Northern Plains, Lang Ya Blessed Land.
Lang Ya Earth Spirit reclined on an ebony lounge chair covered in snow-white fox fur, his fingertips carelessly tapping the armrest. The roof tiles of the Twelve Cloud Cities gleamed with a cold luster under the light of the blessed land.
Lang Ya Blessed Land had long since undergone a massive transformation. Not only had Twelve Cloud Cities been built on the former sites of the Twelve Cloud Pavilions, but several more cloud cities had been added. Each one corresponded to the residence of a Gu Immortal, showcasing the increasingly solid foundation of the Lang Ya Sect.
Furthermore, the Hairy People Gu Immortals within Lang Ya Blessed Land were required to perform external missions as training. Even the Hairy People Gu Masters deep within the blessed land had to battle one another to improve their combat experience.
"Guest Grand Elder." He looked up at Yuan Fang, who was seated below him, his tone carrying a hint of deliberate indifference.
"You want to borrow my heavenly origin treasure emperor lotus for a day to instantly produce over a hundred beads of white lychee immortal essence?"
Yuan Fang sat upright on a huanghuali wood chair, his fingertips gently stroking the wood armrest. Hearing this, he raised his eyes, his gaze calm and rippleless.
"Yes, Grand Elder."
Hearing that Yuan Fang had a request for him, the smile on Lang Ya Earth Spirit's face became a bit more genuine. He picked up a celadon teacup from the table, took a sip of warm tea, and said slowly:
"Guest Grand Elder, you haven't made even a bit of contribution to my Lang Ya Sect yet."
"You saw the Merit Board and Mission Board outside the Cloud City, right? Complete the mission to contact the Stone Men and Snowmen tribes of the Northern Ice Plain, and I can lend you the heavenly origin treasure emperor lotus to produce white lychee immortal essence for one day within the blessed land."
"But supreme grand elder," Yuan Fang frowned slightly, his tone carrying a hint of deliberate difficulty.
"I am of the Human Race. If I go to the territory of those Stone Men and Snowmen, won't I be swallowed alive or chopped into mincemeat to feed the dogs? This mission is too dangerous; let's change it."
"No, you must do this mission." The smile on Lang Ya Earth Spirit's face suddenly vanished, his tone becoming cold and blunt.
"It is precisely because you are a human, and not of my noble Great Hairy People race, that if you die, you die. I won't feel any heartache anyway."
Since he always spoke his mind anyway, he simply stopped pretending—the so-called 'not even acting anymore'—and said directly:
"If you complete this mission, I will lend you the heavenly origin treasure emperor lotus; if you die on the Northern Ice Plain, I won't lose anything."
"But your reward is far too low." Yuan Fang didn't yield an inch, his tone carrying a hint of calculation.
"Your heavenly origin treasure emperor lotus can produce so much white lychee immortal essence in a day, and lending it to me for one day costs you nothing, whereas I might lose my life for it."
Seeing that Yuan Fang refused to budge, Lang Ya Earth Spirit gnashed his teeth and took a step back: "Then I'll lend it to you for three days."
Yuan Fang still shook his head: "Not enough."
The two sides argued back and forth with sharp words until finally, Lang Ya Earth Spirit gritted his teeth and proposed: "I'll lend it to you for a week!"
Only then did Yuan Fang slowly nod: "Deal."
Lang Ya Earth Spirit was overjoyed. As long as Yuan Fang was willing to go to the Northern Ice Plain, those troublesome Stone Men and Snowmen missions would be handled.
He sighed with feigned regret and said:
"Sigh, if only you were a member of the noble Great Hairy People race. Guest Grand Elder, I have methods that can transform you into a Hairy Person, you..."
Before he could finish, Yuan Fang raised a hand to interrupt him, his tone indifferent and resolute:
"No need. I joined the Lang Ya Sect not for some 'noble Great Hairy People race' hegemony, but purely for profit. Besides, if I become a Hairy Person, I can't become a Venerable."
Lang Ya Earth Spirit choked, closing his mouth sullenly. But because he always spoke his mind, as soon as he closed his mouth, he started muttering again:
"You, a Venerable? Oh no, I said my inner thoughts out loud again. Damn it."
Yuan Fang was speechless.
Perhaps it was the arrangement of fate, but the variant Human Races had never produced a Venerable. Yet in just a few million years, the Human Race had seen the emergence of ten Great Venerables, shaking the world of the Gu World.
"By the way, supreme grand elder, do you know of 'Ghostly Presence' and 'Ghostly Presence'?" Yuan Fang suddenly asked, his tone carrying a bit of deeper meaning.
Hearing this, Lang Ya Earth Spirit put down his teacup, pondered for a moment, and said:
"If I remember correctly, 'Ghostly Concealment' and 'Ghostly Presence' are Killer Moves from the Dao Tian True Inheritance."
"'Ghostly Presence' seems to be a Killer Move targeting the soul; I'm not very clear on its specific effects."
"However, 'Ghostly Concealment' is truly formidable. It can shield against all deductions, emotions, and even..."
At this point, Lang Ya Earth Spirit's eyes revealed an undisguised longing:
"I heard that 'Ghostly Presence' can even shield against Heaven's Will, making grotto-heavens and blessed lands free of tribulations... If my Lang Ya Blessed Land had this Ghostly Concealment, how wonderful would that be..."
"Wait! Kid Yuan Fang, you haven't already obtained the inheritance for 'Ghostly Concealment' and 'Ghostly Presence', have you?"
Yuan Fang chuckled, neither confirming nor denying:
"Not yet. You should know that every time one inherits a Dao Tian True Inheritance, there will be clues for the next inheritance. I obtained clues for 'Ghostly Concealment' and specifically came to ask you."
"You actually got clues for the 'Ghostly Concealment' Killer Move!" Lang Ya Earth Spirit suddenly sprang up from his lounge chair, his eyes shining with a light of pleasant surprise.
"Kid Yuan Fang, you don't need to go to the Northern Ice Plain anymore!"
"I am now issuing a new mission: follow the clues, inherit the Dao Tian True Inheritance, and obtain 'Ghostly Concealment'. I can lend you the heavenly origin treasure emperor lotus for a month, and you can even take it out of the blessed land."
"I will also give you one... no! Two Rank Seven immortal gu, and make you the Second Grand Elder of the Lang Ya Sect!"
This reward was undoubtedly very generous, but Yuan Fang was still "unsatisfied." He shook his head, his tone carrying a hint of deliberate greed: "supreme grand elder, that's not enough."
Lang Ya Earth Spirit needed "Ghostly Concealment" too much. With this Killer Move, unless it was someone like Star Constellation Immortal Venerable or One Word Immortal, no one would be able to deduce the location of Lang Ya Blessed Land.
He gritted his teeth and increased the price again:
"I'll give you four Rank Seven immortal gu, lend you the heavenly origin treasure emperor lotus for half a year, record ten thousand contribution points for you on the Merit Board, and I can even give up the position of Lang Ya Sect's supreme grand elder to you!"
Yuan Fang felt these conditions were about right and nodded: "Deal."
Lang Ya Earth Spirit was overjoyed and couldn't help but laugh wildly. Suddenly, he abruptly stopped laughing and gave a devious smirk:
"Jie jie jie! What does it matter if I give the position of supreme grand elder to kid Yuan Fang? The Hairy People Gu Immortals only listen to me anyway; I can just turn him into a figurehead supreme grand elder! Jie jie jie!"
"Eh, oops, how did I accidentally say my inner thoughts out loud again... Damn it, this big mouth!"
Lang Ya Earth Spirit immediately put on a serious face, stroking his chin with his palm in an attempt to save face. Yuan Fang raised an eyebrow:
"Forget the supreme grand elder position; just convert it into contribution points for me. supreme grand elder, then... I shall take my leave first..."
Saying so, Yuan Fang turned and left the hall, not giving Lang Ya Earth Spirit any chance to go back on his word.
Lang Ya Earth Spirit watched Yuan Fang's retreating back, his heart filled with regret:
"Sigh! It's all because of this damn mouth. I was so close, just a little bit away from tricking him."
After leaving Lang Ya Blessed Land, Yuan Fang returned to the Great Love Blessed Land in Central Continent.
As for where the Dao Tian True Inheritance of 'Ghostly Concealment' actually was, it was in fact within Central Continent's Spirit Affinity House.
Although Yuan Fang didn't know the exact location within Spirit Affinity House, he had Great Light Immortal Gu. With just one Immortal Path Killer Move, he could precisely lock onto the location of the Dao Tian True Inheritance.
However, before entering the Dao Tian True Inheritance space, Yuan Fang still had things to do.
First of all, the Ten Great Ancient Sects of Central Continent had legacies spanning millions of years with extremely deep foundations. Who knew if they had left behind any hidden methods?
Even though Yuan Fang had the 'Familiar Face' Killer Move that even Rank Eight Gu Immortals could not see through, he couldn't be one hundred percent certain he wouldn't be discovered.
Therefore, before acting, Yuan Fang first secretly moved Great Love Blessed Land and Fox Immortal Blessed Land away, and had Fang Yuan ready to move Great Love Mountain at any time, just in case.
Then, Yuan Fang borrowed Attitude Immortal Gu from Fang Yuan and transformation immortal gu from Fang Zheng to activate the "Familiar Face" Killer Move.
This was Demonic Venerable Dao Tian's famous Killer Move from back in the day. He had once used this move to make two Rank Eight Gu Immortals with an excellent relationship turn against each other and kill one another, while the then Rank Six Dao Tian reaped the benefits.
The icing on the cake was using Dark Pass Immortal Gu to reduce the commotion of activating great light gu and Fixed Immortal Travel.
The commotion caused by activating these two immortal gu was far too great, especially that great light gu. When that ancient glory light shone, all cover became useless.
It was as if one were afraid others wouldn't know, beating gongs and drums at their doorstep, lighting boxes of fireworks and rolls of firecrackers, then hiring a lion dance team and setting up an opera troupe.
However, in this regard, Yuan Fang had wisdom gu, as well as Malice and Star Thought Immortal Gu to deduce Killer Moves.
Thus, he spent an entire day and successfully hid fifty to sixty percent of the ancient glory light.
As for the commotion of Fixed Immortal Travel, it only changed from a "loud roar" to "speaking loudly," not much of a change.
However, this was barely enough, because Demonic Venerable Dao Tian was a Space Path Venerable.
As long as Yuan Fang entered the Dao Tian space, even if a Rank Nine Venerable like Giant Sun Immortal Venerable came, they would be unable to break through the Dao Tian space and take his life.
Finding the Dao Tian space with ancient glory light was very easy, because ancient glory light was temporarily unable to penetrate the Dao Tian space.
Yuan Fang used the Familiar Face Killer Move outside Spirit Affinity House to disguise himself as Qin Bai Sheng.
Then, Yuan Fang swept Spirit Affinity House with the ancient glory light, instantly locking onto the Dao Tian space, and immediately activated Fixed Immortal Travel.
"Who goes there?!" A Rank Eight Gu Immortal suddenly appeared, only to see the "Qin Bai Sheng" before him vanish from the spot as a soul light flashed briefly.
"This... this is actually the aura of Soul Path!" The Rank Eight Gu Immortal could not see through the disguise of the "Familiar Face" Killer Move.
Yuan Fang naturally wouldn't use Fixed Immortal Travel directly; who in Central Continent didn't know that Fixed Immortal Travel was in Fang Yuan's hands?
Thus, Yuan Fang concealed the Space Path aura of Fixed Immortal Travel, making others mistake it for a Soul Path Killer Move.
The next moment, Yuan Fang appeared outside the Thieving Heaven true inheritance space and stepped inside...
The surroundings were pitch black. In the center of the Thieving Heaven space was Thieving Heaven's will—a figure with blonde hair wearing a black hood, his black robes fluttering in the wind.
"I am Ben Jie Sun, known to the world as Demonic Venerable Dao Tian." Thieving Heaven's will spoke with a voice carrying a hint of weariness.
"O wanderer from afar, if you are like me, unable to find the way home in this strange place, please accept this Legacy. It will surely be of great help to you."
"But you must remember, if you wish to return home, this Legacy alone is far from enough. You still need to work hard." As he spoke, Thieving Heaven's will began to dissipate.
"Ben Jie Sun, I have the means to make your will last." Yuan Fang immediately utilized Wisdom Path methods, causing the dissipating Thieving Heaven's will to solidify once more.
"Ben Jie Sun, I know how to leave the Gu World and return home." Yuan Fang's tone was filled with absolute confidence.
Thieving Heaven's will was slightly stunned, then gave a helpless, bitter smile. "Are you referring to the empty gate? But where is the empty gate? And can the empty gate truly take me back home?"
Yuan Fang shook his head. "No. In my view, Rank Nine is not the limit of the Gu cultivation world, but the Rank Ten Eternal Life Realm!"
"As long as one can achieve eternal life, they can refine the entire Gu World into their immortal aperture, and then pass through the Chaos via the Gu World to search for home within the Chaos."
"Eternal life? But does a Rank Ten Realm truly exist in this world?" Thieving Heaven's will sighed.
"You should have visited the Crazed Demon Cave; that was Limitless Demon Venerable's million-year grand plan for eternal life." Yuan Fang's words sent Thieving Heaven's will into deep thought. He had once intruded into the Crazed Demon Cave and was naturally aware of Limitless's grand plan for eternal life.
But did Limitless truly succeed?
Or rather, did Limitless Demon Venerable truly reach the legendary Rank Ten level?
Yuan Fang provided the answer: "Limitless Demon Venerable's grand plan for eternal life did not succeed; he did not reach Rank Ten."
"However, Limitless Demon Venerable achieved 'Imperfect Eternal Life,' reaching the level of half-step Rank Ten."
"With the power of his Dao Guardian, Limitless Demon Venerable could reach his hand into the Chaos and remain unharmed."
"Could it be that even a level like Chaos-invulnerability cannot achieve eternal life?" Thieving Heaven's will questioned.
Yuan Fang shook his head. "That is 'Imperfect Eternal Life.' If Limitless Demon Venerable had swallowed the Chaos in one gulp while at the half-step eternal life stage, he would have died on the spot."
"But if we stand on the shoulders of giants and take another step forward, eternal life is not a dream, and returning home is not a dream."
"How do you know all this? Could it be you come from a world capable of prophecy?" Thieving Heaven's will did not doubt Yuan Fang's words; after all, Yuan Fang did not seem to be lying.
Thus, Thieving Heaven believed this was all related to Yuan Fang's original world.
"Not exactly, but close enough." A sharp light flashed in Yuan Fang's eyes.
"Furthermore, I also know you come from a world with mecha. Am I right?"
"Could it be... you also come from that world? Are you a fellow countryman?" Thieving Heaven's will's voice carried a hint of barely perceptible excitement.
"Uh... not quite. However, you only need to know that I will definitely leave the Gu World and return home. And I also need to borrow your strength. If I am not mistaken, you should still have a means of Rebirth, right?"
"I cannot answer that question, as only my main body knows the truth."
"However, all venerables have means of Rebirth, and my main body certainly has one as well, but it is highly unlikely to be of help to you."
"For now, all I can do is tell you where Ghostly Concealment is." As Thieving Heaven's will spoke, he was about to use his main body's methods to bestow Ghostly Concealment upon Yuan Fang, but he was stopped by Yuan Fang.
"The Ghostly Concealment Killer Move can be given to others, right? I made a deal with the Lang Ya Earth Spirit to bestow the Ghostly Concealment Killer Move upon him. According to my plan, Lang Ya Blessed Land will play a massive role on my journey home."
Upon hearing this, Thieving Heaven's will nodded. "Of course, this Killer Move was bestowed by the main body in the past. However, if you want to use the Ghostly Concealment Killer Move on yourself, you will need to collect the Gu worms required to construct it."
"I have the complete contents of the Ghostly Concealment Killer Move. I will transmit it to you now in the form of a will, along with the clues for Ghostly Concealment."
"So, are you heading to Lang Ya Blessed Land now? I can directly teleport this true inheritance space to the Northern Plains." Thieving Heaven's will's words startled Yuan Fang.
"This true inheritance space actually has a teleportation function!"
"Of course. In case you had snuck into Spirit Affinity House, wouldn't this teleportation function have served a great purpose?"
"Decide quickly. Once you inherit Ghostly Concealment, this space will soon be destroyed."
It had to be said that Demonic Venerable Dao Tian's considerations were truly thorough.
Yuan Fang was certain that outside this Thieving Heaven true inheritance space, a group of Gu Immortals was already waiting for him to emerge.
Thinking of this, Yuan Fang no longer hesitated and requested to enter Lang Ya Blessed Land.
The next moment, the true inheritance space vanished.
Outside the space, the sky and ground were white, merging into one color—it was indeed Lang Ya Blessed Land.
Yuan Fang's sudden appearance immediately attracted the Lang Ya Earth Spirit. Upon seeing Yuan Fang, the Lang Ya Earth Spirit reacted like the Four Great Lechers encountering Kong Ri Tian.
"Oh! Oh oh oh! Isn't this our supreme grand elder? Is Ghostly Concealment in hand? Hm, this is... Dao, Thieving Heaven!"
Thieving Heaven's will was right beside Yuan Fang. Immediately, Yuan Fang cast the Ghostly Concealment Killer Move onto Lang Ya Blessed Land.
The Lang Ya Earth Spirit felt the presence of Ghostly Concealment and was overjoyed.
Thieving Heaven's will could not maintain thought for long. Seeing that Ghostly Concealment had been successfully cast, he entered Yuan Fang's immortal aperture and fell into a deep sleep.
"supreme grand elder, I don't feel qualified for the position of supreme grand elder. Please convert it into contribution points for me."
"As for the heavenly origin treasure emperor lotus, lend it to me for now." Yuan Fang naturally wouldn't serve as the supreme grand elder; he had no intention of being a scapegoat.
The Lang Ya Earth Spirit gave Yuan Fang several thousand more contribution points and appointed him as the Second Grand Elder.
As for the four Rank Seven immortal gu promised by the Lang Ya Earth Spirit, Yuan Fang exchanged one of them for ten Gu Refining opportunities and five hundred years of longevity gu.
The other three Rank Seven immortal gu were Dragon Breath Immortal Gu, Beast Enslavement Immortal Gu, and Change Marks Immortal Gu.
Dragon Breath Immortal Gu allows a Gu Immortal to breathe out dragon breath. Yuan Fang could use Dragon Breath Immortal Gu combined with various Transformation Path mortal Gu to achieve the Rank Seven Killer Move, Ancient Sword Flood Dragon Transformation.
Beast Enslavement Immortal Gu can enslave Desolate Beasts and Ancient Desolate Beasts.
Currently, there were quite a few Gu Immortals in the Great Love Sect applying for Immortal Ascension, but few were successful.
Yuan Fang wanted to enslave a group of Ancient Desolate Beasts specifically to help Great Love Sect members Undergoing Tribulation.
Change Marks Immortal Gu is similar to the Rank Six Star Marks Immortal Gu; it can cause a sudden surge in Transformation Path dao marks for a short time after activation.
The Rank Six Star Marks Immortal Gu can surge six hundred star path dao marks, while the Rank Seven Change Marks Immortal Gu provides even more, surging ten thousand Transformation Path dao marks.
Theoretically, a Gu Immortal who has just reached Rank Seven has nine thousand more dao marks than one who has just achieved Immortal Ascension.
It is also known that one Earth Tribulation increases dao marks by two hundred and fifty. Thus, the Star Marks Gu is equivalent to a Rank Six Gu Immortal who has passed two Earth Tribulations, which is a relatively common type of Gu Immortal.
From this, it can be seen that ten thousand dao marks is the normal amount for a common Rank Seven Gu Immortal.
Therefore, it is reasonable that the Rank Seven Change Marks Immortal Gu can surge ten thousand dao marks.
With Change Marks Immortal Gu, Yuan Fang could instantly be equivalent to a Rank Seven Transformation Path Gu Immortal. Then, through the Ancient Sword Metamorphosis Killer Move, these ten thousand Transformation Path dao marks would all turn into sword path dao marks.
These ten thousand dao marks, combined with the ten thousand-plus sword path dao marks in Yuan Fang's second immortal aperture, totaled over twenty thousand sword path dao marks.
At this time, because his Gu had been continuously eating hope gu, and he had recently taken a bite out of Purity Immortal Gu and Composure Immortal Gu respectively, Yuan Fang's human path dao marks surged by over a thousand, and he became a human path Quasi-Great Grandmaster.
So now, Yuan Fang's first immortal aperture contained over ten thousand human path dao marks. Through the Peoples Hearts Are Drawn To Killer Move, he could use his human path dao marks and the human will in his immortal aperture to amplify his Killer Moves.
If the Auspicious Fortune Bestowal Killer Move were added, Yuan Fang could battle figures like Qin Bai Sheng and Feng Jiu Ge.
Furthermore, Yuan Fang had borrowed the heavenly origin treasure emperor lotus, which could produce Rank Eight white lychee immortal essence, making him essentially a Rank Eight Gu Immortal with lower foundation.
Yuan Fang even boldly speculated that if he returned to the King Court Blessed Land battlefield now, he would surely dominate the field and even dare to clash with Old Ancestor Xue Hu.
However, Yuan Fang was ultimately only a Rank Six Gu Immortal, at most similar to the Rank Six Limitless Demon Venerable. As for truly fighting Old Ancestor Xue Hu, Yuan Fang only thought about it.
Now, he needed to ascend to Rank Seven as quickly as possible.
Thus, Yuan Fang increased the time flow of his two immortal apertures to as high as three hundred times and passed Earth Tribulations by nurturing Human Path Gu Immortals and then swallowing their apertures.
Consequently, five new continents were added to Yuan Fang's Human Path Blessed Land: Southern Yue Ru Continent, Western Shu Yan Continent, Northern Ice Snow Continent, Eastern Yu Cang Continent, and Western Shan Mo Continent, while the areas of the other continents also increased.
Regarding this, Gu Yue Fuqi in Central Continent couldn't help but marvel at the vastness of the world.
And Yuan Fang was now also preparing to undergo his final Heavenly Tribulation of the Rank Six period.
To be continued...