Those words caused the other 3 Venerables to frown.
Star Constellation sighed, "It's true that we aren't able to compete with Fang Yuan in terms of wide-scale resource plundering,"
Ying Guang Xing turned to walk away, her contract always allowed her to main her autonomy whenever it had nothing to do with the battle against Heaven.
"But," Star Constellation added, making Ying Guang Xing pause in her tracks, "How much of the resources that Fang Yuan gathers get distributed?"
Ying Guang Xing replied with no hesitation, "None. Because he issues out missions with points that can be used to redeem other Gu Materials and Gu within the Sovereign Immortal Fetus Gu and the Love Alliance."
Star Constellation nodded, she had considered selling the materials back to Fang Yuan in exchange for Gu Worms but she wasn't so naive to believe that the Gu Worms that Heavenly Refining Demon Venerable made were completely untampered with.
"I can't figure out what exactly he has done to them but I have no doubt something has happened!" Star Constellation's intuition was much stronger now that she was cultivating a Dao Fruit.
It warned her against the Gu Worms that Fang Yuan was producing but she couldn't figure out what.
"Surely, you aren't naive enough to believe Fang Yuan's goal of promoting peace and prosperity in the world?"
Ying Guang Xing paused in her tracks, indeed she had doubts.
No sane person would sell Immortal Gu for anything less than another Immortal Gu unless they were in very dire situations.
For Fang Yuan to trade Immortal Gu with his subordinates was one thing, but to allow them out into the open market for others to purchase?
Impossible!
Even if the Gus he offered were less than stellar they were still Immortal Gus!
Every Immortal Gu was a 1 of 1, a unique entity, something irreplaceable.
Yet Fang Yuan had them for sale?!?!
Star Constellation smiled at the seed of doubt she implanted in Ying GuaninXing, "You need the strength of your own to protect you and your 'friend' don't you?"
Ying Guang Xing became paralyzed with doubt, she knew that Star Constellation was the wisdom Venerable.
The one who fell the attempts of 3 Demon Venerables from toppling Heavenly Court over a Million Years!
Whatever words came out of her mouth were honey-coated poison!
And yet,
"What would happen to you should Fang Yuan have a way to retrieve the Gus he 'gave' you or worse, track you using those Gu?"
"I-it wouldn't matter, the contract he swore to meant he couldn't hurt me I, we would be"
"Safe?" Star Constellation stole the words from her mouth, "Don't make me laugh, I can tell you one way for him to escape his current oath."
Star Constellation conjured a holographic image of a Dao Fruit, it was the Dao of Elements.
"All he would have to do is trade or relinquish his Dao of Elements and the contract would no longer have a bind on him."
!!!
"That's crazy! He wouldn't do-"
"Wouldn't he?" Star Constellation's smile was both alluring and intoxicating, "Think about who we're dealing with here."
Star Constellation walked up and grabbed Ying Guang Xing by the shoulders, "This is Fang Yuan we're talking about here, how many times has he shamelessly sacrificed the impossible for his goals?"
Ying Guang Xing thought back to all the exploits and times that Fang Yuan had casually sacrificed Immortal Gus, his own body and not to mention the lives of those who were close to him.
It wasn't a stretch to believe that if needed, he would give his Dao Fruit with no hesitation!
His persistence to survive, to chase immortality, was his strongest trait.
No one has craved eternity quite like Fang Yuan.
"But if I betray him I would,"
Star Constellation shook her head, "No one's saying anything about betrayal! We just want you to allow Earth to assist us that's all."
Ying Guang Xing weighed the pros and cons, and after much deliberation, "Fine. But in exchange, I want 50% of whatever Earth helps you obtain."
"20"
"40"
"35"
"Deal." the two women shook women, the glow of an oath sworn under a Dao glowed bright, and when the light faded the visage of Earth took the place of Ying Guang Xing.
"Funny, how you just assumed I would help in this endeavour of yours without consulting me." Earth gave one of those smiles that never quite reached her eyes.
Star Constellation took the smile head head-on, "Lady Earth but you know that it is of paramount importance for us to rebuild our forces."
"Heaven will bide his time in Spectral Heaven once Fang Yuan has ascended and we won't be able to just charge in there without sufficient preparation."
Star Constellation gave a small bow, "Forgive me for overstepping a bit Lady Earth."
Earth gave a slight head shake, "I'm only teasing you."
She cast her gaze towards the map of the, now defunct, Eastern Sea, "I will you as best as I can in retrieving the materials."
A light shone in her eyes, "Heaven's not the only one with tricks up his sleeve."
Meanwhile, in Spectral Heaven,
Things had proceeded mostly as Star Constellation had predicted,
The one thing she did not predict was that Heaven and Spectral Soul would attempt a counterattack!
"FANG YUAN!" Both their roars resounded across the world, the sheer fury within them was enough to send blood-curdling chills down the spines of all who heard it.
Heaven and Spectral Soul were furious, but Star Constellation was unsure of the exact reason, her intuition told her it had something to do with Spectral Heaven but in its dilapidated and ruined state it was impossible to inspect without being there.
Star Constellation had been right, the reason Heaven and Spectral Soul were livid was indeed due to Spectral Heaven.
What she could not have known was the specific reason behind it,
"You…you!" Heaven was filled with so much shock and anger at the same time that his brain was overwhelmed.
"ARGH!" for the first time in his life Heaven had been so taken aback, so filled with rage and emotion that he acted illogically and attacked the Colossal!
Dao Killer Move ------------- Chain Dao Devastation!
This was a trump card the Heaven had been saving, it was a coordinated Killer Move that made use of several Shadow Daos in harmonious unison.
The effect would have taken any Venerable by surprise and easily torn through any half-hearted defences.
Of course, no matter what move he used it would have been a mere drop in the ocean compared to the mass of moving Dao Marks, the size of an entire Region, that was the Colossal of Elements!
But even with that, the disparity between the two moves was far greater than one would expect.
That was because Fang Yuan did not just devastate the balance of Spectal Heaven, no, he completely severed its connection from Heaven and Spectral Soul!
"HAHAHAHA," Fang Yuan's laugh could be heard echoing from the Colossal's head, "You get what you deserved."
"Now," Fang Yuan's voice turned serious, "Time to die."
The Colossal raised its second hand into Spectral Heaven and the two hands pulled apart, preparing to produce a clap that would likely destroy the remaining parts of Spectral Heaven, along with Heaven and Spectral Soul.
It was then that sense and rationality returned to Heaven, "Wait wait wait."
"Let's be reasonable here," Heaven put up a strained smile, "I know what you're after."
Heaven reverted into his Yin Form to take out Fire Gu.
Spectral Soul whispered to Heaven, "What are you doing?! If you offer Fire Gu up you'll be stuck in the Yin form for good!"
Heaven cast an ugly side eye, "Better than having everything we worked for be destroyed!"
"But,"
"No buts!"
Heaven floated in front of the steel head of the Colossus, "I know you probably made a deal with Earth to kill me in exchange for Fire Gu, but I want to make a new deal with you."
"I will willingly surrender Fire Gu to you in exchange for you leaving Spectral Heaven."
The Colossus couldn't change its facial expression, but Heaven could sense the smug satisfied grin on Fang Yuan's face,
"I accept."