Fang Yuan quietly observed his subordinates' reactions.
The establishment of the Exchange List had been a product of careful deliberation on his part.
Originally, Fang Yuan had believed that the chaos within the Supreme Immortal Aperture would gradually ease over time. But the reality was the opposite — it only grew worse.
At times, anomalies would erupt with considerable severity, forcing Fang Yuan's main body to intervene personally for emergency containment.
If the strength of the Gu Immortals within the Supreme Immortal Aperture could be raised by one or two tiers, then the chaotic state would be far better managed.
Fang Yuan had no way to cure the Supreme Immortal Aperture's problems root and stem. He could only resort to palliative measures.
Of course, no matter how much he elevated and nurtured them, these subordinates had no capacity to participate in the struggle over the Madness Den. Fang Yuan harbored no such delusions.
Cultivating these subordinates required enormous resources.
Fang Yuan had swallowed numerous Two Heavens Caves, stripping them of eons of accumulated reserves. Naturally, he was far from lacking in resources.
In terms of cultivation resources, Fang Yuan had long surpassed the vast majority of supreme forces under heaven.
Even Heavenly Court and Longevity Heaven, though richer in foundational heritage, could not match his extravagant spending.
Fang Yuan possessed the Four Element Square Regret Blood Refinement Pool, which made refining Sixth Transformation and Seventh Transformation Immortal Gu as easy as child's play. Only with this could he confidently place various Immortal Gu on the Exchange List and allow his subordinates to redeem them freely.
If in the future Fang Yuan needed to use certain Immortal Gu, he could simply issue a mandatory mission and drop it right on someone's head. Who would dare defy Fang Yuan's decree?
By then, with a few extra contribution points thrown in, the subordinate whose Immortal Gu had been confiscated might even be happy about it.
The subordinates' response had been extremely enthusiastic — something Fang Yuan had anticipated.
Stimulated by the Exchange List, the Gu Immortals had begun madly taking on missions like industrious little bees, actively appearing in every corner of the Supreme Immortal Aperture.
As for the top mission on the Mission List, the Gu Immortals were all discussing whether Lord Fang Yuan had made a mistake.
But after several days, the mission's contents remained unchanged.
The Gu Immortals grew ever more eager — the contribution rewards for this mission were considerable.
Of all the newly released Exchange Lists, Shi Zong had studied his the longest.
Recently, Shi Zong had been wrestling with a major problem.
He was the Great Elder of the Stone People tribe of the Northern Plains, at the Seventh Transformation, and was currently facing his third Great Tribulation.
Seventh Transformation Gu Immortals endured one Earth Calamity every ten years, one Heavenly Tribulation every fifty years, and one Great Tribulation every hundred years.
Earth Calamities and Heavenly Tribulations posed no great issue for Shi Zong. But the Great Tribulation was a massive headache — the first two had nearly shattered his confidence entirely.
With the third Great Tribulation imminent, Shi Zong had tried every means to delay its arrival.
Yet he had combed through the entire Exchange List and found not a shred of new hope.
"There is nothing on the entire Exchange List that can delay a tribulation!" Shi Zong's brows knitted tightly.
"Is it that my lord lacks such methods? Clearly not!" His gaze locked firmly onto the first mission on the Mission List.
"It seems my lord is encouraging us to take this mission."
Shi Zong's heart stirred.
The Stone People tribe he led had originated from the northern ice fields of the Northern Plains. They had been forcibly dragged onto this pirate ship by Fang Yuan back in the day.
Now, having come this far, Shi Zong realized that this ship had grown into a grand vessel with a brilliantly bright future and benefits beyond imagination.
Since ancient times, the foremost principle for any leader had almost always been one — the balance of benevolence and authority.
Fang Yuan was never lacking in authority. The moment the Exchange List appeared, it had shifted many hearts.
Shi Zong would never dare betray Fang Yuan, and having now seen the benefits of following him, he deliberated for a long time before deciding to take the risk and accept that mission!
He did not go about it secretly but rather publicly and openly.
Soon, word that he had accepted the first mission spread throughout the entire Gu Immortal world of the Supreme Immortal Aperture.
"Shi Zong is a veteran Seventh Transformation Gu Immortal. If he can survive this tribulation, he'll ascend to the Eighth Transformation!"
"Let's see what this mission is really about."
"Ai, I wanted to take that mission too. Who knew Shi Zong would get there first. This is a golden opportunity to express loyalty to our lord."
Shortly after Shi Zong accepted the mission, he received a summons from Fang Yuan's Time Path Clone.
The Time Path Clone issued orders on the spot: preparations were to begin for managing Shi Zong's Immortal Aperture and readying him for tribulation.
Shi Zong opened his Immortal Aperture, and Fang Yuan's Time Path Clone personally oversaw the process, stuffing one batch after another of Earth Path immortal materials into his aperture.
Trapped Sorrow Soil, Blue Marsh Rotten Earth, Drill Earth, Grand Marsh Earth, Heaven-Covering Dust, Great Bright Mud, Boundary Sand, Impermanent Stone, Smoke Net Warm Jade, Thousand-Year Jade Marrow, Black-Cyan Ink Stone, Marrow-Drinking Stone, Resentful Water Stone, Round Kun Stone, Hibiscus Stone Stalactites, Stone Heart Liquid, Eightfold Jade, and more — a staggering quantity of Earth Path immortal materials that nearly left Shi Zong dumbfounded.
After snapping out of his stupor, Shi Zong could not help but feel his heart clench with alarm.
"The origin of all Gu Immortal tribulations lies in the Heavenly Dao's balance. My Earth Path foundation has now surged so dramatically that the Great Tribulation will become even more terrifying. Ordinary Gu Immortals pray for their tribulations to be as weak as possible, but my lord does the exact opposite — it's as if he wishes the Great Tribulation would become a Calamity of Ten Thousand Calamities!"
Several days later, the grand day of the tribulation finally arrived.
Fang Yuan's main body mobilized, traveling to an unremarkable stretch of sea in the Eastern Sea. He opened his Immortal Aperture's portal and released Shi Zong.
After paying his respects to Fang Yuan, Shi Zong hastily descended, anchoring his Blessed Land within the fabric of heaven and earth.
The Blessed Land's gateway swung wide open, beginning to devour vast quantities of Heaven and Earth Qi from the surrounding world.
Fang Yuan stood outside the gate.