Only a short time had passed since Fang Yuan left Eighty-Eight True Yang Building with Tai Bai Yun Sheng.
To most people, that short gap vanished inside the larger chaos. The blizzard still raged outside, chaotic lightning still struck the building, restraining smoke still coiled around its ancient structure, and Giant Sun's will was still being battered outside after being forced out of the Immortal Gu House. Inside and outside the building, everything was unstable. Every breath felt like the world might shift again.
Then Fang Yuan returned.
Tai Bai Yun Sheng was beside him.
The old man had already crossed the boundary between mortal and immortal, but his aura was still unsettled. His immortal ascension had ended, yet he had not truly adjusted to his new status. His foundation was deep, his Gu were precious, and his support ability was terrifying, but he was not a battle Gu Immortal. At this moment, he was more like a newly forged blade that had not yet been sharpened.
Fang Yuan did not care about that.
He had brought Tai Bai Yun Sheng back because Tai Bai Yun Sheng was useful. Landscape as Before, Man as Before, and the strength of a newly ascended Gu Immortal were all pieces that could be used. Fang Yuan's goal was clear: overturn Eighty-Eight True Yang Building while Giant Sun's will was weakened and expelled.
And to do that, he needed to deal with Ma Hong Yun and Zhao Lian Yun.
At the center of the building, Frost Jade Peacock's barrier was already close to breaking. Three huge treemen stood outside it, each one more than ten meters tall, their bodies ancient and rough like moving wooden mountains. They raised their fists again and again, smashing against the light barrier with dull booming sounds. Every strike caused cracks to spread further, and every crack made the land spirit's aura weaker.
Inside the barrier, Ma Hong Yun held Zhao Lian Yun tightly. His face was pale, but he still tried to comfort her. Zhao Lian Yun leaned against him quietly, her eyes closed, but her fingers were clenched tightly around his sleeve. She was far smarter than Ma Hong Yun, and because of that, she understood how bad the situation was.
Frost Jade Peacock lowered its head, its beautiful feathers dimmed by exhaustion. Its wings were still bound, and only part of its body had broken free from Giant Sun's seal. It looked at Ma Hong Yun and Zhao Lian Yun with unwillingness and sorrow.
"My masters, I cannot hold on much longer."
Ma Hong Yun's lips trembled. He wanted to say something brave, but when he saw the cracks spreading across the barrier, the words stuck in his throat.
At that moment, Fang Yuan arrived.
He stepped through the treemen encirclement, his expression calm and cold. His eyes swept over Frost Jade Peacock, then Ma Hong Yun and Zhao Lian Yun. To him, this was not a sentimental scene. These two were weak, but because the land spirit had acknowledged them, their existence now affected the ownership of Imperial Court blessed land.
Kill them, and the land spirit's arrangement would collapse.
Tai Bai Yun Sheng stood behind Fang Yuan, his brows slightly furrowed. He was still not fully used to Fang Yuan's ruthlessness, but he had already been dragged into this storm. At this stage, hesitation had little meaning.
Fang Yuan raised his hand.
Then he stopped.
In his mind, Mo Yao's will shook violently. The emotion that came from her was not fear, nor shock alone, but something deeper, something close to grief and madness. She had sensed an aura she could never forget.
Fortune Rivalling Heaven Gu.
Fang Yuan's gaze moved back to Ma Hong Yun. The boy was still trembling, still looking useless, still holding Zhao Lian Yun like a frightened child. But now, in Fang Yuan's eyes, Ma Hong Yun was no longer merely a weak Rank three Gu Master.
He carried the influence of a Rank eight luck path Immortal Gu.
Fang Yuan's killing intent did not vanish, but it became restrained. He had never looked down on luck path. Giant Sun Immortal Venerable had relied on luck path to dominate an era, and Fortune Rivalling Heaven Gu was one of his greatest achievements. A person protected by such luck could not be treated like an ordinary target. Directly attacking Ma Hong Yun might invite accidents, interference, backlash, or coincidences that no amount of planning could predict.
That brief hesitation was all Fang Ming needed.
Space twisted inside the weakening barrier.
A figure appeared silently between Fang Yuan and Ma Hong Yun.
The man who appeared had brown eyes, sharp features, and a powerful body that seemed to contain explosive strength beneath calm skin. His face was unfamiliar. His body was unfamiliar. Even his aura was different from the Fang Ming recorded inside Eighty-Eight True Yang Building.
But Ma Hong Yun froze the moment he heard the man speak.
"Little disciple, hide behind me."
Ma Hong Yun stared blankly at the broad back in front of him. The face was different, but the voice was not. The tone was not. That calm confidence, that faintly indifferent way of speaking, that feeling of being used and protected at the same time — he knew it.
"Master?"
Zhao Lian Yun's eyes opened. She stared at Fang Ming's back, then at Ma Hong Yun's face, and her thoughts turned rapidly. Fang Ming's appearance had changed so much that even she would not have recognized him without Ma Hong Yun's reaction. But if this was truly Fang Ming, then his arrival meant the situation had changed again.
Fang Yuan's eyes narrowed.
He did not immediately speak. The person before him had Fang Ming's voice, Fang Ming's timing, and Fang Ming's calmness, but his body was completely different. Fang Yuan understood transformation methods, disguise methods, and body-changing methods, yet this did not feel like a simple disguise. It felt like the man's entire foundation had changed.
"Fang Ming," Fang Yuan finally said.
Fang Ming smiled faintly. "Fang Yuan."
Tai Bai Yun Sheng looked between the two of them, sensing the hostility thicken in the air. He had just been deceived, saved, recruited, and dragged back into danger in a short time. Now another powerful Rank five had appeared, and from the pressure Fang Ming released, this was not an ordinary Rank five.
Before anyone could speak further, another aura rushed in from the side.
Hei Lou Lan arrived, his expression dark and furious. He had been pulled through too many changes in too short a time. Giant Sun's will had chosen him, Ma Hong Yun had been chosen alongside him, Frost Jade Peacock had been forced, Fang Yuan had returned, and now Fang Ming had appeared with a completely new body and face.
"Fang Ming!" Hei Lou Lan's voice was filled with suppressed killing intent.
Fang Ming did not look at him for long. His purpose was not to explain himself to Hei Lou Lan. His purpose was behind him.
Ma Hong Yun.
Fortune Rivalling Heaven.
A person who attacking would damage luck.
Then protecting him should do the opposite.
Fang Ming had waited through too many storms for this. He had hidden after discarding his copied owner token. He had allowed Giant Sun's will to search for an outdated version of him. He had watched Fang Yuan move, watched Tai Bai Yun Sheng ascend, watched the building shake and the blessed land crack. Now Fang Yuan had finally aimed at Ma Hong Yun directly.
This was the moment.
Fang Yuan attacked first.
He did not shout, did not explain, and did not waste time. Fang Ming had appeared between him and his target; that was enough. The attack came sharply, not directly at Fang Ming's chest, but at the space behind him where Ma Hong Yun and Zhao Lian Yun stood.
Fang Ming stepped sideways and punched.
The air exploded.
It was only one fist, but the force contained in it was terrifying. The shockwave distorted the air, scattering leaves and dust. Fang Yuan's attack was broken apart, and even Fang Yuan himself was pushed back several steps, his sleeves snapping violently from the impact.
Tai Bai Yun Sheng's eyes widened.
"Such strength…"
Hei Lou Lan's expression changed even more deeply. He knew this feeling better than anyone. The pressure coming from Fang Ming's body was not ordinary strength path cultivation. It was the pressure of a ten extreme physique.
Fang Ming's muscles tightened beneath his robe. The Great Strength True Martial Physique moved inside him like a sealed volcano. The strength path dao marks he had obtained earlier from the consumable strength Immortal Gu now flowed smoothly through his body. Before, those dao marks had been powerful but stiff, like wild horses that did not fully answer him. Now, after the physique transformation, they responded naturally.
His body, dao marks, and strength path Gu had become a single system.
Hei Lou Lan moved next.
His own Great Strength True Martial Physique erupted, and he charged at Fang Ming like a black mountain. Rage fueled his strike. Fang Ming had copied his physique, Fang Yuan had stolen his token, Giant Sun's plan had been interrupted, and now Ma Hong Yun — the fool chosen to stand beside him as blessed land master — was being fought over by everyone.
Two strength path monsters collided.
The impact shook the barrier behind Fang Ming. Ma Hong Yun staggered backward while still holding Zhao Lian Yun. Frost Jade Peacock's eyes flashed, and even the treemen outside paused for a moment as the force rolled outward.
Hei Lou Lan's arm trembled.
Fang Ming's sleeve tore apart, revealing skin that had gained a faint metallic firmness.
Steel Body Gu stirred inside him.
Fang Ming still could not fully activate a Rank six Immortal Gu as a mortal, but with the Great Strength True Martial Physique and his strength path dao marks, he could borrow a trace of its power. Only a trace, yet that was enough to make his defense far beyond before.
Hei Lou Lan stared at him, voice low. "You copied my physique."
Fang Ming's smile did not change. "You noticed quickly."
Hei Lou Lan's killing intent surged.
But Fang Yuan did not allow the battle to become a simple duel. His attacks shifted again, always searching for an angle past Fang Ming. Tai Bai Yun Sheng supported from the side, his immortal aura pressing down on the field. He was not suited for direct battle, but the difference between mortal and immortal still existed. Any careless person would be suppressed by his methods.
Fang Ming was not careless.
Blood path Gu activated in his second aperture. A crimson light flashed behind him, blocking another attack aimed at Ma Hong Yun and Zhao Lian Yun. At the same time, his strength path methods burst outward, forcing Hei Lou Lan back and disrupting Fang Yuan's movement.
For several breaths, the center of Eighty-Eight True Yang Building became a storm.
Fang Yuan was cunning and ruthless. His every attack avoided meaningless confrontation and aimed only at results. Hei Lou Lan was direct and violent, each strike carrying the force of a collapsing cliff. Tai Bai Yun Sheng used his newly gained immortal status to support and pressure, though he still lacked the settled calm of an experienced combat Gu Immortal.
And Fang Ming stood before the barrier, taking all of them on.
He was not the most experienced schemer here. That was Fang Yuan.
He was not a true Gu Immortal. That was Tai Bai Yun Sheng.
He was not the rightful Huang Jin bloodline pawn chosen by Giant Sun. That was Hei Lou Lan.
But in this moment, in direct combat, Fang Ming's presence suppressed them all.
His fists shattered attacks. His blood path defenses covered the people behind him. His body endured impacts that would cripple ordinary Rank five experts. The faint borrowed strength of Steel Body Gu made him even harder to break, while his ten extreme physique gave him explosive strength that bordered on immortal level.
Ma Hong Yun stared from behind him, half frightened and half moved.
"Master… are you really saving me?"
Fang Ming did not turn around. "Yes."
Ma Hong Yun's eyes brightened.
Then Fang Ming added calmly, "And using you."
Ma Hong Yun froze.
Zhao Lian Yun's expression twitched. For a moment, even in such danger, she almost wanted to curse. Was there anyone in the world who admitted such a thing so openly?
Fang Ming continued, his gaze still fixed on Fang Yuan. "But between someone using you while keeping you alive and someone using you by killing you, the choice should not be difficult."
Ma Hong Yun thought about it seriously.
Then he nodded. "That makes sense!"
Zhao Lian Yun closed her eyes for a moment, speechless.
Fang Yuan's expression became colder. "You are protecting him for luck."
Fang Ming did not deny it.
"There is no need to pretend between us."
The moment he blocked Fang Yuan's attack, Fang Ming had felt it faintly. It was not clear, not measurable like a Gu's effect, but there was a subtle shift around him. The oppressive feeling of future danger seemed to ease by a thread. It was small, but real.
Protecting Ma Hong Yun was improving his fortune.
For Fang Ming, this was not a small matter. His immortal ascension was approaching, and with the Great Strength True Martial Physique, his danger would be far beyond ordinary. Lesser Human Qi Gu could help with human qi. Steel Body Gu could help with defense. His strength path foundation could help him survive calamity. But luck was something else entirely.
Before ascension, even one thread of good fortune might decide life and death.
Fang Yuan understood this too. That was why his eyes became darker.
He had stopped because Ma Hong Yun's luck was dangerous. Fang Ming had acted because that same luck could be useful. Both men had seen the same truth from opposite sides.
Hei Lou Lan attacked again, roaring as strength surged through his body. Fang Ming met him head-on, then twisted his body and forced Hei Lou Lan's strike aside. The ground beneath them cracked. Fang Yuan seized the opening and moved toward Ma Hong Yun, but a blood-red chain shot from Fang Ming's second aperture and blocked the path.
Tai Bai Yun Sheng tried to interfere, but Fang Ming suddenly stepped forward, closing the distance with frightening speed. Tai Bai Yun Sheng retreated immediately. He had just become a Gu Immortal, but he was not foolish. Letting Fang Ming enter close combat range was courting disaster.
The fight continued in flashes.
Fang Ming did not chase victory.
He did not try to kill Fang Yuan.
He did not try to defeat Hei Lou Lan completely.
He did not waste effort suppressing Tai Bai Yun Sheng.
His position never changed for long. No matter how the attacks shifted, he always returned to stand between Fang Yuan and Ma Hong Yun. That was his true battlefield. Not the entire center of Eighty-Eight True Yang Building, not the ownership struggle, not Giant Sun's will, not Frost Jade Peacock's hatred.
Just the space in front of Ma Hong Yun.
Frost Jade Peacock watched silently from behind the fading barrier.
It did not trust Fang Ming.
It trusted no one easily.
But Fang Ming's actions were clear. He was protecting its master. In this moment, that was enough.
The barrier stabilized slightly, no longer collapsing as quickly as before. The treemen continued hammering outside, but Fang Ming's arrival had bought a precious breath of time.
Fang Yuan stopped moving.
Hei Lou Lan also paused, breathing heavily.
Tai Bai Yun Sheng's expression was solemn.
For a brief moment, all sides faced each other in stillness.
Fang Ming stood at the center, his torn sleeve moving in the wind, brown eyes calm and cold. Behind him, Ma Hong Yun and Zhao Lian Yun were still alive. Around him stood Fang Yuan, Tai Bai Yun Sheng, Hei Lou Lan, treemen, and the weakening land spirit. Above everything, Eighty-Eight True Yang Building groaned under the pressure of tribulation and the absence of Giant Sun's will.
The board had changed again.
Fang Ming had hidden for a long time.
Now he had stepped out.
His reason was selfish.