Among Fang Han's ninety-three divine abilities were many drawn from the Three Thousand Grand Daos: the Great Cutting Technique, the Great Five Elements Technique, the Great Origin Technique, the Great Salvation Technique, the Great Devouring Technique… Each embodied laws so profound they bordered on the incomprehensible. Added to these were supreme arts such as the Zumar Ancient God Qi, the Great Sumeru Mountain King Fist, the Book of Infinite Stars, the Immortal-Slaying Art… Taken together, they far surpassed Mu Daoist's mere sixty-four abilities.
Precisely because of this, refining the Golden Core and condensing a Heaven-and-Earth Dharma Form was extraordinarily difficult.
The true source of the Panwu Godly Strength lay in the Great Origin Technique.
Simply refining Mu Daoist's corporeal essence was not enough to forge a powerful Dharma Form. Worse still, Mu Daoist had already siphoned off most of his own bodily essence to nourish himself.
To truly condense a Heaven-and-Earth Dharma Form, Fang Han would have to refine Mu Daoist's life-bound Dharma Form itself—the towering tree-shaped primal spirit before him. By forcibly plundering its essence, he could instantly achieve a Dharma Form, perhaps even smash straight into the tenth level of the Mystic Realm: Defying Fate.
Once I reach Defying Fate… Fang Han's eyes gleamed. I'll swallow the Seven-Life Mysterious Gate Pills in one go. The Longevity Realm will be within reach—no, not just the first level, the Myriad Lifespan Realm, but the second: the Undying Body.
He knew exactly what he was doing. He was accumulating everything, waiting for the moment he stepped into the Longevity Realm—so he could leap straight into immortality.
"Fang Han! You're ruthless—utterly ruthless!" Mu Daoist screamed as his blood-red halo was devoured. "My cultivation of tens of thousands of years—gone! The path to longevity—cut off! Fang Han, I will hate you through eternity! I curse you, life after life, never to reach immortality!"
He knew disaster had struck. Though he could not yet be fully refined, this was a losing battle. As Fang Han grew stronger, he would inevitably be annihilated.
"When you tried to kill me, you planned to refine millions of living beings across a thousand miles," Fang Han replied coldly, then burst into laughter. "That's cruelty beyond even the demonic path. Compared to you, I'm practically benevolent. This is karmic retribution—perfectly just."
He laughed again, righteous and unburdened. A true disciple of the orthodox Yuhua Sect.
"You think your so-called Great Curse Technique can kill me?" Fang Han sneered. "You talk about eternal hatred—but you're in my hands now. There will be no next life for you. Heaven and earth will forget the name Mu Daoist."
"You will never enter the Longevity Realm!" Mu Daoist shrieked. "Its gates are closed to you forever! I curse you—forever!"
"Curses are useless," Fang Han replied calmly. "What matters is substance."
With a flick of his hand, seven radiant pills appeared. Each shone with seven-colored light, their medicinal aura condensing into mystical gateways—alive with spiritual power.
"The Seven-Life Mysterious Gate Pills?!" Mu Daoist cried out. "How could you possess something so close to an immortal elixir? Seven of them! Pills that open the seven life gates and determine entry into the Longevity Realm… Why? Why does your fortune surpass heaven itself?"
His Dharma Form trembled violently, his mind thrown into chaos.
Now!
In that instant, countless roots burst from Fang Han's brow—the roots of the World Tree—shooting straight into Mu Daoist's life-bound Dharma Form. They pierced deep, draining his essence mercilessly.
Mu Daoist weakened at once. The violent tremors subsided. Yan felt the pressure ease and immediately drove the power of the Gate of Abi and the Bridge of Helplessness down upon him.
The towering tree-like primal spirit was crushed down to only a few meters tall.
"Aaaah—!" Mu Daoist howled as if devoured by countless insects. His Dharma Form writhed, but bound so tightly it could not even self-destruct.
"What is this sacred wood artifact?!" he roared. "How can it suppress my wood-element origin?! I am a supreme lord of wood—every tree obeys me! Even the Azure Emperor Wood Sovereign Art bends to my will at lower stages! Tell me what it is, or I will never accept death!"
Fang Han smiled faintly. "You've probably heard of it. In ancient times, the Xuanhuang World possessed a tree that pierced the Immortal Realm itself—the World Tree, also called Jianmu."
He released it fully. The colossal tree stood between heaven and earth, ancient and boundless.
"This is its source. Stronger than you could ever be. It is the origin of all wood, your natural bane. Meeting it means your time has run out."
"The World Tree…!" Mu Daoist was utterly shaken. "It was shattered by the Divine Race! Reduced to dust! And yet—a sapling still exists? So the legends were true… Without this tree, your head would already be crushed. If I had it—if I merged with it—I would instantly achieve the Undying Body and rise to unimaginable heights!"
Even the Seven-Life Pills paled in comparison. For any wood spirit, the World Tree was the ultimate dream.
"Now you understand," Fang Han said coldly. "Stop struggling. Submit, and I'll let you die peacefully. I might even preserve a sliver of your soul. When my Eightfold Pagoda becomes a world of its own, you could reincarnate."
Mu Daoist's will collapsed.
"Don't kill me!" he suddenly shouted. "I'll submit—completely! Let me enter your Eightfold Pagoda. I'm an eternal giant of the Longevity Realm—I can refine Dao artifacts! Imagine it: the eight treasures of your pagoda, all upgraded to Dao artifacts. Ten times stronger? A hundred?"
His voice grew frantic.
"I can draw immortal qi from the upper realms to feed your heavenly demons. You raise countless demons—how many pills does that consume daily? Even the World Tree won't be enough once you form your Dharma Form. Give me a place, and all the immortal qi I draw will be yours. You'll never lack energy again!"
An eternal giant… begging.
Such beings were monstrously self-centered. Even under suppression, Mu Daoist had cursed endlessly—until the World Tree appeared.
"Oh?" Fang Han said thoughtfully. "All the immortal qi you gather… for me alone?"
"I'll keep only enough to survive," Mu Daoist replied hastily. "Three, five hundred years—I'll work for you. Once you're strong enough to fully suppress me, just spare my life."
Yan was tempted. "This is a rare chance. An eternal giant working as your laborer is worth far more than refining him."
Fang Han hesitated. "But I don't yet have absolute control. If he schemes—"
"Use the Light of Universal Salvation," said the Wheel-Saint King, transformed from the Blood Night King. "Normally it can't convert an eternal giant. But if he opens his heart willingly, it can. That will prove his sincerity."
Fang Han laughed softly. "Exactly."
He turned his gaze on Mu Daoist.
"You heard that. This is your last chance. I know you're submitting to buy time—to reclaim power, to steal my World Tree. Abandon those thoughts completely, or the Light of Universal Salvation will expose you. Fail the conversion… and you're finished. Completely."
The fate of an eternal giant now hung on a single choice.