Chapter 1146

Three days later, at Earth Mother Altar beneath the icy plain, four incense sticks burn as Gu Immortals stand in four camps, Fang Yuan among Lang Ya Sect’s hairy men. Gu Immortal Shi Zong of the rockman tribe steps forward first and declares himself willing to enter the four races alliance, the four races united from this day to share fortune and woe. He activates his immortal essence. The smoke merges completely into his body, adding information path dao marks. Fang Yuan judges the method not truly orthodox, earth path producing its effect instead, like his own killer move Hundred Years Harmony. His heart sinks: breaking the agreement later will most probably take earth path methods rather than information path. ^{ch. 1146}

The hairy men had originally only discussed alliance with the allied snowman and rockman tribes. But the hairy men propose adding Inkman City, vouching for the inkmen since Long Hair Ancestor and Immortal Yi Yan were once close friends. The allied tribes agree. The three sides reach consensus to ally and share hardship together. ^{ch. 1146}

Twelfth Hair reminds him softly that it is his turn. The hairy men now view him reverentially, a complete change that followed the falling star hound affair being settled and the news of his immemorial upper extreme heavenly eagle. Fang Yuan steps forward and lets the smoke imprint him as it did Shi Zong. Seeing him truly joined, the group relaxes, and Xue Er’s smile grows lovelier. None of them guess he is already planning how to break the alliance’s restrictions. He shares the variant humans’ aims no more than he shared Lang Ya Sect’s, and joined because the situation forced him and because the alliance’s strength is easier to borrow for his cultivation. ^{ch. 1146}

Fang Yuan judges he can never truly stand with variant humans against humans, since humans hold absolute dominance. He wonders whether these four groups really allied in his first life. He does recall no news of the snowman and rockman tribes, and that Lang Ya blessed land never founded a sect, finally destroyed by Heavenly Court. The inkman tribe, by contrast, did surprisingly well. ^{ch. 1146}

Fang Yuan glances at Mo Tan Sang, a rank six qi path cultivator. Fang Yuan judges him inwardly a formidable character. In Fang Yuan’s first life, the inkman tribe thrived instead, holding a third of Northern Plains, though here it ranks weakest. Mo Tan Sang notices his gaze and smiles, and Fang Yuan judges his acting equal to his own. ^{ch. 1146}

Northern Plains still reels from Hei tribe’s collapse to Bai Zu tribe, while Old Ancestor Xue Hu refines a fortune rivalling heaven Gu. Behind this, four variant human races have quietly allied, holding a rank eight immemorial rock dragon and, in others’ minds, Fang Yuan’s upper extreme heavenly eagle. Variant humans stand in the weaker position, yet this alliance is not to be looked down upon, and the situation forced Fang Yuan into it. The four tribes have no wisdom path Gu Immortal, which eases him slightly. His loss is that he can no longer undergo tribulation on the northern icy plain, which will influence him greatly. It consumes earth qi and damages the rockmen’s home, the reason the tribes once funded grey cloud battle puppet against him. ^{ch. 1146}

He also gains trade with the rockman and snowman tribes, and the rockmen above all desire guts Gu more than humans do, it being the best way to grow their tribes. He also profits by selling Hei Fan grotto-heaven resources to all three tribes, worrying Sixth Hair. Xue Er asks whether he really must leave so soon. He shakes his head with a warm smile and promises to return after reporting to Lang Ya land spirit in person. ^{ch. 1146}

He is drawn to the snowman tribe’s ice and snow path Immortal Gu and their killer moves, both suiting him since that path already holds the most dao marks in his body. He plans to keep his own Immortal Gu rather than trade them now. He waits instead to demand Immortal Gu later, when some variant human needs his time path move to survive tribulation, as Hei Fan once did. Xue Er, unaware of the schemes behind his handsome face, hesitates before finally handing him a farewell gift, an ice tear drop. ^{ch. 1146}