Fang Yuan's gaze flickered uncertainly.
Shadow Sect's news had somewhat exceeded his expectations.
But upon careful thought, it actually made perfect sense.
In the battle at the Reverse Flow River, although Fang Yuan's gains in cultivation resources were not remarkable, his combat strength had grown dramatically, reaching the level of being the foremost among all below the Eighth Transformation, on par with Feng Jiuge.
The increase in combat strength brought a corresponding rise in status.
In fact, before this news, there had already been other letters.
For example, a letter from Chu Du. In it, Chu Du was courteous, first congratulating Fang Yuan on his victory and lamenting that he could not have been there in person. Then, he proactively described the situation on his end. The Chu Sect had been renamed the Chu Family, and the former Supreme Elders had all taken on the role of the Chu Family's non-surname Supreme Elders. The disciples taught by Chu Du had all been adopted as his foster sons. Finally, Chu Du explained his difficulties — because he had established a family and joined the Righteous Path, he had been compelled to expel Fang Yuan from the Chu Sect at that time. This had not been his own wish, but rather forced upon him by circumstances.
There was also a letter from the Mad Trio. In it, besides congratulating Fang Yuan, the three eccentric ones enthusiastically invited him to visit the Mad Devil's Den for exploration. They added: even if the Northern Plains could not tolerate Fang Yuan, the Mad Devil's Den would forever be his home. These words were somewhat cloying, displaying an unprecedented attitude from the Mad Trio.
As for the Heaven of Longevity, they had placed Fang Yuan as a priority wanted criminal. After all, Fang Yuan was the one who had slain Ma Hongyun.
However, the Liu and Yelu families, who had been continuously hunting Fang Yuan, instead quietly withdrew their efforts.
The combat strength Fang Yuan had displayed thoroughly shocked them. They recalled all the personnel searching for him.
Instead, they worried that Fang Yuan would seek revenge against them. After all, Fang Yuan's prestige had risen tremendously in the Northern Plains, surpassing even Chu Du.
"Now, Shadow Sect has also sent a letter seeking cooperation with me. Heh."
"Shadow Sect already has an Eighth Transformation Immortal Gu Master, but he seems to have a major weakness — he occasionally falls into madness." Fang Yuan pondered. He had fought with Perfected Lord Purple Mountain in the Reverse Flow River and had some understanding of the latter's condition.
Truth be told, had Fang Yuan not refined the Perseverance Gu and comprehended the Immortal Killer Move — Reverse Flow Body Shield, the battle at the Reverse Flow River would certainly have ended in disaster, and he would have fallen into Shadow Extremity's schemes.
For a long time, the remnants of Shadow Sect had been Fang Yuan's most pressing mortal enemy. Conversely, the Heavenly Dao had laid its plans using Fang Yuan as a chess piece to seize the Supreme Immortal Fetus Gu, making Fang Yuan and Shadow Sect bitter, irreconcilable enemies.
To recoup its costs and refine the Supreme Immortal Fetus Gu again, Shadow Sect would very likely follow the precedent of Snowy Beard Ancestor's refinement of the Heaven's Luck Grand Fortune Gu. Snowy Beard Ancestor had used Ma Hongyun as the primary ingredient for refining the Gu.
If Fang Yuan were to fall into Shadow Sect's hands, he would naturally suffer the same fate — being used as the primary immortal material for refining Gu, a fate worse than death.
But now, Fang Yuan's combat strength had grown to the point where even Eighth Transformation Immortal Gu Masters could do nothing against him, so Shadow Sect was instead proactively seeking his cooperation.
This reversal in attitude left Fang Yuan with much to reflect upon.
Possessing the Reverse Flow Body Shield was equivalent to having a weakened version of an Immortal Gu House — something even Eighth Transformation masters could not overcome. This gave Fang Yuan tremendous confidence.
"But cooperating with Shadow Sect is no different from trying to negotiate with a tiger for its skin!"
Although everything Mao Liu stated in his letter was true, and every reason listed was well-founded, and cooperation would indeed be mutually beneficial for both Shadow Sect and Fang Yuan — setting other things aside, the soul path traps on Fang Yuan's immortal zombie body, as well as the secrets of the Supreme Immortal Fetus, could all be resolved through such cooperation.
However, Fang Yuan could not trust Shadow Sect!
It was still the same old problem.
Fang Yuan and Shadow Sect were fundamentally incapable of trusting each other.
The two sides had been mortal enemies with irreconcilable hatred. To suddenly turn enemies into allies — how was that possible?
Even if both sides were rational beings who prioritized interest, the foundation of alliances between Immortal Gu Masters was not personal credibility, but Information Path methods.
Unfortunately, Fang Yuan was weak in the Information Path — it was one of his shortcomings. And as for Shadow Sect, their Information Path methods were far too formidable.
Yin Soul's true body was a grandmaster of all paths. Setting other things aside, the Zombie Alliance, as well as that Counter organization established in the Central Continent, were both testaments to Shadow Sect's powerful Information Path methods. Because any organization was founded upon Information Path contracts.
Fang Yuan fundamentally could not trust Shadow Sect, nor did he dare to. If he were to fall victim to their Information Path schemes during the cooperation, that would truly be foolish beyond measure.
However, Fang Yuan did not outright refuse.
He sent a reply, testing Shadow Sect's sincerity. In the letter, he made a single demand — if they wanted cooperation, they should send the Attitude Gu directly to him.
Speaking of which, although the Eighth Transformation Attitude Immortal Gu had been in Fang Yuan's possession all along, it did not belong to him — it had been lent by Hei Lou Lan.