Chapter 1531

In Southern Border’s southeast, a mountain range has split into a huge Earth Trench, one result of earthquakes as the five regions become one. Earthquakes are disasters for mortals but fortuitous encounters for Gu Immortals, as immortal materials and wild Immortal Gu emerge. After the Battle of Yi Tian Mountain and the dream realm battle, in which Wu clan lost seven Gu Immortals, many Gu Immortals invest in the trenches to recover. In the new trench, Shang clan leader Shang Xin Ci, a rank five woman, leads Gu Masters in setting up a mortal Gu formation and camp. Deep within lies an extraordinary field with colorful smoke rising from the soil. ^{ch. 1531}

Ye Fan, a white robed young man with a small eagle on his shoulder, identifies it as a smoky warm jade field, which produces immortal material smoky warm jade. It covers a few square kilometers and has extremely high value. He still loves Shang Xin Ci, but after meeting Bai Ning Bing and almost dying while chasing away the Eighteen Lads of Wine Village, he changed drastically and became Lu Wei Yin’s disciple, cultivating in black heaven. To win the field Shang clan’s Gu Immortals raised Shang Xin Ci, who had low aptitude, to rank five regardless of cost, and her enemies Hou clan and Tie clan sent rank five leaders too. Ye Fan notes that whoever controls the field gains a sizeable amount of smoky warm jade each year, and that the three clan leaders are merely pawns of the Gu Immortals behind them. Thinking of Shang Yan Fei, her father and the previous leader who died at the Battle of Yi Tian Mountain, a fate Empress Wu Ji shared, Ye Fan affirms his determination to become an immortal. ^{ch. 1531}

A Gu Master reports troops of unprecedented scale from Hou clan and Tie clan heading directly at them. Fang Yuan once bought Wei De Xin, the wife of Wei clan leader, as a slave and gave her to Shang Xin Ci. Wei De Xin is now her loyal guard, wanting only to repay gratitude. Shang Xin Ci explains that the Gu formation was set long ago and the camp is only pretending to build it, to lure both clans in. Young and inexperienced, she cannot be away long without a huge commotion in her clan, so she takes a risk, confident after thoroughly researching her enemies. Her force includes the three experts Xiong Tu, Xiong Huo and Xiong Feng and Xiao Yan, an important general, while steward Zhou Quan holds Shang Liang Mountain. ^{ch. 1531}

The Tie clan and Hou clan leaders arrive and question her, and she proposes deciding the victor at once. The Tie clan leader agrees, and all three sides send out their troops. Shang Xin Ci activates the Gu formation, announcing that it sends the heavily injured out of battle safely. It also amplifies Shang clan’s Gu Masters, who gain a huge advantage before the other clans can unravel it. Ye Fan thinks her the kindest leader he has seen, and hides his immortal fortuitous encounter from her. Xiong Tu, Xiong Huo and Xiong Feng join the battle, and three Hou clan elders are sent out heavily injured. ^{ch. 1531}

The Hou clan leader thinks that he had already persuaded someone important inside Shang clan to undermine Shang Xin Ci, and that the Tie clan leader rashly agreed, walking into her trap. A fearsome female Gu Master walks out of Tie clan’s formation and rampages unhindered, sending the three Xiong brothers out of the battlefield. The Hou clan leader realizes he could not match her even by fighting. Ye Fan enters the battlefield and asks her name. She assesses him sternly and answers that she is Tie Ruo Nan. ^{ch. 1531}