After parting ways with the other wisdom path Gu Immortals, Fang Yuan and Tai Bai Yun Sheng followed closely behind Shark Demon and Su Baiman, arriving once again at the Shark Sea, where the Shark Demon couple hosted a feast in their honor.
"Brother Star Seer, how confident are you that we can break the Eight Gate Maze?" Shark Demon asked bluntly during the banquet.
A subtle change crossed Fang Yuan's face, and he shook his head gravely. "I'm ashamed to say I have no confidence whatsoever."
"Even you have no confidence?" Su Baiman said, disappointed.
Fang Yuan mused for a moment. "If I could refine a certain wisdom path Immortal Gu, I would have a thirty percent chance. Unfortunately, although I've been working hard to gather immortal materials, there's still a significant shortfall before I meet the requirements for Immortal Gu refinement. Refining Immortal Gu... it's truly difficult!"
Hearing Fang Yuan's words, Shark Demon's eyes brightened briefly, only to dim again.
He had cooperated with Star Seer more than once before, and he could tell that Fang Yuan genuinely lacked wisdom path Immortal-level killer moves.
This attempt to break the battlefield killer move had given Shark Demon a clear picture of where things stood.
Big Bag Lu Tanxin and the demonic path Gu Immortal Nine Ghosts Finger were both inferior to Fang Yuan in wisdom path methods. Bu Dan was even more of a lost cause. Xie Shufang was quite capable—far surpassing Fang Yuan—but she was originally a righteous path Gu Immortal who didn't mesh well with the likes of Shark Demon, and besides, her appetite was enormous.
This time around, Shark Demon and the others hadn't gotten a damn thing, while Xie Shufang had obtained an Immortal Gu and taken the lion's share.
Even with Shark Demon's broad-mindedness, losing an Immortal Gu stung deeply.
Though the War Soul Sand Battlefield had been broken, he harbored deep resentment toward Xie Shufang. He was simply holding it in for now. Given Shark Demon's personality, he would settle the score sooner or later.
Fang Yuan studied their expressions carefully. Seeing the light in Shark Demon's eyes brighten and then fade at the head table, he let out a slow sigh and said, "To be honest with you both, my wisdom path inheritance is fairly complete. If I had that wisdom path Immortal Gu, I would be able to unleash several powerful Immortal-level killer moves, and my strength would certainly increase greatly. Even if I fell short of Xie Shufang, the gap wouldn't be that large."
Shark Demon nodded and steered the conversation elsewhere, dropping the topic.
Fang Yuan hadn't laid everything bare—he'd stopped just short of making a direct request. But how could Shark Demon fail to understand what he meant?
"Star Seer is reading between the lines—he wants me to sponsor him in refining a wisdom path Immortal Gu. But in such a deal, I'd be the one taking the biggest loss. If he succeeds, fine. But if he fails, all that investment goes down the drain, and that would only make things worse."
Shark Demon weighed the matter and dismissed the idea of funding Fang Yuan's Gu refinement.
In truth, he had been under considerable pressure lately.
In their campaign to conquer the Jade Dew Blessed Land, he and Su Baiman had invested enormous amounts of energy and wealth, but the returns had been negligible so far. This time, hiring three wisdom path helpers had cost them dearly.
Even though Shark Demon and Su Baiman were veteran powerhouses with deep reserves, they were beginning to show signs of running dry.
Refining Immortal Gu was the kind of venture that could turn into a bottomless pit. Unless it was the absolute last resort, Shark Demon would never choose that path.
As for Shark Demon's attitude, Fang Yuan felt a faint twinge of regret, but he had long anticipated this outcome. There wasn't even a shred of disappointment.
He had just spent the vast majority of his Immortal Essence Stones to relocate his Blessed Land. With his current financial resources, gathering the standard immortal materials needed to refine a Star Thought Immortal Gu would take a considerable amount of time.
"It doesn't matter that Shark Demon didn't take the bait. The key objective is still infiltrating the Zombie Alliance." Fang Yuan hadn't forgotten what mattered most right now.
Shark Demon also genuinely wanted Fang Yuan to join the East Sea Zombie Alliance.
Why?
Because once Fang Yuan joined the East Sea Zombie Alliance, he and Shark Demon and Su Baiman would be on the same side. With the Zombie Alliance's covenant binding them, Shark Demon could more conveniently and assuredly make use of Fang Yuan's help in his future campaign to conquer the Jade Dew Blessed Land.
This was very beneficial to Shark Demon's current development plans.
Helping Star Seer meant helping himself, so after the Shark-Fishing Banquet, Shark Demon brought Fang Yuan to the East Sea Zombie Alliance headquarters.
Two days later.
In midair, Shark Demon and Fang Yuan were flying at tremendous speed.
"This is the Yellow Spring Sea Area," Shark Demon said, pointing down at the ocean surface below.
In truth, Fang Yuan had already noticed the unusual sea without being told.
The Yellow Spring Sea Area—the entire body of water was a murky yellow, like a great river thick with silt and sand, with waves churning and rolling in every direction.
But in fact, there was no sediment floating in the Yellow Spring Sea Area. The seawater itself was a pale yellow color.
"The Yellow Spring Sea Area is a very peculiar stretch of sea. The closer you get to its center, the fewer living things survive. It is the largest-scale Corpse Raising Ground across all Five Regions," Shark Demon continued his explanation.
Fang Yuan nodded, deploying his reconnaissance techniques. His vision surged outward, piercing through the surface and reaching deep into the waters below.