Chapter 1345

Golden Cloud Canyon produces metal path and cloud path resources, and Wu clan had taken it from Hou clan by force long ago. With Wu clan’s defenders recalled to headquarters on Fang Yuan’s order after Wu Yong’s disappearance, two Hou clan Gu Immortals invade the canyon under a righteous path pretext, one disguised as a pursued demonic cultivator, since righteous path rules bar them from attacking openly. They destroy the canyon’s mortal Gu formation in one attack. Holding the canyon first will let Hou clan later claim they helped defend it and demand compensation, unless Wu clan has the strength to force them out. ^{ch. 1345}

At the Yang clan border, mortal settlers Yang clan had long planted to provoke conflict give the clan its excuse: Yang clan’s mortal Gu Masters overrun Wu clan’s mortal defenders at Poisonous Waterfall, forcing them to flee through a secret cave. Because these are only mortal deaths, righteous path rules impose no consequence unless a Gu Immortal’s seed is killed. The waterfall’s resource is minor. The breach still opens Yang clan’s path toward the truly valuable Corpse Mountain beyond it. ^{ch. 1345}

Corpse Emperor Yu Ding Tian grew, over ages, from the mangled remains of a rank eight zombie that once fought and lost against several super clans combined, into a corpse mountain rich in transformation path zombie Gu and qi path zombie qi Gu. Southern Border’s Zombie Alliance wanted this mountain for a new headquarters and offered Wu clan a high price for it, but Wu clan refused, before the Alliance’s own base was later found out. Yao clan takes the mountain instead, a bridgehead into Wu clan’s other territory. The loss strips Wu clan of all ground east of red dragon river and north of yellow dragon river. Wu clan tries to conceal that Wu Yong has gone missing, his fate still unknown, but the mastermind puts the news out, and word that he has died spreads out of nowhere. Fang Yuan’s false information holds the other clans off at first, until his own behavior starts to look abnormal. Once several clans finish probing, they act together, Yao clan, Yang clan and Hou clan among them, and Wu clan loses three resource points at once. ^{ch. 1345}

In the discussion hall, with the main seat empty, Wu Ba Chong sits as second supreme elder while Wu Qiao, who had guarded the now lost Corpse Emperor Yu Ding Tian, endures the blame in silence. Wu Ba Chong quiets the arguing Gu Immortals. He then defers the decision to the absent Wu Yi Hai, drawing resentment that Fang Yuan remains inside the super Gu formation with Fairy Si Liu, and rumors of a Lady White Rabbit besides. Word of it reaches Fang Yuan, who is unsurprised, having expected it, and he decides he can no longer remain in the dream realm, his recent luck there having been poor regardless. ^{ch. 1345}