Tai Bai Yun Sheng succeeded.
Inside Eighty-Eight True Yang Building, the last traces of his immortal ascension settled. The heavenly tribulation and earthly calamity that had chased him were suppressed, redirected, and endured by the Immortal Gu House.
The old man had crossed the mortal boundary.
He was now a Gu Immortal.
But before Tai Bai Yun Sheng could enjoy the joy of survival, before he could truly feel the vast difference between mortal and immortal, a golden force descended.
Giant Sun's will moved.
Tai Bai Yun Sheng was sealed immediately.
He was not of Giant Sun's bloodline.
He had become useful during the ascension, but usefulness was not trust. His ascension had weakened Imperial Court blessed land, drained heaven qi and earth qi from the land spirit's foundation, and forced Frost Jade Peacock into a worse position.
That was why Giant Sun's will had protected him.
Not kindness.
Not mercy.
Only calculation.
Now that Tai Bai Yun Sheng had served his purpose, Giant Sun's will would not allow an outsider Gu Immortal to move freely inside Imperial Court blessed land.
The old man was imprisoned.
The moment Fang Ming sensed the change, his eyes lowered slightly.
He was no longer near the center of the disturbance.
After watching enough of Tai Bai Yun Sheng's immortal ascension, Fang Ming had quietly withdrawn. He did not remain to watch the ending from too close. Giant Sun's will had awakened, and the copied owner token had already been discarded.
That key had been useful.
Now it was dangerous.
A tool that could point Giant Sun's will toward him was no longer a tool.
It was a chain.
Fang Ming hid in a remote corner of Sacred Palace, his aura restrained, his appearance changed, and his presence reduced as much as possible.
His current face was no longer the one he had used before.
After copying Hei Lou Lan's Great Strength True Martial Physique, his body had transformed completely. His black eyes had turned brown. His facial structure had changed. His bones, muscles, and overall bearing were different.
Even someone familiar with his old face would hesitate.
Even if they stared directly at him, they would only feel that this was a different person.
Fang Ming sat in silence.
He could not observe Eighty-Eight True Yang Building directly anymore.
Without the copied owner token, he had lost that link.
But he did not need to see every detail to understand the direction.
Giant Sun's will had awakened.
Tai Bai Yun Sheng had been used.
Frost Jade Peacock had been weakened.
The next step was obvious.
Giant Sun's will would try to regain control over Imperial Court blessed land.
And to do that, it needed new masters for the land spirit.
Inside Eighty-Eight True Yang Building, Ma Hong Yun fell heavily onto the ground.
"Painful, painful!" He rubbed his forehead, then looked around in confusion.
The blizzard was gone.
The ruined Sacred Palace was gone.
Around him was a vast ancient forest. Huge trees towered upward, their leaves blocking most of the sky. Warm light passed through the gaps, scattering across the ground like golden dust.
Ma Hong Yun's mouth fell open.
"Eh? Where is this?"
Beside him, Hei Lou Lan's expression tightened.
He did not panic like Ma Hong Yun.
His eyes quickly swept the surroundings, his body instinctively tense.
Then a voice sounded.
"You are at the center of Eighty-Eight True Yang Building."
Golden light gathered in the air.
Specks of radiance condensed, slowly forming a tall figure made of light and shadow. The figure carried an ancient and majestic aura, one that pressed down on both men the moment it appeared.
Hei Lou Lan's pupils contracted.
He immediately placed his hands before his chest and lowered his head.
"Descendant Hei Lou Lan greets Ancestor Giant Sun!"
Ma Hong Yun froze.
"Ancestor… Giant Sun?"
Giant Sun's will looked at the two of them.
"There is no time to waste. Imperial Court blessed land is in danger."
Hei Lou Lan's heart shook.
Giant Sun's will waved his hand, and an image appeared in the air.
The image showed Wolf King Chang Shan Yin.
Hei Lou Lan's eyes narrowed.
Then the face in the image changed.
The disguise peeled away, revealing Fang Yuan's true appearance.
"This person is not Chang Shan Yin," Giant Sun's will said. "He is an outsider who infiltrated Imperial Court blessed land, entered Eighty-Eight True Yang Building, and tampered with the seal on Frost Jade Peacock."
Hei Lou Lan's face darkened instantly.
"Wolf King… was fake?"
His fists clenched.
He had relied on Chang Shan Yin many times. He had tolerated his arrogance because of his usefulness. He had invited him into Eighty-Eight True Yang Building, allowed him benefits, and treated him as a valuable piece.
But that person had been an impostor.
An outsider.
A thief.
Giant Sun's will continued, "He was not alone. His methods were prepared deeply. There are larger forces behind him."
Another image appeared.
This one showed Fang Ming's earlier appearance.
The face he had used before copying the Great Strength True Martial Physique.
The body he had worn before his bones, muscles, eyes, and features transformed.
Hei Lou Lan looked at the image, his expression shifting.
"Fang Ming?"
Giant Sun's will's gaze turned cold.
"This person also entered the hidden spaces of True Yang Building through abnormal means. His method is not the same as the impostor's, but he is suspicious."
Ma Hong Yun blinked.
"Master Fang Ming?"
Hei Lou Lan frowned.
Compared to Fang Yuan, Fang Ming's situation was stranger.
Fang Yuan had been exposed clearly. His disguise was broken. His true face had been shown.
But Fang Ming…
Hei Lou Lan remembered him as unpredictable, powerful, and difficult to read. He had helped clear rounds, trained Ma Hong Yun, disappeared into seclusion, then appeared again when needed.
He had always seemed to hold secrets.
But he was not present now.
Giant Sun's will searched the records within Eighty-Eight True Yang Building.
He could see many things that had happened inside the building.
Movements.
Images.
Traces.
Gu worm records.
But only inside the building.
He was Giant Sun's will, not Imperial Court blessed land's land spirit. He did not naturally know everything happening across the blessed land. Frost Jade Peacock had that kind of connection. Giant Sun's will did not.
Outside Eighty-Eight True Yang Building, his perception was limited.
And Fang Ming had already left the board.
The copied owner token that had once connected him to the building had been discarded.
The trace was cut.
Giant Sun's will could reveal Fang Ming's old appearance, but that information had already lost most of its value.
The current Fang Ming no longer looked like that.
Giant Sun's will's expression remained unchanged, but his tone carried a trace of coldness.
"This person cannot be located for now. If you encounter him, do not trust him lightly."
Hei Lou Lan lowered his head.
"Yes, ancestor."
Ma Hong Yun hesitated.
He did not understand most of this.
Fang Yuan, fake Wolf King, outsider forces, Frost Jade Peacock, hidden spaces — all of it was too far from his usual thoughts.
But when Fang Ming was mentioned, his heart tightened slightly.
Fang Ming was his master.
At least, that was what Fang Ming had said.
Ma Hong Yun wanted to ask something, but under Giant Sun's will's pressure, he swallowed his words.
Giant Sun's will did not care about his confusion.
It had more urgent matters.
"The land spirit of Imperial Court blessed land is Frost Jade Peacock. To control the blessed land, it must recognize owners."
The forest trembled.
A group of giant treemen slowly moved aside. In the center, bound by remaining chains and old sealing power, Frost Jade Peacock appeared.
Its feathers were bright, but its eyes were full of hatred.
Even weakened, even sealed, the land spirit's pride had not diminished.
Hei Lou Lan looked at it with burning eyes.
Imperial Court blessed land.
If he became one of its owners, the benefits would be unimaginable.
Giant Sun's will continued, "Imperial Court blessed land requires two owners."
Hei Lou Lan's gaze moved toward Ma Hong Yun.
His expression did not change, but deep inside, disdain flashed.
This foolish boy?
But Giant Sun's will had already chosen.
It did not need Hei Lou Lan's opinion.
A Gu flew out.
False emotion fake will Gu.
Its yellow light spread slowly, forming a fog that drifted toward Hei Lou Lan, Ma Hong Yun, and Frost Jade Peacock.
Giant Sun's will wanted to deceive the land spirit.
Hei Lou Lan and Ma Hong Yun would become the new owners in name.
But they would be owners controlled by Giant Sun's will.
Frost Jade Peacock glared at them with cold fury.
It had been imprisoned for hundreds of thousands of years.
Now Giant Sun's will wanted to bind it again through false owners.
Its hatred surged.
But the yellow fog continued spreading.
Far away, Fang Ming opened his eyes.
He could not see the scene.
He did not know every word Giant Sun's will spoke.
But he knew the direction.
Ma Hong Yun had disappeared.
Hei Lou Lan had also vanished from the outside.
That was enough.
"False emotion fake will Gu…"
Fang Ming muttered softly.
So Giant Sun's will had reached that step.
It was trying to force Frost Jade Peacock to accept new masters.
Hei Lou Lan and Ma Hong Yun.
One was a powerful Huang Jin bloodline descendant.
The other carried Heaven Rivalling Fortune.
Together, they were suitable tools.
If Giant Sun's will succeeded, Imperial Court blessed land would stabilize again. Frost Jade Peacock would be suppressed, Eighty-Eight True Yang Building would regain order, and the chaos Fang Ming had been waiting for would shrink rapidly.
That could not be allowed.
But Fang Ming still did not move.
Not yet.
This was not his moment.
Fang Yuan would not stay still.
Fang Ming knew that very clearly.
Fang Yuan still had the glass owner token. He still had the Central Continent arrangements. The first two methods had already restrained Giant Sun's will and sealed the yellow apricot immortal essence.
There was still a third method.
A stronger one.
A method that could temporarily expel Giant Sun's will from Eighty-Eight True Yang Building.
And Fang Yuan would use it.
There was no need for Fang Ming to step out early and draw attention.
Not while Giant Sun's will was searching for threats.
Not while his old identity had likely already been exposed inside the building.
Not while his current appearance remained unknown.
He had discarded the copied token.
His body had changed.
His aura was restrained.
For the moment, he was outside Giant Sun's direct sight.
That advantage was precious.
Fang Ming looked down at his hands.
The strength inside his body was vast and restless. The Great Strength True Martial Physique had given him power, but also a deadline.
He could not hide forever.
But when he moved, it had to be like thunder.
One strike.
No hesitation.
Before that, silence was his shield.
Inside Eighty-Eight True Yang Building, Giant Sun's will was trying to regain the board.
Fang Yuan was preparing to overturn it.
Ma Hong Yun had been dragged into the center.
Hei Lou Lan was chasing ownership and survival.
Frost Jade Peacock was struggling against its cage.
And Fang Ming remained hidden beyond the visible pieces.
His eyes were calm.
"Not yet."
The board was shaking.
But his move had not arrived.