Han Buliu desperately resisted, struggling to turn the tide. But Fang Yuan saw through his plans every time, dismantling his tactics and crushing each attempt at resistance. Every effort came to nothing.
Half an hour later, only eight wild dogs remained on the field, all belonging to Fang Yuan.
Han Buliu stood in place, his face deathly pale and drenched in sweat, his head spinning.
Thud.
He suddenly dropped to his knees and cried out to Fang Yuan in desperation: "Young Beast King, I beg you—spare my life! I will work for you like an ox or a horse to repay your kindness. You're a genius, a monstrous genius! I only dared fight you because I was cornered with no other choice. Your mastery of the Slave Path fills me with absolute admiration. Young Beast King, from now on, you are my master!"
"Oh, is that so? But how can I trust your sincerity? Unless you willingly let me plant a Slave Gu in you." Fang Yuan smiled faintly as he directed the eight wild dogs to surround Han Buliu.
Han Buliu's face turned frantic: "M-my lord, in this Gu Immortal's blessed land, a Gu Master's existing Gu Insects cannot be used. Besides... I don't have a Slave Gu."
"Then I'm afraid I have no other option." Fang Yuan waved his hand coldly, and the eight wild dogs lunged simultaneously.
"Lord Fang Zheng! No!" Han Buliu sprang to his feet, screaming in terror, and tried to flee.
But it was too late. The eight wild dogs had him firmly surrounded, their wide jaws and sharp canine teeth tearing into his flesh.
Han Buliu let out a piercing shriek, flailing his arms madly as he thrashed on the ground.
It was useless.
Even if he had defenses like Ice Skin, Iron Bones, or Copper Skin, inside the blessed land they were rendered completely powerless.
"Fang Zheng... I won't forgive you even as a ghost...!"
Amid his wretched curses and wailing, Han Buliu's skin and flesh were ripped away by the wild dogs. His eyeballs were clawed out, blood streamed everywhere, and stark white bone was laid bare.
Fang Yuan watched quietly, motionless, until Han Buliu had died completely.
He waved his hand gently, and the eight wild dogs immediately ceased their attack, retreating to either side to clear a path for Fang Yuan.
Their bodies were drenched in crimson blood. Some were still gnawing on Han Buliu's bones, while others had tufts of hair and scraps of flesh clinging to their claws.
Han Buliu's corpse was completely unrecognizable.
However, his abdomen—deliberately protected by Fang Yuan—remained largely intact.
Fang Yuan pressed his palm against Han Buliu's abdomen and sent his consciousness probing into the Empty Orifice.
This was a standard Fourth Transformation Middle Stage Empty Orifice.
But since Han Buliu was already dead, his Empty Orifice was shrinking.
Constrained by the blessed land's rules, all of his Gu Insects lay motionless, resting quietly in the shallow True Essence sea.
There were five Gu in total. All were Slave Path Gu, and two of them were Fourth Transformation.
Fang Yuan glanced through them, extracted every single one, then effortlessly refined them all and stored them in his own Empty Orifice.
Throughout the entire process, he had not once invoked the Spring Autumn Cicada.
The blessed land's rules, in this instance, did not restrain him—instead, they actually aided his effortless refinement of these Gu.
The Dog King seemed to encourage Gu Masters to kill each other. The cruelty of the Demonic Path inheritance was plain to see.
After killing Han Buliu, Fang Yuan was left with only seven wild dogs.
In his final moments of struggle, Han Buliu had managed to kill the most gravely wounded one.
People on the brink of death could often unleash tremendous power.
Fang Yuan regarded the seven wild dogs, and within his calm gaze flickered a hint of regret.
"Only seven wild dogs left, and every one of them is wounded. The difficulty of the upcoming trials has naturally increased. But compared to the gains, the loss of a mere twelve wild dogs is absolutely insignificant."
These wild dogs could be found everywhere in the mountain forests of the outside world.
Trading twelve wild dogs for two Fourth Transformation Gu and three Third Transformation Gu—this deal was far too profitable.
"The Three Kings Inheritance is not just about the treasures within. Every Gu Master who enters the blessed land is a walking treasure trove! Kill them, seize their Gu, and grow ever stronger!" As the power of heaven and earth descended, Fang Yuan let out a cold laugh, the killing intent in his heart gradually swelling.
Mist appeared before him once more.
Fang Yuan looked around.
Directly ahead was a dark silhouette, representing a Gu Master opponent.
To his left was another dark mass, but along its edges were clusters of protruding spike-like shapes.
To his right was a cluster of orange-yellow light, similar to the previous time. It represented the Chrysanthemum Akita Dogs.
"With only seven wild dogs and insufficient fighting strength, I can't choose a Gu Master as my opponent—far too risky. On the left are the Hedgehog Dogs, covered head to tail in spikes, with offensive power more than double that of ordinary wild dogs. On the right are the Chrysanthemum Akita Dogs..."
Fang Yuan's eyes shifted, and he turned toward the right.
The Hedgehog Dogs might have stronger attack power, but breaking through this trial would certainly come with devastating losses. The seven wild dogs in Fang Yuan's possession were all wounded—if a spike punctured an internal organ, it meant death.
Fang Yuan had experience. The Hedgehog Dogs were troublesome. Without Iron-armored Dogs or Shadow Dogs at his disposal, the best strategy was to avoid them entirely.
This kind of valuable knowledge, in the early stages of the inheritance, was something Gu Masters hoarded jealously and deliberately kept hidden. The vast majority of people fell into one pit, suffered terrible losses, and then hoped everyone else would fall in too.