"This formation built from Taotie fangs is truly vicious. Someone formidable must have laid it down," Fang Han said, studying the jagged archipelago with a tightening heart. "Fan Qingying may be immensely strong, but she hasn't stepped into the Longevity Secret Realm yet. There's no way she could set up something this lethal on her own. Tell me—does your 'close friend' have some ancient giant backing her?"
Yan Shuiyi shook her head. "That I don't know. We're close, but we never pry into each other's secrets. We're cultivators, not sheltered noblewomen. I've been here many times. Yes, the formation is dangerous, but it's not something you need to panic over." She gestured to the endless sea. "It's anchored in oceanic water essence. I'm the reincarnation of a Water Deity Primordial Spirit—this place can't trap me. With the Azure Sea Divine Pearl, I can leave at any time. Now be ready. I'm going to notify Fan Qingying."
As she spoke, Yan Shuiyi clapped her palms together.
Boom!
Several colossal pillars of water surged from the sea, each thousands of feet high, crystalline and radiant. They shot skyward, then detonated one after another. Thunderous water explosions echoed endlessly, their reverberations rolling thousands of miles across the ocean.
Creak—crack—
Within the Fang Archipelago, hundreds of ferocious stone "fangs" began to rotate. A clear green radiance rose slowly from among them, resolving into a woman in azure robes. Rings of luminous halos swayed behind her head like ripples of light, as if she had stepped out of a celestial painting.
Fang Han recognized her instantly.
Fan Qingying—the one who had nearly killed him before. Ranked first on the Longevity Candidate List. The foremost of the Forty Great Thieves.
The moment she appeared, an overwhelming divine sense swept outward. Blind as she was, Fan Qingying relied entirely on spiritual perception—sharper and more penetrating than sight.
Seeing Yan Shuiyi accompanied by another person, a flicker of surprise crossed her face. Her divine sense transmitted a question.
"Yan Shuiyi. Why have you brought an outsider here today?"
"Oh?" Yan Shuiyi replied smoothly. "Sister Qingying means this Ula Prince? He's a royal from the distant Ula Star, with cultivation beyond measure. An old friend of mine. As you know, the Taiyi Sect has issued a Heavenly Dao Pursuit Order against Fang Han—kill him, and the reward includes immortal pills, a mid-grade Dao Artifact, and one hundred billion pills. I thought that would interest you. So I brought a helper. With the three of us working together, Fang Han will surely die."
Her introduction of the "Ula Prince" was effortless, natural.
Fang Han played his part perfectly. With a casual wave of his hand, he channeled a portion of the Wood Daoist's power. A gigantic palm—three to four miles across—condensed from sea vapor and slammed downward.
Crash!
The ocean beneath evaporated instantly under that grasp. Moments later, torrential rain poured from the sky.
"Longevity Secret Realm… an ancient giant!"
Fan Qingying shuddered. Her divine sense locked onto the Ula Prince. She hadn't expected Yan Shuiyi to bring a being of this level. If the three truly joined forces, killing Fang Han might actually be possible.
"Not quite," Fang Han said quickly. "But I carry a talisman forged by a senior from my homeworld. It contains a fragment of his soul and can unleash roughly thirty percent of a Longevity Realm expert's power."
Fan Qingying nodded. "Then your status on Ula Star must be exceptional—for an elder to sacrifice a soul fragment to protect you. Still, Fang Han's strength has surged recently. He's survived the Wind-Fire Tribulation. If we want him dead, we'll need careful planning. Come—Yan Shuiyi, Ula Prince. Enter. I've invited several other dao friends as well. We'll discuss the pursuit together."
With a sweep of her hand, Fan Qingying drew them in.
The Taotie-fang archipelago groaned and shifted. Space itself trembled, as though the world had been exchanged for another.
Inside the formation, the scenery transformed completely.
Verdant mountains, clear waters, birdsong everywhere. Pavilions and towers nestled among clouds. White apes offered spirit fruits. It was a paradise—an immortal realm hidden within fangs of slaughter.
At the center floated a grand palace. Surrounding it bloomed dozens of massive black lotus flowers, each several acres wide. Seated upon them were forty to fifty figures dressed in black. Strange currents streamed from their mouths, coiling around the palace as if refining it.
Fang Han's heart lurched.
These weren't ordinary cultivators.
They were all God Clan—God-Lord level existences.
To outsiders, they appeared no stronger than third- or fourth-layer Divine Ability Realm cultivators. The God Clan's concealment methods were unfathomably subtle—even Longevity Realm giants could fail to see through them.
"Where did you find so many Divine Ability Realm cultivators?" Yan Shuiyi asked, puzzled. "And you're spending their vital energy to refine your palace?"
Her confusion was reasonable. Experts of the Divine Ability Realm were rare and precious. Among the Immortal Dao Ten Sects, each was a favored genius. None would ever degrade themselves into menial labor.
Even great sects needing labor would capture demon kings from the Heavenly Demons—not force their own elites to do such work.
"Heh, Sister Yan is here again? And this one is…?"
A streak of light flew from the palace. A woman stepped out, standing atop a five-colored lotus. Fang Han recognized her immediately—the Immortal-Execution Thief who had once hunted him down, a cultivator of Buddhist techniques.
"This is the Ula Prince," Yan Shuiyi said calmly. "A powerful ally I invited to deal with Fang Han."
"These black-robed cultivators," Fan Qingying explained through divine sense, "are from the Black Witch Sect of Black Witch Star beyond the heavens. They infiltrated the Xuanhuang World to plunder souls and cultivate witchcraft. I captured them all and subdued them into labor."
She continued, pride evident. "This palace—the Unending Palace—has been refined for centuries. It's now a supreme-grade treasure, accumulating power. The moment I step into the Longevity Realm and achieve an undying body, it will transform into a Dao Artifact. I'll refine these Taotie fangs into it, granting it free movement—illusory, unfixed. It could even sink into the seabed, becoming even safer."
Her tone sharpened.
"If we capture Fang Han, we don't need to kill him immediately. We can make him labor for me. Refine his flesh and blood into the palace. His half-undying body shone brilliantly at Immortal Linglong's four-thousand-year birthday banquet."
"Half an undying body?" Fang Han exclaimed in feigned shock. "That defies all cultivation logic. A Divine Ability Realm cultivator should die the moment their body is destroyed."
Yan Shuiyi almost laughed inwardly at his flawless performance—but she, too, wanted to know the truth. Without that temptation, she might never have followed Fang Han here to probe Fan Qingying's secrets.
"I know how Fang Han cultivated that half-undying body," a voice rang out from within the Unending Palace. "Please, both of you—come inside. Let's discuss the pursuit."
"Oh, that's another dao friend I invited," Fan Qingying said. "He bears deep hatred for Fang Han. Seven of his subordinates followed Prince Yi of the Great Xuan Empire to Immortal Linglong's birthday celebration. Fang Han intercepted and killed them, seizing all their wealth."
"Fang Han," Yan Shuiyi sent a mental message, exasperated. "You even rob people on the road now?"
"You'll understand soon," Fang Han replied gravely. "Everything I told you about cultivating an undying body traces back to the person speaking. Be careful. This man is terrifying—he's a calamity for both the Immortal and Demonic paths of the Xuanhuang World."
"Don't exaggerate," Yan Shuiyi began—
Then she shivered.
An inexplicable chill ran through her. She immediately gathered her mind, no longer daring to be careless.
Inside the Unending Palace, Fang Han saw him.
A man in purple robes, towering—two heads taller than ordinary men. His presence was imposing, like an ancient mountain. He was elderly, crowned with a purple diadem. When his eyes opened and closed, violet light flared. Immortal-world vitality rolled around him in vast waves.
An ancient giant.
A Longevity Realm expert.
"A Longevity Realm… an ancient giant?" Yan Shuiyi was shaken. She hadn't expected Fan Qingying to invite someone like this. Thankfully, his aura suggested only the first Longevity level—the Myriad Lifespan Realm. Powerful, but not impossibly so.
"I am an outer-domain cultivator—Daoist Hatred-of-Heaven," the purple-robed elder said with a genial smile. "Seven of my subordinates were slain by Fang Han, their wealth plundered. I didn't know the truth at first. Only after using my divination compass for three days and nights did I uncover it. That's why I came to the Xuanhuang World—to kill Fang Han."
His gaze turned to Yan Shuiyi.
"Miss Yan, I heard you spent ten million pills at the Six Paths Alliance to inquire about Fang Han. What did you learn?"
"Only that Fang Han has not yet returned to the Yuhua Sect," Yan Shuiyi replied, sitting cross-legged.
"At our first meeting, I have little to offer," Daoist Hatred-of-Heaven said. With a wave of his hand, two crystal cards flew out, landing in Fang Han's and Yan Shuiyi's palms.
Each contained one hundred million pills.
"Many thanks, Senior Hatred-of-Heaven," Fang Han said, bowing as he accepted them.
Inwardly, every nerve screamed.
This man is undoubtedly the Hatred-Heaven God Emperor—the same one the Great Harmony God King and Great Xia God King spoke of. He appears to be only at the Myriad Lifespan Realm, but God Clan cultivators are nothing like humans. They possess countless bizarre abilities—and he's definitely concealing his true strength.
What now?