Chapter 164: Even in Death, They Remain Useful

"This is..."

The moment Wen Ye accepted the Lengshan Grass leaf, he immediately sensed that it was no ordinary item.

A cool, refreshing aura seemed to pierce straight into the center of his brow, causing his entire body to tremble.

Even his mind, which had grown somewhat sluggish after living for over a hundred years, felt as though a withered tree had met the spring once more. His thoughts became clear and lively again.

"This is far too precious."

As he spoke, Wen Ye immediately took out an exquisitely crafted wooden box and, with the utmost care, stored the leaf close to his body.

Fang Han added a few final instructions regarding its use.

"If you encounter an emergency, ignite the leaf. Once I sense it, I'll come as quickly as possible."

After a brief pause, Fang Han changed the subject.

"May I ask, Elder Wen, approximately how many Grandmaster martial artists are there in the world today? And among them, how many cultivate by gathering spiritual qi as you do?"

Wen Ye pondered for a moment before answering truthfully.

"According to the Martial Arts Association's records from years ago, there should still be around one hundred and thirty-three Grandmasters alive today. Of those, no more than thirty percent were fortunate enough to receive heaven and earth's blessings and cultivate by gathering spiritual qi. Of course, those records are quite outdated. I've secluded myself for many years and haven't had any contact with the Martial Arts Association for a very long time."

After a moment's thought, he added, "If we include those old monsters hidden away from the world, the true number is probably even higher."

"So many?"

Fang Han was genuinely surprised.

Based on this body's original memories, anyone who had defied their innate limits and reached the Grandmaster realm was an existence as rare as phoenix feathers and qilin horns.

He had never expected that this world's total number of Grandmasters had already surpassed one hundred.

Wen Ye smiled and shook his head.

"Although entering the Innate realm doesn't restore one's youth, it usually extends one's lifespan to around one hundred and twenty or one hundred and thirty years. As for reaching the Grandmaster realm, most accomplish it before the age of sixty or seventy."

"With each generation accumulating over the course of a century, it's only natural that the total number has become quite substantial."

Hearing this, a rather unsettling thought suddenly flashed through Fang Han's mind.

"Elder Wen, under normal circumstances... after a Grandmaster dies, how is their body handled?"

The question left Wen Ye completely bewildered.

"How is the body handled? Naturally it's buried and laid to rest. How else would it be handled?"

Seeing the confusion on Wen Ye's face, Fang Han offered no explanation.

Ever since the thought had surfaced, however, it refused to leave his mind.

'Hopefully that's not the case. But...'

'This matter is too important. I'll have to verify it personally before I can be at ease.'

If Fang Han wished to turn this martial world into a steady source of Xuanhuang Qi, then the person hiding behind the scenes, using Grandmasters as living incubators, was undoubtedly the greatest obstacle standing in his path.

'This person has been planning for a very long time, and their true strength remains unknown.'

'Until I uncover their identity, it's best that I remain hidden myself. Otherwise, with the enemy concealed while I'm exposed, I'll be forced onto the defensive at every turn.'

After parting ways with Wen Ye, Fang Han shot into the depths of the wilderness like a bolt of lightning before entering the Fangcun space.

Only on the following day did he emerge once more.

It was a precaution against being tracked.

What he intended to do next would be nothing short of shocking.

For that reason, he deliberately altered both his height and appearance.

Rather than leaving Guangze City, Fang Han quietly slipped into a solemn cemetery on the outskirts under the cover of night.

"Over the past century, besides Wen Ye, Guangze City has produced three other renowned Grandmasters."

"One of them was Senior Qiu Du. His resting place is here."

Although Qiu Du had been dead for decades, his grave had not been neglected. There were still caretakers watching over the cemetery.

Fang Han patiently waited until deep into the night.

Once silence had settled over everything, he no longer hesitated and quietly dug open Qiu Du's grave.

With a dull scraping sound, the heavy coffin lid slowly slid aside.

Under the dim moonlight, the scene before him perfectly confirmed his suspicions.

The coffin was completely empty.

Grandmaster Qiu Du's corpse had vanished without a trace.

Fang Han remained silent for a long moment before restoring the grave to its original state.

Then, moving like a ghost through the darkness, he headed toward the tomb of another deceased Grandmaster in Guangze City.

The result was exactly the same.

The coffin had been opened, yet not a single bone remained.

"Is this only happening in Guangze City... or..."

To be absolutely certain, Fang Han traveled to several neighboring cities as well.

Over the course of just a few days, he dug open a total of seven Grandmaster graves.

Without exception, every one of those once-famous experts had vanished completely. Their remains had disappeared from the world as though they had never existed.

"Interesting."

Only now did Fang Han begin to take this world seriously.

Ever since arriving in this martial world, he had never truly regarded it as a threat.

After all, the level of the Great Qian world far surpassed this one, and his puppet body existed beyond life and death.

It was only after uncovering clue after clue that he gradually became aware of the existence of the hidden mastermind.

"Grandmasters serve as spiritual qi incubators while alive. Even after death, their corpses continue to be exploited."

"The one orchestrating all of this from the shadows is truly a formidable figure."

"Unfortunately for them..."

"They ran into me."

'An Otherworldly Celestial Demon.'

Rather than feeling the slightest fear, Fang Han found himself growing inexplicably excited.

A game that was too easy quickly became boring.

Only with a worthy challenge did conquering it become truly satisfying.

Over the next month, Fang Han traveled without pause, visiting more than a dozen gathering points of Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi according to the strength of the aura he sensed, starting from the weakest.

Just as Wen Ye had said, some of these sites were occupied by Grandmasters cultivating through gathered spiritual qi, while others contained spiritual beasts or spirit plants.

Whenever he encountered a Grandmaster, Fang Han would exchange pointers with them.

As for spiritual beasts and spiritual plants...

He claimed every single one of them without the slightest hesitation.

However, after becoming aware of the hidden mastermind, Fang Han deliberately refrained from cultivating the Abyssal Assimilation Method.

Instead, he simply opened his body completely and forcefully absorbed as much Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi as he could.

Whatever Primordial Qi inevitably escaped during the process, he did not consider a loss.

"The Fangcun space can only store tangible objects."

"As for intangible things, only Xuanhuang Qi of Heaven and Earth can enter it. Energies such as Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi cannot be stored within. Otherwise, none of this would be necessary."

"I wonder where the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi of this world is actually disappearing to."

"Logically speaking, as I continuously release the Primordial Qi accumulated within these gathering points, the overall concentration of Primordial Qi throughout this world should gradually rise..."

Yet Fang Han sensed no increase whatsoever.

He even returned to Cuiling Lake.

The surroundings had completely returned to normal.

Every trace of the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi that had previously leaked out had vanished without a trace.

The entire martial world resembled a bottomless abyss riddled with invisible leaks.

Some unseen and terrifying chasm was greedily and relentlessly devouring every strand of Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi that escaped into the world.

For the time being, however, Fang Han had no way of locating where all that Primordial Qi was ultimately disappearing.