"Fang Qingwei? She's hardly someone Hua Tiandu would take notice of," Fang Han muttered, puzzled. "Even though I challenged him, with his status, I doubt he even considers me worth his attention."
He was now a cultivator of Wood Monarch True Qi—a figure to be reckoned with. Among the true disciples, he could already hold his ground. Against someone like Jin Shitai, he could likely pound the man into the dirt.
Long Xuan smiled faintly. "Of course Hua Tiandu wouldn't care about you. But he does care about Sister Fang Qingxue. When he seized your Seven Fiends Gourd, Qingxue was still in seclusion. Once she learns of it, she won't let it slide. With her temperament, she'll shake the entire circle of true disciples. Hua Tiandu knows this—and he's already moving to clean up the mess."
"Oh?" Fang Han's brow furrowed. "And how does he plan to do that?"
"You'll see in a few days," Long Xuan replied. "But that's not why I came. I wanted to ask—are you interested in a little trip to the Oceanic Void Realm? A bit of adventure, perhaps?"
"The Return to the Void… in the sea?" Fang Han's expression grew thoughtful.
He had read about it in The Myriad Worlds: a mysterious rift in the heart of the ocean, a place where all seas converged. Legends said that during the ancient war between immortals and demons, a battle had shattered the world there, tearing open passages to outer realms and alien dimensions.
The Void Realm was said to be littered with ruins from that war—remnants of gods and devils, divine treasures, ancient pills, spiritual artifacts, even legendary Dao and Immortal artifacts. There were whispers of demon corpses, divine remains, and the blood of immortal masters—all buried in that place of endless danger and wealth.
But it was perilous beyond imagination. Spatial distortions ripped through its depths—realms within realms, some leading straight into the void. Even experts of the Longevity Realm had entered, never to return.
And worse still—outer-realm demons lurked within, having breached the shattered barriers during the ancient war.
Fang Han remembered that Fang Qingxue and the Demon Commander had once ventured into the Void Realm. They had faced the Water Gu Heavenly Demon and slain it, earning great fortune in return. He knew well what such journeys could bring—glory or death.
Countless disciples of both Daoist and demonic sects had ventured into the Void Realm over the centuries, seeking ancient relics and treasures. Some returned with divine fortunes; most vanished forever.
That was why The Myriad Worlds warned sternly—enter the Void Realm only with utmost caution.
Yet adventure was part of cultivation itself. Every immortal cultivator had to wander the world, seeking heavenly herbs, ancient relics, and forgotten legacies. They called it chasing fate with the immortals.
A cultivator's fortune—their immortal fate—was as vital as willpower and endurance. Strength came from discipline, but ascension came from destiny. As the old saying went: Man proposes, Heaven disposes. To defy fate and ascend from mortal to immortal, one needed not just effort, but luck—divine luck.
Long Xuan's invitation was simple: test their fortune, measure their fate, and perhaps, strike gold. Even if they found no divine treasures, gathering the spirit herbs there would still yield rare elixirs.
Fang Han's mind raced. Ten years of closed-door training will never let me surpass Hua Tiandu. I must venture into the world—seek fate, find fortune. Besides, I've run out of pills. I'll need ingredients anyway.
The spiritual herbs on Reincarnation Peak were still too young. They barely met his daily needs, let alone the refining of high-grade elixirs.
"Fine," he said decisively, slapping his thigh. "I'll prepare tonight. Tomorrow morning, we head for the Void Realm—let's test our fate and see what treasures await."
"Good!" Long Xuan's robes fluttered as she rose into the air and vanished in a streak of golden light.
Moments later, a warm glow rippled across Fang Han's body. "Come out, witch," he commanded.
A flash of yellow light, and the Great Asura Witch—Fang Xiaolin—materialized before him. She had been cultivating within the Yellow Springs Diagram under Yan's constant supervision. Having watched Fang Han master Wood Monarch True Qi, she knew escape was now impossible.
Once, when he was only at the Fleshly Body Realm, she could still challenge him. Now, as a first-level Divine Ability cultivator, she was utterly suppressed. His new true qi—one of the Five Great True Powers of the Primordial Demon Gods—placed him leagues above any ordinary true qi cultivator.
The difference between realms was like heaven and earth.
"Yes," the witch replied meekly, not daring to resist.
Fang Han turned toward his alchemy chamber, frowning at the small bronze furnace in the center. "This old furnace from my inner-sect days… pitiful, really. Once I return from the Void Realm, I must replace it. A spiritual furnace would be acceptable—but a treasure-grade one, like Senior Sister Jialan's… now that would be ideal."
He sighed. "Her Treasure Furnace is truly magnificent."
After arranging his affairs, Fang Han pulled out The Myriad Worlds once again, reading every page about the Void Realm—its geography, its legends, its perils.
Meanwhile, atop Tiandu Peak—within an immense alchemy chamber—Hua Tiandu sat cross-legged beside his furnace.
The furnace towered thirty-six men high, six zhang wide, and was made of no known substance—neither metal, stone, nor jade. Layers of mist and spirit energy spiraled around it, suggesting endless internal dimensions.
It pulsed and contracted rhythmically—swelling to a mountain, then shrinking to the size of a fist—again and again, displaying unimaginable power.
A furnace that could expand and contract at will—beyond even the realm of treasure artifacts.
With a deep hum, it suddenly settled into human size and spat out a glowing gourd.
The gourd radiated divine light, suffused with celestial energy.
"Seven Fiends—come forth! Form the Sword Array!"
Hua Tiandu caught the gourd in one hand. Seven swords shot from the furnace and vanished into it, merging as the gourd began to hum, the faint echo of ten thousand sword cries trembling within.
He smiled faintly. "Your sister Fang Qingxue will emerge from seclusion soon. I didn't take this Seven Fiends Gourd from Fang Han out of greed. Truth be told, even if the Demon God himself offered me his Heaven-Slaughtering Sword, I wouldn't care. I punished Fang Han because of the demonic aura within him. He is unfit to walk the immortal path."
He stroked the gourd lightly. "I've already refined it—purged its demonic taint and replaced it with celestial energy. The Heavenly Wolf Smoke within has been transformed into Auspicious Golden Mist, using rare celestial materials. I've also forged seven flying swords within it, forming the Seven Fiends Sword Array. Take it."
With a flick of his wrist, the newly-refined gourd floated out of the chamber, landing in Fang Qingwei's hands.
Her face lit up, eyes gleaming with restrained joy. "Thank you, Senior Brother Hua."
"Do not call it the Seven Fiends Gourd any longer," Hua Tiandu's voice echoed through the hall. "Its name is now Auspicious Celestial Gourd."