"Old Fang," he finally spoke up, "is there also a Heavenly Ranker behind the Starcom Consortium?"
A cold smile appeared on Fang Xia’s face. "Indeed! In my heyday, I roamed the world's brothels... cough, I mean roamed the world for several decades, encountering several qi refiners. Many of them were allied with the Starcom Consortium. They established themselves across the thirteen continents, with all factions acquiescing to their presence, and even Great Jin had to accept their silver notes. Do you really think it’s due to their neutrality and impartiality?"
"Of course not," Fang Xia answered his own question. "It's martial power! The Starcom Consortium possesses one of the world's strongest martial forces. They are at least capable of rivaling Great Jin. As for the Pleiades Guild and Ninedeaths Circle, these behemoths with thousands of years of history, there are definitely qi refiners behind them. Otherwise, they would've long been exterminated by qi refiners from opposing powers."
Wu Yuan nodded. Despite being imprisoned for over a century, Fang Xia had evidently accumulated a wealth of experiences before his confinement.
"If my guess is correct," Fang Xia continued, "the reason why the Chu-Jiang Empire was destroyed is closely related to Chu Bohong. It was this old bastard who tricked me back then."
Wu Yuan's surprise showed on his face. "Chu Bohong? The second emperor of the Chu-Jiang Empire?"
Fang Xia confirmed with a nod. "Mm, he was a sixth-stage Qi Sea cultivator. If my guess is right, he must have died long ago. If not, the Chu-Jiang Empire would not have crumbled so easily. With his death, only a handful of weaklings would be left. Even with the aid of arrays, fending off Great Jin’s Qi Sea cultivators would have been impossible. Their downfall was inevitable."
Wu Yuan understood now. These were secrets he had never known until today. "Old Fang," he asked curiously. "Why were you imprisoned back in the day?"
Fang Xia gritted his teeth, resentment simmering beneath his words. "That wily Chu Bohong told me that demonic beasts in the Fourth Eldritch Realm could be captured and tamed. He gave me three beast-taming rings and urged me to try it out. I fell victim to his deception."
"In the end," Fang Xia continued, his voice lowering, "I succeeded in capturing three beasts. Just as the five-day deadline drew to a close, everyone else departed while I was imprisoned alone."
"Just like that?" Wu Yuan questioned.
"Just like that," Fang Xia responded with a shrug. "Yet, thanks to my unparalleled talent, I managed to break through and become an eldritch mage just by cultivating the most basic ‘Eldritch Codex’. And eventually, Young Master, you arrived."
Wu Yuan was left speechless, realizing that Chu Bohong's motives for deceiving Fang Xia into capturing the demonic beasts in the Fourth Eldritch Realm were likely more complex than they seemed. However, the events of the past were now distant memories, and the Chu-Jiang Empire lay in ruins.
Yet, there was a silver lining in Fang Xia's imprisonment. If he had spent the past hundred years in the world outside, he might not have advanced to the eighth-stage Qi Sea phase.
"Old Fang," Wu Yuan asked. "What should we do about these two threats?"
Fang Xia delivered a single, resolute word, "Eliminate."
Wu Yuan regarded Fang Xia skeptically, "Old Fang, how are you going to withstand so many powerful forces by yourself?"
It wasn't that Wu Yuan lacked faith in Fang Xia. However, Fang Xia had been cultivating in seclusion the whole time, lacking experience in real combat. He might not have any powerful artifacts either. Could he withstand the onslaught of the various major factions? After his battle with Jin Qing, Wu Yuan came to a profound realization: one’s overall combat power was a combination of one’s personal strength and also the artifacts one possessed.
"Do you doubt me, Young Master?" Fang Xia asked, his agitation evident. "Years ago, I fought tirelessly, often outnumbered two to one, sometimes even three or four..." As caught sight of Wu Yuan's doubtful gaze, his voice trailed off.
"Young Master, whether it's Great Jin or any other force, their primary target will undoubtedly be Cloudhill," Fang Xia changed the subject.
"Mm," Wu Yuan nodded.
"In Cloudhill, there lies an immortal relic. Are you familiar with it?" Fang Xia inquired.
"I've heard of it," Wu Yuan replied.
"Our priority should be to return to Cloudhill as swiftly as possible," Fang Xia grinned.
"Once I utilize that immortal relic as the foundation for an eldritch array, I’ll be able to hold off anyone below the Golden Core phase. In fact, if a ninth-stage Qi Sea cultivator falls into the trap, they might not make it out alive," Fang Xia spoke solemnly.
"Is it really that powerful?" Wu Yuan was taken aback.
"When it comes to direct combat, eldritch warriors are far stronger than us eldritch mages," Fang Xia shook his head. "However, we eldritch mages study everything: eldritch gu blood arts, poisons, arrays, medicinal pills, and more. We dabble in them all."
"When it comes to arrays, only a ninth-stage Qi Sea cultivator who has cultivated a lifebound diagram array can surpass me," Fang Xia stated confidently.
Wu Yuan nodded faintly. Upon reflection, it made sense. After all, Fang Xia had been systematically trained by the realm master, and should have received a complete cultivation method. At the very least, when holding the geographical advantage, defeating a group of loose cultivators from the Middle Land shouldn’t be a problem.
“Old Fang,” Wu Yuan said suddenly. "What if a Golden Core Superior emerges from Great Jin or some other faction?"
"Don't worry, Young Master," Fang Xia replied with a serious expression. "I, Old Fang, will definitely accompany you on your journey."
"What journey?" Wu Yuan asked.
"The journey to the netherworld!" Fang Xia declared.
Two hours later, about 300 li from Jiexian Mountain, darkness enveloped Yangxu County City.
In a large courtyard, a few individuals patiently waited.
"Rain Hierarch, when will Senior Shadow Blade arrive?" Gu Wang, dressed in black robes, whispered with a touch of worry on his face. "We've been waiting for quite some time. By right, Senior Shadow Blade should have arrived earlier than us.”
"Don’t worry," Bu Yu softly said.
Suddenly, the lights in the courtyard distorted, and two figures gradually appeared. This sight caused Bu Yu, Gu Wang, and Zhang Changsheng's expressions to change subtly. They hadn't sensed anything at all.
The first figure had handsome features and wore a green robe. The other figure wore white robes and held a reed fan, exuding an otherworldly aura.
"Wu Yuan?" Zhang Changsheng was taken aback.
"Wu Yuan?" Bu Yu and Gu Wang echoed, equally surprised that Wu Yuan had chosen to show up in his original appearance.
But their attention was immediately captivated by the middle-aged man in white robes standing before Wu Yuan. With an air of divinity surrounding him, everyone was immediately spellbound.
Wu Yuan cleared his throat. "Rain Hierarch," he said lightly. With that, the people in the courtyard finally regained their senses.
“Wu Yuan, this gentleman is?” Bu Yu asked softly. The white-robed man’s presence filled her with an overwhelming sense of dread, causing warning bells to go off in her head. Her gaze unconsciously gravitated towards him.
"This is Ancestor Fang Xia," Wu Yuan announced solemnly.
Bu Yu, Gu Wang, and Zhang Changsheng were all taken aback. Fang Xia? Of course, they knew of Fang Xia. Bu Yu had known that name ever since she was a child!
"That’s right!" Wu Yuan continued, understanding the confusion running through the trio's minds. "This gentleman is the Cloudstride Sect's greatest ancestor, Fang Xia."
"He has been trapped in the Chu-Jiang Immortal Realm until I stumbled upon the Eldritch Chamber and inadvertently released him," Wu Yuan revealed.
"Master Fang Xia has now become an incredibly powerful qi refiner," Wu Yuan emphasized. "He possesses the strength to vie for the title of the world's number one expert."
These were the words agreed upon by Wu Yuan and Fang Xia beforehand, which carefully avoided any mention of eldritches or Wu Yuan's new identity.
However, Fang Xia insisted on adding ‘the world's number one expert’ to his introduction for one simple reason: if no Golden Core Superior existed in this world, he was fully eligible to contend for the title of the world's strongest expert. Even if a Golden Core Superior were present, it was no matter. He would first inflate his own reputation, ensuring that he would receive a flood of admiration.
And indeed, his strategy proved fruitful. Bu Yu, Gu Wang, and Zhang Changsheng—all three were utterly stunned by Wu Yuan's introduction. Grandmaster Fang Xia was the number one expert in the world? Instinctively, they felt skeptical. Yet, as they sensed the extraordinary aura emanating from Fang Xia, their doubts began to dissipate.
"Bu Yu pays her respects to Ancestor Fang Xia," Bu Yu was the first to bow. "I beseech Ancestor to save the sect from its current crisis."