Fang Tian woke up when he sensed a change in the house-type Gu. The air now carried a strange scent. Fang Tian immediately realized that this was a summoning signal from the Gu Masters outside.
"I was truly exhausted… the parallel refinement placed great pressure on my soul. I must be careful next time, otherwise my soul might suffer serious injuries."
Fang Tian could clearly feel the drawback of possessing a weak soul. Because his soul was weak, he could not display his full abilities while refining Gu. If his soul were stronger, he would be able to continue for much longer without feeling such a burden.
"Ah… how I wish I could obtain Dang Hun Mountain. But the problem is that I'm still a mortal Gu Master, and I don't have the strength to obtain it. Also, at the moment I don't know anyone who possesses Dang Hun Mountain."
Fang Tian stepped outside the house Gu to see who had awakened him from his weary sleep. When he exited, he found several Gu Masters standing respectfully and fearfully before him.
Their leader, a Featherman, spoke cautiously and respectfully to Fang Tian.
"Lord Shao Mu, the caravan leader requests that you supervise the caravan's affairs while he attends a private meeting with the elders of the Sun clan and their clan leader."
"Is that so? Then lead the way."
The Gu Master replied with gratitude, relieved that Fang Tian had not killed him because of a bad mood.
"Ninety-Two wants me to supervise the caravan while he attends a private meeting with the Sun clan? Does he trust me this much to entrust me with such a task? Or does he fear that problems might arise in his absence, so he intends to use me to suppress the situation?"
Fang Tian leaned toward the second possibility for several reasons.
First, the Featherman Ninety-Two had already shown some caution toward the Sun clan for unknown reasons.
Second, Ling Yan's foolish attitude had revealed that they did not fully believe Ninety-Two when he claimed Fang Tian was a business partner of the Wan clan. Thus, they had decided to investigate Fang Tian themselves, showing their cautious stance toward both him and the caravan.
"I suppose I can do Ninety-Two a small favor."
This situation could greatly improve Fang Tian's impression in Ninety-Two's eyes, making the time he spent with him much easier.
The Featherman led Fang Tian to a raised platform erected in the center of the caravan's resting area. The platform stood dozens of meters high, constructed using Earth Path methods so it would remain sturdy for a long time.
At the top of the platform was a large leather chair, and beside it stood a table filled with refreshments for Fang Tian.
Fang Tian nodded in approval toward the Featherman behind him, then sat down in the leather chair, sinking into it comfortably. After finding a suitable sitting position, he activated an investigative Gu worm to monitor the situation across the caravan.
Morning had already arrived. Both humans and Gu Masters had come out to trade in the markets established around the Plum Lightning Water Oasis.
Below Fang Tian stood a large pavilion—the central market where Gu worms and rare refinement materials were being sold.
Fang Tian was not interested in any of this. However, to maintain appearances, he showed interest in some materials and asked for them to be brought to him. The surrounding Gu Masters did not object—it was not as if they had the ability to oppose a Rank Four figure.
"You, Featherman over there—what is your name?"
A young Featherman standing behind Fang Tian was startled when "Elder Shao Mu" pointed at him.
"Elder Shao Mu… I do not have a name. I am called Seventy-Four Thousand Nine Hundred and Forty-Two…"
"How boring. Why are all your names numbers? The Legends of Ren Zu speak of the pride and dignity of Feathermen, preferring death over obeying another. But you… you are far too broken."
The Featherman lowered his head in shame and did not dare look at Fang Tian's back as Fang Tian returned to observing the caravan.
No disturbances occurred within the caravan markets. The presence of a Rank Four expert acted as a powerful deterrent against anyone attempting to cause trouble.
Because of this, even the Sun clan Gu Masters restrained themselves under the psychological pressure created by Fang Tian.
Fang Tian did not hide the aura of his Gu worms while investigating certain Gu Masters. Whenever someone was targeted by his investigation, they began sweating profusely and fell to their knees.
For these Rank One and Rank Two Gu Masters, Rank Four was a realm beyond their comprehension.
After an hour, Fang Tian sighed tiredly and raised his head to see a Featherman flying using his natural wings.
This Featherman released the aura of a Rank Four peak-stage Gu Master without restraint, causing any Gu Master within hundreds of meters to raise their heads and look toward him.
Ninety-Two landed on the platform where Fang Tian sat. With a gloomy expression, he looked at the leather chair and Fang Tian, who was leisurely eating.
"Hoho, Ninety-Two! You should try this Fire Fig. It truly has an excellent taste… here, take a bite."
Fang Tian stretched out his hand and offered two Fire Figs. Ninety-Two slapped Fang Tian's hand aside and spoke bitterly.
"Those bastards from the Sun clan are extremely arrogant because they possess a Rank Five Gu Master. They also know that this caravan means nothing to the Wan clan, so they continue acting recklessly—even though their clan leader is not currently present on this side of the oasis."
"And why are you telling me this? Am I not just an outsider traveling with you?"
Fang Tian looked at Ninety-Two with indifference while taking another bite of the Fire Fig.
Ninety-Two looked at him with contempt.
"Aren't we both smart enough to understand what lies behind our words? I'm asking you to propose a solution to this situation."
"You want a solution? It's very simple. Just have the caravan pack up and leave! If the Sun clan comes after us, I'll simply stop and kill them."
Fang Tian's gaze became wild, like that of a battle maniac ready to die for a glorious fight.
Seeing his expression, Ninety-Two shook his head helplessly, as if he had lost hope in Fang Tian's intelligence.
"Come on, Ninety-Two—think about it. If we suddenly leave, it will be an unexpected move for the unprepared Sun clan. By the time they react, we'll already be far away. Only their elders will be able to catch up. In that case, you and I can suppress them. After all, their strongest member is only at the upper stage, while you and I are at the middle stage and peak stage."
"Why do you want to fight so badly? Is that what you seek? Are you insane?!"
Fang Tian could see through Ninety-Two already. He knew the Featherman had been convinced—this question was merely his final line of resistance.
"Ah, yes. Fighting is exciting and enjoyable… but it is also painful and costly. Anyone who seeks battle recklessly will die after only a few fights. But in this situation, the probability of a battle is extremely high, so I'm telling you to prepare for it."
Ninety-Two studied Fang Tian's words carefully before speaking.
"We will follow your suggestion. But you must reveal your cultivation path and specialties so we can coordinate properly. I'll start: I cultivate Cloud Path. I excel in defense and support, but my offensive methods are not particularly strong. Among peak Rank Four Gu Masters, my offensive power is considered average."
"Haha, as expected of a Featherman—if not Cloud Path or Wind Path, what else could it be? Ah, sorry, I forgot myself. Well then… I cultivate Strength Path. My offensive power is overwhelming. My battle strength corresponds to the upper stage of Rank Four, and my defense is also very sturdy. However, my movement methods are somewhat mediocre if we exclude flying."
Ninety-Two's eyes lit up as he nodded and summoned the Gu Masters responsible for managing the caravan, distributing orders.
After finishing, he flew into the air and sealed all exit routes, preventing the Sun clan's Gu Masters from approaching.
On the platform, Fang Tian laughed inwardly.
He did not enjoy sitting around waiting with the caravan, but there was not much he could do with only Rank Four cultivation. After all, bandit groups were everywhere in the Western Desert, and they were far from ordinary. Many possessed Rank Four Gu Masters, and sometimes even a Rank Five leader.
If Fang Tian encountered one of those groups while still possessing his former Rank Five cultivation, he could kill them all with a flick of his finger.
But before recovering Rank Five, he preferred to remain low-profile and safe rather than dead with regrets.
Thus, when an opportunity to leave appeared, Fang Tian seized it and influenced Ninety-Two's decision with only a few words.
Variant humans might be intelligent and spiritually gifted—but the saying "Humans are the spirit of all living beings, and Gu are the essence of heaven and earth" did not exist without reason. Humans were the most cunning and treacherous race of all.
"Ninety-Two is truly an excellent Featherman, and he surely has his own story. If I were not in such a hurry to reach the Northern Plains, I would have listened to it…"
"What are you sighing about?"
Ninety-Two had returned and questioned Fang Tian, who had not moved from the platform.
"Ah, nothing. I was just thinking that every successful person must have a wonderful story behind them."
"Unimportant things. You humans have many things to think about, while we must think about survival. Prepare yourself—the caravan has packed up and abandoned what we do not need. The Sun clan has already been alerted and is preparing to come, so we are leaving now. But you must stay behind and delay them as long as possible… I hope you understand."
Ninety-Two apologized before quickly flying into the sky to lead the caravan, leaving Fang Tian alone on the platform.
"Well, at least I performed parallel refinement on All-Out Effort Gu and Solid Qi Gu. I can still use my Strength Path battle power."
Fang Tian stood and looked at the dust cloud left behind by the rapidly departing caravan, then toward the distant Sun clan.
He could already see the figures of Gu Masters rushing rapidly toward the caravan.
"Five minutes before they reach me… for Rank Four Gu Masters, they're already here."
Fang Tian jumped with tremendous force, shattering the platform beneath him.
He immediately activated All-Out Effort Gu and punched the air with terrifying strength. A gigantic phantom of a Biao beast appeared behind him, raising its right claw with incredible speed and striking the same spot where Fang Tian's punch landed.
In the next instant, the sound of exploding wind thundered through the air, sending Sun Ling Yan flying away.
Fang Tian landed on the ruins of the shattered platform and looked calmly at the three Rank Four Gu Masters surrounding him from three directions.