Immortal of the Nine Realms-Chapter 853: A Clear Distinction

In the distance, two figures walked toward the royal palace, one slightly ahead and the other a step behind. The one lagging behind was the now slightly more mature sixth princess.

"Master, Father said that if the Flame Empire continues to refuse to join Grand Xia, he will send troops to attack soon. I have tried to persuade him, but he did not agree."

She was speaking to her master, Immortal Fire Cloud, who didn't seem to have aged at all in the past several decades.

To someone like Immortal Fire Cloud, a few decades wasn't a long time.

By now, the Sixth Princess's cultivation had already reached the tenth stage of the Qi Refining Realm.

Immortal Fire Cloud frowned slightly. "Flame Empire was never hostile toward anyone, nor had any disputes with Grand Xia. Your father's actions are truly inappropriate. If war were to break out between the two nations, not to mention the common folk, even we cultivators would suffer heavy casualties.

"Furthermore, if the Flame Empire is incorporated into Grand Xia, how will the spiritual mountains and spiritual springs of all the sects be divided?"

The sixth princess smiled bitterly. "Father said it won't affect the scene within the Flame Empire.”

"Grand Xia's rapid expansion in recent years will inevitably attract the attention of fifth and fourth-tier empires. If Azure Cloud Empire and Hidden Immortal Empire take notice of this, what kind of situation do you think Grand Xia will face?"

Immortal Fire Cloud sighed lightly. "When we meet up with your father later, I hope you will persuade him as well."

By now, the two had arrived at the royal palace gates. Just as they were about to enter, they noticed a Daoist standing nearby.

Sensing the unique, otherworldly aura emanating from the Daoist, Immortal Fire Cloud's gaze shifted slightly. She immediately cupped her hands in greeting. "Fellow Daoist."

Fang Chen smiled and nodded in acknowledgment. "Immortal Fire Cloud, Sixth Princess. It has been many years, but you both still shine brightly."

The two women were stunned. The fact that the Daoist had called out their names meant he was an old acquaintance.

Suddenly, the sixth princess gasped in shock and blurted out, "You're Fang Chen?"

Immortal Fire Cloud was shocked. "Fang Chen... Daoist Fang?"

The last time she had seen Fang Chen was in Great Qian. On that day, she had witnessed him sacrifice his lifespan to kill a Nascent Soul cultivator with his sword, after which he was entombed in a jade coffin.

Years passed, and she had heard rumors that Fang Chen had come back to life, but those were merely rumors with no way to confirm them.

Now, seeing him in person, it was clear the rumors were true.

Immortal Fire Cloud didn't dare delay and greeted him with respect. "Greetings."

She couldn't discern Fang Chen's cultivation, but he had slain Nascent Souls decades ago. Many years had passed since then. Even if his cultivation hadn't improved much, he would still be far stronger than her, a Foundation Building Realm cultivator.

Fang Chen wore a gentle smile. "Fellow Daoist, are you here to see Xia Xuanji?"

When the sixth princess heard Fang Chen directly call her father by name, she felt strange but didn't dare comment.

In the world of cultivation, only strength commanded respect, and Fang Chen wasn't any weaker than her father.

Immortal Fire Cloud then realized that Fang Chen's secular identity seemed to be that of a subject of Grand Xia….

She remained silent for a while, looking conflicted. In the end, she mustered a bitter smile and said, "It seems that… whether we meet or not, it will make little difference now."

At that moment, someone's loud voice echoed from behind them, "How could it make no difference? I would like to hear Fellow Daoist Fire Cloud's thoughts as well."

In front of the imperial palace, a towering figure stood with his hands clasped behind his back, surrounded by a group of guards and eunuchs.

Xia Xuanji had a faint smile on his face, his gaze falling upon Fang Chen. "Fang Chen, I thought you had perished after failing to condense your Nascent Soul. It seems your life is far more tenacious than I imagined. Quite interesting."

Immortal Fire Cloud's eyes snapped open in shock, gasping. Her eyes were wide as she stared at Fang Chen in disbelief. "Failed to condense his Nascent Soul?! He has already reached a point where he is attempting to condense a Nascent Soul!?"

The sixth princess understood the implications of her father's words, and she turned to look at Fang Chen in disbelief.

He tried to condense his Nascent Soul…? He already reached this stage… in just a few decades?

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It had to be known that most cultivators would spend centuries, if not longer, to reach the point where they'd attempt to condense their Nascent Soul.

This was unheard of!

Immortal Fire Cloud's respect for Fang Chen grew even more.

She didn't understand what it meant to fail in condensing the Nascent Soul. However, she understood that Fang Chen had to be at the grand completion stage of the Golden Core Realm at least if he failed.

Fang Chen smiled faintly. "Your methods have indeed exceeded my expectations."

Upon hearing their conversation, the guards and eunuchs around Xia Xuanji looked at Fang Chen in awe. Over the years, they had occasionally heard rumors about him, but this was their first time seeing him in person. They had even heard that it was Fang Chen who had helped the late Emperor Xia Yuan ascend to the throne!

Smiling, Xia Xuanji said, "This isn't the time for idle chatter. Please, both of you, come with me to the Imperial Garden."

***

Inside the Imperial Garden of the Imperial Palace, Immortal Fire Cloud sat stiffly.

In her heart, Fang Chen held a higher position than Xia Xuanji.

The sixth princess naturally wasn't qualified to be seated in the presence of these three figures, so she stood quietly on the side. She would occasionally glance at Fang Chen, revealing a mix of curiosity and suspicion.

Xia Xuanji first fixed his attention on Immortal Fire Cloud and smiled faintly. "Fire Cloud, tell me your purpose."

Immortal Fire Cloud gritted her teeth and said, "Daoist Xia, the Flame Empire's Royal Family knows of my connection with Grand Xia, so they entrusted me to ask if the two countries could avoid conflict."

She decided to be direct with her intentions, not wanting to beat around the bush, especially with Fang Chen present.

It was best to be straightforward. If the response was unfavorable, she would no longer speak for Flame Empire, as the matter was beyond what a mere Foundation Building Realm cultivator like her could interfere with.

Xia Xuanji replied, "You can tell them that this war can be avoided, but they must join Grand Xia. Isn't that simple? The Flame Empire is already under the jurisdiction of Grand Qian. What's the difference between paying tribute to them or paying tribute to Grand Xia?"

Immortal Fire Cloud forced a bitter smile. She glanced at Fang Chen, carefully considering her next words. "They fear that if Grand Qian intervenes, the consequences would be unimaginable..."

Xia Xuanji resolutely said, "Grand Qian? I'll deal with them as well. From now on, all of the Hidden Cloud Region will belong to Grand Xia."

Smiling confidently, he continued, "Tell them not to worry too much, just follow the will of Heaven."

Fang Chen chuckled at that. "Follow the will of Heaven?"

His tone carried a touch of irony. "Xia Xuanji, do you consider yourself Heaven? Is your will the will of heaven?"

Xia Xuanji's smile faded slightly, but his voice remained calm. "Fang Chen, I know there's been some misunderstanding between us. But this matter won't harm Grand Xia. If you try to stop me, it might cause your aunt some pain. You may not know, but she and I already have a daughter."

Fang Chen's expression didn't change, but his eyes narrowed. He had no immediate response to Xia Xuanji's words. The mention of his aunt made things more personal, but he was resolute in his stance.

With a sudden movement, Xia Xuanji waved his hand towards the distance. "Yunxin, come meet your cousin."

A few palace maids surrounded Xia Yunxin, who looked at Fang Chen curiously but hesitated to approach. Instead, she clung to the sixth princess's leg.

"Sixth Sister, I'm scared."

The sixth princess smiled warmly and gently led her closer to Fang Chen. "He's your cousin. You don't need to be scared."

Fang Chen smiled and waved at Xia Yunxin. "Come here."

The little girl, still somewhat shy, suddenly felt a sense of familiarity with this handsome older brother. She hesitated for a moment but then walked toward him.

Looking up at Fang Chen, Xia Yunxin innocently said, "You're really handsome."

Fang Chen pinched her cheek affectionately and turned to Xia Xuanji. "Let's be clear. You can be straightforward, but the souls of my 600,000 soldiers won't be appeased with a few words."

The sixth princess blinked in surprise, her eyes flashing with confusion. "The souls of 600,000 soldiers? What does that have to do with my father?"

Immortal Fire Cloud's eyes flickered. She realized that there might be more tension between Fang Chen and Xia Xuanji than she initially thought.