Tai Bai Yun Sheng looked over at the sound. The supposedly crucial pillar was actually quite ordinary, unremarkable. Only at its base was there a stone, smooth as a bench, that looked a little special.
"It's here." Fang Yuan reached out his thick, grotesque hand. He brushed the remaining snow off the stone bench, confirming it again.
After Tai Bai Yun Sheng entered his immortal aperture, Fang Yuan sat down on the stone bench. Using a Gu, he cut open his arm and smeared his blood onto the purple pillar.
His blood was no longer the bright red of a normal person. It was emerald green, completely devoid of warmth, ice-cold.
The purple pillar, which Thieving Heaven Demon Venerable had secretly inscribed with a mysterious Gu long ago, quickly absorbed the green corpse blood without leaving a single drop.
The image of Ma Hong Yun flashed rapidly through Fang Yuan's mind.
This fortune was originally meant for Ma Hong Yun. Fang Yuan was merely someone who had stolen it.
After Ma Hong Yun and Zhao Lian Yun were swept out of the Great Wind Veil along with the Fortune Dao True Inheritance, they were fought over by both righteous and demonic Gu Immortals from the Northern Plains. The scene at the time was absolute chaos.
Now, there was no news of them at all. It was certain that some Gu Immortal had caught them. Whether they could escape, or what they had suffered, was unknown to anyone.
Compared to his previous life, Ma Hong Yun's situation in this life was far worse.
This showed that even possessing overwhelming luck was not omnipotent.
Luck could only provide opportunities. Whether someone could fully utilize it and withstand malicious forces still depended on the personal strength and methods of the Gu Master.
Right now, Ma Hong Yun was still being frantically searched for. No one knew which Gu Immortal had hidden them away. The allure of the Fortune Dao True Inheritance, especially for the Gu Immortals of the Northern Plains, was enormous.
"My Spring Autumn Cicada has the drawback of weakening my own luck. If I could use the Fortune Dao True Inheritance to make up for this flaw, that would be perfect. Since my rebirth, I have suffered enough from bad luck." Fang Yuan sighed inwardly.
It wasn't just that Ma Hong Yun was an innocent man in possession of a treasure. More crucially, during the expedition to the Northern Plains, Ma Hong Yun was also an eyewitness and a participant. It was very likely that he could expose Fang Yuan.
Therefore, Ma Hong Yun was also a mortal enemy of Hei Lou Lan.
Hunting down Ma Hong Yun was already one of the terms of the Snowy Mountain Alliance.
Entering the Lang Ya Blessed Land for the second time, Fang Yuan did not, as he had the previous time, go directly to the quiet room in the Cloud Pavilion.
The terrain of the Lang Ya Blessed Land was unique. It was a vast expanse of white, rolling cloud soil.
Twelve pavilions, spaced apart, stood upon the cloud soil, known as the Twelve Cloud Pavilions.
But what Fang Yuan saw was a scene of utter devastation.
The fertile cloud soil was riddled with holes. Some holes were filled with ice, while others emitted wisps of black smoke.
Tai Bai Yun Sheng emerged from Fang Yuan's immortal aperture. Seeing this, he immediately blurted out, "A great battle took place here not long ago. It seems the Lang Ya Land Spirit is really in trouble."
Fang Yuan said nothing, only looking into the distance at the Twelve Cloud Pavilions.
These twelve pavilions each had their own characteristics. Some were circled by immortal cranes, some were inhabited by feathered men, some had colorful clouds filling the sky, and others emitted wafts of sandalwood incense.
But now, of the twelve pavilions, eight were perfectly intact. The remaining three, however, were severely damaged from the attacks. Carved beams and painted rafters had become broken walls and ruined tiles.
"What's going on? We've already arrived at the Lang Ya Blessed Land, why hasn't the Land Spirit appeared yet?" Tai Bai Yun Sheng frowned, becoming even more alert.
"Let's go in and have a look first," Fang Yuan mused.
The two flew forward, slowly approaching the Twelve Cloud Pavilions.
"Look over there! There's a desolate beast corpse!" Halfway there, Tai Bai Yun Sheng suddenly pointed in a certain direction and spoke.
A giant fish lay on the cloud soil, completely motionless.
It was the size of a normal whale, but shaped like a carp. On its back, bone spikes grew out from its body, stretching out far.
Its scales were all a deep blue. Its dead fish eyes were as large as a carriage, and they retained some residual starlight.
"This is a desolate beast, the Spined Star Dragon Fish," Fang Yuan said.
He knew that the Lang Ya Land Spirit possessed a Beast Taming Immortal Gu, which had enslaved twelve desolate beasts hidden beneath the Twelve Cloud Pavilions.
Was this Spined Star Dragon Fish one of the twelve desolate beasts?
"Oh? Someone has entered." In the dim secret chamber, the Lang Ya Land Spirit suddenly opened his eyes, sensing the presence of Fang Yuan and Tai Bai Yun Sheng.
Sitting before him was a Gu Immortal. He had the appearance of a middle-aged man, quite imposing, with an unusual look—black skin and white hair. He was none other than an Inkman Gu Immortal.
"What? An enemy has come again?" The Inkman Gu Immortal tensed up upon hearing the Land Spirit's words.
"So it's this little brat! Whew, you scared me! It's fine, I know this person. He came to see me about half a year ago." The Lang Ya Land Spirit concentrated his senses, then let out a turbid breath.
The Inkman Gu Immortal raised his eyebrows in surprise, not expecting that besides himself, there was someone else who could come to the Lang Ya Blessed Land as a guest.
"Since the visitor is a friend, not a foe, that's good news. We've been in the secret chamber for three days and three nights now. In just a moment, we will be able to remove one of the seals on you. We absolutely cannot be disturbed at this time." The stone in the Inkman Gu Immortal's heart finally fell.
"But we can't let them get close to the pavilions. Old friend, you don't know, this brat is extremely cunning. He is a disciple of Thieving Heaven Demon Venerable. I suffered a great loss at his hands before. Let me first deploy the desolate beasts to temporarily block him." The Lang Ya Land Spirit said through gritted teeth.
"We've been in here so long, and the Lang Ya Land Spirit still hasn't appeared. It seems something really major has happened! The one who attacked the Lang Ya Blessed Land is definitely not acting alone. Such a force is not to be trifled with. We should search the battlefield as quickly as possible and then retreat."
Just as Tai Bai Yun Sheng was saying this, a massive "yellow metal mountain rock" slowly emerged from the cloud soil.