"Who is that?" Ye Fan gazed up at Fang Yuan floating high in the sky, a doubt stirring in his heart.
At that moment, he couldn't help but recall what his master, Lu Weiyin, had once told him.
"Master said this eagle could settle a karmic debt upon me. I've always wondered—could it be that this Gu Immortal is truly the eagle's master, and my karma lies with him?"
Ye Fan did not recognize Fang Yuan, because at this moment Fang Yuan bore his true appearance—the original face of his Supreme Immortal Body—which was something Ye Fan had never encountered before.
What Ye Fan knew was the appearance of Fang Yuan's Sixth Transformation clone on the Dao of Time, which he had gathered from people close to Shang Xinci. That had been easy enough; back in the day, Fang Yuan and Bai Ningbing had been known as the Black and White Fiends, roaming the mortal world under wanted notices.
The maidservant Xiao Die's teeth chattered as she shivered.
Of course, she too had failed to recognize Fang Yuan. But Fang Yuan's overwhelming presence, combined with his claim of being the Supreme Sky Eagle's master—if the eagle alone was already this powerful, then how strong must its master be?
Xiao Die couldn't even imagine. She was overcome with dread, terrified that Fang Yuan might come after them.
As for Shang Xinci, she pressed her lips tight, her gaze fixed on Fang Yuan in the distance. In her eyes there was not only shock but also a trace of puzzlement, and around her heart lingered some indescribable, wondrous premonition.
The mortals were mostly bewildered and stunned, but the Gu Immortals were a different story entirely—they felt a chill seize their whole bodies!
"Th-this person is—?!" The Sixth Transformation Gu Immortal Hou Yao's eyes went wide, his jaw hanging slack. He recognized Fang Yuan's identity—the answer was right on the tip of his tongue—yet he couldn't bring himself to say it.
With the appearance of his Supreme Immortal Body, Fang Yuan had always roamed the world under the identity of Liu Guan'i.
Back when he was in the Southern Border, infiltrating Immortal Arrays and exploring the Super Dream Realm, he had disguised himself as Wu Yihai.
The appearances of Liu Guan'i and Wu Yihai were, naturally, completely different from each other.
But don't forget! After the great battle at the Reverse Flow River, the Heavenly Court—in order to sabotage the Heaven of Longevity's political schemes and fracture the Gu Immortal forces of the Northern Plains—had framed Fang Yuan while simultaneously exposing the truth that he was Liu Guan'i.
Thus, the fact that Fang Yuan was Liu Guan'i, and that he had once disguised himself as Wu Yihai, was already known to every Gu Immortal under heaven. His Supreme Immortal Body's appearance—Liu Guan'i's visage—was no longer a secret. It was common knowledge throughout the world.
This time, when Fang Yuan came to the Southern Border, he had not activated "Meeting Familiar Faces" or any other means of concealment.
There were several reasons for this.
First, the purpose of this trip was crystal clear: to reclaim the Supreme Sky Eagle. When he made his move, even if he'd disguised his appearance, his identity would have been fully exposed anyway. There was no need.
Second, after the great battle at the Reverse Flow River, Fang Yuan possessed Eighth Transformation combat strength. Having had time to consolidate and reinforce his foundations, his reserves were solid and his power profound. Now, striking into the Southern Border again—suddenly and without warning—he was brimming with confidence.
Third, Fang Yuan had deliberately shown his true face to test the layouts of the Heavenly Court and other Righteous Path factions. But his journey thus far had been entirely smooth and unimpeded.
In summary, the moment Fang Yuan appeared, every Gu Immortal present recognized his identity.
"The Supreme Sky Eagle... Wu Yihai... So that's it—this eagle is the Supreme Sky Eagle!" In Shang Qingqing's mind, thoughts raced one after another as she connected the clues and grasped the full picture.
"Fang Yuan possesses Eighth Transformation combat strength—that's a fact known to the entire world! An Eighth Transformation Gu Immortal is an entirely different concept from an Ancient Wild Beast! We need to flee—now!" From his hiding spot within the lake, Yi Yu spoke up.
This Sixth Transformation Gu Immortal, who bore the appearance of a frail young scholar, was clearly terrified—his face was deathly pale and his soul beast trembled.
"What are you afraid of? He may not have spotted us yet. Even if we try to retreat now, it's too late—do you really think we could escape?" Beside him, the Seventh Transformation Gu Immortal Yi Nanmen wore an extremely grim expression. All of the Yi family's previous plans had been cast aside; he was doing everything in his power to shrink back and hide, suppressing his aura to nothing.
Just as the immortals were panic-stricken and at a loss, the Iron-Faced God floated forward, openly revealing his form as he drifted toward Fang Yuan. "Fang Yuan! You are currently wanted by the Righteous Paths of the Central Continent, the Southern Border, and the Northern Plains—and yet you still dare to show your face?"
Seeing this, the other immortals felt a surge of admiration for the Iron-Faced God.
"As expected of the Iron-Faced God!"
"The backbone of the Tie family's Gu Immortals is truly admirable."
"At a time like this, cowering like turtles is useless. This is a matter of life and death—we must cooperate wholeheartedly, unite as one, and only then might we have a sliver of hope for survival."
"Exactly! Fang Yuan has managed to evade capture and roam the world freely—he possesses extraordinary means of evasion and maneuver. If we scatter and flee separately, he'll catch up and kill us one by one. Our only hope is to unite as one, send out an urgent plea for reinforcements, and hold on until help arrives."
To have achieved the rank of Gu Immortal, one must possess extraordinary qualities.
The Gu Immortals present, having received the Iron-Faced God's wake-up call, steadied their minds and immediately understood the situation. Facing Fang Yuan—the most prominent Demonic Path Gu Immortal in the world today—only by uniting to fight together would they have a chance of survival.
"If Fang Yuan spots us, we'll have no choice but to fight to the death against this demon!" Yi Nanmen and Yi Yu continued to communicate urgently.