Eastern Sea.
Crash, crash, crash!
Waves surged violently, crashing against the reef of a small island and exploding into countless sprays of white foam.
A fierce wind howled. The sky was overcast.
This uninhabited little island was extremely inconspicuous in the vast Eastern Sea, yet at this very moment it concealed four Gu Immortals.
All four were wounded. One lay on the ground, alive or dead nobody could tell. The remaining three sat cross-legged on the ground, urgently tending to their injuries.
After a moment, one of them suddenly coughed violently, coughing up large mouthfuls of blood.
"Sir!" The other two who still had their wits about them quickly stopped healing and gathered around with concern.
The one coughing blood was Miao Ming Shen.
This Gu Immortal specialized in the Time Path. At the Seventh Transformation, he was very well-known among the independent cultivators of the Eastern Sea, with extensive connections and considerable influence.
He was neither tall nor short, neither fat nor thin, with above-average looks and relatively ordinary features — only his broad nostrils left a deeper impression.
Judging by appearance alone, this man was entirely unremarkable. But he harbored great ambitions and excelled at humbling himself to treat others well, possessing considerable personal charisma. Three independent cultivators of the Eastern Sea — Flower Butterfly Fairy, Bee General, and Ghost Seventh Lord — all followed Miao Ming Shen's lead, and the four of them formed a very tight-knit small group.
But now, Ghost Seventh Lord among them lay unconscious, his skin all over having turned a deep poisonous purple. His situation was extremely precarious.
Miao Ming Shen wiped the blood from his mouth. His face was pale as he forced himself to speak: "My injuries… *cough cough*… are nothing! The key is Old Ghost's condition."
"That's right. Ghost Seventh Lord was stung by an Ice Venom Starfish this time. This kind of deadly poison is simply beyond our ability to cure." Flower Butterfly Fairy's face was full of worry.
Bee General's expression was cold as ice: "Though the Ice Venom Starfish's sting is tricky, I've heard that Su Chen and the September Fairy can both treat it."
Miao Ming Shen shook his head and sighed: "The September Fairy and Ren Xiuping have a secret relationship — I've known about it for a long time. Su Chen is currently attending the Qi Sea Grand Banquet, and we absolutely cannot go revealing our identities and secrets. For Old Ghost's injuries, we can only rely on ourselves. I plan to trade the Time Extreme Root for Yan-Yellow Water. With that water, we can wash away the Ice Venom Starfish's poison."
"Sir…" Both Flower Butterfly Fairy and Bee General were visibly moved.
Miao Ming Shen laughed: "A mere piece of Eighth Transformation immortal material — if it can save Old Ghost's life, that's an incomparably worthwhile trade. Speaking of which, we really ought to thank that devil Fang Yuan. If he hadn't so thoroughly defeated the Heavenly Court this time, the Heavenly Court wouldn't be frantically purchasing Time Path immortal materials in Treasure Yellow Heaven."
Flower Butterfly Fairy nodded and sighed: "Indeed. That devil Fang Yuan actually obtained a Red Lotus True Inheritance and can control Stone Lotus Island. The Heavenly Court truly took a devastating blow this time — the losses were far too severe!"
Bee General said with some worry: "That devil Fang Yuan is far too cunning. The Heavenly Court originally had no way to deal with him. Now that Fang Yuan has obtained the Red Lotus True Inheritance, his power has truly grown. If left unchecked, Fang Yuan will only become more terrifying, posing a threat to the entire world."
Flower Butterfly Fairy laughed: "Ah Feng, you're being far too anxious. A figure like Fang Yuan moves at heights we can't even begin to compare with. The world is so vast — what are the odds we'd ever run into him? If the sky falls, the tall ones will hold it up. The Heavenly Court will never let him off. All we need to do is watch the show."
This time, Fang Yuan had used Stone Lotus Island to deal the Heavenly Court a devastating blow, and naturally he wouldn't pass up such an excellent opportunity. Once again, he had posted images of the Heavenly Court's disastrous defeat in Treasure Yellow Heaven for all the Gu Immortals in the world to view.
As a result, Fang Yuan's fame and prestige surged yet again, and the Heavenly Court's reputation took another severe beating.
It was only natural that Flower Butterfly Fairy, Bee General, and the others knew about all this.
What they didn't know, however, was that long ago, Fang Yuan had disguised himself as Chu Ying and had already made contact with them, even saving their lives. Fang Yuan had been right beside them all along.
Miao Ming Shen let out a long, quiet sigh.
He was an ambitious man, unwilling to settle for an ordinary life.
If not for that, he wouldn't have humbled himself to treat others well, building connections with numerous Gu Immortals and rallying Bee General, Flower Butterfly Fairy, and Ghost Seventh Lord around him.
As an ambitious Gu Immortal, he harbored complex emotions toward Fang Yuan's rise and growing power.
Fang Yuan had risen far too quickly. In less than a hundred years, he had grown from an ordinary Gu Master to a Seventh Transformation Gu Immortal.
And how long had Miao Ming Shen himself taken?
Several hundred years!
In this span of less than a hundred years, Miao Ming Shen had watched helplessly as Fang Yuan shot to prominence, as though watching a grand drama unfold.
But he was not the protagonist.
Although he considered himself, in terms of cultivation, to be at the same Seventh Transformation level as Fang Yuan, Fang Yuan was already capable of wielding an Eighth Transformation Immortal Gu House, controlling Stone Lotus Island, and striking viciously at the Heavenly Court.
And himself?
Miao Ming Shen looked at himself — truly, he was in a wretched state!
Not only was he gravely wounded, but Ghost Seventh Lord hovered on the verge of death, and Bee General and Flower Butterfly Fairy were also injured. And the one responsible for all of this — his great enemy Ren Xiuping — was certainly frantically searching for them out there.
Truly besieged on all sides.
In this moment, Miao Ming Shen even began to wonder: had all his years of striving — humbling himself to build connections, winning over the three immortals around him — been a mistake? If it hadn't been a mistake, then how had he ended up in such a state?
He then thought of the Qi Sea Ancestor.
The Qi Sea Ancestor was hosting the Qi Sea Grand Banquet, inviting all the Gu Immortals of the Eastern Sea. The reputation was enormous — Miao Ming Shen had long heard of it and had even considered attending. But now, having been ambushed by Ren Xiuping, he could only hide himself away, missing this excellent opportunity for nothing.
Miao Ming Shen greatly admired the Qi Sea Ancestor — and envied him.