He was the one who had knocked Tai Bai Yunsheng out.
At this moment, Tai Bai Yunsheng lay on the ground, drenched in blood, his sunken eye sockets sealed shut.
He was covered in wounds. His snow-white hair and beard were clotted with blood, bearing none of the bearing once befitting the Northern Plains' foremost healing Gu Master.
Just a few steps away, outside the main hall's doors, a massive horde of blood beasts roared. Their clamorous waves of sound crashed inward ceaselessly.
Fang Yuan raised his head, stared at them, and spoke softly: "Shut up."
In an instant, silence fell outside.
The blood beasts all fell silent, like obedient cats and dogs, prostrating on the ground, motionless.
Fang Yuan had used the Hexagonal Tower Lord's Token to seize control of this layer. He was the master here, and these blood beasts naturally fell under his command — obedient to his will, directed at his pleasure.
Fang Yuan closed his eyes and focused his consciousness on this layer, quietly sensing.
At this moment, quite a few Gu Masters still remained within this trial.
Some of these Gu Masters had been pulled in by Tai Bai Yunsheng but were eliminated during the earlier battles. Others were informants from various factions — all reconnaissance Gu Masters. They hailed from the Hei family, the Ma family, the Yelü family, and other powers, watching to see whether Tai Bai Yunsheng's expedition would succeed or fail.
As for the main hall itself, apart from the desiccated, tattered corpses strewn across the ground, only Fang Yuan and Tai Bai Yunsheng remained.
Fang Yuan closed the main hall's doors, crouched halfway to the ground, extended his right hand, and seized Tai Bai Yunsheng's head.
The Gu Insects were already prepared. He activated them one after another.
Soon, a faint white glow appeared on Tai Bai Yunsheng's forehead, becoming the sole source of light in the dim hall.
The white light grew brighter and brighter. A look of pain gradually surfaced on Tai Bai Yunsheng's face, his brows furrowing deeper and deeper.
After a moment's buildup, Fang Yuan's eyes snapped open!
His eyes had no pupils — only white.
The whites emitted a three-foot glow, and at the same time, a torrent of images flooded Fang Yuan's mind.
Tai Bai Yunsheng's memories — from old age rewound all the way to youth — were extracted by Fang Yuan.
...
An old man walking across the Northern Plains. The sky vast, the wilderness boundless, wind bending the grass low, wolf packs howling.
...
"Sir, we two brothers will never forget your life-saving grace!" Gao Yang and Zhu Zai knelt at his feet together.
...
A purple-haired old beggar split his mouth open, revealing his few remaining teeth, and laughed eerily: "What kind of Gu Master do you want to become? Heh heh heh. As it happens, I have three complete inheritances right here!"
...
"Hmm, this boy looks promising. He's the one." In Moren City, a Moren pointed at the youthful Tai Bai Yunsheng and laughed heartily.
Going further back, to even younger years...
"Why. Why did you betray me?!" On his wedding night, Tai Bai Yunsheng staggered and fell. Outside the tent, earth-shaking battle cries rang out.
His wife approached him slowly, her face cold with hatred, eyes gleaming with malice, teeth gritted: "Tai Bai Yunsheng, if you must hate someone, hate your parents. It was they who swallowed my tribe and murdered my parents. I will have my revenge!"
Childhood...
"My son, you are the next patriarch of our Tai Bai tribe! No crying! Stop letting your sympathy run wild! If we are to survive in the Northern Plains, our hearts must harden! In the future, you will lead our Tai Bai people." His father scolded him sternly.
...
"Aaargh!" Fang Yuan screamed in pain.
The images flashing through his mind narrated the legendary life of Tai Bai Yunsheng. Such an immense volume of information was a tremendous shock and strain on Fang Yuan's brain.
Fortunately, the images were not endless. They eventually came to an end.
Having witnessed the entirety of Tai Bai Yunsheng's life, Fang Yuan immediately stopped the Gu Insects and collapsed to the ground.
He panted heavily, drenched in sweat. It took a long while before his pupils refocused.
Soul searching was no easy task. Especially since Fang Yuan had to consider Tai Bai Yunsheng's safety and didn't want to harm him, so he had to bear most of the pressure himself.
Once the soul search stopped, Tai Bai Yunsheng remained unconscious, but his previously furrowed brows had smoothed out. His breathing was steady, his expression serene.
Fang Yuan, on the other hand, furrowed his brows slightly.
"I didn't find it!" he sighed with regret.
"Didn't find what?" From within his mind, Mo Yao's will couldn't help but ask in puzzlement.
Everything Fang Yuan was doing had piqued her curiosity.
Fang Yuan didn't answer her. His brows simply furrowed deeper. How could he tell Mo Yao about his grand plan regarding the Jiangshan Rugu Gu?
The Jiangshan Rugu Gu was an Immortal Gu that Tai Bai Yunsheng only obtained after ascending to immortality.
Rumor had it that this Gu formed spontaneously during Tai Bai Yunsheng's ascension, when heaven and earth resonated and spiritual light erupted, condensing of its own accord.
But there was another possibility — that the recipe for the Jiangshan Rugu Gu already existed within Tai Bai Yunsheng's mind.
If the recipe truly existed, then Fang Yuan could simply steal it, along with the Jiang Rugu and Shan Rugu Gu, bring them to the Langya Blessed Land, and have the Langya Earth Spirit refine the Immortal Gu for him.
That way, he wouldn't have to snatch food from the tiger's jaws, and the danger would be greatly reduced.
But after this soul search, the results were terrible.
Fang Yuan had not found the recipe for the Jiangshan Rugu Immortal Gu. This meant the rumors were true. The Jiangshan Rugu Gu had indeed been obtained by Tai Bai Yunsheng during his ascension, through the resonance of heaven and earth.
Which meant that to obtain this Immortal Gu, Fang Yuan would have to wrest it from the hands of an immortal Tai Bai Yunsheng.
Fang Yuan was not yet an Immortal Gu Master. In his memory, there had never been a single successful case of a mortal fighting an immortal — it was undoubtedly harder than ascending to heaven!
But what other choice did he have?
Of the three original options, this was already the easiest. With all his time and energy invested in this plan, Fang Yuan had no certainty of success, but all he could do was prepare diligently and take the gamble!
...
Outside the Eighty-Eight True Yang Building, Tai Bai Yunsheng's figure appeared.
"He's out! He's out!"
"What happened? Someone saw Tai Bai Yunsheng fight his way into the main hall."
"Oh no! Lord Tai Bai Yunsheng isn't moving — he seems to have fainted!"
The surrounding Gu Masters immediately gathered around.
One glance, and the crowd's expressions shifted. Tai Bai Yunsheng's injuries were incredibly severe, sending a chill through their hearts.
"He's still breathing!" Someone extended a finger to check Tai Bai Yunsheng's nostrils and shouted, "Quick! Which of you are healing Gu Masters? Come stabilize the old lord's injuries!"
"Let me! Let me!"
"I'm a healing Gu Master too!!"
Many healing Gu Masters stepped forward voluntarily. Tai Bai Yunsheng's prestige and reputation for benevolence had long since taken root in people's hearts.
Without question, he was more beloved than Hei Loulan or Chang Shanyin.
"Even Lord Tai Bai Yunsheng suffered such severe injuries. Sigh — this grand assault on the trials must have failed," someone lamented.
"The time for the trial has ended, and most of the Gu Masters haven't returned. The casualties this time are too devastating!"
"Did any of you see Lords Gao Yang and Zhu Zai come out?" someone suddenly asked in alarm.
Everyone looked around. Then they exchanged glances.
No one had seen any sign of Gao Yang or Zhu Zai. And inside the Eighty-Eight True Yang Building, the trial still existed — it simply wouldn't allow any more Gu Masters to enter for the time being.
What this meant was crystal clear to everyone.
Since the Eighty-Eight True Yang Building was first formed, five Fifth Transformation powerhouses had already perished.