The Shang Family.
"Eight Parts Jade, three thousand liang. Within three days at the latest — I want it in hand." Fang Yuan's tone was unyielding.
The Shang Family expressed their difficulties: "Eight Parts Jade is an Eighth Transformation immortal material. In the Treasure Yellow Heaven, transactions rarely exceed a hundred liang. Asking our clan to produce so much all at once is truly difficult."
"Heh heh. I trust in your clan's strength. The Shang Family — who doesn't know you as the wealthiest power in the Southern Border?" Fang Yuan sneered, and no matter how the Shang Family tried to negotiate afterward, his conditions didn't budge an inch.
The Ba Family.
"Where's the Seven Treasures Water I asked for?" Fang Yuan pressed.
The Ba Family hastily replied: "The Seven Treasures Water has been fully prepared. We can exchange person for goods."
"Hahaha." Fang Yuan laughed. "Excellent! To show my sincerity, let me deliver a batch of goods first."
"Wh-what is this?!" The Ba Family Gu Immortal was both shocked and furious.
"Can't you tell? This is one arm of your clan's Gu Immortal." Fang Yuan's voice was unhurried.
"Fang Yuan! What is the meaning of this?!"
"Hmph! A mere bit of Seven Treasures Water, and you expect to get your Gu Immortal back? That's far too easy. Or do you take me for a fool? If you don't satisfy me, I'll simply kill him. Oh, and of course — I'll record the entire process of his torture with a Letter Gu and broadcast the images in the Treasure Yellow Heaven for all to see. Or perhaps I could sell him to the Wu Family? Heh heh, hahahaha!" Fang Yuan cackled with sinister laughter.
The Ba Family Gu Immortal nearly ground his steel teeth to dust. After a long moment, he squeezed out words through clenched teeth: "Fang Yuan... let's discuss this reasonably."
"If you want me to be reasonable, that's easy enough. First, send over the Seven Treasures Water and show your Ba Family's sincerity. Forgive my bluntness, but your clan aspires to overthrow the Wu Family and become the foremost power in the Southern Border — how can you be so stingy? The Wu Family would pay any price for a single foreign Supreme Elder. Your Ba Family Gu Immortal is your own blood relative — can you really watch him die? What does your Supreme Grand Elder think? Is he truly that cold and heartless?"
Every word struck at the heart. The Ba Family Gu Immortal on the other end turned pale with rage and helplessness.
The Luo Family, Hou Family, Chai Family... these were the targets of Fang Yuan's second wave of extortion. The Tie Family, Wu Family, and others — he still hadn't touched.
Fang Yuan imposed all manner of demands on these clans. Of course he encountered resistance, but with hostages in hand and his own position impossibly well-concealed — utterly untraceable — he held the absolute initiative.
The Southern Border's Righteous Path could do nothing but grit their teeth and satisfy Fang Yuan's demands one by one.
Among these, the Xia Family showed the most sincerity. Those ten portions of Vortex Dawn were the first to reach Fang Yuan's hands.
Though the Xia Family Gu Immortals claimed that gathering the Vortex Dawn had been incredibly arduous, Fang Yuan knew perfectly well that these super-clans had deep reserves. Meeting his extortion demands was well within their capabilities — it was merely somewhat inconvenient.
Vortex Dawn. Eight Parts Jade. Seven Treasures Water.
Some of these immortal materials were Eighth Transformation grade, others only Seventh Transformation, but in large quantities they were delivered to Fang Yuan one after another.
Before long, Fang Yuan had obtained more than half the materials needed to construct the Pool of Years.
The efficiency was astonishingly high!
If Fang Yuan had to oversee and collect everything himself, it would take at least a decade — and that was with good luck.
Though Fang Yuan's foundation was deep, in terms of accumulating immortal materials, he was in no way comparable to these super-clans with thousands or tens of thousands of years of history.
Of course, the immortal materials Fang Yuan demanded weren't exclusively for the Pool of Years.
Many were preparations for his subsequent refinement of Immortal Gu.
At this moment, the Time Path clone arrived outside the Immortal Formation once more.
"This is the final round of stripping. Once it's done, not a single one of these Southern Border Gu Immortals will still have an Immortal Gu on them."
The Southern Border Righteous Path comprised thirteen great families: the Wu Family, Ba Family, Shang Family, Tie Family, Hou Family, Luo Family, Qiao Family, Chai Family, Xia Family, Yi Family, Chi Family, Yang Family, and Yao Family.
Fang Yuan could fight Eighth Transformation cultivators. Pursuing him was something every family benefited from, so each had dispatched a Gu Immortal expert — cultivation at minimum Seventh Transformation, combat prowess that served as the family's pride. The Xia Family even had Supreme Grand Elder Xia Cha personally leading the charge, commanding the coalition to prevent internal friction.
These Gu Immortal experts each possessed at least two to three Immortal Gu, while some had four or five — like Xia Cha. On average, that was three per person.
Before Fang Yuan had even finished stripping them all, these Immortal Gu combined with his previous accumulation had already surpassed the hundred mark!
Immortal Path Killer Move — Great Thief Ghost Hand.
Watching the Southern Border Gu Immortal Yang Ku being dragged more than halfway out of his dream by the Pure Dream Truth-Seeking Body, Fang Yuan immediately unleashed his signature technique.
A Seventh Transformation Immortal Gu was stripped away. Fang Yuan felt a surge of delight — it was the Soul Search Immortal Gu!
This Soul Search Immortal Gu was a full Seventh Transformation, perfectly suited for Fang Yuan's subsequent use in scouring their souls.
"Though this Gu is merely icing on the cake."