Chapter 311 - 121: Demi-Immortal

Chapter 311: Chapter 121: Demi-Immortal

...

"Old Gou, look! Isn’t that the boss over there?"

"Huh? Where? He does look a little familiar, but there’s no way the boss would be here. You must be seeing things."

"True. I hope the boss is okay."

"Yeah. Thinking back on the old days, we had it so good..."

...

The voices faded into the distance.

...

In Bai Zhi County, at the courtyard where the Fang Family was staying.

SCREEE!

High in the Nine Heavens, a white crane streaked across the starlit sky, riding the wind and breaking through the clouds as it whistled down.

As it descended, the gigantic, airplane-like manifestation of Gang Essence surrounding it instantly dissipated into nothingness.

SWOOSH!

Fang Rui, his green robes unstained, drifted down from mid-air.

He glanced toward the house.

He was surprised to find a light still shining from within—a single, bean-sized flame flickering in the frosty, dew-laden autumn night.

It was the Third Lady.

She had heard the commotion earlier and sought out the Qing Yan Little Child to ask what was happening. Upon learning that Fang Rui had gone out, she had decided to wait here, wanting to be the first to see him return with her own eyes.

"Third Sister!"

The feeling of being awaited by family warmed Fang Rui’s heart, and he couldn’t help but call out to her.

"Brother Rui, you’re back?" Hearing his voice, the Third Lady’s drowsiness instantly vanished. She stood and turned, her expression animated as a radiant smile graced her lips.

’Suddenly I turn my head, and there she is, where the lantern light is fading.’

Fang Rui smiled, his expression softening unconsciously. "I’m back."

...

「One day later.」

SCREEE!

Above Huaiyin Prefecture City, an auspicious cloud shimmering with red, yellow, and green light drifted over.

A closer look would reveal that it was no cloud at all, but the radiant aura surrounding a golden eagle with the head of a dragon, its light shifting through three colors.

Atop this dragon eagle stood a White Eyebrow Daoist, clad in a feathered robe and a starry crown, with the bearing of a crane.

This eagle was the Three-Colored Dragon Carving, the ancestor of all the Zhen Family’s Red-Feathered Golden Eagles. The Daoist, in turn, was none other than the Zhen Family’s old ancestor, Zhen Taiyuan.

WHOOSH!

Zhen Taiyuan arrived above the Divine Capture Bureau. He reached out and pressed a hand downward, and a great hand formed of clouds descended, gathering traces of aura from the air.

"An Immortal!"

Below, countless people witnessed this godlike display and fell to their knees, crying out for the Immortal.

"Hm?!"

High in the Nine Heavens, amidst the clouds, Zhen Taiyuan—the man hailed as an Immortal—frowned slightly as he examined the chaotic aura in his hand.

He thought for a moment, then made a few calculations with his fingers, using a karmic Divination Skill to investigate. But he failed again, turning up nothing.

’Cleaned up so thoroughly. Was it one of the Half-Immortal Families, or... the Imperial Court?! No matter. This is a good chance to go probe the Huaiyin Prefecture Magistrate’s Office.’

Zhen Taiyuan patted the Three-Colored Dragon Carving beneath him and flew straight toward the Prefectural Magistrate’s Office.

...

"Lord Song, forgive my intrusion. I’ve come uninvited."

Despite his words, Zhen Taiyuan’s actions were anything but polite. Without waiting to be announced, he rode his Three-Colored Dragon Carving straight into the Prefectural Magistrate’s Office.

"Venerable Taiyuan, your esteemed presence brings light to my humble abode! Someone, bring tea! The good tea! Bring out the best tea I have, the stuff I’ve been saving!"

Lord Song was all smiles, rushing out to greet him with great enthusiasm.

The title of "Venerable" was an exclusive honorific for a Great Power at the Source Technique Realm, which was above an Upper Grade Spirit Master. They could also be called "Master" or "Demi-Immortal," and were true figures at the apex of the Great Yu.

"There’s no need for tea. This old Daoist came out of seclusion today to learn that the Life Plates of two of my family’s ’Qilin’Er’ have shattered. That is why I have come. I wonder what Lord Song can tell me?"

Zhen Taiyuan got straight to the point, his tone holding a clear note of accusation.

"This... Brother Feng Yu, Nephew Dao Ji... I am deeply saddened by what happened to them."

Lord Song put on a sorrowful expression. "The day before yesterday, as soon as I heard the news, I mobilized all my forces. I even sent the Four Spirit Guards and the Government Soldiers ahead... But who could have imagined how ferocious the villain was!"

"From what I understand, Brother Feng Yu pushed his Decree to its absolute limit and summoned a Half-Immortal Illusion, yet he was still cut down in a single blow by the killer. That murderer has likely reached the First Grade Limit, and is only half a step away from becoming a Martial Saint of the Seed Path."

"And what’s more, it’s highly likely they achieved a breakthrough in the heat of battle, successfully taking that final step. Otherwise, how could they have shattered the Star-Picking Tower in one strike, causing me to lose half of my Four Spirit Guards and Government Soldiers!"

Exaggerate! Exaggerate everything!

If he didn’t paint the killer as impossibly powerful, a monstrous talent, how could he explain his own heavy losses? Wouldn’t it just make him, Song, look like an incompetent fool?

It’s not that we didn’t try, it’s that the enemy was too strong!

In fact, this was exactly what Lord Song had written in his report. He wildly exaggerated the culprit’s strength, pinned the blame on Zhen Daoji, and subtly hinted that his own people had stirred up a conflict between Half-Immortal Families...

In short, through a series of maneuvers, he had successfully managed to keep his position.

’Hm, is he telling the truth?!’

A glint flashed in Zhen Taiyuan’s eyes. ’It seems it really wasn’t the Imperial Court. Then it must be one of the Half-Immortal Families!’

Seeing that he had successfully misled Zhen Taiyuan and sent him down a different line of thought, and that the man didn’t seem intent on pressuring him further, Lord Song couldn’t help but breathe a small sigh of relief, a hint of smugness in his heart.

Now that’s what you call a seasoned old bureaucrat! (Leans back tactically)

’The steady Zhou Changfa, the cunning Zhen Daoji... both are gone now. And isn’t it I, Song, who’s had the last laugh?’ he thought to himself.

"Do you have any leads on the villain who attacked my Zhen Family, Lord Song?"

"None at the moment. However, my Huaiyin Prefecture Magistrate’s Office..."

"In that case, why don’t you and this old Daoist jointly petition to use the State City’s Secret Treasure, the Ten Thousand Miles of Mountains and Rivers Map."

Zhen Taiyuan proposed, taking advantage of the opening.

The State City’s Secret Treasure was not a private tool of the Zhen Family. It couldn’t be used on a whim. There were procedures to follow, and a hefty price to pay.

However, if he had Lord Song’s endorsement to define this as ’official business,’ it would save him a lot of trouble.

"This..."

Lord Song instinctively wanted to refuse.

What did the struggles of Half-Immortal Families have to do with him? Submitting a joint petition would just make him an enemy for no reason, wouldn’t it?

"Hm?!"

Zhen Taiyuan’s eyes narrowed, putting immense pressure on Lord Song. "Could it be that you don’t want to catch the killer, Lord Song? Are you being negligent in your duties, or perhaps... you’re in league with the culprit?"

"How could that be possible?! I... I’ll sign the petition!"

Lord Song forced a smile that was uglier than a crying face.

「A moment later.」

"Venerable Taiyuan, take care! Take care now! Have a safe journey!"

Lord Song plastered on a smile as he saw Zhen Taiyuan off.

Only when the other man had vanished completely, not even a shadow remaining,

did he stamp his foot in fury. "Pah! Is the Zhen Family determined to make my life difficult? First I get screwed over by the young one, now by the old one! Did I owe you people a debt in my past life or something?"

"Sigh, when will some ruthless figure finally show up and wipe out a Half-Immortal Family like the Zhens? That would be a sight to see!"

...

’Zhen Daoji was evil, but the Zhen Family bears most of the responsibility! At the very least, the ten thousand boys and girls for that Eight-Nine Extreme Yin Tracing Array were not something a mere Director of the Divine Capture Bureau could gather in a short time.’

’In the end, I’m still not strong enough. Otherwise, with my temper, I would have seen this through to the end, struck at the heart of the problem, and annihilated a Half-Immortal Family just for the satisfaction of it.’

’Hm, I’ll set a small goal: break through beyond First Grade in both Martial Arts and Spirit Master cultivation. Then, one day, I’ll go settle the score with the Zhen Family.’

Fang Rui shook his head slightly, pulling his thoughts back to the present. ’That’s still too far off. For now, I need to figure out how to evade the Zhen Family ancestor’s potential pursuit.’

’That day, I used a Super Grade Technique to clean up the aura, cutting off any normal method of tracing me back to the source. But there’s still the matter of the karmic Divination Skill.’

’I carry the Mixed Primordial Dragon Pearl Origin, so a typical Great Power above First Grade wouldn’t be able to scry my location. The only fear is that they might use some terrifying Secret Treasure.’

Fang Rui knew he was special and likely wouldn’t be so easily located through Divination, but he couldn’t completely rely on that.

’I should take another precaution, add some insurance.’

With a thought, he closed his eyes and opened his panel.

[Tribulation Points: 11,912]

His life-and-death battle with Zhen Daoji and Zhen Yi, avoiding a true mortal peril; shattering the Star-Picking Tower, dealing a heavy blow to the Four Spirit Guards and Government Soldiers led by the Zhen Family’s trusted men; and other consequences, like the Zhen ancestor’s fruitless search...

All in all, his Tribulation Points had once again broken past the ten-thousand mark!

’For Martial Arts above First Grade, there’s no clear path forward for now. As for the Spirit Master path, I’m nowhere near having enough Tribulation Points for Volume Three of the Primordial Scripture.’

Fang Rui muttered, his gaze falling upon the Skills column. ’Divination Skill... it’s you. Let’s open this blind box and take a gamble!’

’Upgrade!’

Tribulation Points -1,870.

Divination Skill, Perfection!

’Again.’

Fang Rui looked at the faintly shimmering golden text of "Divination Skill." ’Keep upgrading. Break the limit!’

Tribulation Points -10,000.

BOOM!

At the same moment that infinite insights about the Divination Skill flooded Fang Rui’s mind,

on the panel, in the Divine Techniques column, a ripple spread like water, and after "Immortality," a new line of text appeared!

’What is this?!’ His pupils contracted violently.

...