These immortal materials all belonged to Fang Yuan. He was so anxious he nearly clawed at his own face.
Fang Yuan gazed at the Langya Earth Spirit with a placid smile. No matter how poor the Earth Spirit's attitude toward him was, as long as these immortal materials remained in his hands, he had the Earth Spirit by the throat.
Suddenly, the Earth Spirit's eyes darted to the side as comprehension dawned.
His panic faded, replaced by a cold sneer. "Hmph, hmph. You brat — do you think I don't know what you're like? A cunning creature who never stirs before dawn without profit! Out with it. What are you trying to swindle out of this old man this time?"
Fang Yuan feigned displeasure. "Old sir, that's not fair to say at all. I'm not here to take advantage of you. I've come to offer a fair exchange."
"Hmph, hmph." The Langya Earth Spirit was already braced for Fang Yuan's shamelessness. He raised an eyebrow. "Just say it plainly. Stop beating around the bush with me."
Fang Yuan lowered his gaze, his eyes fixed on the immortal materials in his hands. "Since you're being so forthright, old sir, I'll ask directly. Do you happen to possess the Immortal Path Killing Move — Meeting Like Old Acquaintance?"
The Earth Spirit froze for a moment, then shot back, "How did you know I have the Robber Heavenly Demon Sovereign's signature Killing Move?"
Fang Yuan's heart surged with delight. The Langya Earth Spirit truly had it!
This had been nothing more than a guess on his part.
He recalled that back when the Langya Earth Spirit had lacked desolate beasts and wanted Fang Yuan to capture a live one, he had used the Mortal Path Killing Move Meeting Like Strangers as bait to lure Fang Yuan into the task.
During that discussion, Fang Yuan had asked about Meeting Like Old Acquaintance, and the Earth Spirit's exact words had been:
"Meeting Like Old Acquaintance? You've got some nerve even thinking about that! It's an Immortal Path Killing Move, and its core component is the legendary Attitude Gu. Even if I gave it to you, you wouldn't be able to use it. However, my Killing Move is indeed closely related to Meeting Like Old Acquaintance — you could call it its predecessor. It's only a Mortal Path Killing Move, but it's just right for your current level."
Earth Spirits were simple beings. They did not lie.
The Langya Earth Spirit had never directly said that he did not possess Meeting Like Old Acquaintance. He had merely said that even if he gave it to Fang Yuan, Fang Yuan could not use it.
Back then, Fang Yuan had still been a mortal Gu Master. But now he was a Gu Immortal.
More crucially, he already possessed the Attitude Gu.
In the past, the Robber Heavenly Demon Sovereign had fooled two Eighth Transformation Gu Immortals while wielding only a Sixth Transformation cultivation.
Fang Yuan felt he could do something similar now.
"Back in the day, the Robber Heavenly Demon Sovereign came to my true body and requested the refinement of the Space Escape Gu. My true body was quite intrigued and collaborated with the Demon Sovereign for a full twenty-one years. That was twenty-one years in the Five Domains' time — and within the Langya Blessed Land, the passage of time was even more prolonged!"
The Langya Earth Spirit's face was suffused with nostalgic emotion as he reminisced about those bygone days of glory.
He paused briefly, then continued, "Over those twenty-one years, my true body and the Robber Heavenly Demon Sovereign made many, many attempts — and every single one ended in failure. It consumed the Demon Sovereign's entire lifetime of accumulated wealth, and my true body's treasury had to be supplemented as well. My true body certainly wouldn't run a losing business, so the Robber Heavenly Demon Sovereign paid to purchase immortal materials from my true body's stores. Meeting Like Strangers, Meeting Like Seeming Acquaintances, and Meeting Like Old Acquaintance — that entire set of Killing Moves was among them."
"So that's how it was." Fang Yuan nodded, committing this information to memory.
The Langya Blessed Land truly possessed deep reserves — to think it still held items from the Robber Heavenly Demon Sovereign.
An ordinary man who possesses treasure brings calamity upon himself. No wonder the Shadow Sect had targeted it, and in his previous life, Heavenly Court had also launched an assault.
Fang Yuan had certainly considered making a play for this auspicious territory, but his strength was nowhere near sufficient. A rash attack would only bring suffering upon himself.
"You brat, what do you want with Meeting Like Old Acquaintance? Heh heh heh — realized the value of Meeting Like Strangers, have you? Everything of mine is top quality. But Meeting Like Strangers is merely a Mortal Path Killing Move; it truly doesn't suit your current cultivation level." The Earth Spirit chuckled again.
Fang Yuan cut straight to the point. "I'm willing to offer one Eighth Transformation immortal material in exchange for Meeting Like Old Acquaintance."
The Earth Spirit had been laughing a moment before, but now he flew into a rage. "You brat, do you really think I'm a fool? One Eighth Transformation immortal material for the Robber Heavenly Demon Sovereign's signature Killing Move? In your dreams!"
Fang Yuan remained unperturbed, his tone mild. "Then what price are you asking, old sir?"
"Ten Eighth Transformation immortal materials!"
Now it was Fang Yuan's turn to react with fury. "Impossible! How could I possibly have that many? Do you think I just pick them off the ground?!"
He shouted the words, putting on a show of outrage, lying through his teeth without batting an eye.
The Langya Earth Spirit was taken aback.
He smiled sheepishly. "Then... eight?"
Fang Yuan's eyes went round as saucers. "Eight?! That's highway robbery! You told me yourself — the core Immortal Gu of Meeting Like Old Acquaintance is the Attitude Gu! Without the Attitude Gu, I can't even use Meeting Like Old Acquaintance. I only want it as a reference, so I can calculate and refine my own Immortal Path Killing Move suited to my needs. Do you really think I'd trade a full eight immortal materials for a mere Meeting Like Old Acquaintance?!"
Fang Yuan bellowed at the top of his lungs, flecks of spittle spraying across the Langya Earth Spirit's face.
The Earth Spirit's expression turned awkward, and he stumbled back a few steps.
He had been swindled by Fang Yuan enough times to have learned the art of haggling. But his experience was clearly still lacking — Fang Yuan had shouted him down in just a few sentences.
In the end, an Earth Spirit was nothing more than a lingering obsession that had fused with the great power of heaven and earth. By nature, they were extremely simple beings. The fact that the Langya Earth Spirit had come this far was already quite remarkable.