After the three star desolate hounds disappeared into Fang Ming's immortal aperture, the mountain slope became quiet.
Fang Yuan said nothing.
Hei Lou Lan also did not speak for some time.
The battle had ended too cleanly. Not because the desolate beasts were weak, but because Fang Ming's methods were too suitable for capturing them. His clones confused the beasts, his strength path killer moves restrained them, and his immortal aperture became the final cage.
But Starry Sky grotto-heaven was not a place where they could stand still and discuss every shock.
The three quickly left the battlefield.
As they moved deeper, Fang Yuan's expression grew more solemn.
The scenery was different.
Too different.
The Starry Sky grotto-heaven in his memory had already shattered into fragments. Many areas had collapsed, terrain had changed, and resource zones had been exposed or destroyed. But the current grotto-heaven was still whole. Mountains stood in orderly groups, rivers flowed through deliberate channels, and different regions seemed divided with purpose.
Some peaks were covered with tall green pines.
Some had only shrubs.
Some had strange luminous grass growing in rings.
Others were bare stone mountains, with star marks faintly glowing on their surfaces.
Hei Lou Lan looked around and said, "This place was managed carefully."
Fang Yuan nodded. "Seven Star Child was a rank eight Gu Immortal. His immortal aperture naturally would not be ordinary. These mountain peaks are likely separated resource zones."
Fang Ming walked behind them, his gaze sweeping across the terrain.
A rank eight grotto-heaven was indeed different. Even after the owner's death, the arrangement still had traces of careful management. If his own apertures could one day be arranged with this degree of order, production would increase sharply.
But that was a matter for the future.
For now, this was another person's territory.
They continued forward.
Hei Lou Lan's gaze fell on the bat wings on Fang Yuan's back. "Your movement killer move is not bad. Is this why you want the star demon bat?"
Fang Yuan did not hide it. "True solid bat wings needs desolate beast bat wings to improve. Worldly Wave Trace Immortal Gu is water path. I am strength path. Using it wastes immortal essence and does not suit me perfectly."
Hei Lou Lan's eyes sharpened. "Transplanting desolate beast parts is not simple. A desolate beast's body contains dao marks. Bat wings should be closer to wind path or dark path. You are strength path. Aren't you afraid of dao mark conflict?"
Fang Yuan chuckled. "Do you know why Reckless Savage Demon Venerable could transform into countless fierce beasts?"
Hei Lou Lan's expression changed slightly. "Transformation path."
"Correct." Fang Yuan's voice was hoarse and calm. "Transformation path is not merely changing appearance. A true transformation can temporarily obtain the body, dao marks, and abilities of the target. A bird, a tiger, a fish — different forms, different dao marks, yet all can be managed through one path."
Hei Lou Lan frowned. "That is because the transformation replaces the original state. You are transplanting bat wings onto your body. That is different."
Fang Yuan smiled. "That is only because ordinary methods are insufficient. Reckless Savage Demon Venerable could bear many desolate beast totems on his body and transform at will. I received some true meaning from Reckless Savage during your tribulation. My transformation path attainment has reached master level. I cannot compare to Reckless Savage, but balancing several kinds of dao marks is still within my ability."
Hei Lou Lan's interest deepened.
"Sell this killer move to me."
Fang Yuan shook his head. "Not now."
Hei Lou Lan was not surprised. If she had such a method, she would not sell it casually either.
Fang Ming listened silently.
Fang Yuan's explanation was not long, but there was depth inside it. Dao mark balance, transformation path attainment, body modification, and movement killer move design — each part was meaningful.
Fang Ming did not interrupt. Fang Yuan was trying to regain the initiative by suppressing them with his knowledge. To Fang Ming, this was important. Fang Yuan's knowledge and experience were a treasure trove. Handing back the initiative merely meant losing a few shares from this expedition. To Fang Ming, this knowledge was worth trading for the initiative he had gained through his earlier display of power.
After another stretch of travel, they found a mountain whose peak shone faintly under the green sky.
At the highest point was a cave.
Before they reached it, a heavy pressure came from above.
A huge beast walked out.
Its body was transparent like diamond, and its outline resembled a bear. But it was as large as a mammoth. Its paws stepped onto the stone ground, leaving cracks behind. Light passed through its body and scattered into sharp fragments.
Hei Lou Lan's eyes moved. "Diamond bear."
Fang Yuan looked toward the cave behind it. "There should be diamond soil inside."
Diamond soil was formed from the feces of diamond bears. It was valuable and could be sold in treasure yellow heaven for a good price.
But the diamond bear blocked the cave.
Hei Lou Lan smiled coldly. "Lure it out?"
Fang Yuan nodded.
The two moved quickly.
Fang Ming did not rush forward. He stood at a distance and watched.
Hei Lou Lan formed her giant strength path phantom and attacked first. Fang Yuan supported from the air with icy drill stardust, drawing the diamond bear's attention away from the cave entrance.
The diamond bear roared and charged out.
Its transparent body looked beautiful, but its strength was terrifying. When Hei Lou Lan's giant phantom struck it, the bear only shook slightly. Then its body flashed, and a strange wild Gu effect spread across its surface.
Hei Lou Lan's giant strength path phantom trembled.
Its arm cracked.
Hei Lou Lan's expression changed. "It counters strength path?"
Fang Yuan's stardust attacks rained down, forcing the diamond bear to raise its head. The diamond bear roared again and slapped upward. The stardust scattered, but the cold star fragments still covered parts of its body.
For a moment, the two sides exchanged attacks fiercely.
Fang Ming observed quietly.
This diamond bear was troublesome.
Its defense was too strong. Its body contained wild Gu that interfered with strength path methods. Capturing it alive would not be impossible, but doing so quickly would be difficult. If he used Myriad Clones, Tyrannical Grab, Tyrannical Suction, and other methods continuously, he might eventually suppress it.
But the price was not worth it.
Their target was not the diamond bear.
A desolate beast that could not be captured quickly inside an unfamiliar grotto-heaven was not a prize. It was a trap that consumed time and strength.
Fang Ming remained still.
At this time, Hei Lou Lan used the opening to rush toward the cave and seized a large amount of diamond soil.
The diamond bear sensed something and became furious.
It turned back abruptly.
Fang Yuan blocked it with more stardust. The diamond bear suddenly lowered its body, then leapt into the air.
Its massive diamond-like body flew.
Fang Yuan's pupils contracted.
The bear had flying Gu!
The sudden movement was completely outside expectation. The diamond bear crossed the distance in an instant and struck Fang Yuan with its paw. Fang Yuan blocked with his arms, but the force still sent him flying through several trees.
Zombie blood splattered.
Two arms were badly damaged.
Hei Lou Lan immediately retreated.
"Go!"
Fang Yuan did not hesitate. He endured the injury and withdrew with her.
Fang Ming followed.
The diamond bear did not chase far. It landed heavily, picked up one of the severed pieces of Fang Yuan's zombie flesh, bit it, then spat it out with visible disgust.
Fang Yuan's expression was ugly, but he did not stop.
After retreating to a safer distance, he reattached what he could and used healing Gu worms to stabilize the injuries.
Hei Lou Lan looked toward the mountain peak. "There should still be some diamond soil left."
Fang Yuan shook his head. "Not worth it."
Hei Lou Lan did not argue.
Fang Ming agreed with Fang Yuan's judgment.
The first harvest had already been taken. Returning for a small remaining portion meant facing a prepared and enraged diamond bear. It had unknown wild Gu, extremely high defense, and methods that countered strength path. Even if they could kill it, the expenditure would be too high.
This was Starry Sky grotto-heaven.
A rank eight aperture.
One careless decision could drag them into a chain of danger.
After Fang Yuan's injuries stabilized, they changed direction and continued.
Not long after, the sky changed.
Specks of starlight rose from somewhere far away.
At first, they were scattered like fireflies. Then they gathered, spiraling higher and higher into the air. The green sky trembled faintly as the starlight condensed into the outline of a hall.
A star hall appeared.
Unlike the star halls they had seen on mountain peaks, this one floated in the sky. Its shape was exquisite and majestic, with starlight forming pillars beneath it.
Hei Lou Lan narrowed her eyes. "That hall is different."
Fang Yuan stared at it, his thoughts moving rapidly.
Eighth star hall.
He did not know all the details of the intact grotto-heaven, but such a phenomenon could not be ordinary.
Fang Ming also looked toward the sky.
The starlight had risen from a distant region. Something had likely happened there. A desolate beast death? A mechanism activated? A condition fulfilled?
He did not speak.
The three moved cautiously in that direction.
On the way, they found a star hall on a mountain peak.
It was empty when they entered.
The center of the hall had six wells. Each well contained water of a different color: red, brown, yellow, blue, green, and white. The water was calm and bright, as if reflecting another world.
Fang Yuan walked to one well and took out a mortal Gu.
He tossed it in.
The Gu vanished into the water.
Hei Lou Lan frowned. "Destroyed?"
"No." Fang Yuan closed his eyes briefly. "The connection still exists, but it is weak. Very weak. As though it is far away."
He raised his head and looked through the roof of the star hall using investigative Gu.
Above the hall, through layers of stone and sky, six star shadows floated in the green sky.
Fang Yuan's gaze fixed on one of them.
"The wells are passages."
Hei Lou Lan's eyes brightened. She picked up the logic quickly. "Then the colors correspond to different spaces?"
Fang Yuan nodded. "Most likely."
They examined the hall further.
The star hall's structure confirmed their deduction. Starry Sky grotto-heaven was not one continuous space. It was divided into seven independent spaces. Each space had its own sky, ecology, and resource regions. The star halls and wells connected these spaces.
Fang Ming looked at the six wells.
This structure was valuable.
Not merely because it helped navigation. The spatial design itself was a kind of inheritance. Seven separate spaces, each with controlled ecology and resource zones, connected through star hall passages. If such a structure could be studied deeply, it would have great value for managing apertures.
But he did not speak first.
Fang Yuan was the one leading the deduction. Fang Ming had no need to snatch this moment.
They left the star hall and looked toward the floating eighth star hall in the distance.
Two figures were already flying toward it.
They were far away, so their appearances were unclear. But their auras were unmistakably Gu Immortal level.
Fang Yuan's heart sank slightly.
Others?
This was outside his expectation.
In his previous life, he had not personally explored the intact Starry Sky grotto-heaven. He only knew the later fragment worlds. There were clearly hidden details behind the grotto-heaven's fall that he had not known.
Hei Lou Lan accepted it more easily.
"If you could obtain information about this place, why couldn't others?"
Fang Yuan gave a dry laugh. "Reasonable."
Fang Ming watched the two distant figures.
Unknown Gu Immortals had reached the eighth star hall first. Their strength and purpose were unclear. To attack blindly would be foolish.
Watching from the dark was better.
Fang Yuan and Hei Lou Lan clearly had the same thought.
The three immediately activated concealment methods.
Their bodies vanished into the surroundings. Auras were suppressed. Traces were erased as they moved.
They did not fly directly.
Instead, they approached carefully from below, using terrain and concealment Gu.
Soon, Fang Yuan stopped.
Ahead, an eye-like Gu worm floated quietly in the air. Its eye moved slowly, sweeping the surroundings.
Hei Lou Lan transmitted, "Detour?"
Fang Yuan shook his head. "No need. Starshine fake eye Gu. Rank five. It has long-range sensing and allows its owner to observe the area, but by itself it cannot detect stealth. Its range is around five li. Continuous activation burdens the soul and consumes primeval essence."
Hei Lou Lan was still cautious. "Are you certain it does not have another Gu paired with it?"
Fang Yuan smiled coldly. "If it were paired with true sight Gu, it would be different. But true sight Gu has not spread widely yet."
He paused, then added, "Besides, I checked."
Hei Lou Lan looked at him for a moment, then followed.
Fang Ming passed by silently.
He looked at the floating eye-like Gu from the corner of his vision. Fang Yuan's explanation was casual, but the information inside was not simple. Range, weakness, pairing method, current distribution of related Gu — this was not something ordinary Gu Immortals knew offhand.
They continued.
The path toward the eighth star hall was filled with investigative Gu.
Some were buried in the soil.
Some were disguised as leaves.
Some floated in brooks, drifting with the water.
Some were hidden in hollow stones.
Fang Yuan dealt with them one by one.
Sometimes he used invisibility.
Sometimes he used mortal Gu that countered their sensing method.
Sometimes he led the group underground for a short distance.
Sometimes they crossed through water, using the current to mask their movement.
Each method was small.
None looked grand.
No immortal killer move shook heaven and earth.
No desolate beast was subdued.
No mountain collapsed.
But Fang Ming's expression gradually turned serious.
These methods were dangerous.
Not because they killed enemies directly, but because they prevented enemies from knowing you were there.
Before a battle began, Fang Yuan was already gathering information, avoiding surveillance, and controlling exposure. Such small mortal methods could decide who attacked first, who was ambushed, who wasted strength, and who walked into a trap.
Fang Ming had recently displayed greater raw combat strength.
But watching Fang Yuan now, he felt a clear warning in his heart.
Raw strength was only one part of battle.
In a true life-and-death fight, information could be sharper than an immortal killer move.
After passing through several layers of surveillance, the smell of blood drifted over.
The three stopped.
Fang Yuan and Hei Lou Lan exchanged glances.
Fang Ming's eyes narrowed slightly.
They followed the scent carefully and soon found a corpse lying among shattered rocks.
It was a black leopard, as large as an elephant. Its fur was glossy and dark, as if light vanished into it. Even dead, it still carried the aura of a desolate beast.
Fang Yuan lowered his voice. "Vanishing shadow leopard."
Hei Lou Lan frowned. "Killed and left behind?"
Fang Ming looked at the corpse.
A desolate beast corpse was valuable. Even if damaged, it had materials, dao marks, flesh, bones, and possible wild Gu remnants. Leaving it behind meant the killers were either in a hurry or had a greater target.
Fang Yuan crouched and took out a crystal ball-like Gu worm.
Backtrack Gu.
He activated it carefully.
A blurry scene appeared.
Within the scene, two huge figures fought. One was likely the vanishing shadow leopard. The other had the outline of a large beast. Farther away, a small human-shaped figure stood and watched.
The image flickered.
It was not continuous.
The participants were too strong. Gu Immortal bodies and desolate beast bodies carried dao marks. A rank five mortal Gu could only reproduce fragments.
After a dozen breaths, smoke rose from the backtrack Gu.
The image vanished.
The Gu died.
Hei Lou Lan looked interested. "This Gu is useful."
Fang Yuan stored the corpse of the Gu worm without expression, but there was slight heartache in his eyes. "Backtrack Gu. Rare, and not easy to gather."
Then he took out another Gu.
It looked like a small horsewhip.
Thread trace Gu.
Fang Yuan whipped it lightly through the air.
Crack.
Faint marks appeared in empty space.
Hei Lou Lan's eyes widened slightly.
Fang Ming's gaze sharpened.
Fang Yuan lashed again and again. More traces appeared, thin and weak, but visible. Some were azure blue. Some were black. Some were red.
Fang Yuan pointed to one area. "Azure blue dao marks. Human shape. Concentrated in one place. This should be a star path Gu Immortal who observed the battle from the side. The concentration suggests rank six."
He then pointed toward the place where the leopard had died.
"Black dao marks belong to the vanishing shadow leopard. Dark path. These red dao marks belong to the one who killed it. Dense, aggressive, and mixed deeply with the battle area. At least rank six battle strength."
Hei Lou Lan listened with full attention.
Fang Ming also listened seriously.
A rank five mortal Gu was revealing information about Gu Immortal-level movement and battle.
Path.
Rank estimate.
Position.
Role in battle.
Intensity.
Even the fact that one person watched while another fought.
These deductions were not perfect, but they were enough to change how one approached the enemy.
Fang Yuan lashed the thread trace Gu several more times. The traces became clearer, then began to fade and mix.
He stopped.
"This Gu has limits. Dao marks left behind are weak and temporary. If many methods were used, the traces become chaotic. But this battle was simple enough to read roughly."
Hei Lou Lan's gaze toward Fang Yuan changed.
She had just seen Fang Ming capture three desolate beasts alive. That was overwhelming direct strength.
Now she saw Fang Yuan use ordinary-looking mortal Gu to read a battlefield after the fact.
That was another kind of danger.
Fang Ming's thoughts were even deeper.
He had always known Fang Yuan was dangerous. But this scene made the danger more concrete.
Fang Yuan did not need to overpower an enemy directly. He could avoid surveillance, reconstruct movements, infer strengths, identify weaknesses, and decide whether to fight before the enemy even knew he was nearby.
These small methods could decide victory before battle began.
Fang Ming silently reassessed him.
He had surpassed Fang Yuan in raw strength.
In capture ability.
In direct pressure.
But that was not the same as being more dangerous.
Fang Yuan's schemes, preparation, and hidden knowledge were terrifying. In a true battle, strength was only one piece. Information, timing, concealment, and calculation could overturn strength.
A thought settled in Fang Ming's mind.
He had surpassed Fang Yuan in stats, not in threat.
Fang Yuan put away thread trace Gu. Its whip-like body already had fine cracks.
Hei Lou Lan noticed this and looked at it with even greater interest.
Fang Yuan then used several other mortal Gu. Some gathered scent. Some checked ground vibrations. Some detected aura residue. Some examined broken stone and blood.
Hei Lou Lan recognized only a few.
Fang Ming recognized more than Hei Lou Lan now.
After becoming refinement path grandmaster, his understanding of Gu worm structures had advanced sharply. Yet he still remained silent. Fang Yuan's methods were not merely about owning useful Gu. They were about knowing when and how to use them, combining small clues into a larger picture.
At one point, Fang Yuan remarked casually, "Eight or nine out of ten Gu Immortals may reach flying master, but among ten Gu Immortals, even two or three refinement path masters would be considered good. Refinement path is harder to advance."
Fang Ming's face did not change.
Refinement path grandmaster.
He kept those words buried silently.
There was no benefit in revealing it.
After finishing his inspection, Fang Yuan stood.
"One star path Gu Immortal. One powerful combatant who fought like a beast or transformed into one. They are ahead of us, and their target is likely the eighth star hall."
Hei Lou Lan looked toward the floating hall in the distance.
Fang Ming also turned his gaze there.
The eighth star hall hung in the sky, majestic and silent.
Someone had gone in before them.
And those people were not weak.
Fang Yuan smiled coldly. "Good. Let them open the way."
Hei Lou Lan's lips curved slightly.
Fang Ming said nothing, but his eyes became calm and deep.
The three moved again, hidden beneath layers of concealment, following the traces of others toward the eighth star hall.