Chapter 173: Layers Revealed
Only two cloud buildings remained.
The fog outside had not dispersed, but the formation no longer felt as stable as before. Earlier, the white mist had twisted distance and direction, making the battlefield feel like a sealed maze. Now, as more formation cores were destroyed, the fog trembled from time to time. Some areas became thin, while others surged violently like disturbed waves. The pressure from Qin Bai Sheng's side was growing heavier.
Inside the cloud building, Lang Ya land spirit paced back and forth.
"What do we do? What do we do?"
His white hair shook as he walked. His old face was filled with anxiety, and his fingers pulled at his beard until several strands almost came loose.
"The enemy is too strong. We cannot hold much longer. Only two cloud buildings remain. If they fall, the formation will collapse…"
He muttered quickly, his words becoming less and less clear.
"Should I let him out? No, no, absolutely not. If I let him out, I might be locked away again. Who knows when I can come back? This Lang Ya blessed land was arranged painstakingly by me. If that maniac takes over, who knows what he will do? He might even raise it into a grotto-heaven recklessly. His ambition is too great. He will destroy everything sooner or later…"
Fang Yuan stood nearby, silent.
Mo Tan Sang's expression grew more anxious with every sentence.
Fang Ming watched from the side, saying nothing. Lang Ya land spirit's panic was real. Qin Bai Sheng's pressure had already pushed him to the edge. The old land spirit who had been bargaining, scheming, and arranging rewards before was now losing his composure completely.
Mo Tan Sang finally could not endure it.
"Lord Lang Ya, you must calm down!" he said urgently. "We are all relying on you. Long Hair Ancestor was an esteemed existence who could speak with a Demon Venerable as an equal. There must be a method. You have to think clearly!"
Lang Ya land spirit did not seem to hear him.
"What to do? What to do? Refinement Cauldron cannot act fast enough. The cloud buildings are falling. Qin Bai Sheng is too fast…"
Mo Tan Sang stepped forward, his face pale. Inkman City had already lost one Gu Immortal. If he also died here, the entire inkman tribe would lose its protection. Hundreds of thousands of inkmen would become a fat piece of meat in Northern Plains. Without Gu Immortal protection, hungry wolves would gather from every direction.
He grabbed Lang Ya land spirit's arm.
"Lord Lang Ya, wake up!"
Lang Ya land spirit's body trembled.
Mo Tan Sang shook him harder. "You cannot panic now! If you collapse, all of us are finished!"
"Don't force me…" Lang Ya land spirit lowered his head. His voice became strange. "Don't force me…"
Mo Tan Sang did not let go.
The next moment, Lang Ya land spirit raised his head and screamed.
A powerful force burst from his body.
Mo Tan Sang was thrown away like a broken doll. He spat out blood midair and crashed against the cloud building's wall before sliding down.
The old land spirit's body changed.
His white hair vanished. His thin frame expanded rapidly. Muscles bulged from his arms, shoulders, chest, and back. Thick brown hair grew across his body, covering him like a wild beast's pelt. His height rose until he stood almost as tall as Fang Yuan's immortal zombie body. His eyes became bloodshot, his fangs pressed against his lips, and his expression turned fierce and arrogant.
The sagely old man was gone.
A muscular hairy man stood in his place.
Fang Yuan took several steps back.
Mo Tan Sang stared from the ground, eyes wide.
Fang Ming's expression also changed slightly. The transformation was too sudden and too complete. In one breath, Lang Ya land spirit's aura, posture, and temperament had become entirely different.
The new Lang Ya land spirit slowly raised his head.
"How many years has it been…" he muttered.
Then he sucked in a deep breath and clenched his fists. The muscles on his arms swelled, and his expression became excited and ruthless.
"I am finally back!"
Fang Yuan's eyes narrowed. "You are Lang Ya land spirit?"
The hairy man land spirit looked at him and snorted. "Of course I am Lang Ya land spirit. The real one!"
Mo Tan Sang struggled to stand. "But you…"
"My main body was a hairy man," Lang Ya land spirit said coldly. "After death, he left behind two obsessions. One obsession was related to refinement path and Space Escape Immortal Gu. The other came from his identity as a hairy man and his wish for hairy men to rise. Both obsessions were strong. Neither could completely suppress the other. In the end, they fused into one land spirit with two sides."
His lips curled, revealing sharp teeth.
"The weak old fellow you knew was merely the side obsessed with refinement and Space Escape Immortal Gu."
Fang Yuan's expression became heavier.
Mo Tan Sang was stunned.
Fang Ming listened quietly. Two obsessions forming one land spirit was not impossible, but seeing it directly was still rare. It also explained why the change was so extreme. This was not merely a mood shift. It was another side of Long Hair Ancestor's obsession taking control.
Fang Yuan asked calmly, "Then what is your condition for acknowledging a new master?"
The hairy man land spirit looked at him with disdain.
"You? You are not qualified."
Fang Yuan did not lose his temper. "Why?"
Lang Ya land spirit crossed his arms and laughed loudly. "Because my ambition is to make all hairy men rise! Humans, inkmen, feathermen, rockmen, and all other races will submit beneath hairy men. The one who can make hairy men rule the world will be qualified to become my master!"
Mo Tan Sang froze.
Fang Yuan was speechless.
Fang Ming's gaze remained calm.
The new land spirit's ambition was grand, but Fang Ming did not feel offended. He had no attachment to human hegemony. Whether humans ruled, fell, survived, or vanished was not something that moved him. To him, races rising and falling were part of the world's cycle. He did not even cling deeply to his own life; what mattered was the process of living fully, gaining benefits, improving himself, and walking the path he had chosen with his own will.
Humanity's future was not his burden.
At the same time, the hairy man land spirit's dream was clearly beyond his current reach. Lang Ya blessed land was powerful compared to ordinary Gu Immortals, but in the grand scheme of the world, it was still weak. It could not withstand human hegemony, the top rank eight experts, or the true rulers of history, the rank nine venerables. The land spirit's ambition was not something world-shaking right now. It was an obsession, and obsessions could be understood, used, and negotiated with.
Lang Ya land spirit looked at Fang Yuan again.
"Do not be nervous. I will not attack you now. Although you have taken advantage of that weak fellow many times, we can still cooperate."
Fang Yuan immediately said, "Those were fair transactions."
"Hmph." Lang Ya land spirit snorted. "Fair or not, you gained many benefits from him. But that does not matter. To make hairy men rise, I need to understand reality. Even my main body had to disguise himself as human while alive. If I want hairy men to rule, then cooperating with humans is necessary."
Mo Tan Sang slowly stood up, wiping blood from the corner of his mouth.
Lang Ya land spirit's eyes shone.
"My plan is flawless. First, I will use benefits to rope in human Gu Immortals. I will use humans to deal with humans, then turn them into hunting dogs for hairy men. You are one of my targets!"
He pointed at Fang Yuan and laughed loudly.
Fang Yuan said nothing.
Mo Tan Sang also said nothing.
The land spirit laughed for several breaths before suddenly stopping. His expression froze slightly.
"Ah. I got excited and said too much."
Fang Ming looked at him silently.
This new land spirit was crude, arrogant, and blunt, but that bluntness also made him easier to read. His schemes came out of his mouth when he became excited. His ambition was exaggerated, but his foundation was extremely valuable. Compared to the old land spirit, who hid too much and refused too much, this one might make different decisions if the trade touched his goal of strengthening hairy men.
Lang Ya land spirit then turned toward Mo Tan Sang.
"As for you, inkman Gu Immortal, I am not like that weak fellow. He was afraid of exposure and rejected many opportunities to cooperate with your Inkman City. I am interested in those proposals. Humans are too powerful now. Against humans, we variant humans are natural allies. Work with us hairy men, and Inkman City can grow stronger."
Mo Tan Sang's eyes moved.
This new land spirit's words were not pleasant, but they contained opportunity. For the inkmen, a Lang Ya land spirit willing to cooperate could be far more useful than the previous cautious one.
Then Lang Ya land spirit laughed again.
"Of course, after hairy men rise, you inkmen, feathermen, and others will eventually submit too. But Inkman City can receive preferential treatment. After all, you have some value. I can make your king into a puppet and let the rest work obediently…"
Mo Tan Sang's face stiffened.
Lang Ya land spirit paused.
"I said it again."
Fang Yuan's expression was flat.
Fang Ming almost smiled.
The new land spirit's ambition was clear, his mouth was loose, and his foundation was deep. That combination could be useful.
Outside, the fog shook.
Qin Bai Sheng had arrived within attacking range.
His gaze pierced through the mist and landed on the cloud building. His right hand rose.
Golden light condensed into a massive hammer. The hammer was larger than the cloud building itself, and the pressure it released made the entire structure look fragile.
Metal path immortal killer move — City Crushing Hammer.
The golden hammer smashed downward.
"What audacity!"
Lang Ya land spirit roared and rushed out.
He did not dodge. His thick arms swung forward, and dozens of Gu worms appeared around his body. Immortal Gu and mortal Gu rotated together, forming a clean and powerful method.
Rule path immortal killer move — Cleanse Sky.
The golden hammer vanished.
Only the fierce wind it created remained, sweeping across the fog.
Qin Bai Sheng's eyes narrowed slightly. "Lang Ya land spirit?"
"It is your grandfather!" the hairy man land spirit shouted.
He did not retreat after blocking the attack. Instead, he charged straight at Qin Bai Sheng.
Fang Ming stood inside the cloud building and watched.
The old land spirit had panicked and hesitated. This one moved first and struck directly. The change was not only in appearance. His entire fighting style had changed.
Qin Bai Sheng stepped back for the first time.
His strongest common method, soul suppression, had no use here. Lang Ya land spirit had no soul. He was an obsession fused with heavenly power, not a normal Gu Immortal. A soul path method that could suppress other Gu Immortals had no proper target against him.
Lang Ya land spirit's momentum rose.
Immortal killer move — Great Thousand Spears.
Immortal killer move — Triple Desolation.
Immortal killer move — Lightning Chaotic Starfire.
Countless golden spears filled the air like a dense forest. Time path power eroded Qin Bai Sheng's vitality. Lightning and starfire slipped through gaps and burned against his defenses. The fog around them was torn apart by the storm of attacks.
Qin Bai Sheng defended with a golden dragon pillar.
The attacks did not stop.
Immortal killer move — Yellow Wood Rustling.
Immortal killer move — Ruined Blood Flying Dust.
Immortal killer move — Slaughtering Immortal Guillotine.
Leaves flew like blades. Blood-red smoke curled through the battlefield. A blade path guillotine cut forward with terrifying sharpness. Gu worms appeared and disappeared around Lang Ya land spirit's body like waves. Mortal Gu and Immortal Gu changed again and again, forming one immortal killer move after another.
Fang Yuan, Mo Tan Sang, and Hei Cheng were all shocked.
Fang Ming's gaze sharpened.
These were Immortal Gu.
Many of them were Immortal Gu that Lang Ya land spirit had never displayed to him, never offered to lend, and never allowed him to exchange for. In the past, Fang Ming had tried multiple times to borrow different Immortal Gu from Lang Ya, offering various Gu in return, but Lang Ya mostly refused or only offered the same limited set Fang Ming had already copied.
Now, under pressure, Lang Ya was revealing far more.
Fang Ming did not need to obtain those Immortal Gu permanently. Borrowing them once was enough for copying. Seeing them now gave him a clearer map of what Lang Ya truly possessed and what he should target in future negotiations.
The immortal killer moves themselves were also valuable.
Through Virtual Refinement, a useful killer move could sometimes become the inspiration for a new Immortal Gu concept. Of course, this was expensive. A virtual refinement could cost more than three thousand immortal essence stones. Not every killer move was worth that price. Only methods with strong practical value, good synergy with his system, or possible use at Yi Tian Mountain deserved such spending.
But the battle before him was giving him options.
Rule path cleansing. Time path erosion. Blood path dust. Wood path interference. Blade path execution. Space path drilling. Dark path sword shadows.
Some could support his clones.
Some could strengthen his formations.
Some could work with totems.
Some might help his eagles.
Some were not worth copying at all, but even knowing that had value.
Lang Ya land spirit attacked wildly, forcing Qin Bai Sheng to retreat step by step. The scene was magnificent. Immortal killer moves burst across the sky like fireworks, deadly and beautiful at the same time. For a while, Qin Bai Sheng could only defend.
But Fang Ming soon noticed the flaw.
Lang Ya land spirit had many methods, but they did not coordinate perfectly. Some attacks overlapped awkwardly. Some disrupted the space needed for the next move. Some wasted force by striking Qin Bai Sheng's strongest defense from the same direction again and again. His foundation was immense, but his battle rhythm was not refined.
This was the difference between a treasury and a system.
Fang Ming remembered this clearly. Copying Gu was not enough. Copying killer moves was not enough. Methods had to be arranged into a fighting system, or else they became expensive fireworks.
Qin Bai Sheng suddenly shouted.
"Are you done fooling around?"
Golden light erupted.
It was like a small sun had appeared in the sky. The light was so intense that Mo Tan Sang could not look directly at it. Heat spread through the battlefield, roasting the fog until it thinned and twisted.
Soul path and metal path dual immortal killer move — Burning Soul Supreme Gold.
Lang Ya land spirit was not afraid of soul-burning effects in the same way ordinary Gu Immortals were, but this killer move was not only soul path. It also carried metal path defense and offense. Qin Bai Sheng's body shone like a golden sun, resisting and disrupting the storm of attacks around him.
Lang Ya land spirit's rhythm broke.
Qin Bai Sheng caught his breath.
Then he counterattacked.
His attack frequency was much lower than Lang Ya land spirit's. He did not throw out dozens of methods in a flood. Instead, each move connected with the next. One suppressed movement, another broke defense, another forced Lang Ya land spirit to shift position, and the following move cut off the path of retreat.
The battlefield changed.
Lang Ya land spirit had more resources, more Immortal Gu, more killer moves, and more immortal essence. Qin Bai Sheng had timing, coordination, and battle experience. Each of his moves was purposeful. Each one pushed Lang Ya land spirit deeper into a restricted position.
Mo Tan Sang's expression grew anxious again.
"If this continues, the land spirit will lose!"
He turned toward Fang Yuan and Fang Ming.
Fang Yuan did not move.
Fang Ming also remained still.
Mo Tan Sang clenched his fists. He wanted them to help, but Qin Bai Sheng's main battlefield was not a place one could enter casually. Fang Yuan had soul path concerns. Fang Ming had his own judgment. If he entered now, he would need to expose stronger methods without any guarantee of changing the result. He could help when the risk and reward were acceptable, but throwing himself into Qin Bai Sheng's rhythm was not worth it.
Boom!
Lang Ya land spirit was struck directly.
His body crashed into the cloud soil below, creating a deep pit. Before he could rise, golden chains appeared around him, coiling tightly over his arms, chest, and legs.
He struggled fiercely.
The chains cracked, but did not break at once.
Qin Bai Sheng slowly descended from the sky. His expression was stern. His aura withdrew into his body, and he placed his palms together before his chest like an old monk entering meditation.
Fang Yuan's expression changed.
Fang Ming also narrowed his eyes.
Qin Bai Sheng's earlier movements had been fierce and overwhelming. Now he became still, almost lifeless. The contrast was too sharp. His left hand remained open before his chest. His right hand slowly clenched into a fist and rose above his head.
The pressure changed.
Mo Tan Sang shouted, "He is preparing something!"
Lang Ya land spirit felt it too. He struggled harder, cracking the golden chains around him.
Qin Bai Sheng's eyes remained closed.
Sword path immortal killer move — Five Finger Fist Heart Sword.
First finger.
A sword light shot out.
Fast.
Too fast.
It pierced Lang Ya land spirit's forehead instantly. A normal Gu Immortal would have died from such a blow, but Lang Ya land spirit was not a flesh-and-blood being. Still, the attack damaged him heavily. His head, which had been clear and compact, became slightly blurry.
Second finger.
The next sword light pierced his right arm.
Lang Ya land spirit roared in pain as his arm became indistinct.
Third finger.
The third sword light pierced his left arm.
Mo Tan Sang's face twisted.
"Save him!"
He rushed forward, attacking from a distance, but the difference between his strength and Qin Bai Sheng's prepared move was too great.
Fang Yuan remained inside the cloud building, a lump of star cloud grindstone appearing before him.
Fang Ming still did not move.
Saving Lang Ya land spirit directly now meant stepping into Qin Bai Sheng's prepared sword move. That was not a rescue attempt; it was offering himself as the next target. Lang Ya blessed land had already revealed Refinement Cauldron, a second land spirit, many Immortal Gu, and numerous killer moves. Fang Ming believed there were still deeper reserves.
Fourth finger.
Qin Bai Sheng raised his ring finger.
The sword light shot out.
Clang!
A sharp collision rang across the battlefield.
A figure appeared in front of Lang Ya land spirit and blocked the fourth sword light.
The newcomer was a hairy man Gu Immortal.
His aura was rank seven.
Soon after, eight more figures appeared one after another, piercing through the air and landing around the pit. All of them were hairy men. One rank seven, eight rank six. They formed a protective arrangement around Lang Ya land spirit, blocking Qin Bai Sheng's path.
Mo Tan Sang stopped in midair, shocked.
"So many hairy man Gu Immortals?"
Hei Cheng's expression changed in disbelief.
Fang Yuan frowned.
Fang Ming's eyes moved across the nine hairy man Gu Immortals.
Another layer.
Lang Ya blessed land had hidden Gu Immortal manpower. Not just Immortal Gu. Not just killer moves. Not just Gu Houses. Actual Gu Immortals, preserved and concealed inside the blessed land. The rank seven hairy man Gu Immortal especially mattered. His existence meant Lang Ya had methods to cultivate, protect, or maintain hairy man immortals beyond what ordinary outsiders imagined.
This was another future negotiation direction.
These hairy man Gu Immortals might have refinement path methods, formation knowledge, Gu House maintenance experience, or inheritance fragments related to Long Hair Ancestor's true foundation. Fang Ming did not need emotional connection with them. He only needed to know they existed, what they could do, and how their existence changed the value of Lang Ya blessed land.
Qin Bai Sheng opened his eyes.
Instead of disappointment, a smile appeared on his face.
"To receive the protection of so many hairy man Gu Immortals, it seems this truly is Lang Ya land spirit."