As the middle-aged man in the green robe entered the courtyard, his gaze immediately fell on Fang Chen, his eyes filled with curiosity.
Fang Chen smiled and gestured. "Please, have a seat, Supreme Immortal Pudu."
Supreme Immortal Pudu smiled slightly and sat down cross-legged. He leisurely said, "I learned this sitting posture from you. Over the years, I've truly gotten used to it."
Huang Sihai, Tie Ma, and Xu Ge's eyes all narrowed at the same time, their expressions sharp, like predators ready to strike. They had been with Fang Chen for many years and had only seen him sit down in this manner a few times. They had never seen this middle-aged man before—how did he know this?
"Are you planning to attack me?" Supreme immortal Pudu glanced at the three men and gently shook his head. "Your cultivation is too low, like ants. It's best not to do that. Since I'm in a good mood, I won't hold it against you."
Huang Sihai's face darkened. "My lord, who is this person? Why is he so arrogant?"
Fang Chen glanced at Supreme Immortal Pudu and said with a faint smile, "He is a master of the Incense Sect. Judging by his cultivation... he is probably at the peak of the Enlightenment Realm."
The three were shocked. "Peak of the Enlightenment Realm!?"
Although they were only at the Qi Refining Realm, they knew that after the Qi Refining Realm came the Foundation Building Realm, the Golden Core Realm, and the Nascent Soul. The Enlightenment Realm was even beyond the Nascent Soul Realm. At this level, the cultivator had the power to level an entire nation.
Supreme Immortal Pudu's eyes slightly narrowed. "You can see through my cultivation?"
Fang Chen had a look of curiosity on his face. He asked, "Supreme Immortal Pudu, you haven't been in the Central Continent Empire for many years, right? I'm curious how you managed to steal the sword embryo from the Void Immortal Sword Sect back then. Not to mention stealing the sword embryo, you wouldn't even be able to break into the Void Immortal Sword Sect with your strength."
Supreme Immortal Pudu gave a half-smile. "What use would knowing such matters be your cultivation? It seems you have learned a bit about the Void Immortal Sword Sect. You should know that since I was able to steal the sword embryo from there, I naturally have my own methods. Shouldn't you return the sword embryo to me?"
Fang Chen remained silent and simply stared at Supreme Immortal Pudu.
After a few breaths, a hint of impatience gradually appeared in his eyes. Fang Chen's divine soul stood before him, watching him thoughtfully.
A cultivator at the grand completion stage of the Enlightenment Realm was definitely not considered weak in the cultivation world. It was enough to establish a third-tier empire. However, the signs Supreme Immortal Pudu was showing now were beginning to disappoint Fang Chen.
Supreme Immortal Pudu… was too weak—far weaker than he had imagined.
Supreme Immortal Pudu wore a faint smile. "Fang Chen, it took me decades to find this place, and you should know that if I don't get what I want today, I won't let you leave. Grand Xia might not be weak, but in my eyes, it's like tofu—one light squeeze, and it will fall apart."
Fang Chen's divine soul returned to his body, still feeling somewhat disappointed. He replied coldly, "Supreme Immortal Pudu, last time you could see my divine soul. Why was that?"
"No need to remind me. Didn't you say you took some kind of spiritual medicine? Return the sword embryo to me, then take me to the place where you consumed the spiritual medicine. If you do that, the debt between us will be settled. At the same time, I won't expose that you come from beyond the Ancient Desolate Region."
Supreme Immortal Pudu narrowed his eyes and stared at Fang Chen, a hint of pride flashing in his gaze. "If it weren't for me searching your soul, I wouldn't have known that the world is so vast. The Ancient Desolate Region is actually not the only realm. There are probably very few cultivators who know about this.
"If they found out you come from beyond the Ancient Desolate Region, what do you think they would do to you? I have to admit, the weapon forging techniques of the place you come from are quite extraordinary."
Fang Chen's expression turned complex. "So, you've been wandering all these years just for the memories in my mind and to find my current location?"
Supreme Immortal Pudu nodded, smiling smugly. "Just a few decades. I have a lifespan of 1,200 years, and I've only used up half of it so far, so it's nothing."
Fang Chen could already imagine Supreme Immortal Pudu's frantic departure after losing the sword embryo. He had spent decades searching for him desperately. It wasn't as easy as he made it sound; he must have encountered numerous difficulties during these years. Otherwise, how would he dare to step into this place today?
Supreme Immortal Pudu said lightly, "Have you thought it over? If you know what's good for you, I can overlook the matter of you destroying my split soul."
Fang Chen sighed softly. "But I don't want to."
Supreme Immortal Pudu raised an eyebrow. "You? Why?"
Fang Chen remained silent and gently stamped his foot. A cloud of dark energy gathered, and when it dispersed, a blood-red figure emerged before everyone.
Xu Ge, Huang Sihai, Tie Ma, as well as Huangfu Jie and his wife, all inhaled sharply, taken aback by the sight.
The appearance of the blood paper figure was truly eerie, resembling the paper figures that people burn during Qingming to honor their ancestors. The only difference was that the blood paper figure was entirely red, with its face flushed in a shade of black.
Supreme Immortal Pudu's smile stiffened slightly, and he forced himself to remain calm. "Interesting. Where did you learn this dark technique?"
Fang Chen replied with a smile, "Oh? But this is the true orthodoxy of the Dao Sect."
Upon hearing that it was Fang Chen who had summoned him back to the mortal realm, Xing Xian immediately breathed a sigh of relief. He quickly clasped his fist and called out, "My lord..."
Fang Chen smiled. "How is it over there?"
Xing Xian respectfully answered, "The Empress Dowager has been successfully rescued, but the Tai Yin Dragon King and Pan Shan Monarch managed to escape."
Fang Chen nodded. "That's good."
After reporting, Xing Xian stood obediently to the side. The moment he returned to the mortal realm, he had already observed Supreme Immortal Pudu and the others, and found no threat from them.
Fang Chen said, "Allow me to introduce Supreme Immortal Pudu, a master from the Incense Dao."
Xing Xian turned his gaze to Supreme Immortal Pudu and nodded lightly in acknowledgment.
Supreme Immortal Pudu's expression darkened. "Do you think that summoning such a paper figure will scare me?"
Xing Xian looked at Fang Chen and asked, "Lord, how should we deal with him?"
"Deal with me?" Supreme Immortal Pudu couldn't help but laugh aloud. "I am a dignified Middle Three Realms cultivator. Deal with me? You dare to...?"
Xing Xian's face grew cold. A mere Enlightenment Realm cultivator dared to act so arrogantly before him. He waved his hand, and his red sleeve transformed into a rainbow-like streak. His fingers, pale as death, clamped tightly around Supreme Immortal Pudu's neck.
A surge of overwhelming yin energy surged, and Supreme Immortal Pudu immediately found himself unable to speak. The yin energy completely crushed his spiritual energy, rendering him completely immobile.
Huangfu Jie instinctively glanced at his wife. "The lord must be a high-ranking official in the Underworld... to have such a powerful subordinate...."
Huang Sihai and the others watched with wide eyes. After not seeing him for decades, it was clear that their young master had been far from idle!
Supreme Immortal Pudu's heart was filled with fear. His previously calm demeanor had completely disappeared, and his eyes were filled with panic. His gaze fixed desperately on Fang Chen, who was calmly sipping tea that had steam rising from his cup.