Ransacking Frosty Peak
Fang Yuan returns to Frosty Peak in human form after Xia clan’s Gu Immortals concede the spar and withdraw, finding its mortal Gu house removed and only a bare, frigid peak left standing. He credits the win to information: Wu clan’s intelligence left him thoroughly aware of Xia clan’s killer moves and temperament, while the two Xia clan Gu Immortals knew little of him. He judges Xia clan will now work to counter vajra shell, and expects Wu Yi Hai’s name to grow more famous from the victory. He also expects the ten great ancient sects, Longevity Heaven and Old Ancestor Xue Hu, to already be definitely studying his reverse flow protection seal after the Northern Plains battle. He resolves to use it somewhat more carefully against such rivals. He judges that modifying a killer move draws on inspiration, but that what is truly tested is the Gu Immortal’s attainment level, and that dream realms are the best way to raise it. Having joined Wu clan only recently, he judges a firm request to visit the super Gu formation would look suspicious, and decides to handle the matters at hand instead. ch. 1312
He then searches Frosty Peak itself, stripping out large numbers of frost jades that Wu clan had deliberately preserved to maintain the peak’s value as a resource point, almost every one holding the rarer frost jade essence inside. He also plunders the wild Gu worms in its snow, mostly ice path. The peak holds no wild Immortal Gu: had it really held any, Xia clan would not have given up the site so easily. The plundering cuts Frosty Peak’s resource value by more than half and leaves its foundation greatly damaged by the resulting deficit. The once picturesque peak is left scarred with pits of different depths, littered with rocks and debris. Fang Yuan considers pulling the whole mountain into his aperture with a pulling mountain Immortal Gu, but decides against it. Doing so would expose his true identity, and having already made huge profits this time under Wu Yi Hai’s name by embezzlement, he definitely could not justify going further to Wu clan. ch. 1312
Fang Yuan returns to Wu clan headquarters and reports to Wu Yong, who praises him for protecting Frosty Peak and deterring the thieves; Fang Yuan deflects the credit as a fluke. Wu Yong turns to Elder Wu Fa to assess the payout. Wu Fa first grants that the battle will spread Wu Yi Hai’s name through Southern Border’s Gu Immortal world. Wu Fa then notes the matter has not completely settled, since Fang Yuan secured only a five year agreement, and that Frosty Peak’s own value has greatly reduced from being viciously plundered. Wu Yong, surprised, asks about the damage; Fang Yuan answers that he had not expected Xia clan’s Gu Immortals to be so vicious, implying they plundered the peak. Wu Yong then asks whether Fang Yuan personally witnessed Xia clan looting it; Fang Yuan denies it, calling it only a guess and naming other lone cultivators as a possibility. Wu Yong leaves the final reward to Wu Fa, who calculates it and hands Fang Yuan a list. ch. 1312
