Tie Ruo Nan stepped forward, her gaze sharp as a knife. "Fang Yuan, you're a smart man. You know your situation very well!"
"Of course I know my situation." Fang Yuan's expression was calm. "And I know yours even better."
A cold smile curled at the corner of his mouth. "The Immortal Gu refinement didn't succeed, but because of that, I preserved a huge amount of Immortal Essence. More than enough to slaughter you all!"
But at that moment, Ba Gui, the tyrant turtle, appeared, his face streaming with tears, his voice choked with sobs. "It's useless, it's useless. If you kill them, you'll consume too much Immortal Essence and won't be able to support the rest of the Gu refinement. Besides, there's no time. The Grotto-Heaven has too many leaks. It will completely collapse and dissipate soon."
For him, his greatest obsession was successfully refining the Second Aperture Gu. His own destruction didn't matter to him at all.
Now, Fang Yuan had only refined it to this extent. The most crucial step, and the most difficult one, was still missing, but the environment no longer allowed it.
"Young man, your calculations were severely wrong! Our Immortal Gu... the refinement has failed!" The land spirit wailed loudly.
"Refining an Immortal Gu? I didn't expect such a lively scene." Yan Jun leisurely stepped into the great hall.
In his past life, he was blocked by Feng Tianyu. In this life, he had an unimpeded path into the Bronze Great Hall.
"Hehehe, Fang Yuan, you are not the master of the Grotto-Heaven. The land spirit won't fully obey your commands. Now that the young clan leader Yan Jun is here, can the others be far behind? Today, you will lose." Ultimately still cautious of the land spirit, Tie Ruo Nan could only continue her psychological warfare.
"No, I still have hope. This Gu refinement isn't a failure." Fang Yuan suddenly smiled faintly.
He shifted his gaze towards Bai Ning Bing.
Bai Ning Bing's heart tightened. If Fang Yuan used the Yang Gu to force her into a life-or-death battle, what should she do?
But Fang Yuan's gaze slid past Bai Ning Bing and turned to the land spirit, Ba Gui.
This majestic and ancient tyrant turtle was now crying uncontrollably, overwhelmed with despair and heartbreak.
"Ba Gui, do you still want to refine the Second Aperture Gu?" Fang Yuan mentally transmitted.
"Do... do you have a way?" A spark of hope suddenly ignited in Ba Gui's heart. "That's right, you are a reborn Gu Immortal. You experienced your past life! You must have foreseen this situation long ago!"
"No, the situation has exceeded my expectations. Right now, I am just a mortal. I cannot turn the tide." Fang Yuan confessed. "Ba Gui, I'm sorry. This Gu refinement was indeed a failure."
The land spirit's wailing grew even louder.
But Fang Yuan immediately shifted his tone. "However, this failure is only temporary. We can still preserve our hope."
The land spirit's crying subsided. "What do you mean?" he mentally transmitted.
"After you die, I will be the only person who knows the secret formula. The semi-finished Second Aperture Gu is also in my hands. So, land spirit, you must protect me." Fang Yuan said.
"Of course I must protect you! You are the only candidate in the Grotto-Heaven who meets the criteria. You are a reborn Gu Immortal. Even if this attempt fails, there is a great possibility that you will succeed in refining the Second Aperture Gu in the future." The land spirit replied as if it were obvious.
"Very good, land spirit. It is very good that you have this awareness. But you can protect me for a time, not for the rest of my life. Soon, you will perish. With the remaining Immortal Essence, you cannot wipe out all the enemies in the Grotto-Heaven. Even if you teleport me to the outside world, Trident Mountain is swarming with Gu Masters." The corner of Fang Yuan's mouth gradually curled into a sinister arc.
Since his rebirth this time, everything had been going very smoothly. Getting closer and closer to success, he couldn't help but feel a secret hint of excitement.
"Then how do you want me to protect you?" The land spirit asked back.
Fang Yuan chuckled meaningfully. "Ba Gui, do you remember the third section of the second chapter of the 'Legend of Ren Zu'?"
The land spirit was stunned, guessing Fang Yuan's intention, but its tone was hesitant. "You mean... no, that won't work. Two conditions are still missing. First, you need the Light of Primal Honor."
"Hehehe." Fang Yuan couldn't help but laugh triumphantly upon hearing this. He raised his hand, pointed at the bronze ceiling, and shouted, "Look, the light is here!"
From the moment he stood up from the ground, he had secretly instructed the land spirit and shared his vision with it, thus having a clear view of the situation outside the hall.
After that, his conversation with the Tie family members was merely to stall for time, waiting for the right opportunity.
This was already the third time Fang Yuan had used the Spring Autumn Cicada. Accumulated experience gave him a deeper understanding of rebirth.
The effects of rebirth did indeed involve the butterfly effect, which could change things beyond recognition. But there was also historical inertia. The occurrence of many major events was the result of accumulated contradictions that lacked a fuse. Without the original fuse, there would be other new ones. It was not something that could easily be changed solely by one's own influence.
Outside the great hall.
Xiao Mang, annoyed by the Yingming Dog Emperor's harassment, directly flew into the sky.
Rank 4, Light Gathering Gu. Rank 5, Grand Light Gu. Rank 5, Waning River Gu. Killer Move — Heavenly Waterfall Light River!
The Light River surged, rolling with immense waves, cascading down into the Grotto-Heaven.
The intense light was blinding, stirring up terrifying waves, illuminating the hills in a blaze of white. Countless people squinted their eyes.
"Not good!" Tie Ruo Nan and the others were inside the great hall. Seeing this, Tie Bai Qi immediately tried his best to block it, but the momentum of the Light River was already established, its aura majestic. He could only weaken a part of it.
The magnificent Light River, like a waterfall, heavily slammed into the Bronze Great Hall.
The ceiling of the great hall immediately burst open, and the waterfall of light poured down, directly aimed at Fang Yuan.
"The Light of Primal Honor!" The land spirit exclaimed in shock.
Fang Yuan laughed heartily, frantically channeling his true essence, activating the Rank 4 Bone Wing Gu and the Rank 5 Golden Soup Gu.