The Sacred Leaves Family's Wishes for Peace

The Twin Gate was Fang Hao's greatest hidden trump card. Besides allowing him to travel freely between the Immortal Realm and the Tianyuan Realm, it had another miraculous use—escaping in critical moments.

Compared to talismans and command tokens, this was far superior. He could flee instantly from anywhere, even across realms. Even immortals might not be able to detect it—let alone Emperor-level experts.

The only issue was its importance. Unless absolutely necessary, Fang Hao couldn't afford to reveal or use it in front of others.

But now... it had come to that point.

After using the gate, Fang Hao deactivated his secret technique. The physical exhaustion wasn't too bad—it was the mental strain that wore him down.

"Given how this gate works, if I return, I'll be sent back to the exact spot I left—which means I'll end up right back in the grasp of that monstrous tree."

"Do I have to cultivate all the way to the Emperor Realm before I can return safely?"

That thought alone gave him a headache.

His Primordial Ancient Sacred Body had many of its restrictions lifted once he reached the Saint Realm, making breakthroughs far easier than before, without needing vast resources.

But the Saint Realm itself had three massive stages: True Saint, Great Saint, and Saint King. Even with his monstrous talent, reaching the Emperor Realm would take a long time.

The inability to bring back specialty goods from the Immortal Realm for profit was minor.

The real issue was: even if he reached the Emperor Realm and returned to destroy the tree and escape the ruin, he would still be trapped inside the Ancient Battlefield.

The Ancient Battlefield did hold endless opportunities, including remnants of ancient experts and powerful beasts. But beyond that, it was barren—nothing compared to the grandeur of the wider Immortal Realm.

Even if Fang Hao became an immortal, he'd be confined to traveling only between the Ancient Battlefield and the Fang Family in the Tianyuan Realm.

Unless he broke into an even higher realm—but who knew when that would be?

"Going back now is suicide. Waiting until I reach the Emperor Realm would at best let me leave the ruin, but I still couldn't leave the battlefield. And even then, I'd only be able to go to the Immortal Realm via the Ancient Battlefield…"

"What should I do?"

He had rushed into the ruin too quickly. Now the regret caught up to him. Partially, it was impulsiveness—and partially bad luck. If it had just been a Saint-level ruin, it wouldn't have been such a deathtrap.

But a ruin left behind by an Emperor-level expert... to a cultivator at the Spirit Fusion Realm, it wasn't an opportunity—it was a slaughterhouse.

Still, Fang Hao wasn't one to dwell on regret. He always focused on finding solutions.

After meditating and recovering, he spent a full day pacing and pondering in the courtyard—without success.

"Right, the patriarch is already at the Emperor Realm. Maybe he'll have an idea."

With a flicker of hope, Fang Hao got up and went to visit Fang Ting, the patriarch.

Fang Ting glanced at him.

"You look troubled. Facing a difficult problem?"

Fang Hao nodded.

"I read about a situation in a strong expert's notes... and I just can't figure it out."

(Of course, he wouldn't directly say it was his own experience. Best to use the same approach as before.)

Fang Ting lifted his teacup with interest.

"Let's hear it."

Fang Hao recounted everything that had happened in the ruin, carefully switching himself out for a fictional expert.

Naturally, Fang Ting saw through it—but didn't expose him. Instead, he analyzed the situation calmly.

"From what you described, I'd say the ruin's owner most likely isn't fully dead. He probably used a secret technique to plant that demonic tree—turning Heaven's Chosen into nourishment to recover his vitality and eventually resurrect himself."

Fang Ting had seen similar things before—like with the Wanshan Emperor.

That emperor had created intricate traps atop the tallest mountain of his inner world, poisoning over a hundred Saint Kings. He collected their lifetime cultivation to restore his divine soul, then planned to rebuild his body and live again.

So to him, Fang Hao's situation seemed identical—the tree was probably a resurrection array.

"Seriously?" Fang Hao looked dumbfounded.

Fang Ting sighed.

"The stronger a cultivator is, the more they fear death. If there's even a sliver of hope to extend life or reincarnate, they'll never give it up."

Even Emperor-level experts had limited lifespans. Injury, death—it still came for them eventually.

Fang Hao nodded deeply. He'd seen it himself.

After all, in any auction, the items that always sparked the fiercest bidding wars were longevity-extending pills and immortal herbs.

"So there's truly no way to deal with this kind of setup?" Fang Hao asked, eyes heavy.

(What a pity it would be if he could never return to the Immortal Realm...)

Fang Ting replied calmly:

"Actually, I do have an idea. If you ever encounter this again, it might help."

Fang Hao's eyes lit up.

"What is it?"

Raising a hand, Fang Ting took out a fist-sized red orb, pulsing with terrifying energy.

It contained the lifetime cultivation of over a hundred Saint Kings—left over from the Wanshan Emperor's soul-recovery method. He hadn't expected to find it—but he had.

Fang Hao stared at the orb, awestruck.

"What is this? The power inside is overwhelming. Just looking at it makes my soul tremble."

Fang Ting explained the Wanshan Emperor's case and the function of the orb.

"This holds the life essence and cultivation of over a hundred Saint Kings. If you detonate it, it can release a devastating burst of power."

"An alert and prepared Emperor-level expert might not be harmed. But if the person is already dead once, relying on long-term resurrection methods, it should be enough to destroy the setup."

"I see…" Fang Hao's eyes brightened. A glimmer of hope returned to his face.

(If this is really as strong as the patriarch says, it might just be enough to destroy that sky-piercing tree.)

Fang Ting handed him the orb.

"Take it. If you ever face a situation like that again, use this."

"But..."

Fang Hao hesitated. The item was too precious.

But Fang Ting didn't give him a choice. He casually tossed it into Fang Hao's arms.

"Hold on to it."

Fang Hao understood. The patriarch wasn't just helping him—the Fang Family needed the Immortal Realm too.

Over the years, Fang Hao's trips to the Immortal Realm had brought back treasures, allowing Wanbao Pavilion to open more branches and the clan to rapidly accumulate cultivation resources. The whole family benefited from it.

So as far as Fang Ting was concerned, this orb was a small price to pay.

Fang Hao, knowing the patriarch's character, no longer declined.

"Thank you, Patriarch."