His master, the Seventh Transformation wandering Immortal Moonlight Elder, sat cross-legged upon a meditation cushion. Hearing Lu Zuanfeng's voice, he remained perfectly still, his eyes still closed.
After a long while, the Xiao Family Ancestor spoke again from outside the cave, his voice carrying into the interior: "Brother Moonlight, I am willing to offer ten more Heavenly Dragon Pearls. Please lend your aid this once."
Only then did Moonlight Elder slowly open his eyes and say to Lu Zuanfeng: "Disciple, go to Yitian Mountain first. Resolve this crisis for Xiao Shan."
Lu Zuanfeng hurriedly knelt and kowtowed three times to Moonlight Elder with deep respect.
"Master, your disciple departs."
Though he said the words, Lu Zuanfeng remained kneeling on the ground, showing no sign of getting up.
Moonlight Elder chuckled: "Such a cunning rascal you are, always scheming."
As he spoke, he breathed a puff of cool air toward Lu Zuanfeng.
The cool breath seeped into Lu Zuanfeng's abdomen and lingered there, refusing to dissipate.
"This Immortal Gu will protect your life. Go now."
Lu Zuanfeng was overjoyed. He kowtowed three more times, rose to his feet, and grinned: "Master, your disciple was also thinking of you. It wouldn't matter if I lost this little life, but who would serve at your side in the future? Master has shown me such great kindness, and I haven't repaid it yet. How could I go dying so easily?"
"Go, go." Moonlight Elder sighed and waved his hand repeatedly at Lu Zuanfeng.
Wu Shentong led a horde of beasts to assault Yitian Mountain. The Yitian Stockade, barely constructed, was on the verge of destruction.
The Demonic Path's morale plummeted. Xiao Shan resolved to fight to the death.
But that very night, the Fifth Transformation Demonic Path Gu Master Lu Zuanfeng infiltrated the Righteous Path camp, secretly beheaded Wu Shentong, and carried his head up Yitian Mountain under the cover of darkness.
Xiao Shan was overjoyed upon receiving it. He said to Lu Zuanfeng: "Brother Lu, your righteousness is admirable. This time we owe our lives to you."
Lu Zuanfeng was a perceptive man. He quickly cupped his fists and said earnestly: "Brother Xiao flatters me too much. I merely took advantage of the situation. If Brother Sha and all our fellow cultivators hadn't fought so hard and gravely wounded Wu Shentong, how could I have claimed his life so easily? If this merit were worth ten parts, I deserve only one. The other nine parts belong to all of you."
Hearing these words, everyone found Lu Zuanfeng far more agreeable.
Xiao Shan's heart sank. Having failed to destroy Lu Zuanfeng with flattery, he quickly changed his approach. He stabilized Lu Zuanfeng with different words and pulled him into the Yitian Stockade.
Just like that, the Righteous Path's first wave of attack crumbled under the counterattack led by Xiao Shan, Lu Zuanfeng, and their allies.
Fang Yuan lurked in the shadows, keeping a low profile throughout, observing everything with cold detachment from start to finish, never arousing suspicion.
He recalled the intelligence he had gathered in his previous life.
"So it seems that in this life, Wu Shentong was gravely wounded but survived. Xiao Shan's situation was dire, and the Xiao Family Ancestor behind him also went to summon Moonlight Elder."
"This Moonlight Elder is a famous wandering Immortal of the Southern Border. He has a grudge against the Wu family. The Xiao Family Ancestor offered such a generous price that he temporarily raised the stakes, pushing Lu Zuanfeng into Yitian Mountain ahead of schedule. Meanwhile, the Wu family's female Immortal Wu Dangzhi was schemed against — the pawn she chose lost her life. Though the Wu family did convert some fighting spirit, they suffered the greatest losses."
"The clash between Righteous and Demonic forces on Yitian Mountain is merely the surface. Behind it all, the true battle is among the Southern Border Gu Immortals. Mortals are nothing but ants..."
"Let them scheme against each other. After this battle, the fighting spirit I've converted has surpassed Xiao Shan's. I'm now number one!"
Thus, Fang Yuan quietly raked in his gains. More and more fighting spirit was converted in secret, unnoticed by anyone.
Time passed, and the second clash between Righteous and Demonic forces erupted.
As it turned out, Wu Dangzhi had suffered a setback in the first engagement and was unwilling to accept it.
If Moonlight Elder could add to the stakes, why couldn't she?
She selected another candidate and allied with the Shang family Gu Immortal, no longer repeating the mistake of fighting alone.
On the Yitian Mountain battlefield, the Wu family once again sent Gu Masters to attack. This time, two newly appointed Shang family Elders — Yan Tu and Ju Kai Bei — joined the campaign.
The two sides exchanged blows at the foot of Yitian Mountain, with neither gaining a decisive advantage. The stalemate dragged on.
At this point, Lan Mei He and Fei You Wang ascended the mountain together, joining the Yitian Stockade.
These two Gu Masters were no ordinary cultivators — they were renowned flight masters throughout the Southern Border's Gu Master community!
With their addition, the Yitian Stockade gained the upper hand and forced the Righteous Path forces into retreat.
To counter Lan Mei He and Fei You Wang, the Righteous Path brought in a female Gu Master named Hong Fei Yu. She too was a flight master, though she belonged to the Righteous Path faction.
But Hong Fei Yu alone could not withstand the combined assault of two Demonic Path flight masters.
At the critical moment when Hong Fei Yu's life hung in the balance, the Shang family reinforcements arrived — none other than the White Light Blade Master Wei Yang.
Wei Yang had been elevated by Shang Yanfei's patronage. His aptitude had improved, and his cultivation had reached the initial stage of the Fourth Transformation. In this battle, he not only rescued Hong Fei Yu but also cemented his reputation.
After Hong Fei Yu withdrew with grave injuries, Wei Yang fought one against two, battling Lan Mei He and Fei You Wang. He ultimately succeeded in stalling long enough for Righteous Path reinforcements to arrive, forcing Lan Mei He and Fei You Wang to retreat.
After this battle, Wei Yang gained recognition from both the Righteous and Demonic Paths, earning his place among the flight masters. The Southern Border's three original flight masters became four, with Wei Yang at the head.
Wei Yang's arrival threw the great war between Righteous and Demonic forces back into a stalemate.
However, when the Second Generation Zombie King ascended Yitian Mountain, the power of the Slave Path once again proved devastating. Lacking a Slave Path expert of Wu Shentong's caliber, the Righteous Path had no choice but to withdraw.
And so, the second clash between Righteous and Demonic forces came to an end.
Behind the scenes, the Southern Border Gu Immortals schemed and formed alliances — something mortal Gu Masters could never have imagined.
The only person on Yitian Mountain who understood the full picture, Fang Yuan, simply kept making money in silence, turning a blind eye to it all.
Under the identity of Yellow Sand, he had even crossed paths with Wei Yang on the battlefield.
This trusted lieutenant of Shang Yanfei had once looked after Fang Yuan and Bai Ningbing when they were in Shang City. Now, Wei Yang had made great strides, but Fang Yuan had already become an Immortal. Truly, things had changed while people remained the same.
After this battle, the fighting spirit Fang Yuan had converted was far ahead of everyone else's. Its sheer scale was so vast that even if all the fighting spirit controlled by the Southern Border Gu Immortals were combined, they would still fall slightly short of Fang Yuan's reserves.
Central Continent, Tianlian Sect.
Rumble...
Explosions and booms rang out without end.