Chapter 1287

Central Continent and Longevity Heaven watch Fang Yuan appear to win Old Ancestor Xue Hu over, and their expressions change. Old Ancestor Xue Hu, Northern Plains’ foremost demonic path rank eight, could at full strength surely take Fang Yuan by force even against three rank eights combined, and claims only the two of them here are demonic path. His terms are strict: slave, not equal ally. He adds that he will not offend another rank eight existence over one rank seven Gu Immortal and a river. ^{ch. 1287}

Ying Wu Xie’s heart jumps: Old Ancestor Xue Hu is testing Shadow Sect and Purple Mountain True Monarch’s madness as much as courting Fang Yuan, since killing a crazed rank eight would be worth the risk. Old Ancestor Xue Hu’s own failed Gu refinement already cost him Snowy Mountain blessed land. Fang Yuan sees no alternative: Longevity Heaven guards its descendants he killed, Central Continent would let Heavenly Court’s Fairy Zi Wei expose him for trial as a Demon Judgment Board name, and sovereign immortal fetus Gu closes Shadow Sect. Old Ancestor Xue Hu is his only option, yet accepting means slavery. ^{ch. 1287}

Old Ancestor Xue Hu gives Fang Yuan three breaths: submit and be protected, or refuse and die. Fang Yuan stalls, then refuses, choosing to see Old Ancestor Xue Hu’s methods instead. Old Ancestor Xue Hu laughs, vows to beat him into begging for mercy, and attacks with waves of cold air that Reverse Flow River reflects at the cost of its own water. Fang Yuan does not move while the attacks are still too weak to reach him, though he is bound to lose so long as he can only take blows and never return them. ^{ch. 1287}

Fang Yuan taunts the Central Continent group to act before Northern Plains’ Gu Immortals move together against them, but only Zhao Lian Yun answers, defiant, while Wei Ling Yang and Bi Chen Tian stay frozen. Mao Li Qiu cuts him off instead, vowing to kill him itself, and attacks with purple aura the river reflects at further cost to itself. Words cannot sway a rank eight mind, human or beast. He counts five rank eights against him: Old Ancestor Xue Hu, Mao Li Qiu, Bi Chen Tian, Wei Ling Yang, and the crazed Purple Mountain True Monarch. ^{ch. 1287}

Watching the water at his feet, Fang Yuan activates Perseverance Immortal Gu. As long as it stays active he remains Reverse Flow River Lord, free to use other Immortal Gu inside the river. Pulling Water alone, tried before, is too slow at rank six to serve as an escape. Fang Yuan reasons that Old Ancestor Xue Hu seems able to build a formation out of the river, so he can build a killer move from it too, with Perseverance securing the river’s compliance and Pulling Water moving it. He adds water path mortal Gu, newly a water path grandmaster, then adds Myriad Self, his own strength path move from after rebirth, and grandmaster attainment in both strength path and water path carries him to success. He builds it the way Ye Lui Qun Xing once drew on star fragments as an outside force. In this short span Fang Yuan finishes an immortal killer move and names it Myriad Self Second Style. ^{ch. 1287}