— — — — — — — —
"We can't."
At that moment, Ba Gui appeared, his face pale and streaked with tears. He looked utterly distraught. "It's no use! The loss of immortal essence is too great. Killing them will drain everything, and there won't be enough left to complete the Gu refinement."
"Besides," he added, his voice trembling with sorrow, "it's already too late. The blessed land is riddled with holes. It's going to collapse entirely."
Ba Gui's obsession with completing the second aperture Gu was so intense that he never even cared about his own survival.
"Young man, you made a fatal mistake in your calculations! The Immortal Gu refinement has failed!" the land spirit howled, its grief palpable.
"No," Fang Yuan said, a sudden smile curving his lips. "The refinement isn't a failure."
Ba Gui froze mid-sob, staring at Fang Yuan like he'd lost his mind. "B-but... how?"
"We've got a different problem to deal with first. But trust me, I can refine the Gu."
"I have a way."
Fang Yuan's voice was calm and confident. "Follow my orders now. Seal all the attackers' Gu worms in this hall. Don't waste any more time and immortal essence."
Ba Gui hesitated. "...This—"
"I don't have any other options," he finally muttered, defeated. "I'll trust you... one last time."
Without wasting a moment, the land spirit acted, sealing the Gu worms of the Tie Clan's four elders, Tie Ruo Nan, and Bai Ning Bing.
"Fang Yuan, it's pointless," Tie Ruo Nan said coldly, her voice steady despite the situation. "Even if you kill us, the people outside will break in soon enough. You'll die anyway."
She paused, her sharp gaze locking onto him. "If you want a better fate, surrender to me. I can guarantee your life. I'm your only way out of here alive."
Fang Yuan looked at her, smiling faintly. He didn't bother to reply.
The next moment, two of the four elders were beheaded—just like that.
"W-what?" Tie Ruo Nan gasped, spinning around to witness the massacre. The other two elders followed, killed in a flash.
"Good job, Wang Xiao," Fang Yuan said calmly, addressing the man responsible for the ambush.
He had given Wang Xiao this task beforehand, knowing time was short for him to do it.
The real reason this was so easy? The elders had their entire focus locked on Fang Yuan, completely letting their guard down.
They had no idea someone else was even there. Bai Ning Bing hadn't mentioned it—not because he was hiding anything, but because he didn't know either.
Fang Yuan had planned everything in complete secrecy.
Wang Xiao glanced at the two remaining captives, knowing his mission was over. Fang Yuan had made it clear—this was his final task.
After this, he could do whatever he wanted. But for now, the agreement still bound him. To truly be free, he had to leave the inheritance ground.
"I'm leaving," Wang Xiao said flatly before storming out of the hall. All he wanted now was to return to his secret mountain and never step into the outside world again.
— — —
"..."
"You've won, Fang Yuan. Go ahead, kill us," Bai Ning Bing said coldly, his voice devoid of emotion. Beneath his calm façade, he was already preparing to self-detonate, ready to drag Fang Yuan into death alongside him.
Fang Yuan chuckled, his tone mocking. "Bai Ning Bing, didn't I tell you I'd reward you after this was over? Why would I kill you now?"
Bai Ning Bing's expression faltered slightly, but Fang Yuan didn't dwell on it. In the blink of an eye, he vanished from his spot, reappearing right in front of the dumbfounded Tie Ruo Nan.
"Oh, what's this? Scared?" he said with a smirk.
Before she could react, Fang Yuan struck with lightning speed. His palm slammed into her chest, a perfectly calculated move that shattered her ribcage and crushed her heart in an instant.
The sound of snapping bones echoed sharply, and a gruesome hole appeared in the center of her chest. Blood gushed out like a torrent, soaking her robes and splattering onto the floor.
Tie Ruo Nan's eyes widened in disbelief. Her body trembled uncontrollably as she looked down at the mortal wound. She couldn't understand how this had happened—how she, a proud Tie Clan member, had fallen so easily.
Her lips quivered as if to speak, but no words came out. Her strength was fading, her consciousness slipping away like sand through her fingers.
Her gaze met Fang Yuan's one last time. His eyes were cold, detached, and calculating, as if her death was nothing more than a trivial step in his plan. A cruel smile played on his lips, and it crushed the last shred of defiance in her heart.
Her expression shifted from shock to terror as the truth hit her—she had underestimated him. His ruthlessness, his mastery, his ability to turn any situation to his advantage—they were beyond anything she had imagined.
Her body gave out, collapsing to the ground in a lifeless heap.
At that moment, Bai Ning Bing edged closer to Fang Yuan, ready to blow himself up and take Fang Yuan down with him. But just as he was about to act, his eyes caught sight of something in Fang Yuan's hands—the Yang Gu.
"Well, here it is... the Yang Gu," Fang Yuan said casually, holding the Gu in his palm, his expression unreadable.
"You want to return to being a man so badly, huh? Sigh... If only you knew how many people actually prefer you as a woman, Ning'er," he added, his tone laced with amusement.
Bai Ning Bing froze, his mind racing.
"But," Fang Yuan continued, "I did say I'd reward you."
With that, he threw the Yang Gu toward the stunned Bai Ning Bing.
"W-what are your intentions?" Bai Ning Bing asked warily, holding the Gu as though it were a trap.
Fang Yuan's smile widened. "If I wanted to kill you or do anything else, don't you think I'd have already done it by now?"
Bai Ning Bing hesitated, his mind battling between suspicion and the temptation to use the Gu. Gritting his teeth, he finally made his decision. He activated the Yang Gu.
A surge of power coursed through him, and the transformation was instant. He returned to his original form—a man.
"...Finally," Bai Ning Bing muttered, his voice steady but filled with a mix of relief and uncertainty.
Fang Yuan glanced at him, a smirk tugging at his lips. "I don't know. You looked better as a woman."
Bai Ning Bing shot him a cold glare. "What now?"
"Nothing at all," Fang Yuan replied nonchalantly. "Just consider the Yang Gu a farewell gift. I suggest you leave the blessed land quickly, though. Things are about to get... chaotic."
Fang Yuan turned, his voice growing deeper as he added, "Maybe next time we meet, we'll stand on more favorable terms. Maybe even as... equals."
"Goodbye, Bai Ning Bing."
With that, he walked away, his figure disappearing into the distance.
Bai Ning Bing stood there alone, staring after him.
"Gu Yue Fang Yuan... you're becoming more and more impossible to understand," he muttered to himself.
He looked around, sensing the growing tension in the air. "I need to get out of here. Things are about to get chaotic, and thanks to Fang Yuan, the Tie Clan will be after me now."
Clenching his fists, he turned to leave. "I need to find a safe place. Somewhere far from all this madness."
.
.
.
.
.
.