"You remind me well, Old Bai, but there's no way for me to directly contact the Langya land spirit." Fang Yuan smiled bitterly. "Last time, I used up both of my chances to obtain two Immortal Gu from that old man. I was practically chased out of there. Heh heh… so I still don't have a way to contact him directly."
"I see…" The joy on Tai Bai Yun Sheng's face faltered.
The method of direct communication between two blessed lands was to use the Earth Tunnel Gu, which linked the two locations. When Fang Yuan had previously traded stone people with the Immortal Crane Sect, he had used exactly this method.
But it was clear that Fang Yuan's relationship with the Langya land spirit wasn't close enough for that.
More critically, the Fox Immortal's blessed land was in the Central Continent, while the Langya blessed land was in Northern Plains. Even the Earth Tunnel Gu wouldn't work across such distance. For direct contact, only the Star Gate Gu would do.
The Star Gate Gu came in a pair of two, but sadly, of the Star Gate Gu Fang Yuan now possessed, only one remained. The other had been destroyed by the Great Harmony Wind Curtain.
"It seems we'll have no choice but to return to Northern Plains and meet the Langya land spirit in person before we can begin cooperation." Tai Bai Yun Sheng sighed.
"No, there's another method — one that depends on luck." Fang Yuan murmured thoughtfully. "That old land spirit is obsessed with refining Gu, but he can't go out to gather refining materials himself. The Langya blessed land has a monotonous landscape with limited output, so he inevitably goes to the Treasure Yellow Heaven to make purchases. We can lie in wait, keeping watch over Treasure Yellow Heaven for the old Langya Immortal's divine thought."
"That's right, there is that method!" Tai Bai Yun Sheng's eyes lit up.
"So next, I'll need your help with this, Old Bai," Fang Yuan said naturally.
"No problem, leave it to me! I'll head back right now and open the Sky Passage Gu to connect to Treasure Yellow Heaven!" Tai Bai Yun Sheng thumped his chest, and without a moment's hesitation, was taken back to his dwelling by the land spirit.
He had chosen to settle in the western portion of the blessed land, where he had built a small cottage.
That was his temporary residence.
The Fox Immortal's blessed land bore a striking resemblance to Northern Plains. Tai Bai Yun Sheng felt perfectly at home here — in fact, he experienced a gentle, peaceful sense of belonging. He had wandered and drifted across Northern Plains for most of his life, and now that he had finally found an organization to call his own and settle down, he cherished this little haven all the more.
After sending Tai Bai Yun Sheng on his way, Fang Yuan sank into deep thought.
He had long considered seeking cooperation with the Langya land spirit. In fact, he had asked the little fox fairy to monitor Treasure Yellow Heaven days ago, watching for the old Langya Immortal's divine thought.
But there had been no results so far.
What he was contemplating now wasn't the Langya land spirit matter — it was Tai Bai Yun Sheng.
The trip to Northern Plains had been rushed and chaotic, but during these days in the Fox Immortal's blessed land, Fang Yuan had made a point of carefully evaluating Tai Bai Yun Sheng. His understanding of the man had deepened considerably.
"Tai Bai Yun Sheng is indeed a good person. He has ability, but no ambition. His cleverness is merely ordinary — more than anything, it's the wisdom accumulated over a lifetime of experience. He has no grand vision. No wonder that despite having been a former junior patriarch, after wandering for so many years with both reputation and strength, he still couldn't build any kind of faction." Fang Yuan assessed internally.
A person like this was best kept by his side. He couldn't be given free rein over any region — his leadership ability was a concern. Due to differences in temperament and philosophy, if placed too far away, not only would he fail to coordinate with Fang Yuan, he might even cause serious problems.
Over the past few days, Fang Yuan and Tai Bai Yun Sheng had spent virtually every waking hour together, and their relationship had progressed further.
During several late-night conversations by candlelight, Fang Yuan had recounted his experience of rebirth, weaving in a fabricated figure — the "True Lord of Purple Mountain." Tai Bai Yun Sheng, in turn, had shared nearly the full story of his own life with Fang Yuan.
On multiple occasions, even when Fang Yuan already had a firm plan in mind, he called Tai Bai Yun Sheng over to discuss the matter.
This might seem like a waste of time, but it was actually Fang Yuan's method of managing his subordinates.
First, it allowed him to evaluate Tai Bai Yun Sheng's talent and true character — confirming that the man's concern for him was genuine and heartfelt.
Second, by sharing his current predicament without reservation, he strengthened Tai Bai Yun Sheng's sense of belonging and responsibility.
Third, it served as an invisible form of suppression over Tai Bai Yun Sheng. Nearly every time, the final decision turned out to be Fang Yuan's approach, rejecting Tai Bai Yun Sheng's proposal. With enough repetition, this gradually conditioned Tai Bai Yun Sheng to rely on Fang Yuan, to value his opinions above his own, and to subconsciously doubt his own ideas. At critical moments, Fang Yuan could settle matters with a single word and deliver the final verdict — leaving no room for disagreements or disputes that might delay important decisions.
Fang Yuan was not Hei Lou Lan. Hei Lou Lan had a Sixth Transformation Slave Gu that could directly enslave Gu Immortals.
Fang Yuan had no such thing. But Tai Bai Yun Sheng was not Bai Ningbing, nor was he Hei Lou Lan.
Most crucially, Fang Yuan had his own methods, and he believed this: even without a Slave Immortal Gu, he could still bring Tai Bai Yun Sheng to heel, squeeze out his maximum value, and put him to use.
This was the confidence of a Demonic Path Colossus!
Central Continent, Flying Crane Mountain.
The sea of clouds stretched vast and wide, a thousand cranes dancing through the air.
The mountains were lush and green, wind sweeping through waves of pine. Fang Zheng sat upon a cliff edge, his gaze fixed intently on several thousand iron-beaked flying cranes as they circled and shifted formations according to his will. They dove in swooping arcs, split into two flanks for pincer maneuvers, then merged into circular defensive arrays.