Chapter 1149

Riding toward Eastern Sea, Fang Yuan reads a message from Bing Zhuo explaining that to snowmen an ice tear is a token of love, not only a Gu material. He crushes it in his hand. He already knew this well, since his five hundred years of life have given him vast knowledge of variant human customs. At the earlier banquet he had only pretended ignorance to probe the snowmen and rockmen’s attitudes. He played the ice tear gift the same way: accepting it meant accepting Xue Er’s love, while refusing it openly would have wrecked his new cooperation with both tribes. ^{ch. 1149}

Marrying Xue Er, Fang Yuan reasons, carries more disadvantages than advantages. The snowman tribe wants his rank eight battle strength through the upper extreme heavenly eagle, still only an egg he cannot yet hatch. A marriage would add another binding agreement on top of Lang Ya Sect’s, Chu Du’s and the four races alliance’s, which already limit his freedom greatly and exact missions in return, Lang Ya’s stretching to reinforcing its blessed land and fighting to the death. The rockmen alone hold a rank eight backing, their immemorial rock dragon, and hold the greater status between the two tribes, which is why the snowmen want Xue Er’s marriage to even the balance. ^{ch. 1149}

Even accepting Xue Er’s feelings would mark him as siding with the snowmen. That would draw him into their rivalry with the rockmen, who already give him more benefit through the guts Gu trade he will not risk over a woman. Letters from snowman, rockman and inkman Gu Immortals alike keep trying to rope him in, part of why he left Northern Plains for Eastern Sea. Lang Ya land spirit’s wish to recruit Chu Du also threatens his standing in Lang Ya Sect, so Fang Yuan decides to stall that mission rather than pursue it in earnest. The Eastern Sea information path inheritance is one reason he came, since a method there for shedding his alliance restrictions would hand him the initiative, but it is only his secondary objective and another goal is his primary one. ^{ch. 1149}

Days later, in Eastern Sea’s turbulent flow sea area, the rank seven lone cultivator Liu Qing Yu kneels covered in injuries and begs for his life. He had been ambushed alongside three rank six comrades, now all dead, by four mysterious Gu Immortals. The four include a rank seven rockman Gu Immortal and three rank six immortals, a bold female, a kindly old man, and an ordinary-looking immortal zombie who leads them. That leader is Ying Wu Xie. Hei Lou Lan urges killing Liu Qing Yu to feed the rockman Shi Nu some earth path dao marks, and Shi Nu answers only that he will listen to his master. ^{ch. 1149}

Liu Qing Yu protests that his Immortal Gu are only rank six despite his rank seven cultivation, and that Hei Lou Lan beat him with rank seven Immortal Gu and many fire path killer moves. Ying Wu Xie spares him instead, offering membership in Shadow Sect through an immortal killer move that forges an extremely strict alliance agreement. Liu Qing Yu accepts gratefully and offers up his two rank six Immortal Gu. Ying Wu Xie waves them off, promising rank seven Immortal Gu or true inheritances for future service. Watching, Hei Lou Lan notes that Ying Wu Xie’s binding method is a soul path technique achieving information path’s effect, much like Fang Yuan’s own hundred years harmony. ^{ch. 1149}

Ying Wu Xie grows suspicious. He asks why Liu Qing Yu chose so remote an island. Liu Qing Yu explains that he came seeking clues to an information path true inheritance in the turbulent flow sea area. He had killed a blood path demonic immortal for the clue and gained nothing, arousing two other rank seven Gu Immortals’ suspicion. Judging Fang Yuan the likeliest holder of the clue, he brought a group here to search or wait for him, and stumbled onto Shadow Sect’s secret base instead. Ying Wu Xie’s expression suddenly changes, and he asks what the suspect Liu Qing Yu named looked like. ^{ch. 1149}