Several days later, deep within the Central Continent's underground abyss.
Stone Slave returned from outside and reported to Ying Wuzhie: "Master, this old servant has completed the reconnaissance. The super collapse caused a considerable tremor, and Gu Soul Gate dispatched three Gu Immortals to investigate. Following your orders, this old servant lured several ancient desolate beasts and five herds of desolate beasts toward the collapse site. Coupled with the appearance of what seems to be a wild Immortal Gu, those three Gu Immortals from Gu Soul Gate will certainly be too busy to get away."
Stone Slave was a stone person by nature, and this variant species inherently carried Earth Path dao marks. His mastery of Earth Path cultivation made him feel right at home in this subterranean terrain of the abyss.
Ying Wuzhie nodded. "You did well on this matter. But Heavenly Will is omnipresent—we absolutely must not let our guard down. It's entirely possible that, while I'm refining Gu, Heavenly Will influences those Gu Immortals and steers them here, ruining Shadow Sect's great undertaking!"
Stone Slave thought for a moment and said, "Master speaks truly. However, in this direction, we've already deployed three herds of desolate beasts in advance to obstruct them. Even if they break through the beasts' blockade and make it here, we'll have ample time to react."
Ying Wuzhie shook his head slightly. "You haven't witnessed the true terror of Heavenly Will. It doesn't just influence Gu Immortals—it also affects desolate beasts and desolate plants. At the critical moment, those herds of desolate beasts might charge right at us."
Stone Slave's expression changed. "If the beast herds come stampeding toward us… what should we do?"
The implication was clear—his earlier preparations, the herds he had deliberately lured here, would end up being a case of lifting a stone only to drop it on his own foot.
"No matter. My trump card isn't those beast herds or the ancient desolate beasts. It's this super Gu formation!" Ying Wuzhie spoke, a flash of wisdom gleaming in his eyes.
This place could be considered the safest location in the entire Central Continent at present.
This super Gu formation covered every aspect—it could not only shield against Heavenly Will and ward off Wisdom Path Gu Immortals from making deductions, but also possessed formidable offensive and defensive capabilities, as well as extraordinary Gu-refining properties.
Demon Venerable You Hun had continuously devoured souls within the Gate of Life and Death, absorbing the cultivation memories and experiences of countless Gu Immortals as his own. In life, he was Demon Venerable You Hun, whose talent and genius were top-tier throughout all of history.
Many experiences in Formation Path, Refinement Path, and other disciplines had been absorbed by Demon Venerable You Hun. This saved him an enormous amount of energy and time, pushing his mastery in Formation Path, Refinement Path, and numerous other schools to the level of Grand Master.
And this super Gu formation had been personally designed by Demon Venerable You Hun within the Gate of Life and Death. One could only imagine how powerful it truly was.
For Ying Wuzhie to rely on this super Gu formation to refine Gu was undoubtedly a wise decision.
Even if beast herds or ancient desolate beasts pounced on him, he could depend on the super Gu formation to slaughter them, using their souls to power the formation and temporarily enhance its might. So there would be no incident of lifting a stone and smashing his own foot.
Stone Slave's worries were entirely unnecessary—simply because despite having lived here for a long time, he did not know the formation's wondrous uses and combat capabilities.
"I haven't destroyed the Spring Autumn Cicada. Heavenly Will resides within that Gu, so the super Gu formation's location has already been discovered by Heavenly Will. But it doesn't matter—even if an Eighth Transformation Gu Immortal from Heavenly Court came to besiege me, I have the confidence to hold this position for a period of time. Moreover, with the Monitor Heaven Tower now destroyed, although the Fate Gu still exists, the chances of Heavenly Court discovering this place right now are exceedingly slim!"
It was only after careful deliberation that Ying Wuzhie had chosen not to abandon the Spring Autumn Cicada.
Fang Yuan had used the Spring Autumn Cicada to destroy Shadow Sect's ten-thousand-year grand plan. So why couldn't Ying Wuzhie use the Spring Autumn Cicada as his own final trump card?
Heavenly Will was vast and impartial—it cared about balance and held no grudges. Whoever threatened heaven and earth, threatened the survival of other lives, was the one Heavenly Will targeted.
Right now, Heavenly Will was primarily targeting Fang Yuan, not Ying Wuzhie.
Therefore, even the Spring Autumn Cicada containing Heavenly Will could be of great help to Ying Wuzhie.
Furthermore, in Ying Wuzhie's plan, he intended to re-refine the Spring Autumn Cicada, purging the Heavenly Will from it entirely, and truly claiming this legendary Immortal Gu for himself.
But that was all a plan for later.
Right now, all of Ying Wuzhie's attention was focused on refining the Fixed Travel Immortal Gu.
This Immortal Gu was the key to breaking the deadlock!
With this Immortal Gu in hand, he would be like a dragon entering the sea, like a tiger returning to the mountains.
"There's no time to waste—we'll begin refining the Spring Autumn Cicada right now. Stone Slave, do not resist. I will activate the formation to teleport you into the formation's core. After that, you will assist me in the refinement," Ying Wuzhie ordered.
"Yes, Master! This old servant will give his all—even death would bring no regrets!" Stone Slave hastened to accept the command.
Having settled Stone Slave, Ying Wuzhie himself entered the centralmost core of the formation. As for Hei Lou Lan and Tai Bai Yun Sheng, they had already been placed in two other formation cores.
Though it was only a Sixth Transformation Fixed Travel Gu, this refinement was not only critical to Shadow Sect's future—it even subtly influenced the balance of power across the Five Regions. Its significance was truly immense.
The Gu refinement began!
Half a month later, Northern Plains, Langya Blessed Land.
The Transformation Immortal Gu also commenced its first attempt at refinement.
Fang Yuan stood on Cloud Canopy Continent, his entire formation at the ready. His expression was solemn as he gazed up at the Langya Earth Spirit.
The Langya Earth Spirit no longer had the ethereal, sage-like bearing of before. It was now mighty and imposing, its body bristling with bulging muscles, covered in black fur, hovering high in the sky like a demon god.
It opened its mouth and let out a roar that shook heaven and earth, its sound piercing through the clouds.
Streak after streak of dao marks lit up as if ignited by the roar, spreading across an area of several dozen li.
"The vast majority of these dao marks are Refinement Path dao marks—they're absolutely perfect for assisting in Gu refinement!" The Langya Earth Spirit opened its huge mouth and introduced them with evident pride.
It let out another roar.