The grotto-heavens within the two Primordial Heavens universally possessed vast quantities of Dao marks.
These Dao marks had not been primarily born from tribulations, but from the contributions of successive generations of Gu Immortals.
Take the Peace Soul Grotto-Heaven, for example — its Dao marks numbered over seven million! This immense accumulation of Soul Path Dao marks meant the grotto-heaven contained a staggering number of supreme-grade resource points.
Initially, the Peace Soul Grotto-Heaven had only just over one hundred thousand Soul Path Dao marks. After it devoured a massive fragment of the Nine Heavens, it became free from all calamities and tribulations.
Supported and nurtured by Heavenly Will, Gu Immortals arose within the Peace Soul Grotto-Heaven generation after generation.
These Gu Immortals were all of the human race, and while they were free to choose whichever Path to cultivate, the overwhelming majority chose the Soul Path.
This was because the Soul Path resources within the grotto-heaven were extraordinarily diverse and abundant — truly a heaven-blessed advantage. Even those Gu Immortals who chose other Paths were exceedingly rare, and obtaining cultivation resources for those alternative Paths was far more difficult than for the Soul Path.
In truth, the two Primordial Heavens were not places that ordinary Sixth Transformation or Seventh Transformation Gu Immortals could freely enter and explore.
As a rule, only a select few Seventh Transformation powerhouses, and the prevailing majority of Eighth Transformation experts, could venture into the Primordial Two Heavens, braving the risks to harvest a certain amount of wild resources.
And when these Soul Path Gu Immortals died, their Immortal apertures almost invariably merged into the Peace Soul Grotto-Heaven.
Though these Gu Immortals did not possess Supreme Immortal apertures — meaning considerable internal losses would occur during aperture merging — the fact that the dominant Dao marks were consistently Soul Path Dao marks meant that the gains from merging exceeded the losses during the vast majority of the time.
Through the passage of ages and the accumulation of countless generations, this was how the astonishing total of over seven million had been built up!
The Four-Element Regret Blood Refining Pool was the single most massive investment Fang Yuan had ever made in his entire life, spanning five hundred years of his previous existence and this one to the present. He had poured the entirety of his Refinement Path resources into it, and the cost had extended to his Time Path, Rule Path, Wisdom Path, Blood Path, and other Path reserves as well.
With the Four-Element Regret Blood Refining Pool, Fang Yuan's strength in the Refinement Path had skyrocketed, making him the foremost expert in the world. When factored in with his quasi-supreme attainment realm in the Refinement Path, even surveying the entire arc of history, Fang Yuan was indisputably among the top three refinement masters of all time.
However, because considerable numbers of Immortal Gu had been committed as well, his reserves in Time Path, Rule Path, and other fields had correspondingly declined.
During this period of recuperation and consolidation — the Peace and Stability Mountain Fortress had yet to be repaired, Immortal Essence reserves had only just climbed back above the danger line, and numerous Immortal Gu had been expended — yet despite all of this, Fang Yuan's comprehensive combat strength had risen rather than fallen, driven by the explosive growth of his mainstream Dao marks!
Fang Yuan's days had become considerably easier.
Consider the past: he had lived hand to mouth, day to day, forced onward by the calculations of the Venerables, hunted across every corner by the Heavenly Court. Now, however, Demon Venerable Spectral Soul had fallen, and both the Heavenly Court and Eternal Life Heaven were recuperating themselves. The external pressure on Fang Yuan had vanished, granting him the room to formulate his cultivation strategy with far greater composure.
From a long-term perspective, forging the Four-Element Regret Blood Refining Pool had been an investment of incalculable returns!
"Next, I need to refine the Luck Path Immortal Gu to the Eighth Transformation," Fang Yuan gazed at the Four-Element Regret Blood Refining Pool with confident ambition. He had long since settled on this plan.
When the Fate Gu still existed, the world operated on the principle of nine destinies and one thread of luck. Now that the Fate Gu had been destroyed, the influence of the Luck Path had unquestionably surged!
This was especially true given that the great trend of warfare across the Five Regions was inevitable — the more chaotic the situation, the more devastating the Luck Path's potential.
"My current stockpile of immortal materials is unprecedented. I already possess the strength to refine an Eighth Transformation Luck Path Immortal Gu. However, constructing a complete Refinement Sea is still far off — I lack both the means and the materials. Hmm?"
As Fang Yuan was mulling this over, he suddenly received intelligence from the Treasure Yellow Heaven via Black Rabbit.
"They're still alive, trapped within the Earth Vein. Interesting — they're hiding in a Hidden Land. Excellent! Hidden Lands are among the Ten Lands, and each one conceals abundant immortal materials. In particular, there's a Ninth Transformation Luck Path immortal material — the Chongxin — that is precisely what I need right now!"
A surge of delight rose within Fang Yuan's heart.
A Ninth Transformation Luck Path immortal material could naturally be used to refine a Ninth Transformation Luck Path Immortal Gu.
But a single Chongxin from a Hidden Land was far from enough.
The Luck Path immortal materials in Fang Yuan's possession were predominantly Seventh Transformation, with a small portion at the Eighth Transformation. He clearly lacked the reserves to attempt a Ninth Transformation Luck Path Immortal Gu.
However, using a Ninth Transformation material to refine an Eighth Transformation Immortal Gu could slightly boost the success rate of the refinement.
With the addition of the Chongxin, Fang Yuan would be like a tiger with wings!
Southern Border. Chi family headquarters.
Bang.
The current Chi family's Grand Elder slammed the table, his teeth clenched in fury: "How preposterous!"
This Seventh Transformation Gu Immortal appeared rather young. His skin was deathly pale, with dark circles under his eyes from excessive drinking, and his face was flushed with rage.
This was Chi Bang.
Son of Chi Qu You. During his lifetime, Chi Qu You had championed his son and arranged for him to be the family's designated successor to the position of Grand Elder. Though Chi Qu You had perished in the Battle of Fate, his thorough preparations had ultimately secured Chi Bang's ascension to the seat.
But once Chi Bang took power, he found the reality vastly different from before.
Previously, he had sheltered under his father's protection, with Chi Qu You shielding him from wind and rain. Now, he had to face the pressure head-on.
This time, the Southern Border super-force — the Yang family — had presented him with a thorny problem.
The root of the conflict was a Sound Path inheritance. This Sound Path inheritance was called Chizha, with a long and storied history and a far-reaching reputation, passed down from an ancient era.