In the dark room, Bai Ningbing let out a displeased cold snort.
Fang Yuan shifted the topic: "But at this stage, Merchant City is the most suitable place for us. There are countless shops there — we can easily purchase Gu Insects suited to us. The Gu we have now, though impressive, don't work well together at all. Only when assembled into a matched set can they unleash a far greater combat power. Challenging opponents above our level might even become possible."
Fang Yuan's words earned Bai Ningbing's wholehearted agreement.
Any accomplished Gu Master would possess a mature, well-coordinated set of Gu Insects.
For instance, back when Bai Ningbing still possessed the Northern Underworld Ice Spirit Body, she had the Ice Blade Gu, Ice Cone Gu, Water Shield Gu, Blue Bird Ice Coffin Gu, Ice Skin Gu, Frost Demon Gu...
They were all from the ice-and-water family of Gu, used in concert with one another — smooth, complementary, perfectly harmonious.
But now, the Gu in their hands were numerous yet chaotically mismatched. If they could swap them out for a proper set, their combat power would at least double.
As it happened, Fang Yuan's Empty Orifice was stockpiled with a large quantity of Bone Spear Gu and Spiral Bone Spear Gu. These could be sold off at Merchant City.
Even without those Gu, Fang Yuan had the Heavenly Essence Treasure Lotus, capable of producing Yuan Stones on a daily basis.
Visiting Merchant City to lie low was the first objective. Purchasing and exchanging Gu Insects was the second. Fang Yuan's third objective, however, was not something he could readily share with Bai Ningbing.
It had to do with Stone Uncovering.
In some dark, forgotten corner of a Gambling Stone Hall, there lay a stone concealing a legendary Gu within!
The Gu in Fang Yuan's possession included the Spring Autumn Cicada — a Sixth Transformation Gu — the Heavenly Essence Treasure Lotus connected to the Ninth Transformation Immortal Venerable, the Blood Skull Gu that could alter one's Aptitude, and the Bone Flesh Reunion Gu.
Setting aside the Bone Flesh Reunion Gu, the Blood Skull Gu had practically lost all its value. Nearly every clansman sharing Fang Yuan's bloodline was already dead. As for the Heavenly Essence Treasure Lotus, though its effects were extraordinary, it held no room for growth — Fang Yuan didn't know any fusion refinement recipe, and the higher his cultivation climbed, the less useful it became.
The Spring Autumn Cicada was even more absurd.
It was still dormant and recovering. Use it, and you courted disaster. Don't use it, and once it recovered, it would burst the Empty Orifice.
The thing was practically a ticking time bomb.
The Spring Autumn Cicada, the Heavenly Essence Treasure Lotus, the Blood Skull Gu, and the Bone Flesh Reunion Gu — these were arguably the four most valuable Gu in Fang Yuan's possession. And they all shared one thing in common.
They were all auxiliary Gu used for cultivation.
Did they help Fang Yuan? Tremendously!
Immensely!
But when it came to actual combat, their contribution was far less obvious.
That Gu in Merchant City was different. It was an ace built for battle. With that Gu in hand, plus a few more Gu assembled into a proper set, Fang Yuan would finally begin to resemble the Demonic Path powerhouse he had been in his former life — invincible among his peers since the moment of his rebirth.
"It's still a long road to Merchant City. Let's not think that far ahead yet. You should refine one of the Bone Flesh Reunion Gu first," Fang Yuan steered the conversation back.
Bai Ningbing had gotten a read on Fang Yuan's plan. That eased her mind, if only slightly.
The longer she spent around Fang Yuan, the more she felt he was far too cunning and treacherous.
Especially his performance today — so convincingly simple and honest that she had nearly been fooled herself! Just a short while ago, she had watched with her own eyes as he refined the Bone Flesh Reunion Gu, and connecting that to his behavior afterward, she felt a chill creep down her spine.
She silently reminded herself to stay wary. That poor Bai family matriarch was proof enough of what happened when you let your guard down! If she wasn't careful around Fang Yuan, who knew — one day he might sell her off and she'd still be counting his money for him.
With a faint shake of her head, Bai Ningbing gathered her emotions and set to work refining the Bone Flesh Reunion Gu.
The pair of Gu took a peculiar shape — one green, one red. Bai Ningbing chose the red one and began channeling her True Essence into it.
The Bone Flesh Reunion Gu had already been refined by Fang Yuan beforehand. Now he willingly withdrew his consciousness to cooperate with Bai Ningbing.
The latter accomplished the refinement effortlessly, without spending much time at all.
The moment she finished, the Bone Flesh Reunion Gu underwent a strange transformation.
The pair of interlocked jade bracelets suddenly dissolved entirely into midair, and at nearly the same instant, a ring-shaped mark appeared on the wrist of both Fang Yuan and Bai Ningbing.
The difference was that the ring on Fang Yuan's left wrist was green, while the one on Bai Ningbing's right wrist was red.
A profound and enigmatic sense of connection rose simultaneously from the hearts of both Fang Yuan and Bai Ningbing.
This connection allowed Fang Yuan to feel Bai Ningbing, and allowed Bai Ningbing to sense Fang Yuan — as though their flesh and blood were fused together, inseparable.
The feeling was deeply unpleasant, making Bai Ningbing feel as if she had swallowed a fly.
Fang Yuan's brow furrowed tightly as well.
The scroll left behind by Grey Bone Scholar had never mentioned this little detail.
But after a moment's thought, Fang Yuan relaxed: "After all, Grey Bone Scholar was only working from theory. He had never actually used it himself. It's only natural he wouldn't know..."
This sensation was merely a minor detail. What came next was the real point.
Suppressing their discomfort, the two sat cross-legged facing each other on a bed platform and began their dual cultivation.
They each extended a palm, all four palms facing one another.
To be safe, they started with Fang Yuan, whose cultivation was weaker.
He drew a strand of Bronze True Essence from his Empty Orifice and carefully channeled it into Bai Ningbing's Empty Orifice.