Fang Yuan's brows furrowed tight, as though a boulder had settled on his heart, his expression grave.
He had not anticipated that a Myriad Calamity would manifest.
Eighth Transformation Gu Immortals were beings who stood proudly in the Immortal World, yet for every one of them, the Myriad Calamity was a formidable trial.
In the current age, most Eighth Transformation Gu Immortals had never passed a single Myriad Calamity. Be it Hundred Legged Heavenly Monarch or Medicine Emperor — even Crown Prince Feng Xian was no exception.
Why had Snowy Beard Ancestor once moved heaven and earth to refine the Fortune Radiance Heaven Blessing Gu? Wasn't it precisely to weather the first Myriad Calamity of his life? What a pity that after all that fanfare, he had suffered a crushing defeat — not only failing to refine the Fortune Radiance Heaven Blessing Gu, but even losing the Snowy Mountain Blessed Land he had painstakingly built.
Thousand Change Ancestor from the Western Desert had passed one Myriad Calamity. That passage had been a near-death experience, and he had recuperated in secret for a long time afterward. During that period, when his beloved concubine, Fairy Emerald Wave, was killed by Fang Yuan, he had only dared send the Red Cloud Dance Maiden to investigate.
Immortal Beast Calamity had died from the heavy injuries sustained during his first Myriad Calamity, leaving behind the Beast Calamity Blessed Land.
Bo Qing was an Eighth Transformation Gu Immortal who had passed two Myriad Calamities, and Dragon Lord was the same. In terms of combat prowess across all eras, both stood at the absolute peak — surpassed only by Venerable-level beings.
Although Fang Yuan had been an Eighth Transformation Gu Immortal for some time and possessed over a million dao marks in total, in truth he had only relied on the convenience of the Supreme Emperor Blessed Land, absorbing other Blessed Lands, to cleverly bypass the Myriad Calamity.
In reality, Fang Yuan had never passed a single Myriad Calamity.
For him, the Myriad Calamity remained a monumental hurdle. Worse still, now was far from the right time to undergo the tribulation. How long Wu Shuai could hold on, Fang Yuan could not estimate — because Demon Venerable Soul was a terrifying enemy beyond all calculation!
"I must refine the Heavenly Dao dao marks as quickly as possible to deal with Demon Venerable Soul!"
"But to refine the Heavenly Dao dao marks, I have to pass the Myriad Calamity?"
In this moment, Fang Yuan felt as though floodwaters were rushing in and he had fled to a mountain for safety — only to discover the mountain was a volcano, and the moment he set foot on it, the volcano erupted.
The Soul outside, the Myriad Calamity inside — in this instant, Fang Yuan was plunged into the greatest predicament of his entire existence.
"No — I still have a chance!" Even in such dire straits, Fang Yuan remained composed, not the least bit panicked.
Meanwhile, on the other side.
The Myriad Year Battle Chariot was locked in fierce combat with Qi Cut Immortal.
Suddenly, a "Fang Yuan" burst from the Myriad Year Battle Chariot, unleashing an Immortal Killer Move with devastating force, temporarily driving Qi Cut Immortal back.
Qi Cut Immortal immediately activated a searching Killer Move. After confirming what he sensed, he transmitted a message to Soul without the slightest hesitation: "Fang Yuan is here with me. I can't handle him alone. Come quickly! If you're too late, he might escape."
Demon Venerable Soul received the news and froze.
"Could Fang Yuan really not be inside the Dragon Palace?" He deliberated rapidly, and his assault slowed involuntarily.
The Dragon Palace was currently trapped, but it was still an Eighth Transformation Immortal Gu House and could hold out for a while longer.
Fang Yuan was racing against time, and Demon Venerable Soul wanted to end the battle just as swiftly. If he became entangled with the Dragon Palace, even if he ultimately destroyed it, the wasted time would allow Fang Yuan to escape — and in that case, Demon Venerable Soul's entire operation would be a failure. He would have failed to achieve his original objective.
The victory in any single battle was not what mattered. What mattered was whether he obtained his desired gains. Battle was merely one means of acquiring profit, and the glory of victory was entirely dispensable to Demon Venerable Soul.
"Fang Yuan possesses the 'Meeting Familiar Face' Killer Move. He can easily condense a cluster of will, attach some Immortal Essence and Immortal Gu, and fabricate a convincing illusion of his true body for a short time." Demon Venerable Soul was naturally aware of this intelligence, and it vexed him greatly.
Though he was incomparably powerful, far surpassing all other Gu Immortals — the undisputed strongest in the world — Fang Yuan's cunning and slippery nature made him a genuinely frustrating opponent.
Demon Venerable Soul knew he had to be cautious. The slightest lapse could see him suffer the same fate as Heavenly Court. Fang Yuan was simply too good at running away.
Inside the Supreme Emperor Blessed Land, lightning struck with devastating force. Ever since the Myriad Calamity had taken shape and manifested, it had bombarded the land ceaselessly without a moment's respite.
Little Southern Border bore the brunt!
Heavenly Dao sought balance — and within the Supreme Emperor Blessed Land, which area had developed the best? Without question, it was Little Southern Border. As a result, the Myriad Calamity condensed and transformed by the Heavenly Dao concentrated its wrath upon Little Southern Border.
"Myriad Calamity — Myriad Destruction Thunder Forest!" Fang Yuan gritted his teeth and marshaled all his strength. The Demon Venerable Soul outside was beyond his reach for now; he could only rely on Wu Shuai to buy time.
Rumble, rumble, rumble…
Cloud Bamboo Mountain was torn apart under the furious bombardment of countless bolts of lightning, shattering into innumerable fragments.
The eight desolate beasts — Cloud Cats — that inhabited the mountain, along with eleven desolate plants — Spear Tip Bamboo — were reduced to powder in the onslaught. The Cloud Qi Roots, White Hair Ginseng, and vast quantities of ordinary Spear Tip Bamboo were all obliterated.
The seven-colored cloud mud buried within the mountain's interior also suffered terribly, scattered in all directions, its value plummeting as it was corroded by lightning dao marks.
Cloud Bamboo Mountain had been established by Fang Yuan when he had plundered the resources of the Shen Clan in the Southern Border. Its guardian formation was the weakest, so it was the first to fall — a devastating spectacle.
Before long, resource nodes at other locations also began to buckle.
"I must pacify the inner crisis first!" Fang Yuan resolved, but the Myriad Destruction Thunder Forest's power was tyrannical and terrifying. His hands were tied — every movement he made was still bound by the Heavenly Dao dao marks.
Fortunately, there was still a cadre of Gu Immortals inside the Supreme Emperor Blessed Land.