Chapter 1210

Fang Yuan flies west in ancient sword dragon form. He chooses not to fight Liu Chang, a light path cultivator whose immortal aperture he cannot yet annex. Retreating, he searches Liu Yong’s soul as he flies. Red date immortal essence sustains the flight far longer than green grape ever could. ^{ch. 1210}

No pursuer appears: Liu Chang lost time escorting his sister home, and the other two cannot close the distance, halting outside Tai Qiu. He returns through the Gu formation to Lang Ya blessed land. ^{ch. 1210}

Sixth Hair learns of his return at once, already knowing Fang Yuan killed Ye Lui Qun Xing using his own strength, the ancient sword dragon transformation, rather than the eagle. Uneasy, he wants to trip Fang Yuan up but cannot. Dejected over the eagle’s rank eight strength, he can only hope Fang Yuan lacks the crystals to feed it, wishing it would die of hunger. ^{ch. 1210}

His hope is not baseless. Heavenly crystals are rank eight materials, and Fang Yuan’s stock, mostly traded from Heavenly Lord Bai Zu, is short indeed and draining as the eagle grows. He spends sect contribution points to buy more. He could slow the eagle’s growth with an immortal killer move, the reverse of Hei Fan’s true inheritance, but skips it, unpracticed and needing three days he lacks. ^{ch. 1210}

Fang Yuan uses the super teleportation Gu formation to set down Liu Yong’s corpse elsewhere, then enters Liu Yong’s immortal aperture. Liu Yong’s own land spirit, a black hound, sets one condition, twenty desolate beast hounds, which Fang Yuan meets easily. Days later he annexes the blessed land. His vast sovereign aperture gains new territory; its land spirits, now more than ten, are fed immortal essence and Gu worms. ^{ch. 1210}

Absorbing Liu Yong’s blessed land moves his calamities and tribulations forward by only one: a rank six blessed land does little at rank seven. Only rank seven apertures are truly effective, far rarer and annexable only by a grandmaster of that path. Fang Yuan holds five grandmaster paths, strength, blood, wisdom, star and transformation, but rank sevens are few among the first three, leaving star and transformation path likelier. He turns toward Southern Border, though getting in remains a headache. ^{ch. 1210}

He is in no hurry to leave Northern Plains. He waits to see how everyone responds. Liu Guan Yi’s name has turned infamous: he assaulted Liu tribe, killed Liu Yong, and looted Bone Burial Field and the jade light pit. The righteous path is furious, Gong Wan Ting turns on Chu Du, and Chu Sect is shocked, disappointed to see him loot Liu tribe alone instead of competing. ^{ch. 1210}

Liu tribe was Chu Du’s own enemy. Yet this leaves him unhappy, his good feelings toward Fang Yuan gone at once. Even Ye Lui Qun Xing’s death had not stirred Yao Huang or Heavenly Lord Bai Zu, but this attack makes them frown together at once. ^{ch. 1210}

Both sides had agreed to hold a line, like children who agree never to strike the face. Fang Yuan has struck exactly there. Chu Du declares at once that Liu Guan Yi acted entirely on his own, and expels him from Chu Sect, ending his term as second supreme elder, to prove the sect’s innocence. ^{ch. 1210}

So resolute, Fang Yuan notes: Chu Du’s letter is polite and apologetic, still hoping they can cooperate again someday. Between Fang Yuan’s immortal tribulation tempering aperture and the Crazed Demon Agreement, Chu Du has reason to work with him in secret. At the same moment Heavenly Lord Bai Zu and Yao Huang denounce him and issue a warrant for his arrest. His plan to plunge Northern Plains into disorder has failed. Liu Guan Yi is now wanted by everyone. ^{ch. 1210}

None of the three are easy to scheme against, Fang Yuan admits, unbothered. Liu Guan Yi was only ever a false identity, and his true footing rests with the variant humans. He plans to go to Southern Border now, his focus shifting to the giant dream realm, and wonders with a complicated smile whether returning as a rank seven Gu Immortal counts as returning with glory. ^{ch. 1210}