Chapter 928

Disguised as Xing Xiang Zi, Fang Yuan crosses the regional wall into Northern Plains alongside Blazing Heaven Demoness’s group. He was only born in Southern Border and became an immortal here. Blazing Heaven Demoness, born and raised in Northern Plains, feels the homecoming more deeply after a hundred years away. ^{ch. 928}

The group, almost entirely immortal zombies, numbers three rank eight, six rank seven and four rank six Gu Immortals. All are injured from passing two regional walls, the blue water wall around Eastern Sea and the licorice wall around Northern Plains. Four rank seven immortal zombies died in the crossing. The natural earth tides had already passed for the year, so Eastern Sea Zombie Alliance’s headquarters triggered an artificial one instead, thinning the Eastern Sea wall before they set out. Without that formation, Fang Yuan reflects, they would have lost at least one rank eight and half the rank sevens. ^{ch. 928}

Regional walls obstruct stronger life forms more. For a rank eight the crossing is innumerable times harder than for a rank six. Fang Yuan, at the bottom of rank six and a Northern Plains Gu Immortal, passes with the least injury of anyone. Blazing Heaven Demoness, for the same reason, is the least hurt of the three rank eights. ^{ch. 928}

Word reaches the group that Old Ancestor Xue Hu is already back in Snowy Mountain blessed land. Blazing Heaven Demoness decides against rushing there. The group will hide and recover its battle strength first. ^{ch. 928}

In Snowy Mountain blessed land, Lady Wan Shou runs her refinement path Gu formation on a palm-sized purple-gold rock. Old Ancestor Xue Hu dug it from deep within the immortal zombie graveyard in Earth Trench. She is his wife. In truth she is older than him, though she looks far younger. Old Ancestor Xue Hu is an ice and snow path expert, weak in refinement, so he always turns to her to refine Gu. She holds Gu Immortal Wang Jiu’s inheritance, including lifespan Gu and lifespan extension methods that built her wide network and reputation. She stands as a refinement path quasi-great grandmaster, one of Northern Plains’ four refinement path experts, a step below great grandmaster. ^{ch. 928}

The rock turns completely red under her formation, then cools back unchanged. Even at her formation’s limits she cannot refine it, and she cannot tell him what it is. It is the first material she has ever failed this way. ^{ch. 928}

Old Ancestor Xue Hu admits he grew overconfident. His raid on the graveyard was going smoothly until he found a Blazing Glory Lightning Brilliance immortal zombie, an ideal material for fortune rivalling heaven Gu. He tried to capture him. The immortal zombie had already set a Gu formation there, and the noise of the fight alerted Northern Plains Zombie Alliance. He suspects the interference of fortune rivalling heaven Immortal Gu itself. It is rank eight, Giant Sun Immortal Venerable’s own core Immortal Gu. Lady Wan Shou agrees, since she too has failed refinements lately, and holds the immortal zombie bodies he gained worth it if they refine the Gu. ^{ch. 928}

Ever since buying Ma Hong Yun, Old Ancestor Xue Hu has used him as the main material to refine that rank eight Immortal Gu. Harming Ma Hong Yun this way has brought luck path backlash on both Old Ancestor Xue Hu and Lady Wan Shou. Other Gu Immortals of Snowy Mountain, gathering materials for the project, face bad luck and mishaps of their own. Old Ancestor Xue Hu has faced this backlash before. He once resisted it with immense strength, fighting off Yao Huang and Heavenly Lord Bai Zu alone after Fairy Li Shan obtained Miniscule Mountain. Luck path is not invincible, but this time the backlash made him careless, and a near certain theft was exposed instead. He declares that the difficulty only proves the Gu’s power, that his watch on Dark Flow Giant City will warn him at once, and that they will resist whoever comes. ^{ch. 928}