The return journey from the Mad Demon Grotto was far shorter than the trip there.
After a few days, Fang Yuan arrived within the Black Fan Grotto-World.
"To think that Chu Du also possesses a super Gu Formation — and has already set it up for Immortal Gu Masters to teleport in and out of the Black Fan Grotto-World." Fang Yuan couldn't help but admire Chu Du's foresight in his heart.
This was a retreat route.
As long as the teleportation Gu Formation deployed outside remained undiscovered, Chu Du and the others would never be besieged by Bai Zu Tianjun within the Black Fan Grotto-World.
From this, it was clear that Chu Du's tough stance in resisting Bai Zu Tianjun was not mere blind bravery or recklessness.
"Brother Liu, you've arrived." Chu Du was already standing before the Gu Formation, waiting to welcome Fang Yuan.
Upon seeing Fang Yuan, a flash of delight crossed his face.
Fang Yuan sighed: "Fate plays tricks on people. Had things gone differently, the Black Fan Grotto-World would likely be a peaceful paradise by now."
Fang Yuan cast his gaze outward and saw the Black Fan Grotto-World engulfed in the fires of war, beast roars reaching his ears one after another, the earth pockmarked with craters, and fierce battle raging in the distance.
Chu Du timely explained: "The Black Fan Grotto-World is vast in territory, and Bai Zu Tianjun keeps funneling wild beasts to invade. But I've already invited several powerful experts and stationed them to guard various locations. I myself hold the rear, guarding against Bai Zu Tianjun's true body breaking through."
Fang Yuan's expression turned solemn, though his gaze carried deeper meaning: "Brother Chu, your burden is immense. Fortunately, I have not failed my mission — I've brought what you wanted."
As he spoke, Fang Yuan spread both sleeves, and from each sleeve, a ball of will flew out.
The wills flew to mid-air and immediately took on the appearances of Bu Shi and Pang Shan. From the outside, one could vaguely make out the Immortal Essence and Immortal Gu wrapped within.
Fang Yuan did not store these two streams of will into his own Immortal Orifice.
The Supreme Immortal Orifice absolutely could not be exposed.
Under the current circumstances, since these were Bu Shi and Pang Shan's wills, Fang Yuan could not act against them either.
Along the journey, it wasn't as though Fang Yuan hadn't considered secretly destroying these two wills and seizing both of these exceedingly rare Immortal Gu for himself.
But the probability of success was far too slim.
The primary reason was that Fang Yuan was bound by the alliance agreement. Once he made a move, the agreement would activate and kill him through backlash.
Furthermore, these two Immortal Gu were not easy to plunder, because not only was the Immortal Gu Master's will wrapped around the Gu, the Gu themselves were also filled with will. Given even a moment, they could cause both Immortal Gu to self-destruct.
"I'm in your debt," Chu Du expressed his thanks, directly storing Pang Shan's will into his own Immortal Orifice.
This small detail did not escape Fang Yuan's notice — he observed it and committed it to memory.
An Immortal Orifice was the fundamental foundation of an Immortal Gu Master's existence, their greatest and most reliable source of resources, generally never casually revealed to outsiders. Yet Chu Du seemed to trust Pang Shan quite deeply.
Chu Du then said to the will of Not Immortal, "I ask that Not Immortal please attach yourself to this ally of mine."
The will of Not Immortal stroked his beard, looked toward Fang Yuan, and smiled. "My main body's guess was correct — it seems you truly have chosen this person."
"What do you mean?" Fang Yuan asked. His trip to the Mad Demon's Lair had left him with many doubts.
Chu Du explained, "I'll keep this brief. The Mad Demon's Lair appears to be one of the Northern Plains' Ten Great Forbidden Lands, but in truth, it was specially created by the Limitless Demon Sovereign in his later years to pursue the secret of eternal life."
"The Limitless Demon Sovereign refined the legendary Evolution Gu and secluded himself in the Mad Demon's Lair. There, he continuously experimented and refined Gu, seeking a breakthrough."
The Limitless Demon Sovereign!
Eternal life!
Fang Yuan's eyes lit up. "Did the Limitless Demon Sovereign succeed?"
The will of Not Immortal shook his head slightly. "We don't know. There is no clear record of the Limitless Demon Sovereign's fate in history. In short, he vanished mysteriously. Whether he ultimately succeeded or failed, none of us know."
"However," the will of Not Immortal then shifted tone, "what Chu Du just said is true. The Mad Demon's Lair was indeed the Limitless Demon Sovereign's residence in his later years. The Evolution Gu now lies at the deepest level of the Mad Demon's Lair, and a super Gu formation has been arranged around it."
"Evolution Gu..." Fang Yuan murmured.
This Gu was extraordinarily famous — not just among Immortal Gu Masters, but even ordinary Gu Masters were almost universally familiar with it.
This was because it was recorded in the Records of the Human Ancestor.
At the end of the Records of the Human Ancestor, the Seven Heavens shattered, the Human Ancestor's Ten Children perished one after another, and the Human Ancestor himself faced death by old age. At the final moment, the Human Ancestor gathered the bodies of his Ten Children, sacrificed himself as well, and together they cast themselves into the Evolution Gu's belly. The Evolution Gu burst through its own stomach and exploded. Countless lights of life rained down upon the earth, forming the first generation of mortals. These mortals possessed none of the talent of the Human Ancestor or the Ten Children, but they could open their orifices and cultivate.
Thus, humanity reproduced across generations and gradually grew stronger. In this process, the Ten Great Ninth Transformation Sovereigns emerged one by one. Each Sovereign led an entire era and brought profound transformation to the great world.
Eventually, the configuration of today's Five Regions took shape.
"The Limitless Demon Sovereign actually obtained the Evolution Gu as well — did he intend to imitate the Human Ancestor and create the human race anew?" Fang Yuan asked in amazement.
"That is not the case," the will of Not Immortal answered. "The Human Ancestor's creation of the human race was the supreme grand art of the Dao of Humanity. The Limitless Demon Sovereign, however, cultivated the Dao of Law. He intended to use the Evolution Gu to derive other Dao marks on his own, and ultimately seek clues within those marks to achieve eternal life."