Fang Yuan nodded slightly, agreeing with Ruan Tianhe's speculation.
The Pope's intentions were now obvious—it was clear that he wanted to use the Martial Saint's power to open a portal to the upper world, bringing demons from the upper world into the realm.
This also meant that the Pope himself was likely unable to achieve Martial Saint status, or else why would he need to rely on someone else?
By now, the issues that needed to be clarified had all been cleared... Fang Yuan asked the final question: "Do you have any Yang attribute Dao body techniques in your possession?"
Ruan Tianhe chuckled bitterly and shook his head: "The only five-element Dao bodies I have left have all been passed down to this useless disciple of mine..."
As he spoke, he glanced at Ruan Chaohan, who was already collapsed on the ground. What a disappointment...
"Alright, if nothing unexpected happens..."
Fang Yuan shook his head. It seemed that he would indeed have to make a trip to the Western Continent.
Now that the three countries of Sang, Baiji, and Qu Yue had all submitted to him, he would send officials to take over these countries and wait for the likes of Gao Shang, Mo Tianxing, and others to pacify the surrounding smaller countries before he could begin his western campaign.
As Fang Yuan was planning for his western expedition, the "Scripture of the Good Person" in his mind suddenly blazed with golden light and began writing words once again.
[Your reputation has reached the seventh level—well-known: Your name is being spread across the East Continent, and even the strong of the West Continent are circulating your name.]
[You can now upgrade one of your martial arts talents.]
"Heh, that came faster than I expected."
Fang Yuan nodded lightly. Unifying the Eastern Continent not only satisfied his desire for conquest but also, more importantly, served to upgrade his reputation.
Without hesitation, he silently murmured in his heart: "Upgrade [Fourth Calamity]."
He quickly reviewed the divine abilities he had awakened so far:
The Eye of Calamity, Weakness, Blink, Teleportation, One-click Forging, Rebirth, Time Reversal...
These were all top-tier divine abilities. Without them, his combat strength would undoubtedly be greatly reduced.
The "Scripture of the Good Person" wrote again:
[The Fourth Calamity has been upgraded to the seventh stage. You can now choose one of the following divine abilities to advance—]
[Weakness, Blink, Teleportation.]
This time, the reputation upgrade did not grant Fang Yuan a new divine ability, but instead allowed him to evolve an existing one.
Three choices... Too bad there's no [Time Reversal]...
Fang Yuan furrowed his brows. Although these three abilities originated from summoner skills in a past-life game, under the blessing of the "Scripture of the Good Person," they had transcended their original framework and could now be upgraded.
"The effects of the upgrade... I can't even predict them."
Which one should he choose...
Well, actually, there was no need to hesitate. Of these three, the one Fang Yuan used most often was still [Blink].
He immediately decided: "I choose to upgrade [Blink]."
Boom—
The "Scripture of the Good Person" suddenly exploded with a golden radiance, the pages flipping without wind. Fang Yuan's entire sea of consciousness trembled, as if witnessing the transformation of some supreme rule.
It even had special effects now, Fang Yuan's mouth curled up slightly.
As the golden light gradually faded, new text appeared on the "Scripture of the Good Person":
['Blink' has evolved into a new divine ability: Shadow Shift!]
[Shadow Shift: Everything within your line of sight can swap positions with you!]
[Rule feature: This ability, like Time Reversal, belongs to the highest of rules, ignoring any resistance from living beings and breaking all formation barriers!]
[Cooldown time: Five minutes, can be used three times in quick succession.]
When the golden text fully appeared, even though Fang Yuan had long been accustomed to the incredible abilities the "Scripture of the Good Person" granted, he still momentarily paused in his breath—
Holy crap, divine hand power!
Fang Yuan's mouth involuntarily curved into a smile. This upgrade was far more interesting than he had imagined.
Originally, [Blink] had a maximum displacement limit of a hundred meters, but now that was completely broken. As long as it was within his line of sight—even a powerful enemy thousands of miles away would not escape the fate of being swapped with.
Moreover, this move could be used continuously three times!
"Let's give it a try!"
Fang Yuan suddenly formed a sword with his fingers, and the Earth Sword shot through the air with a sharp "clang" sound!
In the instant the sword light flew—whoosh!
Fang Yuan's figure vanished into thin air, and the Earth Sword eerily appeared at the spot where he had been standing.
Then, with a flash of golden light, the young martial artist reappeared mid-air, grabbing the falling Earth Sword!
"This..."
Ruan Tianhe and his disciple stared with wide eyes, their breaths frozen.
Especially Ruan Tianhe, who, as a Martial Saint, knew better than anyone the rarity of space-based abilities—even at his peak, using teleportation would consume a significant amount of true essence.
But this young man, he could use it as easily as breathing?!
"Not bad, this is even smoother than I imagined," Fang Yuan said as he weighed the Earth Sword. He had initially thought that [Shadow Shift] would require an object to swap places with, but now it seemed that wasn't the case. He could directly shift to an enemy's side by swapping with 'air'!
Swapping places... was just a bonus effect!
This was way stronger than the original Blink!
After calming down his excitement, Fang Yuan picked up Ruan Tianhe's card again:
"Ruan Tianhe, now that you're in this state, I'll temporarily keep you in my possession. Do you have any objections?"
"I couldn't ask for more!"
The old Martial Saint, now trapped in the card, regained his senses from the shock. His voice trembled with excitement.
Being sealed in the card, he couldn't use his Martial Saint powers, but following this monster who could easily defeat the Pope was the safest choice.
Fang Yuan then looked at Ruan Chaohan: "As for you, you've been holed up in this small Qu Yue kingdom for thousands of years. It's time to see the real world. From today onwards, you'll follow me to conquer the lands."
Fang Yuan's good deeds were ample, and he didn't intend to kill him. Although this old man had lived for thousands of years, he was a recluse with a spotless record.
He had never killed anyone or taken treasures, and killing him would likely result in fewer good deeds than killing a regular master...
"Yes!" Naturally, Ruan Chaohan didn't dare object. Hadn't he seen how quickly his master had acted like a dog for Fang Yuan...
Moreover, after witnessing Fang Yuan's power, he realized that the kind of isolated, closed-door training he had been practicing for so many years was meaningless. Real strength... should be like Fang Yuan:
Conquer the lands! Beat up all the strong ones! Trample everyone, including the Pope and the Martial Saints!
Thinking of this, a fierce passion ignited in Ruan Chaohan's eyes!