"He possesses two laws."
The white-haired Immortal Venerable sat poised upon his palanquin, a jade slip held between his fingers.
His gaze pierced through the beaded curtains of the palanquin, landing on the figure below being led by chains toward the prison.
His voice was flat and indifferent.
The disciple beside him, however, was visibly stunned.
"How... is that possible? How can a single person possess two laws? Moreover, he is a demonic beast who hasn't even achieved drawing qi into the body."
He truly could not understand.
For a demonic beast struggling at the bottom of the Nine Heavens, awakening even a single powerful law would be a stroke of immense luck.
But two laws?
It was simply unheard of.
The white-haired Immortal Venerable set down the jade slip, a slight smile playing on his lips.
"Earth-grade rank 16, laws of destruction, and heaven-grade rank 4, laws of space..."
"This is a genius who truly dominates for all eternity, even if he is just a demonic beast."
So what if he was a demonic beast?
In the ancient era, the various demon emperors roamed the world, and the human race was the weakest.
Though the humans rose and the demons declined later, the talent within their bloodline never vanished.
A single law of space would be enough to make any holy land fight to the death over him.
And now, add the laws of destruction on top of that...
The disciple swallowed hard.
He never expected that in this remote corner of the Nine Heavens, such a peerless genius would be hidden.
"Then, Lord Immortal Venerable," he said with a respectful bow, "shall I go and purchase him?"
"No need."
The white-haired Immortal Venerable shook his head.
"It is enough to let him 'die.' I will take the person myself."
Of course, he wanted to buy him directly.
But if he mysteriously bought a demonic beast, any holy land would become wary.
Those old fogies were all shrewd characters; they could sniff out something wrong from the slightest disturbance.
If the various factions caught wind of it, his plan to secretly nurture a supreme genius would be completely ruined.
Therefore, he had to let this demon "die" once.
While the other holy lands remained ignorant, he would raise a trump card capable of sweeping through all directions the next time the first heaven opened.
"I understand."
The disciple bowed and withdrew.
...
At the end of the corridor.
Fang Xuan was being pulled along by chains when he passed through a stone gate.
Suddenly, his vision blurred.
When he opened his eyes again, he was no longer in that dim corridor.
His surroundings were a void of nothingness.
It was a grey expanse, with no visible boundaries or objects.
There was only himself.
And the palm-sized stone slab he was standing on.
Fang Xuan's pupils constricted as he instantly became alert.
It was a spatial artifact.
His laws of space were extremely sensitive to such things.
Furthermore, this was an exceptionally high-grade spatial artifact, capable of instantly peeling him away from his original location and pulling him into an independent space.
His right hand moved slightly, preparing to manifest Yunchang.
"Do not be afraid, I mean no harm."
A voice came from behind him.
Fang Xuan turned around.
A white-haired man was standing three steps behind him.
The man wore moon-white robes and had a refined face, with a faint smile in his eyes.
His aura was completely restrained, showing no fluctuations of cultivation, yet the composure in his every movement was certainly not something an ordinary person could possess.
He spoke with a gentle tone, "My name is Lu Zheng, though the world often calls me the Fengling Immortal Venerable."
...
An Immortal Venerable...
Fang Xuan's heart sank slightly.
His expression remained unchanged as he quietly observed the man.
Lu Zheng was in no hurry, simply meeting his gaze.
After a moment, Lu Zheng smiled.
"You certainly are composed," he said. "An ordinary demonic beast would have been so terrified their legs would have gone weak after being suddenly pulled into a strange space."
Fang Xuan did not respond.
Lu Zheng didn't mind and continued, "I have been observing you for a long time, from your first beast battle until the one just now."
He paused, his gaze falling on Fang Xuan with great appreciation.
"Two laws—one of destruction and one of space—and utilized with such proficiency. This is not the level a newly awakened demonic beast should have."
Fang Xuan's heart tightened; he was already prepared for a desperate struggle.
As expected, the battle just now had exposed him.
He hadn't wanted to use the laws of space, but that beast had been too crazed; he would have died if he hadn't used them.
Now, things were troublesome.
Lu Zheng seemed to perceive his wariness and smiled while waving a hand. "Don't be nervous. I mean no harm. On the contrary, I am here to offer you an opportunity."
He took a step forward, his tone becoming serious.
"Are you willing to join my holy land?"
Fang Xuan was slightly taken avoid.
Joined a holy land?
He remembered what his senior sister had told him before: once in the Upper Realm, the primary goal was to join a holy land.
Rogue immortals had no resources and no backing; they wouldn't survive long in this world where the strong devoured the weak.
And now, someone was proactively offering him a place?
Seeing that he seemed interested, Lu Zheng quickly continued.
"My holy land is called the Tianxu Holy Land, ranked within the Third Heaven. Although it isn't the absolute peak, it possesses all the resources and cultivation methods one could need. If you join, I can personally take you as my disciple and teach you everything I know."
He paused before adding, "Right now, you are treated as a demonic beast, trapped in this beast colosseum in the Nine Heavens, fighting for your life every day with no future. But as long as you nod, I will take you away from here immediately and give you a legitimate identity so you can cultivate in peace."
Fang Xuan looked at him, remaining silent for a while.
Then he spoke, his voice very calm.
"I have only one condition."
Lu Zheng raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"
"I want an artifact capable of finding a person."
When Fang Xuan said this, his gaze never left Lu Zheng's face.
He needed to find his senior sister.
However, he wasn't sure if anyone would recognize her or act against her.
Therefore, he couldn't ask them to help him search; he had to find her himself.
Lu Zheng looked at him, a flash of surprise crossing his eyes.
But he did not pry, simply nodding his head.
"Very well."
He raised his hand and retrieved a palm-sized jade disc from the void, handing it to Fang Xuan.
"This is called a tracking disc. After binding it with a drop of blood, as long as you focus on the person's name and appearance in your mind, it will guide you in their direction."
"However, there is a distance limit. If the gap is too vast, it can only sense a general direction."
Fang Xuan took the jade disc and looked down at it.
It was an exquisite artifact, covered in complex spirit patterns.
He tucked the jade disc away and looked at Lu Zheng.
"Thank you."
Lu Zheng smiled and pulled a few more items from his sleeve, casually tossing them to him.
"Consider these as meeting gifts."
Fang Xuan caught them and looked.
An inner armor that felt cool to the touch with a faint shimmering light, and a jade pendant engraved with dense defensive talismans.
They were all... dao-grade defensive gear.
Fang Xuan: "..."
This Immortal Venerable was quite generous.
Watching him accept the items, Lu Zheng was already blooming with joy internally.
Hahaha.
He had just secured another supreme genius for his holy land.
Two laws!
And one was the heaven-grade rank 4 laws of space!
This kind of talent would be a prize for any holy land to fight over. Now, he had actually stumbled upon him in this remote corner of the Nine Heavens.
The Tianxu holy land had hope for its rise!
He worked hard to suppress the wild joy in his heart, maintaining his calm and ethereal appearance as a master.
"Let's go," he said. "I will take you away from here."
...
At the same time.
Inside the prison of the beast colosseum.
A man who looked like a manager was standing at the door of Fang Xuan's cell.
Behind him were two servants carrying a stretcher.
"Someone has come to buy that demon," the manager said to the guard. "The one named Fang Xuan."
The guard had been dozing off; hearing this, he lazily opened his eyelids.
"Oh, that one."
He let out a yawn.
"He just died."
The manager froze. "Died?"
"Yeah." The guard pointed inside the cell. "The body was just hauled away. Look, it's empty."
The manager leaned in to take a look.
It was indeed empty.
There was only a pool of blood in the corner and some torn strips of cloth.
"How did he die?" he asked with a frown.
The guard shrugged. "Who knows? Probably his injuries were too heavy. He killed a giant demon in the last match and was beaten half to death himself. He stopped breathing as soon as he got back."
The manager remained silent for a few seconds.
Then he turned to the two servants and said, "Let's go. Tell the buyer there's no more stock."
Rate on N.U.
