BOOM! BOOM!
The ice glacier shook intensely as Lord Sky Crane carried out his attacks; he was about to break out of the ice layer in just a few seconds.
"We can't let this old geezer break free!" Fang Yuan shouted.
Bai Ning Bing couldn't speak anymore; after Fang Yuan's shout, he resolutely self-exploded one of his arm, turning it into vast amounts of frost wind. The wind swept through everything, the glacier spread and the ice layer rapidly thickened by a hundred feet.
Lord Sky Crane roared within the ice and started attacking in a frenzy.
Bai Ning Bing exploded his other arm. More ice condensed and the glacier repeatedly pressed down on Lord Sky Crane, suppressing him every time he tried to breakthrough.
Under Bai Ning Bing's meticulous control, the ice moved like an army, firmly entrapping Lord Sky Crane. Lord Sky Crane may be a Rank five Gu Master, but after killing Gu Yue first head, he was thoroughly spent. He attacked again and again, but couldn't break out in the end.
"It is actually Northern Dark Ice Soul Physique! But if you want to kill me with just this, you can keep on dreaming!" He suddenly realized and immediately activated Life-retaining Jade Burial Gu.
Green jade light came into being and covered his body. Then the rays of light turned from virtual to material, changing into a transparent jade coffin with Lord Sky Crane inside it.
This jade coffin was abnormally hard; even after trying multiple times, Bai Ning Bing was not able to put even a scratch on it. In the end, he could only add more ice layers around the jade coffin, forming an ice peak that was hundreds of feets high.
Fang Yuan had watched all this from the sidelines.
"Worthy of being a ten extreme physique!" He was impressed even though this was his second time seeing it.
Fang Yuan was standing right beside Bai Ning Bing. Right now, Bai Ning Bing had destroyed his two arms and was turning into an ice sculpture. Even his appearance was becoming indistinct as the ice slowly covered him.
Both his appearance and his consciousness were slowly dissipating. Once his consciousness fades, he would be completely dead.
As the ice layer started to spread towards himself, Fang Yuan was clear on what he had to do: It is impossible to escape by myself; I will be sealed and frozen to death by the glacier sooner or later!
"It's time." Immediately, he took out a pair of Gu worms from his aperture.
One black Gu and one white Gu were revolving around each other in an orbit, forming a light sphere of Taiji diagram.
This was the Yin Yang Rotation Gu.
"Go." Fang Yuan willed it; the black Gu immediately flew out and merged into Bai Ning Bing's ice sculpture.
Fang Yuan may just be a Rank one right now, but his aperture still contained large amounts of Rank three snow silver primeval essence which he almost used up in activating this Gu.
In the instance when the black Gu went into the ice sculpture, black light burst out everywhere; yin qi gathered from all around and formed into an energy vortex in the air. A completely new life force came into being within the ice sculpture, and started growing vigorously.
The dazzling black light dissipated; the ice sculpture cracked and broke into pieces, which then flew scattered to the surroundings.
A white gown, silver hair, intact arms, picturesque appearance with lovely blush on the cheeks; Bai Ning Bing broke free of the ice and came out!
The blizzard came to a sudden stop and the cold air also completely dispersed. The ice layer stopped a few inches from Fang Yuan, he had lived through this near death experience!
"I am really alive!" Bai Ning Bing was shocked. He looked at his pretty jade-like hands and then felt his whole body; his disbelief changed to ecstasy.
"Hahaha." Fang Yuan laughed brightly, "I used the Yin Gu of Yin Yang Rotation Gu on you, this Gu can change yang to yin and give you a complete transformation. It is a Rank four healing Gu and has the effect of bringing the dead to life. It has a weak point though, and that is—the Gu Master's aptitude will be lowered by 10% once it is used."
Bai Ning Bing possessed the ten extreme physique which was a 100% aptitude. Now, his aptitude was lowered by 10%, and was equal to Fang Yuan's 90% aptitude.
This news, to others, might have been grievious, but to Bai Ning Bing, it was joyous news.
"This feels great. My aptitude has been lowered, I no longer have the Northern Dark Ice Soul Physique. Haha, what does it matter if I only have 90%?" Bai Ning Bing started laughing loudly.
Fang Yuan, however, shook his head. "It is very difficult to change the ten extreme physiques. Although this method lowered your aptitude, as you cultivate in the future, your aptitude will also recover until the day it turns into Northern Dark Ice Soul Physique again. When that day comes, you will need to use this Yang Gu—it will turn you around again and lower your aptitude by 10%."
Upon saying this, Fang Yuan put back the Yang Gu into his aperture in front of Bai Ning Bing's dead-straight gaze.
"Yin Yang Rotation Gu all come in pairs; you have already used that Yin Gu, so only the Yang Gu on me will have any effect on you. Don't even think of stealing it, I have already refined this Yang Gu; I can easily order it to self-destroy with just a thought," Fang Yuan explained.
He only had Rank one cultivation now, but Bai Ning Bing was still a Rank three Gu Master; naturally he needed some ways to stop Bai Ning Bing from taking actions against him.
"I see, Fang Yuan, you really planned it all!" Bai Ning Bing heaved a long sigh, "What do you want from me for that Yang Gu?"
"Hahaha…" Fang Yuan laughed for a good while then turned serious, "Qing Mao Mountain has already turned into a desolate ice mountain. The three great clans along with countless living beings have all been frozen and will die within three to five days. Such a scene will definitely attract the attention and investigation of many forces.
Moreover, that old man isn't dead and has sealed himself within the jade coffin, waiting to breakout. We can't stay in Qing Mao Mountain anymore, we need to leave."
"But look at me, I only have Rank one cultivation now; I can't even take out my Gu worms, much less leave by myself. Hence, I need to rely on your strength. This world is so big, so wondrous, and Qing Mao Mountain is only a very small part of it. Follow me as I roam this land, and witness the wonders of the world!"
"It was like this! You really planned out everything. Humph!" Bai Ning Bing grinded his teeth. He was really happy but there was also some resignation now. However, as it turns out, Fang Yuan's proposal moved him. "I can agree to you but I need to make one thing clear."
"What?" Fang Yuan asked.
"It is not me who is following you, but you who is following me as I roam the lands!" Bai Ning Bing's red lips slightly raised with an arrogant smile.
"Hahahaha." Fang Yuan laughed heartily.
"Then, where are we going next? What do you have in mind?" Bai Ning Bing asked.
"Bai Gu mountain." Fang Yuan answered in between his laughters.
"What's so funny?" Bai Ning Bing was truly puzzled.
Fang Yuan laughed until his tears flowed, "You still haven't discovered anything wrong?"
"What is there that's wrong?" Bai Ning Bing raised his dark eyebrows; suddenly, his face turned extremely wonderful.
Surprise, fear, puzzled, panic, shock, anger… all these expressions intertwined in her face.
She looked at her round and full chest, and cried out with a loud voice, "I, how did I become a woman?!"
The voice resounded throughout the Qing Mao mountain, shaking the snow.
"Of course it would be like that! Yin Yang Rotation Gu—Yin Gu is used in male body, to turn yang into yin, and become a woman; likewise, Yang Gu is used in female body, to turn yin to yang, and become a man. Yin Yang Rotation, rotating yin and yang… what do you think it means?" Fang Yuan spoke like it was what it should be.
"I, I… what the fuck!" Bai Ning Bing looked at Fang Yuan with a furious gaze and cursed. With this, she must now get hold of that sole Yang Gu.
"Brother Bai, calm yourself, being able to live is the greatest fortune," Fang Yuan consoled her."Fortune my ass, how about you try being a woman?!" Bai Ning Bing's furious growl resounded within the snow covered mountain and glaciers.
Two days later.
The sun hung high in the sky; the ice was melting down and a stream of clear water flowed through the ice mountain.
Crackle….
The silence of the surroundings was broken by the cracking of ice; a jade light burst out from within the ice and hovered in the air, turning into a jade coffin.
The jade coffin exploded, and Lord Sky Crane gave a long cry upon regaining his freedom and seeing the daylight again.
This Life-retaining Jade Burial Gu was a Rank five Gu and was very mysterious. As long as the Gu Master had one breath of life in him, it could suspend his life and delay the injuries. Not only this, but the jade coffin it formed was extremely strong and could even be considered a defensive weapon.
"Goddamn thief!" He cursed with a pained voice. Right now, he was both furious and impatient.
Even after killing his lifetime enemy, the First gen Gu Yue, he couldn't get the true blood sea inheritance; how was he going to answer his teacher when he returned?
According to his memories, the ice layer where Fang Yuan was supposed to be was already cut open.
"If only he didn't get far!" He patrolled the surroundings hoping for a lucky break.
He used his recon Gu and discovered many life forces hanging on to their lives in the depths of the ice layers.
Living beings were tenacious and this tenacity could often bring about miracles. It had only been two days since this glacier covered these life forms, which was not enough to lead to their complete deaths.
"Found him! To think he was actually hiding here, hmph, the most dangerous area is the safest place, right? This guy is really crafty!" Lord Sky Crane's whole body jolted and became indescribably happy upon this discovery.
He rushed into the ice layer and soon fished out an ice chunk.
Within the ice chunk, Fang Zheng's whole body was covered with a layer of moonlight from the Moon Raiment Gu. He was already at the edge of death's door.
Lord Sky Crane could swear he would never forget Fang Yuan's appearance in this life.
However, he was a Rank five expert and after closely looking at Fang Zheng, he was immediately disappointed. "This person isn't him, only their appearances are similar. Sigh…"
He heaved a deep sigh before suddenly becoming stupefied.
"Wait a second, their appearances are so similar which means they are extremely likely to be twins! If so, then he is closely related to that little thief!" Lord Sky Crane's dim old eyes suddenly burst out with a sharp gaze.
With a close relative on him, he could refine the Kinship Blood worm!
It was because of this Rank five Kinship Blood worm that he was able to locate the First gen Gu Yue among this vast world and its diverse life forms.
"I haven't completely failed teacher's assignment. There is still some hope. This kid is my only hope. I must save him!"
Fang Zheng slowly opened his exhausted and heavy eyes.
"Where is this?" His eyes were still hazy and he could only see a blurry figure before him. At the same time, his whole body felt weak, along with an intense headache.
The last thing he recalled was the three clans competition, where Ironbeak flying cranes covered the sky and everyone around him had fled.
He had activated the Moon Raiment Gu and resisted against the flying cranes' attacks. As the battle continued, a flying crane broke through his barrier and pecked fiercely at his forehead.
He had immediately lost consciousness, tumbling down the cliff.
"You are the elder standing on the crane?!" As he became clear on the identity of the person before him, Fang Zheng struggled to get up in shock, but fell down again before he could completely stand up.
"Kid, you are still thinking of escaping in front of me, Lord Sky Crane?" Lord Sky Crane sneered.
He sized up Fang Zheng once and said, "You could say that I am even your lifesaver. If not for me, you would have already frozen to death. I advise you to not move around randomly, don't blame me if you fall down."
Fang Zheng looked beside him and immediately got a great shock.
There were clouds moving all around him, and he was standing on the back of an enormous crane as it flew in the sky.
"You, who the hell are you? Where are you taking me to?" Fang Zheng cried out in alarm.
"I am Lord Sky Crane, and we are heading to the Middle Continent."
"Middle Continent?!" Fang Zheng shouted in shock.