The setting sun was like blood, illuminating the rolling hills.
On one of these precipitous peaks, a Mao Min was struggling to climb.
"Master, Master! Wait for me!" the Mao Min shouted as he climbed.
Unlike other Mao Min, this one's eyes shone with intelligence, and his speech was no different from an ordinary human's.
He was chasing Yu Mu Chun through the towering mountains. He had been paying attention to Yu Mu Chun since the Central Continent Gu Refinement Convention.
When the Convention ended and Yu Mu Chun took first place, the Mao Min followed him on the long trek.
This Mao Min was in the prime of his life, yet he couldn't catch up to Yu Mu Chun at all.
After the Convention ended, Yu Mu Chun entered the True Yang Mountain Range. The Mao Min followed close behind, shouting and chasing. Along the way, he endured countless hardships, covered in dust and wounds.
"Master, wait for me!" The Mao Min reached the summit, but his eyes flew wide open. "How? Master was just on the peak, how did he get to the foot in the blink of an eye? What Gu is he using?"
Seeing the distance he had painstakingly closed widen once more, the Mao Min grew anxious and hurried down the mountain. But he slipped, missed his footing, and immediately fell into the mountain stream ravine.
Fortunately, the lush tree branches broke his fall. Even so, by the time he wailed and stumbled his way down to the mountainside, he was battered and bloody, with multiple fractures.
The intense physical pain was far less than the pain in his heart.
"If I miss this chance, finding Master again will be so hard..."
The Mao Min, tears streaming down his face, struggled to get up. But he couldn't.
He looked up and groaned in despair. "Senior, please take pity on this junior, stop! Wu wu wu..."
His voice was extremely weak. After the howl of anguish, it turned into sobbing.
But as he wept, his body suddenly trembled. He discovered that, without his noticing, a pair of feet had appeared before him.
He quickly raised his gaze along the feet and was overjoyed to find Yu Mu Chun, who had returned at some unknown time, now standing right before him, looking down at him.
The Mao Min quickly knelt on the ground. "Senior, Senior! You finally agreed to see me!"
Yu Mu Chun sighed. His voice was low and resonant. "Ben Duo Yi. A few years ago, I merely gave you some casual pointers. There is no master-disciple destiny between us."
Upon hearing this, the Mao Min Ben Duo Yi burst into loud sobs. Channeling a strength he didn't know he had, he suddenly leaped and hugged Yu Mu Chun's leg. "Master, Master! Even if you refuse to acknowledge me as your disciple, I, having received your guidance, broke free from ignorance, shattered my shackles, and elevated my Gu refinement to an unprecedented level. Although your teachings were just a few words, this kindness of instruction is heavier than mountains, deeper than the sea. My fate was changed by it, so in my heart, you will forever be my esteemed Master!"
Yu Mu Chun extended his large hand and placed it on the furry head of the Mao Min Ben Duo Yi. "Hehehe, I guided you back then because I saw you were a bit more clever and insightful than ordinary Mao Min. But I won't take you as my disciple for your own good. I am a man who has escaped fate. Getting involved with me will only bring harm, no benefit. From now on, you must never spread the word that I once guided you. Otherwise, you will surely die without a burial place. Remember this well."
"This disciple remembers!" The Mao Min Ben Duo Yi immediately nodded his head like a garlic pestle.
Yu Mu Chun gave a light snort. "Hm?"
Ben Duo Yi quickly corrected himself. "I remember. I remember. Master Yu Mu Chun, please take me in. I am not worthy of being your disciple, let me be your attendant, your servant. I am very hardworking and clever, you just praised me. I will be utterly loyal and serve you with all my might, attending to your every need."
Yu Mu Chun shook his head and smiled wryly. "You... you..."
"Very well. Considering you chased after me, crossed over thirty mountain peaks, and endured countless hardships, this sincerity and persistence in seeking the Dao is commendable. Ben Duo Yi, you must remember, this cleverness of yours is your outstanding advantage. Man is the spirit of all things. Though you are a Mao Min, the spiritual nature within you is already not inferior to the human race. But you cannot rely on this. You must know that good swimmers often drown. Today, remember your sincerity and persistence. Get up." Yu Mu Chun said.
"Senior, I won't get up until you agree!" cried Ben Duo Yi. "Ouch!"
Suddenly, his arms were empty. He had been embracing Yu Mu Chun, but an invisible force now repelled him. He could only look up, watching Yu Mu Chun step into the void, walking higher and higher into the sky.
"Ben Duo Yi, our fate has run its course. This meeting today is our last. Now, I will teach you a final lesson as a farewell gift. Watch closely!"
From the sky, Yu Mu Chun's voice came down.
Ben Duo Yi quickly raised his head and looked up with anticipation...
Central Continent, Earth Abyss, Star Constellation Blessed Land.
The night was gentle, the breeze light. Fang Yuan looked up. The sky of the Blessed Land was dotted with countless stars, emitting a dim starlight.
All was silent.
Fang Yuan slowly lowered his head, withdrawing his gaze from the sky and focusing it on the huge turtle shell before him.
This turtle shell had an extraordinary origin. It was the shell of a Desolate Beast Turtle.
At the moment, the shell was placed upside down, like a giant bowl. The inside of the shell was filled with poisonous blood.
This poisonous blood was collected by Fang Yuan when he weathered a tribulation in the Fox Immortal Blessed Land. Now, for the refinement of the Transform Immortal Gu, this poisonous blood had also found its use.
"The refinement of the Transform Immortal Gu can finally begin." Fang Yuan let out a turbid breath.
Fang Yuan kept the entire matter of refining the Transform Immortal Gu a secret, telling no one else. People like Tai Bai Yun Sheng, Hei Lou Lan, Fairy Li Shan, and the rest were kept completely in the dark, utterly unaware.
The Star Constellation Blessed Land had also long since closed its gates. Furthermore, the Blessed Land itself was located deep within the Earth Abyss. At this time, this layer of the Earth Abyss was not yet known to people, making it extremely safe.
Safety was very important.
Refining an Immortal Gu was inherently difficult, fraught with numerous obstacles. There were far too many external factors that could affect a Gu Immortal's performance during refinement, and if one mistake occurred, the invaluable immortal materials would be wasted, and all efforts would come to naught.