Chapter 1186

Hei Lou Lan’s dao mark gain is very little. The estimate is less than thirty percent of the aperture’s total, even though her greatest weakness is now eased. She has skipped more than ten calamities and tribulations directly, an immeasurable loss given how much more one of the ten extreme physiques yields per tribulation survived. She tells herself that being stuck in the abyss leaves her no choice. ^{ch. 1186}

Ying Wu Xie notices her gloom and tells the group to keep moving, deeper into the mountain to a wall of ice holding at least a thousand blue hearts. Tai Bai Yun Sheng names them ice hearts, and Hei Lou Lan adds that twin ice hearts, a rank seven immortal material, are among them in this quantity. Even the usually silent Shi Nu is stunned. He says Southern Border’s Gu Immortals would fight bloody wars for them. ^{ch. 1186}

Jade Pot Mountain is not empty: a mortal Yu clan village lives on its jade stones and jade Gu, powerful among mortal forces with many rank five Gu Masters, but nothing to Gu Immortals. Ying Wu Xie explains Shadow Sect found the place by chance, that ice hearts do not form here naturally in great number, and that its Gu Immortals secretly built a Gu formation to make the mountain a Gu breeding ground. The ice heart Gu nurtured here in the past have already been taken away. One ice heart Immortal Gu remains, now completely formed. ^{ch. 1186}

Following Ying Wu Xie’s instructions, Bai Ning Bing presses her bare hands against the ice wall with no defensive methods, freezing instantly and nearly dying as the cold spreads through her. The wall cracks and releases a rank six ice soul Immortal Gu, shaped like a spider with a white body, eight claws, and blue markings like a screaming vengeful ghost, which flies to her dying body and into her opened phantom aperture. Ying Wu Xie immediately heals her back from the edge of death. He explains that her Northern Dark Ice Soul Physique draws the Gu intensely, and only near death, its aura completely unconcealed, would the wild Gu read her as no threat and approach. ^{ch. 1186}

Ying Wu Xie boasts that Shadow Sect’s vast resources and unimaginable methods can raise low aptitude and increase scarce dao marks for anyone behind the sect. He adds that Shadow Sect imitated a natural environment at this ice wall for a thousand years to create the Gu refinement ground. Hei Lou Lan’s heart stirs, aware his words are aimed at her, and she thinks he has learned quickly how to lead. Ying Wu Xie waves the group onward, toward Bai Xiang grotto-heaven next. ^{ch. 1186}

In Northern Plains, Fang Yuan is unhappy: he skipped fewer calamities and tribulations than he expected. The endless fighting in Hei Fan grotto-heaven had exposed his biggest flaw, a cultivation level too low and a green grape immortal essence too inefficient. His growing web of alliances means he can no longer control his future alone, and Ying Wu Xie’s rapid growth after the failed Eastern Sea attempt on Shadow Sect weighs on him. Han Dong had passed two heavenly tribulations and more than twenty earthly calamities, yet annexing his aperture advanced Fang Yuan only four earthly calamities, and Fang Yuan suspects the aperture’s sheer size dilutes what any single annexation can skip. He feels no regret, only resolve. ^{ch. 1186}

A rank six Gu Immortal ordinarily needs three heavenly tribulations across three hundred years to reach rank seven, and Fang Yuan reckons himself roughly a third of the way there, not fast enough for him. If Han Dong blessed land alone is not enough, he resolves to annex more apertures, since he can kill more Gu Immortals to make up any loss in gains. A ruthless light flashes in his eyes at the thought. He settles on a new method, annexing apertures to skip tribulation and raise his cultivation level fast, then using the resulting battle strength to kill more enemies and annex more apertures in turn, growing both foundation and dao marks together. ^{ch. 1186}