The Formation Path grandmaster calculated with all his might. After a short while, his face had gone pale and drenched in sweat. "To temporarily repair this formation eye, we still need over a thousand jin of Sinking Sand, an Eighth Transformation immortal material."
Zhang Ji's heart sank immediately. Sinking Sand was a specialty of the Western Desert — no other region had any source of it. With such a massive quantity needed all of a sudden, how could they possibly procure it?
While Zhang Ji was worrying, the Formation Path grandmaster suddenly exhaled a turbid breath and said, "The Sinking Sand will be supplied by the Heavenly Court's immortal treasury. But we still need one person to enter the Dark Sky and pour down at least five hundred jin of Sinking Sand from above. When the time comes, we on the inside will work in concert from within the formation, and only then can we fill the formation eye's void."
"I'll go!" Zhang Ji said immediately.
But the Formation Path grandmaster shook his head and spoke bluntly. "Your injuries have only been temporarily suppressed. Your combat strength is far too weak. If you rashly leave the formation now, those three demons will kill you with ease. Worse still, they'll follow the trail and discover the vague coordinates of our interior space!"
"What are we to do then?" Zhang Ji sighed bitterly.
The Formation Path grandmaster froze for a moment, having received Star Constellation Immortal Venerable's command. He then said, "Very well. Whether it's materials or personnel, everything will be personally arranged and coordinated by Lord Star Constellation Immortal Venerable. Fellow Immortal Zhang Ji, use this time to focus on healing your injuries. I need to move to the next formation eye and establish the repair method."
With that, the Formation Path grandmaster hurried off.
Zhang Ji watched his retreating figure, then swept his gaze across his surroundings. The formation space was in complete chaos and clamor. The immortal Gu Masters stationed here were all running around frantically.
Even with Star Constellation Immortal Venerable's will holding the fort here, Fang Yuan's three clones still brought them enormous pressure.
Zhang Ji deeply felt his own insignificance. Helplessly, he sighed once more, then seized the time to tend to his injuries.
---
Western Desert.
The Lin family's blessed land main base.
Lin Jianxing, the Lin family's Supreme Grand Elder and the foremost Gu Immortal of the Western Desert in the current era, walked out of the blessed land alongside Immortal Maiden Jiuling, revealing their figures.
"May Fellow Immortal Jiuling have a smooth journey ahead," Lin Jianxing said with a smile.
Heavenly Court had desired Lin Jianxing's physical body to rapidly complete the Bo Qing project, thereby suppressing Spectral Soul Demon Venerable. Jiuling and four other Heavenly Court Gu Immortals had besieged Lin Jianxing and suffered a crushing defeat. Jiuling had been captured by Lin Jianxing when she stayed behind to cover the retreat.
But now, she was being personally released by Lin Jianxing.
Jiuling's face was as dark as water. Although she had regained her freedom, there was not a trace of joy in her expression. She stared at Lin Jianxing and asked, "What exactly did Heavenly Court pay to ransom me?"
Lin Jianxing made no effort to conceal the truth. He answered candidly, "Star Constellation Immortal Venerable places great value on you, Fellow Immortal. I mustered the courage to set my price, and luckily I managed to obtain eleven Eight Desolate Sword Leaf Trees."
"Eight Desolate Sword Leaf Trees…" Upon hearing the answer, Jiuling's mood grew even heavier.
These Eight Desolate Sword Leaf Trees had a prestigious origin — they came from Primordial Origin Immortal Venerable. They were supreme ancient desolate plants created by a Venerable, not natural products born of heaven and earth.
The Eight Desolate Sword Leaf Trees contained dense Wood Path Dao marks, but their root systems grew atop Gold Path immortal material mineral veins, and the leaves they produced were all pure Sword Path Eighth Transformation immortal materials.
Each of these trees was a unique specimen. Even Primordial Origin Immortal Venerable's personal cultivation had produced only about twenty or so for Heavenly Court.
Some had died or been consumed in the years that followed, leaving only these eleven — and now Lin Jianxing had swept them all up in one fell swoop.
Lin Jianxing accompanied her all the way to the former boundary wall intersection between the Western Desert, Central Continent, and Northern Plains regions, where he finally stopped and watched Jiuling depart alone.
"My previous negotiations with Star Constellation's will had been at a stalemate. I didn't expect that Star Constellation's will would suddenly soften its stance, willing to hand over eleven Eight Desolate Sword Leaf Trees — provided I agree to the additional condition of surrendering over two hundred jin of Sinking Sand beyond releasing Jiuling."
"Now that I've obtained these eleven Eight Desolate Sword Leaf Trees, the benefits are truly significant. My earlier speculation was correct — as long as I comprehend them properly, recreating the Sword Forest phenomenon is well within reach."
"Heavenly Court is ultimately a vast establishment with unfathomable depth. Even after suffering repeated losses, their reserves still far surpass those of any other super force."
"It's a pity that in the last battle, I only captured Jiuling alone. Otherwise, I could have demanded even more cultivation resources from Heavenly Court."
The impact of the Fate Gu's destruction ran deep — profoundly affecting the entire world and all Gu Cultivators.
Heavenly Court possessed the Immortal Tomb. Even after a Gu Immortal fell in battle, they could be resurrected. Therefore, actively choosing death rather than preserving one's life was actually a valid tactical option.
Fang Yuan took things even further on this front — he deliberately had Gu Immortals resurrected as mortal Gu Masters, then had them ascend to immortality again, exploiting the Steal Heavenly Secret killer move to extract maximum profit.
As such, Lin Jianxing killing Heavenly Court members did not constitute an irreconcilable enmity. They could be resurrected after all!
Instead, it was his capturing Jiuling alive and preventing her from seeking death that had become a genuine headache for Heavenly Court.
After prolonged negotiations, Heavenly Court had finally ransomed this prisoner, giving Lin Jianxing exactly what he wanted.
"A pity that although my Sword Path is formidable in offensive power, I'm not particularly skilled at restraint and capture."
"Sigh. This heaven and earth is truly different. The original world emphasized techniques and cultivation methods, but here it's all about Gu Insects, immortal essence, immortal materials, and other cultivation resources."
"Cultivation resources are the bedrock of everything. Right now, with the Venerables locked in a standoff, it's the perfect time for my Lin family to expand. If I fail to become a Sword Path Venerable before the Venerables resolve their conflict, I'm afraid I'll have no choice but to submit."
Star Constellation Immortal Venerable's earlier deductions had not been wrong — Lin Jianxing was indeed an otherworldly demon. In his original world, he had been the sect leader of a Sword Path sect, a figure who commanded the title of patriarch in his own right.
Such a person would naturally never accept bowing down to others. He was ambitious and clear-eyed about the ways of the world.
That was why, after defeating the five Heavenly Court immortals, Lin Jianxing had never bothered to explain himself. The world regarded him as a Demonic Path force, and he was actually pleased about it.
What did a Sword Path quasi-Venerable have to fear?