So this is the embryonic form of a Longevity Fruit? Fang Han thought as he sensed its growth. According to legend, only a complete God Emperor can condense a true Longevity Fruit. Hatred-Heaven Divine Emperor is already gravely injured, reduced to a single head—it's impossible for him to produce a genuine one. Still… the aura of this fruit is astonishing.
Once I reach the peak of the Tenth Mystic Level—Defying Fate—I'll swallow this together with the Seven-Life Profound Gate Pill. My chances of stepping into the Longevity Secret Realm will rise yet again.
Feeling the steadily forming Longevity Fruit, Fang Han was secretly delighted.
This gamble had paid off handsomely. He had suppressed Fan Qingying, seized the Great Chaos Thunder Sword, won Yan Shuiyi to his side, and now—if he could finish absorbing Hatred-Heaven Divine Emperor's head—it would be a complete victory.
After that, he and Yan Shuiyi would head straight to Fangya Island, wipe out the Forty Great Bandits' lair, kill forty or fifty God Lords, seize the Fangya Grand Formation and their accumulated treasures. Overnight, his wealth would explode into the hundreds of billions—perhaps even trillions.
Then he would return to the Featherweight Sect, display overwhelming might, kill Hua Tiandu, and from that day on, no True Disciple would be able to stand against him.
The overall situation would be settled.
Fang Han's calculations were razor-sharp.
Hatred-Heaven Divine Emperor felt his essence draining at a terrifying rate. He knew that if this continued, he would be completely absorbed—there would be no escape. With ruthless resolve, he howled:
"Fang Han! Yan Shuiyi! You wretched pair—I, Hatred-Heaven Divine Emperor, will be entangled with you for all eternity! If I'm going down, you're coming with me! Hatred-Heaven Compass—Heaven-Splitting Self-Destruction!"
As he roared, the Hatred-Heaven Compass began to spin violently. Its powerful artifact spirit burst forth, transforming repeatedly as suffocating waves of force radiated outward.
"He's going to detonate the artifact spirit!" Yan Shuiyi's expression changed instantly. "Fang Han, be careful!"
The Azure Sea Divine Pearl spun wildly, the water world contracting to completely wrap the Hatred-Heaven Compass.
The self-destruction of a high-grade Dao artifact's spirit was no less devastating than the self-destruction of an ancient giant—enough to annihilate everything nearby. Ordinarily, artifact spirits would rather submit than explode. Yan Shuiyi herself would never force the Azure Sea Divine Pearl's spirit to self-destruct—she was not its creator.
But the Hatred-Heaven Compass had been refined by Hatred-Heaven Divine Emperor himself.
Fang Han understood the danger immediately. He pointed at the Yellow Springs Diagram, which also wrapped around the compass. At the same time, his Heaven-and-Earth Dharma Form and half-Undying Body shifted again and again, enclosing it completely.
At that very moment—
Hatred-Heaven Divine Emperor's three faces spat out purple flames once more. With a sudden surge of speed, he tore free of the World Tree's roots, broke through the encirclement, and vanished straight into the clouds!
"Chase him!" Yan Shuiyi trembled and was about to pursue. "If we let Hatred-Heaven Divine Emperor escape, the consequences will be endless!"
Fang Han grabbed her arm and stopped her.
"Don't pursue a desperate enemy. The God race's power in the Xuanhuang Great World runs far deeper than we can imagine. You've only just entered the Longevity Secret Realm—your foundation isn't stable yet. If you fall into a trap, regret will come too late. We're not saviors. We can't withstand the God race's calamity—it's for the ancient great powers and supreme immortals to bear. All we can do is return to our sects, cultivate in seclusion, accumulate strength, and wait for the catastrophe to arrive."
Yan Shuiyi thought it over and finally nodded. Fang Han was right.
"Let's suppress the Hatred-Heaven Compass together!"
Fang Han poured out his full strength, completely suppressing the compass and forcing the artifact spirit back inside. With a final grab, he and Yan Shuiyi sealed it firmly in his hand.
"My good wife," Fang Han said, pulling her close again, "this Hatred-Heaven Compass is yours. Once you return to the Taiyi Sect and refine it—fully merge with its spirit—achieving an Undying Body will be all but guaranteed."
After sealing the compass, Fang Han wrapped an arm around Yan Shuiyi once more.
Though she was now the Taiyi Sect's foremost True Disciple—and an ancient giant destined to become a deputy sect master—such great sects had accumulated countless ages of heritage. Many True Disciples had advanced to the Longevity Secret Realm and become deputy sect masters, only to retreat into seclusion for thousands of years, never appearing.
Their status was akin to that of supreme elders.
A sect like the Immortal Dao Ten Sects, which had existed for untold eons, would inevitably produce Longevity Realm cultivators.
"Fang Han… thank you," Yan Shuiyi said softly.
Seeing him casually hand her a sealed high-grade Dao artifact—thinking of her at every step—she felt that the man before her was not lacking at all. Perhaps giving herself to him had not been a mistake.
"Still calling me Fang Han?" he asked with a grin. "Shouldn't you change how you address me?"
As Yan Shuiyi placed the Hatred-Heaven Compass into the Azure Sea Divine Pearl, Fang Han retracted the Yellow Springs Diagram, grabbed her, and tore open the Nine Heavens' wind layer with one hand—vanishing thousands of miles away in an instant.
He wanted to leave immediately. If Hatred-Heaven Divine Emperor escaped and summoned God race reinforcements, the consequences would be dire.
The God race was not something he could confront head-on.
This time, if not for turning enemies against each other, both he and Yan Shuiyi would have died at Hatred-Heaven Divine Emperor's hands. That God Emperor was truly terrifying.
"When we're finally together for real, all right?" Yan Shuiyi's cheeks flushed faintly. "For now… I can't say it out loud."
"Fair enough," Fang Han replied.
As they flew, his hands wandered freely. He was no orthodox Immortal Dao cultivator—his path had always been demonic, guided by unrestrained will.
Yan Shuiyi's breath grew uneven under his touch. Having already dual cultivated, their water energies naturally drew each other closer. Fang Han, now increasingly adept at demonic harvesting techniques, applied them with growing mastery. Yan Shuiyi, an Immortal Dao saintess who had never experienced such sensations—and who could not resist Fang Han, nor deny the benefits to her cultivation—could only close her eyes, lashes trembling, soft sounds escaping her throat as she surrendered to the sensations.
"We've just fought Hatred-Heaven Divine Emperor—our mana's heavily depleted," Fang Han murmured suddenly in her ear after flying tens of thousands of miles. "Why don't we find a place… to cultivate for a while?"
He emphasized the word cultivate.
Yan Shuiyi understood immediately. She shot him a glare, then nodded.
Fang Han let out a long howl and descended, landing in a vast sea of flowers—a field of lavender. Such places were not rare in the Xuanhuang Great World, especially for someone who could cross thousands of miles in a single bound.
After casually setting up several restrictions, Fang Han drew Yan Shuiyi into his arms and pressed her down.
By all logic, as an ancient giant, Yan Shuiyi should not have been so easily overwhelmed—but Fang Han's power was no weaker. Before she formed an Undying Body, she could not suppress him.
More importantly, she did not want to resist.
Each instance of dual cultivation gave her deeper insight into the mysteries of the Black Emperor Water Sovereign Qi. And cultivating with Fang Han was more pleasurable than drawing immortal-world energy—it was like entering a realm of great bliss.
Just as Fang Han was about to apply his demonic harvesting techniques, Yan Shuiyi suddenly flipped him over and sat upright.
"Your demonic yin–yang harvesting has become frighteningly refined," she said lightly. "But don't think you can bully me forever. I've read plenty of Taiyi Sect classics—I understand quite a few Daoist dual-cultivation methods. I may not have practiced them before, but today I'll experiment on you. Otherwise, you'll keep taking advantage of me."
She smiled faintly. "Since I've entered the Longevity Secret Realm, all techniques come naturally. This is the Daoist Thirty-Six Mystic Mud-and-Water Dual Cultivation Arts… Reversed Jade Flute… Koi Drawing Water…"
Fang Han's scalp tingled. A chill ran through his entire body.
…
Far away, in the depths of space within the Featherweight Heavenly Palace, Hua Tiandu sat in meditation. Above his head, the Great Desolation Ancient Furnace, a high-grade Dao artifact, slowly revolved.
"What's wrong with me today?" he muttered. "Why can't I calm my mind—why can't I gather my vital energy or mobilize my primordial spirit?"
"Did something happen?" His eyes narrowed. "My Heavenly Cycle Divination isn't perfected—I can't calculate too deeply. But I can sense this has something to do with Fang Han. That little beast… did he gain another fortuitous encounter? Increase his power again? If he continues advancing like this while I fail to break through into the Longevity Secret Realm…"
The thought made his expression turn savage.
"No more distractions. I'll abandon all delusions and force my way through the final barrier!"
With a ruthless resolve, Hua Tiandu fully activated his primordial spirit.
…
"Ancient giants really are terrifying," Fang Han gasped afterward, pulling Yan Shuiyi back into his arms. "Your Thirty-Six Daoist Dual Cultivation Arts nearly broke me."
Yan Shuiyi wore a victorious smile. "Then hurry and reach the Longevity Secret Realm yourself."
Her expression softened, then dimmed slightly.
"I still have to return to my sect. There are too many things I can't abandon. Fang Han… wait for me to take control of the Taiyi Sect—and to revoke your Heavenly Dao Pursuit Decree."