Inside Bitan Blessed Land, the cold air was biting, and icy mist surged.
Bai Ning Bing stood in the Void Realm, her sleeves fluttering, as Ice and Snow Path dao marks circulated around her; she was a genuine rank six Ice and Snow Path Gu Immortal, not a cultivation level brought by a phantom aperture.
Ever since Old Man Yan Shi caught a glimpse of the Immortal Ascension phenomenon of Yuan Fang's second aperture in the Southern Border, he had concluded that the great battle between righteous and demonic paths on Yi Tian Mountain would surely have earth-shattering variables.
Thus, Shadow Sect took the initiative to help Bai Ning Bing undergo her Immortal Ascension tribulation, becoming an immortal in one leap.
She was originally a Northern Darkness Ice Soul Body; after becoming an immortal, her battle strength advanced by leaps and bounds, making her a rare match for anyone in the same rank.
Upon her ascension, she possessed two rank six immortal gu—her vital Ice and Snow Path immortal gu "Ice Blade," and the Soul Path immortal gu "Ice Soul," which complemented each other perfectly.
This trip to Bitan Blessed Land was the first time Shadow Sect and Bai Ning Bing collaborated, with a clear objective.
Shadow Sect's goal was neither Fang Cun Mountain nor ordinary Heaven And Earth Treasures; they aimed directly for that Rank Seven immortal gu house—mortal grass house.
Bai Ning Bing's gaze landed on Fang Yuan, a flicker of complex and indiscernible emotion crossing her eyes before being instantly replaced by Battle Intent, her voice as cold as crushed ice:
"Fang Yuan, I hope you have been well."
Hearing this, the Gu Immortals of Shadow Sect all turned to look at Fang Yuan, their expressions shifting slightly.
Several people simultaneously activated investigative Killer Moves, with several beams of light sweeping across various parts of the blessed land. A moment later, a Gu Immortal reported to Old Man Yan Shi with a solemn expression and a bow:
"Lord Vice Envoy, mortal grass house... is nowhere to be found."
The Rank Seven Wisdom Path Gu Immortal Old Man Yan Shi remained calm, without a hint of panic. His deep gaze locked onto Yuan Fang, his tone flat but carrying an unquestionable pressure:
"Since Immortal Friend has already met our sect's Vice Envoy Qin, you should know the stakes. Hand over mortal grass house, and our sect will surely reward you handsomely; we will not treat you poorly."
Through Qin Bai Sheng's intelligence and his own deductions, Old Man Yan Shi had already deciphered seventy to eighty percent of Yuan Fang's group's background.
According to his speculations:
Yuan Fang and Fang Yuan both cultivated Human Path and each possessed two immortal apertures; Fang Yuan's first immortal aperture was either Strength or Human Path, while his second immortal aperture was definitely Strength Path;
Yuan Fang was exactly the opposite; his first immortal aperture might be Human Path, and his second was Sword Path, with dao marks so deep they rivaled a Rank Seven Gu Immortal.
The Gu Yue Clan's foundation was even more startling, with no fewer than twenty immortal gu in their possession.
Great White Cloud Life's Man as Before, Fang Yuan's Myriad Self Killer Move, and Yuan Fang's Sword Path attainment were even more unfathomable, enough to slay an ordinary rank six with a single sword strike.
After several calculations, Old Man Yan Shi understood clearly:
Clashing head-on with Yuan Fang's group at this moment would be more trouble than it was worth; the best strategy was peaceful negotiation, seeking only mortal grass house while leaving the resources inside untouched.
Nearby, Eternal Ordinary watched coldly, instantly seeing through the subtle situation between the two parties.
He immediately spoke with eloquence, doing his utmost to sow discord and manipulate them, analyzing the pros and cons while using both lures and threats, attempting to tear a rift between Shadow Sect and Yuan Fang to profit from the chaos.
His schemes were brilliant, and every word struck a nerve, making both Yuan Fang and Fang Yuan feel a slight stir in their hearts.
But how could Old Man Yan Shi allow him to disrupt the situation at will?
He immediately struck out boldly, surging with vast red date immortal essence. An invisible pressure enveloped the area as he launched several Killer Moves at Eternal Ordinary, declaring with absolute strength:
Shadow Sect had the power to crush everyone present.
Yuan Fang's heart tightened as he suppressed his greed. After weighing the pros and cons, he finally nodded and agreed to cooperate with Old Man Yan Shi.
Yuan Fang chuckled, his tone composed: "mortal grass house is of little use to me; there is no harm in giving it to your noble sect. I only hope that once your sect obtains it, it will be like adding wings to a tiger."
Old Man Yan Shi understood that no one acts without profit; among Gu Immortals, interactions are driven solely by interest.
He raised his hand and took out three Legacies, sending out three Information Path mortal Gu to Yuan Fang and Fang Yuan respectively:
"These three Legacies belong to the Wisdom, Strength, and Sword paths; Immortal Friend may choose for yourself."
All three Legacies had extraordinary origins:
The Wisdom Path one was Old Man Yan Shi's own mantle; the Strength Path one originated from a Northern Plains Rank Seven Strength Path Gu Immortal true inheritance; and the Sword Path one was a portion of the rank six Legacy of the Central Continent sword immortal Thin Green.
Each one contained three immortal gu and several Immortal Path Killer Moves, making them priceless.
Fang Yuan's gaze immediately landed on the Sword Path Legacy; he already possessed the Sword Path Blessed Land, and his Sword Path attainment was at its peak.
Although Thin Green's was a partial Legacy, Thin Green was a Sword Path Pseudo-Immortal Venerable! He might even have been a Sword Path Quasi-Supreme Grandmaster or Supreme Grandmaster, far beyond what other Legacies could compare to.
After a brief thought, he selected the Sword Path Legacy, which included three rank six immortal gu: Sword Eye, Wandering Sword, and Sword Shadow.
Furthermore, there was Sword Immortal True Meaning that could enhance Sword Path attainment, along with four Immortal Path Killer Moves: Heroic Sword Gaze, Sword Like a Wandering Dragon, Roaming Sword Flying Shadow, and Frost Sword of the Wind.
The moment Fang Yuan absorbed the true meaning, his Sword Path Bottleneck shattered, and his Realm climbed to a new peak, directly entering the Great Grandmaster Realm.
Just as the transaction concluded, Bitan Blessed Land suddenly shook violently. Northern Plains Loose Cultivators and demonic path Gu Immortals flooded in like a tide, their battle cries shaking the heavens.
Shadow Sect did not wish to reveal their movements, so Old Man Yan Shi immediately led his followers to withdraw.
Eternal Ordinary was furious; mortal grass house had been traded in public, and the immortal gu house had changed hands—there was no greater humiliation.
But after his earlier struggle, his immortal essence was nearing depletion, and the Dong Fang Yu Liang within him was still putting up a desperate resistance, dragging down his battle strength. Looking at the foundation of Yuan Fang's group, he knew he was no match for them.
He gritted his teeth secretly, deciding to flee immediately once the blessed land was breached. As for the two variant human Gu Immortals, they were merely pawns to be discarded for distraction.
But before that, Eternal Ordinary still had things to do. A cold sneer appeared on his face as he said proudly:
"Just a group of rank six ants; no matter how many there are, they can hardly shake the heavenly might of a Rank Seven."
Little Person Gu Immortal and Jiang Yu also felt it made sense and immediately charged forward. Eternal Ordinary stayed behind, secretly refining Rank Seven immortal essence stones to quickly replenish three beads of red date immortal essence.
The battle instantly reached a fever pitch, with two Rank Sevens on Eternal Ordinary's side. Although they killed several Gu Yue Gu Immortals, Great White Cloud Life's Man as Before immortal gu was simply too Heaven-Defying; those on the brink of death were healed in an instant, and Yuan Fang's side fought with increasing courage.
In contrast, Little Person Gu Immortal and Jiang Yu were already covered in wounds; without healing immortal gu to support them, their injuries continued to worsen, and they gradually fell into a disadvantage.
Seeing the time was right, Yuan Fang stopped holding back and secretly activated a Human Path Killer Move—Flower Exchange, Wood Grafting.
This move contained the profundities of Phantom Path; it was not Thievery Path but surpassed it, using low-rank Gu worms to exchange for high-rank immortal gu across ranks—Rank Five for rank six, Rank Four for Rank Five—though it could not affect Rank Seven immortal gu.
Using three Rank Five Blood Droplets, he silently exchanged all three rank six immortal gu from Little Person Gu Immortal, Jiang Yu, and Eternal Ordinary.
The three were completely unaware until they suddenly suffered a backlash while activating their Killer Moves. Only then did they realize their immortal gu had been stolen, their faces turning pale as they cried out in shock.
"My Moving Cloud Immortal Gu is gone!"
"Myriad Wood Immortal Gu! Where is my immortal gu?"
"Star Thought Immortal Gu! That is the core of Myriad Star Fireflies!"
Eternal Ordinary's mind was shaken. He immediately tried to detonate the Star Thought Immortal Gu, only to discover to his horror that the immortal gu had completely left his mental connection; he could not sense its existence at all.
What terrified him even more was that in just an instant, the three rank six immortal gu had been completely refined by Yuan Fang.
Even with his heaven-reaching schemes, he never imagined Yuan Fang would have such a Heaven-Defying method to instantly refine rank six immortal gu.
Little Person Gu Immortal and Jiang Yu were even more terrified, fearing their own Rank Seven immortal gu would be the next to be taken, and they began to contemplate retreat.
Eternal Ordinary calculated in an instant and saw through the reality of Flower Exchange, Wood Grafting, shouting sternly:
"This is a Space Path rank six Killer Move; it can only exchange rank six and below immortal gu, it is ineffective against our Rank Seven immortal gu! Do not panic!"
Hearing this, the heavy weight in their hearts was lifted, and their morale rallied slightly.
At that moment, the world shook even more violently. Pi Shui Han, Unfettered Scholar, and other Northern Plains Devil Heads charged into Bitan Blessed Land with overwhelming ferocity, intent on burning, killing, and looting.
Seeing this, Eternal Ordinary no longer hesitated. Using a trump card he had prepared long ago, his figure flashed as he charged straight out of the blessed land, placing layers of Restrictions behind him to completely seal it off.
"Eternal Ordinary! You traitor!" Jiang Yu's eyes went wide with rage as she cursed loudly, knowing she had been completely abandoned.
Little Person Gu Immortal's face was cold and grim. Looking at the furious Jiang Yu, he said in a deep voice:
"Anger is useless. The priority now is to find a way out. Although Eternal Ordinary is unrighteous, he did leave behind Fang Cun Mountain."
Before he finished speaking, a palm-sized mountain peak flew through the air and landed at Little Person Gu Immortal's feet; it was indeed the Heaven And Earth Secret Realm, Fang Cun Mountain.
Fang Yuan stepped forward slowly, his expression calm and unruffled as his gaze swept over the two:
"Hand over Fang Cun Mountain, and I can spare your lives."
"Arrogant!" Jiang Yu roared and charged, but was forcefully blocked by a golden light barrier from Great White Cloud Life.
Fang Yuan turned to look at Yuan Fang and the others, his tone indifferent:
"These two variant human Gu Immortals are for you. Eternal Ordinary, I will deal with him."
Before he finished speaking, Fang Yuan activated Fixed Immortal Travel. His figure vanished instantly, and in the next moment, he appeared outside Bitan Blessed Land.
Fang Yuan chased after the fleeing Eternal Ordinary.