Chapter 1094

Fang Yuan flies from the cloud city, glancing back. His expression is bitter and he sighs before he leaves, though inside he is cold and impassive and the display is only an act. His last meeting with land spirit ended well; this one, refusing to hunt the falling star hound, ends poorly. In the cloud city, Lang Ya land spirit grits his teeth and smashes his teacup, muttering that Fang Yuan, an outsider, ought still to sacrifice himself for the sect at a crucial moment. Land spirit’s fury cools slightly. ^{ch. 1094}

By his position, land spirit cannot force Fang Yuan to accept the mission, since the alliance agreement compels members only in a life-and-death crisis, and Tai Qiu is not one. He paces the room, wondering what to do about the falling star hound. The ancient battle formation Heavenly Giant Solor is another option, but land spirit holds its most crucial Immortal Gu and will not risk lending it out. ^{ch. 1094}

Fang Yuan’s own plan is to use Lang Ya Sect as pieces while he plays chess player, not risk his life as its pawn. Suspecting heaven’s will has already set a trap in Tai Qiu, he stays vigilant and refuses to go. Lang Ya Sect’s own push into Tai Qiu will gather the transformation materials he needs without risking him, leaving him only to spend contribution points and cultivate. In this world, he holds, what matters most is himself. ^{ch. 1094}

He resolves to manage the relationship carefully. He still needs Lang Ya Sect’s water path Immortal Gu for his second earthly calamity, and will rely otherwise only on his own strength. In essence heaven’s will is only a will, limited to very subtle influence, unlike a fake will that strikes thoughts directly. Heaven’s will used him as its tool against Shadow Sect and Spectral Soul inside a huge slow scheme, until at the battle of Yi Tian Mountain his nature as half an otherworldly demon broke him free. ^{ch. 1094}

Back at his cloud city, a hairy man envoy, a rank five peak stage Gu Master sent by his city lord, brings Fang Yuan a wooden box. Fang Yuan takes it unopened and looks the envoy over, and under that one glance the hairy man Gu Master feels his heart turn cold, his body bare and every secret exposed. Fang Yuan tells him to stay for guidance in enslavement path, and the envoy kneels trembling in thanks. Uninterested, Fang Yuan dismisses him. ^{ch. 1094}

He opens the box: inside sits the rank six beast enslavement Immortal Gu. A few days earlier Fang Yuan had asked to borrow it from Twelfth Hair, offering sect contribution points in payment. Twelfth Hair agreed but refused the points, asking instead that Fang Yuan guide a promising descendant of his in enslavement path. Fang Yuan had no reason to refuse, and the arrangement cuts into his heavy recent spending of contribution points besides. ^{ch. 1094}

Inside the immortal aperture, the snow and ice have stopped spreading, meaning the calamity’s dao marks have finished reshaping it. Because time runs differently inside, the snow monsters have relaxed enough for Fang Yuan to find one roaming alone. He guides the strength path immortal zombie toward it and injects green grape immortal essence into the beast enslavement Immortal Gu. The snow monster’s body shakes as though struck by an invisible force. But it soon growls, discovers the hidden immortal zombie, and attacks, so the attempt fails and Fang Yuan withdraws at once. ^{ch. 1094}

With his current soul foundation he could almost certainly have suppressed this one snow monster under normal conditions. Reality proves otherwise. Just as Shadow Sect had told him, a lifeform saturated with heaven’s will cannot be enslaved, and keeping one around is a serious threat. He had known this from Shadow Sect, but was not willing to accept it as certain until he tested it himself. Had it worked, he could have used these snow monsters against tribulations, or sold them in treasure yellow heaven; now, killing is his only option. Then an idea strikes him: perhaps he can first use self will Gu to strip a snow monster of its heaven’s will before turning the beast enslavement Immortal Gu on it. ^{ch. 1094}