Chapter 175: Gathering the Changes of the World

The list of every Grandmaster in the Martial Dao World who cultivated by gathering spiritual qi was already in Fei's possession.

The remaining ones were the targets Fang Han needed to gather and use as collateral for borrowing lifespan.

Although his negotiations with the will of the Heavenly Dao of the Martial Dao World had yet to yield any tangible results, Fang Han still felt that he had benefited immensely.

'To achieve the goal of borrowing lifespan from Heaven, collateral is necessary. But more importantly, there must be a fundamental driving force capable of persuading heaven and earth to agree to the transaction.'

'The Martial Dao World hopes to break free from the Yao World. Then what does the Great Qian World represent?'

'Or perhaps the Qian Emperor simply subdued the Heavenly Dao through inconceivable force? But if so, why use all the gold and silver in the world as collateral?'

'For something to serve as collateral, it must possess value in the eyes of the Heavenly Dao. So what special use could gold and silver possibly have in the eyes of the Heavenly Dao of Great Qian?'

Fang Han pondered for a long time, yet still could not find an answer.

Every world was completely different.

Without reaching that level, no matter how hard one racked one's brains, it was impossible to glimpse the truth hidden behind the mysteries.

It was just like the Grandmasters of this world. No matter how wildly they imagined things, they could never have anticipated the kind of hell they were actually living in.

Fang Han simply stopped wasting effort on the matter.

Instead, riding atop the strange beast Fei, he traveled throughout the Martial Dao World, rapidly gathering the various places where the primordial qi of heaven and earth had accumulated.

His efficiency was astonishingly high.

Fei could borrow the power of heaven and earth, while Fang Han's true body of Wupeng stood at the absolute pinnacle of this world.

With the two working together, most of these gathering points of primordial qi, which were already barely clinging to existence, had virtually no ability to resist.

Fang Han also encountered the enormous dark cloud that had previously gone to Tianmu City to investigate him.

Its true body was actually a gigantic cliff face covered in countless scars, seemingly remnants left behind by some ancient battle.

The cliff face was not like the Yao beasts or humans, possessing a fully developed intelligence of its own.

Yet neither was it governed by mere instinct.

Rather, it existed somewhere between the two, possessing only a vague and hazy consciousness.

Thus, when it had sensed Fang Han spying on it and perceived the threat he posed, it had decisively launched a counterattack.

It had never expected that in less than a year, the situation between them would undergo a heaven-shaking reversal.

The prey had become the hunter.

This scarred cliff face was among the strongest of all the gathering points of primordial qi.

Even with Fei and Fang Han joining forces, it took considerable effort to suppress it.

The cliff face flashed with light, instantly plunging its enemies into an illusion.

It was a scene depicting an ancient battle whose traces had been carved into the cliff face.

The specific appearances of those who had participated in the battle could not be seen clearly. Yet every time another mark appeared upon the cliff, a corresponding wound would manifest upon Fei and Fang Han.

Despite having crossed millions of years, the might contained within these divine techniques had not diminished in the slightest.

Even Fang Han's terrifying regenerative abilities after awakening his Wupeng True Body nearly failed to withstand them, and he almost perished within the illusion.

Fei's ability to preserve his life, however, made Fang Han look at him in a new light.

This ox was far tougher than he appeared.

Although the marks within the illusion carved bloody wounds across his body, causing Fei to cry out repeatedly, Fang Han could see the truth clearly.

Despite Fei's agonized howls, those injuries were nothing more than superficial wounds to him.

They could not even be considered injuries to his muscles or bones.

'The physique of a Yao beast truly is extraordinary. No wonder they were a race capable of fighting the Wu on equal terms in ancient times.'

'Fortunately, the curse that prevents them from reproducing has tempered their naturally warlike nature. Otherwise, there is no way I could have subdued him so easily.'

In less than a month, Fang Han had finished collecting all the gathering points of primordial qi.

Working together with Fei, he forcibly carved out a vast plain among the mountains near Tianmu City.

He then settled all of the gathering points there.

'I can create a spatial barrier along the boundary of the plain to prevent them from sneaking away,' Fei volunteered.

During the past month, Fei had been exceptionally diligent in helping subdue the gathering points of primordial qi.

Wherever Fang Han pointed, Fei went without complaint. He even repeatedly took the initiative to offer suggestions and devise plans.

Even so, Fang Han did not truly lower his guard.

'Either he really is simple-minded, or his mind is extraordinarily deep, capable of enduring humiliation and biding his time.'

But regardless of which was true, Fang Han was completely unafraid.

A capable subordinate who was willing to do exactly as instructed was not something one should refuse.

Fang Han slowly nodded in agreement.

He then personally witnessed Fei's process of transforming the surrounding space.

Fei let out several excited roars before shaking his head vigorously. With his horns thrust forward, he began cutting through space as easily as a blade slicing through paper, forcibly separating a portion of space from the Martial Dao World.

For human cultivators, opening up an independent space was something that could only be accomplished through supreme divine abilities.

For Fei, however, it was as effortless as eating or drinking.

What was even more astonishing was that from beginning to end, Fang Han did not sense the slightest fluctuation of the primordial qi of heaven and earth from his body.

'The innate divine abilities of Yao beasts truly are enviable. Unfortunately, Fei knows only how to use his ability without understanding its principles, so he cannot pass it on to others.'

'And this is not merely an excuse made by Fei. The entire Yao race is like this.'

'The innate divine abilities of every Yao beast are bestowed at birth and awaken naturally as they grow older. But that is where their development ends.'

'If they wish to advance further, or acquire the divine abilities of other Yao beasts, it is exceedingly difficult.'

'If the Yao race could learn like humans, gathering the strengths of a hundred schools and integrating them into one.'

'Then perhaps the ancient era would not have been a world divided among three great races.'

Fang Han thought to himself.

Ever since awakening his true body of Wupeng, fragments of memories concerning the ancient primordial era had gradually begun surfacing within his mind.

They did not contain specific events. Rather, they consisted of basic knowledge, such as the language of the Yao race.

'In a certain sense, perhaps this can also be regarded as an innate ability of the Wupeng True Body.'

Fang Han smiled wryly to himself.

'This really does remind me of the years when I struggled and fought so hard.'

Only three days later, the independent space intended to isolate and house the various gathering points of primordial qi had been completely established.

Fei continuously slapped his body with his tail, looking somewhat reluctant to stop.

"Who would have thought you could actually be this hardworking?" Fang Han raised an eyebrow.

"When the Thirteen Pastures were first established, I was ordered to come here. Back then, I was full of ambition and determination. I swore that I would accomplish something great and reverse the declining fortunes of the Yao race."

"But after all these years, I finally understood that the decline of the Yao race was inevitable. Nothing could change its course."

"When a great building is about to collapse, a single pillar cannot hold it up. Thus, the grand ambitions in my heart gradually faded, and I became increasingly lax."

"Until I met you, Great Wu!"

Fei's single eye was filled with excitement.

For a moment, Fang Han could not understand Fei's train of thought.

He asked somewhat bemusedly, "I'm practicing the method of borrowing lifespan in this world. What exactly are you getting excited about?"

Fei shook his head vigorously.

"I'm excited because I'm witnessing the transformation of a world!"

"The Yao World has been ruled by One Emperor, Four Kings, and Twelve Marquises for far too long. It has remained this way since ancient times, without the slightest change!"

"It is stagnant and lifeless, with no hope left. This is the fundamental reason why our Yao race has nearly fallen into an absolute predicament!"

"But through you, Great Wu, I have seen a glimmer of hope for change!"

"To be honest, I now rather hope that you will hurry to our Yao World as soon as possible."