Fang Yuan, dressed in white robes, slowly descended into the Mad Demon Den.
On the ground, two Gu Immortals had been standing for a long time, waiting respectfully.
One Gu Immortal had a fair complexion, a flowing black beard, wide sleeves, and eyes sharp and bright as stars. His bearing was extraordinary. He called himself Bu Shi Xian and specialized in the Dao of Rules.
The other Gu Immortal was short in stature, reaching only Fang Yuan's knees. His small eyes gleamed with cunning light. This was the Schemer, who specialized in the Dao of Wisdom.
By now, Fang Yuan was a far cry from his former self. In the two great battles — the Battle of Langya's Defense and the great battle in the River of Time — he had trampled the Heavenly Court underfoot. During this time, he had also captured a large group of Righteous Path Gu Immortals from the Southern Border, including two Eighth Transformation experts! Not long ago, word spread from the Eastern Sea's Gu Immortal community that Fang Yuan had borrowed the power of Ancestor Qi Sea to resist Elder Long and claim the Gu Immortal House, the Dragon Palace.
If one were to speak of the most powerful and most talked-about Demonic Path Gu Immortal of the current era, it was none other than Fang Yuan.
"Fellow Daoists, we meet again." After landing, Fang Yuan was the first to bow, a smile on his face, his manner very courteous.
The Schemer and Bu Shi Xian hastily returned the bow.
Bu Shi Xian smiled and said: "After we parted last time, word reached us that Brother Liu's true identity was Gu Yue Fang Yuan. It truly left the Three Freaks of the Mad Demon Den both shocked and delighted. For Fellow Daoist to come this time, you must have found a way to break through your current bottleneck. We've been eagerly awaiting this."
Fang Yuan had originally forged the Mad Demon Pact under the alias Liu Guan Yi, becoming a member of the Mad Demon Den just like Chu Du.
Thus, Bu Shi Xian addressed Fang Yuan as Brother Liu.
As far as the Three Freaks were concerned, Fang Yuan's appearance had not changed, because the face of Liu Guan Yi had always been that of Fang Yuan's Supreme Immortal Body.
"Where is Fellow Daoist Pang Shan?" Fang Yuan asked.
"The last time he explored the seventh layer, he seemed to have gained some insight. He is currently in closed cultivation," the Schemer replied.
"Is that so." Fang Yuan smiled, understanding perfectly.
The Three Freaks were on guard against him!
Back then, when he had disguised himself as Liu Guan Yi, his combat strength had not been particularly formidable. Now, however, Fang Yuan's power had risen with startling speed. The world recognized that though he was only at the Seventh Transformation, his combat strength could rival an Eighth Transformation expert. The Three Freaks naturally had to be wary of Fang Yuan, lest he suddenly strike and turn on all three of them.
After all, Fang Yuan was the greatest demon of the current age — cruel and ruthless by nature. Never mind his cheerful smile now; in truth, he was a monster who killed without blinking and devoured people without spitting out the bones.
Though the Three Freaks had lived in the Mad Demon Den for a long time, devoting themselves single-mindedly to cultivation, they were far from foolish. In particular, the Schemer, leader of the trio, had made a remarkable showing in Fang Yuan's previous life five hundred years ago, dealing a heavy blow even to the Heavenly Court.
The Three Freaks feared Fang Yuan, and so Pang Shan did not appear, instead hiding off to one side.
His "closed cultivation" was very likely just an excuse — a safeguard in case Fang Yuan went berserk and suddenly attacked them. As long as one of the Three Freaks was always absent, there would be no fear of Fang Yuan wiping them all out in one swoop.
"More than that, the Three Freaks likely have certain measures they can activate. That's why they always keep one person outside." Fang Yuan's mind raced through calculations.
Though Fang Yuan had signed the Mad Demon Pact, he had long since undone this alliance.
The Three Freaks, too, possessed lethal techniques that could disregard the pact entirely.
The Three Freaks feared Fang Yuan and were on guard against him, while Fang Yuan himself had little desire to make a move.
At least not at the moment.
"Come to think of it, this is already my third visit to the Mad Demon Den. Hopefully there will be something to gain!" Fang Yuan's primary goal for this trip was the Wuji True Inheritance.
In the near future, the Heavenly Court would certainly organize the Central Continent Gu Refinement Assembly to repair Fate Gu.
When that time came, a colossal battle among Gu Immortals from all five domains was inevitable!
In that great battle, despite Fang Yuan's formidable strength, he would not be able to control the situation. Any single Venerable's method could easily overturn the existing balance of power.
This was something Fang Yuan had seen with perfect clarity in his previous life.
The best example was Elder Long.
Elder Long's power was unmatched by any mortal, but under a Venerable's methods, he was utterly insignificant. The Demon Venerable Wuji had bound him up tightly the moment he struck, leaving him helpless for a long time. It was only through the Immortal Venerable Yuan Lian's intervention that Elder Long finally broke free and regained his liberty.
Fang Yuan had planned this before: in this life, he would not only actively build his own strength, but also collect Venerable True Inheritances. If he could bring forth Venerable-level methods, it would be the best possible support for his grand design to destroy Fate Gu!
And the most reliable lead was right here — the Mad Demon Den!
The timing Fang Yuan had chosen was also perfect.
His current combat strength had already been greatly enhanced. On the surface he was still only at the Seventh Transformation, but in reality he had advanced to the Eighth Transformation. Even if the Three Freaks turned against him, he could strike back quickly and his life would be in no danger.
And in a little while, Bing Sai Chuan of Chang Sheng Tian would awaken. His awakening would have enormous consequences for Chang Sheng Tian and for the Northern Plains' Gu Immortal community.
When that time came, if Fang Yuan entered the Northern Plains again and caused any major disturbance, he would likely have to face Chang Sheng Tian led by Bing Sai Chuan — and it would be difficult to walk away unscathed.
Bu Shi Xian led the way ahead, while the Schemer walked alongside Fang Yuan, conversing with him.
Fang Yuan followed the two deeper into the Mad Demon Den.
The Mad Demon Den was divided into nine layers in total.
The first layer was the outermost one — the very scene Fang Yuan had just surveyed from above.
The second layer was a stretch of blazingly hot volcanic rock flats.
The third layer was shrouded in clouds and mist, with ferocious beasts lurking within, along with a Fog City. It was extremely dangerous.
…
Each layer had a vastly different environment, and at regular intervals, demonic sounds emanated from the deepest ninth layer, radiating across all nine layers of the Mad Demon Den.
During the demonic sounds, all living things went mad and devolved into slaughter, plunging everything into utter chaos.