Chapter 21: Chapter 21 — Revenge Never Waits Overnight

Chapter 21 — Revenge Never Waits Overnight

Dressed in his法衣 (sect robe), carrying the Demon-Slaying Sword and five talisman seals, Fang Han stepped out, brimming with confidence.

After twenty days of relentless cultivation—disregarding life and death, ignoring success and failure, enduring torment like being cut by a thousand blades day and night—he had finally refined every last trace of the Nine-Aperture Golden Core’s medicinal power.

Beneath his skin, a thick, dense membrane had formed.

His stamina had skyrocketed.
His courage and ferocity had become overwhelming.

He had reached the Eighth Layer of the Physical Body Realm — Divine Bravery.

Reaching the eighth layer marked another extreme of the physical body. The most obvious sign was the thick flesh-membrane growing beneath the skin, as tough as oxhide, granting terrifying resistance to blows.

Otherwise, how could the realm be called “Divine Bravery”?

Even more frightening—among cultivators at the same Divine Bravery level, the membrane within Fang Han’s body was _twice as thick_.

In other words, his physique, durability, and endurance far surpassed others of the same realm.

All of this came from the Nine-Aperture Golden Core.

That core had been refined by the demonic emperor Huangquan the Great, a supreme foundation-strengthening pill capable of pushing a person straight into the Divine Ability Realm. Fang Han’s base had been too weak for that—but instead, it gave him a foundation deeper and stronger than anyone else’s.

The stronger the foundation, the greater the chance of stepping into the Divine Ability Realm.

And once divine abilities were achieved, a powerful physical body meant stronger mana—and a longer life.

Today, he would have his revenge.

He would repay the humiliation of being beaten until blood sprayed by Prince Bao.

A gentleman may wait ten years for revenge.
A villain takes revenge overnight.

Fang Han was no gentleman.

Born lowly, he was clearly a “villain”—and when he held a grudge, he wanted repayment _immediately_. Waiting even one night was unbearable. He had already endured twenty days; the resentment in his heart was like a flood that even the waters of the Five Lakes and Four Seas could not wash away.

With strides like a roaming dragon and charging tiger, Fang Han arrived at Immortal Assembly Court.

Immortal Assembly Court was where all Yuhua Sect disciples gathered. The grounds were vast—a mighty plaza ten miles across, filled with towering dragon-carved pillars wreathed in white clouds and soft celestial winds.

The scene resembled an assembly of immortals, far grander than even the imperial court of the Great Li Dynasty—by tenfold or more.

Normally, the plaza was silent and empty.

Today, it was roaring with voices.

Disciples in sect robes filled every corner.

Fang Han weaved through the crowd, searching for Princess Hongyi and Liu Kang.

Among hundreds of thousands of disciples, these were the only two he truly knew. In the coming missions, survival depended on unity—standing alone meant certain loss.

“Fang Han—over here.”

A soft voice called out.

He turned and saw Princess Hongyi standing beneath a carved pillar, beckoning him over.

He pushed through the crowd. “Where are Prince Bao and the Great Virtue princes?”

“Liu Kang’s gone to contact them,”
Hongyi replied. “Too many people right now—we’ll talk after the elders speak.”

She looked Fang Han up and down, eyes narrowing slightly.

“You’ve broken through again. That’s impossible. No matter how talented someone is, they can’t advance realms in just twenty days. What pill did you eat? That couldn’t have been a one-horned viper gall—I’d say it was something like an Yin-Yang Longevity Pill.”

Her gaze was razor-sharp—unsurprising, given her past as an elite assassin.

Fang Han coughed awkwardly.

He had used the same excuse on Fang Qingxue, but Hongyi was clearly harder to fool.

“Forget it. Everyone has secrets,”
she waved her hand dismissively.

Indeed—every outer disciple came from powerful families. Who didn’t have secrets?

Prince Bao, for example—using martial arts from Returning Immortal Island, one of the Ten Immortal Sects, was far more than “the dynasty collected many techniques.”

Hongyi herself had secrets.

Fang Han now understood: unless one reached the Divine Ability Realm, Yuhua Sect rarely investigated disciples’ private affairs.

True disciples were the sect’s core.

Shhhh!

Suddenly, a terrifying sword howl tore through the sky, slicing the white clouds apart.

Five Daoists appeared, descending slowly through the heavens, each riding radiant霞光 (cloud-light). Their bodies glowed brilliantly, qi soaring to the stars.

They were far more majestic than disciples riding cranes—true immortals of the heavens.

“Elders from the Yuhua Heavenly Palace,”
Hongyi murmured, eyes filled with awe.

The five elders landed upon the Immortal Platform, instantly silencing the plaza.

The Immortal Platform stood eighteen zhang tall, like a mountain peak—a place where elders issued commands to the sect.

One elder in a purple Daoist robe spoke, lightning flickering around him, every word thunderous:

“Blue Moon Kingdom in the Vast Sea Desert has suffered attacks by sand bandits—among them remnants of underground demons and plots by demonic and妖 (demonic-beast) sects. This mission has two purposes: to resolve the crisis, and to temper you through battle.”

“Outer disciples who distinguish themselves may earn promotion to inner disciples.”

“Inner disciples who advance further—or who slay the instigators: Heavenly Wolf Minor Immortal Wang Molin, Pure Fox Demoness, or Crimson Powder Prince—will be rewarded with an Yin-Yang Longevity Pill!”

Gasps exploded across the crowd.

Another elder added coldly, “Those who feel unprepared may remain behind.”

“Cultivation is a path of thorns. Only by facing life and death can one awaken true divine potential. Choose your own path.”

With that, the elders rose into the sky and vanished.

The plaza erupted.

“An Yin-Yang Longevity Pill!”

“Only six were ever refined by the Sect Master—each worth a sixty-year lifespan and capable of aiding entry into the Divine Ability Realm!”

“These demon heirs are doomed—Inner Disciples on the Mountain-River Ranking will surely act!”

Hongyi shook her head with a bitter smile. “Easy to say, impossible to do. Those people are elite demon disciples—cunning, well-equipped. More likely to kill than be killed.”

“Who are they?”
Fang Han asked.

“The Great Virtue princes will know,”
Hongyi replied. “With such rewards, even top inner disciples will move.”

“What’s the Mountain-River Ranking?”

“The top ten inner disciples. Each holds powerful spirit or even treasure-grade artifacts. Once they break through, they become true disciples instantly.”

The plaza began to disperse—groups forming, planning the desert journey.

Blue Moon Kingdom lay over ten thousand miles away.

Only the weakest would travel by horse.

The capable would arrive in days.

Those riding cranes—two or three days.

“You’re here!”
Liu Kang approached hurriedly. “The Great Virtue group is ready—and they’ve recruited strong allies.”

“Let’s go.”

Fang Han followed.

In a refined courtyard outside Immortal Assembly Court, he saw the Great Virtue princes—and Prince Bao.

“Good—you’ve arrived,”
Prince Bao said casually. “I have some errands for you.”

“Errands?”
Fang Han laughed loudly.

“Prince Bao—let’s settle our business first.”