Dragon Whale Bliss Land.
Beneath the Merit Stele, Fang Yuan and Shen Congsheng stood shoulder to shoulder, gazing intently at the stele's surface.
The super task regarding the purge of the Black Fire was still listed, but tomorrow marked the final three-hundred-day deadline.
Fang Yuan's merit sat proudly at the top of the rankings—a vast number. After discovering that the Black Fire task was far too difficult, he had simply selected large-scale and medium-scale tasks instead, harvesting merit bit by bit.
Miao Mingshen's group had been serving as his assistants the entire time and had also reaped considerable rewards.
Shen Congsheng and the others, upon realizing how daunting the super task was, had likewise made the smart pivot to follow Fang Yuan's example. Their accumulated merit had now reached a respectable level.
"Three hundred days have flown by. It feels as though we only just arrived here yesterday," Shen Congsheng said with a bitter smile.
This was a genuine treasure trove. By completing various tasks, Gu Immortals could directly obtain Immortal Gu, Immortal Gu recipes, and all manner of Killing Moves. Even a Gu Immortal of Shen Congsheng's caliber—an Eighth Transformation expert—found it hard to tear himself away, not wanting to leave.
But there was no choice. Once the deadline arrived, Dragon Whale Bliss Land would expel them.
"What a pity that this time, we still haven't uncovered all of Dragon Whale Bliss Land's secrets," Fang Yuan sighed with regret.
There were still many mysteries surrounding Dragon Whale Bliss Land.
The Black Fire was one key aspect.
Where had this Black Fire come from? Why did it undergo such varied transformations? Why could no one determine which school it belonged to? And why were human-path methods so effective against it?
Beyond the Black Fire—where had Bliss Land Immortal Venerable's Heavenly Dome Spine originated? What was Bliss Land Immortal Venerable's true intention?
What agreement had Bliss Land Immortal Venerable once reached with Shen Shang? Shen Shang had cultivated the human path within the grand undersea formation, yet somehow had become entangled with the troublesome Black Fire.
And apart from Shen Shang alone, Fang Yuan had seen no other Gu Immortals. Were there simply no Gu Immortals within Dragon Whale Bliss Land to begin with? Then where had the Immortal Gu on the Merit Stele come from? If they were all naturally produced, the quantity seemed far too great.
After a moment of silence, Shen Congsheng spoke: "These secrets will have to wait until we return in the future to explore. Fortunately, we've all redeemed our titles. Once the Azure Blue Dragon Whale emerges in the future, we'll be able to sense it and come back to investigate."
Fang Yuan nodded. This was indeed a welcome discovery.
Just as he had deduced before, the reason Miao Mingshen had been able to pinpoint the Azure Blue Dragon Whale's exact location was also because of this title.
Someone had quietly transferred that title onto him—and who that someone was remained unknown.
Among all the titles the Merit Stele offered, a very select few could be transferred.
There was another discovery as well, also related to titles.
After redeeming a title, when a Gu Immortal departed Dragon Whale Bliss Land, they could teleport to any location within a hundred-thousand-li radius.
This was the excuse Fang Yuan had once used to deceive Miao Mingshen's group, but in truth, it actually existed.
Just then, the text floating on the Merit Stele's surface began to shift and change.
All the tasks—small, medium, large, and even the super tasks—vanished, leaving behind only a single Ultimate Task.
Ultimate Task—follow the Azure Blue Dragon Whale as it departs, and successfully complete the round trip.
"What is this?" Shen Congsheng exclaimed in astonishment.
Fang Yuan's brows furrowed slightly. "Could it be that beyond super tasks, there are Ultimate Tasks? The description is rather vague, but the difficulty is almost certainly far greater than purging the Black Fire!"
At that moment, the text on the Merit Stele shifted once more.
Shen Congsheng's eyes widened involuntarily as he read aloud: "Task duration is indefinite. Upon acceptance, the recipient will be exempt from time limits and may remain in Bliss Land indefinitely. Only after completing the Ultimate Task may one obtain the qualification of Merit Stele Master and retain their personal merit."
A sharp light flashed through Fang Yuan's eyes as he thought: So Bliss Land Immortal Venerable had already made arrangements to select a master for the Merit Stele. As long as I follow his design, I can become the master of this Eighth Transformation Immortal Gu House. What a pity... what a pity.
Regret welled in Fang Yuan's heart.
He had already uncovered the correct method for obtaining the Merit Stele, but his strength was limited. He couldn't even complete a super task, let alone an Ultimate Task.
The Ultimate Task was obviously of extreme difficulty—chances of success were slim even for an Eighth Transformation Gu Immortal.
This much was easy to deduce.
The Gu Immortals who had entered Dragon Whale Bliss Land were far more numerous than Fang Yuan's group alone. Previous visitors might well have accepted this Ultimate Task, yet the Merit Stele remained masterless.
That proved no one had ever succeeded!
There was yet another reason Fang Yuan did not intend to accept the task.
It was what the Merit Stele's text had stated—task duration is indefinite.
If the time required was too long, and he only completed the task and departed to find that the Heavenly Court had already fully repaired Fate Gu, then what would be the point?
"Alas..." Shen Congsheng exhaled a long, turbid breath. He too had recovered his rationality, recognizing the risks involved, and the feverish gleam in his eyes faded.
Fang Yuan extended a finger toward the Ultimate Task on the Merit Stele's surface and analyzed: "Brother Shen, this Ultimate Task carries an implicit meaning. After selecting it, a Gu Immortal's personal merit will be retained. That being the case, those who haven't accepted the task will probably have all their accumulated merit wiped clean the moment they leave Dragon Whale Bliss Land."
Shen Congsheng's heart clenched, and he nodded rapidly. "That's most likely what it means. When we first arrived here, the Merit Stele rankings were completely empty."
If that were so, Gu Immortals would need to spend as much of their accumulated merit as possible.
But how exactly to spend it would require each Gu Immortal to think carefully.
The next day.