"So that's how it is." Fang Yuan immediately contacted the Fang Family's Gu Immortals and obtained intelligence.
The great battle revolving around the Bean God Palace had indeed concluded. The ones who seized the Bean God Palace were the Fang Family!
Before his defeat, Chen Yi, the Supreme Grand Elder of the Heavenly Lotus Sect, left behind a warning — the Fang Family should safeguard the Bean God Palace carefully, for he would personally come to reclaim it in the future.
As for Qing Chou, it had also escaped. Its foundations were deep — it possessed not only a single Eighth Transformation Soul Beast Command, but also other Eighth Transformation Immortal Gu.
Although the Fang Family had seized the Bean God Palace, two of the three Immortal Gu Houses — the Chicken Cage and Dog Kennel, and the Wenjin Dock — had suffered severe damage, and the Supreme Grand Elder Fang Gong had also sustained considerable injuries. The Bean God Palace itself, once captured, was nearly half-destroyed.
However, after contacting Fang Yuan, the Fang Family still promised to provide him with compensation. Moreover, they strictly followed the terms of the alliance — the compensation was generous. There was just one thing: the Fang Family Gu Immortals asked Fang Yuan to be patient for a while, because the commotion this time had been too great to keep secret for long. News of the Fang Family obtaining the Bean God Palace would eventually be deduced. When that happened, the Western Desert's Gu Immortal world would certainly be thrown into turmoil. Many superpowers would not sit idly by and allow the Fang Family to acquire this house and leap to the position of the Western Desert's foremost superpower!
At that time, the Fang Family would inevitably face pressure from all directions. Therefore, they needed to use this period of calm to strengthen themselves as much as possible and recuperate. The Immortal Gu Houses, in particular, had to be repaired with all their might.
As a result, the Fang Family's finances would be tight. They requested that if it was convenient for Fang Yuan, perhaps he could extend the deadline by a few days.
Fang Yuan considered for a moment and agreed.
First, the alliance agreement wasn't overly strict about the payment timeline. Second, Fang Yuan still wanted to maintain a good relationship with the Fang Family.
The current situation had changed.
The Fang Family had provoked the Heavenly Lotus Sect of the Central Continent, which was equivalent to provoking the Heavenly Court. Fang Yuan's disguise identity, Suan Bu Jin, had played a significant role in all of this and couldn't escape responsibility. In the Fang Family's eyes, Fang Yuan and their side shared a common powerful enemy — they were natural allies.
On the other hand, the Fang Family was under pressure and wary of the strength Fang Yuan had displayed. Suan Bu Jin's identity was already that of a Wisdom Path Gu Immortal, one who had the means to enslave an army of Soul Beasts. And in the battle for the Bean God Palace, Fang Yuan had further revealed his ability to steal an Eighth Transformation Immortal Gu — the Soul Beast Command. This was simply earth-shattering!
Therefore, the Fang Family was quite cautious in their attitude toward Fang Yuan, unwilling to provoke such a being lightly — especially at this critical moment when the entire Fang Family was under trial. They were even less willing to antagonize Fang Yuan's side, and in fact planned to rely on him at certain moments, hoping to use him as an external ally.
Fang Yuan's thoughts turned, and he understood the Fang Family's intentions.
"First the Tang Family, and now this Fang Family — they can all become chess pieces to resist the Heavenly Court." Fang Yuan was orchestrating a grand strategy across the world, his gaze already piercing far into the future.
"The Western Desert's situation will certainly be thrown into turmoil. The key question is how much of the Fang Family's strength remains, and how much power can the captured Bean God Palace exert?"
If the Fang Family could withstand the suppression from various quarters in the coming period, then Fang Yuan wouldn't mind giving them a further boost — lending a hand to support them and consolidate their relationship.
If the Fang Family couldn't withstand it and even faced the crisis of clan annihilation, then of course Fang Yuan wouldn't offer a helping hand. On the contrary, he would kick them while they were down — seizing the Bean God Palace held far greater promise.
Fang Yuan watched the tigers fight from atop the mountain, his mood leisurely.
This battle for the Bean God Palace had yielded him tremendous gains. First, the Seventh Transformation Great Thief Immortal Gu — with it, combined with his own Grandmaster-level attainment in the Theft Path, he could now harness the power of the Ninth Transformation killer move Ghost Not Aware. This was a qualitative transformation. Second, the Eighth Transformation Soul Beast Command — at the Eighth Transformation tier, even with immense capital, it wasn't guaranteed one could obtain such a thing. Third, his relationship with the Fang Family had undergone a dramatic leap forward, and the Fang Family still owed him considerable compensation.
Even if Fang Yuan had obtained the Bean God Palace, he would still have faced the challenge of repairing it, requiring an enormous investment of capital. At the same time, the burden of feeding Immortal Gu would have skyrocketed.
This current outcome was not necessarily a bad thing for Fang Yuan.
"However, as things stand, a large number of Western Desert Gu Immortals have flooded into the Azure Ghost Desert. It wouldn't be convenient for me to set up my plans here."
Originally, Fang Yuan had intended to deploy Ying Wu Xie and the others in the Azure Ghost Desert, continuously hunting Soul Cores to aid his Soul Path cultivation. But now it seemed that wasn't feasible.
The Azure Ghost Desert was too crowded and too closely watched — unfavorable for covert operations.
And there was the greatest threat of all: Qing Chou, which had escaped.
This legendary ancient Soul Beast possessed Eighth Transformation combat strength. Fang Yuan had never fought it directly, but he knew its power was formidable. Even if he deployed the Reverse Flow Protection Seal and similar defenses, he would at best fight to a draw.
Now, Qing Chou's whereabouts were unknown — it was very likely still hiding somewhere in the Azure Ghost Desert. In that case, whether Fang Yuan stationed Ying Wu Xie and the others there or remained himself, there would be danger. If the two sides clashed, the mere issue of his identity being exposed would ruin many of Fang Yuan's major plans.
"I should leave." Fang Yuan's Wisdom Path methods served multiple purposes. In mere moments, he reached the wisest decision — to leave the Azure Ghost Desert, and even to leave the Western Desert entirely.
"Fellow Immortal?" At that moment, the female Immortal He Gu was still standing before Fang Yuan. Seeing that he had yet to respond, she asked once more.