Qing Suo Fairy and Fen Meng Fairy both exhaled turbid breaths, their expressions complicated.
Yellow Sand Fairy, however, felt the stone in her heart drop. She relaxed completely until she nearly collapsed. Her hatred toward Fang Yuan and the Earth Spirit deepened many times over.
"Just let me escape! Just let me make a comeback, and I'll tear you both to pieces before my hatred can be quelled!"
"Hehehe, young friend truly deserves to be the Demon Venerable's successor." The Earth Spirit gave a few dry laughs and took out the Soaring Heaven Gu.
Once activated, the Soaring Heaven Gu transformed into an oval mirror, flew above the Earth Spirit's head, and embedded itself in midair.
The mirror was pitch-black, but suddenly the image shifted, blooming with a bright golden hue.
The Earth Spirit activated the Mind Thought Gu, shooting divine thoughts into the mirror wave after wave, and receiving them back just the same.
At the same time, the mirror's surface kept changing, displaying images of various materials.
The Earth Spirit seemed to have reached an agreement. He produced two Immortal Yuan Stones from thin air and tossed them into the Soaring Heaven Gu.
The mirror's surface rippled as if disturbed by a wave. The Immortal Yuan Stones sank into it, and batches of materials were expelled from the mirror.
"This time I've bought a full twenty sets of materials. I refuse to believe the refinement will fail!" the Earth Spirit said fiercely.
This time, the Gu refinement reached its final stage. Starlight bloomed brilliantly, converging into a pair of oval stones.
"Success!" The Earth Spirit laughed heartily, holding these two Gu Insects that looked like blue sapphires, and personally handed them to Fang Yuan. "These are the Star Gate Gu, fulfilling one of our agreements."
"How do I know they'll work?" Fang Yuan squeezed the pair of Star Gate Gu and shot back.
The Earth Spirit immediately bristled, as if gravely insulted. "Are you doubting my Gu refinement abilities? If they don't work, you can come exchange them!"
"Very well, then I'll take my leave." Fang Yuan was decisive to the extreme, making his intention to depart known.
The Earth Spirit stared at him hard. "Leaving just like that? You still have two chances left. You won't use them now?"
"Of course I'll save them. Where's the exit?"
The Earth Spirit waved his sleeve, teleporting the Five Immortals away, his expression greatly softened. "Do you have any more Gu secret recipes? Write them all out and let me see."
"None. If I had any, I'd naturally trade with you," Fang Yuan deflected.
"I always feel like you're hiding quite a stash, young friend!" The Earth Spirit eyed Fang Yuan suspiciously, muttering. "Fine, I'll just wait for you to come back."
With that, the Earth Spirit waved his long sleeve once more.
Fang Yuan's vision blurred. When he focused again, he found himself standing in the stone forest. Beside him was the stone stool he had been sitting on earlier, and behind him stood the purple stone pillar.
In the night sky, stars dotted the expanse. The temperature had dropped so low that breath turned to mist.
Everything that had just happened felt like a dream, giving Fang Yuan the illusion that it wasn't quite real.
Looking at the night sky again, although he had spent considerable time in the Langya Blessed Land, only one thirty-sixth of that time had passed in the outside world.
The Star Gate Gu, Mind Thought Gu, and Soaring Heaven Gu in his Empty Orifice, along with the two small jars of supreme fine wine hidden within the Wolf Swallow Gu — these were the proof, snapping Fang Yuan back to memory of this extraordinary encounter.
"I originally planned to use all three chances, never expecting the Earth Spirit would accept secret recipes in exchange for Gu. So I still have two chances left. If these Star Gate Gu work, spending one refinement chance was absolutely worth it!"
With that thought, Fang Yuan no longer lingered. He left this place and returned to the wolf pack.
This was a moment where every second counted. To prevent complications from delay, Fang Yuan immediately sat cross-legged on the lakeside grass, surrounded by the wolf king's protection, and began writing a letter.
The letter was finished quickly, then he activated the Cup Exchange Gu. Moments later, through the spatial rift, the cup exchange was successful, and he retrieved a Fourth Transformation Gu from the cup, along with a letter.
This Gu resembled a dried-up little fish and was called the Dried Pond Gu — a water-path Gu Insect with a unique effect. It was specifically used to amplify the efficacy of other Gu Insects.
Once this Gu arrived in the Northern Plains, it was immediately suppressed to Third Transformation.
Fang Yuan took out the letter, scanned it, and nodded in satisfaction. "It seems that while I was away from the blessed land, the little fox immortal was diligent and didn't forget my parting instructions. She refined a full twenty Dried Pond Gu. Very good!"
Immediately, Fang Yuan wrote a reply, praising the little fox immortal a few times in the letter.
"Master praised me! I'm so happy!" The little fox immortal's face flushed with joy upon receiving the letter.
"Master, I miss you so much..." The little fox immortal then slumped over the desk and buried her head in writing. "Without Master here, my heart is restless with worry. Are you alright, Master? Master, I'll send over another Dried Pond Gu right now."
With her delicate pink hands, the little fox immortal carefully folded the letter and placed it into the Cup Exchange Gu.
At the same time, she placed a Dried Pond Gu inside as well.
After quite some time, the Cup Exchange Gu slowly flew up, entered the spatial rift, completed the exchange with the other cup, and delivered everything to Fang Yuan's hands.
Fang Yuan immediately took out the Dried Pond Gu and read the letter. Then he absorbed Yuan Stones to replenish his True Essence and activated the Cup Exchange Gu once more.
He repeated this process several times, retrieving a total of eight Dried Pond Gu.
"Using eight Dried Pond Gu together with their effects stacked, it should reach the level of Fourth Transformation."
Fang Yuan crushed the Dried Pond Gu one by one, each turning into a ring of light that wrapped around the Cup Exchange Gu. At the same time, in the Fox Immortal Blessed Land, the little fox immortal also crushed eight Dried Pond Gu and stacked them onto her Cup Exchange Gu.
The Cup Exchange Gu was originally a Fifth Transformation Gu, but upon arriving in the Northern Plains, it was suppressed to Fourth Transformation. Thus, it could only transfer Fourth Transformation Gu Insects.
Now, with eight Dried Pond Gu boosting it, the Cup Exchange Gu's efficacy was elevated to Fifth Transformation, enabling it to transfer Fifth Transformation Gu.
Fang Yuan waited a moment, then first took out the Soaring Heaven Gu, solemnly placed it into the Cup Exchange Gu, and poured in True Essence.
The activation was successful. The two cups completed their exchange through the spatial rift, and the cup containing the Soaring Heaven Gu landed in the Fox Immortal Blessed Land.