Immortal of the Nine Realms

Chapter 547: The Art of Brainwashing

Finally, after several days of waiting, the prohibitive aura in front of the tomb's gate weakened enough for it to be forcibly opened.

The four Nascent Soul Realm cultivators each employed their techniques to break it. Once it dissipated, the tomb would open.

Fang Chen didn't find the person who carried the Heavenly Evil Fruit during these past few days. However, the two Qi Refining Realm cultivators from the Spirit Blood Sect had led him to the remaining members of their sect.

Dozens of figures stood on a desolate mountain several tens of miles away from Black Mountain Valley. They silently observed the scene near the tomb, their faces showing either faint contemptuous smiles or gloating expressions.

Their leader exuded a condensed aura. He was at the Nascent Soul Realm.

The rest were at the Golden Core Realm.

Hastily arriving, the two Spirit Blood Sect Qi Refining Realm cultivators bowed respectfully to the Nascent Soul Realm cultivator. "We pay respects to you, Han Dragon Battle General."

"No need for formalities." Han Dragon Battle General nodded lightly. "You've handled things beautifully. Will the plan's next phase go smoothly? Have you selected someone to consume the Heavenly Evil Fruit?"

“General, rest assured. That person believes the Heavenly Evil Fruit is a fruit of ascension to immortality. Under our deception, he is convinced that as long as he enters the tomb and consumes the Heavenly Evil Fruit, he will transcend into an immortal."

The two Qi Refining cultivators seemed very confident.

"Good. Once he consumes the Heavenly Evil Fruit, it won't be long before these cultivators meet their end. We'll clean up the mess when the time comes," Han Dragon Battle General said with a faint smile.

After a pause, he glanced at the two men. "How far along is that matter? The sects within the Azure Dao Manor are plenty and every mortal wishes to ascend to become an immortal. We need to clean house every hundred years and the time is about to arrive. Will we be another to gather enough Blood Spirit Pills?"

The two exchanged looks. One of them answered respectfully, "General, our master is personally overseeing this matter. It's expected to yield results within a year or so. By then, we should be able to clear out at least a hundred clans. Calculating, with each clan having tens of millions of people, as long as we receive sufficient manpower from above, we can form ten thousand Blood Spirit Pills in a short time."

Upon hearing this, Fang Chen furrowed his brow slightly. Is the Spirit Blood Sect also planning something within the Azure Dao Manor? And are these two Qi Refining acting on behalf of their masters?

"Your master is one of the talents the sect has focused on cultivating in recent years. As long as this matter is handled well, his ascension to the Golden Core Realm is imminent." Han Dragon Battle General nodded. "Has the senior of the Azure Dao Manor we came into contact with been taken care of?"

The two quickly nodded to assure him.

"Our master has made the necessary arrangements. With his temperament, as long as the benefits are sufficient, he will naturally turn a blind eye."

"Hmm, in recent years, there have been efforts to suppress the Spirit Blood Sect, resulting in unsatisfactory yields everywhere. So, we must strive harder within our lineage to stand out, producing as many Blood Spirit Pills for the sect as possible."

Han Dragon Battle General continued, "The more powerful we become, the more stable our lives will be. Our cultivation will also advance day by day. We strive for the day when we can leave this cursed place and move to more prosperous lands, or even be dispatched to the second-tier empires."

The surrounding Golden Core cultivators and the two Qi Refining cultivators showed longing in their eyes at the mention of being dispatched.

They had long heard how abundant the lives of their colleagues outside were, easily obtaining vast quantities of Blood Spirit Pills without the constant fear of exposure and suppression. They, on the other hand, were walking on thin ice. As long as they could keep a small number of Blood Spirit Pills for themselves, their cultivations would skyrocket.

There were numerous examples of Nascent Soul realm cultivators being dispatched for only a hundred years and easily advancing to the Middle Three Realms.

One of the Qi Refining Realm cultivators suddenly looked toward where the Immortal Tomb was. Then, he looked worriedly at Han Dragon Battle General. "General, it looks like the Immortal Tomb over there is about to open. Should we call for more reinforcements, considering there are four Nascent Soul cultivators...."

The Golden Core Realm cultivators around Han Dragon Battle General burst into laughter, their faces full of mockery.

The Qi Refining Realm cultivator who spoke immediately realized his mistake.

"No worries, it's normal for a Qi Refining Realm cultivator to not fully understand Nascent Soul Realm cultivators. Those four Nascent Soul Realm cultivators are nearing the end of their lifespan. They're nothing to worry about. Even if they were a hundred years younger, I could easily kill them," Han Dragon Battle General said lightly with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Fang Chen knew there wouldn't be a second Battle General coming. Fang Chen stepped out from the shadow beside Han Dragon Battle General and thrust a sword into the back of his head. The sword emerged from the other side.

Han Dragon Battle General's spiritual barrier was as fragile as tofu in front of Fang Chen's sword, and the terrifying sword intent instantly shattered his Sea of Consciousness and Nascent Soul. He even maintained the same faint smile as before, but the vitality in his eyes completely dimmed.

"Who are you?!"

The Golden Core cultivators around reacted with shock and anger.

Before they could get an answer from Fang Chen, a breathtaking sword strike reaped their lives. In less than a breath's time, one Nascent Soul Realm and nine Golden Core Realm cultivators perished completely. Only the two Qi Refining Realm cultivators were left alive, staring dumbfounded at the scene. Their figures had gone stiff with cold sweat pouring out profusely. They were utterly horrified.

Fang Chen removed the storage rings from Han Dragon Battle General and the others, then turned to the two Qi Refining Realm cultivators with a faint smile.

"Where is the Heavenly Evil Fruit?" he asked.

The two looked at each other, their faces pale. "W-what Heavenly Evil Fruit? We don't know..."

Despite their fear, they still attempted to conceal the truth.

"I heard everything you just said. So, where is the Heavenly Evil Fruit?"

The sword he used was no ordinary sword. Even though Little Sword was still digesting a treasure, this sword's owner had been a Soul Splitting Realm expert from the Innate Dao Sect.

There were two Dao imprints on the sword. Even without using spiritual power to activate it, its sharpness far exceeded that of an ordinary peak-grade, yellow-rank flying sword. Its power even surpassed the current Little Sword.

However, Fang Chen was still much too weak to truly activate a sword of this caliber. If he used it to perform the Eight Desolation Supreme Sword Scripture, the first strike alone could drain Fang Chen's spiritual energy.

However, when used normally, combined with the Shadow Buddha Technique, it wasn't difficult to kill Nascent Soul Realm cultivators. Granted, they didn't practice any special body-refining techniques or couldn't detect him while he used the Shadow Buddha Technique.

The two cultivators turned as pale as paper, with sweat streaming down their foreheads. "Who exactly is this guy...?"

If he could easily kill Han Dragon Battle General, he had to be at least in the Nascent Soul realm, possibly even in the Enlightenment Realm....

"If-if we tell you, will you spare our lives?" said one of the Qi Refining Realm cultivators in a low voice, clenching his teeth.

Fang Chen nodded lightly. "Of course."

The two exchanged a glance, despair evident in their eyes. "You are lying, senior. You won't spare us."

After saying that, their eyes steeled with resolution. Suddenly, their eyes widened, and blood gushed from their seven orifices.

Before long, they stopped breathing.

Fang Chen frowned as he looked at the corpses of the two men. "They chose to die rather than take a chance at survival.... The Spirit Blood Sect’s brainwashing has truly penetrated deep into their bones."

Although he had killed the group of Spirit Blood Sect cultivators, as long as the Heavenly Evil Fruit wasn't found, it remained like a ticking bomb, ready to explode at any moment.

Just then, a loud noise came from the direction of the Immortal Tomb, and the visible aura of the formation spell dissipated abruptly.

The gates of the Immortal Tomb were about to open.