A short while earlier...
Fang Yuan, seated in meditation and recovering his primeval essence, glanced at the 14 Abomination Gu within his aperture and nodded to himself.
'These Abomination Gu serve two purposes,' he thought. 'First, they can absorb any damage inflicted on the Gu Master—whether physical, mental, or soul. Second, they can self-destruct in an explosion as powerful as a Gu Master's own self-detonation. When fueled with immortal essence, the explosion becomes even more devastating.'
Once his primeval essence was restored, Fang Yuan stood up and stretched. Then, getting into a runner's stance, he activated his Invincible Steps Gu.
Boom!
As his foot struck Dang Hun Mountain, a powerful shock jolted his soul. However, the impact was swiftly transferred to one of the Abomination Gu, which only showed a faint crack in response. Covering massive distances with each step, Fang Yuan surged forward—passing over a hundred disciples in under a minute. Despite the high speed, the Abomination Gu sustained little damage. Pushing himself harder, he accelerated further.
Within another minute, he sped past Bai Ning Bing, who could only stare in disbelief and horror.
A minute after that, he overtook Feng Jin Huang.
She caught sight of his running figure and shouted, "Who?!"
But Fang Yuan paid her no attention, focused solely on his sprint.
After twelve minutes of intense running, he finally stopped—not because of injury or damage, but simply because he had exhausted his primeval essence. Though he'd only ascended about 1% of Dang Hun Mountain, he sat down and began cultivating once more.
Inside his aperture, one of the Abomination Gu now bore a faint crack—evidence of the immense shocks absorbed during his climb.
....
"This... This is impossible."The Gu Immortals in the sky erupted in shock, their eyes fixed on Fang Yuan's figure as he overtook Feng Jin Huang and many others with ease.
He Feng Yang let out a deep sigh and said, "I need to contact someone. I'll be taking my leave."With that, he turned and departed swiftly.
"I also need to inform our sect," Bai Qing added before flying off in a hurry.
One by one, the other seven Gu Immortals followed suit, each intent on reporting this unexpected development to their respective supreme elders.
They could no longer ignore it—this unknown individual had managed to surpass Feng Jin Huang in just a few hours.
The competition was originally expected to last over a year, but judging by this young man's pace, it now seemed he could reach the top of the mountain in just a few months.
If nothing interfered, they feared the inheritance of the Hu Immortal Blessed Land might fall into his hands.
That's why all of them left—urgently—to alert their higher-ups about this growing threat.
...
"Father, Father!"
"My aptitude has reached 90%!"
"I feel like I'm close to breaking through to Rank 2!" Shang Xin Ci exclaimed, her face full of joy as she sensed the changes in her body and excitedly shared the news with her father.
Over the past three years, she had primarily relied on Relic Gu to advance her cultivation. With her D-grade talent, she had remained stuck at the peak of Rank 1 for the past year.
But today, everything changed — she had been given Dragon's Blood, which instantly boosted her aptitude to an astonishing 90%.
Shang Yan Fei smiled warmly at his daughter and said, "Ci'er, that's truly wonderful news."
"Father, have you discovered where the benefactor might be?" Shang Xin Ci asked.
Shaking his head, Shang Yan Fei kept the smile on his face. "Don't concern yourself with that right now."
"In a few days, I'll make the necessary arrangements for you to break through to Rank 2."
"But keep this quiet — tell no one."
"Just focus on your cultivation." With those words, he turned and left, avoiding a direct answer to her question.
Shang Xin Ci didn't press the matter. She devoted her free time to cultivation while continuing to manage business affairs within the Shang Clan.
Once outside her room, Shang Yan Fei's expression darkened. In an instant, his figure vanished like fire and reappeared in his own private chamber.
On the table inside, a piece of paper lay flat — a bounty notice featuring a young man's image, with a reward of a million primeval stones.
It was Fang Yuan.
Shang Yan Fei picked up the paper, crumpled it tightly in his hand, and burned it to ashes.
A few months ago, an envoy from the Tie Clan had come to meet Shang Yan Fei and informed him of the situation.
At the time, he had suspected that the Tie Clan might have placed the bounty themselves. However, without a clear image of the man's face, it was impossible to confirm his identity. The only person who had ever seen the target up close was his daughter, Shang Xin Ci — and he was unwilling to drag her into the matter. So, he chose to let it go.
But that decision led to a grave mistake.
Not only did it result in personal humiliation, but even their Gu Immortal had been deceived by this mysterious individual.
Whenever Shang Yan Fei recalled that incident, fury would rise within him like an uncontrollable blaze.
"The Shang Clan will not forget this disgrace," he muttered, eyes blazing with fury.
....
"Lady Tie Ruo Nan, you truly are a prodigy blessed by the heavens."
"You've already reached Rank 4 Initial Stage, and you're not even twenty yet."
A young Gu Master spoke with admiration as he watched Tie Ruo Nan stand tall, having just defeated a Demonic Gu Master with a perfect blend of cunning and sheer power.
Tie Ruo Nan, dressed in a flowing robe of black and white, shook her head slightly.
Her expression remained calm, yet determined.
"Tie Mu, I'm still far from strong enough."
"If I want to kill the one who took my father's life, I need to reach Rank 5." Her tone sharpened.
"Stop flattering me every day. Focus on your own cultivation."
"You're nearly thirty, yet you're still only at Rank 3 Upper Stage."
Tie Mu gave a long sigh.
"We've received word... the 'Demon King' has left for the Central Continent."
"Who knows if we'll ever get our chance for revenge."
In an instant, a cold blade was at his neck.
Tie Ruo Nan's chilling voice echoed beside him:
"No matter where he goes, no matter where he hides..."
"Even if he deceives the Shang Clan, joins a great sect, or vanishes from the world..."
"One day, he will die by my hands."
Her eyes turned toward the distant Central Continent.
She muttered softly, almost to herself:
"Fang Yuan... the Demon King. Who knows how much blood he'll spill there."