Chapter Forty-Nine: The Ninth Celestial Immortal

Chen Hongxu walked to the entrance of the hall, his face darkening. He stared at the doorknob, hesitated for a moment, then withdrew his hand and turned to glare at the young attendant who had shifted positions more than a dozen times within just a few steps of him.

The youth, disguised as an attendant, smiled kindly and met Chen Hongxu’s gaze without fear, as if unsurprised that Chen had seen through the little trick on the doorknob.

Exhaling deeply, Chen suppressed the impractical thought of immediately breaking down the door to take Xue Xi away. Instead, he turned and walked toward the young man masquerading as an attendant.

The nobles gathered to witness the ceremony saw Chen’s approach and were struck with horror, their shouts creating chaos. They were not fools—at this point, they all understood that the grand spectacle today was because of the notorious prodigal scion of the Fan family and this young man whose true identity was still unknown.

Amid the confusion, cups and food were scattered across the ground. Such a clash among powerful figures was no place for bystanders to casually sip wine and pose.

The young man in disguise looked innocent. Only when Chen was within five or six meters did he spread his hands and laugh, saying, “Since you dared to come find me first, you should know to pick on the weak. Seems your judgment isn’t so sharp after all.”

Chen Hongxu slowed his pace about five meters away, meeting the youth’s eyes with a puzzled expression. “Isn’t the Earth Immortal lineage usually about seeking out dragon veins in famous mountains and rivers? Why wade into such murky waters? Aren’t you afraid the lineage will be lost?”

The youth’s eyes narrowed, unsure if Chen had exposed his identity or if he was simply exaggerating.

Earth Immortals, who seek out dragon veins and observe mountains and energy flows, use these as entry methods into their practice. Those with deeper cultivation can capture dragon veins to enhance their strength. The highest among them can manifest dragon veins wherever they go, integrating offense and defense, becoming naturally elite masters.

As for the myths of defying fate and changing destiny, Chen Hongxu naturally did not believe them. A cultivation path that time had proven incapable of achieving immortality—unable even to alter one’s own fate—how could it possibly tamper with the heavens’ secrets?

His confusion stemmed from the rarity of Earth Immortals, even scarcer than their inheritors. From ancient times, such middling cultivation paths were scorned by many.

Centuries ago, the great Earth Immortal master Yan Shanren sold himself to the imperial family, seeking secular power to capture the Kunlun Heavenly Dragon’s vein. This enraged the founding ancestors of cultivation, and despite Yan Shanren’s trickery that allowed him to seize the heavenly dragon vein, his fragile nature caused a backlash, leading to the Earth Immortal lineage’s downfall.

Later, the imperial family, realizing the Earth Immortals’ treacherous intentions and the grave threat they posed, turned their blades to exterminate them completely. This caused the Earth Immortal lineage to wither entirely. Even the occasional Earth Immortal who sought wealth and power was swiftly eradicated under some pretext.

Today, not to mention the countless charlatans who swindle money and lust in the streets, even those with genuine talent dare not loudly proclaim themselves Earth Immortals.

The young man’s expression suddenly changed as he glared at Chen Hongxu, then said meaningfully, “Do you want me to give you more time to find the energy formations I just set?”

“About ten minutes should suffice,” Chen answered honestly. Because Earth Immortals were so rare, who knew what hidden methods might be at play? Yan Shanren had once challenged the Kunlun ancestors with exceptional power centuries ago; without comparable strength, it seemed impossible.

The youth and Chen were strangers, so naturally he wouldn’t let Chen dismantle his energy formations, and Chen had no time to dawdle—the wedding march was already two-thirds done.

“I’m just asking,” the youth smiled and waved his hand. Suddenly, white streams like fountains burst from the ground, coalescing midair into transparent water dragons that snarled and bared their teeth at Chen. Counting carefully, there were over a dozen.

Chen’s sensitivity to energy was sharper than most. In an instant, he sensed that within a ten-mile radius, the land was turning lifeless. No grass would grow, but worse, anyone living there too long might have their life force drained by the earth itself.

“This lineage really should be wiped out!” Chen exhaled sharply, feeling the buildings collapsing around them from the lack of earth energy and dragon veins. His murderous intent surged. Regardless of the harm this man posed to the world, Chen could not tolerate his strange attacks originating from the ground.

In the sky, the elder of Kongtong, Wu Kong, wore a half-smile and murmured, “Even these Earth Immortal vermin have come out. I never understood why this useless path, which cannot grant immortality, still seeks to explore the world beyond the Heavenly Gate.”

Suddenly, Wu Kong’s brow furrowed, a trace of seriousness appearing in his eyes. He resolved to intervene if Chen showed signs of defeat—not out of conscience, but because this unknown Earth Immortal’s reckless power disregarded others’ lives entirely.

On the ground, Chen had already engaged the Earth Immortal. The nobles had expected a spectacle but found even after trying, they could not see so much as an afterimage.

With a dull “bang,” two figures parted ways. Chen shook his hand, his face cold as frost.

The Earth Immortal’s expression was strange. He glanced at Chen with complexity before lowering his head. From the seven orifices of his body, water dragons surged in and out, then all burst forth at once, spiraling above his head to form a massive dragon.

Chen raised one hand behind his back, slowly extending the other, and said in a deep voice, “I’ll let you have just one hand.”

“Arrogant!” The Earth Immortal roared in fury. In this top-tier world, who dared to claim certain victory over an Earth Immortal in single combat?

Chen said no more, standing firm with clear intent—he was letting him have only one hand.

In the distance, Fan Caobao, locked in battle with a hairy werewolf with sharp claws, glanced back and smirked, “Disgusting, snot’s running out.”

The Earth Immortal’s last small dragon crawled from his nostril to join the big dragon above. Hearing this, his anger flared, but after a moment’s hesitation, he charged at Chen. Apparently, he still considered Chen the weaker opponent compared to Fan Caobao.

Chen’s expression was unreadable. His outstretched palm traced a half-circle through the void, pressing precisely against the dragon’s head as it lunged.

The dragon head solidified but did not vanish, opening its mouth as if to bite Chen’s palm.

Chen retreated step by step with extraordinary agility.

The Earth Immortal pursued relentlessly. Suddenly, Chen’s palm pulled back slightly, seeming ready to clash head-on with the water dragon.

A cruel smile appeared on the Earth Immortal’s lips. The water dragon was formed from earth energy and dragon qi, without real substance. Their earlier evenly matched fight had been a deliberate illusion. Now that Chen wanted to fight head-on, the water dragon would become entirely intangible, surge into his body, and explode him from within.

Chen appeared oblivious to the danger. His expression unchanged, he forcefully smashed his retracted hand toward the dragon’s head and stepped forward instead of retreating, as if eager to make contact.

“Bang!”

Another loud crash. The two figures crossed paths again. Chen glanced at the figure slowly collapsing and cursed, “Idiot.”

As a rare Earth Immortal descendant, his eyes burned with deep hatred. All his focus was on the fist Chen had promised not to use but delivered to his forehead at the last moment.