A deafening roar, though the explosion's power was actually quite small.
Stardust scattered across the sky like fluttering butterflies, drifting gracefully through the secret chamber.
Against this beautiful backdrop, Fang Yuan's expression was anything but pleasant.
"Failed again. This attempt to refine the Star Thought Immortal Gu didn't even reach one-third completion..." Fang Yuan sighed. With a sweep of his long sleeve, the mist cleared and the starlight vanished abruptly. The vast chamber returned to the same quiet it had held before the refining.
This was the secret chamber of the Northern Border Zombie Alliance's branch.
Here, Fang Yuan had received a generous supply of immortal materials, so he'd attempted to refine the Gu once more — and once again tasted the bitterness of failure.
"Although I used the Timing Fortune Immortal Killer Move every time before refining, the effect really wasn't great. As for linking fortune, there's no suitable target right now. Fine — I've put on enough of a show. Might as well try venturing into the Ditch and claiming that inheritance."
Fang Yuan naturally wanted to obtain the inheritance as soon as possible, but many things can't be rushed.
If he hadn't been refining the Star Thought Immortal Gu and had instead rushed headlong into the Ditch, it would have been far too obvious and deliberate.
People would see through it — so that obviously wouldn't work.
Though Fang Yuan had infiltrated the Northern Border Zombie Alliance, the problem was that he wasn't free. Two Immortal Zombies were guarding him closely, watching over him under heavy protection.
Fang Yuan understood that this was, of course, partly meant as surveillance.
After all, he had failed at refining immortal Gu multiple times and already owed the Scorching Demoness a massive debt.
Without keeping an eye on him, what if Fang Yuan just ran off?
Although when the agreement was first established, the Scorching Demoness had used Dao Guardian methods — an immortal-grade killer move — to bind both parties.
But at the Scorching Demoness's level, the old saying held true: the more experienced one becomes, the more cautious one gets. Having seen so much, she was extra careful. Who knew whether Fang Yuan had some means to break free?
And Fang Yuan actually did!
Five hundred years of memories from his past life told him of numerous methods to break through immortal-grade Dao Guardian restrictions. However, he lacked the corresponding immortal Gu and currently had no way to sever this contract.
He genuinely wanted to refine the Star Thought Immortal Gu — that was why he cooperated with the Scorching Demoness.
But right now, he wanted even more to secretly claim that inheritance.
During his days in Yin Flow Giant City, Fang Yuan had been refining the Star Thought Immortal Gu to keep the Scorching Demoness at ease while simultaneously gathering intelligence in secret. He was actively preparing for his own plans.
Compared to before, Yin Flow Giant City had opened its gates and resumed trade with the outside world. The Immortal Zombies were growing more spirited by the day, looking energetic and full of vigor.
It turned out the Scorching Demoness had led the assembled forces against Grandpa Snow Beard with a rather clever strategy.
She didn't engage directly. Instead, she targeted Grandpa Snow Beard's greatest weakness and exploited it.
What was Grandpa Snow Beard's greatest weakness?
Nearly every Gu Immortal in the Northern Border knew.
It was the Fortune Gu!
Grandpa Snow Beard was single-mindedly focused on refining the Fortune Gu, but he was severely short on immortal materials. Even though he already had Ma Hongyun as the primary ingredient, this concerned an Eighth Transformation immortal Gu. He needed to prepare multiple sets of materials, maximizing his chances of success. So his demand for immortal materials was enormous.
The demonic-path Gu Immortals in the Great Snow Mountain Blessed Land had been tormented to the point of misery by Grandpa Snow Beard.
Even Grandpa Snow Beard himself had swallowed his pride and personally infiltrated the Immortal Zombie tombs within the Ditch to engage in petty thievery.
This spoke volumes about how desperately he craved immortal materials.
The Scorching Demoness seized on this vulnerability, actively deploying her forces and frequently rearranging their positions. She employed ambushes, sabotage, and destruction — specifically targeting the demonic-path Gu Immortals in the Great Snow Mountain Blessed Land.
These demonic-path Gu Immortals already had a hard enough time gathering immortal materials. On top of that, they suffered backlash from the Fortune Dao, while the Immortal Zombies acted under boosted fortune. As a result, each operation had a remarkably high success rate.
After enough of these successful operations, the morale of the Great Snow Mountain Blessed Land side inevitably plummeted, while the Alliance's spirits rose steadily, dispelling the earlier gloom and depression.
Fang Yuan emerged from the chamber door with a grim, iron-colored expression.
Two Sixth Transformation Immortal Zombies stood guard at the entrance.
Upon seeing Fang Yuan, one of them — known as the Xuan Yin Physician — immediately bowed and said, "Sir, you've emerged from seclusion. May I ask how this refining attempt went..."
Fang Yuan let out a muffled grunt and waved his hand irritably. "Don't bother me!"
With that, he strode off.
"Hmph, what arrogance — daring to act this high and mighty on our turf!" The other Immortal Zombie, the Thunder Rain Tower Lord, watched Fang Yuan's retreating back with sharp, flashing eyes, clearly displeased.
But the Xuan Yin Physician, having been rebuffed without so much as a second thought, simply grinned and hurried after Fang Yuan, sticking close behind him like a stubborn plaster.
Fang Yuan moved onward, turning left and right through corridors, until he arrived at a great hall.
This was the largest immortal material storehouse in Yin Flow Giant City, personally overseen by an Immortal Zombie.