Facing Lei Tan's aggressive questioning, He Fengyang smiled faintly but remained silent.
Instead, the Supreme Third Elder chuckled: "I understand Elder Fengyang's meaning. If we choose not to shelter this Fang Yuan, the Fox Immortal's blessed land will still be contested by ten sects. But if we acknowledge Fang Yuan as our Immortal Crane Sect's man, we can directly eliminate the other nine competitors, leaving only our Immortal Crane Sect to claim this blessed land."
Hearing this, Lei Tan's expression shifted slightly, his gaze flickered, and he stopped pressing aggressively.
At that moment, He Fengyang rose from his seat.
First, he cupped his fists toward the Supreme Third Elder who had spoken in his favor: "The Third Elder is wise! At the time, the incident was sudden. No one expected that a mere mortal would use the Immortal Gu Fixed Travel to teleport to the summit of Dang Hun Mountain. And in full view of everyone, directly seize the Fox Immortal's inheritance."
Then he continued: "This Fox Immortal's inheritance is located on Tianti Mountain. All of you distinguished elders must be well aware that Tianti Mountain is the ladder reaching up to the Heavenly Court. Though it has been damaged and abandoned for countless years, it still represents the dignity of the Heavenly Court. In a certain sense, attacking the Fox Immortal's inheritance means attacking Tianti Mountain. And attacking Tianti Mountain means attacking the Heavenly Court."
"Therefore, though there are quite a few blessed lands on Tianti Mountain, no one has ever dared to attack them. This Fox Immortal's blessed land simply waited for its opening time, and the ten of us joined forces to help the Fox Immortal's land spirit widen the entrance. That does not count as an attack."
"Even if one were to actually attack the Fox Immortal's blessed land — with the land spirit present, it would take at least three Sixth Transformation Gu Immortals joining hands to even hope of breaking in. And the heart of the blessed land is further guarded by Dang Hun Mountain. Without five or six Gu Immortals working in perfect cooperation, who would dare boast of reaching the summit? Lei Tan, could you?"
Lei Tan let out a cold snort, wanting to retort, but ultimately held his tongue.
Within a blessed land, the land spirit could freely command all resources, its combat power rivaling that of a Gu Immortal. Most critically, the land spirit could suppress all Gu insects from First to Fifth Transformation.
When a Gu Immortal wished to attack a blessed land, the most powerful weapon was an Immortal Gu. This was because blessed lands could not restrict Immortal Gu.
But Immortal Gu were exceedingly rare. Many Gu Immortals did not possess even a single one. And even if they did, it might not be a Gu suited for offensive purposes.
This was a classic scenario of weak offense and strong defense.
If one insisted on attacking a blessed land, it usually required several Gu Immortals joining hands to create a numerical advantage, then engaging in a war of attrition with Immortal Essence. Only once the blessed land's Immortal Essence was fully drained could the real assault begin.
However, in truth, unless under special circumstances, very few Gu Immortals ever attacked blessed lands.
Because it simply wasn't worth it.
Not only was Immortal Essence precious and difficult to accumulate, there was also the matter of blessed lands self-destructing.
If the defending side became desperate and destroyed their own blessed land, the Great Unity Wind would sweep through, and the attackers would gain essentially nothing as spoils.
When Gu Immortals attacked blessed lands, they often ended up gaining nothing at all while suffering devastating losses themselves. Unless it was a matter of deep enmity, no one was willing to take such a losing deal.
Seeing Lei Tan fall silent, He Fengyang continued: "That Fang Yuan ascended to the summit, took the inheritance, and immediately ordered the land spirit to close the blessed land. Fang Yuan and Fang Zheng look almost exactly alike. When the Gu Immortals of the other nine sects came to their senses, they instinctively assumed our Immortal Crane Sect was behind it and began questioning me one after another. At that moment, I thought — if I told the truth, the Fox Immortal's inheritance would remain unsettled, and all ten sects would still have to compete for it through a grueling contest. So why not simply claim it? Even if it cost us something, we could eliminate the competition from the other nine great sects. That way, our Immortal Crane Sect could covertly work toward claiming the Fox Immortal's blessed land without worrying about other forces."
He Fengyang finished explaining the whole situation. Lei Tan snorted coldly and pressed on: "This plan has major flaws! The Fox Immortal's blessed land is on Tianti Mountain, and now it's sealed shut. If we don't attack to create a breach, how do we get in?"
He Fengyang seemed to have been expecting such a challenge and laughed heartily: "Do you think I haven't planned for this? Blessed lands face tribulations — the Fox Immortal perished during the fifth Earth Tribulation. I've already calculated that the Fox Immortal's blessed land is now only three months away from the sixth Earth Tribulation. That Fang Yuan is merely a mortal — how would he know how to withstand an Earth Tribulation? Even with the land spirit's help, without a sect's support, by that time the blessed land will surely be in tatters, with breaches appearing."
Lei Tan sneered: "Even if breaches appear, would you really dare to attack? You yourself just said — that Fox Immortal's inheritance is on Tianti Mountain!"
Without a moment's hesitation, He Fengyang answered: "A frontal assault is the worst strategy and should not be employed unless absolutely necessary. That Fang Yuan is nothing but a mere mortal. Once the breaches appear, we simply use schemes and plots against him — surely we can handle him then? Haha, once the Earth Tribulation passes, he will surely be filled with worry and desperate for outside help. I've already thought it through — first, use Fang Zheng to appeal to him emotionally, persuade him properly to cooperate and conduct trades. The more trades occur, the more he'll naturally let his guard down. Then, combining reason and emotion, we might well convince him to join our Immortal Crane Sect!"
"If he remains obstinate, we can act in secret. The Slave Gu would be an excellent method. The land spirit may be difficult to deal with, but against a mere mortal, we have far too many means. If we could thereby obtain the Fixed Travel Gu, that would undoubtedly be a perfect outcome."
At the mention of the Fixed Travel Immortal Gu, all the elders present couldn't help but feel their hearts stirring. Many began murmuring among themselves. The scenario He Fengyang had painted was truly enticing. More importantly, his plan had a genuine chance of success.
Sensing the shift in atmosphere, Lei Tan had no choice but to sit down in frustration: "Fine words. Let's hope so."
The Supreme Third Elder pondered: "Apart from special Gu insects like the Dream Wing Gu, which require the soul to activate, most Immortal Gu require Immortal Essence to power them, and the Fixed Travel Gu is no exception. This Fang Yuan possesses the Fixed Travel Gu, and with the Fox Immortal land spirit able to power the blessed land's Immortal Essence, he can escape at any time. Dealing with him requires the utmost caution. There is one more thing — he is merely a mortal, yet he possesses an Immortal Gu. His background is probably not simple."
He Fengyang nodded: "I have anticipated this as well. Earlier, claiming that Fang Yuan was our sect's disciple was also a probe against the other nine sects. Now it seems his backing is not one of the Central Continent's nine great sects. I suspect Fang Yuan comes from the Southern Border, and most likely has a super clan behind him. But whether it's the Wu family, the Shang family, the Tie family, the Yi family, or any other, they are all far away in the Southern Border, beyond our reach. If they truly entered the Central Continent, their combat power would also be suppressed. Our Immortal Crane Sect is one of the ten great sects of the Central Continent — against them, we have a great advantage."
Upon hearing this, the elders all nodded and began murmuring among themselves.