Finalizing

...

Hu Immortal Blessed Land

Fang Yuan sat in deep contemplation, his gaze distant as he thought about Fang Zheng.

Heaven's Will had always sought to destroy Spectral Soul Demon Venerable's grand plan, and Fang Yuan was the key. Despite being used as a pawn in this scheme, Fang Yuan, as an otherworldly demon, remained the ultimate variable. Heaven's Will, understanding this, had placed a counter for him—Fang Zheng. In essence, Fang Zheng had become Fang Yuan's nemesis, a pawn carefully Placed by Heaven's Will to oppose him.

In the future, Fang Zheng would create a powerful killer move with Heaven's Will's assistance, known as Blood-Kin Heart Revenge. The move, an intricate combination of Luck Path and Human Path, would unleash a thick cloud of blood that relentlessly tracked its target, even without a direct bloodline connection. Its sinister power would mark its target and continuously erode their luck, making the target vulnerable to further assaults from Heaven's Will.

"If I kill Fang Zheng now, Heaven's Will should assume I'm focused on raising my aperture's aptitude, and it would still use me as a tool against Spectral Soul Demon Venerable," Fang Yuan mused, calculating the long-term effects.

His mind sharpened, thoughts falling into place like pieces of a puzzle. "Yes, now it's clear. Let's do it."

A cold glint flashed across Fang Yuan's eyes, the decision made. Fang Zheng's death would only further Fang Yuan's goals in the grander scheme.

...

In a dark, damp cell, Fang Zheng lay on the cold ground, his body lifeless and his eyes devoid of light. He could barely remember how long he had been there. The sound of approaching footsteps broke the silence, and with effort, he lifted his head to see the figure responsible for his misery. Those cold, indifferent black eyes stared back at him.

"Fang Yuan," Fang Zheng spat, his voice weak yet clear with hate. "You... you're a beast. And that Sky Crane is no better. You're all monsters, deserving of nothing but death. Why is this happening to me? I'm the one with talent, I should be the victor, not you."

Fang Yuan remained expressionless, his gaze unmoved by his brother's outburst.

"This world... it's full of emotionless beasts like you," Fang Zheng seethed. "But mark my words, one day I'll have my revenge. One day, you'll all die."

For the first time, Fang Yuan spoke. His voice was calm, but there was a hint of something deeper—sad? "I thought I could kill you," he began, "but I can't. After all, you are my brother. I know I've done many wrong things, but I had no choice."

Fang Yuan unlocked the cell door, his face returning to that familiar mask of cold indifference. "Come with me."

Fang Zheng, though confused, slowly got up. His mind raced. I don't have to die? Good. Sooner or later, I'll have my revenge. Fang Yuan, Bai Ning Bing, Sky Crane, Immortal Crane Sect—none of you will be spared for what you've done to me.

Without a word, Fang Yuan led him out, their destination clear as they approached Dang Hun Mountain.

"What do you want to show me?" Fang Zheng asked, attempting to mask the hatred burning inside him.

Fang Yuan did not respond. He simply took out the Blood Skull Gu, his lips curling into a faint, cold smile.

"Fang Yuan... I knew it. You demon—" Before Fang Zheng could finish his words, Fang Yuan swiftly severed his head. His body crumpled to the ground as Fang Yuan calmly activated Blood Skull Gu, absorbing the blood without hesitation.

But it didn't stop there. Next, Fang Yuan extracted Fang Zheng's soul, placing it into Dang Hun Mountain to produce Guts Gu.

"Now, it's done. I've killed him, destroyed his soul, and now..." Fang Yuan's voice trailed off as he summoned a deep, dark fire. The flames engulfed Fang Zheng's fallen body, leaving nothing behind—not even ashes.

"Heaven's will won't be able to resurrect him this time. It has no counter against me now."

Fang Yuan turned, his expression devoid of any emotion. "Now, I can head to Northern Plains with ease. But before that... I need to finalize the deal with He Feng Yang."

...

Immortal Crane Sect

After knowing what happened in the blessed land, He Feng Yang had abandoned Fang Zheng already and carefully read the detailed content of the letter.

Fang Yuan had made his demands clear—Gu worms and materials in exchange for Rockmen.

Fang Yuan had solved the last issue in the blessed land—the northern flood—by using the same cruel tactics to command the Rockmen. He even used Guts Gu to create more Rockmen, which now gave him a continuous supply of gutstones. Fang Yuan was no longer selling the gutstones themselves but was trading the Rockmen he made.

"Not selling gutstones, but selling Rockmen instead?" He Feng Yang muttered, his expression grim as he processed the letter's details. The Rockmen Hu Immortal had brought into her blessed land were clearly still alive, but the sheer number Fang Yuan was now offering was staggering. "Just how many Guts Gu has he used to create them?"

The thought made He Feng Yang's heart ache.

As he continued to review Fang Yuan's requests, He Feng Yang's eyes widened in surprise. "Huh? He wants a lot of Gu worms from various paths?" Fang Yuan had listed many Rank 3 and Rank 4 Gu worms, along with countless Rank 1 and Rank 2 ones.

A smile crept onto He Feng Yang's face. "This Fang Yuan, a mere mortal, dares to ask for so much from different paths. Yet he didn't mention the Spring Egg Gu or Relic Gu. Just a rank 4 mortal trash, he doesn't know what's truly valuable. At least he knows his limits and didn't request any Rank 5 Gu."

He Feng Yang felt a wave of relief. "Well, the Hu Immortal Blessed Land will sooner or later belong to our Immortal Crane Sect. I'll throw in a few tips and three Spring Egg Gu. Maybe Fang Yuan will realize his inability and hand the blessed land over willingly. The Spring Egg Gu won't improve his power anyway and I don't want to take a damaged blessed land in the end."

With his mood significantly improved, He Feng Yang skimmed over the list again. Fang Yuan had requested an amount of Gu materials. Most of the materials were common, though a few precious Gu refinement ingredients stood out.

"Refining Gu?" He Feng Yang was amused. "Let him try. But why does he need star stones, dark stones, and these other uncommon materials?"

He pondered the situation for a moment. "Is he trying to confuse me with these requests, or is he refining rare Gu? Either way, I can't give him everything at once. I need to keep him anxious, probe his true intentions. For now, I'll only send him a single vat of ascension wine."

This particular wine was a top-quality brew made by the Immortal Crane Sect's Supreme Third Elder. Over a hundred years ago, He Feng Yang had aligned himself with the elder, and during a banquet, the Supreme Third Elder had gifted him three vats of ascension wine in a generous mood.

Though the wine was prized, He Feng Yang himself wasn't fond of drinking, so the vats had remained unused, and giving one to Fang Yuan was no loss to him.

Having made up his mind, He Feng Yang sat back, deep in thought.

"This Fang Yuan... there is too little information about him."

The mysteries surrounding Fang Yuan only grew. How had he obtained the Fixed Immortal Travel Gu? When had he refined the Divine Travel Immortal Gu? And most importantly, who was backing him? He Feng Yang didn't know the answers to these vital questions.

The five regions of the world—Central Continent, Southern Border, Northern Plains, Western Desert, and Eastern Sea—were vast and largely independent, separated by formidable barriers. Even Immortal Crane Sect had yet to fully grasp the entirety of Central Continent, let alone the other regions like Southern Border.

Yet, ever since Fang Yuan had taken Hu Immortal's inheritance, Immortal Crane Sect had already begun sending elders to Southern Border to investigate.

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