This battle rocked the Northern Plains! The news spread like a hurricane, sending the entire Gu Immortal world of the Northern Plains into utter disarray.
Moreover, with Central Continent's Gu Immortals as firsthand witnesses, the news reached the Central Continent immediately, startling the leaders of the ten great ancient sects. Each of them etched the Snow Fox Patriarch's name deep into the recesses of their hearts.
A few days later.
Central Continent. The Fox Immortal's Blessed Land.
Fairy Li Shan and Black Lou Lan paid a visit, bringing along firsthand intelligence.
Fang Yuan held a mortal-level communication Gu in his hand, closed his eyes, and felt as though he were present at the Great Snowy Mountain Blessed Land, borrowing Fairy Li Shan's perspective to observe.
At the zenith of the sky, the battle between three Eighth Transformation powerhouses was being replayed — a spectacle of blows exchanged in fierce combat.
From start to finish, the display was majestic and grand, leaving him utterly captivated.
Although the distance was vast and the three combatants were deep within the open sky far away, even from this remote vantage point he could perceive the vast and boundless might of the Eighth Transformation.
Among Gu Immortals, the higher the transformation, the greater the gulf. Between the Sixth and Seventh Transformations, there were still elites who could occasionally hold their own against a Seventh Transformation cultivator in battle.
But between the Seventh and Eighth Transformations, the gap was as vast as heaven and earth — the difference between clouds and mud. For a Seventh Transformation cultivator to fight an Eighth Transformation one on equal footing was exceedingly rare in all of human history!
At the Ninth Transformation, one could sweep across the entire world alone, unstoppable and invincible — the absolute pinnacle of heaven and earth! Eighth Transformation Gu Immortals were no match whatsoever. They were always crushingly defeated, without a single exception.
After watching this scene three times in succession, Fang Yuan returned the Gu to Fairy Li Shan. When he opened his eyes, they were perfectly calm.
The Snow Fox Patriarch's overwhelming dominance was something Fang Yuan had fully anticipated. In his previous life's memories, this figure had dealt the Central Continent several crushing defeats — even killing quite a few of its Eighth Transformation Gu Immortals.
Having now witnessed this with his own eyes, Fang Yuan's understanding of the Northern Plains situation deepened yet further.
"The Northern Plains' Righteous Path has two Eighth Transformation Gu Immortals: the Medicine Emperor and Crown Prince Fengxian. In terms of prestige, the Medicine Emperor is the undisputed leader of the Righteous Path. But Crown Prince Fengxian has ties to the Central Continent — he is the deepest mole the Central Continent has planted in the Northern Plains."
"The collapse of the Eighty-Eight True Yang Building and the destruction of the Royal Court Blessed Land threw the Northern Plains into turmoil. The painstaking grand design laid out by Imperial Lord Juyang crumbled entirely. Order collapsed, and with factions fighting over Immortal Gu, the Righteous and Demonic Paths clashed fiercely, layering new grudges atop old enmities. Although Qin Baisheng organized the auction, the immortals were merely busy consolidating their gains. Though there was a brief respite, the underlying conflicts only festered and deepened."
"The destruction of the Royal Court Blessed Land inflicted the greatest damage on the Northern Plains' Righteous Path. The Demonic Path, however, benefited enormously. For ages, Imperial Lord Juyang's arrangements had all served his ambition of claiming the world as his kingdom. The Northern Plains' Righteous Path was entirely composed of the Golden Bloodline. They had suppressed the Demonic Path and rogue cultivators so thoroughly they could barely lift their heads. Now that the Eighty-Eight True Yang Building had fallen, a crushing mountain was lifted from the heads of the Demonic Path and independent cultivators. In both his previous life's memories and this one, it was only after the destruction of the Royal Court Blessed Land that the Centipede Heavenly Lord established his super force. He was an Eighth Transformation Gu Immortal — yet he did not possess the Golden Bloodline, and even he had to wait until then. It was nothing more than fear of joint suppression from the various great Golden Bloodline superpowers."
"The Centipede Heavenly Lord wished to establish a Righteous Path faction, so naturally he needed to cultivate good relations with the Medicine Emperor and the others, draw a clear line against the Demonic Path, and declare his allegiance. That was why, when the Medicine Emperor came demanding Fangcun Mountain, he went along readily. But he had never expected the Snow Fox Patriarch to be so ferocious — powerful enough to crush both him and the Medicine Emperor in one stroke."
"For the Snow Fox Patriarch, refining the Eighth Transformation Fortune Equals Heaven Immortal Gu was like a towering tree that attracts the wind — it drew countless covetous gazes. Every Righteous Path faction opposed his success. Especially after the collapse of the Eighty-Eight True Yang Building, the Righteous Path's suspicion and wariness toward the Demonic Path had intensified greatly, fearing these outsiders would grow too powerful.
Yet the Snow Fox Patriarch required vast quantities of resources to refine the Fortune Equals Heaven Immortal Gu. He dispatched his Demonic Path subordinates far and wide to gather immortal refinement materials, and the resulting frictions were considerable. Going forward, such clashes would only increase, generating ever more conflicts and obstacles. The Snow Fox Patriarch's decisive show of force on this trip was, above all, intended to intimidate the entire Northern Plains Gu Immortal world — clearing obstacles from his path to refining the Fortune Equals Heaven Immortal Gu."
"The situation in the Northern Plains had originally been turbulent and unpredictable, like a volcano on the verge of eruption — murky waters with undercurrents surging. Now, with the Snow Fox Patriarch defeating the combined might of the Medicine Emperor and the Centipede Heavenly Lord, the impact was enormous. It was as though all the dust had been swept away in one fell swoop, bypassing the step of a large-scale war between the Righteous and Demonic Paths entirely, and immediately elevating the Demonic Path to a position of dominance, overshadowing the Righteous Path. In the days to come, the Northern Plains Gu Immortal world would see the Demonic Path running rampant while the Righteous Path bowed its head. This was the lingering might of this battle — the grand trend that would define the Northern Plains from here on!"
Fang Yuan, old and crafty as he was, saw through it all with perfect clarity.
Sixth Transformation — though transcendent above the mortal realm — was merely the very bottom tier among Gu Immortals.
Seventh Transformation was where the true backbone lay.
At the Eighth Transformation, one typically did not act lightly. Even a single gesture, even an offhand remark, could ripple outward and bring enormous consequences.
What was the grand trend? Every Eighth Transformation Gu Immortal was the grand trend.
"Sixth Transformation, Seventh Transformation — they can usually only follow the trend. When will I become a trend like that? When can I create such a trend?" Fang Yuan couldn't help but feel a yearning.
"All right, Fang Yuan. We came this time primarily to bring you what you wanted and complete this transaction. Now, we're handing everything over to you." Fairy Li Shan spoke at this point.
She had brought him a group of White Lotus Giant Silkworm Gu, along with a large quantity of Star Thought Gu.
It turned out that the Great Snowy Mountain side had only learned the specific location of Dongfang Changfan's Blessed Land after his death because Fang Yuan himself had provided the information.