Chapter 931

To gather star night mucus, Fang Yuan explains, he must enter deep Earth Trench, find an earth shell snail, trail it, and process the mucus within a very short, very dangerous window. The snails themselves are mild tempered and easy to approach. The true danger is everything else in Earth Trench. Deeper ground holds fiercer beasts, stranger plants and wild Gu worms, with powerful beasts grouping around the snails, ancient desolate ones not rare. ^{ch. 931}

Fang Yuan tells Landlord Lei Yu and Doctor Yin Xuan he must enter Earth Trench, ordering them to protect him at any cost by invoking Blazing Heaven Demoness’s name. Doctor Yin Xuan still insists the matter is too important to decide alone and must be reported to her first. Fang Yuan, expecting this, waves them ahead. Star night mucus is real, his own find from modifying star thought Immortal Gu, an easy to gather rank six material for star thought and other star path Immortal Gu. He hopes a snail habitat could yield it continuously; sold as a monopoly in treasure yellow heaven, he is confident of a good price, its value rivaling guts Gu in the short run, though rivals should eventually decode the method. ^{ch. 931}

Landlord Lei Yu carries word to Blazing Heaven Demoness by information path Gu formation in Dark Flow Giant City. Doctor Yin Xuan stays behind with Fang Yuan. Fang Yuan expects her to agree, since refining star thought Immortal Gu helps her too and he owes her a huge debt. More escorts would make the depths safer to reach; fewer would be easier to shake off near the inheritance. As expected, she agrees, assigning five immortal zombies, two rank seven and three rank six, slightly more than Fang Yuan expected. Three days later the five gather, then the group spends two more days borrowing Immortal Gu before setting out. ^{ch. 931}

Each of the five regions holds its own Earth Trench. These are giant ravines, some stretching millions of li, some tens of thousands of kilometers deep, among the world’s great natural wonders. Northern Plains’ own is guarded: when Blazing Heaven Demoness is away, at least one of Yin Liu Gong, Dragon Commander Ye Cha or Huang Quan Weng stands watch at the entrance. Northern Plains has the least cultivation resources of the five regions, but normally only a super force could hold Earth Trench’s huge area of rich resources. ^{ch. 931}

By night, Fang Yuan and the five immortal zombies pass through the entrance openly rather than sneaking in. After a few minutes of descent, the interior already widens enough to fit seventy or eighty Dark Flow Giant Cities. Even the immortal zombies holding this ground for years have never reached bottom. However rich the resources, or however many desolate and ancient beasts fill it, Northern Plains Zombie Alliance’s full effort controls only about one hundred and sixty kilometers down. ^{ch. 931}

Fang Yuan studies his five guards, drawing on what he learned of them over five days. Dragon Commander Ye Cha, rank seven, leads them as the strongest of the group. He raises many yaksha octopuses inside his own dead aperture, a puzzle to other immortal zombies. The other rank seven, Granny Yuan, is skilled in defense. The three rank sixes: Doctor Yin Xuan heals immortal zombies well though lesser than Tai Bai Yun Sheng, Landlord Lei Yu attacks grandly and powerfully, and Lin Da Niao commands birds by enslavement path. ^{ch. 931}

The arrangement suits its purpose: Granny Yuan to defend, Doctor Yin Xuan to heal him if hurt, and Lin Da Niao’s birds to buy time to flee if needed. Lin Da Niao’s birds scout ahead as the party goes deeper. Fang Yuan stays patient, avoiding a straight path to the inheritance to avoid suspicion. When Lin Da Niao spots an injured yaksha octopus ahead, Dragon Commander Ye Cha orders a detour rather than a fight. ^{ch. 931}

Earth shell snails can live only in the depths of Earth Trench, where they move slowly with no fixed location and are hard to trace. Perhaps the snail’s gentle nature marks it harmless, letting it cross the territories that stronger beasts guard. Fang Yuan’s group will not receive the same treatment. So battles are bound to come. ^{ch. 931}