Chapter 1154

Unable to locate them, Fang Yuan gives up the pursuit. This is his second clash with Shadow Sect since reviving. The first forced Ying Wu Xie into trading, which Fang Yuan turned to great advantage. This time he gains only a slight edge: despite Hei Fan’s true inheritance growing his strength immensely, he kills just one Shadow Sect member and slightly weakens the rest. ^{ch. 1154}

Fang Yuan’s own growth stays unstable. A gain like Hei Fan’s inheritance comes only once in a thousand years. Ying Wu Xie’s growth is very steady instead, since he can reclaim Shadow Sect’s own inheritances across all five regions. Striking first was wise on this reasoning: left unchallenged, the gap would widen, and Spectral Soul’s rescue would mark Fang Yuan’s end. Shameless as it is, Ying Wu Xie’s retreat is itself his wisest choice. ^{ch. 1154}

Though neither side fought outright, the two compete across the vast turbulent sea area. Fang Yuan gains intel on Ying Wu Xie’s group, even glimpsing Omni-directional Travel, while Ying Wu Xie identifies Fang Yuan’s own investigative killer move, resolving it only temporarily. ^{ch. 1154}

Fang Yuan turns back toward the turbulent flow sea area. A female immortal calls for him to wait, and he stops, addressing her as Immortal Hua Die. She smiles, saying she is ashamed not to know his name in turn. Fang Yuan gives a false name, Chu Ying, his appearance disguised as well. The failed pursuit only leaves him more determined to eliminate Shadow Sect. ^{ch. 1154}

Hua Die offers a suggestion that would benefit him too. Fang Yuan invites her to speak, silently weighing whether killing her would be easy. He knows a little of her: a transformation path Gu Immortal from Eastern Sea, rank six, who has passed two heavenly tribulations, her records placing her battle strength at the peak of rank six. Her path matters more, since Fang Yuan, already a grandmaster of it, still gathers such dao marks gladly. She judges his gentle manner marks him as no frenzied demonic path Gu Immortal, likely a lone immortal like herself. ^{ch. 1154}

Weighing the kill, Fang Yuan judges his battle strength should exceed hers even unaided. But her tie to Miao Ming Shen, a well-connected rank seven Eastern Sea expert who can expand immortal apertures, leaves the risk unclear. Angering his huge network matters little, since familiar face lets Fang Yuan change identity freely, so long as no rank eight Gu Immortal is involved. But killing Hua Die risks exposing that disguise to wisdom path deduction, as Ying Wu Xie’s own luck inspection Immortal Gu once proved familiar face is not foolproof. He also recalls that Miao Ming Shen has a method to find the immemorial desolate beast blue dragon whale and once rallied more than ten Eastern Sea lone immortals to hunt it. Friendship with him could win Fang Yuan a share of that hunt and Eastern Sea’s private resource auctions, so he drops the thought of murder. ^{ch. 1154}

Hua Die never learns how close she came to death. She was spared only by her tie to Miao Ming Shen. She explains that Miao Ming Shen has watched the sea area for years, seeking a tributary of the River of Time. She asks Chu Ying to report back if he finds it, promising thanks. Fang Yuan agrees, wanting no great reward, only good terms between them. ^{ch. 1154}

He is not the first she has approached. She, Gui Qi Ye and Feng Jiang take turns guarding the area, asking the same favor of passing Gu Immortals. Most agree, drawn by Miao Ming Shen’s aperture-expanding method. She wishes him well and turns to leave, thinking little of a completely unknown, rank six cultivator. She sighs to herself that the search needs luck rather than cultivation, though more than ten years have passed without a trace. ^{ch. 1154}

After walking away, she sends one more warning through an information path mortal Gu. Ding Qi, a blood path demonic immortal, rushed here for revenge after hearing Liu Qing Yu had come seemingly to seek the information path inheritance. His younger brother Ding Yan once held clues to that inheritance, was attacked by Liu Qing Yu, Zhou Li and Tang Song, and is dead. Blood path demonic immortals are ruthless and insane, she says, and Chu Ying should be careful if he meets Ding Qi. Fang Yuan keeps the mortal Gu, rubbing his nose. Hua Die’s warning is kindly meant, but she has no idea that the man she just warned is himself a blood path demonic overlord who once slaughtered countless lives across Central Continent. ^{ch. 1154}