The clone successfully survived the tribulation and became a Time Path Sixth Transformation Gu Immortal. Fang Yuan's main body, however, remained a Seventh Transformation Gu Immortal with a Supreme Immortal Body, cultivating all paths simultaneously.
Having a clone brought Fang Yuan significant benefits.
Many tasks, especially the management of his Blessed Land, could be delegated to the clone.
This was someone Fang Yuan could trust absolutely — far more reliable than any Shadow Sect member.
Moreover, since the two shared one being, their thoughts, will, and everything else were perfectly aligned. Communication between them held no contradictions, and even errors were rare.
One need only look at the Shadow Sect's strength to understand the power of a split soul.
The Shadow Sect had numerous members, yet they all remained united, unmindful of personal sacrifice — because they were all one, all a single person.
Making the clone into a Sixth Transformation Gu Immortal had cost Fang Yuan dearly.
First, he painstakingly deduced the method, expending vast amounts of time and energy. Then he performed level refinement on the Spring Autumn Cicada, consuming a batch of immortal materials. After the clone was created, it also needed cultivation — though not the primary focus, it still required investment.
Because of the split soul, Fang Yuan's main body's soul had dropped from ten million human souls to just nine million — a significant reduction.
This soul foundation, Fang Yuan would need to accumulate once more. Fortunately, possessing two great Holy Lands, his progress in this area was especially rapid, and it did not significantly hinder his development.
As for Fang Yuan's clone, having received his split soul, it could be considered half an Otherworldly Demon.
The physical body originated from this world and was therefore still bound by Fate. This was something Fang Yuan could do nothing about.
Unless he could emulate the Shadow Sect and refine another Supreme Immortal Embryo Gu for the clone to use.
The Shadow Sect had accumulated resources for a hundred thousand years before successfully refining a single Supreme Immortal Embryo Gu. Refining a second was essentially impossible.
In the days that followed, Fang Yuan's main body rested as usual, while his clone resided within the "Cleanse Body, Purify Self" Immortal Path Gu Formation, eliminating the unnecessary Strength Path Dao Marks on its body.
Fang Yuan had originally ascended through his second Empty Orifice, becoming a Strength Path Gu Immortal. After transforming into an Immortal Zombie and having his Blessed Land collapse, all the Strength Path Dao Marks had remained on his physical body.
Fang Yuan decided to use the "Cleanse Body, Purify Self" killer move to help the clone strip away the unnecessary Strength Path Dao Marks.
The clone's immortal body was nothing special. With Dao Marks upon it, they would clash and interfere with one another. After careful deliberation, Fang Yuan decided to have the clone specialize exclusively in the Time Path.
Previously, Fang Yuan had considered cultivating both the Strength Path and Time Path simultaneously because he lacked a Supreme Immortal Body.
Now that he possessed both a Supreme Immortal Body and an Immortal Orifice, his future cultivation focus would be on those. The clone was merely a supplement.
Thus, the plan to refine a second Empty Orifice for the clone was scrapped.
An additional Empty Orifice would eventually ascend to become an Immortal Orifice. Since Fang Yuan had chosen to specialize in the Time Path, this Immortal Orifice would naturally also cultivate the Time Path — but what use was that?
An additional Upper Grade Blessed Land, or even a Supreme Grade Blessed Land, was of no use to Fang Yuan whatsoever.
Building such a Blessed Land would be better served by pouring all his energy into his Supreme Immortal Blessed Land instead. And his Supreme Immortal Blessed Land was only four percent developed — vast in area but scarce in resources, desperately needing management.
"Perhaps the greatest use of an extra Immortal Orifice is having an additional slot for a Life Gu," Fang Yuan mused.
The greatest benefit of a Life Gu was that during future refinements, even if the process failed, the Life Gu would not be destroyed.
Life Gu — the Gu's very existence was bound to the Gu Immortal's as one.
Of course, if the Gu Immortal died during a failed refinement, the Life Gu would basically be destroyed as well.
Currently, Fang Yuan had little need for a Life Gu.
He possessed numerous Immortal Gu, and his most important one, the Spring Autumn Cicada, was already his Life Gu.
Beyond helping Fang Yuan with various miscellaneous tasks, the clone's purpose was to ensure the Spring Autumn Cicada would not be destroyed during future refinements.
"You're awake?" Fang Yuan looked toward Mao Liu on the bed.
Mao Liu slowly opened his eyes, still feeling weak. Upon seeing Fang Yuan, his first words were, "Sect Leader, was the Gu refinement successful this time?"
"It was." Fang Yuan nodded.
"Excellent." Mao Liu smiled and said with relief, "In that case, the second phase of the Gu refinement plan has now been completed successfully."
In the first phase, Fang Yuan had refined Soul Purification, Self-Love, and Small Eat. In the second phase, he had refined the Spring Autumn Cicada and the Heavenly Secrets Gu.