Fang Yuan's gaze rested on Ma Hong Yun.
The fool was still alive.
He stood inside Frost Jade Peacock's weakening barrier, holding Zhao Lian Yun with a pale face. His cultivation was low, his courage was shaky, and his expression looked more like a frightened servant than a person worthy of deciding the fate of Imperial Court blessed land.
But Fang Yuan did not underestimate him.
The moment killing intent rose toward Ma Hong Yun, the black coffin luck above Fang Yuan became darker and heavier. It did not attack him directly. Luck was not a sword or blade. But Fang Yuan understood that luck could borrow swords and blades from the world.
An enemy could arrive.
A method could fail.
An old danger could awaken.
A coincidence could become fatal.
Fortune Rivalling Heaven Gu was worthy of being Giant Sun Immortal Venerable's luck path treasure. Even if Ma Hong Yun himself was useless, the luck wrapped around him was terrifying.
Yet Fang Yuan did not retreat.
His lips curled into a cold smile.
Bad luck alone was not enough to scare him. If he feared danger, he would never have reached this point. The more troublesome Ma Hong Yun's luck was, the more it proved the boy's value.
If Ma Hong Yun and Zhao Lian Yun died, Frost Jade Peacock's recognition would collapse. Imperial Court blessed land would return to an ownerless state. Fang Yuan's plan would still have a chance.
But just as Fang Yuan prepared to act, space twisted inside the barrier.
A man appeared silently between him and Ma Hong Yun.
Brown eyes.
Sharp features.
A powerful body filled with restrained strength.
No one recognized him.
Ma Hong Yun stared blankly at the stranger's back.
Zhao Lian Yun's eyes widened, her thoughts turning rapidly.
Fang Yuan's gaze sharpened.
Hei Lou Lan frowned.
Tai Bai Yun Sheng also became cautious.
The stranger had appeared too suddenly, and his timing was too precise. His aura was only Rank five, but the pressure coming from his body was abnormal. It was dense, heavy, and explosive, like a mountain compressed into human form.
Fang Yuan did not ask who he was.
In this situation, anyone standing between him and Ma Hong Yun was an enemy.
The stranger spoke without turning around.
"If you want to live, stay behind me."
Ma Hong Yun froze.
"Ah?"
Zhao Lian Yun reacted faster. She grabbed Ma Hong Yun's sleeve and pulled him backward.
"Idiot, listen to him!"
Fang Ming did not look at them.
He had no intention of revealing himself.
The name Fang Ming was already dangerous. Giant Sun's will had seen traces of that identity inside Eighty-Eight True Yang Building. Fang Yuan also knew Fang Ming's old appearance. But this body was different. This face was different. This aura was different.
Right now, he was only an unknown strength path expert who had suddenly entered the battlefield.
That was enough.
Fang Yuan's eyes narrowed.
An unknown Rank five strength path expert.
And from the pressure of this person's body, he was not ordinary. His aura was similar to Hei Lou Lan's, but in some places, it felt even denser.
Another ten extreme physique?
Fang Yuan's thoughts moved quickly.
Ma Hong Yun's luck was already troublesome, and now someone powerful had appeared at the exact moment Fang Yuan was about to act. Was this coincidence, or was this Fortune Rivalling Heaven Gu interfering again?
His killing intent grew colder.
No matter who this person was, he had become an obstacle.
Fang Yuan did not attack Ma Hong Yun personally again. His thoughts moved, and the surrounding treemen raised their huge fists. Their palms shifted direction, pressing toward Ma Hong Yun from different sides.
The treemen were slow compared with Gu Masters, but each palm was large enough to crush Ma Hong Yun and Zhao Lian Yun together.
Fang Ming's eyes moved.
Indirect attack.
If direct killing intent brought backlash, Fang Yuan would borrow the battlefield.
Fang Ming stepped forward and punched.
The nearest treeman's palm exploded. Broken wood scattered across the ground like rain. Fang Ming did not chase; his body shifted and blocked another strike, forcing the second treeman's arm away from Ma Hong Yun.
Ma Hong Yun stumbled backward, dragging Zhao Lian Yun with him.
"Who are you?" he asked in panic.
Fang Ming did not answer.
"Run when you get the chance."
Zhao Lian Yun pulled Ma Hong Yun back again, her voice low and urgent. "Stop asking questions!"
Fang Ming did not care about Zhao Lian Yun herself. If she lived, it was because she stood beside Ma Hong Yun. If she died away from him, he would not risk himself for her. Heaven-defying luck was tied to Ma Hong Yun. Fang Ming's target was that luck, not sentiment.
He blocked another treeman strike.
At the same time, Hei Lou Lan attacked.
The air cracked under his fist.
His Great Strength True Martial Physique had erupted fully. Without suppression, his aura was like a human-shaped bomb nearing detonation. Every breath carried frightening pressure. Every punch seemed capable of breaking mountains.
Fang Ming turned and met him directly.
Two fists collided.
The shockwave swept across the ancient forest, shaking leaves loose from the giant trees. Ma Hong Yun cried out and nearly fell. Zhao Lian Yun gritted her teeth and dragged him back again.
Hei Lou Lan's face changed.
This feeling…
Great Strength True Martial Physique?
No, not exactly the same.
The stranger's strength path aura carried a similar terrifying pressure, but it was also denser in places, as if additional strength path dao marks were buried inside his flesh.
Hei Lou Lan's expression twisted.
Where did this person come from?
Another ten extreme physique holder?
And why had he appeared now?
Fang Ming's arm trembled slightly, but his feet did not move.
Inside his body, the Great Strength True Martial Physique moved like a sealed volcano. The strength path dao marks he had obtained from the consumable strength Immortal Gu flowed smoothly through his flesh and bones. Before, those dao marks had been powerful but stiff, like wild horses that did not fully obey him. Now, after the physique transformation, they responded naturally.
His body, dao marks, and strength path Gu worked together as one.
Hei Lou Lan's human strength phantom appeared behind him, fierce and heavy, carrying his cruel face and violent strength. It rushed toward Fang Ming with frightening speed.
Fang Ming's gaze sharpened.
He punched again.
The air compressed, then burst apart.
The human strength phantom was forced back, its body shaking from the impact.
Tai Bai Yun Sheng watched from the side with a heavy expression.
He had no desire to enter Fang Ming's close combat range. He was already a Gu Immortal, but he had only just ascended. His immortal aperture had barely stabilized, his combat foundation was lacking, and his strengths were healing, restoration, and support. Against this kind of strength path monster, direct confrontation was foolish.
So he acted from afar.
Cloud path movement.
Time path support.
Interference, not confrontation.
Fang Ming immediately felt the pressure increase. Fang Yuan searched for angles, Hei Lou Lan attacked with raw violence, Tai Bai Yun Sheng supported carefully, and the treemen pressed in from the outside.
He was strong.
But not invincible.
Fang Yuan's schemes, Hei Lou Lan's extreme physique, and Tai Bai Yun Sheng's immortal methods were not things that could be swept aside casually.
But Fang Ming did not need to win.
He only needed to keep Ma Hong Yun alive long enough.
A treeman palm descended from above.
Fang Ming raised both arms and caught it.
The ground beneath his feet cracked.
His bones rang, his muscles tightened, and faint metallic firmness appeared on his skin as Steel Body Gu stirred within him. He still could not fully activate the Immortal Gu as a mortal, but even borrowing a trace of its power was enough.
The treeman's palm stopped.
Fang Ming pushed upward.
The giant palm was forced back.
Behind him, Ma Hong Yun stared with wide eyes. Zhao Lian Yun was silent, but her gaze was fixed on Fang Ming's back.
This stranger did not seem kind.
He did not comfort them.
He did not explain himself.
Yet his protection was real.
Fang Yuan's killing intent rose again.
The black coffin luck above him deepened.
His expression remained unmoved, but his eyes became colder.
He wanted to see how far Fortune Rivalling Heaven could protect Ma Hong Yun. He wanted to see whether this unknown expert could continue standing in front of the fool. He wanted to see whose method would break first.
But before Fang Yuan could press further, Eighty-Eight True Yang Building trembled.
The ancient forest shook.
The treemen froze.
The air itself became heavy.
A furious voice erupted through the space, shaking leaves, branches, and hearts alike.
"Scoundrel, you dare!"
Giant Sun's will.
The golden pressure descended again.
Fang Yuan's expression changed.
The glass owner token in his hand heated violently. Cracks spread across its surface, thin at first, then rapidly deepening. The control he held over this round began to collapse.
Giant Sun's will had regained partial influence inside Eighty-Eight True Yang Building.
Fang Yuan immediately sent his will into the glass owner token to resist. The clash happened silently, but the effect was brutal. His body shook, and blood spilled from his mouth. His face paled, but his eyes remained fierce.
The treemen moved again.
But this time, they no longer obeyed Fang Yuan.
Their killing intent shifted.
Some turned toward Fang Yuan. Some locked onto Tai Bai Yun Sheng. Some still moved chaotically near Ma Hong Yun and Zhao Lian Yun, following the broken control of the round.
The battlefield changed in an instant.
Fang Ming's eyes narrowed.
Then he stepped back.
There was no hesitation.
The moment Giant Sun's will returned, Fang Ming stopped standing openly as Ma Hong Yun's shield.
Protecting Ma Hong Yun from Fang Yuan could raise his luck.
Fighting Giant Sun's will for Ma Hong Yun would get him killed.
Fang Ming wanted fortune, not martyrdom.
His body shifted, retreating from the direct center of the battlefield. He did not flee in panic. He did not expose fear. He simply reduced his presence and let the storm roll past him.
Ma Hong Yun saw him withdraw and became even more frightened.
"You are leaving?!"
Fang Ming glanced back once.
"Run if you want to live."
Then he withdrew further.
Zhao Lian Yun reacted faster than Ma Hong Yun. She pulled his sleeve hard and dragged him away from the nearest treeman's path. Ma Hong Yun stumbled after her, confused and terrified, but alive.
That was enough.
Fang Ming had already gained what he wanted.
A thread of fortune had leaned toward him. It was faint, almost impossible to measure, but to someone preparing for ten extreme physique ascension, even faint fortune mattered.
There was no need to squeeze more benefit and turn Giant Sun's gaze onto himself.
Golden light swept through the forest.
For an instant, Fang Ming felt that ancient will pass over him.
Giant Sun noticed him.
A strong Rank five.
A strength path Gu Master.
A man with the aura of the Great Strength True Martial Physique.
Not Huang Jin bloodline.
Not trustworthy.
But not the main threat.
The old Fang Ming recorded inside Eighty-Eight True Yang Building had a different appearance, different eyes, different body, and different aura. That suspicious figure who had entered hidden spaces could not be easily connected to this man.
Ten extreme physiques belonged to the Gu world.
They were native to this world.
They were not signs of an otherworldly demon.
So Giant Sun's will did not stop on him for long.
Its attention remained on Fang Yuan.
The glass owner token.
The Central Continent arrangements.
The outsider who had expelled him from the building.
And Zhao Lian Yun.
The otherworldly demon.
Compared with them, Fang Ming was only a powerful outsider from Northern Plains, one more variable in a battlefield already overflowing with them.
Fang Ming lowered his aura further and slipped into the broken forest.
Fang Yuan wiped the blood from his mouth, laughing instead of retreating. Even injured, even pressured by Giant Sun's will, his eyes still carried madness and calculation.
Hei Lou Lan's expression was dark, his body overflowing with the unstable pressure of the Great Strength True Martial Physique.
Tai Bai Yun Sheng moved cautiously, avoiding both treemen and the center of Giant Sun's rage.
Ma Hong Yun and Zhao Lian Yun fled through roots and branches, barely avoiding death again and again.
The battle had shifted.
Fang Ming no longer stood at its center.
That was fine.
He had never intended to win this battlefield.
He had only needed to protect Fortune long enough to borrow its favor.
Now Giant Sun's will had returned, Fang Yuan was injured, the treemen had changed sides, and Ma Hong Yun remained alive.
Fang Ming's short intervention had achieved its purpose.
From the shadow of a broken tree, he watched the chaos continue.
His face was calm.
His blood was hot.
His body still carried the pressure of the Great Strength True Martial Physique, and the countdown toward immortal ascension had not slowed.
But his fortune had improved slightly he would not fight Giant Sun for more luck points that was enough for now.