"Come."
Fang Yuan's voice was calm, indifferent—like a winter breeze over a battlefield.
From the depths of his aperture, a twisted entity emerged: a grotesque Gu bearing the distorted face of a woman. Her features were lifeless, as if sculpted from the final screams of the damned.
Without hesitation, he retrieved three Copper Green Relic Gu from his second aperture and cast them into his first aperture.
In a breath, his cultivation surged—Rank 1 Initial Stage to Peak Stage—as naturally as water flowing downhill. But no excitement crossed his eyes.
Just then, the abomination twisted, coiled, then sprayed a jet of viscous green liquid toward him.
But the fluid did not stain his robes.
It did not even harm his body. Instead, it shimmered—phasing through flesh, mind, and soul, piercing directly into his aperture.
A shudder ran inside his first aperture as aperture walls cracked.
His cultivation crossed into Rank 2 Initial Stage.
Fang Yuan remained still, cross-legged beneath the moonless sky, eyes like cold stars. He consolidated his new realm with eerie precision.
Then, again—three Red Steel Relic Gu. Another leap, to Rank 2 Peak Stage.
Another burst of green venom from the woman's mouth. Once again aperture walls shattered.
Rank 3.
The night deepened.
But... he did not stop.
...
Knocks echoed on the wooden door, sharp and urgent, slicing through the morning stillness.
A guard's panicked voice came from outside.
"Tribe leader! The Man tribe has launched a full assault—they've already broken into the Ge tribe's camp!"
Inside the dimly lit chamber, Fang Yuan sat cross-legged, unmoving.
His eyes opened slowly—two cold stars glinting in a void of calm calculation.
He glanced inside his aperture.
He advanced from Rank 1 Initial Stage to Rank 5 Initial Stage—in a single night.
As he refined three Purple Crystal Relic Gu, a flash of light appeared inside his aperture.
His cultivation rose to Rank 5 Peak Stage—quietly, efficiently.
Another voice from outside, more desperate now:
"Tribe leader! Everyone's waiting for you!"
Fang Yuan furrowed his brows, expressionless.
He murmured to himself, voice low and flat:
"I expected some dramatic gestures and theatrics... not a full-scale invasion."
A pause. His tone sharpened.
"So they're going all in?"
He rose to his feet, his presence suddenly heavy with quiet menace.
"Tell them to hold the line. I'll be out in a few seconds."
Footsteps hurried away.
Fang Yuan remained still, letting the silence return.
He folded his hands behind his back and stared blankly at the wooden wall, lost in thought.
"I can't reveal my strength. Not yet. Not until I ascend to Gu Immortal."
"Those tribulations that came for me last year... they weren't Heaven's Will."
"They were her doing—Star Constellation Immortal Venerable."
His gaze darkened.
"But why? I no longer possess the Spring Autumn Cicada. There's no time path signature on me in this life."
"Could it be... Dang Hun Mountain?"
"No. Too minor."
"Then only one thing makes sense."
"She must have seen my refinement path methods."
"And more importantly—she realized I seized control of Treasure Yellow Heaven… the very thing Heavenly Court wanted to inherit."
His lips curled into a faint, mocking smile.
"So that's it."
He exhaled once—calm, decisive.
"As for the Ge tribe…"
A pause.
"Pity."
There was no hesitation, no guilt on his face.
In a blink, his silhouette vanished from the chamber.
A moment later, he reappeared inside the Ge tribe's storage vault—the heart of their dwindling wealth.
His hands moved with surgical precision.
Gu recipes. Primeval stones. Rare materials.
All taken—cleanly, silently.
By the time the tribe realized he was gone, all that remained was absence.
And above them all, the shadow of a man walking a path of his own design—against Heaven, against Fate, against everything.
...
"Tribe Leader, why isn't he here yet?"
The Ge Tribe leaders' voices were tight with anxiety, their once calm composure unraveling as they fought desperately against the full might of the Man Tribe.
Even Man Tu, their Tribe Leader—a Rank 4 Gu Master—was on the battlefield, his presence overwhelming, cutting down any resistance with ruthless efficiency.
Aaghh!
Aaaghh!
The battlefield was consumed by chaos, the anguished screams of the Ge Tribe's Gu Masters echoing across the land as they fell, one after another. Their bodies littered the ground like discarded tools—sacrifices to the unrelenting tide of war.
An elder, his senses sharpened by years of experience, moved swiftly through the blood-drenched battlefield. His instincts screamed that something was terribly wrong.
He rushed toward Ge Guang's Gu House, his heart pounding.
The door was ajar. The space within, empty.
His eyes narrowed, realization hitting him like a punch to the gut.
"Damn!" The curse slipped from his lips, frustration and fury bubbling to the surface.
"That bastard… ran off."
His voice trembled with anger, but just as he turned to shout, a distant, bloodcurdling scream shattered the air.
The sound seemed to carry the weight of an inevitable doom.
His voice dropped to a whisper, heavy with resignation:
"Ge Tribe's done for."
The words felt like a death sentence.
His gaze swept the battlefield—only more screams followed.
...
"Father, it's going to be our victory."
Man Duo knelt before Man Tu, his head raised in defiance of the mounting carnage outside, his voice thick with pride and certainty.
Man Tu, the Man Tribe Leader, sat regally in a tiger-skin chair, his massive, muscular frame an imposing sight. His Rank 4 Peak Stage cultivation was as solid as the mountains themselves.
His gaze, hard and unyielding, settled on Man Duo as he spoke in a tone that was nothing less than a decree.
"The old Ge tribe leader is dead, and now Ge Guang runs like a coward. This victory is already ours."
He let the words linger for a moment, as if letting them settle like dust in the air.
"We have multiple Rank 3 experts, and even a few Rank 4. No force can withstand us."
With a slow, deliberate movement, he leaned forward. His eyes were sharp, but there was no excitement, no thrill—just a cold, precise calculation.
"Arrange a search party for Ge Guang. Find him."
His voice hardened further, each word an iron decree. "He's only Rank 3. He won't get far."
Man Duo nodded, his movements swift and obedient. With a deep bow, he exited the room.
Man Tu's gaze, however, remained fixed on the battlefield. The bodies of the Ge Tribe littered the ground like broken toys—nothing but obstacles to be cleared.
The smell of death hung thick in the air, but Man Tu was unmoved.
His thoughts remained focused.
Ge Guang's disappearance wasn't a cause for concern. The young warrior was insignificant in the grand scheme of things.
What truly bothered him was the question—why had Ge Guang fled? The Ge Tribe was weak, but Ge Guang himself had never been one to abandon his people.
Something wasn't right.
But there was no time for doubt.
Victory was in his grasp. And the Ge Tribe's fate had already been sealed.