Wind howled past the ears, and somewhere in the distance, the howling of wolves drifted over like the weeping of ghosts.
A bonfire burned and crackled on the grassland.
Ge Yao leaned against the bonfire, gradually driving the chill from her body.
A pot sat over the fire, filled with meat soup whose rich aroma wafted in every direction.
Ge Yao swallowed, feeling even hungrier than before. Finally, she swallowed again and asked Fang Yuan, "Senior Chang Shanyin, is the meat soup ready to eat?"
Fang Yuan sat across from the young woman, the bonfire between them.
"No rush. The dried meat was just put in. We need to wait for the water to boil, then wait a bit longer until the meat inside is completely tender — only then will it taste good." As he spoke, he calmly took out a Cup Exchange Gu.
"Oh, we still have to wait that long?" Ge Yao pouted. Her pretty face, illuminated by the firelight, combined with her grassland robes and exquisite accessories, gave her a uniquely alluring beauty.
But this stunning scenery could not make Fang Yuan's gaze linger for even a moment.
His eyes were fixed on the Cup Exchange Gu in his hand.
The Cup Exchange Gu was a Fifth Transformation Gu. But when it reached the Northern Plains, it had been suppressed to Fourth Transformation. In terms of capacity, it was even weaker than some Fourth Transformation Gu. In terms of feeding costs, its price was exorbitant, ranking at the peak among Fifth Transformation Gu worms. In terms of True Essence consumption, it was also merely passable. So why did Fang Yuan choose this one out of all options, expending enormous effort and investing vast resources to refine it?
Because it originated from the hand of the Heaven-Stealing Demon Venerable. The Heaven-Stealing Demon Venerable stole heaven and plundered earth, making him the wealthiest among all Venerables throughout history.
He spent his entire life's energy searching for the legendary Void Den.
The Void Den was first recorded in the Chronicle of the Human Ancestor. It was a secret forbidden place equal to the River of Time. Within the River of Time, there existed a great number of Time Dao Gu worms. And within the Void Den, countless Space Dao Gu worms dwelled.
It connected the Five Domains, hidden in a place no one knew. Push open a door from the Void Den, and you could instantly reach any other place in the world. The doors leading to it were also called Void Gates. Void Gates existed everywhere — they could be found in the narrow gaps between fingers, or spread across the vast expanse of the sky. Wherever there was space, there was a Void Gate to the Void Den.
But throughout all of history, very few had been able to find the Void Den, let alone enter it. In the entire history of the human race, it seemed only one person had ever gone in and out.
The Heaven-Stealing Demon Venerable had refined the secret recipe for the Cup Exchange Gu, intending to shove this Cup Exchange Gu into the Void Den and then extract the wild Gu worms from within.
But he failed. Yet he succeeded.
Over four hundred years later, his Blessed Land was excavated by others, sparking a scramble among Gu Immortals from all sides. The secret recipe for the Cup Exchange Gu also spread far and wide, and its powerful effects quickly made it popular across the Five Domains, revered by countless Gu Immortals.
Fang Yuan first took out the Golden Dragon Gu from his Empty Orifice.
The original Fourth Transformation Golden Dragon Gu had been suppressed to Third Transformation. After it flew out, it was cast into the Cup Exchange Gu.
Fang Yuan poured a massive amount of True Essence into the Cup Exchange Gu.
The cup — gold on top, silver on bottom — immediately burst with brilliant golden and silver light and slowly levitated.
Fang Yuan withdrew his palm, then gently pushed forward toward the cup with an empty gesture.
The Cup Exchange Gu drifted forward, then began to disappear — first its edges, then most of it, until finally it vanished entirely into the air.
Ge Yao couldn't help but stand up, eyes wide, staring in astonishment at the sight.
Meanwhile, in the distant Central Continent, within the Fox Immortal's Blessed Land.
The Little Fox Immortal suddenly sensed something and used a movement technique to arrive at a secret chamber in the Soul-Shaking Palace.
Inside the chamber, a Cup Exchange Gu blazed with dazzling radiance as it slowly rose into the air. As if drawn by an invisible force, it drifted forward and eventually vanished into thin air.
After the Cup Exchange Gu had completely disappeared, Fang Yuan slowly spread his palm flat again, his True Essence surging.
Suddenly, a point of golden and silver light bloomed above his palm.
Then Ge Yao saw the air first reveal the rim of a cup, then half of the cup, and finally the entire cup materialized from empty air.
At last the light faded, and the cup-shaped Gu worm settled gently into Fang Yuan's palm.
"Done," Fang Yuan murmured softly. The moment he saw the cup, he knew this matter had not gone beyond his control.
"Senior Chang Shanyin, what are you doing? Huh, this Gu seems a little different." Ge Yao walked a few steps closer to Fang Yuan, brimming with curiosity.
"Different how?" Fang Yuan smiled faintly, took out a Yuan Stone and held it in his palm, rapidly recovering his True Essence.
Ge Yao said nothing, just stared intently at the Cup Exchange Gu. Suddenly her eyes lit up and she exclaimed, "This Gu is different! Before, it was gold on top and silver on bottom. Now it's silver on top and gold on bottom!"
Fang Yuan laughed.
That's right!
The Cup Exchange Gu was not a single Gu — it was a pair.
One was a cup, gold on top and silver on bottom. The other was a goblet, silver on top and gold on bottom. Only together did they form the complete Cup Exchange Gu. Before leaving, Fang Yuan had kept one with him and left the other in the Fox Immortal's Blessed Land.
When he infused his True Essence, both Cup Exchange Gu simultaneously entered the Void Den. After they completed their exchange within the Void Den, the one from the Blessed Land came to Fang Yuan's side. And the cup carrying the Golden Dragon Gu returned to the Fox Immortal's Blessed Land.
In the past, the Heaven-Stealing Demon Venerable had wanted to use the Cup Exchange Gu to steal Gu worms from within the Void Den. He had failed and never achieved his goal. But the Cup Exchange Gu had, in a different sense, achieved a tremendous success of its own.
By relying on the omnipresent Void Den, a paired set of Cup Exchange Gu could complete a handover within the Void Den — this formed a method of transporting materials.
What made it even more precious was that it was only Fifth Transformation, not a unique Immortal Gu.
During the great five-domain war in Fang Yuan's previous life five hundred years ago, the Cup Exchange Gu had become an essential Gu worm for every major faction. Even Gu Immortals had clamored to use it.
Fang Yuan took out a letter from this Cup Exchange Gu.
The letter was naturally written by the Little Fox Immortal, describing the recent situation in the Blessed Land.
Fang Yuan had only been in the Toxic Grassland for five or six days, but in the Fox Immortal's Blessed Land, roughly a month had already passed.
The letter stated that everything in the Blessed Land was fine, except for Soul-Shaking Mountain. The Immortal Crane Sect had proposed another trade, but the Little Fox Immortal, following Fang Yuan's prior instructions, had politely declined.