This was a small underground cave. Faint ghostly flames burned along the cave walls, forming a natural formation array. Though its defensive power was minimal, it served as an excellent early-warning system.
Fang Yuan had been ambushed by Heavenly Court in the River of Time. He had fought with everything he had, battling his way through by the skin of his teeth, and finally carved out a bloody path to escape.
After shaking off Qing Ye and the others, Fang Yuan followed a tributary stream of time and emerged in the Southern Border of the outside world.
The Southern Border was the Shadow Sect's stronghold. Purple Mountain True Monarch had set up many of these ghostly-flame caves at various locations throughout the region. Fang Yuan activated his Fixed Immortal Travel killer move, randomly selected one of the caves, and concealed himself inside to tend his wounds and rest.
Although he had the Reverse Flow Protection Seal, it had not shielded him the entire time. He had also relied on the Winter Coat killer move to protect his body. Setting aside his fierce battle with Li Huang, even during the escape itself, Fang Yuan had endured the bombardment of three Immortal Gu Houses head-on, and his injuries were far from light.
Fang Yuan inspected his Supreme Immortal Body, then slowly rose to his feet.
After several days of recuperation in the small cave, he had fully recovered. The main factor was that on his Supreme Immortal Body, the Dao Marks did not repel one another, which made his healing remarkably effective.
The Eighth Transformation White Li Immortal Essence in his immortal aperture had increased somewhat as well, though it still remained below the warning threshold.
Fang Yuan clasped his hands behind his back and paced about the small cave. He contemplated the current situation, and his brow furrowed deeper and deeper.
This time, he had truly suffered a crushing defeat in the River of Time. The phrase "a narrow escape from death" hardly did it justice.
In his heart, Fang Yuan felt no lingering fear or relief at having survived. On the contrary, this outcome had fallen within his own estimates.
Heavenly Court's strength was simply too overwhelming!
The span of Fang Yuan's rise to power, measured against Heavenly Court's history, did not even amount to a fraction of it.
With such a deep and vast foundation, even a slight exertion of effort was enough to leave Fang Yuan in dire straits. The breakout battle in the River of Time just days ago was the clearest proof.
The reason Fang Yuan had previously been able to gain the upper hand against Heavenly Court was that he launched surprise attacks, catching them off guard. He also maintained secrecy, leaving them unable to find an opening. Fang Yuan had been exhausting his mind and racing against time, advancing his strength at a relentless pace, causing Heavenly Court to stumble in their responses time and again.
But as Heavenly Court investigated Fang Yuan's true capabilities with increasing thoroughness and paid him ever greater attention, the moment of a direct confrontation had finally arrived—and Fang Yuan's strength appeared thin by comparison.
Heavenly Court's power lay not only in its own deep reserves, but in one crucial factor above all: a unified will.
The Southern Border's Righteous Path actually possessed formidable strength as well. But with numerous families standing in loose, fragmented structures, they had little means of dealing with Fang Yuan.
Heavenly Court, on the other hand, had been chasing Fang Yuan from pillar to post without respite.
Had Fang Yuan not been cunning and resourceful, had he not possessed deep foresight, any other Demonic Path Gu Master would have been captured or killed by Heavenly Court long ago.
As time went on, with Heavenly Court garrisoning the River of Time, their position would only grow stronger, and Fang Yuan's hope of obtaining the Red Lotus True Inheritance would grow ever more dim.
Facing such a colossus, what could Fang Yuan possibly do?
"White Li Immortal Essence has been almost entirely depleted."
"The Reverse Flow River is also down to very little—Li Huang consumed a great deal, making it very difficult to continue employing."
Unlike Dang Hun Mountain and Luo Po Valley, which had orderly ninth-transformation killer moves and could be quickly restored using the Landscape as Before Gu, the Reverse Flow River was a different matter entirely.
Fang Yuan was not lacking in methods to restore it, but every single option was a grueling, massive undertaking!
It was foreseeable that for a long time to come, Fang Yuan would be unable to rely on the Reverse Flow Protection Seal as a tactic.
Without the Reverse Flow Protection Seal, but with his cultivation having advanced to the Eighth Transformation and the addition of the Summer Raft's capabilities, comparing before and after, his overall strength had actually risen considerably.
"Only this time, I've exposed too many of my techniques."
The exposure of the Archaic Year Beast, Spring Scissors, Summer Fan, and other killer moves had been within Fang Yuan's calculations. But the revelation of the Five Finger Fist Heart Sword and the Time Flying Blade was something that left Fang Yuan feeling it was somewhat of a pity.