Several months later.
Fang Tian crashed onto the ground while looking with disbelief at the group of four-limbed scorpions chasing him. It was not the number of the group that troubled him, but rather that giant scorpion buried in the sand.
That scorpion was a newly advanced beast emperor, and its strength was not particularly remarkable. However, for Fang Tian—who was currently only at the upper stage—this was a great challenge. Even with his wood path cultivation, he could barely compete against it.
"That bastard possesses a Gu that binds me to the ground. I have no choice but to take the risk and deal with him."
Fang Tian sighed in exhaustion and used Gray Vine Gu to kill the four-limbed scorpions rushing toward him. These scorpions were roughly the size of dogs. With only four limbs extending from their sides, they moved relatively slowly and clumsily, but their pincers were extremely sharp and could cut through rock.
Fang Tian did not underestimate these ordinary beasts when they possessed such overwhelming numbers. However, he had a vast amount of primeval essence, and with his side cultivation in the strength path, his body was extremely sturdy—even their sharp limbs could not scratch him.
Thousands of gray vines lashed toward the scorpions, killing many of them, yet more quickly replaced their fallen companions. At the same time, the troublesome beast kings rushed forward, carrying all kinds of strange Gu worms, and began attacking intensely. Their attacks shattered against the slender tips of the gray vines and destroyed them, which greatly increased Fang Tian's expenditure of primeval essence.
Fang Tian was not displeased by this. Instead, he stomped on one of the hundred-beast kings, flattening its body against the ground as he leapt toward the four-limbed scorpion emperor.
"That wretch is the one controlling and organizing this group. All I have to do is smash his face until he is severely injured and he will retreat, leaving me alone!"
Fang Tian smashed another beast king with a punch as he charged up the sandy hill to confront the beast emperor. He was not fully using wood path methods. Instead, he preferred relying on strength path techniques that consumed little primeval essence against these ordinary beast kings. However, from time to time he had to reveal one of his trump cards to disperse the massive numbers of four-limbed scorpions.
The ground trembled beneath him when a ten-thousand beast king, the size of a small hill, lunged toward him while waving its sharp limbs. Fang Tian jumped backward and spat from his mouth a river of thorny pine, which crashed into the four-limbed scorpion and swept it along. The scorpion resisted fiercely and secreted a black liquid from every part of its body, destroying the river of pine and freeing itself from suppression.
But in the next moment Fang Tian descended with a thunderous punch. The phantom of a massive boar appeared, charging forward with overwhelming force. The punch struck the middle of the scorpion's head, and the chitin dented under the terrifying power of the crushing fist. The beast collapsed unconscious on the spot.
Fang Tian fought many beast kings along the way and suffered numerous injuries, but he managed to reach the beast emperor. This scorpion was jet black, with four limbs extending from its body that pierced the ground like pillars, supporting a body the size of a small mountain.
Fang Tian exhaled in exhaustion while dodging a mass of sand that erupted beneath him, attempting to pin him down. However, he had already leapt into the air. He brought his hands before his chest, then spread them forward, revealing a small fruit resembling a prickly pear.
Within seconds the fruit transformed into a tree, and from this tree burst forth thousands of thorny vines like hungry serpents. Each vine-serpent was as thick as a water basin, and their numbers were enormous. The vine serpents surged forward, tearing apart the beasts surrounding the beast emperor.
After several minutes, the wounded beast emperor retreated along with the remnants of its horde, leaving behind Fang Tian—who had lost an arm, half a shoulder, and chunks of flesh beneath which bone was exposed.
Fang Tian groaned in pain and activated Recovery Willow Gu, then limped away from the battlefield that was now covered with thousands of scorpion corpses.
"After several months, my cultivation has still not recovered and I have only reached the upper stage… But it doesn't matter. The Northern Plains are still very far away. Even if I travel along the regional walls, it will still require a great deal of time. Moreover, the method given to me by the land spirit becomes less effective as my cultivation rises. I must use it repeatedly, but in the end I will run short of some Gu worms, and then I will have no choice but to rely on simpler solutions."
Fang Tian did not believe that escaping death meant he could now live carefreely and free from the danger of one of the Ten Extreme Physiques. That danger still existed, though it had somewhat weakened because the land spirit had given him a killer move that removed the pressure inside his aperture for six months at rank four and two months at rank five. However, this method could not be relied upon while Fang Tian was traveling, because it required many consumable Gu worms.
The Northern Plains were his greatest opportunity. As a transmigrator, with the information stored in his mind, he knew that the method to become an immortal Gu Master lay in the Northern Plains!
This was the first time he could properly use the information he possessed and obtain tremendous benefits from it. The Northern Plains contained the Eighty-Eight True Yang Building. If Fang Tian could enter the Eighty-Eight True Yang Building, he could use his full strength to obtain an Immortal Gu of the wood path!
There was also Lang Ya Blessed Land and the true inheritance of Thieving Heaven. If Fang Tian obtained the true inheritance of Thieving Heaven, the Lang Ya land spirit would be forced to refine Gu for him three times!
The Lang Ya land spirit was a quasi-great grandmaster in refinement path. It was born from the obsession of Long Hair Ancestor, merged with heavenly power to create the land spirit of Lang Ya Blessed Land. And who was Long Hair Ancestor?
A supreme grandmaster in the refinement path! Long Hair Ancestor was known as the number one person in the refinement path throughout all ages!
Obtaining three opportunities to refine Gu from the land spirit was a divine chance. After all, the land spirit would provide the refinement resources and guarantee success when refining mortal Gu. If Fang Tian wished to refine Immortal Gu, the land spirit would still refine it—but without guaranteeing success.
"More than that, I can build a relationship with the Lang Ya land spirit like Fang Yuan did and use it to obtain great benefits. The land spirit possesses many unmatched true inheritances… And with those immortal materials, I can make the land spirit rely on me and improve my relationship with it."
A wise man does not plan only one step ahead—he plans ten steps ahead. Fang Tian was still a mortal Gu Master, and the chance of becoming an immortal Gu Master soon was extremely small, yet he was already laying out his plans.
"Alright. My injuries have healed. This time I should fly at a greater height, otherwise I might provoke the wrath of some beast group."
Wooden wings appeared from his back, striking the ground and lifting him into the air. Fang Tian had already become accustomed to flying and had reached an impressive level, though there was still a gap between him and the attainment of a quasi-master.
The reason for his rapid improvement was that he relied almost entirely on flying during this journey. Flying was an extremely fast and flexible way to travel long distances, and no obstacles could block his path.
"But at most, after two years of flying like this, I will become a quasi-master in flying. At that point, flying will become part of my combat style."
Fang Tian interrupted his thoughts and looked at the ground below. He was now hundreds of meters in the air and could see the sandy land beneath him. Sand dunes stretched as far as the eye could see, while the wind gradually shifted them.
He also noticed the outline of a small oasis, around which several human villages lived. He decided to descend there and rest. There were only a few Gu Masters, and the strongest among them was merely rank three initial stage, which posed no threat to Fang Tian.
Fang Tian descended like a meteor. The wind roared loudly, attracting the attention of all the humans and the few Gu Masters around the oasis.
"Is that a bird falling from the sky? Why is it so loud?"
"No, it looks like a Heavenly King—look, it has a human shape!"
"What? A Heaven King?! Run, run!"
The ordinary humans fled in fear, while the Gu Masters remained and gathered in small groups, surrounding Fang Tian as he crashed onto the ground. His landing created a powerful shockwave. The weaker Gu Masters staggered, while the more experienced ones remained steady and looked at Fang Tian with terror.
They had sensed the aura emanating from him and could tell that he was a rank four Gu Master!
"Ah, sir… what brings you to our small oasis?"
One of the Gu Masters asked Fang Tian with extreme humility, nearly kneeling from how respectful he was. After all, the man before him was rank four while he himself was only rank two. Furthermore, Fang Tian's mysterious appearance added to the intimidation—his face was hidden with a green cloth, and he wore a traditional Western Desert white headband.
His green robe embroidered with bronze fluttered in the wind, giving him the appearance of an unrestrained expert.
"Where is the leader of that rank three monkey? Hurry and prepare food and lodging for me before I decide to wipe you all out."
"As you command, senior!"
The Gu Master immediately rushed to arrange everything Fang Tian requested, while the others gathered together, staring at him with fear.
Fang Tian sighed and walked past them, following the Gu Master who hurried ahead to prepare his residence.