Chapter 168: Two Bad Trades
Eastern Sea's waves struck the island reefs again and again, but the island was no longer the empty, barren place it had once been. Stone roads had been laid from the harbor to the center of the island, and rows of simple buildings stood around the main market district. Most of them were not grand. Some were only reinforced halls with wooden counters, guarded storage rooms, and crude formation markings. But compared to the past, this place already had the rough outline of a market.
Eagle Sect Gu Masters moved through the streets in small groups. Some inspected goods, some guided new arrivals, and some rode eagles through the sky, circling the island and the nearby sea routes. Mortals and low-rank Gu Masters came and went cautiously, carrying beast materials, low-grade Gu worms, ores, herbs, and scattered information from surrounding islands. There were no famous Gu Immortals visiting, no large caravans, and no major forces placing valuable goods here. The Free Market was still too young for that. But the market was breathing.
Fang Ming understood this very clearly. A market did not become prosperous in one day, and a force did not become trusted by declaring itself trustworthy. For now, most of the goods came from Eagle Sect itself, while outsiders only came to test the waters. That was enough. He was not building a temporary trading post for immediate profit. He was planting a root in Eastern Sea.
Tai Bai Yun Sheng arrived quietly, but his arrival was still noticed by Fang Ming immediately. The old man looked at the island from above before landing near the sect headquarters. His gaze swept over the streets, the shops, the patrols, and the eagles in the sky, and a faint smile appeared on his face. "Your foundation here has already taken shape."
Fang Ming stood beside him and looked toward the market district. "Only the frame has been built. The bones are still thin, and the flesh has not grown yet."
Tai Bai Yun Sheng nodded. He had stayed in Eastern Sea for some time and knew that establishing even a small foothold here was not easy. Eastern Sea was rich, but because it was rich, competition was also everywhere. A market without protection would be swallowed, a market without goods would be ignored, and a market without reputation would never grow. Fang Ming's Free Market was still weak, but the direction was clear.
The teleport passage to Hu Immortal blessed land was hidden inside the sect headquarters, protected by several layers of formations and guarded by a Gu Immortal. That Gu Immortal was also the main protector of the Free Market. Tai Bai Yun Sheng had come here partly because this place belonged to Fang Ming's force, and partly because this route was much safer than moving around Eastern Sea randomly while others were paying attention to him.
But before Tai Bai Yun Sheng left for Hu Immortal blessed land, Fang Ming had another matter.
Behind the sect headquarters, in a sealed area covered by formations, a rank five peak stage Eagle Sect Gu Master stood in the center. His face was pale, but his eyes were firm. Around him, several Eagle Sect Gu Masters waited in silence, their expressions tense. To a mortal Gu Master, immortal ascension was the gate between heaven and death. Passing it meant entering a different world. Failing it meant losing everything.
Fang Ming turned to Tai Bai Yun Sheng and cupped his hands. "Brother Tai Bai, I will have to trouble you to lend me Man as Before for a short while."
Tai Bai Yun Sheng was slightly surprised. He had assumed Fang Ming had called him here so that he could personally act if the ascension failed. Fang Ming had paid him before for this kind of help, and he had always been generous. Seeing Tai Bai's surprise, Fang Ming explained calmly, "He is my subordinate. If his ascension fails, I should be the one spending immortal essence to save him. Asking Brother Tai Bai to stand by is already troubling you. If I also ask you to bear the cost, it would be improper."
These words were reasonable. They gave Tai Bai face and also showed Fang Ming's attitude toward his own people. Tai Bai Yun Sheng smiled gently and did not refuse. He handed Man as Before Immortal Gu to Fang Ming, then stood to the side and watched the ascension begin.
Fang Ming accepted the Immortal Gu calmly. Outwardly, his expression was unchanged, but inwardly, this was the true reason he had asked to borrow Man as Before personally. Saving the Eagle Sect Gu Master was real, but copying Man as Before was the greater purpose. No aura spread, no ripple appeared, and no one noticed anything wrong. While heaven qi and earth qi began gathering around the ascender, Fang Ming silently activated his hidden method.
A copy took shape.
It was not Man as Before itself. Fang Ming could not truly create a perfect duplicate of a unique Immortal Gu. The copied Gu carried differences in direction and effect, shaped by his own system and the change within the copying process. But it was close enough to be precious.
Human as Before.
Fang Ming concealed the newly formed Immortal Gu without changing expression. Tai Bai Yun Sheng was still watching the ascension, completely unaware.
At first, the ascension seemed stable. The Eagle Sect Gu Master guided human qi, heaven qi, and earth qi together with great difficulty. His mortal aperture cracked and expanded, while his body shook under the pressure. Sweat covered his face, and his aura rose and fell violently. For a brief moment, it seemed that he might succeed.
Then the balance collapsed.
The Gu Master's expression twisted. His body swelled as the three qi lost harmony, and cracks spread across his skin. Before the surrounding Gu Masters could even cry out, his body exploded into blood, bones, and broken flesh.
Fang Ming moved immediately. Man as Before flew out, and green grape immortal essence was consumed. The immortal Gu's power enveloped the scattered remains, and for a moment, the destroyed body seemed to reverse from death. Flesh reformed, bones returned, blood gathered, and the Gu Master appeared again on the ground. His face was bloodless, his aura was weak, and he was unconscious, but he was alive.
His immortal ascension had failed. He would not have another easy chance, because the leftover heaven qi would interfere with any future attempt. But for Eagle Sect, a living rank five peak Gu Master was still useful. He could still guard, teach, manage mortals, and serve as a pillar below the immortal level. Fang Ming was not kind enough to save him for sentiment alone, but he was practical enough to know that a saved subordinate was better than a dead one.
Fang Ming retrieved Man as Before and returned it to Tai Bai Yun Sheng. "This Gu is indeed impressive."
Tai Bai Yun Sheng accepted the Gu and smiled. "It is only useful in the right situation."
Fang Ming did not continue the topic. The two walked out of the ascension area and spoke briefly about Eastern Sea. Tai Bai Yun Sheng mentioned several forces that had sent him messages, lone cultivators who wanted to build relations with him, and the difficulty of moving freely now that his reputation had spread. Fang Ming listened seriously. These were not grand secrets, but practical information about Eastern Sea, and practical information was often more useful than rumors of treasure.
Soon after, Tai Bai Yun Sheng entered the guarded teleport passage and left for Hu Immortal blessed land. Fang Ming watched the formation light fade, then turned away. Man as Before had returned to Tai Bai Yun Sheng, but Human as Before had already entered Fang Ming's hands. This alone made the arrangement worthwhile.
Several days later, Fang Ming sat in a sealed chamber, surrounded by layered formations that isolated aura, divine sense, and information path probing. In front of him floated Old Lord Can Yang's sealed immortal aperture. Beside it, wrapped in restrictions, was a dim and damaged soul. Old Lord Can Yang had once been a famous rank seven Gu Immortal from Immortal Crane Sect, an expert whose Life Chasing Fire made even strong enemies wary. Now, he was silent, weakened, and trapped like a dying ember beneath ice.
Fang Ming did not underestimate him. A famous Central Continent rank seven was dangerous even after death. His soul could contain information path traps, fire path backlash methods, sect restrictions, or hidden self-destruction arrangements. Fang Ming did not tear through the memories recklessly. He searched patiently, layer by layer, extracting what he could and stopping whenever the soul showed signs of dangerous resistance.
He obtained fragments of Immortal Crane Sect missions, Central Continent routes, communication habits, fire path cultivation experience, business contacts, and incomplete inheritance details. Some memories shattered when touched, and others were sealed too deeply to force for now. Fang Ming did not mind. He was not trying to swallow everything in a single bite. Old Lord Can Yang's soul could be searched repeatedly if preserved well.
Among all the gains, the one Fang Ming cared about most was Life Chasing Fire. During the Jade Pool battle, he had personally suffered from it. Several areas in his aperture had withered, mortal beast groups had died, and a few freshly looted resource zones had lost vitality around their edges. At the time, those losses had been painful costs. Now, combined with Old Lord Can Yang's memories and the fire path traces inside the sealed aperture, they became evidence.
Life Chasing Fire did not merely burn flesh. Its true viciousness lay in how it followed a connection deeper than the surface body and threatened the immortal aperture itself. For a Gu Immortal, the aperture was the true foundation. If the aperture was damaged, the loss could be worse than physical injury. Resource points could collapse, living beings could die, dao mark balance could be disrupted, and years of accumulation could vanish in a single exchange.
Fang Ming's own tattoo and totem methods already stored prepared power. His one-time-use immortal tattoo killer moves had shown terrifying results at Jade Pool, especially when Tyrannical Crash was unleashed in large numbers. If he could combine Life Chasing Fire's principle with his totem system, he could create a method that did not need to kill the enemy directly. It only needed to send a destructive totem into the opponent's aperture.
He spent a week deducing this possibility. He searched Old Lord Can Yang's soul several more times, inspected the sealed aperture, studied the remaining fire path dao marks, and compared them to the injuries left inside his own aperture. The process was difficult, but the direction became clearer day by day. At the end of the seventh day, the framework of a new immortal killer move finally appeared.
Life Chasing Totem.
The killer move would send a totem carrying an immortal killer move into the enemy's immortal aperture. Once inside, the totem would self-destruct, releasing the stored attack. The payload could vary. Tyrannical Crash was the most direct option, but poison, plague, fire, or other prepared destructive methods could also be used depending on the enemy. Even if the opponent survived the battle and escaped, their aperture could still suffer a heavy wound.
This made Fang Ming dangerous in a new way. Against him, survival would not necessarily mean victory. A Gu Immortal might leave the battlefield alive, only to discover that their foundation had been damaged and years of resources had been burned away.
But the killer move could not be used yet.
It required a specific Immortal Gu as the core. Old Lord Can Yang had destroyed his Immortal Gu before death, which Fang Ming had expected. A Gu Immortal of his level would rather destroy his Gu than let an enemy obtain them easily. Fortunately, Old Lord Can Yang's memories contained the recipe for the required Gu. The recipe was incomplete in places, but Fang Ming had extracted enough to reconstruct it with effort.
This gave him a path forward. He had resources from Jade Pool, immortal essence stones, Old Lord Can Yang's inheritance fragments, and improved refinement attainment from refinement path Gu Immortal dreams. Refining an Immortal Gu was still difficult and dangerous, but to Fang Ming, it was no longer an impossible wall. Life Chasing Totem had a framework now. What it lacked was the core.
Old Lord Can Yang's business knowledge was another pleasant gain. Around forty percent of his income had come from processing heavy raw metals and materials, then reselling them as finished products. This was very attractive to Fang Ming because his strength path aperture contained many heavy metals, ores, dense mountains, and mineral deposits. In the past, raw ore prices had been too low to justify large-scale extraction, but processed materials were different. Can Yang's methods could turn low-value raw resources into profitable finished goods.
The remaining sixty percent of Can Yang's income had come from fire beasts and fire materials. Fang Ming could not take over that part immediately. He still needed Old Lord Can Yang's blessed land spirit to acknowledge him as master before the fire beast and fire material industries could be controlled properly. For now, the heavy material processing business was the easier path to begin with.
Can Yang's memories also gave Fang Ming Central Continent information. He found routes, business contacts, Immortal Crane Sect habits, dangerous territories, and several blessed lands that Can Yang had discovered but failed to obtain. One blessed land had once been under Can Yang's personal control, but Fang Ming crossed it out immediately in his mind. Immortal Crane Sect knew about that place. Now that Can Yang was dead, it was either reclaimed, watched, or prepared as bait. Fang Ming had no interest in walking into a trap simply because the bait was valuable.
While Fang Ming was digesting Old Lord Can Yang's value, Tai Bai Yun Sheng arrived at Hu Immortal blessed land. Fairy Li Shan rushed over as soon as she received the news. Tai Bai could not go to Snowy Mountain blessed land now, because Old Ancestor Xue Hu was there and his identity was sensitive. Hu Immortal blessed land was the safest meeting place.
Miniscule Mountain was brought out, and Tai Bai Yun Sheng used Landscape as Before to restore it. He had once restored Dang Hun Mountain, so the process was smooth. Fairy Li Shan watched with a pale face, and only when Miniscule Mountain stabilized did she finally release a long breath. One burden had been lifted, but only one. Her injuries remained, Old Ancestor Xue Hu's material missions still pressed down on her, and Hei Lou Lan's cultivation still needed support.
Fang Yuan saw her condition clearly. Because he saw it clearly, he spoke of a large transaction.
The killer move was called Star Fog Concealment. It came from Dong Fang Chang Fan's inheritance and could conceal them from heavenly secrets. This was not a small matter. The destruction of Eighty-Eight True Yang Building and Imperial Court blessed land was too huge, and the danger had never disappeared. Fang Yuan, Tai Bai Yun Sheng, Hei Lou Lan, Fairy Li Shan, and Fang Ming were all connected to the hidden truth in different ways. If Star Fog Concealment could be completed, it would give them a layer of protection.
Fairy Li Shan listened carefully until Fang Yuan mentioned the cost. Two Immortal Gu had to be refined as cores. Her expression became stiff. Refining even one Immortal Gu was beyond her current ability, let alone two. She was injured, short on funds, pressured by Old Ancestor Xue Hu, and still supporting Hei Lou Lan. Miniscule Mountain had been restored, but her financial situation had not magically recovered.
She rejected the plan.
Fang Yuan was not surprised, but he was still unwilling. He did not even count Hei Lou Lan as a real funding source. Hei Lou Lan had potential, but potential could not be spent as immortal essence stones. Her aperture was excellent, but her foundation was poor. Aside from the food beast formation she had obtained from Fang Ming, Fairy Li Shan's connections that helped her create a market, and her work in the guts Gu business, she had very little real wealth.
Since Star Fog Concealment failed, Fang Yuan proposed a cheaper plan. They could invest together in expanding the guts Gu business by buying hairy man-raising knowledge, purchasing hairy man slaves in bulk, expanding stone nests, and increasing airsac Gu production. Compared to refining Immortal Gu, this was much more realistic.
Fairy Li Shan still rejected it. Guts Gu was already too profitable and too eye-catching. If Fang Yuan expanded production too aggressively, Immortal Crane Sect might decide that Hu Immortal blessed land was worth attacking again. The profit of a monopoly was terrifying, but so was the greed it attracted. Fang Yuan understood this, so he did not argue for long.
After Fairy Li Shan left, Fang Yuan contacted Lang Ya land spirit. Lang Ya blessed land had the best hairy men Fang Yuan had ever seen, and if he could obtain the methods for raising and training them, his stone nest bottleneck would be greatly reduced. But Lang Ya land spirit's attitude was like an iron wall. Anything involving hairy men was not for sale. No slaves, no raising methods, no training knowledge, and no room for bargaining.
Fang Yuan ended the conversation with a cold expression.
Fairy Li Shan lacked money. Hei Lou Lan was poor. Tai Bai Yun Sheng was developing well in Eastern Sea, but he was far from rich enough to fund Immortal Gu refinement or heavily invest in a large industry. Lang Ya land spirit was wealthy, but stubborn and unwilling. That left Fang Ming.
Thinking of Fang Ming gave Fang Yuan a headache. Fang Ming was rich. This was undeniable. He had looted Jade Pool blessed land early, controlled food beast businesses, established Eagle Sect, started the Free Market, sold tattoo killer move products, and now likely held Old Lord Can Yang's gains. Among Fang Yuan's current contacts, Fang Ming was one of the few people who could possibly fund Immortal Gu refinement.
But dealing with him was troublesome.
Fang Yuan had actually approached Fang Ming before speaking to Fairy Li Shan. He had explained Star Fog Concealment and the danger they all faced. Central Continent was investigating, Northern Plains was unstable, and Fang Ming himself was not completely unrelated to the Imperial Court matter. On the surface, Fang Ming should have had reason to care.
Fang Ming listened politely, then refused.
Worse, Fang Ming said that he wanted to borrow funds from Fang Yuan to refine Old Lord Can Yang's Immortal Gu first. Fang Yuan almost laughed from anger. If he had the money to refine Immortal Gu, why would he ask Fang Ming for investment? No matter how Fang Yuan explained the importance of concealment, Fang Ming remained unmoved. His attitude was not simple ignorance. It was confidence that danger could be avoided, redirected, or endured.
After that, Fang Yuan asked Fang Ming to invest in expanding the stone nests and increasing guts Gu output. Fang Ming refused even faster. He directly criticized Fang Yuan's business methods, saying Fang Yuan was starving the market by releasing too little guts Gu each month. From Fang Ming's perspective, a monopoly product should be used to seize market scale, build channels, and strengthen long-term influence. Fang Yuan's production was too small, his release too narrow, and his management too stingy.
Fang Yuan stared at him for a long moment. The reason he wanted investment was precisely because production was difficult to expand, yet Fang Ming spoke as if the problem was Fang Yuan's unwillingness. Worse still, Fang Ming then contacted Tai Bai Yun Sheng and invited him to invest in the Free Market blessed land. He even offered Fang Yuan a pavilion there to sell guts Gu. Fang Yuan rejected the idea without hesitation. Guts Gu was a monopoly product; it sold instantly anywhere. Placing it in a small Eastern Sea market would only advertise Fang Ming's Free Market for free.
The discussion failed.
Fang Yuan then proposed buying Gu Masters skilled in refinement from Fang Ming. This time, Fang Ming's expression changed immediately, and his refusal was firm. His reaction was almost the same as Lang Ya land spirit refusing to sell hairy men. Fang Ming's trained human Gu Masters were not disposable labor. They were part of Eagle Sect's future foundation, and skilled refiners were even more valuable. Selling them would damage his own long-term structure.
After several failures, Fang Ming raised a trade of his own. He wanted Calamity Beckoning Gu and was willing to exchange one Gu for another. Fang Yuan demanded a premium. Fang Ming refused. Calamity Beckoning Gu was useful to him, but it was not urgent. In Fang Yuan's hands, it was also difficult to use properly at this stage. Fang Ming believed that if Fang Yuan became desperate enough later, the price would fall by itself.
The deal failed again.
Finally, they found one exchange that seemed possible. Fang Ming wanted the final steps of Dong Fang Chang Fan's revival method, while Fang Yuan wanted a zombie revival method. Fang Ming had obtained one from Old Lord Can Yang's memories, so the trade was completed.
Then both of them inspected what they had received.
A short silence followed.
Fang Yuan's expression became ugly, and Fang Ming's smile slowly faded.
Fang Yuan had sold Fang Ming the final steps of Dong Fang Chang Fan's revival method. The method was real, and the information was not fake. But to actually use it, two specific Immortal Gu were required as the core. Fang Yuan had the recipes for those two Immortal Gu, but he had not included them in the transaction. Without the Gu and without the recipes to refine them, Fang Ming had only obtained a final method that could not activate. It was like receiving a food beast formation without its core Immortal Gu. The structure could be studied, but its true function could not be used.
Fang Ming had also not given Fang Yuan anything immediately useful. The zombie revival method from Old Lord Can Yang's memories was real, but it was meant for a zombie Gu Master before immortal ascension. It used the ascension process and heavenly tribulation to cleanse the zombie body, restore vitality, and allow the person to become a living Gu Immortal. Fang Yuan was already an immortal zombie. He could not ascend again.
The two looked at each other in silence.
Both had hidden the flaw in what they sold. Both had thought they were taking advantage of the other. In the end, both had received something real, yet useless for their immediate needs.
That was the most irritating part. The trade was completed, the goods were genuine, and neither side had directly lied. But neither side was satisfied.
Fang Yuan stored the zombie revival method away with cold eyes. Fang Ming also stored the final revival steps, his expression no better. The meeting ended without warmth.
After Fang Yuan left, Fang Ming reviewed the final revival method again. It was useless without the two core Immortal Gu, but useless did not mean worthless forever. It could still be studied, compared, and used as reference. Perhaps one day, he could obtain the missing recipes or find another path. For now, however, it could not solve anything.
His attention returned to the Immortal Gu recipe extracted from Old Lord Can Yang.
Life Chasing Totem had a framework, but no core Gu. Human as Before had been copied, but its true value still needed testing. The heavy material processing business had a clear direction, but it needed people, formations, and time to build. Fang Ming had gained much, but most of it still needed digestion before it became strength.
Far away in Hu Immortal blessed land, Fang Yuan sat in silence as well. Star Fog Concealment lacked funding, the stone nest expansion lacked support, Lang Ya refused him, Fairy Li Shan could not afford him, Hei Lou Lan was poor, Tai Bai Yun Sheng was insufficient, and Fang Ming was rich but troublesome to handle.
The zombie revival method he had received was real, yet useless.
Fang Yuan's gaze darkened.
This was the Gu world. A transaction could be genuine, fair according to the agreement, and still leave both sides feeling cheated.
Outside, Northern Plains grew colder as the storm continued gathering. In Hu Immortal blessed land, the earthly calamity approached. In Eastern Sea, Fang Ming's Free Market had only just begun to breathe.
Both Fang Yuan and Fang Ming had gained something.
Neither had gained enough.