm outright—or be cast as heretics... But what worries me more is this: such a massive alliance of Divine Transformation sects couldn't form without upper-realm pressure."

Gu Zunzhe's eyes suddenly sharpened: "You mean... a descending transcendent? Of course—without such a figure, how could these Divine Transformation lords submit so readily?"

Among the enemy ranks, several Divine Transformation lords gathered.

They came from different immortal realms—monks and Daoists, old and young.

Leading them was a child with an ancient, weathered demeanor.

"That boy is only mid-stage Divine Transformation—yet he's frightened you all? Hmph..."

The child sneered.

"Comrade Tiancan, this man is no ordinary foe—he once slew a late-stage Divine Transformation cultivator while still in early-stage Divine Transformation."

The monk-robed Master Yichan clasped his hands together.

Alongside Zi Yuan Daochang, Huang Yun Sou, and this Tiancan Child, plus the Lord of Dahuang, they were the five highest-ranked in this alliance.

There were other Divine Transformation cultivators in the immortal realms.

But such cultivators either secluded themselves in death meditation, chasing the path to Cultivation Void ascension, utterly indifferent to worldly shifts.

Others, overconfident, went to challenge him directly—and vanished without a trace.

Boom! Boom!

War drums pounded.

War titans were released from their restraints, roaring as they charged toward Fang Xing's side.

Their thick hides and array-breaking abilities shattered the outermost defensive formations.

"Lei Hua Jiu Tian Array—activate!"

Qian Zunzhe, undaunted, swung his purple banner. Above, torrents of lightning—long Yunniang —crashed down, even more terrifying than a Divine Transformation heavenly tribulation.

No matter how thick-skinned the war titans, each was struck down, collapsing like miniature earthquakes, meaty scents rising from their charred bodies.

The two armies drew closer, first probing attacks, then a torrent of spells raining down.

Secret techniques, forbidden runes, magical artifacts—glowed in dazzling colors.

Spiritual energy across hundreds of thousands of li converged into chaotic tides, the void trembling as if about to shatter...

Fang Xing stood at the center of the battle array, his gaze calm, watching it all.

His cultivation had now reached mid-stage Divine Transformation!

This was thanks to the fifth-rank spiritual herbs seized from conquered realms and the contributions of the Dahuang ancient beasts.

Had he been patient, even occupying just a few realms, waiting centuries for another harvest of herbs and resources, he could have used the "Wan Hua Ding" to refine vast quantities of supreme pills to boost his power.

But Fang Xing, blessed with the Great Sun Tathagata Spell, hated waiting above all else!

So many lands remained to be conquered, so many pills still to consume—why wait?

Less than half the resources of the Qian Yuan Great Realm had already propelled him to mid-stage Divine Transformation, and carried him far along that path.

If he seized the entire Qian Yuan Great Realm and refined all existing fifth-rank resources with the Great Sun Tathagata Spell—could he ascend to Cultivation Void?

Then this cultivation avatar would become a true trump card.

After all, in this lower realm, he had no rivals left—his true body remained his safety net.

Fang Xing naturally acted as he pleased.

Especially since...

He suspected the alliance of these defiant lords concealed something.

Perhaps... his trap had succeeded!

At this moment, witnessing the brutal carnage, the Ruantie Sword within him—now upgraded to mid-grade fifth rank—hummed in resonance.

"Heh... Xiao Qiong, command this battle for me."

Fang Xing said casually.

The Piaomiao Palace Mistress, standing atop a green phoenix in ancient blue battle armor, froze.

Before she could respond, a brilliant sword light shot from the formation, sweeping once—two fifth-rank wild beasts split cleanly in two.

Spiritual energy surged violently; sword beams pierced through arrays, lightning, and prohibitions—resounding fiercely across the nine heavens!

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Fang Xing stood silently, watching as a monstrous beast, black as a Taotie, stood atop with four late-stage Cultivation-Soul cultivators, each extraordinary in their own right, surrounding him at the center.

"Lord of the Great Wilds, Monk Yichan, Daoist Zi Yuan, Old Man Huang Yun… and the Tian Can Child!"

His eyes grew hazy, as if countless illusory worlds flashed past within them; he let out a long laugh: "You have all walked your destined paths—do you know today is your day of death?"

"Destined path?"

For some reason, the Tian Can Child's soul trembled.

Monk Yichan cried out in alarm: "Worse—this fiend is casting some kind of spell, cursing us!"

"Isn't he a sword cultivator?"

Daoist Zi Yuan swept his dust whisk; the whisk in his hand was clearly a sixth-rank treasure, inlaid with countless precious gems, shedding pure radiance that could purify all impurities of the world—yet now it had no effect whatsoever.

"Kill him, and the curse is broken."

Lord of the Great Wilds roared, and his body suddenly exploded outward.

The remaining four Cultivation-Soul Heavenly Lords each formed hand seals, assembling a grand array!

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The spiritual energy of heaven and earth surged forth; the spiritual energy across tens of thousands of li was utterly seized.

Even the battlefield below seemed to fall silent.

Towering high in the heavens appeared a ten-thousand-zhang giant, its entire body covered in black skulls, bearing thirty-six faces and nearly ten thousand arms, each wielding different magical artifacts.

Among its especially thick arms were held a wooden fish, a dust whisk, a flying sword, a treasure umbrella… each radiating distinct divine light, shattering the void—all sixth-rank treasures!

This giant, forged by the power of the battle array, already possessed the strength of a Profound Void cultivator!

"Hmm… somewhat impressive."

Fang Xing commented, then casually swept his sleeve.

From his sleeve flew out one sixth-rank treasure after another.

Wuji Demon Palace, Five Dragon Pillars, Abyssal Sea Bowl, White Cloud Banner, Subduing Demon Sword…

The spirits of these many sixth-rank treasures, seemingly already subdued, now fought desperately, each radiating unique light.

For instance, Wuji Demon Palace unleashed ten-thousand-zhang demonic radiance, slamming violently into the giant.

The two sides entangled endlessly, causing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to boil, shattering the void across ten thousand li into chaos.

Within the chaos, a speck of red light flashed.

Li-li!

A cry rang out, like a white bird bowing to the phoenix.

A crimson thread of sword energy rose, coiling around the ten-thousand-zhang giant, wrapping once lightly.

Compared to the giant, the sword thread seemed utterly insignificant.

But the next instant!

The giant's motion as it swung its ten thousand arms suddenly froze—then… CRASHED apart!

Five streaks of light shot out; the Tian Can Child opened his treasure umbrella, transforming it into myriad auspicious auras to shield himself, his hands trembling: "Is this… really a mid-stage Cultivation-Soul? Even a full-stage Cultivation-Soul sword cultivator isn't this terrifying!"

His voice shook.

That sword was truly terrifying!

Even on the umbrella's handle, a charred sword scar had appeared.

This was a sixth-rank supreme treasure!

Fang Xing paid him no mind at all; his full attention was fixed on Lord of the Great Wilds.

"Your bloodline technique is quite impressive—you once escaped me… but today is different. By choosing to reinforce the battle array with your technique, you lost your only chance to flee…"

His expression was icy.

When he had hunted the wild beast before, he had not yet advanced to mid-stage Cultivation-Soul, nor had he yet begun to comprehend the Law of Destiny.

But this time, it was different!

Lord of the Great Wilds had made a fatal choice—this too was destiny.

Clang!

Fang Xing drew his sword again.

He merged with his sword, unleashing a brilliant, blazing strike that summoned the divine light of heaven's fire, illuminating ten thousand li and trapping the massive Lord of the Great Wilds within.

His incredibly sturdy body was effortlessly torn open by the Broken Iron Sword, which plunged deep into his flesh.

"No! Lord of the Great Wilds!"

"Quickly, rescue him!"

Monk Yichan, Daoist Zi Yuan, and the others reacted swiftly.

But they were blocked by Wuji Demon Palace, Five Dragon Pillars, and other supreme treasures—too late.

Their soul energies swept over, seeing a crimson sword light erupt from the Lord of the Great Wilds' scaled hide and from his seven orifices.

Then…

Pieces of flesh fell away, as if subjected to a thousand cuts and ten thousand slices.

Fang Xing stepped out from the shattered remains of the Lord of the Great Wilds, his robes spotless, a faint smile on his face.

The Broken Iron Sword in his hand vanished.

When it reappeared, it stood before Old Man Huang Yun.

The sword tip shattered the void, destroying all of Old Man Huang Yun's defenses, then… pierced straight through his forehead.

For a Cultivation-Soul cultivator, a pierced forehead was not fatal.

But the wound upon the soul could not heal!

Old Man Huang Yun's lips moved, as if trying to speak—but no sound came out; his soul dimmed and faded into stillness…

Cultivation-Soul Heavenly Lord, Old Man Huang Yun—dead!

(End of Chapter)