Fairy Fen Meng had not contacted Fang Ming for food beast business.
That alone made the message worth reading carefully.
After Fang Ming's channels stabilized, Fairy Fen Meng's original role in Central Continent lost much of its importance. The food beast business no longer needed her slow and careful sales through small organizations. Eastern Sea had opened. Treasure yellow heaven had accepted his goods. Northern Plains had Fairy Li Shan's connections. Hai Shi blessed land had Fairy Huang Sha. Zombie Alliance had Fairy Qing Suo.
Thus, Fang Ming changed Fairy Fen Meng's mission.
She was no longer a seller.
She became an eye.
In the last month, she had joined a Central Continent sect as an outer elder.
The sect was called Wing of Freedom Sect.
It was not one of the great ancient sects, but it was not weak either. It was a subsidiary force under one of Central Continent's great combat sects, and because of that relationship, it could occasionally touch opportunities that ordinary forces would never even hear about.
Fairy Fen Meng's message was short, but every word had value.
Central Continent's great sects had discovered a blessed land.
The blessed land was collapsing.
Its land spirit was barely alive, almost no different from a dying remnant of will.
If this were all, it would not interest Fang Ming much. A collapsing blessed land could have resources, but Central Continent's great sects would never leave the good things for outsiders.
But this blessed land contained dream path remnants.
Fang Ming's eyes narrowed slightly when he read that part.
Dream path.
In the current era, dream path was still underdeveloped. Many forces knew it was important, but they did not understand it deeply. Most methods were crude, most exploration was blind, and most gains were uncertain.
But Fang Ming was different.
He knew what dream path would become.
He also knew that knowing its future importance did not mean he was skilled in it now.
That was the problem.
He was also a beginner.
He had no great dream path attainment, no dream path Immortal Gu, and no mature killer moves.
But an undeveloped path also meant chaos.
And chaos meant opportunity.
Fairy Fen Meng's message continued.
The blessed land could no longer support Gu Immortal entry. If a Gu Immortal forced their way inside, the collapse would accelerate. The entire blessed land might not last even a month.
Because of this, Central Continent's great sects did not send Gu Immortals to plunder directly.
Instead, they sent mortal Gu Masters.
Mortals placed far less pressure on the collapsing blessed land. They could enter, explore, and search for dream path clues without causing immediate destruction.
At first, the opportunity was reserved for disciples of the major sects.
But dream path was too strange.
They had not gained enough.
So now, some subsidiary sects were also allowed to send mortal disciples.
Wing of Freedom Sect had obtained a quota.
Fairy Fen Meng had gathered the list of disciples, their route, their approximate departure time, and their personalities.
Fang Ming read the message twice.
Then he burned it.
Fairy Fen Meng had done well.
This information was exactly the type he wanted from her.
He sent back a simple reply.
"Continue watching. Do not act. Await further orders."
After that, Fang Ming stood up.
He could not enter this blessed land openly.
Even if he did not care about Central Continent's long-term plans, he still needed to get inside first. There would be checks, escorts, arrangements, and perhaps methods to detect Gu Immortals.
His current Familiar Face was incomplete.
It lacked its core.
Attitude Gu.
And Fang Ming knew exactly who had it.
Purple smoke gathered around him.
Two breaths later, he vanished.
When Fang Ming appeared again, he was in Northern Plains, near Fairy Li Shan's place.
Fairy Li Shan received him with some surprise.
"Fang Ming? You came suddenly. Is there business?"
"There is."
Before Fang Ming could continue, he noticed another aura nearby.
Hei Lou Lan was present.
She walked out from the side hall, her expression calm but guarded.
"Fang Ming."
Fang Ming nodded. "Fairy Hei Lou Lan."
Fairy Li Shan looked between the two of them. "Since you came so urgently, this matter is not small?"
Fang Ming's gaze fell on Hei Lou Lan.
"I want to borrow a Gu."
Hei Lou Lan's brows moved slightly. "What Gu?"
Fang Ming spoke calmly.
"Rank eight Attitude Gu."
The room became silent.
Fairy Li Shan's expression changed.
Hei Lou Lan's pupils shrank for an instant, but she recovered quickly.
"I do not know what you are talking about."
Fang Ming looked at her.
Hei Lou Lan's expression was cold. "Rank eight Immortal Gu? Fang Ming, you think too highly of me. I have only just become a Gu Immortal. How could I have such a thing?"
Fang Ming did not argue.
He simply continued looking at her.
Hei Lou Lan's face darkened slightly. "You came here to joke?"
"No."
"Then you are mistaken."
"Perhaps."
Fang Ming's tone was calm, but his gaze did not move.
Hei Lou Lan felt irritation rise in her heart.
She hated this feeling.
Fang Ming had not exposed anything. He had not explained anything. He had not said where he got the information. But his attitude made it clear that he did not believe her denial at all.
Fairy Li Shan coughed lightly.
"Fang Ming, Attitude Gu is not an ordinary matter. Even if Lou Lan had it, why would she lend it to you?"
Hei Lou Lan immediately said, "Aunt, I said I do not have it."
Fang Ming nodded as if accepting the words.
"Then treat this as a hypothetical trade."
Hei Lou Lan crossed her arms. "Speak."
"I do not want to buy it. I want to borrow it."
"Impossible."
"You have not heard my price."
"I said I do not have it."
Fang Ming ignored the denial.
"What do you think of my food beast formation?"
Hei Lou Lan's eyes changed.
She had seen Fang Ming's business grow quickly. She also knew Fairy Li Shan had once helped him connect to Northern Plains buyers. The formation's output was stable, its market was already arranged, and the profit was real.
Fang Ming continued, "One formation can generate around ninety immortal essence stones of pure profit every month."
Fairy Li Shan's eyes moved slightly.
Even for Gu Immortals, ninety stones of stable monthly profit was not small.
Hei Lou Lan remained silent.
Fang Ming said, "You have just ascended. Your blessed land needs development. Your cultivation needs resources. Your Immortal Gu need feeding. Guts Gu business gives you income, but your share is not enough to let you build quickly."
Hei Lou Lan's expression did not change, but she listened seriously.
This was true.
Her future was broad, but her current foundation was thin. She had Immortal Gu, a strong physique, and ambition, but ambition did not replace resources.
Fang Ming raised one finger.
"I lend you one food beast formation."
Then a second.
"I transfer the Northern Plains market channel connected to that formation to you."
Then a third.
"I will set up the formation in your blessed land personally."
Finally, he said, "While I borrow Attitude Gu, I will also handle its feeding and care."
Hei Lou Lan's denial became weaker in her mouth, but she still did not immediately agree.
Attitude Gu was rank eight.
Its value could not be measured by one food beast formation.
But Fang Ming was not asking to own it.
He was asking to borrow it.
And Attitude Gu was currently more of a burden than a tool to her.
She did not have a complete way to use it freely, and feeding a rank eight Immortal Gu was never easy. Meanwhile, the food beast formation would give immediate income.
Ninety immortal essence stones every month.
No need to search for buyers.
No need to build a market.
No need to expose herself.
For someone like Hei Lou Lan, who had just begun developing her aperture, this was tempting.
Fairy Li Shan looked at Hei Lou Lan.
The two communicated silently through their gazes.
After a long while, Hei Lou Lan said slowly, "If, and I mean if, I had such a Gu, how long would you borrow it?"
"Until my operation is complete."
"That answer is too vague."
"Then we use Mountain Pledge Gu. The agreement can define limits. I cannot sell it, destroy it, lend it to others, or intentionally damage it. I will return it after my goal is achieved. During the borrowing period, I maintain its feeding."
Hei Lou Lan stared at him. "And the formation?"
"You may use it while I borrow Attitude Gu. Its profit belongs to you during that time."
"What about the market?"
"Transferred to you for the same period."
Hei Lou Lan's eyes sharpened. "And if I learn how to set up the formation?"
Fang Ming smiled faintly.
"If you can learn it by watching once, then that is your ability."
Hei Lou Lan snorted.
She did not believe Fang Ming would expose the core method so easily.
But the words were pleasant to hear.
Finally, Hei Lou Lan said, "I do not admit I have Attitude Gu."
Fang Ming nodded.
Hei Lou Lan continued, "But if I were to lend you a Gu, your formation must be set up first."
"Acceptable."
Fairy Li Shan brought out Mountain Pledge Gu.
The agreement was made carefully.
Fang Ming could borrow Attitude Gu under strict conditions.
Hei Lou Lan would receive one food beast formation and its related Northern Plains market channel during the borrowing period.
Fang Ming would set up the formation himself.
He would also bear the feeding burden of Attitude Gu while borrowing it.
When the oath settled, Hei Lou Lan finally brought out the Gu.
Rank eight Attitude Gu.
It looked ordinary at first glance, but Fang Ming's eyes still paused on it.
This Gu was famous.
It did not require immortal essence to use.
It fed on attitude, intent, and the subtle power of one's heart. In the right hands, it was terrifying.
In Thieving Heaven Demon Venerable's Familiar Face, Attitude Gu was a key core.
Without it, Fang Ming's Familiar Face was incomplete.
With it, the killer move would truly begin to show its power.
Fang Ming accepted the Gu.
Hei Lou Lan watched him closely.
"You seem very familiar with it."
"I have studied transformation and disguise methods."
That answer said nothing.
Hei Lou Lan did not press.
Fang Ming then brought her into his strength path aperture.
The moment Hei Lou Lan entered, her gaze shifted.
Mortals.
Villages.
Eagles.
Food beast formations.
The aperture was alive.
She saw distant Gu Masters riding eagles in formation. She saw villages arranged around resource points. She saw smoke rising from workshops and fields stretching across the land.
Her heart shook slightly.
Fang Ming had mortals living inside his aperture.
Not a few servants.
Not temporary captives.
A real society.
Fang Ming did not let her observe for long.
He brought her directly to one of the food beast formations.
"This one."
Hei Lou Lan looked at the formation.
It was complex, layered, and clearly refined many times. Two rank six Immortal Gu were part of its structure, but the surrounding mortal Gu and environmental arrangement were just as important.
Fang Ming dismantled it personally.
He did not explain.
He did not slow down.
He did not point out which parts were core and which were replaceable.
Hei Lou Lan watched, but the more she watched, the more she realized she could not understand enough.
The formation was not just a pile of Gu worms.
It was a production system.
Without the method, the feeding logic, the rhythm of replacement, and the market timing, copying it from one observation was impossible.
After removing the formation, the two entered Hei Lou Lan's blessed land.
Hei Lou Lan selected a wide grassland area.
Fang Ming inspected the environment briefly, then began setting up the formation.
Gu worms flew out one after another.
Mortal Gu formed layers.
Immortal Gu stabilized the core.
Formation lines spread across the ground like invisible roots.
Hei Lou Lan stood nearby, watching silently.
Fairy Li Shan also observed, but she said nothing.
Several hours later, the food beast formation stabilized.
A faint life aura spread through the area.
Fang Ming stood up.
"The formation will begin producing after adjustment. The channel will be transferred through Fairy Li Shan's previous contacts. You do not need to handle the sales personally."
Hei Lou Lan nodded.
For her, this was indeed an excellent result.
She had temporarily handed over a burden and received a stable income source.
Fang Ming had received Attitude Gu.
Both sides were satisfied.
After leaving Hei Lou Lan's blessed land, Fang Ming did not delay.
He contacted Fairy Fen Meng.
"I will enter your aperture."
Fairy Fen Meng quickly replied, "Understood."
Purple smoke gathered.
Fang Ming vanished again.
When he appeared, he was inside Fairy Fen Meng's immortal aperture.
Fairy Fen Meng waited respectfully.
"Master."
"Report."
Fairy Fen Meng immediately began explaining.
Wing of Freedom Sect had obtained several places to explore the collapsing blessed land. The disciples chosen were all mortals, mostly rank four and rank five. They were not the strongest disciples in Central Continent, but each had a background, a specialty, or some luck.
"The sect believes dream path exploration does not depend purely on battle strength," Fairy Fen Meng said. "Some disciples with strange encounters or unusual perception were chosen."
She handed Fang Ming a detailed information path Gu worm.
Fang Ming read through it.
Names.
Cultivation levels.
Temperaments.
Relationships.
Methods.
Travel arrangements.
Among them, one name caught his attention.
Wu Meng.
Rank five.
Quiet personality.
Not deeply connected to the others.
Decent strength, but not the leader.
Had some isolation within the group.
Fang Ming chose him immediately.
"This one."
Fairy Fen Meng looked at the name. "Wu Meng is suitable. He has few close relationships in the group, and he often cultivates alone. If replaced, the chance of exposure is lower."
Fang Ming nodded.
Then he activated Familiar Face.
This time was different from before.
Attitude Gu became the core.
The immortal killer move unfolded smoothly.
Fang Ming's body changed.
His face adjusted.
His bones shifted.
His aura altered.
His expression, bearing, and subtle feeling all transformed.
A few breaths later, another Wu Meng stood before Fairy Fen Meng.
Even Fairy Fen Meng, who knew he was Fang Ming, felt her heart tremble.
She inspected carefully.
Face.
Aura.
Posture.
Temperament.
Even the faint emotional impression was identical.
If she had not watched Fang Ming transform, she would not have believed this was disguise.
"Master's method is profound," Fairy Fen Meng said.
Fang Ming looked at his own hands.
So this was Familiar Face with Attitude Gu.
No wonder Thieving Heaven Demon Venerable had once used this killer move to deceive powerful existences. At its peak, this method could cause even close rank eight Gu Immortals to misjudge each other.
Using it to deceive mortal disciples was like using a butcher's knife to cut vegetables.
Fang Ming stayed inside Fairy Fen Meng's aperture for several days.
During this time, he memorized Wu Meng's habits, speech, and relationships.
Fairy Fen Meng continued gathering small details.
Which disciple disliked Wu Meng.
Which disciple had spoken to him recently.
What route they would take.
Which elder would escort them part of the way.
Where they would separate from the sect's direct protection.
Fang Ming waited.
Soon, the day arrived.
The disciples of Wing of Freedom Sect departed.
They left in a group, carrying the sect's expectations and their own nervous excitement.
The chance to explore a dream path blessed land was rare.
Even if it was dangerous, even if the blessed land was collapsing, this was still an opportunity many mortals would never touch.
Fang Ming followed secretly from afar.
He did not act near the sect.
He waited until the group had traveled far enough and the escorting elder had left.
Only then did he release the eagles.
A sharp cry pierced the sky.
The disciples looked up.
Dark figures descended from the clouds.
Eagles.
Dozens of them.
Then more.
Their wings cut through the air like blades. Several rank five eagles led the attack, while lower-ranked eagles surrounded the group from different directions.
"Enemy attack!"
"Defensive formation!"
"Protect the medicine Gu Masters!"
The disciples reacted quickly.
They were Central Continent sect disciples, not village Gu Masters. Even if they lacked Gu Immortal experience, their foundation was not poor.
Light barriers rose.
Wind blades shot upward.
Sword lights flashed.
A few eagles were injured, but the flock did not retreat.
Under Fang Ming's hidden control, the eagles did not fight foolishly.
They harassed.
They split.
They pressured the weaker side.
They drove the disciples apart step by step.
Wu Meng tried to retreat toward the center of the group, but two rank five eagles swooped down together. Their claws tore through the air, forcing him away.
Another wave of eagles cut off his path back.
"Wu Meng!" someone shouted.
Wu Meng's expression changed. He activated movement Gu and tried to circle back, but the battlefield was already chaotic.
Fang Ming moved.
Invisible strength path force pressed down.
Wu Meng's body stiffened.
Before he could react, Fang Ming appeared behind him.
A palm struck his neck.
Wu Meng's eyes rolled back.
He collapsed.
Fang Ming did not kill him.
A Central Continent sect disciple might have life tablet Gu, soul lantern Gu, or other tracking arrangements. Killing him now could create unnecessary trouble.
Instead, Fang Ming threw him into his immortal aperture and sealed him.
Then Familiar Face activated again.
Wu Meng stood up.
No one noticed the replacement.
The eagles continued attacking for a short while longer, injuring several disciples and tearing their formation apart. Then, as if satisfied, they rose into the sky and flew away.
The battlefield gradually quieted.
The disciples were in a miserable state.
Robes were torn.
Hair was messy.
Several had bleeding wounds.
One disciple's arm hung weakly.
Another had lost a defensive Gu.
But no one had died.
The group gathered again with ugly expressions.
"Damn beasts!"
"Why were there so many eagles here?"
"Should we return and report?"
The moment those words were spoken, several disciples fell silent.
Return?
This opportunity had cost the sect a great price.
They were not going on an ordinary mission.
They were heading to a dream path blessed land.
If they returned after being attacked by eagles, even if the reason was understandable, their evaluation in the sect would fall sharply.
A female disciple gritted her teeth. "We continue. Heal the injured. Change robes if needed. Count the Gu worms. We cannot miss this opportunity."
Others nodded one after another.
Fang Ming, disguised as Wu Meng, stood among them silently.
He adjusted his torn sleeve and lowered his head, matching Wu Meng's usual quiet manner.
No one doubted him.
After resting for a while, the disciples cleaned their faces, treated their wounds, reorganized their supplies, and continued forward.
Ahead of them lay the collapsing blessed land.
Ahead of Fang Ming lay his first true contact with dream path.
He walked among the mortal disciples with a calm expression.
Rank eight Attitude Gu quietly supported Familiar Face.
His identity was flawless.
And while Central Continent's sects waited for mortal disciples to slowly explore and report results, Fang Ming had already entered the game by force.