Fang Yuan slowly opened his eyes.
The world before him was a blur of pink. As his vision gradually sharpened, the haze resolved into the gauze curtains of a bed canopy.
A gentle breeze wafted in, and wind chimes tinkled softly as the pink curtains drifted in languid waves — dreamlike and ethereal.
Fang Yuan sat up in bed.
The bed was circular, enormous — easily large enough to accommodate forty or fifty people lying down.
Red silk bedding with golden trim was spread across it, warm and snug against the skin.
Fang Yuan looked around and found himself in a spacious bedroom.
Beside the bed, an incense burner smoldered, burning fragrant herbs. A subtle, intoxicating aroma drifted through the air.
The bedroom's walls were built from gold bricks, its floor laid with silver bricks. Pearls, agates, crystals, and all manner of gemstones were inlaid into the bedside tables, corners, chairs, and vanity.
It was resplendent, luxurious yet elegant, radiating the gilded air of its former owner — the fox fairy.
This was the fox fairy's Soul-Swaying Palace.
"A tender trap indeed," Fang Yuan remarked lightly, stepping down from the bed.
His body swayed involuntarily, a lingering dizziness still clouding his mind.
Fang Yuan was not surprised. He understood perfectly well — he had pushed himself too hard at Three-Valley Mountain.
Bai Ningbing's betrayal, the siege of numerous rivals, plotting against the land spirit, first refining the Second Empty Orifice Gu, then forging the Fixed Immortal Journey Gu within the Waterfall of Starlight — throughout all of it, he had to bear the psychological strain of reckless gambles. For Fang Yuan, both body and mind had been pushed to their absolute limits.
When he had used the Fixed Immortal Journey Gu to arrive at the summit of Soul-Swaying Mountain, Feng Jinhuang and Fang Zheng were at their last gasp — and had Fang Yuan not been the same?
Compared to them, Fang Yuan had shouldered even greater psychological pressure. The Spring Autumn Cicada could not be activated a second consecutive time, and snatching the fox fairy's inheritance right in front of ten sects' immortal Gu Masters was like pulling a tiger's tooth or snatching chestnuts from a fire — the most extreme kind of risk!
Fang Yuan had been the first to reach the summit, and the land spirit had driven off all other competitors. Once Fang Yuan formally became the blessed land's master, he had immediately ordered the land spirit to seal the entire blessed land.
After relaying several key instructions to the land spirit, and with the environment secure, Fang Yuan had finally relaxed — and collapsed into a deep sleep.
"No idea how long I was out..." Fang Yuan shook his head. He still felt utterly exhausted, a deep weakness emanating from the very depths of his soul.
At the same time, his ears buzzed incessantly, and his thoughts moved with a distinct sluggishness. Thinking through problems was far more difficult than usual.
"Not good — I've injured my soul." Fang Yuan's heart sank as he realized his condition was far from optimal.
The main reason was, of course, the refinement of an immortal Gu.
Was an immortal Gu so easy to refine? Many immortal Gu Masters were careless during the process and suffered backlash — at best, injury; at worst, death.
Fang Yuan had managed to refine an immortal Gu with the body of a mortal. The primary reason was that his secret technique was exceptional, originating from the "Records of the Human Ancestor." Second, the materials were excellent — the key ingredient had been the Spirit Journey Gu. In a sense, he had converted the Spirit Journey Gu into the Fixed Immortal Journey Gu. This greatly reduced the difficulty.
It was nothing like five hundred years ago in his previous life, when he had used a massive quantity of mortal Gu to fuse-refine the immortal Gu — the Spring Autumn Cicada. Achieving the immortal from the mortal — that difficulty was a hundred times greater.
"Even so, my soul's foundation is too shallow, and I've still ended up injured. But fortunately, this is Soul-Swaying Mountain..." At this thought, Fang Yuan's expression turned solemn, and he called out softly, "Land spirit, where are you?"
With a whoosh, the fox fairy land spirit materialized before him.
"Master, you've finally awakened." The land spirit kept her head lowered, cheeks flushed red, eyes fixed on the tips of her feet. Her voice was soft and sweet.
She appeared as a girl of five or six, pink and adorable, petite and delicate, dressed in colorful robes. Behind her, a fluffy snow-white fox tail swayed back and forth, betraying her anxious state of mind.
"After you fell asleep, I took the liberty of healing the wound on your left arm. I originally wanted to dress you in a gown, but none of the gowns in the palace fit your frame," the fox fairy land spirit reported.
The gowns she spoke of were the fox fairy's own garments — all designed for women with slender, graceful figures. It would be strange indeed if any of them fit Fang Yuan.
Fang Yuan frowned. "Clothing is a trivial matter. Tell me — how long was I unconscious? Were there any powerful enemies attacking the gates during that time?"
The fox fairy blinked her large, sparkling eyes repeatedly. "Master, you were unconscious for seven days and seven nights. During that period, no one attacked."
"Oh?" Fang Yuan's eyes flashed.
He never would have guessed that He Fengyang of the Immortal Crane Sect had shielded him, deflecting the trouble posed by the other nine great sects.
But he had some inkling of why the immortal Gu Masters had not rashly attacked the fox fairy's blessed land.
The fox fairy's blessed land was not the Three Kings' blessed land atop Three-Valley Mountain.
This blessed land was still young. It possessed a land spirit, ample immortal essence reserves, and the protection of Soul-Swaying Mountain guarding its core.
These three factors combined to make the fox fairy's blessed land a formidable fortress, enough to give most immortal Gu Masters pause.
Just how difficult this blessed land was to assault — Fang Yuan had experienced it firsthand.