Mao Six looked at Fang Yuan and burst into hearty laughter, showing not the slightest hint of fear.
If Fang Yuan intended to arrest and interrogate him, he should have made his move the moment Mao Six had sent that voice transmission earlier — before anything else had happened.
But Fang Yuan hadn't done that. Instead, he'd sat down first and only then issued hollow threats.
As for the reasons behind this, Mao Six understood them perfectly well. He said immediately, "The Twelve Cloud Cities have always been under my supervision. Even before you arrived, I had already set up an Immortal Gu formation here. Not only can it perfectly disguise everything so that the Lang Ya Land Spirit won't discover us, but it also has the effect of suppressing the covenant. You're welcome to test it."
Fang Yuan had already joined the Lang Ya Sect and was bound by the covenant — he couldn't act entirely as he pleased.
Dealing with Mao Six, a mole within the Lang Ya Sect, was a direct violation of the covenant.
But upon hearing Mao Six's words, Fang Yuan began to test it carefully. Sure enough, minor covenant violations didn't trigger any backlash.
Fang Yuan's gaze deepened. After a long pause, he said, "It seems you really are a mole in the Lang Ya Sect. What kind of deal do you want to make with me?"
Mao Six felt a slight wave of relief. He had been afraid that Fang Yuan would skip all questions and simply seize him for interrogation. It seemed the first hurdle had been cleared.
However… he couldn't afford to let his guard down. Fang Yuan was despicable, shameless, ruthless, cunning, and utterly without principles.
And he himself had risked everything to come here, exposing his identity in the process, still surrounded by danger on all sides.
But there was no choice. Shadowless Evil's side had truly reached a dead end, a crisis of survival imminent. This was the only desperate measure left.
Making a deal with Fang Yuan was like trying to negotiate with a tiger for its skin — staggeringly dangerous.
Only once the deal was struck could he have solid evidence, ready to bite back at any moment, dragging Fang Yuan down with him. Only then would Mao Six be truly safe.
But how could he ensure they achieved their objectives without losing too much? Mao Six found it exceedingly difficult, for he was inherently in the weaker position.
"Shadowless Evil and I share a deep enmity. And now he suddenly comes to seek me out, willing to expose even his own mole, clearly in need of my help. Interesting… I'd like to see what he's really after." A storm of thoughts whirled through Fang Yuan's mind.
"To be perfectly honest, Lord Shadowless Evil's situation has reached a dead end — a crisis of life and death, imminent. Otherwise, I wouldn't have voluntarily revealed myself to make a deal with you," Mao Six suddenly said.
"Oh?" Fang Yuan raised an eyebrow and once again appraised the other party.
Mao Six's candor genuinely surprised Fang Yuan.
Who reveals their own weakness before negotiations even begin?
A sharp gleam flashed in Fang Yuan's eyes, and he immediately grasped the brilliance of Mao Six's counterintuitive approach. Even without saying it, Fang Yuan would have figured it out eventually. Saying it aloud — that was the gambit of someone desperate enough to stake everything on one move, seeking to escape death by embracing it.
"It seems that spending too much time around the Lang Ya Land Spirit has made him let his guard down. But this man, despite his Mao Min appearance, is fundamentally a Shadow Sect mole at heart — how could he possibly be as naive and easily deceived as a Land Spirit?" Fang Yuan quietly heightened his vigilance.
After a moment's thought, Fang Yuan spoke, his tone unhurried: "Shadowless Evil has my original body, a full stockpile of Gu Insects, and the backing of both Hei Loulan and Tai Bai Yun Sheng. How could he possibly have fallen to such a state? I don't believe it."
Mao Six shook his head. "Fang Yuan, why bother testing me? You planted a special technique that caused the Gu Insects to self-destruct, catching Lord Shadowless Evil completely off guard. Of all the Gu Insects he managed to salvage with his utmost effort, only thirty percent remained."
These words finally convinced Fang Yuan completely — the Mao Six before him was truly a Shadow Sect mole hidden within the Lang Ya Sect.
Fang Yuan's mind raced. Just now, he had employed some deception of his own, and Mao Six's response had immediately yielded a wealth of valuable intelligence.
"Who would have thought that Shadowless Evil actually managed to control both the black and white ones? Hei Loulan is a formidable figure among people — originally not easy to control. But with both her elder and younger aunt having perished, the difficulty of controlling her dropped considerably. She possesses the Mighty True Martial Body; if leveraged properly, she would make an exceptional pawn."
"And Tai Bai Yun Sheng, with his good-natured personality — though indecisive, his two Time-path Immortal Gu are incredibly useful in everyday support. To think both of them ended up under Shadowless Evil's control — what a waste!"
Fang Yuan's heart brimmed with reflections.
Fate was truly wondrous and bizarre.
After the great battle at Yi Tian Mountain, he and Shadowless Evil had essentially swapped positions. He had obtained the Supreme Immortal True Body Gu, while Shadowless Evil had inherited most of his former accumulations.
He himself had been able to utilize Hei Loulan and control Tai Bai Yun Sheng. Shadowless Evil, as one of the split souls of the Demonic Venerable Specter, clearly possessed no ordinary skills either, keeping both firmly under his thumb.
"Shadowless Evil obtained my Immortal Gu and also secured the support of the black and white pair. Now he takes the initiative to come begging me for a deal — I'll make sure he pays a steep price!" Fang Yuan swore silently.
But then, after exposing his own shortcomings, Mao Six suddenly shifted the conversation: "Before we discuss the deal, allow me to demonstrate our sincerity. Consider this piece of intelligence a free gift. It is extremely precious — it concerns your future cultivation, Fang Yuan. More precisely, it concerns your very survival and destruction!"
Fang Yuan snorted coldly, his expression displeased: "Whether intelligence is precious is not for you to boast about. Let me hear the contents and judge for myself."
"Fang Yuan, do you know what Heavenly Will is?" Mao Six asked.
"Heavenly Will?" Fang Yuan was puzzled.