Chapter 729

Fang Yuan recognizes the land spirit as tied to Star Lord Wan Xiang and asks whether it remembers him buying star fragment grass and the killer move spring star rain from its main body. Star Form Child’s gaze softens, and he admits some impression remains. Fang Yuan then asks whether the land spirit, unable to protect the whole blessed land alone, would seek refuge with one of them, and it agrees it needs help but sets one condition. Song Zi Xing injured the main body badly, which drove Star Lord Wan Xiang to reveal his secret and enter the grotto-heaven alongside Shi Lei, and there he died in the eighth star hall. Whoever wants to own the blessed land must bring Star Form Child the head of Song Zi Xing. ^{ch. 729}

Hei Lou Lan laughs bitterly, since even outside Central Continent she knows Song Zi Xing’s reputation as a former disciple of Myriad Dragon Dock who refused to hand over a blood sea inheritance and betrayed the sect. Myriad Dragon Dock sent eight Gu Immortals after him in succession, five of rank six and three of rank seven. Song Zi Xing killed four, crippled three, and forced the last to retreat. The sect never again attacked him without preparation. He now roams free at rank seven on the blood path, reckoned in Central Continent about equal to Shi Lei and below Feng Jiu Ge, who beat him in three moves years before. Fang Yuan agrees to try. ^{ch. 729}

Star Form Child urges haste, since the blessed land’s earthly calamity is coming soon and the condition means nothing if it perishes first. He refuses Fang Yuan’s offer to help him through it now. No outside Gu Immortal may stay past seven minutes, and only his true master can help him pass tribulation. He means to spread his condition through treasure yellow heaven and turn more people against Song Zi Xing. Hei Lou Lan warns this could draw rivals, but he insists only those who meet the condition will ever find the blessed land. Fang Yuan and Hei Lou Lan leave the way they came, and the starlit door vanishes behind them once they cross back into Earth Abyss. ^{ch. 729}

Back at Hu Immortal blessed land, the two split the loot. Hei Lou Lan lays out seven desolate beast corpses, among them a blazing divine stallion, a flying bear, a star demon bat and a chestnut yak, plus a yellow jade lion barely alive. There is also the astral wind flying heavenly boar, an ancient desolate beast, several hundred kilograms of diamond soil, and about ten mysterious trees of unknown origin. An ordinary desolate beast corpse is worth about forty immortal essence stones and an ancient one about ten times that, since only immortal killer moves cored on rank seven Immortal Gu handle one effectively, leaving a net profit of about a hundred stones. ^{ch. 729}

Tallying the corpses, the lion, the boar and the diamond soil, Hei Lou Lan reaches seven hundred and ninety immortal essence stones. The number leaves her tongue tied. It dwarfs anything Fang Yuan held even once in his previous life, when his highest amount on hand was merely about sixty. By their agreed forty to sixty split, Fang Yuan takes four hundred and seventy four stones. Hei Lou Lan wonders whether Shi Lei might retaliate against Hu Immortal blessed land. Fang Yuan says no, since a rank seven Gu Immortal carries at least several thousand stones, and the ancient sects will push him toward righteous suppression rather than open force, now that the pair belong to Immortal Crane Sect. ^{ch. 729}

Hei Lou Lan agrees, though she regrets losing the walking meat tree, an ancient desolate plant worth more than the boar. Fang Yuan disagrees: at the time, the blessed land mattered far more. Turning serious, Hei Lou Lan asks how they will split Star Form blessed land, unwilling to give up such a prize easily. Unlike the corpses, its worth cannot be measured in stones, since it can improve cultivation itself and stands as a Gu Immortal’s greatest achievement. Fang Yuan proposes a contest instead: whichever of them meets the land spirit’s condition first takes the blessed land, the other accepts the result without compensation, and neither may interfere against the other. Should anyone else, even Fairy Li Shan or Tai Bai Yun Sheng, try to claim it, the two will work together to stop them, and Hei Lou Lan agrees this is best. ^{ch. 729}