When Fang Yuan saw this half of the Primordial True Transmission, the first thought that arose in his mind had nothing to do with the transmission itself.
"Should I seize this opportunity to wipe out the entire group of Gu Immortals from the Heavenly Court?"
The idea was enormously tempting.
Qin Dingling was currently the Heavenly Court's provisional leader. Without her, the Heavenly Court would undoubtedly suffer a devastating blow. Gu Yue Fang Zheng had been placed by the Heavenly Will as the key figure specifically designed to suppress Fang Yuan, this demon from beyond the heavens. Fang Yuan had already slain him, naturally freeing himself from one restraint. Meanwhile, Crown Prince Fengxian, Bai Cangshui, and the others traveling alongside Qin Dingling were all pillars of the Heavenly Court. Their loss would deal a severe blow to the Heavenly Court and the Righteous Path of the Central Continent alike.
But after a moment's consideration, Fang Yuan dismissed the thought.
His current strength was insufficient. With the Heavenly Dao's marks upon his body, he could not guarantee his combat power.
Don't be fooled by the relaxed chatter and easy smiles of the Heavenly Court immortals — this was their first visit to Ancestor Qi Sea's territory. How could they possibly come without precautions?
They were merely putting on a show of having dropped their guards, all to demonstrate sincerity and goodwill.
Even if Fang Yuan activated the Qi Sea Grand Formation, the Heavenly Court immortals would certainly be able to produce their Gu Immortal Houses at once and fortify their positions.
If he attacked the Heavenly Court immortals now, regardless of whether he won or lost, his identity as Ancestor Qi Sea would face intense suspicion from the world.
In all honesty, Fang Yuan was quite willing to cooperate with the Heavenly Court.
Even though the Heavenly Court had previously employed every possible means to obstruct him, attempting to crush him and even driving him to the brink of desperation at one point — as long as the benefits were sufficient and conducive to his pursuit of eternal life, Fang Yuan would have absolutely no psychological barriers to working with the Heavenly Court.
The Heavenly Court cooperated with Ancestor Qi Sea because there was profit to be had.
Fang Yuan cooperating with the Heavenly Court would likewise yield tremendous gains.
Leaving aside long-term benefits, just speaking of the present, he had already leveraged the Heavenly Court's power to repel the Qi Depletion Demonic Immortal, preserving the value of his Ancestor Qi Sea identity. And on top of that, the Heavenly Court had voluntarily delivered the remaining half of the Primordial True Transmission!
Fang Yuan held the mortal Information Path Gu in his hand, his heart stirring with emotion.
Back then, he had expended considerable effort to obtain this Qi Path True Transmission. Dragon Duke had been shrewd and seasoned — even though the Heaven-Robbing method could have stripped away his lifespan, Dragon Duke had successfully maintained his disguise, using half of the Primordial True Transmission to firmly secure Ancestor Qi Sea's position.
As for the remaining half of the transmission, Dragon Duke had clung to it with a death grip, and Fang Yuan had been unable to seize it.
Fang Yuan had long since given up hope, but he never expected that after the Battle of Fate, this remaining half of the Primordial True Transmission would actually reach his hands through Qin Dingling.
Among the remaining half, the Three Qi Return finishing move — which Fang Yuan had coveted for ages — was right there.
"Qin Dingling is not to be underestimated," Fang Yuan remarked inwardly with a sigh.
Without even stating any demands, Qin Dingling had directly sent the remaining half of the Primordial True Transmission to Ancestor Qi Sea. This was an extraordinary gesture. Qin Dingling and the Heavenly Court had expressed their sincerity in full measure.
"If Qin Dingling knew that I am Fang Yuan, I wonder what expression she would wear and what thoughts would fill her mind?"
Dragon Duke had aided the enemy once before, and now Qin Dingling had followed suit. If she realized that the person before her was the greatest culprit behind the Battle of Fate, and that she had practically delivered the true transmission into his own hands — she would probably be so furious she'd vomit blood on the spot.
"Your sincerity has been felt most keenly by this old man. Immortal Friend Qin — whatever trouble you face at the moment, I shall spare no effort in assisting the Heavenly Court!" Fang Yuan stowed the mortal Information Path Gu directly into his Immortal Orifice. As for the Heavenly Court's troubles, he actually had his own suspicions.
Qin Dingling silently let out a breath of relief when she saw Ancestor Qi Sea accept the Information Path Gu.
The thing she had worried about most on this trip was that Ancestor Qi Sea would refuse to help. After all, Ancestor Qi Sea had previously been a recluse, keeping well away from matters that did not concern him. It was only after being moved by the intelligence that the reborn Fang Yuan had brought that Ancestor Qi Sea had come to understand that continuing to hide away would only invite trouble from the Heavenly Court, which was why he had changed his approach entirely.
Qin Dingling did not know the specifics of how the Heavenly Court had come into conflict with Ancestor Qi Sea. But since Ancestor Qi Sea had listened to Fang Yuan's words, clearly Fang Yuan had provided sufficient evidence to earn his trust.
This was a tangled score, and now that the Fate Gu had been destroyed and great changes lay ahead, the Heavenly Court would never be able to trace the full truth. Qin Dingling could only reason and judge based on the situation as it stood.
Qin Dingling's caution was perfectly understandable.
After all, Ancestor Qi Sea and the Heavenly Court had been adversaries, and it was only through Dragon Duke's mediation that relations had shifted to neutral. To now bring Ancestor Qi Sea over to their side, Qin Dingling had to present chips that he could not refuse.
Ancestor Qi Sea's acceptance of the Primordial True Transmission immediately signaled a firm resolve to lend his aid to the Heavenly Court.
Qin Dingling was greatly relieved. Her calculations, of course, extended far beyond this. The Primordial True Transmission was merely bait — to activate the finishing moves contained within, Ancestor Qi Sea would need the appropriate Qi Path Immortal Gu.
And all of those Qi Path Immortal Gu were held in the Heavenly Court's treasury.
This would be the next chip to draw Ancestor Qi Sea in.
"Perhaps I can even leverage the pressure from the Qi Depletion Demonic Immortal to push Ancestor Qi Sea into formally joining our Heavenly Court." The inspiration flickered through Qin Dingling's mind before she temporarily suppressed it.
With a smile, she proceeded to describe the difficulties facing the Heavenly Court to Fang Yuan.