Continuing from where we left off, Fang Yuan used Kuang Mans True Intent to leap into the ranks of Strength Path and flying Quasi-Grandmaster, and Transformation Path Great Master.
At the same time, Fang Zheng also broke through to the rank six Realm, possessing a high-grade blessed land, while Fang Yuan further obtained the Rank Eight immortal gu Attitude.
With this Rank Six Gu Immortal as his backing, Fang Yuan could have had no worries, yet the road ahead remained covered in thorns, frightening at every step.
Just yesterday, the Immortal Crane Sect had sent a Rank Five messenger to the Fox Immortal Blessed Land, using coercive means against the Gu Yue Clan, forcing them to open Soul Searching Mountain.
Additionally, the other Ten Great Ancient Sects also sent out Information Path Gu worms one after another, their words cold and stern, issuing blatant threats to him.
Although the Gu Yue Clan had recently gained a Rank Six Gu Immortal, their Foundation remained weak, and sitting upon a Secluded Domain of Heaven and Earth like Soul Searching Mountain was like an infant holding a massive sum of money, attracting greed from all directions.
Before Fang Yuan lay only two dead ends: either open Soul Searching Mountain and let others take whatever they wanted, or rapidly increase his strength to negotiate terms with the Ten Great Ancient Sects.
The road ahead is truly worrisome...
One must know that what Fang Yuan faced now was not just the Immortal Crane Sect, but the combined forces of the Ten Great Ancient Sects—this was almost the sum of all Righteous Path forces in the Central Continent. Even with his heavenly schemes, he couldn't help but find it a massive headache.
"I cannot lose. Once defeated, Soul Searching Mountain will surely fall into the hands of others."
"Fox Immortal Blessed Land is my Foundation, I cannot allow it to be lost!"
"Now that I've only just begun, how can my path be cut short here?"
This life is, after all, different from the previous one. This time, Fang Yuan is not a "member" of the Immortal Crane Sect.
What he had to face now was the joint pressure of the Ten Great Ancient Sects, a force that could not be easily brushed off. Previously, he relied on Feng Jiu Ge's protection, but this big tree ultimately couldn't be relied upon; only his own strength was a true reliance.
To rapidly improve in a short time, Fang Yuan could only rush to the Northern Plains to participate in the Heroes Assembly and join the Horde Contest. Then, he would take the chance to break into the King Court Blessed Land and, within that eighty-eight true yang building, seize great benefits sufficient to transform him.
His mind made up, Fang Yuan handed over control of the body to Yuan Fang and activated the star gate gu.
Northern Plains, the edge of the Corrosive Poison Grassland.
A pack of poison beard wolves was frantically chasing a young girl.
Her name was Ge Yao, the pearl of the Ge Family Clan Chief's eye and the acknowledged flower of the clan, but now she was drenched in sweat and exhausted.
Her big belly horse mount had long since been devoured by the wolf pack, and she could only rely on her last bit of strength to flee for her life across the Corrosive Poison Grassland.
Seeing the wolves' maws within reach, despair welled up in Ge Yao's eyes, and she prayed fervently in her heart: "Great eternal heaven, please send down a strong warrior to save your devout believer!"
Just then, a brilliant starlight suddenly burst forth in the Void Realm ahead, and a stalwart figure slowly stepped out. It was Yuan Fang disguised as the Elder of Chang Family.
As soon as he appeared, he collided head-on with the fleeing Ge Yao.
A soft body crashed into a solid chest; Ge Yao cried out and fell into Yuan Fang's embrace. Within inches, they could hear each other's heartbeats, and the girl's warm, soft skin could be felt through her clothes.
The surrounding poison beard wolves were startled by this suddenly appearing stranger and bared their fangs, letting out threatening low growls as they warily surrounded them.
Yuan Fang pushed Ge Yao from his embrace and raised his right hand high; a fierce Sword Path Killer Move was already prepared. The Killer Move blasted out, its energy sweeping like wild thunder, and nearly a hundred poison beard wolves were instantly decapitated, their blood staining the Corrosive Poison Grassland.
"So strong!" Ge Yao watched with a racing heart, her face full of shock.
Yuan Fang did not stop, immediately activating Tie Mu Bai's Vajra Gaze Gu. He glared, and wherever his gaze fell, the remaining poison beard wolves instantly collapsed to the ground, dead.
Seeing things were going south, the Poison Beard Wolf King tucked its tail to flee, but Yuan Fang grabbed it by the neck from a distance, lifting it back like a chick. With a soft sound, he implanted a Wolf Enslavement Gu.
The shock in Ge Yao's heart had long since turned into surging admiration—that was a Thousand Beast King! Such a powerful existence was so easily subdued by the man before her.
Only when the wolf pack was entirely prostrate on the ground did she step forward, praising him excitedly in a tone full of Northern Plains flair:
"Great warrior! Your chest is as sturdy as a tiger's, your movements are as agile as an eagle's, your body is stronger than a giant bear's in a cave, and your strength is like a tall mountain, inspiring awe!"
"Warrior of the eternal heaven! Please accept my praise, and thank you for saving me!"
The speaking style of Northern Plains people was just like this, habitually using all living things in heaven and earth as comparisons, piling up metaphors filled with the atmosphere of the grasslands. Yuan Fang was already familiar with this and responded in the same tone:
"Beautiful girl, the wind on the grasslands can blow wildly, but words cannot be spoken recklessly. The eternal heaven is where Giant Sun Immortal Venerable resides; how could I come from there?"
Ge Yao was stunned for a moment, then blinked her big eyes and asked, "Ah? Then, great warrior, what is your name?"
"I am called Elder of Chang Family."
"Elder... Elder of Chang Family? I think I've heard my father mention this name!" Ge Yao's eyes lit up, and she hurriedly introduced herself: "My name is Ge Yao, and my father is the Ge Family Clan Chief."
Ge Yao's eyes lit up again as she hurriedly issued an invitation:
"Great warrior Elder of Chang Family! You saved my life, why not come with me to the Ge Family as a guest? Our whole clan will surely give you a warm welcome, with the richest horse milk wine, the most tender roasted lamb legs, and refreshing tea cakes; you certainly won't be disappointed!"
Yuan Fang only smiled faintly, replying with Northern Plains-style humor: "Beautiful girl, are you a sparrow from a tree branch transformed? Why do you keep chirping incessantly?"
"Hmph! I'm not a sparrow! Your whole Family are sparrows... Elder of Chang Family! I am sincerely inviting you, please do not refuse!" Ge Yao stomped her foot in a huff, a hint of a blush appearing on her cheeks.
Seeing her sincere expression, Yuan Fang thought for a moment and then nodded in agreement. Just as the two left, Fang Zheng's figure quietly appeared on the Corrosive Poison Grassland.
Fang Zheng buried the sealed reconcile immortal gu deep into the ground.
On the other side, while traveling to the Ge Family camp, Yuan Fang subdued the wolf packs along the way, his strength rapidly expanding. Midway, he also happened to save Ge Yao's brother, Ge Guang, who was surrounded by wolves.
By the time they reached the Ge Family camp, the wolf pack under Yuan Fang's command had reached over ten thousand, becoming a force that could not be underestimated. With a few maneuvers, he forced the Ge Family to participate in the Northern Plains' decennial Heroes Assembly.
He then set an ambush on the road, assassinated the Ge Family Clan Chief, and supported Ge Guang to take the position, while he himself controlled things from behind the scenes as the Grand Elder.
After the Clan Chief was assassinated, Yuan Fang took the opportunity to push the Gu Yue Clan to the forefront, announcing that they would participate in the Heroes Assembly together, and declared to the outside world:
"During the twenty years the Elder of Chang Family was missing, he became close friends with the Gu Yue Clan Chief, Fang Yuan."
Ge Guang had personally witnessed the strength of the Gu Yue Clan and was incredibly shocked—within the Gu Yue Clan, there were over a dozen Rank Five Gu Masters alone, and low-level Rank One and Two Gu Masters were almost unseen; most clansmen were already at the Rank Three or Four level.
Even more, half of the clansmen had A-grade aptitude, a Foundation that far surpassed the Ge Family several times over. (blood skull gu: I told you long ago we shouldn't have kept them, now look, no more clan-wide A-grade.)
When the Gu Yue Clan and the Ge Family's group arrived at the Heroes Assembly venue, an intense arena match was already in full swing.
At this moment on the stage, Water Demon Hao Ji Liu from Hei Lou Lan's side was fighting a life-and-death battle against the variant human Mo Shi Kuang from Liu Wen Wu's camp.
This Mo Shi Kuang's strength was actually much greater than in the original work; Hao Ji Liu was already retreating step by step, falling into a disadvantage.
Seeing this, Liu Wen Wu clapped and laughed, his voice shaking the whole field: "Hahaha! My third brother Mo Shi Kuang is invincible under heaven!"
Mo Shi Kuang was his sworn third brother; one was a Human Race and the other an Inkman, and their friendship was deep. Seeing his general suppressed, Hei Lou Lan's face immediately turned as dark as water.
Just then, the sky suddenly darkened. Everyone looked up to see dense rows of Rank Five flying boats blotting out the sun; it was the hundreds of thousands strong army of the Gu Yue Clan.
Each flying boat could carry a thousand people, and now suspended in mid-air, their Aura was intimidating.
Yuan Fang stepped out from the leading "bright moon still water tower" and with a flash of his body, landed before Hei Lou Lan, cupping his hands and smiling:
"Alliance Leader Hei Lou Lan, I am Wolf King Elder of Chang Family. These are the Gu Yue Clan; they have always lived in seclusion within a blessed land, so they are unknown to the world. Today we have come specifically to join you, Alliance Leader, and lend you our strength."
Hei Lou Lan laughed loudly upon hearing this, patting her round belly with her right hand and casting a provocative glance at Liu Wen Wu, then said warmly to Yuan Fang:
"Brother Elder of Chang Family, no need for such formalities! From now on we shall call each other brothers, just call me Old Brother Hei! with your help, my Hei Family army is like a tiger with wings; why should we worry about not achieving great things!"
After saying that, she made another heavy promise, painting a big picture for Yuan Fang: "Brother! As long as you help me seize the position of horde lord, you may take your pick of any Heaven And Earth Treasure within that eighty-eight true yang building!"
Liu Wen Wu's expression grew increasingly ugly. The high-level combat power displayed by the Gu Yue Clan was so substantial that even in the entire Horde Contest, they could be considered a colossus.
One must know that in Gu Master wars, Rank One and Two are merely cannon fodder, Rank Three are the backbone, Rank Four are considered high-level, and Rank Five are the pinnacle.
Yet the Gu Yue Clan had over a thousand Rank Four Gu Masters alone!
Such terrifying Foundation relied entirely on the support of the blood skull gu and the bone flesh reunion gu—this allowed the clan's children to cultivate without any Bottleneck or constraints, each progressing as rapidly as those with a Ten Extremes Physique.
Why should this big fat Hei Lou Lan get the full support of the Gu Yue Clan without doing anything? Jealousy burned in Liu Wen Wu's heart, and he challenged Hei Lou Lan again, wanting his third brother to duel a Rank Four Gu Master from the Gu Yue Clan.
Hei Lou Lan readily accepted the challenge. Yuan Fang then selected a general, ordering Gu Yue Chi Cheng to the field.
Gu Yue Chi Cheng specialized in Strength Path and had inherited the Gu and legacy of Gu Yue Chi Shan. The once ignorant youth from the academy had long since become steady and experienced, his every move carrying quite a bit of Gu Yue Chi Shan's style.
Mo Shi Kuang lived for battle, and seeing that Chi Cheng was a Strength Path Gu Master, he immediately became interested. Without waiting for Chi Cheng to speak, he lunged forward fiercely, his fist wind like thunder striking straight at the face.
Though ambushed, Chi Cheng did not panic, and with seasoned experience, he spun and retreated rapidly: "Horizontal Crash Gu!"
He dashed fifty paces to the left, and Mo Shi Kuang's thunderous punch instantly hit empty air.
The next moment, Chi Cheng turned from defense to offense, activating the direct impact gu toward Mo Shi Kuang. His body shot out like a cannonball, and behind him, dozens of Strength Path phantoms appeared, carrying the force of a thousand jun as they slammed into his opponent.
Mo Shi Kuang was greatly shocked and hurriedly activated a defense Gu. However, his protective light shield had only just formed when Chi Cheng's figure slammed into it like a cannonball.
"Boom!"
A loud explosion echoed through the field, and Mo Shi Kuang's defense Gu shattered upon impact. Had he not kept a trump card ready, he would have been smashed to pieces; even so, he was sent reeling back, coughing up large mouthfuls of blood.
Seeing that this youth in his early twenties actually had Rank Four cultivation and Rank Five battle strength, Mo Shi Kuang finally put away his contempt. He no longer held back, fiercely activating his trump card Killer Move, as a tide-like offensive pressed down overwhelmingly on Chi Cheng.
"Horizontal Crash Gu!"
Chi Cheng's figure shifted, dashing fifty paces to the right, narrowly avoiding this fatal strike.
"direct impact gu! Dragon Walk Tiger Step Gu!"
He immediately counterattacked, slamming into Mo Shi Kuang again. This time, several beast strength phantoms like horse strength, pig strength, and ox strength appeared around Chi Cheng, surrounding him like Stars Arching Towards the Moon, with an even greater momentum than before.
Seeing this, Mo Shi Kuang gritted his teeth and threw out three Killer Moves. Chi Cheng did not dodge, directly activating the strength gu to turn the surrounding beast strength phantoms from illusory to solid, condensing them into a thick beast strength barrier that took the three Killer Moves head-on.
Seeing Chi Cheng's fatal collision approaching, Mo Shi Kuang frantically activated a movement Killer Move, wanting to flee in a pathetic manner, but he was ultimately a step too slow.
Just then, a figure suddenly cut across, steadily catching Chi Cheng's mountain-toppling strike with one hand. Liu Wen Wu stood there, his expression unchanged, as steady as ever.
He spoke faintly: "Enough, let us stop here. I, Liu Wen Wu, admit defeat."
Only then did Chi Cheng cease his momentum and withdraw.
After this battle, every clan present realized the terrifying strength of the Hei Family Alliance.
Dong Fang Yu Liang, Liu Wen Wu, Ye Lui Sang, and others secretly formed a secret Alliance, determined to join forces at the Heroes Assembly to collectively oppose Hei Lou Lan, who currently had the strongest battle power.
After this battle, Hei Lou Lan valued Yuan Fang even more and secretly used her power to launch an investigation into the Gu Yue Clan. In the end, she only found:
This mysterious tribe came from the Southern Border and occupied the Fox Immortal Blessed Land under the leadership of Clan Chief Fang Yuan, but she remained completely ignorant of the core truth that "the Elder of Chang Family is Fang Yuan."
In fact, most of the Gu Yue Clan Members were also kept in the dark. They only thought the Elder of Chang Family was a close friend of Clan Chief Fang Yuan, while believing Fang Yuan himself was currently in seclusion within the Soul-Shaking Palace.
Under the intentional guidance of the clan's high-level officials, the clansmen had long since regarded the "Elder of Chang Family" as the acting Clan Chief, and there were even rumors that the Elder of Chang Family was originally a Gu Yue clansman named Gu Yue Shan Yin.
What's more, an absurd rumor even circulated: that the Elder of Chang Family was the illegitimate son of Fang Yuan and Shang Xin Ci, and after being sent into the blessed land, because the time flow inside was different from the outside, he ended up being older than Fang Yuan.
Hei Lou Lan didn't even deign to listen to these rumors. She wanted real intelligence, not this groundless gossip. Unfortunately, the Gu Yue Clan's high-level officials were extremely tight-lipped, and despite using all her means, she was never able to uncover the core secrets.
Just then, Yuan Fang sent Gu Yue Chi Cheng to deliver a message, saying there were important matters to discuss and inviting Hei Lou Lan into a private room for a detailed talk. Upon hearing this, Hei Lou Lan raised an eyebrow and thought to herself:
"Is the fox's tail finally going to be revealed?"
Thinking this, she stepped forward without showing any emotion and entered that private room that was isolated from the outside.