Fang Yuan was like an arrow shot from a bow, tearing through the air and speeding forward, leaving a wake of disturbed atmosphere.
Below, immortal materials blanketed the mountains and plains, but Fang Yuan didn't even glance at them. These "dead" immortal materials were utterly worthless.
Suddenly, Fang Yuan's gaze sharpened.
On the horizon, a desolate beast abruptly appeared.
This beast was as large as a small mountain, lying prone and motionless on the ground. It was unmistakably a Scripture-Hiding Turtle.
Fang Yuan was very familiar with this type of desolate beast; not long ago, he had successfully captured one within the fragments of the Stellar Sky Abode in the Central Continent.
Reducing his flying speed, Fang Yuan's body bent slightly, and he flew toward the Scripture-Hiding Turtle.
Getting closer, he discovered it was a Scripture-Hiding Turtle that had been dead for a very long time.
It lay on the ground, its head drooping, with nearly half of it buried in the loose, purple sand.
The way the turtle had died suggested its spine beneath the head had been shattered. Its limbs made it obvious that its flesh and skin were incredibly slack.
Yet, at the moment of its death, its expression had been calm, even serene, which gave Fang Yuan a faint sense of eeriness.
"Among countless 'dead' immortal materials, there lies the corpse of a desolate beast..."
Fang Yuan attempted to harvest materials from the turtle's body.
A moment later, his heart sank as he watched the hard corner of the shell in his hand dissolve once more into purple sand, scattering in the wind.
Fang Yuan's eyes flickered. After several breaths, he departed the area, continuing his aerial exploration.
Soon, he spotted a second desolate beast.
It was an Earth Ghost.
It had a human torso and a snake-like tail, a bat-like face with an upturned nose, and large, bat-like ears. Its entire body was black and covered in fleshy armor.
Around its chest, front, back, left, and right, grew fifty or sixty fleshy whips, each over six zhang long. The surface of these whips was covered in countless suction-cup organs, densely packed.
At the tip of each whip was a chrysanthemum-like jetting orifice. At critical moments, it would spray a milky white liquid that possessed extremely strong corrosiveness and harbored numerous parasitic micro-insects. These could directly burrow into a person's pores, enter the body, and wreak havoc.
The Earth Ghost's corpse looked lifelike, remarkably well-preserved.
But when Fang Yuan attempted to gather immortal materials from it, the same scene from before repeated itself.
Fang Yuan was no longer surprised. He merely muttered, "The Scripture-Hiding Turtle is a beast of the Central Continent, while Earth Ghosts are more commonly found in the Northern Plains..."
Leaving that place, he continued his exploration.
Very quickly, he made another discovery.
"It's actually three Sandalwood Sacred Elephants!" Fang Yuan sighed softly.
The Sandalwood Sacred Elephant was a grade higher than the previous Scripture-Hiding Turtle and the Earth Ghost.
Because it was an ancient desolate beast. A mature Sandalwood Sacred Elephant's combat strength could rival that of a Seventh Transformation Gu Immortal.
Long ago, at the auction organized by Qin Bai Sheng that nearly covered the entire Gu Immortal world of the Northern Plains, someone had placed a bid for a giant Sandalwood Sacred Elephant egg, causing quite a stir.
In the current Five Regions, Sandalwood Sacred Elephants were already relatively rare; it was difficult to see one.
But now, before Fang Yuan's eyes, lay the corpses of three Sandalwood Sacred Elephants.
Next, Fang Yuan discovered more corpses of desolate and ancient desolate beasts. Lying two or three or in pairs on the ground, they were surrounded by countless brilliantly colored or lush green immortal material plants.
Howling Moon Heavenly Wolves, Star Wilderness Dogs, Golden Sand Black Steeds, Ice Thorn Divine Apes, White-Hoofed Ink Steeds, Nine Palace Cranes, Iron Crown Eagles, Dragon Fish, Fork-tooth Pigs... Those that flew in the sky, those that ran on the ground, those that swam in water—all could be seen here. It was simply like a bizarre specimen exhibition.
The further toward the center he flew, the more corpses Fang Yuan discovered. The numbers were astonishing!
The Northern Plains' unique Plateau Goat Kings, the Southern Border's Phoenix Feather Magma Crocodiles, the Central Continent's Boring Bears, the Eastern Sea's Mist Flower Turtles—desolate beasts and ancient desolate beasts from all Five Regions of the world were seemingly present.
"Hm? That's a Void Bat." Fang Yuan couldn't help but slow his flying speed slightly.
This Void Bat was a rare Space Path desolate beast, not as impressive as the Primordial-grade Void Bat he had seen in the Northern Plains' Tai Hills.
"Half-Moon Qilin!" Fang Yuan's body halted mid-air.
The current Northern Plains Zombie Alliance branch possessed a living Half-Moon Qilin, cherished and raised by the entire Northern Plains Zombie Alliance like a treasure.
"This ancient desolate beast seems to be... a Heaven Deficiency Dog?" After double-checking, Fang Yuan confirmed this answer.
He had never seen a Heaven Deficiency Dog in person, only its appearance in ancient texts. This ancient desolate beast was a fierce creature that appeared only during the day.
Seeing more and more, Fang Yuan began to grow numb.
His knowledge was already considerable, yet there were many ancient desolate beasts and plants that he actually didn't recognize.
"And the space here is actually so vast. I've been flying for this long at high speed, and I still haven't reached the edge of the Gu formation."
This point somewhat exceeded Fang Yuan's expectations.
He had previously attempted to decipher this giant Gu formation, knowing it was primarily a Space Path formation.
Fang Yuan had estimated the size of the space within, but now it seemed his earlier estimation had completely underestimated the formation's power.
"It appears my previous deductions and attempts at deciphering were far from reaching the formation's true core."
"Whose work could this possibly be? It's simply staggering! So many immortal materials... it's an ocean! Could it be the work of an Immortal Venerable or a Demon Venerable?"
Fang Yuan speculated silently.
Even an Eighth Transformation Gu Immortal wouldn't have such capability, to single-handedly arrange this.