61 The Beginning of Beiyuan, The Fateful Encounter

The Corrupt Poison Grassland is perpetually shrouded in dark clouds, where the sun never shines.

Even during the day, the entire grassland is engulfed in gloom, with thick clouds blocking the sunlight.

Purple toxic mist drifts through the air, and creatures that breathe it in for long periods will be poisoned. This environment is naturally unsuitable for most life forms.

However, there are exceptions. This environment is more suited for poisonous plants and venomous beasts to thrive.

On the slightly decaying land, a large number of poisonous plants grow, and the Toxic Tusk Wolf pack roams freely, becoming the dominant species in the Corrupt Poison Grassland.

The deeper one goes into the grassland, the denser the poison mist becomes, and the greater the danger.

In the central area of the Corrupt Poison Grassland, hundreds of Toxic Tusk Wolves are wandering.

The Toxic Tusk Wolf King squints his eyes, surrounded by the pack, enjoying the company of several female wolves as they nuzzle each other, occasionally growling.

At this moment, a sudden intense blue light flashes among the wolves.

The Toxic Tusk Wolf pack, struck by this light, shuts its eyes and retreats, breaking the peaceful scene.

Several female wolves, frightened, retreat behind the Wolf King.

The Wolf King, whose amusement was interrupted, glares at the sudden blue light, his eyes filled with a mix of confusion and fear, but he remains silent for a moment.

Howl!!!

Once the blue light fades, a human male appears. The Toxic Tusk Wolf King, enraged, lets out an angry roar.

The hundreds of wolves around it shake off their fear, and like arrows, they charge toward the intruder.

The pack splits into two sides and surrounds the man, quickly closing in. The tusks on either side of their heads stand tall, signaling that they are ready to fight.

"Has Beiyuan arrived?" With bare feet on the grass, Fang Yuan quickly surveys his surroundings.

"Hmm? Wolves?" Upon hearing the howls, Fang Yuan squints his eyes and spots the Wolf King within the pack.

Before Fang Yuan can react, the Wolf King snarls and suddenly leaps into the air, its mouth wide open, sharp teeth like knives aimed at Fang Yuan's neck.

The movement is so fast that its body turns into a shadow as it pounces on Fang Yuan.

"Hmph, a mere Beast King..." Fang Yuan's eyes flash with sharp light, and he extends his hand, sending forth a golden dragon.

Fourth turn, Golden Dragon Gu!

Roar!

The four-clawed golden dragon roars, claws outstretched, flying directly into the Toxic Tusk Wolf King's body.

The Beast King's bones are shattered instantly, like a broken sack, thrown out and landing on the ground with a pitiful howl, struggling but unable to rise.

Fang Yuan frowns slightly and summons another golden dragon, finishing off the Wolf King.

The foreign suppression from Beiyuan makes Fang Yuan's fourth-turn Golden Dragon Gu only able to unleash the power of a third-turn Gu worm.

If this were in the Southern Wilderness, a single strike from the Golden Dragon Gu would have shattered the Wolf King. But in Beiyuan, it takes two hits to finish it off, leaving the Wolf King's body intact.

With the Wolf King dead, the pack collapses, and in just a few breaths, they scatter out of Fang Yuan's sight.

Watching the wolves disperse, Fang Yuan calmly retrieves a black, tight-fitting battle suit from his Gu worms.

After putting on the suit, he approaches the Wolf King's corpse and searches it, but finds nothing.

Looking at the Poison Liquid Gu and Wolf Fang Gu fragments in his hand, Fang Yuan shakes his head in disappointment.

This wolf only had these two second-turn Gu, no defensive Gu, no wonder it was so easily killed.

"If only there was a Wolf Taming Gu, even a second-turn one..." Fang Yuan sighs, then stands up and heads deeper into the Corrupt Poison Grassland.

Soon, he disappears into the purple toxic mist.

At this moment, a human-shaped phantom slowly materializes at the spot where Fang Yuan had just appeared.

If one looks carefully, the figure closely resembles Qitian.

The phantom glances toward the deepest part of the Corrupt Poison Grassland, shakes its head, and vanishes into the shadows.

Not far away.

A Beiyuan girl is fleeing.

Her horse had already been killed, and her red leather boots are sinking into the muddy swamp, now feeling as heavy as if filled with lead.

Behind her, the Toxic Tusk Wolf pack is still pursuing relentlessly.

The girl is Ge Yao, the daughter of the Ge family tribe's chief. Unhappy with the marriage arranged by her father, she ran away in anger.

She intended to venture deeper into the Corrupt Poison Grassland to find Snow Willow, collect the Snow Washing Gu from its branches, and bring it back to her tribe to accomplish a great feat that would cancel the marriage.

However, shortly after entering the grassland, her mount, the Great Stomach Horse, was eaten by the Toxic Tusk Wolves, along with the Yuan Stones and provisions in its stomach. Now, the pack is relentlessly chasing her, wearing her down.

"Father, I'm sorry. I can no longer honor you..."

"I know you did this for my good, but I really don't want to marry..."

"Ancestors of Changsheng Heaven, if you are watching, please send a brave warrior to save me!"

She prays while running.

"Eh? There's someone over there!? Could it be that the ancestors in Changsheng Heaven heard my prayer and sent help?!"

Though Ge Yao lacks experience, she is well-equipped with high-quality Gu worms. Using a scouting Gu, she detects Fang Yuan's presence.

Without thinking much, she pours the last of her true essence into her third-turn Water Trace Gu.

The Water Trace Gu increases her speed drastically, nearly on par with some fourth-turn Gu.

She quickly creates distance from the wolves, leaving a trail of water marks on the grass.

"Hmm? Someone... and wolves?" A little later, Fang Yuan also notices the girl coming toward him and the wolf pack behind her.

Fang Yuan's scouting Gu is a fourth-turn, but it's one he personally refined in the Fox Immortal Blessed Land. Now that he's in Beiyuan, it's suppressed, weaker than Ge Yao's third-turn scouting Gu.

Fang Yuan squints his eyes. He didn't expect to encounter a Gu Master so soon after arriving in Beiyuan.

He had planned to keep a low profile during this trip, and since his identity isn't disguised yet, being discovered as a non-Beiyuan person would seriously impact his plans.

Clearly, the Gu Master has already detected him, and avoiding detection is no longer an option. A murderous intent flashes through Fang Yuan's mind, and he quickly makes a decision.

The excited howls of the wolf pack grow louder.

Soon, hundreds of Toxic Tusk Wolves appear in Fang Yuan's sight, with the girl who had called for help ahead.

Ge Yao looks at the figure ahead, seeing a glimmer of hope. She has expended the last of her true essence.

"Is this the brave warrior from Changsheng Heaven? Please save me!"

"I am Ge Yao from the Ge family tribe. My father is the tribe's chief. Young warrior, you saved my life, and you will receive the warmest hospitality from the Ge family."

Fang Yuan confirms the third-turn aura of Ge Yao and the strength of the wolf pack. He no longer hesitates. He stamps his foot, leaps over Ge Yao, and charges toward the wolves.

Feeling the rush of wind as Fang Yuan brushes past, Ge Yao breathes a sigh of relief but soon begins to worry for him.

"Young warrior, you can't die!" she anxiously watches the battle.

To her surprise, Fang Yuan charges through the wolf pack, knocking many of them away with each rush. The wolves that had been chasing her are now weaker than sheep under his feet.

He's fully covered in shimmering golden armor, occasionally summoning a golden dragon that sweeps through the wolves. Despite the large number of Toxic Tusk Wolves, they cannot subdue him.

He is ferocious and fearless, his fighting style incredibly bold. Every punch and kick shatters the sound of wind. His immense strength leaves the wolves with shattered bones, falling to the ground, unable to rise again.

Not only that, he battles the Wolf King, and the fierce Wolf King is no match for him.

After a moment, Fang Yuan suddenly explodes, delivering a beastly strike that shatters the Wolf King's spine.

With the Wolf King's fall, Fang Yuan sends out another golden dragon, causing the remaining wolves to scatter.

Only then does Fang Yuan search the Wolf King's body and find the Acid Water Gu and Poison Needle Gu, both second-turn Gu.

This time, Fang Yuan's method of killing the Wolf King was gentler than before, without destroying the Gu worms. Unfortunately, there were still no Wolf Taming Gu.

Releasing the immortal Gu aura, he instantly refines the two Gu worms. While they're of little use, they are still his earliest gains from Beiyuan.

After collecting the Gu worms, Ge Yao is still stunned, her mind filled with images of Fang Yuan's heroic figure.

Waking her from her daze, she blushes and her heart races.

But soon, she recovers, displaying the passionate nature of Beiyuan women, her eyes fixed on Fang Yuan.

"Are you the hero sent from Changsheng Heaven to save me?"

"I am Ge Yao from the Ge family tribe. My father is the chief. Young warrior, you saved my life, and you will receive the Ge family's most enthusiastic hospitality. Oh, may I ask your name?"

Fang Yuan laughs heartily. "Beautiful grassland maiden, you can call me Changshan Yin. Changsheng Heaven is where the great Yang Immortal resides; how could I come from there? I'm just an ordinary Gu Master."

"Changshan Yin, your name sounds familiar. Are you from the Chang family tribe? But from your attire, you seem to be an outsider. Are you from the Eastern Sea, Central Continent, or Western Desert?" Ge Yao asks curiously about the stranger who saved her.

Fang Yuan's killing intent grows stronger, but on the surface, he remains kind and amiable. "I'm from Beiyuan."

Thus, the story of the naive family girl and the deep schemer begins.

Afterward, under Fang Yuan's manipulative tactics, Ge Yao eagerly agrees to accompany him deeper into the grassland.

In less than half a day, Fang Yuan understands the girl's background thoroughly, his killing intent unrelenting. But to make use of her third-turn combat strength, he keeps everything hidden.

From their meeting, it's clear that the girl's tragic fate is sealed.

And the only witness to all of this is the ever-present phantom, which doesn't seem to care much about these events.

It has more important matters to attend to!