"The Ninth Alliance's Gu Fang?"
Receiving the transmission from the Wanqing Ancient Tree, Lu Qingyang's gaze traversed beyond the borders of the Ten Thousand Great Mountains.
There, he saw the spiritual armor artifact and Gu Fang, dressed in a Daoist robe, exuding an aura of immense power.
From Gu Fang, Lu Qingyang sensed a significantly more potent incense power than that of ordinary believers.
Clearly, his level of faith far surpassed that of common followers.
In an instant, Lu Qingyang activated his True Sight to investigate Gu Fang's details.
...
[Name: Gu Fang]
[Race: Human]
[Cultivation: Mid-Stage Third Tier]
[Level of Devotion: True Believer]
...
"A true believer. It seems not all high-ranking members of the alliance lack genuine piety. This person is worth cultivating."
Upon seeing the true believer designation, a hint of appreciation flashed in Lu Qingyang's eyes.
Since the beast tide and the emergence of the Heavenly Court chat group, the number of true believers under his command had grown.
However, it was unfortunate that the higher-ups of the Human Alliance had never developed deep faith.
Even later, when they joined the Heavenly Court chat group, they remained shallow believers.
Now, encountering a true believer like Gu Fang, Lu Qingyang naturally paid close attention.
After all, true believers were fundamentally different from ordinary followers.
This level of faith not only brought sincere and substantial incense offerings.
Although they might not completely follow orders, their hearts were filled with deep reverence.
Therefore,
Upon hearing the Wanqing Ancient Tree's inquiry, Lu Qingyang unhesitatingly granted permission.
...
Outside the Ten Thousand Great Mountains, Gu Fang waited anxiously.
Despite being the Grand Commander of the Ninth Alliance, usually wielding great authority and maintaining an extraordinary mental state, he found it hard to remain completely composed facing the presence within the Ten Thousand Great Mountains.
At this moment, the voice of the Wanqing Ancient Tree resounded: "My father has allowed your entry!"
"Thank you, Senior!"
Gu Fang bowed respectfully once again, then asked:
"May I ask the senior's name?"
"Wanqing..."
"So, it is Senior Wanqing Ancient Tree!"
Gu Fang nodded slightly, his words filled with respect.
As soon as he finished speaking, the vines blocking the path quietly receded.
Gu Fang bowed once more in thanks and then proceeded into the Ten Thousand Great Mountains alone.
He did not ride the spiritual armor artifact further, partly because the paths within the Ten Thousand Great Mountains were winding.
Even powerful artifacts could not travel freely.
But the deeper reason,
Was his respect and awe for the presence within.
After all, this being was the pinnacle of existence in the current world, having even ascended to the status of an immortal god.
In such a situation, Gu Fang dared not show any slight negligence.
As he entered the Ten Thousand Great Mountains, he immediately felt the spiritual energy here was much denser than outside.
His understanding of spiritual energy came from the cultivation manuals he obtained from the Heavenly Court chat group.
Everyone had one chance to exchange for a first-tier manual for free, which Gu Fang naturally did not waste.
He chose a cultivation manual called "Qingyang Energy Refinement Technique."
Through this manual, he learned the difference between his unorthodox cultivation and the true great sects' immortal cultivation.
He also gained a detailed understanding of spiritual energy and the profound mysteries of top-tier cultivation methods.
However, the level of "Qingyang Energy Refinement Technique" was too low.
Gu Fang, now a mid-stage third-tier cultivator, found little benefit in a first-tier manual, no matter how exquisite.
He attributed the dense spiritual energy here to the wonders of the Immortal Tree.
"Ten Thousand Heavenly Court!"
"Perhaps this place can truly be worthy of the name Heavenly Court in the future!"
Gu Fang thought to himself.
A mountain may not be high, but it is spiritual with an immortal.
Now, with this presence residing in the Ten Thousand Great Mountains, calling it an immortal realm or Heavenly Court was not an exaggeration.
...
The Ten Thousand Great Mountains, an ancient and vast range, covered an area of millions of square meters.
Fortunately, Lu Qingyang was not located in the deepest part of the mountains.
But in a relatively outer area.
With the physique of a mid-stage third-tier cultivator, Gu Fang did not find traversing ten or twenty kilometers too difficult.
Moreover, Lu Qingyang's avatar, the Qingyang Immortal Tree, towering thousands of meters high, was a prominent landmark in the Ten Thousand Great Mountains.
Gu Fang could see it by simply looking up, without worrying about losing his way.
An hour later, Gu Fang finally reached Lu Qingyang.
The towering ancient tree before him became more awe-inspiring the closer he got.
Seeing Lu Qingyang, Gu Fang felt a deep sense of reverence, following the ancient ritual and bowing deeply.
"Greetings, Qingyang Immortal Tree!"
As his words fell, the entire ancient tree emitted a heartwarming aura.
Soon after, a youth dressed in a simple green robe, exuding an extraordinary aura, appeared as if materializing from nothingness.
Following him, spiritual energy from all directions gathered, transforming into spiritual flowers that scattered around.
This scene left Gu Fang momentarily stunned.
Seeing the other's expression, Lu Qingyang felt quite satisfied with his manifestation.
The form he took was essentially a second-tier spell, Spirit Form, derived from the Heavenly Court.
It was a demonstration of manipulating spiritual energy.
As others could cultivate the methods evolved within the Heavenly Court, so could Lu Qingyang.
After cultivating Spirit Form, Lu Qingyang quickly grasped its essence.
Combined with his peak third-tier realm and the unique talents of his Immortal Tree spiritual root,
The spiritual energy within him was several times more abundant than that of other peak third-tier cultivators.
Therefore, the power he displayed with this second-tier spell surpassed the spell's original level.
As for the green robe he wore, it added a touch of mystery. After all, appearing naked would be quite inappropriate.
At this moment, Gu Fang recovered from his shock. Looking at Lu Qingyang, he cautiously asked,
"May I ask who you are..."
"You sought me out, yet you don't know my identity!"
"So, the Immortal Tree has come in person. My apologies for the disrespect!"
Gu Fang bowed respectfully again.
He had to admit, the means and manifestation of Lu Qingyang indeed left this Grand Commander of the Ninth Alliance deeply impressed.
Then, with a wave of his hand, Lu Qingyang used spiritual energy to conjure a stone table and two stone stools.
He sat on one of the stools himself and pointed to the other.
"No need to be formal, sit and speak."
This act of creating objects out of thin air further astonished Gu Fang, who hurriedly nodded, "Thank you, Immortal Tree!"
After Gu Fang carefully sat down,
Lu Qingyang, with a calm expression, asked, "What brings you here?"
"Uh..."
Gu Fang was momentarily at a loss for words. Though he had prepared many things to say before coming, he found all his preparations pale and powerless when facing Lu Qingyang.
Lu Qingyang's calm gaze seemed to see through everything, making Gu Fang realize that hiding his thoughts would be difficult.
So, Gu Fang no longer hesitated and directly asked,
"May I ask how the Immortal Tree views our human race?"
4o