Chapter 25: Fangyang Star

At Tongzhou Hall, the eighteen peak masters gathered. The hall master, Yun Zhouzi, arrived without being summoned and announced three orders.
The eighteen peak masters then returned to their respective refining peaks.
Zhen Nantian, upon returning to Juehuo Peak, did not go to his own peak master’s pavilion but flew straight to Tingfeng Residence to find the Fire Venerable.
“Fire Venerable, I’m here!” Zhen Nantian barged in again, shouting loudly.
Zhen Nantian had already treated Tingfeng Residence as his own home, never bothering to seek the Fire Venerable’s permission and simply barging in.
At that moment, the Fire Venerable was mastering the secrets of the Fire Art.
There were three types of the Fire Art: the Warmth Art, the Ascension Art, and the Explosion Art. Mastering one of them made one a lower-tier Human Soul Immortal; mastering two made one a mid-tier Human Soul Immortal; mastering all three made one an upper-tier Human Soul Immortal.
The Fire Venerable had reached the level of a six-star Human Soul Immortal and was now striving to become a lower-tier Human Soul Immortal, currently mastering the Warmth Art.
Zhen Nantian’s shout naturally awakened the Fire Venerable.
The Fire Venerable opened his eyes, which glowed with raging flames, showing great anger.
Upon seeing the Fire Venerable’s eyes, Zhen Nantian, despite being an upper-tier Human Soul Immortal, was so frightened that he instinctively took a step back, feeling uneasy for a while.
“Fatty, get out of here,” the Fire Venerable said indifferently, the flames in his eyes fading to calmness.
Hearing this, Zhen Nantian’s heart pounded wildly, filled with various uncomfortable emotions, but his body had already flown away from Tingfeng Residence.
It wasn’t until he was far away from Tingfeng Residence that Zhen Nantian regained his senses, struggling to understand his own actions.
“I’m the peak master of Juehuo Peak. This Fire Venerable is just a disciple of Juehuo Peak. Why did I obey his orders?” Zhen Nantian thought irritably.
Strangely enough, though filled with anger, Zhen Nantian kept smiling and didn’t even think of punishing the Fire Venerable.
“Fire Venerable, may I come in?” Zhen Nantian calmed down and called out with a smile.
Only then did the Fire Venerable reply, “Come in.”
Zhen Nantian responded with an “Oh” and flew back into Tingfeng Residence, approaching the Fire Venerable with an apologetic expression.
“Fire Venerable, the eighteen of us peak masters just had a meeting. The hall master came in person and announced three orders. One of them concerns you, so I came here especially to tell you,” Zhen Nantian said with a smile.
The Array Pre-setting Method was one invented by the Fire Venerable.

Fire Lord smiled as he looked at Zhen Nantian, letting out a light chuckle before saying directly, “Fat guy, I know even without you telling me—it’s about the array preset method at the Human Soul Immortal level, right? Haven’t I already told you? Just use Ink Cloud Crystals instead of Yuan Copper Ore, and the array can be changed to the Human Soul Immortal level.”

Zhen Nantian relaxed, his face once again filled with a smile, and he said, “Fire Lord, I still need to get your approval before I can report this to the Hall Master.”

As soon as he said this, Zhen Nantian’s heart suddenly trembled violently, as if struck by lightning.

“In the Immortal Realm, strength reigns supreme. I am an upper-tier Human Soul Immortal, while this Fire Lord is only a six-star Human Soul Immortal. Why should I curry favor with him?”

“I am the peak master, and he is just a disciple. Why should I cater to him?”

“Is this still me, Zhen Nantian? How can I grovel before a disciple who is weaker both in strength and status than me? Have I developed some kind of self-harm tendency now?”

Various thoughts flashed through Zhen Nantian’s mind rapidly, leaving him unsure of who he was anymore.

However, another voice in his heart said, “Fire Lord, this person is truly mysterious. Every time I see him, it feels like he’s the ruler of this world. Although his current cultivation level isn’t high, the way he looks at everything seems so calm, dismissive, and composed.”

Zhen Nantian’s mind was in chaos.

After hearing Zhen Nantian’s words, Fire Lord waited for a while until his expression settled down before smiling and saying, “Fat guy, good attitude. You know to report to me. I agree. You can now submit the array preset method at the Human Soul Immortal level to the Hall Master.”

Upon hearing this, Zhen Nantian’s face turned grim. From Fire Lord’s tone, it seemed that Fire Lord was now the peak master of Extreme Fire Peak, while he himself had become a disciple.

Yet, Zhen Nantian didn’t dare to argue. After shaking his head a few times, he said with a smile, “I understand.”

Fire Lord suddenly laughed. Seeing Zhen Nantian’s belly trembling again, he said directly, “Fat guy, if I’m not wrong, the Hall Master will definitely agree to expand Tongzhou Hall’s influence to other planets. Great! Fat guy, you must recommend yourself to go to other planets and establish Tongzhou Hall’s bases. I’ll go with you to those planets to take a look.”

Hearing this, Zhen Nantian was shocked once more and quickly replied, “Fire Lord, you’re truly prescient. But why do we have to go to other planets to establish bases? It’s so good here at Extreme Fire Peak—stably refining artifacts and earning points.”

Obviously, at this time, Zhen Nantian had earned a great deal of wealth by taking on all the Human Soul Immortal weapon-refining tasks, and he was somewhat reluctant to give up his current status.
Fire Venerable raised his eyebrows, his face showing anger, and shouted, “Fatty, is that all you can achieve? Don’t you know that true value lies in seeking it in danger? And are you content to stay at the Human Soul Immortal level forever? Don’t you want to seize an opportunity to break through to the Earth Immortal level?”
His words were harsh and merciless.
Zhen Nantian widened his eyes in shock, looking at Fire Venerable with a tumultuous heart.
“Fire Venerable, really going to other planets…” Zhen Nantian spoke hesitantly, then, seeing Fire Venerable’s sharp gaze, he immediately changed his tone: “Okay, I’ll recommend myself to the Hall Master. I want to help Tongzhou Hall expand its influence on other planets.”
Hearing this, Fire Venerable smiled faintly at Zhen Nantian, his eyes filled with approval.
Of course, Fire Venerable himself also had his own plans for going to other planets—he wanted to join Qu Yi’s true form and his other avatars there to venture together.
Of course, Zhen Nantian had no idea about this reason.
※※※
Zhu Family Headquarters, Zhu Xing Hall.
Just now, Zhu Li, the guardian deity of the Zhu family and their ancestral ancestor, spoke up, instantly intimidating the fifty people in the inner courtyard of the Zhu family.
“The ancestor has spoken. Those who go to the four planets must strengthen the Zhu family’s power; otherwise, death awaits them.”
“This time, since the ancestor has spoken personally, it’s an opportunity for all of us in the inner courtyard. If we can strengthen the Zhu family’s power on those four planets, we will surely receive the ancestor’s rewards.”
“The ancestor has given orders. I must fulfill them—for the ancestor, for the Zhu family, and for myself. I must develop the Zhu family’s power on those four planets.”
In moments, the fifty people in the inner courtyard were filled with thoughts.
Zhu Li had made it clear that if any group of ten failed to strengthen the Zhu family’s power, they would all have to commit suicide. But everyone also knew that if they truly succeeded in strengthening the Zhu family’s power on those four planets, they would also gain Zhu Li’s attention, and their status within the family would rise significantly.
There were difficulties, but there were also opportunities.
After speaking, Zhu Li disappeared immediately.
Clan Head Zhu Han raised his hand, signaling everyone to sit down again, then said with a smile, “The ancestor has given orders. We must complete the tasks he has assigned. There is no way back.”
“Yes, Clan Head,” replied the fifty people in the inner courtyard excitedly.
Immediately afterward, Zhu Han arbitrarily divided them into four groups, with ten people in each group.

Zhu Bao, Zhu Ding, and Zhu Ping, being the weakest among the fifty people in the inner courtyard, were also assigned to four planets to complete tasks, but they were placed in three different groups and were no longer together. Zhu Bao’s group consisted of ten people: Zhu Yu, Zhu Jun, Zhu Qing, Zhu Ming, Zhu Yuan, Zhu Long, Zhu Shun, Zhu Qiao, Zhu Xiao, and Zhu Bao himself. Among them, Zhu Yu, Zhu Jun, Zhu Qing, Zhu Ming, and Zhu Yuan were all Upper Rank Soul Immortals, while Zhu Long, Zhu Shun, Zhu Qiao, Zhu Xiao, and Zhu Bao were all Middle Rank Soul Immortals. The group leader was Zhu Yu. The planet assigned to this group of ten was Fangyang Star. After Clan Head Zhu Han announced the group assignments, he dismissed the assembly, asking each group leader to take their nine members to discuss how to strengthen the Zhu family’s presence on various planets and expand their influence there. Zhu Yu led Zhu Bao and the other nine to a side hall in the Zhu Xing Hall, where they sat down one after another. “Everyone, our group is going to Fangyang Star. I hope we can work together to strengthen the power of our Zhu family. Previously, those of us who established a foothold on Fangyang Star had to be cautious due to the existing forces there, so we only sent people at the Soul Immortal level. This time, with us ten Soul Immortals going there, it will surely draw the attention of the existing forces, who will try to cause trouble. I hope we can cooperate sincerely to expand our family’s influence,” Zhu Yu said calmly. “Group leader, we understand,” replied Zhu Bao and the other nine with solemn expressions. Hearing this, Zhu Yu smiled faintly and continued, “Don’t worry. The existing forces on Fangyang Star won’t dare to be too aggressive. As long as we act in an orderly manner, it’s impossible for them to drive us away. Moreover, let me tell you that if those forces send Earth Immortals, our ancestor Zhu Li will also step in.” Upon hearing this, the nine people’s eyes lit up, their expressions turning hopeful, as if having ancestor Zhu Li would solve all their difficulties. “That’s great!” they exclaimed. Zhu Yu smiled lightly, then stood up and said solemnly, “In five days, we’ll go to Yanhua City and use the spatial teleportation array to reach Fangyang Star.” “Yes,” they replied immediately. After the group dispersed, Zhu Bao returned to his Security Pavilion. As soon as he entered the room and set up the Virtual Spirit Restriction, Qu Yi came out of the Dimensional Sphere. “Zhu Bao, Fangyang Star—I’ll go with you,” Qu Yi said with a smile.

Zhu Bao calmly watched Qu Yi, but his mind was in turmoil. He had no idea what Qu Yi wanted to do on Fangyang Star, nor did he know how Qu Yi would treat the Zhu family in the future.