Chapter 663

Everyone’s attention fixes on the Gu worm in Fang Yuan’s palm, its aura marking it an Immortal Gu though no one can name it. Only Tai Bai Yun Sheng’s heart stirs, recalling what Fang Yuan once told him. Land spirit sniffs it and declares it new, a luck path Gu worm, praising Fang Yuan’s gains from True Yang Building. Fang Yuan mocks him: the Gu is ten thousand years old, invented by Mo Yao, a fairy of central continent’s Spirit Affinity House, and named Calamity Beckoning. The Inkman King’s eyes light up at her name, a rank seven legend whose charm once drew even Sword Immortal Bo Qing. Fang Yuan keeps mocking land spirit instead, who reddens with shame, unable to argue since he truly did not know the Gu. ^{ch. 663}

Fang Yuan brings out a second Gu and dares land spirit to name it. Turning smug, land spirit calls it Cleanse Soul, a cultivation aid for soul path Gu Immortals that strips impurities from a Gu Immortal’s soul, though overuse strips that soul’s essence too. Fang Yuan feigns shock, having wrongly called it Split Soul before. It is in fact the core Gu of his killer move myriad self, whose phantoms carry a trace of his soul at the cost of his soul foundation. Land spirit grows smugger, but Fang Yuan tells him not to get ahead of himself, since real skill would have named Calamity Beckoning too. ^{ch. 663}

Fang Yuan produces a third Gu. Land spirit laughs it off at once: Rising Azure Cloud, a cloud path movement Immortal Gu whose ascending and descending speed far exceeds most Gu of its rank. A fourth Gu follows, and land spirit recognizes this one too, while Tai Bai Yun Sheng asks what it is. Fang Yuan had seized these Gu at True Yang Building without learning their origins. Activating an unknown Immortal Gu spends precious immortal essence, risks harm, and can show nothing at all. Even wisdom Gu can only help him deduce from what he already knows. ^{ch. 663}

Suspecting nothing, land spirit flaunts his knowledge. It is a peculiar, vile one time consumable called Woman’s Heart, whose refinement and nurturing occur together rather than apart. Fang Yuan is intrigued, having never seen refinement and nurturing combined, though he knows the rank five blood guillotine Gu combines use and nurturing. Land spirit explains: Woman’s Heart is a poison path Immortal Gu nurtured on women’s hearts, its feeding also refining and strengthening its poison, so more hearts make it more powerful. Tai Bai Yun Sheng calls it evil, and when land spirit offers female variant human hearts as a weaker substitute, argues they should not be sacrificed either. Expressionless, Fang Yuan puts the Gu away and brings out another, daring land spirit again. ^{ch. 663}

Land spirit sniffs nervously and calls it another luck path Gu. A few breaths later he relaxes: his main body once saw this very one while discussing cultivation with Giant Sun Immortal Venerable. Stung by Fang Yuan’s feigned disbelief, land spirit spills everything: it is Connect Luck, which links one Gu Master’s luck to another’s, sharing good and bad fortune alike. Linking to a lucky person is risky alone, since luck rises and falls like a tide, and is better paired with Break Luck or linked instead to the luck of mountains, rivers, or immemorial desolate beasts. Tai Bai Yun Sheng agrees such things, an immemorial desolate beast on par with rank eight Gu Immortals, carry far more reliable luck than any person. ^{ch. 663}

Land spirit sighs that luck path runs strange yet deep into the Great Dao. Its creator, Giant Sun Immortal Venerable, once discussed Dao with land spirit’s main body for seven days and nights. The Inkman King had understood Fang Yuan’s purpose from the start, gathering Immortal Gu knowledge through land spirit. He says nothing, since his own ties to Fang Yuan are tenuous enough already and land spirit comes to no harm. ^{ch. 663}

Fang Yuan returns to the deal, insisting he never meant to take land spirit’s recipes for himself. He offers to leave an Immortal Gu as collateral: if he fails after already having seen the recipe, land spirit may keep the Gu, worth far more than any recipe. Land spirit trades a look with the Inkman King, then shouts his terms: confident the deal can only profit him, he will offer only three Immortal Gu recipes, on condition that Fang Yuan fully deduce one to count as success. Success brings Fang Yuan immortal essence stones and another remnant recipe besides. Fang Yuan agrees without hesitation. ^{ch. 663}