— — — — — — —
Fang Yuan murmured, a smirk playing on his lips. "If it were anyone else, his schemes might've worked."
He let out a quiet chuckle. "He wants me to join Immortal Crane Sect? If there were a sect I wanted to join, it'd be Spirit Affinity House. But as a mortal, I can't make any moves now."
Fang Yuan didn't even consider joining Immortal Crane Sect as an option. But, he still needed their cover. It was a useful shield—one that could buy him time and opportunities.
"I'll play along for a while—make a few transactions, give them some hope. Until…" His gaze darkened. "…I can get real choices like which sect to join or cooperate with."
Fang Yuan leaned back, deep in thought.
"He Feng Yang sent my blood brother, Fang Zheng, to make the deal! What should I do?"
When it came to Fang Zheng, he had two choices.
"First, I could kill him outright," he considered. "But that could backfire… He's not just some sect disciple—he's a weapon crafted by Heaven's Will itself, made specifically to oppose me."
A headache. A variable he couldn't fully control.
"The second option…" His fingers tapped lightly against the chair's armrest. "I could follow the original timeline and refine the Blood Deity Immortal Gu—turning him into a 'Blood Deity.'"
The Blood Deity Immortal Gu transformed blood relatives into loyal puppets. Though their previous emotions and thoughts still subtly influenced them, their original self was effectively gone.
"But even if there were no issues, by the time I can refine the Blood Deity, I'll likely have mastered the method of creating clones." Fang Yuan's lips curled into a faint smirk. "At that point, I won't even need this Gu anymore."
Besides, it was only a Rank 6 Gu. Powerful, but not worth the effort.
For a while, he sat there, lost in deep contemplation.
— — —
Meanwhile, at Tian Ti Mountain…
Tian Ti Mountain loomed high above the clouds, its sacred peaks reaching toward the heavens. At the base, a group of elite Immortal Crane Sect disciples had been waiting for hours.
"How much longer do we have to wait?" one disciple grumbled.
"This Fang Yuan is really putting on airs, isn't he?"
"Shut it!" another hissed. "He's Fang Zheng's brother—the owner of Hu Immortal Blessed Land!"
"I heard he's a monster," someone muttered. "Defeated Feng Jin Huang, Xiao Qi Xing, Ying Sheng Ji, and others."
"So what?" another disciple scoffed. "He had a supreme elder helping him in secret. With Fixed Immortal Travel Gu on his side, even I could've won the blessed land."
"Our clan's elders are wise," another chimed in. "They used Fang Zheng as a decoy while Fang Yuan was the real trump card all along."
Their conversation didn't escape Fang Zheng's ears.
Standing at the front, his expression was grim as he stared up at the towering mountain.
Lately, he felt like a walking corpse. Empty.
After leaving Qing Mao Mountain, he had sworn vengeance. He was going to bring justice for their deceased clansmen, avenge them, and prove that righteousness would prevail over evil.
That hatred had been his fire, his fuel. It was what had driven him to train relentlessly, refusing to slack for even a moment.
Countless times, he had imagined standing before Fang Yuan, striking him down, forcing him to kneel and repent.
Even on Dang Hun Mountain, when exhaustion nearly broke him, it was that hatred that kept him climbing, pushing him forward, refusing to let him collapse.
He wanted the Hu Immortal Inheritance—not just for the sect, not just for his master, but for himself.
Because with power, he could finally defeat Fang Yuan.
But in the end…
Fang Yuan had taken everything.
Right in front of everyone—Gu Immortals included—Fang Yuan had seized the inheritance.
And no one could stop him.
Fang Zheng had returned to the sect empty-handed.
Shock. Pain. Loss. Fear.
The realization crushed him, digging deep into a wound that had been festering since childhood.
"Why is my brother so smart… while I'm always so foolish?"
"Why, despite all my efforts, do I still lose to Fang Yuan?"
"Am I, Gu Yue Fang Zheng, destined to live in his shadow forever?"
A cold shudder ran through his body as he recalled the mission given to him by the sect.
The blessed land was now Fang Yuan's.
Instead of forcefully taking it, the sect was negotiating, even offering Fang Yuan a position as an elder if he voluntarily handed it over.
Within Immortal Crane Sect, the disciple ranks were clear—outer disciple, inner disciple, elite disciple, legacy disciple.
Above them were sect elders, usually Rank 4 or Rank 5, and then supreme elders, the powerful Gu Immortals.
Fang Zheng had worked for his position.
From an outer disciple, he had climbed step by step. He had fought, endured, and emerged as the top disciple in the last examination.
Yet now, with a single word, Fang Yuan would surpass him.
A mere flick of his fingers and Fang Yuan would become a sect elder—an existence that every disciple would have to bow to.
Including him.
The thought alone made Fang Zheng's heart ache.
If Fang Yuan truly became an elder, Fang Zheng would have to lower his head to his sworn enemy.
Would he have to greet him with respect? Call him 'Elder Fang Yuan'? Would he be expected to serve and obey his brother—the same man he swore to defeat?
What kind of cruel joke was this?
What was the point of all his struggles?
Inside Fang Zheng's mind, Lord Sky Crane sighed. He had watched his disciple suffer, and it pained him to see how much the sect's decision had crushed his spirit.
He recalled the words of He Feng Yang:
"I know there's enmity between Fang Yuan and Fang Zheng. If necessary, we can sacrifice Fang Zheng to negotiate. You may represent him."
Fang Zheng clenched his fists.
The elders had cast him aside without hesitation.
— — —
Back at the Blessed Land…
Fang Yuan sat quietly, deep in thought.
In the original timeline, He Feng Yang had discarded Fang Zheng just as easily. Fang Yuan knew history was repeating itself.
But the real question was…
"What will Heaven's Will do?"
The Hu Immortal Blessed Land was now stationed on Tian Ti Mountain, the number one mountain in Central Continent. It was a land of inheritance, connected to Heavenly Court itself.
No Gu Immortal would dare attack it recklessly—not with Star Constellation's Will safeguarding him as part of the grand scheme.
Fang Yuan's eyes narrowed as he analyzed the situation.
Then, suddenly—he smiled.
An excited gleam flickered in his gaze.
"Land spirit," he called.
Little Hu Immortal instantly appeared. "Yes, master?"
"Open the blessed land slightly," Fang Yuan said, his voice laced with amusement.
"And only let in the Gu Master who looks like me."
.
.
.