His tone was careful and hesitant. "Brother Gu… I don't know, uh, has this happened many times before?"
The sorrow on Gu Ye's face subsided a little. He patted Fang Yuan on the shoulder and instead consoled him. "Not too many times. It's just that Qin Bai Sheng's auction is about to be held soon. Some shameless people, in order to get a piece of the action in such a grand event, are trying every means to rake in capital."
Fang Yuan hadn't stepped in to help, but Gu Ye didn't blame him for it. He hadn't held out any hope in the first place, so the disappointment and sadness had nothing to do with Fang Yuan.
As a result, although they hadn't known each other for long, Gu Ye became even more convinced that Fang Yuan's situation was quite similar to his own, or even slightly worse—a down-and-out Gu Immortal who had been forced into becoming an Immortal Zombie.
"But his way of acting is just too ugly," Fang Yuan said, feigning indignation.
In Gu Ye's eyes, this expression was a manifestation of genuine emotion.
"At least there's still a fig leaf." Gu Ye didn't suspect a thing, looking at the Immortal Essence Stone in his hand with a contemptuous gaze. This Immortal Essence Stone was precisely the 'price' that the Louse Marquis and Heavenly Lord Tiangdu had just paid for three hundred jin of Withered Essence.
He shook the stone in his hand. "Look, although Heavenly Lord Tiangdu and the Louse Marquis are strong, they still have to consider the Zombie Alliance backing us. That's why they had to give us this bit of face."
"Does the face of the Zombie Alliance only amount to a single Immortal Essence Stone?" Fang Yuan's tone was strained and weak. It carried a sense of feebleness and probing.
Gu Ye laughed. His smile was very bitter, mixed with a lot of helplessness, heartache, and sorrow.
He looked at Fang Yuan as if he saw a version of himself who had just joined the Zombie Alliance.
He patted Fang Yuan's shoulder again. "Younger Brother Sha. Now that you've taken this step, you also know the pains and drawbacks of being an Immortal Zombie. Our Immortal Zombie blessed lands are dead. They cannot be managed, and cannot produce Immortal Essence. To put it bluntly, we are neither dead nor alive, just barely surviving. That is why we are even more dependent on external resources than those fully living Gu Immortals."
"You might have heard about this a long time ago. Yes, the Zombie Alliance indeed has many Immortal Zombies like you and me. But if you want to rely on these people to back you up and give you face, you have to pay a price too." Gu Ye's words were full of meaning.
"Pay a price?" Fang Yuan pretended not to understand.
"Of course. To ask a Rank Six Immortal Zombie to make a move costs two Immortal Essence Stones. This is just the starting price; the exact amount depends on the intensity of the battle. To ask a Rank Seven Immortal Zombie to make a move costs twenty Immortal Essence Stones. Same. This price is also the starting price. If you have enough Immortal Essence Stones, you can ask the entire Zombie Alliance to back you up. But if you have no money, or aren't willing to pay the price, then your face is worth just this."
Gu Ye said this, slightly lifting the Immortal Essence Stone in his hand, shaking it deliberately.
The Immortal Zombie's blessed land was dead, making it even harder to manage and generate income, making them more dependent on external things. This situation forced the Immortal Zombies to be even more calculating. They often had to endure more and fight less. Only by doing this could they barely make a living.
Just like Fang Yuan before. Unable to produce Green Grape Immortal Essence, he could only use Immortal Essence Stones as a replacement. The pressure was immense. His fight with Hei Tu had almost caused his economy to collapse, plunging him into hardship once again.
Fortunately, Fang Yuan had the Fox Immortal Blessed Land, making his dead immortal aperture much less important.
Even more fortunate was the fact that he had obtained the help of Wisdom Gu. The benefits he derived from leeching off the Light of Wisdom were enormous.
First, he had traded the Immortal Gu recipe with the Lang Ya land spirit, allowing Fang Yuan to pull himself free from the quagmire. Then, by relying on the light of wisdom, he created the Air Sac Gu, traded the Courage Gu, and even forced the Immortal Crane Sect to compromise, greatly improving his entire living environment.
"If I didn't have these things, I'm afraid I would be in just as miserable a situation as Gu Ye." Fang Yuan sighed in his heart, but on the surface he made a look of sudden realization. He stepped back, bowed with his hands clasped, and said, "Brother Gu, I have received your teachings."
Gu Ye shook his head. "These principles, I don't need to tell you. You'll understand them on your own soon enough. No need to thank me. Come, I'll take you to the Zombie Alliance first."
Fang Yuan followed Gu Ye deep into the branches of the Old Earth Wood Tree, once again seeing that exquisite and magnificent Wood City.
Gu Ye led the way, flying to the large square in the center of the Wood City.
The square was dilapidated. From the cracked floor tiles, the withered flowerbeds around, and the dried-up fountain, one could catch a glimpse of its former prosperity.
Gu Ye and Fang Yuan stood in the center of the square.
"Rise." Gu Ye mobilized his True Essence, and immediately the ground of the square shone brightly. The originally thick and solid ground became translucent, like a giant piece of green jade. Light swirled within the green jade, and countless Gu worms danced and flew inside.
At the same time, a large cloud of mortal Gu flew out of Gu Ye's body, mostly Rank Five Space Path Gu and Rank Four Wood Path Gu. These Gu insects flew into the air above Fang Yuan's head, spinning rapidly in midair like a hurricane. In the dim environment, they gradually drew streaks of flowing light.
Gu Ye continued to activate them, and these streaks of flowing light quickly increased. Soon, above Fang Yuan's head, there was a vast expanse of greenish-blue. Tens of thousands of mortal Gu, following some mysterious law, cleverly combined, overlapped, and amplified all their power, finally solidifying it into a single form of power.
"This is a top-grade mortal killer move developed by our Zombie Alliance itself, called the Green Crystal Brilliance Path. It spans over a hundred thousand miles, directly connecting the Old Earth Wood Tree and the Zombie Alliance's headquarters. You have to know that we Immortal Zombies are ultimately Gu Immortals, our bodies covered with Dao Marks. Ordinary methods simply cannot teleport us." Gu Ye explained at the right time.
Fang Yuan nodded. Although Immortal Zombies had low combat power, which led to their low status and rigid thinking, their foundation was mostly still intact.