For now, Fang Yuan's relationship with the Lang Ya Land Spirit had not yet deepened to the point where he could trade away Immortal Gu recipes. Even for ordinary Gu recipes, the Lang Ya Land Spirit was miserly and resolutely refused to sell.
In matters related to Gu refinement, the Lang Ya Land Spirit was stingy about everything. Fang Yuan had previously been willing to pay a high price to buy his Fur Folk. These variant human slaves—so long as they had anything to do with Gu refinement—were treated as treasures by the Lang Ya Land Spirit, let alone Gu recipes.
But if Fang Yuan obtained the Force-Devouring Immortal Gu, the situation would improve dramatically.
The Force-Devouring Immortal Gu could cause a Gu Immortal to naturally generate Force Path Dao Marks. The dao marks obtained this way would be perfectly suited to his body. With his cultivation currently stalled, Fang Yuan could use this Immortal Gu to compensate in that regard.
Fang Yuan was tempted.
It could be said that any Force Path Gu Immortal who saw the Force-Devouring Immortal Gu would be tempted—without exception!
"With this Force Path Immortal Gu, there's no need to worry about the other party resisting." Feng Jiuge sat at ease, brimming with confidence.
Once this Gu was revealed, the surrounding competitors immediately paled in comparison. Anyone with half a brain could see the value of the Force-Devouring Immortal Gu.
"If I hadn't spotted the flaw, perhaps I would have traded by now. What a pity..." Fang Yuan let out a string of cold laughs.
At that moment, someone in Private Room No. 23 suddenly placed a bid: "One Iron-Crowned Eagle Force Immortal Gu, along with fifteen drops of the immortal material Dharma Eye Blood."
Upon hearing this, the smile on Fang Yuan's lips deepened.
Earlier, he had exchanged his Stepping on Clouds Immortal Gu for an Iron-Crowned Eagle Force Gu. But that process had not exposed his identity. Fang Yuan had confirmed the buyer through Qin Baisheng.
As for who the Iron-Crowned Eagle Force Gu ended up with—aside from Qin Baisheng, none of the other Gu Immortals at the venue knew.
Qin Baisheng had signed an alliance pact, so naturally he would not leak even a shred of information.
This gave Fang Yuan the confidence to use it freely.
As for the person in Private Room No. 23—it was none other than Tai Bai Yunsheng.
Feng Jiuge had made preparations in advance for the Joy of Mountains Joy of Waters Immortal Gu, seeking help from Crown Prince Feng Xian. How could Fang Yuan not have made corresponding preparations?
He had long since arranged through Qin Baisheng to have Tai Bai Yunsheng secretly switch to a different private room.
Although Tai Bai Yunsheng had not revealed any connection to Fang Yuan while in Private Room No. 11, switching to a different room was unquestionably better.
After Tai Bai Yunsheng placed his bid, Fang Yuan deliberately held back his response.
Time gradually slipped away, and Feng Jiuge quietly furrowed his brow. On the other side, Tyrant Immortal Chu Du suddenly spoke up to bid. He also offered a Beast Force Immortal Gu, along with a small portion of immortal materials as additional weight.
Chu Du didn't particularly need the Joy of Mountains Joy of Waters Immortal Gu, though having one would certainly be useful. He was also a Force Path Gu Immortal. The reason he was willing to part with a Force Path Immortal Gu was that he had his eye on the Force-Devouring Immortal Gu.
Fang Yuan chuckled, immediately seeing through Chu Du's thinking.
After all, Chu Du had exposed his own identity, making it easy for him to be placed on the defensive.
Fang Yuan was happy to see Chu Du get involved, so he continued to remain silent, allowing the auction to proceed.
Under his instructions, Tai Bai Yunsheng raised the bid once more.
Feng Jiuge's frown deepened slightly, and with no other choice, he also placed a bid.
As soon as his voice fell, Tai Bai Yunsheng immediately countered. His manner was aggressive and overbearing, displaying an unmistakable determination to obtain this Immortal Gu.
Feng Jiuge couldn't help but wonder: Was the Force-Devouring Gu not attractive enough to the person in Private Room No. 10? Or was greed at work, wanting to wait until the price climbed higher?
Feng Jiuge did not fall for the trap easily. After all, he was a hero among heroes. He decided to hold back. This way, he could assess the situation more calmly while also probing Fang Yuan's intentions.
The Orchid Swordsman stopped bidding, seemingly reluctant to part with the Force-Devouring Immortal Gu, and withdrew from the competition.
This development immediately caught the attention of the Gu Immortals.
The most pleased was naturally Chu Du. He sent another message, strongly urging Feng Jiuge to sell the Force-Devouring Immortal Gu to him.
Feng Jiuge gave a light laugh and once again refused.
On the other side, Fang Yuan instructed Tai Bai Yunsheng to keep raising the price.
The price climbed ever higher, growing steep enough that most of the participating Gu Immortals withdrew one after another, all declaring the price too high.
In the end, only Chu Du and Tai Bai Yunsheng remained.
Chu Du was in a difficult position. His true objective was the Force-Devouring Immortal Gu, but Feng Jiuge showed no signs of yielding, seemingly still intent on competing for the Joy of Mountains Joy of Waters Immortal Gu.
Chu Du did not dare slacken and kept matching the bids. On one hand, this prevented the Force-Devouring Immortal Gu from falling into someone else's hands; on the other, even if he won the Joy of Mountains Joy of Waters Immortal Gu, he could trade it with the Orchid Swordsman for other Gu with considerable confidence.
Tai Bai Yunsheng's thinking was simple. His junior brother had told him what to do, so that was what he did. Even if he ended up winning the Joy of Mountains Joy of Waters Immortal Gu, it wouldn't matter—the money spent would all end up back in his own pocket anyway.
Feng Jiuge's strategy was also simple: sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight. Once the competition had nearly exhausted itself, he would exert a final effort, push the price up a large notch, and seal the deal with one decisive bid.
Between these three parties, their respective intentions had cleverly produced a stalemate.
The standoff continued, and after several more rounds, a Gu Immortal in the main hall finally came to his senses and blurted out: "Why is this Joy of Mountains Joy of Waters Immortal Gu so popular? A huge pile of immortal materials, and the bidding has already reached such heights!"
Only then did everyone suddenly realize this.
"Indeed, it's already very high."
"A Wisdom Path Immortal Gu that can produce joy—fetching such an extraordinary price is quite rare."
"In my view, the reason it's gone so high is because Lord Chu Du is participating. He's willing to part with a Force Path Immortal Gu just to obtain the Joy of Mountains Joy of Waters. He must have ulterior motives."
Chu Du, the subject of everyone's discussion, was not in a good state at all.
His face was etched with worry—his financial resources were simply too thin.
"Sigh, if I had known it would come to this, I should have delayed my tribulation crossing." The pressure from Tai Bai Yunsheng made Chu Du feel utterly wretched.
"When has it come to this for me, the great Tyrant Immortal, to find myself in such a strait?" Chu Du's combat strength was outstanding, but at this auction, what was being tested was not strength of battle, but strength of wealth.
Under Fang Yuan's direction, Tai Bai Yunsheng raised the price once more.
Chu Du gritted his teeth and held on.
After several more rounds like this, the price of the Joy of Mountains Joy of Waters Immortal Gu continued to climb slowly under the watchful eyes of the Gu Immortals.
Qin Baisheng had been observing in silence all along. Seeing this, he couldn't help but silently praise in his heart: "This Sha Huang, despite being an Immortal Zombie, is actually this shrewd—not simple at all! But Chu Du has clearly reached the bottom of his coffers; his bids have started to show hesitation. If it were me, I would quit while ahead at this point."
Qin Baisheng knew: Fang Yuan's strategy looked simple, but executing it was far from easy. While in the thick of it, pulling off such a scheme required keen judgment and an understanding of others' thoughts. A single misstep, and it would all be for nothing.
But Fang Yuan understood nothing of the concept of "quitting while ahead." He continued to instruct Tai Bai Yunsheng to raise the price, his manner relentless and overbearing.
Chu Du finally broke under the pressure. Beads of sweat had begun to appear on his forehead.
His gaze pierced through the private room, looking toward Private Room No. 23. He suspected that the person inside had some special need for the Joy of Mountains Joy of Waters Immortal Gu; otherwise, they would never bid so high, nor press forward with such ferocity.
"Very well." Chu Du sighed, then fell silent, no longer participating in the auction.
With that, only Tai Bai Yunsheng remained.
Even so, Tai Bai Yunsheng placed yet another bid, raising the price a small notch higher.
But from the Orchid Swordsman's side, there was still no sound, as if he had truly withdrawn from the competition long ago.
Fang Yuan let out a cold laugh and told Qin Baisheng his decision.