The door to the Council Hall had an extraordinary origin — it was crafted by the great sage who had once founded the Northern Plains Zombie Alliance.
The sage's name had long been lost to history, but the methods they employed were truly ingenious beyond compare.
The door was covered in all manner of Dao Marks, and some even speculated that a consumable Immortal Gu had been used in its creation.
Only Northern Plains Immortal Zombies could earn this door's approval and push it open with ease. If one was not a Northern Plains ascended Gu Immortal — whose Immortal Aperture world harbored the heaven and earth qi of other regions — the moment their hand touched the door, they would be sent flying back by the rebound. If one was merely a Northern Plains Gu Immortal but not an Immortal Zombie, the door would weigh heavier than a mountain range, utterly impossible to budge even a crack.
Though Fang Yuan had grown up in the Southern Border, after arriving in the Northern Plains he had already adapted to the region's environment. Moreover, he had ascended to immortality in the Northern Plains, so this door posed no obstacle to him.
Throughout the countless expansions in Yinliu Giant City's history, this door had always been deliberately preserved.
The members of the Northern Plains Zombie Alliance had full confidence in this door. Hearing Huang Quan Weng's words, the gazes directed at Fang Yuan all softened considerably.
Yin Liu Gong nodded slowly. "Huang Quan Weng speaks truly. Please, take your seats — you can participate in the council session. Additionally, record a merit for Gu Ye. He has recommended a new member, which according to regulations is worth three hundred contribution points."
Fang Yuan had long known that recommending newcomers would bring benefits, but upon hearing this, he immediately turned his gaze to Gu Ye beside him.
Gu Ye seemed embarrassed under Fang Yuan's stare, as though he had gotten an unfair advantage.
He eagerly grabbed Fang Yuan's arm. "Come, Brother Sha, sit beside me."
Everyone witnessed this scene. Their impression of Fang Yuan as a clueless newcomer only deepened.
Inside the Council Hall, the Immortal Zombies sat in a circle, nearly forming a complete ring.
The only gap was in the direction of the hall's entrance, forming a passage. Everywhere else was occupied by seats.
These seats were not arranged in a single row but divided into three tiers, rising from low to high.
The lowest tier was reserved for Sixth Transformation Immortal Zombies — this was where the majority sat.
The middle tier was for Seventh Transformation Immortal Zombies, occupied by only a scattered few.
The highest tier was completely empty. Presumably, only Eighth Transformation Immortal Zombies were permitted to sit there.
Gu Ye enthusiastically dragged Fang Yuan over to his own seat. His seat was not vacant — a strand of will sat there, its appearance closely resembling Gu Ye himself.
Gu Ye waved his hand, retrieving the strand of will back into his mind, then immediately gestured for Fang Yuan to sit down.
"Not every meeting requires one's physical presence. When we can't get away, we send a strand of will to attend in our place. Brother Sha, do you have a Wisdom Path Gu Insect? If not, I'll give you one," Gu Ye whispered.
"Of course I do," Fang Yuan replied. He had shown his ignorance of the Zombie Alliance, but he didn't want the other Immortal Zombies to think he was a complete novice.
The function of Wisdom Path Gu Insects was common knowledge among Gu Immortals. Naturally, he had to know about them.
As he answered, Fang Yuan sat down to Gu Ye's left.
The seats on both sides of Gu Ye were empty.
With so many seats, the Immortal Zombies in attendance were scattered far apart. Though there were more than twenty of them, the majority were strands of will — only a few had come in their physical bodies.
Seeing that Fang Yuan and Gu Ye had taken their seats, Yin Liu Gong coughed once. "Very well, let the council session begin. First, we shall discuss necessary matters."
As he spoke, he tapped the tabletop lightly with his finger.
A beam of light shot up from the circular open space at the center, materializing into a volcano.
The volcano was peculiar — squat and short, shaped somewhat like a gourd, it vibrated violently without end, periodically spewing scorching lava outward. Above it, thick smoke billowed in rolling waves, forming near-blackout clouds that blotted out the sky.
"The Blaze Furnace has erupted. I imagine most of you here have already heard the news. This is a troublesome matter that cannot be ignored — it must be suppressed as soon as possible. The longer we delay, the harder it will be. As a preliminary agreement, whoever successfully suppresses the Blaze Furnace will receive one thousand Zombie Alliance contribution points," Yin Liu Gong said.
The Immortal Zombies began whispering among themselves.
Gu Ye took the initiative to explain to Fang Yuan. "The Blaze Furnace is an exceptional site for refining Gu, especially suited for forging Fire Path Gu Insects. In our Zombie Alliance's history, a Refinement Path Immortal Zombie once successfully refined an Immortal Gu within it. However, in the last few hundred years, no grandmaster of the Refinement Path has appeared in our Zombie Alliance. The Blaze Furnace has been left idle, used by the leader only a handful of times at most. With years of neglect and disrepair, its eruptions have grown more and more frequent."
Fang Yuan nodded.
Gu Ye continued, "The Blaze Furnace is incomparably hot, especially at its center — it's practically an ocean of fire. In the past, when this problem arose, a Fire Path Immortal Zombie would handle it. But this Fire Path Immortal Zombie also needs a foundation in the Refinement Path. They must preserve or even repair the Gu formation arrangements within the furnace. If you forcibly suppress it and damage the formation, it would be better not to have suppressed it at all. If the mission fails, not only will you not earn contribution points — you'll actually lose some."
Fang Yuan understood clearly.
With both Fire Path cultivation and Refinement Path expertise required, the pool of suitable candidates was naturally small. No wonder everyone had only discussed it briefly before falling silent, all directing their gazes toward a particular strand of will within the hall.