The Light Film was translucent. Upon the pale red sea of True Essence, waves rose and dissolved, tides swelling and receding.
On the sea's surface, two plump white Wine Worms were sucking up water. Above the sea, the Black Pig Gu—resembling black ladybugs—circled ceaselessly around the hovering Red Iron She Li Gu, their wings beating in constant rotation.
The White Jade Gu lay at the bottom of the sea like a pebble, utterly still.
The Spring Autumn Cicada had concealed its form, still deep in slumber and recovery.
"It's time." With a single thought from Fang Yuan, the waves surged. A torrent of True Essence rushed upward, pouring directly into the Red Iron She Li Gu.
The Red Iron She Li Gu immediately trembled and rose into the air, radiating a brilliant crimson light.
Soon, the She Li Gu resembled a rising sun, its radiance reflecting across the entire walls of the Empty Orifice.
The light was scorching like fire, blinding and piercing like bared steel.
The Black Pig Gu could not withstand it for long. With a plop, they dove straight into the True Essence sea.
The two Wine Worms also sank deep into the Yuan Sea.
The White Jade Gu flickered faintly at the bottom of the sea.
Under normal circumstances, for Fang Yuan to advance to the Second Transformation Middle Stage, he would have needed tedious, grinding effort—constantly driving his pale red True Essence to erode the surrounding Light Film of his orifice walls.
But now, the Red Iron She Li Gu erupted with an overwhelming crimson radiance that replaced the pale red True Essence entirely, pouring directly into the surrounding orifice walls. The effect was astonishing.
Under Fang Yuan's focused gaze, the entire Light Film thickened visibly at a speed naked to the eye.
The light within the Light Film condensed into streams of luminous flow, and gradually the Light Film transformed into a Water Film. White shimmering ripples flowed across its surface, flickering between brightness and dimness.
In this moment, Fang Yuan advanced to the Middle Stage!
But the She Li Gu continued to bloom with its crimson radiance.
The light filled the entire Empty Orifice, replacing the True Essence, continuously pouring essence and foundation into Fang Yuan's Empty Orifice.
The Water Film accepted it all. The shimmering ripples upon it glistened like water, flowing ever more smoothly.
This process continued for roughly a quarter of an hour.
The Red Iron She Li Gu had completely exhausted all of its foundation. Its body turned transparent, then utterly vanished into the crimson light.
The moment it disappeared, the overwhelming crimson radiance abruptly dissipated.
The Empty Orifice returned to its former calm.
Only now, the Water Film had become much more substantial. The Red Iron She Li Gu's efforts had saved Fang Yuan a great deal of time and painstaking labor.
A wisp of crimson True Essence appeared within the Yuan Sea.
This was the True Essence of the Second Transformation Middle Stage—more refined than the pale red Initial Stage True Essence. It sank to the bottom of the sea, lingering around the White Jade Gu.
The Red Iron She Li Gu could directly enhance the foundation of the Empty Orifice. Manifested in a Gu Master, this translated to the effect of advancing one minor realm.
Naturally, the sooner such a Gu was used, the better.
The higher a Gu Master's cultivation, the greater their combat power, the higher their chances of survival, the more tasks they could complete, and the more Yuan Stones they could earn. It had beneficial effects across every aspect.
After reaching the Middle Stage, Fang Yuan took out several Yuan Stones and rapidly replenished his True Essence, filling the Yuan Sea within his Empty Orifice to forty-four percent with Middle Stage crimson True Essence. Only then did he stop.
Half an hour later, he stepped into the stone forest once more, venturing deep into the central area.
The moment he crossed the monkey troop's perimeter, furious Jade-eyed Stone Monkeys erupted from between the stone pillars.
They shrieked and charged at Fang Yuan.
Fang Yuan's expression did not change. Most of his attention remained fixed on the cave opening at the very top.
Ordinary Jade-eyed Stone Monkeys were not a concern as long as he avoided being surrounded. The key issue lay with the Stone Monkey King.
What Gu Insect harbored upon its body?
This was something Fang Yuan could not easily speculate on.
Fang Yuan retreated slowly while observing cautiously, but the Stone Monkey King never showed itself.
Fang Yuan found this strange. "Could it be that this troop has no monkey king? If a monkey king existed, with its home being invaded, it would certainly be the first to emerge. Wait—perhaps it has already come out!"
Just as this thought crossed his mind, the Spring Autumn Cicada, which had been dormant in his Empty Orifice, suddenly surfaced. Its body trembled ceaselessly, emitting a faint cry of alarm that resounded only within Fang Yuan's heart.
Life Gu alarm!
This was a phenomenon that only occurred when the Life Gu sensed a severe threat to the Gu Master's life.
In an instant, every hair on Fang Yuan's body stood on end. Without a second thought, he instinctively drove the White Jade Gu to its full power.
A halo of white jade light enveloped his entire body.
In the very next moment, a Stone Monkey King three times the size of an ordinary stone monkey suddenly materialized on Fang Yuan's left side, its sharp claws striking violently at his left shoulder.
With a resounding thud, the Stone Monkey King's attack was blocked by the White Jade Gu's defense, rendering it futile.