548 Escape (1/2)
”The things they say about you?”
Black Roc's smile stiffened.
”About that...I'm not sure. All I've heard is that Your Excellency's mastery of martial arts and dream dao is matchless. A prodigy that only turns up once every few thousand years!”
”Is that so?”
Fang Yuan stared at him, eyes twinkling.
He was in fact very much aware of his own reputation. He had killed sages, which was an act of taboo as a dream master. He had also made a name for himself as a martial artist, which gave people a sense that he had been punching above his weight.
The martial artists, on the other hand, were jealous of his spectacular achievements in the dream dao.
Fang Yuan had virtually offended everyone and had thus achieved widespread notoriety.
Fang Yuan had not made things difficult for Black Roc though.
Black Roc was once a master of the illusionary divine stage but after his foundations had been destroyed, years of cultivation had all gone down the drain. He was left with only the cultivation of a dream-building master. It was a very long fall down indeed and his plight evoked sympathy.
This was the current state of most dream masters.
Unless they had a backer or switched to another discipline, they would have a very low chance of survival.
'Actually...the amount of dream elemental energy within Black Roc's body has not changed. It just lacks the direction of the dao, which is why Black Roc has been unable to utilise its full power...his current skill level is similar to that of an illusionist.'
Fang Yuan threw a glance at the Black Roc Beast and knew that if the creature had not been raised by Black Roc since young, he would not be able to control it given his current abilities.
”Mountain leader, if you don't mind, I am willing to pledge my allegiance to you!”
Black Roc was nervous as Fang Yuan eyed him calmly.
He would be an idiot if he did not choose to join Fang Yuan's ranks.
Back in the days when he was still in possession of his previous levels of cultivation, he could afford to become a lone ranger. But now, he would be courting death if he did not manage to find a backer for himself.
”Hmm...fly to Nine Extremes Mountains after you drop me off at the Heavenly Eye Lake and my men will receive you!”
Fang Yuan took out a jade token.
Fate had arranged their meeting and Fang Yuan did not mind helping a friend in need.
”I have travelled across the 99 regions and do know a thing or two about the world…”
Black Roc was eager to display his loyalty.
”Could I be of any help to Your Excellency?”
”You?”
Fang Yuan shot a glance at him and shook his head.
”No need...you may leave after you drop me off. I don't want to be held back!”
The location of the temporary headquarters of the Realm Alliance remained a secret. Dream masters of Black Roc's level would never be able to access it. Black Roc would never have thought that Fang Yuan was targeting the headquarters of one of the 5 Grand Organisations!
Even though the dream masters were weakened, it was still an unthinkable venture!
Nevertheless, Black Roc was a clever man and knew that given Fang Yuan's status, the fact that he was dealing with this matter personally meant that it was a pressing issue indeed. Thus, he dropped the matter entirely when Fang Yuan said that he did not require help. Fang Yuan was impressed with Black Roc's situational awareness.
...
The Heavenly Eye Lake had its vast waters enveloped in a fog. The waters were deep and fathomless. It was one of the Great Lakes of the Jin Region.
The headquarters of the Realm Alliance was hidden within. It was like looking for a needle in a haystack and there was no way that outsiders could trace it. Even the Black Roc felt lost when he had dropped Fang Yuan off.
The Heavenly Eye Lake had not been known to have any treasures. Why did the great Fang Yuan choose to come here?
But he understood the need for secrecy and knew better than to question Fang Yuan's decisions. He was not looking for trouble after all and left immediately.
”What a huge lake…”
Fang Yuan boarded a little canoe, which cut smoothly across the water without the aid of the wind.
”I would've gotten lost if the Ye sisters had not given me a specific address...what kind of story can I cook up for my purpose for this visit?”
After all, he was once a member of the Realm Alliance.
Even though the Realm Alliance has treated him harshly, it was not unreasonable for an organisation to haze newcomers.
Fang Yuan had killed two sages and if he orchestrated another massacre over here, his traitorous name would spread further and wider.
”Forget it, I shall conceal my identity and focus on eliminating the Ancient One...the world is in such a big mess. The demise of a True Elemental spiritual knight would not be unexpected. No one would suspect a thing.”
This was the main reason why he had taken Black Roc under his wing. He had placed a tracker on Black Roc. No harm would befall him if he followed Fang Yuan's orders and flew back to Nine Extremes Mountain. Otherwise, Fang Yuan would see to his execution.
Having decided to kill anyone who gave him away, Fang Yuan could not be bothered to put on a disguise.
The operation was supposed to be undertaken secretly anyway. In the event he was discovered, he would fight! There was nothing to hide.
The best outcome was for Fang Yuan to find out where exactly the Ancient One was conducting his closed-door cultivation. He would then kill his target and escape immediately.
If he was harder to kill or had several lines of defence, then Fang Yuan would have no choice but to reveal himself.
There was nothing personal about this. It was just inevitable that they would cross paths.
The Ancient One wanted to utilise the power of the Ancient Realm to become one with the dao again. Fang Yuan, on the other hand, wanted to harvest the energy of the Realm to boost his own abilities. Their objectives were in conflict with each other and their conflict could only be settled in a death match.
'The Ancient One is a shrewd man. He knew that the Da Qian of today is not a good place to live in...he had begun to grow and expand his farmlands so that he can surprise everyone with his progress one day!
After the sky turned dark, Fang Yuan put on white robes and came to one of the islands on the lake.
On first sight, the island was no different from the rest. However, upon closer inspection, one could see buildings and spots of light lining the shore like stars in the night sky.
”The array set up over here...it's the Nine Skies Heaven and Earth Array. Although a superb and profound array, the person who set up the array did not have sufficient cultivation, resulting in the array not being able to keep higher beings out…”