Although Fang Han still couldn't comprehend why the enigmatic Heart-Demon Elder would help him, he knew that speculating further wouldn't bring him any answers. Perhaps the elder sought something from him, but for now, there was no harm. Seeing this as an opportunity, Fang Han resolved to deal with the Dragon and Wood Daoists and avenge the relentless pursuit that had plagued him.
"Blue Emperor, Wood Sovereign, feel the pulse of ten thousand trees!" Fang Han, while rapidly fleeing, activated his divine abilities to sense the flow of wood spiritual energy. Almost immediately, a surge of exceptionally powerful wood energy brushed past him in the void and was projected far into the distance.
It was only natural that the Wood Daoist, who had been driven into a state of madness by the Heart-Demon, had failed to conceal his wood energy. This allowed Fang Han to lock onto his location.
Following the trail of wood energy, Fang Han fully unleashed his escape technique, combining it with the power of the "Naihe Bridge." In an instant, he traveled three thousand miles.
Unfortunately, he was still unable to fully control the spatial power of the "Naihe Bridge." As one of the three great formations that sealed his life's fate, the true potential of the Yellow Springs Map far surpassed what he could currently wield. The Abyssal Gate, another of its components, could even be used as a spatial gateway.
Had he mastered the abilities of the "Naihe Bridge" to their fullest, Fang Han could have locked onto the Wood Daoist's position and opened the Abyssal Gate, arriving in an instant—even if the target were hundreds of thousands of miles away. But such spatial manipulation was still beyond his reach, reserved for when he had attained the Immortal Realm and unlocked the full power of the Yellow Springs Map.
"Dragon Daoist, Wood Daoist... Even if I can't kill you both today, I will make sure you remember this day for eternity. You'll never dare to think about hunting me again. Of course, if I can gain something from you two, that would be even better," Fang Han thought fiercely as he prepared his arsenal of divine abilities and treasures. His killing intent was palpable, and when he found the two Daoists, he would strike mercilessly.
His two most formidable treasures were the Yellow Springs Map and the Eight-Part Pagoda.
The Eight-Part Pagoda contained the Reincarnation King, who wielded the Sun and Moon Exquisite Wheels and controlled millions of Heaven Demons, including many Demon Kings. It was a weapon of tremendous destructive power, even surpassing the Yellow Springs Map. Once Fang Han reached the Immortal Realm, however, the Yellow Springs Map's power would far outstrip that of the Eight-Part Pagoda.
As he flew, Fang Han considered how to strike immediately—whether to use the Yellow Springs Map to unleash the Abyssal Magic Qi or whether to bombard them with the Eight-Part Pagoda's attacks, or perhaps use his Golden Core to suppress them. Whatever it took, he was determined to give them a devastating lesson—maybe even destroy them completely.
Destroying a Divine Realm cultivator with the powers of the Immortal Realm was a great feat in itself.
Had they been at their peak strength, Fang Han would have had no chance against them, but now, weakened by the Heart-Demon's influence, the two Daoists were vulnerable.
Soon, Fang Han reached the towering mountain range, and a powerful flash of light descended from the sky, vanishing into the distance. On the peak of one of the mountains, by a large water basin, Dragon Daoist and Wood Daoist landed, both visibly exhausted.
"Dragon Daoist, who was it that attacked us?" Wood Daoist asked, looking frazzled.
"I don't know," Dragon Daoist replied grimly. "My mana is depleted by seventy percent. The Heart-Demon's awakening and the tribulation of wind and fire burned away a lot of my vitality. Thankfully, my cultivation of the Longevity Realm has provided enough pure yang essence to suppress the Heart-Demon."
"I've lost quite a bit of my energy too. It'll take at least three hundred years of hard cultivation to recover," Wood Daoist said, his tone dark and filled with malice. "Fang Han, this kid... he must have someone powerful protecting him! No wonder he's so fearless, even daring to kill a Golden Core cultivator from the Taiyi Sect. But mark my words—he'll die at our hands one day. Let's return to Dragonwood Star, refine the star core into a treasure, and then come after him again!"
"We have no choice but to do that," Dragon Daoist replied, his voice weary.
The two Daoists were still recovering from the Heart-Demon's torment. Dragon Daoist's ability to absorb Immortal Realm energy had been greatly diminished, and his recovery was slow.
"After all this time of hunting me, now you want to run?" Fang Han's voice rang out as he suddenly appeared in the sky, his aura overwhelming.
With a flick of his hand, a mountain-sized tower descended, radiating an immense pressure that filled the sky. The Sun and Moon Exquisite Wheels appeared above it, emanating an overwhelming force.
Simultaneously, the air filled with the sacred sound of six-character mantras. Numerous low, middle, and high-grade magical treasures, as well as countless magical weapons, were summoned by the millions of Heaven Demons and Demon Kings, falling relentlessly toward the mountain where the Daoists had landed.
Boom!
The powerful light and treasure beams descended with explosive force, obliterating the mountain in a single strike. The towering peak crumbled to dust, as the Eight-Part Pagoda, empowered by Fang Han's vast mana, reduced a hundred-foot-tall mountain to nothingness.
"Screeeech!" Dragon Daoist and Wood Daoist screamed in terror. In their moment of surprise, they unleashed many protective talismans, but none could stand against the might of the Sun and Moon Exquisite Wheels.
They had never expected Fang Han to possess such terrifying power.
Wood Daoist, in a panic, performed his ultimate move—the Pure Yang Heavenly Heart Thunder, summoning a barrage of thunderbolts that ravaged the land.
Thunder roared, shaking the mountains and causing the earth to tremble. The sound waves were so intense that the trees around them shattered into dust.
The attack was devastating. Wood Daoist, a figure of immense power, could destroy hundreds of miles of land with a single blow. Yet, despite his power, his strike only managed to slightly disturb the Eight-Part Pagoda.
The massive tower trembled, but it continued descending, unyielding.
From the cloud of dust, Wood Daoist saw Fang Han emerge, ready for his next strike. Furious, he attempted to retaliate, but behind him, a massive ancient dragon appeared—a thousand-zhang-long celestial dragon, coiled around a towering stone bridge. The Abyssal Gates opened, unleashing an overwhelming force that made the entire atmosphere tremble.
"Yellow Springs Map's Spirit!" Wood Daoist cried in shock.
Though he had been unafraid of the Yellow Springs Map in his prime, the current state of his cultivation, diminished by the Heart-Demon's influence, made him weaker than before. He struggled against the immense pressure from the Yellow Springs Map.
Before he could react, Fang Han's Golden Core power surged forward.
At that moment, Wood Daoist's true form, the Tree Spirit, appeared—a massive tree with ten thousand branches that whipped toward Fang Han. This was his天地法相 (Heaven and Earth Manifestation), the Saury Tree Primordial Spirit.
"Kill!" Dragon Daoist, despite his weakened state, unleashed his own manifestation—a beast-like figure with wings that radiated overwhelming power.
The two Daoists' Earthly Manifestations clashed with Fang Han's attacks, creating a storm of energy. However, even with their immense power, the two Daoists were no match for Fang Han in his current state.
"Two powerful figures, even weakened, still have such ferocity," Fang Han thought. "But I will break them. Reincarnation King, hold them off!"
The Sun and Moon Exquisite Wheels and the Reincarnation King's powers flared as Fang Han summoned his full strength.
With a single strike, the eight-part pagoda began to spin again, and the numerous Heaven Demons attacked in unison. Fang Han's Golden Core unleashed a terrifying burst of energy.
Wood Daoist was caught off guard. His branches struggled to bind Fang Han, but the mighty attack of the Great Devouring Technique began to consume everything in its path.
Fang Han's power surged, breaking through the defenses of the Wood Daoist's primordial spirit.
"I will show you the true strength of a person who has transcended!" Fang Han roared as he landed the decisive blow.