"Haha, Elder Fang Yuan, you've returned!" The Langya Earth Spirit laughed heartily, throwing open his arms and striding toward Fang Yuan.
Fang Yuan laughed as well. "Being able to return to the Langya Blessed Land feels just like coming home. It's truly much more reassuring."
The two embraced tightly, both displaying the warmest enthusiasm.
"Elder Fang Yuan has now made a name for himself across the world — how gratifying." The Langya Earth Spirit's gaze upon Fang Yuan was entirely different from before.
Fang Yuan now possessed Eighth Transformation battle power — a fighting strength that belonged entirely to himself, sufficient to earn the Langya Earth Spirit's serious regard.
Moreover, Fang Yuan had escaped Heavenly Court's pursuit and returned safely to the Langya Sect.
If word of this achievement were to spread, it would shock the entire world.
Standing in the Langya Earth Spirit's shoes, he naturally wished to see Fang Yuan and humanity's foremost power, Heavenly Court, locked in bitter, irreconcilable enmity.
The more the world hunted Fang Yuan, the happier he was.
After all, he was a Furymen, and his obsession was to see the Furymen dominate the world.
Of course, the safety of the Langya Sect remained the utmost priority. Had he not been absolutely certain that Fang Yuan was "clean" and left no trail for Heavenly Court to follow, the Langya Earth Spirit would never have welcomed him in this manner.
"Elder Fang Yuan, what are your plans going forward?" the Langya Earth Spirit asked as they walked.
Fang Yuan did not hesitate, answering candidly. "The situation is tense right now, so I plan to lay low and recuperate for a while. I've inherited Spectral Soul's True Inheritance and become the new master of the Shadow Sect. Given enough time, I'll continuously raise my cultivation and battle power. As for Heavenly Court — they won't be able to track me down anymore. Speaking of which, it was truly perilous — fortunately, Grand Supreme Elder, you supported me from behind with all your might!"
The Langya Earth Spirit was somewhat embarrassed by the praise and could only laugh heartily.
In truth, he had not fully committed to supporting Fang Yuan — he had merely followed the Langya Sect's own established rules to help him refine Gu. If he had truly given his all, he would have dispatched Furymen Gu Immortals to meet and escort Fang Yuan long ago.
The two walked and talked as they went.
Along the way, they encountered numerous Furymen Gu Masters, who all stepped forward to bow respectfully, their faces filled with reverence.
The Langya Sect's development had been swift as well.
Ever since the Langya Earth Spirit had changed his development strategy and sparked the Furymen wars across the three continents, he had been able to inspire and elevate outstanding Furymen Gu Masters.
These Furymen elites had been selected and brought to the Cloud Cover Continent, high above the Langya Blessed Land, to live and receive guidance for further cultivation.
Murals of each Langya Sect Grand Elder adorned every Cloud City on the Cloud Cover Continent.
And in the Cloud City belonging to Fang Yuan, there stood a colossal stone statue several zhang tall, a perfect likeness of his appearance and build.
As a result, the Gu Masters of the Langya Sect were thoroughly familiar with all the Gu Immortal Elders.
After chatting for a while, Fang Yuan parted ways with the Langya Earth Spirit.
Their conversation had been pleasant — the Langya Earth Spirit was naturally very interested in Spectral Soul's True Inheritance, while Fang Yuan wished to leverage the full might of the Langya Sect to help him refine Immortal Gu.
In the Path of Refinement, Fang Yuan possessed some ability, but compared to the Langya Sect, he was utterly insignificant.
The two reached numerous agreements, and the Langya Earth Spirit departed satisfied.
Fang Yuan then made his way to the Gu Refining Grand Hall, where he met Mao Liu.
"So it's the Grand Second Elder — forgive me for not coming to greet you sooner." Mao Liu smiled as he spoke.
His appearance was haggard, his expression drawn, his face smeared with soot — a thoroughly sorry sight. Yet upon seeing Fang Yuan, his eyes revealed a complex mixture of emotions.
Joy. Nostalgia. Loneliness. Sighs.
Fate was truly wondrous. There had been a time when Mao Liu had wished nothing more than for Fang Yuan to die on the spot.
Yet now, Fang Yuan had become the master of the Shadow Sect — and was the sole hope for saving the original body, Spectral Soul.
Since Fang Yuan could protect Spectral Yin Xie's life, and since he and Heavenly Court were irreconcilable enemies whose hatred could never be resolved, Mao Liu chose to acknowledge Fang Yuan's status.
"Mao Liu greets the Sect Master — please forgive me for being unable to perform the full courtesy." Mao Liu sent a secret voice transmission.
This was the Langya Blessed Land, where the Langya Earth Spirit could observe everything, as clearly as reading the lines on one's palm.
"Merely empty formalities — why would I care about such things?" Fang Yuan transmitted back. "I should also thank you for your efforts — the Immortal Gu you refined proved tremendously helpful. Heavenly Court is my mortal enemy, and one day, I will storm their gates and do everything in my power to save Spectral Soul's original body!"
Mao Liu nodded, a glimmer of something unusual flashing through his eyes, then turned to lead the way. "Please, this way."
He understood well that Fang Yuan's words carried no real guarantee. If Fang Yuan wished to break his promise, there would be no penalty or cost whatsoever.
But a person living always needs a shred of hope — even if that hope is exceedingly faint.
And Mao Liu also knew that if they did not recruit Fang Yuan, the remaining Shadow Sect Gu Immortals would be no match for Heavenly Court and would soon be annihilated.
Heavenly Court wouldn't even need to act — for the sake of profit, Fang Yuan himself would most likely move against the Shadow Sect remnants first.
Purple Mountain True Monarch had long since understood the situation that lay ahead. In order to preserve as much of the Shadow Sect's strength as possible and keep hope alive, he had entrusted the entire Shadow Sect to Fang Yuan.
Fang Yuan saw through Purple Mountain True Monarch's calculations, but had no choice but to accept — and his heart even held a measure of joy.
Fang Yuan followed Mao Liu for a stretch until they stood before the Immortal Refinement Formation.
There, raging flames burned, yet they emanated a staggering chill.