Sitting cross-legged atop a barren hill, Fang Dikong was silent as stone.
Ever since the merging of the two Heavens, there was no longer a clear distinction between day and night. In its place was an alternating interplay of black and white across the sky.
This caused any given area to have a pronounced division between light and shadow.
At this moment, Fang Dikong found himself shrouded in darkness. He stared down from the hill with a blank expression at the desolate wasteland below — a barren gobi stretching endlessly, devoid of even a blade of grass.
But because of the merging of the two Heavens, this enormous gobi had been carved into patches of alternating light and shadow.
This was the Liusu Gobi — the Fang family's foremost resource point.
Each year during a certain period, Earth Tendrils would grow here. The tendrils resembled straw or willow branches — soft yet resilient.
The tendrils varied in length, ranging from common Gu materials all the way up to Eighth Transformation Immortal materials.
When in full bloom, the tendrils blanketed the entire Liusu Gobi. When the wind gusted through, the sight was breathtaking — vast rolling "waves" of Earth Tendrils surging like mountains and seas, grand and magnificent.
This was the Fang family's premier resource point, the pride of every Fang family Gu Immortal.
But now, it had to be sold to Fang Yuan.
Once sold, it could never be reclaimed. It was practically a permanent farewell.
Fang Dikong's expression was wooden, but inside, his heart mirrored the wasteland before him — desolate and cold.
Fang Gong's figure flew swiftly over and landed on the hill, coming to stand beside Fang Dikong.
"So you really are here." Fang Gong sighed.
Fang Dikong, still seated on the ground, suddenly contorted with fury, his fists clenched tight. "Fang Yuan did this on purpose!"
"He must have known about Wan Guchou's existence long ago — he just chose not to tell us, letting our family suffer a devastating defeat!"
Fang Gong was momentarily stunned.
Fang Dikong pressed on, "Even if he didn't know about Wan Guchou's resurrection, he deliberately concealed the fact that he could revive our family's Gu Immortals! If he had mentioned it beforehand — even dropped half a hint — I would have known."
"Once I knew that a Venerable had the means to easily resurrect Gu Immortals, I would have guarded against threats like Wan Guchou!"
"Perhaps we would have traded ahead of time to obtain that Forget-Sorrow Immortal Gu. We would have had at least basic defense against Wan Guchou's killing move, and we wouldn't have collapsed — instead, it would have been the Anti-Fang Alliance that fell apart!"
By the time he finished, Fang Dikong was practically shouting.
He was not wrong in the slightest.
The battle at that time had truly hung by a thread.
The Fang family's victory or defeat against the Anti-Fang Alliance had been separated by the narrowest of margins.
Had they known about Wan Guchou's existence, the Fang family would never have sent all six Immortal Gu Houses to besiege the Wansui Tower together. Wan Guchou's killing move had a limited range.
But under the circumstances, with the Fang family completely in the dark, subduing and forcing the remnants of the Wan family to surrender had seemed like the course of action that would yield the greatest benefit.
"All right." Fang Gong smiled bitterly. "What's done is done, Second Elder. Don't keep dwelling on the past. We don't have a Spring Autumn Cicada to turn back time."
"Previously, when Heaven Court revived Gu Immortals, they were all their own members. Everyone speculated that their resurrections were tied to their prior contributions of Immortal Apertures. On top of that, the Immortal Tomb had been almost completely destroyed by Fang Yuan — Wan Guchou's resurrection would have been nearly impossible to predict."
Fang Dikong's expression turned cold as ice. "No. It was Fang Yuan. Everything traces back to Fang Yuan. He is the one pulling the strings behind it all."
"I am perfectly clear-headed right now!"
"Our Fang family's defeat of the Anti-Fang Alliance is not what Heaven Court wanted to see. But neither is it what Fang Yuan wanted to see."
"Because even if our Fang family achieved complete victory, we would not go on to invade other super forces."
"But under the current circumstances, our Fang family must urgently relocate — selling all our resource points to Fang Yuan in exchange for Immortal Gu and the resurrection of our Gu Immortals."
"What will we do next?"
"Without our resource points, we cannot sustain ourselves. We'll only become more dependent on Fang Yuan!"
"We'll have no choice but to continuously raid other super forces' resource points, then trade them to Fang Yuan in exchange for Immortal Gu and other cultivation resources."
"Our Fang family has become his vanguard — his robbers, pillaging the Western Desert on his behalf."
"And yet he, Gu Yue Fang Yuan, remains firmly entrenched in the Eastern Sea — the lofty Great Love Immortal Venerable!"
"He'll declare to the outside world that he doesn't interfere in the Western Desert's internal conflicts. All the ugliness and blame will be borne solely by our Fang family. He, Gu Yue Fang Yuan, stays clean!"
"Heh heh heh... ha ha ha..."
"What Heaven and Earth As One Great Love Alliance? What Great Love Immortal Venerable?"
Fang Dikong tilted his head back to gaze at the sky and let out a mocking, shrill laugh.
His eyes were bloodshot, his hair disheveled, tears glistening in them.
"Elder Fang Gong, looking back on it now — don't you find the death of the Wan family's Supreme Grand Elder far too suspicious?"
"With his death, our Fang family was cornered with only one path left to take."
"This is who Fang Yuan truly is — wearing a mask of hypocritical humanity while being, in reality, a vicious beast that devours people whole without spitting out the bones."
"I hate him. I hate him so much."
Fang Dikong ground his teeth.
"I hate that my Fang family became so deeply entangled with him."
"I hate those Eastern Sea super forces — so weak and powerless that they actually let Fang Yuan lord over them!"
"But most of all, I hate myself!"
"I am a Wisdom Path Gu Immortal in name only — I failed to see through Fang Yuan's schemes, and dragged my entire Fang family into becoming his pawns!"
"Manipulated by him! Played for a fool!"
"I, Fang Dikong, am the sinner of the Fang family..."