Three Star Desolate Dogs chased after them together, and Fang Yuan and Hei Lou Lan kept retreating.
It wasn't that they couldn't defeat these three desolate beasts, but to do so would require using all their strength.
Moreover, Fang Yuan and Hei Lou Lan were currently in an unfamiliar environment like the Star Cave Heaven. They had no deep hatred for these three desolate beasts; only someone lacking a few brain cells would go all out at the drop of a hat.
Both Fang Yuan and Hei Lou Lan were cunning and experienced. Since they were exploring the Star Cave Heaven this time, they should be cautious at every step and conserve their strength to deal with unexpected situations.
Especially the Heavenly Spirit of the Star Cave Heaven, which had not shown itself yet.
The Heavenly Spirit controlled all aspects of the cave heaven. As soon as Fang Yuan and Hei Lou Lan entered, it would have detected them immediately.
Fang Yuan took the lead, continuously flapping the wings on his back, flying very fast. He dared not fly at high altitude, only weaving through the lower air.
Hei Lou Lan flew much slower than Fang Yuan, falling behind. She couldn't help but take a deep look at the wings on Fang Yuan's back and silently compared in her heart: "Fang Yuan's speed right now is not remarkable; I can achieve it too. But he is so agile, making turns with such precision, dodging every branch and leaf of the dense canopy."
After nearly ten li, the three Star Desolate Dogs behind them finally stopped, giving up chasing Fang Yuan and Hei Lou Lan.
The two stopped to rest on a large tree.
Standing on the treetop, Fang Yuan tried to identify their location. All around were green peaks, not far apart but independent of each other.
Some peaks were covered with green pines. Some peaks had only shrubs. And some peaks had no trees at all, only grass and wildflowers—these were obviously man-made; nature couldn't have created such neat arrangements.
Fang Yuan saw the pattern.
The owner of the Star Cave Heaven, Seven Star Child, had divided these peaks into relatively independent cultivation areas. That way, it could increase the yield of specific products.
"It seems the owner of this cave heaven put a lot of thought into its management," Hei Lou Lan said as she came up and stood beside Fang Yuan, gazing into the distance.
But Fang Yuan frowned.
The topography in his memories was vastly different from what he saw. Could it be that hundreds of years later in his past life, the landscape of the Star Cave Heaven changed drastically, so it looked different when it collapsed and fell?
If so, his past life memories would be useless as guidance.
Hei Lou Lan turned her gaze to the small bat wings on Fang Yuan's back and said with interest, "Your killer move looks impressive. Where did you buy it?"
According to the Snow Mountain Covenant, Fang Yuan couldn't lie to Hei Lou Lan, but he could choose to remain silent.
However, the Truthful Bat Wings killer move was already a standard move of Fang Yuan's, so there was nothing to hide.
He answered frankly: "This killer move was improved from a previous one, suitable for my immortal zombie body. If you want to use it, you'll need to transplant a pair of bat wing membranes onto your back."
Hei Lou Lan frowned when she heard this. She pursued power and didn't care about appearance damage: "A desolate beast's body is also an immortal body. Like our Gu Immortal bodies, it imprints Dao marks, making it closer to certain principles and laws. These wing membranes of yours shouldn't be Strength Path Dao marks, but closer to Wind Path. Aren't you afraid that by transplanting them so casually, Strength Path and Wind Path will interfere with each other, reducing the power of your Strength Path killer moves?"
Fang Yuan smirked. "Do you know that Reckless Savage Demon Venerable could transform into various beasts?"
"Of course. Reckless Savage Demon Venerable founded the Change Path; he is the founder of Change Path," said Hei Lou Lan.
"The essence of Change Path is to transform one's body into beasts, plants, and possess their strength and abilities. A Change Path Gu Master alone can transform into a Wind Path bird, a Fire Path tiger, or a Water Path fish, using a single path to reflect the myriad paths. Why don't they have interference from different Dao marks?" Fang Yuan asked again.
A Change Path Gu Master who merely changes shape hasn't truly stepped into the hall.
True successful transformation is not only changing appearance but also having the transformed beast body possess the corresponding Dao marks.
A Gu Immortal who transforms into a desolate beast not only gains the desolate beast's strength, defense, and speed but can also enhance the effects of Gu insects of that corresponding path.
"That's because every time they transform, they become only one type of beast, so their body has only one type of Dao mark, unlike you who now have two types mixed, like a Gu Master cultivating two paths simultaneously. Moreover, after transforming, they use corresponding Gu insects to wash their body, cleaning away residual Dao marks, so they can transform into a beast with a different Dao mark," said Hei Lou Lan.
Fang Yuan smiled proudly. "No, that's just because their cultivation skills are not up to par, lacking methods. Reckless Savage Demon Venerable was different; he devoured ancient desolate beasts, formed desolate beast totems inside his body, accommodated countless Dao marks in one body, and could change forms at will. When you were undergoing your tribulation, I received the demon venerable's true intent infusion and have already advanced to a Change Path Master."
Hei Lou Lan was truly surprised. "Does that mean you have received guidance from Reckless Savage Demon Venerable and possess the means to balance different Dao marks?"
Fang Yuan nodded slightly, then shook his head. "I'm only a master; at most, I can balance three different Dao marks. Also, there are other constraints like transplantation. The Truthful Bat Wings can be transplanted at most three pairs; that's the highest expression of my Change Path Master realm."
After hearing this, Hei Lou Lan became even more interested in the Truthful Bat Wings. "Sell me this movement killer move. I'll pay a high price!"
Of course, Fang Yuan shook his head in refusal.
He had painstakingly improved this killer move; it was his unique skill. How could he easily transfer it to someone else?
Unless he stopped using it in the future, he would consider selling a simplified version.
Hei Lou Lan was slightly disappointed by Fang Yuan's refusal, but not surprised. If their positions were swapped, she would also refuse.
Fang Yuan wasn't lacking Immortal Essence Stones anyway.
"Now I finally understand why you wanted to hunt the Star Devil Bats. What does your information say? Are the Star Devil Bats nearby?" Hei Lou Lan asked again.
Fang Yuan nodded. "The information says they're nearby. But the terrain is different from what was described. Let's search around first."
He observed for a long time but couldn't determine the exact location.
In his memories, this place was a rotten poisonous swamp. But here there were green peaks, each independent—where was the rotten swamp?
An hour later.