There was no moon tonight, only the stars.
Fang Yuan and the members of the Ge family arrived at the Crescent Moon Lake, setting up camp near the sparse horseshoe trees along the lake shore.
That night, he excused himself under the pretext of leading a wolf pack hunt and left the sight of the Ge family.
Following the memories from his past life, Fang Yuan arrived at this stone forest along the lake, intending to seize the opportunity that once belonged to Ma Hongyun in his previous life.
However, upon reaching the stone forest, he was surprised to see Qi Tian appear suddenly, immediately making him suspect something was amiss.
"Fang Yuan, is that you?" Qi Tian asked, but his tone carried certainty.
"It's me, Senior Brother. How did you end up in the North Plain?" Fang Yuan asked, slightly taken aback that his disguise as Changshan Yin had been so easily seen through by Qi Tian.
For Qi Tian to recognize him, he either had extraordinary tracking skills or had placed something on him.
The Human Skin Gu was a secret formula developed by Central Continent Gu Masters during the Five Regions War. It could disguise a Gu Master so cleverly as another person that they were nearly impossible to identify, which had caused widespread panic among the Four Regions' Gu Masters.
The latter possibility seemed more likely. Gu worms were extremely mysterious, and there were countless ways they could leave marks or traces for identification or tracking.
This made Fang Yuan even more wary of Qi Tian. Qi Tian was a person Fang Yuan couldn't fully understand.
However, the priority now was to determine Qi Tian's purpose for coming and how he had arrived in the North Plain.
Instead of answering directly, Qi Tian asked, "Junior Brother, do you know the origins of this stone forest?"
Upon hearing this, Fang Yuan's suspicions were further confirmed.
"This stone forest... it has an immense background. It was arranged by the Demon Venerable who stole the heavens..." Qi Tian began to explain the stone forest's history, speaking of the secrets of the Long-haired Ancestor and the Demon Venerable who stole the heavens.
As Qi Tian spoke, Fang Yuan's heart sank.
"...I once received a legacy from the Demon Venerable who stole the heavens, and thus inherited the Three Worms Agreement." Qi Tian paused here.
"Then congratulations, Senior Brother! You've received the Demon Venerable's inheritance and three opportunities to refine Gu worms." At this point, Fang Yuan could only force a smile and congratulate him.
The Earth Spirit had already acknowledged Qi Tian as the heir, so even if Fang Yuan went, it wouldn't change anything.
"As for how I came to the North Plain..." Qi Tian hesitated before pretending to be troubled.
"Is it inconvenient? Then I'll pretend I didn't ask." Fang Yuan retreated in the face of Qi Tian's hesitation, showing disappointment as though feeling wronged that Qi Tian didn't trust him.
Qi Tian gritted his teeth and said, "It's not that I don't trust you, Junior Brother, it's just... it's somewhat embarrassing. Since you want to know, I'll tell you. Actually, I first contacted the Langya Earth Spirit, then disguised myself as a human slave in Huang Bao Tian and entered the Langya Blessed Land."
Fang Yuan didn't comment on Qi Tian's explanation, though it did seem like a plausible method. The trade of human slaves in Huang Bao Tian was still quite common.
"Junior Brother, you're alone in the North Plain, and your strength is too weak. I don't want to sit back and enjoy myself in the Blessed Land, so I came to assist you in the North Plain," Qi Tian continued explaining his reasons for coming.
"Then thank you very much, Senior Brother! However, my current identity..." Fang Yuan expressed his gratitude, while also raising the issue of his identity.
"You already have an identity in the North Plain, and I can't be seen around you," Qi Tian said, indicating that he would handle the identity issue himself, and they would separate for now.
As for the Star Gate Gu, Qi Tian explained that the Fox Immortal Blessed Land couldn't open the portal to channel starlight, so he had not yet told Fang Yuan about the existence of Xing Ying.
Qi Tian then used materials prepared in the Blessed Land to refine a new "Push the Cup and Change the Glass" Gu, which would allow the two of them to communicate.
The previous "Push the Cup and Change the Glass" Gu, refined in the Blessed Land, was suppressed to the fourth transformation in the North Plain. But the new one, refined in the North Plain, would not be suppressed.
The two continued conversing until dawn, when the sky began to brighten with a faint glow. They parted ways temporarily.
A gentle breeze brushed Fang Yuan's face, the air fresh, yet it couldn't sweep away the gloom in his heart.
Qi Tian's presence weighed heavily on Fang Yuan's chest, and the pressure he felt from him was no less than the one from the Spring and Autumn Cicada against the Empty Aperture in his previous life.
The first time was when Fang Yuan traveled to the Fox Immortal Blessed Land through the Immortal Travel Technique. Unfortunately, just as he stepped out of the wolf's den, he walked right into the tiger's den and met Qi Tian. His plan to snatch opportunities was ruined, but fortunately, the Blessed Land's owner wasn't aligned with the top ten ancient sects, which gave Fang Yuan a sliver of hope.
No matter how clever Fang Yuan was or how much experience he had, without strength, he was always at a disadvantage in his dealings with Qi Tian.
As a transmigrator from Earth, having lived for five hundred years in this world, Fang Yuan had a deep understanding of its nature and knew the importance of strength.
This world was not like Earth—here, individual martial power could surpass that of entire factions.
Any scheme or tactic would be utterly useless in the face of absolute strength.
When he was in Qingmao Mountain, Fang Yuan could profit from the family system; in Merchant City, he used his past life's memories and his own strength to rise up.
However, in the Fox Immortal Blessed Land, Fang Yuan's methods couldn't be used. His strength was limited, and he couldn't control Qi Tian through any system.
All he could do was accumulate strength and wait for an opportunity.
Finally, he saw a chance and came to the North Plain, but to his dismay, Qi Tian had already seized the opportunities in the Langya Blessed Land.
Since the Earth Spirit had recognized Qi Tian as the heir of the Demon Venerable, no matter if it was Fang Yuan or Ma Hongyun, even if they entered the Blessed Land, nothing would change, and they might even be imprisoned by the Earth Spirit.
---
As dawn approached, Fang Yuan returned to the Ge family camp, surrounded by his wolf pack.
"I need to go into seclusion to refine Gu worms. No one is allowed to disturb me." He ordered, then locked himself in a lizard-shaped house.
"The wolf pack can only be fed by my hunting and sharing with the Ge family. Luckily, the Crescent Moon Lake provides ample food, so there's no immediate worry."
"The large water wolf pack at Crescent Moon Lake is also one of my targets. I'll stay here for now to grow stronger and wait for the latter half of the Hero's Conference. If I receive the support of the Golden Family, the issues of feeding and growing the wolf pack will be resolved."
"Qi Tian gave me the secret recipe for controlling wolves, so that issue is temporarily solved. But not being able to enter the Fox Immortal Blessed Land to use the Courageous Gu to strengthen my soul is still a problem."
"In terms of strength, increasing power can be done gradually, but the Full-Strength Gu must be dealt with soon. Its suppression from third transformation to second transformation is troublesome; only by advancing to the fourth transformation will my strength undergo a qualitative change."
Fang Yuan looked at the fourth transformation Gu "Green Mountain Remains." With it, he could ensure that the core Gu wouldn't die even if the refining failed. It was a precious Gu in the mortal world, held by renowned Gu refiners, but for a Gu Immortal, it was easy to obtain.
This "Green Mountain Remains" was bought by Qi Tian during his trade with the Stone Man of the Immortal Crane Sect and was now handed to Fang Yuan.
At the same time, Qi Tian had refined the Concealment Gu into the fifth transformation, which he had obtained from Zi You Mountain in South Border.
Upon reaching the fifth transformation, the Concealment Gu hadn't changed much in appearance, still a purple leaf, but now deeper in hue with a faint metallic shine.
Other than some Gu worms purchased from Huang Bao Tian, the rest of Qi Tian's Gu worms could only be refined in the North Plain.
Qi Tian had also ordered the Earth Spirit to gather over three hundred Gu worms, spanning six major schools, including the Path of Change, Power, and Intelligence. Some of these Gu worms were rare, and collecting them would take quite a while.
The most crucial point was that Qi Tian's cultivation was suppressed to the peak of the fourth transformation, so it wasn't realistic to use so many Gu worms. Therefore, he hadn't pinned all his hopes on them.
Qi Tian and Fang Yuan were different. Fang Yuan carefully managed the Changshan Yin identity for long-term use, even to the point of creating doubts in the North Plain's righteous factions only when the Blessed Land was on the verge of destruction.
Qi Tian, however, understood that after this trip, no matter how he managed his identity, it would be exposed. So, there was no need for him to be as cautious as Fang Yuan.
The main goal was to infiltrate the King's Court Blessed Land, where, once inside, it would be much easier to act away from the eyes of North Plain's Gu Immortals.
As for the identity to enter the King's Court, it wasn't all that important.
The so-called "King's Court Struggle" was just a plot by the Great Sun Immortal to weaken other clans and protect his bloodline.
For the higher-level tribes, it was nothing more than a game. Through war, they weakened other clans, expanded their own, and filtered and absorbed talent.
Win or lose, their families would absorb new blood and grow stronger.
The winner, however, would reap the most rewards, including a chance to enter the King's Court Blessed Land, obtain Immortal Gu, or even the inheritance of an Immortal Venerable.
The key to victory in this game was how much the participating Gu Immortals wagered, whose resources and support were greater.
Recalling the plot and his past life's memories, Qi Tian knew that the Gu Immortals of the major golden families hadn't fully committed to the King's Court Struggle. Only the Hei family's Hei Cheng and Hei Bai had given their all.
Taking into account Hei Loulan's luck, charisma, personal strength, and the help of Tai Bai Yun Sheng, it seemed inevitable that Hei Loulan would take control of the King's Court Blessed Land.
This trend had been brewing with the help of various North Plain forces and couldn't be changed by mortal power. Even Gu Immortals entering the game would risk bankruptcy.
Therefore, Qi Tian had neither the ability nor the need to change the outcome.
Moreover, wasn't Hei Loulan's pursuit of Immortal Gu, even at the cost of the Hei family's interests, more in line with Qi Tian's own interests?
"North Plain..." A trace of nostalgia appeared in Qi Tian's eyes.
In his previous life, after obtaining the Qi family's inheritance, he came to the North Plain to cultivate in seclusion.
The North Plain was a land of war, frequent conflicts, tribal migrations, and ceaseless turmoil. Every ten years brought the Great Snow Disaster and the King's Court Struggle, both of which were times for a major reshuffling.
The rise and fall of tribes, their destruction and flourishing, was like the ebb and flow of the tides.
In such an environment, it was perfect for Qi Tian to hide his identity, cultivate in seclusion, and hone his martial skills, accumulating the foundation for his ascent to immortality.
During this period, Qi Tian participated in the King's Court Struggle three times and entered the King's Court Blessed Land twice.
It was these experiences that greatly benefited him.
Now, back in the North Plain, once again caught up in the turmoil of the King's Court War, Qi Tian's perspective had changed.
This brought a hint of nostalgia but, more importantly, a fiery fighting spirit.
At this moment, Qi Tian suddenly felt lighter.
The invisible shackles that had been enveloping him were suddenly weakened, and Qi Tian felt closer to the vast world around him.
His aura surged, rising from the peak of the fourth transformation to the beginning of the fifth transformation.
A sense of joy welled up within him, and Qi Tian couldn't help but laugh aloud.
"North Plain, I'm coming!" Qi Tian shouted, throwing out a Fast Ghost Cloud Gu.
The Fast Ghost Cloud Gu wrapped around Qi Tian and flew away, disappearing into the horizon.
At the same time, the major tribes of the North Plain began to migrate, preparing for the various regional Hero's Conferences.
Some were ambitious, some cautious, some watched the changes...
For a time, the North Plain was filled with turbulent winds.