Duke Long offered an enormous price!
But nobody present found it strange.
Fang Yuan's strength was right there for all to see, and his attitude largely influenced the Eastern Sea and the Central Continent.
That was where his value lay! In the world of Gu cultivation, power was king!
Song Qiyuan grew increasingly anxious and sneered, "Lord Duke Long, you truly have no shame. You were just fighting to the death with Senior Qihai moments ago, and now you suddenly want to recruit him? Who would believe a word of that?"
Duke Long smiled calmly, "Belief or disbelief is up to each individual. The reason you don't believe me is that you're afraid the Heavenly Court will swallow your interests in the future. You each have your own families and dominions spanning many sea regions — you're here to protect your own power. But Immortal Friend Qihai is a man alone. He's nothing like you."
"How laughable! Senior Qihai is an Eastern Sea Gu Immortal. Join your Central Continent's Heavenly Court? He'd be marginalized if he did!" Shen Congsheng said.
"Marginalized?" Duke Long swept Shen Congsheng with a dismissive glance. "With that kind of petty outlook, it's no wonder the Shen Family has seen so little progress despite your years of leadership. The sect system exists precisely to embrace all rivers like the sea, selecting the worthy by merit and talent alone. Besides, what Central Continent? What Eastern Sea? When the Five Regions merge, all Gu Immortals in the world will be from the same place."
Duke Long's eloquence was formidable, and for a moment he left both Song Qiyuan and Shen Congsheng at a loss for words.
But no matter how convincing Duke Long's arguments might be, how could Fang Yuan possibly join the Heavenly Court?
If only Duke Long knew that the very Qihai Old Ancestor he was so earnestly trying to recruit was actually Fang Yuan himself — one could only wonder at the expression on his face.
Shen Congsheng opened his mouth to speak, unwilling to give up.
Duke Long snorted coldly, a hint of savagery showing in his eyes: "Your trivial little Shen Family aspires to reach for the whole world? Ambition must match ability. If Heaven has not yet delivered retribution, it simply means the time has not come! If you can't wait, I can act as Heaven's instrument and deliver some retribution to your Shen Family right now."
Shen Congsheng, directly threatened by Duke Long, felt both alarm and fury, but for the moment he held his tongue. He had come here to persuade Qihai Old Ancestor, not to truly drag the Shen Family into the fray and make them a thorn in the Heavenly Court's side. In the future chaos of the Five Regions' war, seeing the Shen Family reduced to cannon fodder on the front lines was something he wanted even less.
Song Qiyuan understood perfectly well that they could not afford to appear weak at this moment. He clapped his hands and declared: "What impressive airs, Duke Long! A single Central Continent Gu Immortal, threatening three Eastern Sea Eighth Transformation Gu Immortals right here in the Eastern Sea — are you taking us Eastern Sea cultivators for people with no backbone?"
Fang Yuan also snorted coldly, his expression darkening: "I'm all too familiar with this tone. In the future, when your Central Continent Heavenly Court Gu Immortals besiege me, you'll use exactly this same tone — always acting as if your Heavenly Court is the king of heaven, the supreme power under the sun, and everyone should bow before you."
The moment these words came out, Shen Congsheng and Song Qiyuan immediately perked up, their spines straightening with renewed vigor.
Little did they know that Fang Yuan had noticed them faltering under Duke Long's imposing presence and had deliberately spoken up to support them, bolstering their spirits.
The current situation was rather strange. What had started as a confrontation between Duke Long and Fang Yuan had somehow evolved into the two Eastern Sea immortals and Duke Long competing for Fang Yuan's allegiance.
Fang Yuan was delighted by this scene. He stood in the middle, watching both sides clash — whenever one side fell into a disadvantage, he would lend a hand to the weaker party.
"This kind of opportunity is exceedingly rare. With some deft maneuvering, both your Shen Family and Song Family might just end up as thorns in the Heavenly Court's side."
Fang Yuan decided to sow discord, making full use of this golden opportunity. He was determined to escalate the conflict between both parties, thereby shaking the entire Eastern Sea Gu Immortal community!
Seeing the grim look on Qihai Old Ancestor's face, Duke Long was secretly vexed.
But the object of his anger was not Qihai Old Ancestor — it was Fang Yuan.
"That demon harbors inscrutable schemes and excels above all others in manipulation and trickery. When he convinced Qihai Old Ancestor to act, he must have been adding fuel to the fire!"
"Immortal Friend Qihai," Duke Long considered for a moment before speaking, "cooperation between us would benefit us both, while separation would harm us both. Many petty people are trying to stir up trouble, hoping to use you as their pawn."
His tone was soft yet carried a hidden edge — not merely the inducement of favors, but a subtle display of the Heavenly Court's overwhelming power.
On the other side, the two Eastern Sea Eighth Transformation Gu Immortals saw Qihai Old Ancestor defending them and hurriedly expressed their gratitude. Emboldened, they proceeded to badmouth the Heavenly Court, their audacity growing bolder than before.
Fang Yuan held the center steady, stirring up discord, watching as both sides denounced and undermined each other.
Before long, tempers flared on both sides and their words grew ever sharper.
Fang Yuan carefully read every expression around him. Seeing Duke Long growing ever more impatient, he knew that too much of a good thing would backfire. With a meaningful smile, he said: "Fang Yuan's schemes — how could this Old Ancestor not be aware? But that junior is truly intriguing. He promised me many things, even offering a Venerable's True Inheritance. Though this Old Ancestor specializes in the Qi Path, I do have descendants living within my Immortal Orifice. Giving my descendants one more path to walk is hardly a bad thing."
Fang Yuan spoke with absolute shamelessness. These True Inheritances had long since fallen into his hands, so there was no limit to what he could claim.
When Duke Long heard this — Fang Yuan was trying to recruit Qihai Old Ancestor as well?
He quickly considered: it made sense! Such a figure was an unparalleled master. Unless an Immortal Venerable appeared, the entire world would have to defer to him. Facing him was like comparing equal forces — barely any difference. His killer moves weren't particularly refined, and he didn't seem to possess many Qi Path Eighth Transformation Immortal Gu, but the Dao Marks covering his body were terrifying in scale — vast and boundless. No one knew how he had managed to cultivate to such a degree!