Faint ghostly flames clung to the dark stone walls.
None of the fires were large—some as small as fireflies, others no bigger than lanterns.
They cast a cold green glow, their sickly light falling across the faces of Purple Mountain True Lord, Ying Wuxie, Hei Loulan, and Bai Ningbing.
Having been the first to break free from the battle at the Reverse Flow River, they had followed Purple Mountain True Lord's lead and teleported directly here.
But after that, Purple Mountain True Lord had slipped back into his state of madness.
Bai Ningbing sneered at Ying Wuxie as she watched Purple Mountain True Lord gnawing on his own toes. "So this is your plan? Have this Eighth Transformation powerhouse kill Fang Yuan?"
Although Ying Wuxie had managed to rescue Purple Mountain True Lord during this trip to the Great Snow Mountain Blessed Land, he had paid a heavy price. Stone Slave and Tai Bai Yun Sheng had both fallen in battle.
Hei Loulan said nothing.
An Eighth Transformation Gu Immortal like this was, by any measure, utterly unreliable.
But bound by the Shadow Sect's pact, Hei Loulan kept her mouth shut.
Ying Wuxie, subjected to such barbs from Bai Ningbing, did not so much as flinch.
Having endured repeated setbacks, he had long since forged the composure to remain unmoved even if Mount Tai itself collapsed before him.
He spoke slowly: "I underestimated Fang Yuan. I never expected him to refine the Perseverance Immortal Gu and become Lord of the Reverse Flow River. No wonder Heavenly Will chose him as its pawn. A man like that can only be destroyed, never defeated."
Ying Wuxie did not stint on his praise for Fang Yuan.
Though they were mortal enemies, Ying Wuxie was magnanimous enough to acknowledge Fang Yuan's advantages and strength.
Bai Ningbing let out a cold snort. The image of Fang Yuan conquering the Reverse Flow River floated unbidden into her mind, and she said nothing more.
In the narrow stone cave, only Purple Mountain True Lord's shouts echoed on and on.
After a while, Purple Mountain True Lord suddenly stopped yelling. His small body swayed, then steadied itself.
He straightened his back, and clarity returned to his eyes.
"My lord, you're awake!" Ying Wuxie was overjoyed and hurried closer.
Purple Mountain True Lord pressed a hand to his forehead. Waves of searing pain burst through his skull, twisting his face into a grimace.
"Last time at the Reverse Flow River, I forced myself into lucidity, so it didn't last long. This time is different—I'll have more充裕 time to remain clear. How long has it been? What was the outcome of the battle?"
"Over half a month has passed. Fang Yuan escaped the Northern Plains along the world wall—I believe he fled into the Eastern Sea, since he still has a foothold there. As for the battle, it's still unresolved. The Central Continent Gu Immortals intended to withdraw, but they were pursued by Old Ancestor Snow Hu. In their desperation, an Immortal Gu House descended from the sky. Both sides have taken the fight into the daylight sky," Ying Wuxie answered.
Purple Mountain True Lord nodded. "This time, the Central Continent Gu Immortals are almost certainly doomed. When Immortal Venerable Ju Yang established the Northern Plains as his base, how could he not have left behind arrangements? To say nothing of the Eighth Transformation Gu Immortals within the Lifespan Heaven who have yet to show themselves."
"My lord, what shall we do next?" Ying Wuxie asked.
He had once been the head of the Shadow Sect, but now that Purple Mountain True Lord had awakened, it was only natural that this Eighth Transformation powerhouse would lead the Shadow Sect once more, with Ying Wuxie stepping back.
Purple Mountain True Lord was about to speak when a gust of wind suddenly howled through the cave.
At the same time, the faint ghostly flames clinging to the surrounding walls flickered wildly, swaying back and forth as though caught in a true gale.
A sharp gleam flashed in Purple Mountain True Lord's eyes. "This cave wall is one of the escape routes I meticulously prepared. These ghostly flames were carefully cultivated by me to form a natural Gu formation, so seamlessly woven that no one could detect it or use divination against us. During my madness—how many times did these flames flicker?"
"One hundred and seven times," Bai Ningbing replied flatly.
"There may have been divination attempts from Fang Yuan among them. His scouting killer moves can follow the mysteries of the Luck Path to pinpoint our location. Even if we're inside an Immortal Orifice, there's no way to guard against it," Ying Wuxie said gravely.
Purple Mountain True Lord nodded. "Fang Yuan truly lives up to being the key figure cultivated by Heavenly Will against our Shadow Sect. His audacity is immense, his talent world-shaking, his will unparalleled—the kind of genius that appears only once in ten thousand years."
The supreme Purple of the Shadow Sect had just given Fang Yuan such a towering评价.
Yet all three Gu Immortals present fell silent, as if tacitly acknowledging Purple Mountain True Lord's assessment.
Purple Mountain True Lord continued: "Our plan going forward is to negotiate with Fang Yuan."
His words stunned the room.
"What? Negotiate?" Ying Wuxie and the others all changed color.
"What's so strange about that?" Purple Mountain True Lord glanced at the three of them.
He had a thorough understanding of the current situation. This was because, from the moment he awakened, Ying Wuxie had used Information Path means to let Purple Mountain True Lord learn everything that Ying Wuxie himself knew.
"You are still too young, and your knowledge is still too limited. Our greatest enemy at this moment is not Fang Yuan—it is the Heavenly Court." Purple Mountain True Lord shook his head and looked at Ying Wuxie. "Did you think rescuing the main body's soul would be so easy? Apart from that massive Gu formation in the Southern Border and the vast Dream Realm beyond it, I guarantee that the moment you make your move, the Heavenly Court will intervene to disrupt everything! Just as they did on Yitian Mountain, when they commanded the Sky Supervision Tower to sabotage our grand design. And just as they did this time, when they went to the Great Snow Mountain Blessed Land attempting to rescue Ma Hongyun."
Ying Wuxie's expression darkened. "My lord, I have considered this point, but the main body is truly in mortal peril—trapped within the Dream Realm all this time, slowly worn down by it. That is why I was in such a hurry..."
"Precisely because of that, we need to cooperate with Fang Yuan even more," Purple Mountain True Lord continued.
"First, Fang Yuan's strength is already extraordinary. With a single Immortal Killer Move alone, he can contend with an Eighth Transformation Gu Immortal."