The Sacred Leaves Family's Wishes for Peace

Fang Luo, having returned from rebirth, carried within his dantian a powerful treasure from his past life—a green broken sword. From what Fang Luo could tell, in its complete form, it was at least an Imperial Weapon, possibly even stronger.

Whenever he engaged in life-or-death combat, Fang Luo would unleash this sword at the final moment as his ultimate trump card—delivering a fatal strike.

Let alone Tie Zhen, who was at Ninth Stage Great Saint—even an entry-level Saint King would fall if they failed to dodge in time.

Everything had happened too suddenly. No one present could believe it. Tie Zhen, a Ninth Stage Great Saint who had just been evenly matched with Fang Luo, had been killed in an instant.

How was this reasonable?

Many people who had placed bets on Tie Zhen were still silently cheering him on, hoping he'd earn them a safety payout.

And then—he was just gone.

Some couldn't take it and immediately started shouting.

"How could this happen?!"

"Have I visited the brothels too many times? Am I hallucinating? How did a Seventh Stage kill a Ninth Stage?!"

"Impossible! This is absolutely impossible! This must've been rigged—those bastards colluded with the house to rip us off!"

"Aaaaah! My 100 top-grade spirit stones!!!"

"Who the hell is this Fang Luo, to have that kind of power?"

"After this fight, Fang Luo's name is definitely going to spread throughout Seven Kings City."

Everyone knew that there were geniuses capable of killing opponents two cultivation stages above them—but across the entire Tianyuan Realm, even during great era upheavals, only a few such figures ever emerged.

And almost all of them came from the twenty hegemonic factions. A mysterious nobody like Fang Luo? That was nearly unheard of.

And yet, here they were—witnessing it.

If Tie Zhen hadn't actually died on the spot, some would have suspected he threw the match for money.

The result left many of the "safe bet" gamblers wailing in misery, while a few daring souls who had bet on Fang Luo were grinning from ear to ear—the odds had been so skewed that they made a fortune.

"Let's go."

The Xie brothers froze for a moment when they saw the outcome. Then, snapping out of it, they turned and left without hesitation.

Just a few breaths earlier, they'd still believed Tie Zhen would win. Who could've imagined such a sudden and total reversal?

Now that Tie Zhen had lost, they—who were much weaker—had no chance of avenging him. It was better to leave now.

If Fang Luo and his group noticed them and bore a grudge, they'd have to flee Seven Kings City overnight.

Fang Luo silently took Tie Zhen's storage ring and, together with Fang Chen and Fang Qiufeng, left the arena without a word.

Fang Chen had already collected his winnings from the bet—they'd made a tidy profit, enough to cover several months of grotto-heaven rent.

Fang Qiufeng muttered, "After this fight, I doubt anyone will come looking for trouble with us for a while."

Fang Luo nodded.

Among the seventy-two Human-grade grotto-heavens, there were indeed some differences in quality. Most of them were occupied by Ninth Stage Great Saints.

Now that Fang Luo had proven he could defeat a Ninth Stage, anyone confident enough to challenge him would likely aim higher and go for a better grotto-heaven.

So for now, no one was likely to come knocking.

"Not bad."

Just as they were leaving, a calm voice rang out. Fang Luo turned his head.

The speaker was a young man dressed in luxurious robes with a refined air. His gaze was indifferent, his chin slightly raised. A golden sword hung at his waist, and two attendants followed closely behind—clearly a noble son from a wealthy and powerful clan.

His cultivation was also not weak—at the very least, it was higher than Fang Luo's group.

Fang Luo met his gaze briefly, then turned and continued walking toward Yellow Maple Valley.

Once they were farther away, Fang Qiufeng asked curiously, "Who was that guy? He gave off a dangerous feeling."

Very few peers could make Fang Qiufeng feel genuinely threatened.

Fang Luo answered, "That was Pei Haoran, Divine Son of the Pei Clan—one of the Four Ancient Clans under the twenty hegemonic powers of the Tianyuan Realm."

In his previous life, Fang Luo had seen Pei Haoran once from afar. At the time, Fang Luo had merely been part of the crowd—only able to watch from a distance as Pei Haoran, already an Emperor, soared above them.

But in this life, Fang Luo now had the qualifications to stand toe-to-toe with him.

Fang Chen and Fang Qiufeng exchanged glances, both visibly shocked.

They hadn't expected to run into a Divine Son from one of the Ancient Clans right here in Seven Kings City.

Fang Chen muttered, "He's probably here for the stone gambling convention."

Fang Luo replied, "Not just the gambling. The Icefire Secret Realm is about to open too. There's a lot of fortune to be had in there. That's likely his real target. And with that, many other elite geniuses from major powers will come as well."

Fang Chen's eyes widened. "Wait, the Icefire Secret Realm is opening?"

"Yes."

Back when they were at the True Dragon Academy, they had already heard rumors about this realm.

It was an extremely strange place: underground, it was blistering hot—like soaking in lava; above ground, it was freezing cold, like standing atop a glacier.

Only Saint-level cultivators could enter. Below that level, the heat and cold alone would be fatal—even with defensive true essence.

Despite the extreme climate, the secret realm was home to many rare fire- and ice-element spiritual herbs and treasures.

According to legend, deep inside the realm lay powerful treasures of fire and ice—the very source of the realm's unique environment.

The Icefire Secret Realm was under the control of Seven Kings City and only opened once every thousand years. Every time it did, Saint-level experts from across the Tianyuan Realm would flock to it, hoping to claim its secrets.

Fang Qiufeng suddenly asked, "If that's the case, does that mean Brother Muge and Sister Ying might show up too?"

Fang Chen's eyes lit up at the thought—it had been a long time since they'd seen the two of them. The last time they tried to visit, they were being hunted by Xiang Zhantian and couldn't make the trip.

At the mention of their names, a rare smile crossed Fang Luo's face.

"There's a chance," he said. "But whether they come depends on their sects."

Unlike the usual heirs of powerful factions, Fang Mu Ge and Fang Ying were something else entirely. Their excellence was beyond comprehension—they were the only true Immortal Bodies ever seen in the Tianyuan Realm.

Because of this, the Xuantian Sacred Sect and the Ethereal Immortal Palace didn't dare let them roam freely, fearing other forces might try to eliminate them.

That's why Fang Mu Ge and Fang Ying weren't even allowed to return home, let alone travel across continents at will.

Aside from Fang Ting, who occasionally went to visit them, most people hadn't seen them in a long time—naturally, they missed them deeply.