"This is absolutely impossible!" Dongfang Yikong denied flatly.
"How could it possibly be Lord Changfan? Everyone be careful, this is most likely an illusion! They can't break the grand formation, so they're trying to make us panic!!"
Faced with this sudden upheaval, the Gu Immortals of the Dongfang Clan found it utterly incredible, refusing to accept this reality.
Old Lord Can Yang couldn't help but sneer: "Make you panic? How amusing. You can't even move, let alone panic. You've become fish on the chopping board, long beyond your own control. How laughable that you still can't see this truth. Heh heh heh."
These words struck like a thunderbolt, slamming into the hearts of the Dongfang Clan's Gu Immortals.
Everyone turned to look at Dongfang Changfan's Star Will.
Dongfang Wanxiu roared: "Lord Changfan, this can't be true!"
Dongfang Yikong demanded: "Lord Changfan, say something!"
"Lord Changfan! Dongfang Changfan! What exactly are you trying to do?!"
Countless voices of questioning and roars echoed throughout the great hall.
The Star Will smiled faintly, as calm as drifting clouds and a gentle breeze. He was merely a strand of will, yet he had condensed into the image of his living self—tall and upright, face like jade, eyes brimming with divine light, exuding the same extraordinary bearing his original body had possessed when orchestrating schemes from behind the scenes.
But at this moment, in this situation, seeing the Star Will's poised and dignified appearance only sent a chill through the hearts of the Dongfang Clan's Gu Immortals.
The Illusory Great Formation shifted once more. The massive power that had previously condensed into a single mass finally erupted at this very moment.
Like a violent tidal wave. Amidst the scattering of bloody light, a thick curtain of crimson radiance formed, enveloping the main position of the Corpse Bat's remains.
Seeing this scene, the expressions of Dongfang Wanxiu and the others finally changed drastically.
The power they had assumed was meant to strike at external enemies—its true purpose was defense.
The cold fact lay bare before everyone, piercing through the Star Will's earlier lies.
"Dongfang Changfan, why did you do this? Why are you betraying us!?" Dongfang Wanxiu's face was twisted, filled with anguish. He roared in grief and fury.
"What else could it be for? Life is the foundation of everything. Who wants to die? Who doesn't want to live? Given even the slightest chance of survival, who could resist such a temptation?" Old Lord Can Yang sneered repeatedly, his eyes fixed unblinkingly on the Illusory Great Formation.
Watching the Illusory Great Formation operate smoothly, Old Lord Can Yang couldn't help but draw a greedy, deep breath: "This body-seizing method... the price seems excessively steep. Does every activation require sacrificing a Gu Immortal?"
If that were truly the case, this body-seizing method would be impossible to spread—the conditions for initiating it were simply too high.
Dongfang Changfan's Star Will slowly shook its head: "Old Lord, you need not worry. Years ago, within the Eighty-Eight True Yang Building, I obtained the body-seizing method. Its contents describe how to seize both mortals and Gu Immortals. However, if one seizes a Gu Immortal, one's cultivation must surpass that of the target. Moreover, after the seizure, one's Immortal Orifice becomes the target's Immortal Orifice. This is essentially a cuckoo occupying a magpie's nest, with considerable drawbacks. In life, I was a Wisdom Path Gu Immortal, but I could not find a suitable Wisdom Path Gu Immortal as a target. Therefore, over many years, I exhaustively refined and schemed, ultimately arriving at this grand formation."
"This grand formation was developed based on the body-seizing method. It allows me to seize a mortal while simultaneously extracting the Gu Immortal essence of the same bloodline, so that after the seizure, I can immediately ascend to immortality and generate an entirely new Wisdom Path Immortal Orifice, eliminating the dangerous period of weakened cultivation that follows seizing a mortal."
Hearing the Star Will's explanation, Old Lord Can Yang couldn't help but turn his gaze to appraise the Star Will beside him, secretly alarmed: "This Dongfang Changfan has been hiding his depths. Not only is his Wisdom Path mastery arguably the foremost in the Northern Plains of the current era, but he can also utilize Space Path Dao Marks to command an army of illusory beasts. Now it seems his Blood Path expertise is no small thing either!"
The Star Will, unaware of Old Lord Can Yang's inner thoughts, continued speaking on its own: "Don't underestimate this grand formation. With these eight Gu Immortals sacrificing themselves to supply me, the resources are more than sufficient! My newly formed Immortal Orifice will absolutely be of the highest quality among the highest. At the same time, there is another wonderful benefit—the Immortal Grotto-Heaven within will naturally produce resources such as flowers, birds, fish, and insects, as if painstakingly cultivated over a long period. This saves me several hundred years of bitter effort. Therefore, after my seizure, not only will my cultivation be fully restored, but my resources will be even more abundant than in life! Old Lord Can Yang, watch carefully, and feel free to ask questions at any time. At each step I perform, I will explain the essence of the content to you."
A flash of fervent heat quickly passed across Old Lord Can Yang's face.
He laughed heartily, gazing deeply into Dongfang Changfan's Star Will: "What excellent calculations indeed. You want me to serve as your guardian. By staying here, I would have to shield you from those Demonic Path Gu Immortals outside. And when you ascend to immortality, there will certainly be Heavenly Tribulations and Earthly Calamities—at that time, being right beside you, I'd have no choice but to act even if I didn't want to."
Dongfang Changfan's Star Will also smiled, without the slightest embarrassment at having his scheme exposed. He looked at Old Lord Can Yang and said in a low voice: "In this world, to gain something, one must pay a price. There is no such thing as something for nothing. The more one stands to gain, the greater the risk often is. Old Lord, please decide quickly."
Old Lord Can Yang let out a "heh," and couldn't help but secretly admire Dongfang Changfan, thinking that this man truly knew how to make trade-offs.
Back then, when Dongfang Changfan obtained the body-seizing method, he had also discovered the arrangements of the ten great sects of the Central Continent within the True Transmission Secret Realm of the Eighty-Eight True Yang Building.
At that time, the Immortal Crane Sect had been infiltrating the Dongfang Clan. After Dongfang Changfan ascended to immortality and became a clan elder, he secretly discovered this truth.
But he didn't expose it. Instead, he followed this thread and secretly began cooperating with the Immortal Crane Sect.
He traded the body-seizing method with the Immortal Crane Sect.
Life-extending Gu were difficult to find, but any Gu Immortal would pursue any method of extending their lifespan with fervent interest. What's more, this body-seizing method came from Immortal Venerable Ju Yang himself!
Even though the Immortal Crane Sect was one of the ten great ancient sects of the Central Continent, with a long history and deep foundations, they could not resist the temptation of the body-seizing method.
Both sides had their needs. Dongfang Changfan released the method's contents step by step, and in return received a steady stream of resources from the Immortal Crane Sect.
He relied on these resources to rapidly climb in strength, successfully passing tribulation after tribulation, while also supporting his juniors and scheming on all fronts, restoring the once-declining Dongfang Clan to its former glory!
Cooperating with a man like Dongfang Changfan, though Old Lord Can Yang possessed formidable combat strength, he never relaxed his vigilance, always maintaining the utmost caution.