Fang Yuan's brow furrowed deeply, as though a boulder pressed down upon his heart. His expression was grave.
He had not expected a Myriad Tribulation to arise.
Eighth Transformation Gu Immortals stood proudly above the Immortal Realm, yet for every Eighth Transformation Gu Immortal, the Myriad Tribulation remained an insurmountable hurdle.
In the current era, most Eighth Transformation Gu Immortals had never weathered a single Myriad Tribulation. Be it Heavenly Lord Centipede or Medicine Emperor, even Crown Prince Feng Xian was no exception.
Why had Old Ancestor Snowy Beard gone to such lengths to refine the Fortune of Heaven's Equal Gu? Was it not to survive the first Myriad Tribulation of his life? Alas, despite all his efforts, he had suffered a crushing defeat—not only failing to refine the Fortune of Heaven's Equal Gu, but also losing the Great Snowy Mountain blessed land he had cultivated for so long.
Thousand Transformations Old Ancestor of the Western Desert had weathered one Myriad Tribulation. His survival had been a narrow escape from death, and he had secretly recuperated for a long time afterward. During that period, even when his beloved concubine, Fairy Jade Wave, was killed by Fang Yuan, he had only dared to send the Red Cloud Dancing Maiden to investigate.
Immortal Beast Calamity had perished from the heavy injuries sustained during his first Myriad Tribulation, leaving behind the Beast Calamity Grotto Heaven.
Bo Qing was an Eighth Transformation Gu Immortal who had endured two Myriad Tribulations. Dragon Duke was likewise. Historically, their combat power ranked just below the Venerable level—among the absolute peak of existence.
Though Fang Yuan had long since become an Eighth Transformation Gu Immortal and possessed Dao Marks exceeding one million in total, in truth, he had relied on the convenience of the Supreme Grand True Space, devouring other Grotto Heavens, to circumvent the Myriad Tribulation through clever shortcuts.
In reality, Fang Yuan had not weathered a single Myriad Tribulation.
To him, the Myriad Tribulation remained an enormous obstacle. Worse still, this was completely the wrong time to undergo one. How long Wu Shuai could hold on, Fang Yuan could not estimate—because Spectral Soul Demon Venerable was a terrifying enemy of truly unfathomable calibre.
"I must refine the Heavenly Dao Marks as quickly as possible to deal with Spectral Soul Demon Venerable!"
"But to refine the Heavenly Dao Marks, I need to weather the Myriad Tribulation?"
At this moment, Fang Yuan felt as though floodwaters were surging toward him, so he had climbed a mountain to escape—only to discover the mountain was a volcano. The moment he set foot upon it, the volcano erupted.
Spectral Soul without, Myriad Tribulation within—in that instant, Fang Yuan was plunged into the greatest predicament he had ever faced.
"No, I still have a chance!" Even in such a dire situation, Fang Yuan remained composed, showing no panic.
Meanwhile, on the other side.
The Ten Thousand Year Battle Flying Ship was locked in fierce combat with Qi Jue Demonic Immortal.
Suddenly, a "Fang Yuan" burst forth from the Ten Thousand Year Battle Flying Ship, unleashing an Immortal Killer Move with devastating force, momentarily forcing Qi Jue Demonic Immortal to retreat.
Qi Jue Demonic Immortal immediately activated a scouting killer move. After investigating, he sent a message to Spectral Soul without hesitation: "Fang Yuan is here with me. I can't handle him alone. Come quickly! If you're late, he'll escape."
Spectral Soul Demon Venerable received this news and was momentarily stunned.
"Could it be that Fang Yuan truly isn't inside the Dragon Palace?" Spectral Soul pondered rapidly, his offensive subconsciously slowing.
Though the Dragon Palace was currently trapped, it was still an Eighth Transformation Immortal Gu House and could hold out for a while longer.
Fang Yuan needed to seize every second, and Spectral Soul Demon Venerable likewise wanted a swift conclusion. If he became entangled with the Dragon Palace—even if he destroyed it—the time wasted would allow Fang Yuan to escape, rendering Spectral Soul's entire intervention a failure. He would have failed to achieve his original objective.
Victory in any single battle was unimportant; what mattered was whether he could obtain his target. Battle was merely a means to an end, and the glory of victory meant nothing whatsoever to Spectral Soul Demon Venerable.
"Fang Yuan possesses the Once Acquainted With You killer move. He could easily condense a cluster of will, supply some Immortal Essence and Gu worms, and fabricate a convincing imitation of his true body within a short time." Spectral Soul was naturally aware of this intelligence about Fang Yuan, and it vexed him considerably.
Though he was incomparably powerful, far surpassing all other Gu Immortals and arguably the strongest in the world today, Fang Yuan was cunning and slippery—an infuriatingly elusive opponent.
Spectral Soul Demon Venerable knew he had to be cautious. The slightest lapse and he would repeat Heavenly Court's downfall. After all, that fellow Fang Yuan was simply too good at fleeing.
Inside the Supreme Grand True Space, thunder raged. Ever since the Myriad Tribulation had taken form and manifested, it had bombarded the land without cease.
Southern Border suffered devastating blows!
Heavenly Dao maintained balance. Where had the Supreme Grand True Space developed best? Without question, it was Southern Border. Accordingly, the Myriad Tribulation transformed by the Heavenly Dao focused its assault upon Southern Border.
"Myriad Tribulation—Myriad Extinction Thunder Forest!" Fang Yuan gritted his teeth, mobilizing everything he could. He had no choice but to leave the Spectral Soul Demon Venerable in the outside world to Wu Shuai, relying on him to buy time.
Rumble, rumble, rumble…
Cloud Bamboo Mountain crumbled under the relentless bombardment of countless thunderbolts, shattering into innumerable fragments.
The eight wild beasts—Cloud Lynxes—living in the mountain, along with eleven wild plants—Spear Tip Bamboos—were pulverized to dust by the strikes. Cloud Qi Roots, White Hair Ginseng, and vast quantities of ordinary Spear Tip Bamboos were all destroyed.
The Seven-Colored Cloud Clay within the mountain was also caught in the devastation, scattered in all directions and corroded by lightning Dao Marks, its value plummeting.
Cloud Bamboo Mountain had been established by Fang Yuan when he plundered the Shen Clan's resources in Southern Border. Its protective formation was the weakest, and as a result, it was the first to be destroyed—the scene was utterly devastating.
Soon, resource points at other locations began to collapse as well.
"I must stabilize the internal crisis first!" Fang Yuan resolved silently. Yet the Myriad Extinction Thunder Forest's power was tyrannical and terrifying, leaving him constrained and restricted, every movement still bound by the Heavenly Dao Marks.
Fortunately, there remained a group of Gu Immortals inside the Supreme Grand True Space.