Chapter 1148

Fang Yuan’s divine sense drifts through treasure yellow heaven and settles on a Gu Immortal’s will guarding a mountain of slippery soil, a very fertile rank five material. Reading the price from the goods’ own treasure light as very appropriate, a wisdom path grandmaster’s trick, he buys the entire stock for two hundred and two immortal essence stones. The stock belongs to Han Yu, a struggling rank six Gu Immortal. Han Yu had lowered his price a little from past hardship, never expecting so huge a sale at once, and the deal leaves him shaking with excitement. Fang Yuan’s own wealth, swollen by his monopoly on the guts Gu trade and by Hei Fan grotto-heaven’s resources, has reached an unprecedented level that lets him spend two thousand stones without hesitation. ^{ch. 1148}

After buying several more soils, Fang Yuan has his strength path immortal zombies scatter them across Mini Southern Border, which has already gone from completely empty ground to forests and grassland with a full animal population. More than ten mountains now stand there too. Fang Yuan pulled them in from Hei Fan grotto-heaven with his pulling mountain Immortal Gu. The tallest, Immortal Succession Mountain, keeps its stone pavilions even after Fang Yuan strips away the inheritances they once held. ^{ch. 1148}

Satisfied but aware this is no permanent fix, Fang Yuan reasons that his aperture holds too few earth path dao marks across so vast a span, so transplanted vegetation dries out and fertile soil only masks the shortfall. Only a calamity of his own, or the dao marks of a slain earth path Gu Immortal, can raise the count, and killing one is risky: the weak carry too few marks, the strong too much danger. Barred now from a fifth calamity on the northern icy plain, he plans to seek Southern Border or elsewhere rich in earth path dao marks instead. He has already passed four earthly calamities. ^{ch. 1148}

Because his sovereign immortal aperture surpasses the ten extreme physiques combined, heaven’s will raises each calamity to the greatest difficulty it allows, several to over a dozen times what other Gu Immortals face. Fang Yuan takes over a dozen times as many dao marks from each tribulation, with ice and snow path his largest share. Hei Fan grotto-heaven’s resources have improved the whole aperture, though only Mini Southern Border has grown into a complete ecosystem, stocked with desolate beasts and the upper extreme heavenly eagle, now only an egg. Fang Yuan’s accumulated resources now match a Gu Immortal at the peak of rank seven, roughly level with Chu Du, though he remains inferior to Feng Jiu Ge, who is heavily nurtured by a super force. Fang Yuan then returns to soul searching his captive Gu Immortals, focused on nine souls taken from Hei Fan grotto-heaven, especially Feng Jun’s luck path true inheritance and Chen Le’s concealment method. He no longer bothers disguising himself as Hei Cheng before them and ignores their pleas and curses. He expects to finish searching them within three days. ^{ch. 1148}

Once his gains are collated, Fang Yuan leaves for Luo Po Valley, where his soul leaves his body for hard soul path cultivation, and his soul foundation already stands dozens of times higher than before. He is still not confident enough to return his soul to his original body, reasoning that a stronger foundation might only deepen whatever hidden method Shadow Sect has prepared, since Ying Wu Xie knows he holds Dang Hun Mountain and Luo Po Valley alike. Wisdom Gu is bound up with many of the development problems in front of him, and using it would send his strength climbing at an explosive rate. He already holds wisdom Gu and the strength path immortal zombie body, and lacks only the final key. He spends seven days in Lang Ya blessed land without rest, growing his soul foundation again and completely finishing his search of the nine captive souls. He also spends half his Lang Ya Sect contribution points on heavenly crystals and commissions Gu refinement missions for a huge quantity of mortal Gu. Seven days after arriving, he leaves Lang Ya blessed land for Eastern Sea. ^{ch. 1148}