The blue-scaled snake struggled violently.
Its body was formed from the refinement cloud after swallowing the three hundred years lifespan Gu. It twisted in the air, slippery and full of vitality, trying to break away from Fang Yuan's control.
Fang Yuan's eyes were bloodshot.
He gripped the tail of the blue snake with all his concentration, refusing to let go. If it escaped, the entire refinement would collapse.
Fang Ming sat beside him, both hands pressing against the outer refinement flow.
He could not control the core.
This was Fang Yuan's refinement. The essence blood had come from Fang Yuan, and the false Second Aperture Gu was already connected to Fang Yuan's aura. If Fang Ming interfered too deeply, it would only create rejection.
But he could seal the gaps.
The blue snake was not fleeing randomly. It was escaping through the unstable path created when the lifespan Gu's force merged too quickly with the blood cloud.
Fang Ming narrowed that path.
The surrounding blue smoke and yellow light gradually closed inward.
Fang Yuan seized the chance.
With a low growl, he pulled the snake back inch by inch.
The bronze cauldron trembled. The last immortal essence burned quietly at the bottom, turning into faint blue smoke.
After a long struggle, the blue-scaled snake finally stopped thrashing. Its body dissolved back into cloud, and the scene inside the cloud changed again.
The blood field remained.
But the red wheat had turned blue-green, full of spring vitality.
Three hundred years as spring.
Ba Gui let out a heavy breath.
Fang Yuan wiped the sweat from his forehead. His face was pale, but his gaze remained sharp.
"Next."
Ba Gui hesitated, then said: "Long Qing Tian's poison has worsened."
An image appeared in the air.
In a damaged region of the blessed land, Long Qing Tian's corpse lay on the ground. The land and sky around him had already turned deep green. Two careless Gu Masters had approached his corpse, but before they even reached it, their bodies dissolved into green light.
Jade Sky Gu poison.
The poison had already rotted through the blessed land's weak point.
A moment later, the entire hall shook.
Boom!
A second loophole opened in the blessed land.
Ba Gui's expression became heavier. "The collapse has accelerated."
Fang Yuan's eyes were cold. "Continue refining."
There was no time to repair anything.
Ba Gui brought out the five hundred years lifespan Gu.
It looked like a young dragon wanting to rise into the sky, its body thick with ancient vitality.
Fang Yuan threw it into the cloud.
This time, he was prepared.
The cloud erupted again, but it was no longer slippery like a snake. It carried brute strength, arrogant and violent, like a flood dragon trying to tear apart the sky.
Fang Yuan held the core.
Fang Ming stabilized the edges again.
The two did not speak. Words were useless at this point. One controlled the transformation; the other prevented the surrounding refinement rhythm from collapsing.
The cloud roared silently.
Several times, it nearly burst apart.
Several times, Fang Ming's timing pressed the escaping force back just before failure.
After another long struggle, the cloud finally calmed.
The blood field changed once more.
Blue-green spring wheat became golden autumn wheat, full and heavy, ready for harvest.
Five hundred years as autumn.
The cloud shrank.
From the size of a water tank, it condensed into a Gu shaped like a golden peanut shell. Scarlet blood markings covered its surface.
This was no longer the first false Second Aperture Gu.
The earlier false Gu could only exist for seven days.
This one could survive for forty years.
But it was still false.
To turn false into real, to break past mortality and become a true Immortal Gu, one final force was needed.
Divine Travel Gu.
Fang Ming looked at the golden peanut shell, then lowered his gaze.
This was the threshold he had been waiting near.
But outside the hall, the situation had already begun changing.
Ba Gui's image shifted again.
Beyond the fog, Mo Wu Tian had gathered a large number of demonic Gu Masters. Hu Mei Er, Li Xian, Li Qiang, and many others followed him. The promise of a deceased Gu Immortal's treasure had already set greed burning in their hearts.
Bai Ning Bing stood among the dog army.
Through Ba Gui's help, she could see the approaching demonic crowd clearly. Her expression was cold, but her hand tightened around the dog enslavement Gu.
The dog army moved.
The first wave crashed into the formation and was crushed like grain under a millstone.
Blood dyed the ground.
The attackers retreated in disorder.
But they had not given up.
Mo Wu Tian looked through the fog, his purple eyes deep. He could tell that the dog army was being actively controlled. It was not a dead formation.
Not long after, he killed Bao Tong with a single glance, suppressing complaints among the demonic Gu Masters. Then he spread the rumor wider.
The bronze hall held the true Gu Immortal treasure.
Tie Mu Bai and the others had entered but not returned.
The people inside were hoarding everything.
Greed did the rest.
At the righteous side, Xiao Mang also moved.
He had failed to break King Bao's inheritance quickly. When news of the Gu Immortal treasure reached him, he abandoned that side without much hesitation.
A Rank five inheritance could not compare to a Gu Immortal's treasure.
Soon, righteous and demonic Gu Masters gathered in great numbers outside the fog.
Nearly ten thousand people pressed toward the hill.
Inside the bronze hall, Ba Gui's voice became urgent.
"They are gathering."
Fang Yuan stared at the golden peanut shell. "Let them."
"They will attack soon."
"Then the defense must hold."
Fang Ming slowly stood up.
Fang Yuan glanced at him.
Fang Ming said: "You need to focus on Divine Travel Gu. If the hall is breached, the refinement fails no matter how stable this step is."
Fang Yuan did not speak.
Fang Ming continued: "Bai Ning Bing alone cannot stop Rank five experts."
This was true.
Bai Ning Bing had numbers, but not mastery. Against ordinary Gu Masters, the dog army could grind them down. But once Xiao Mang, Mo Wu Tian, or other strong experts personally pressed forward, the formation would begin to tear.
Fang Yuan looked at him. "You are going out?"
"I am Rank five peak. I should act like it."
Fang Yuan watched Fang Ming for a moment.
Fang Ming's expression was calm.
There was no greed in his eyes.
No impatience.
No gaze lingering on Divine Travel Gu.
At least on the surface, Fang Ming was doing exactly what an ally should do: leaving the Immortal Gu refinement to Fang Yuan and going out to buy time.
Fang Yuan withdrew his gaze.
"Do not let them enter."
Fang Ming smiled faintly. "That depends on how many are willing to die."
He turned and left the bronze hall.
Outside, the fog trembled.
Xiao Mang stood before the righteous path Gu Masters, white light gathering around him.
His body shone like a descending holy spirit.
Extreme Light Gu.
My Will Gu.
Bright Spear Gu.
Killer move — My Glorious Spear.
White light condensed into a massive spear and shot forward.
Boom!
The spear pierced into the fog and exploded.
The hill shook.
The fog was torn apart.
Large numbers of dogs vanished under the light, vaporized before they could even howl. A crater appeared on the slope, breaking open one section of the defense.
Bai Ning Bing's ears rang.
Her face turned pale.
If that attack had landed on her directly, her defensive Gu would not have lasted a breath.
But she reacted according to Fang Yuan's earlier instructions. Dogs surged toward the crater, filling the gap before the attackers could exploit it.
The fog thinned.
The dog army was exposed.
Tens of thousands of dogs covered the hill in layers. Dog kings sat among them like torches in the dark. The five great mountain dogs formed the inner defense, guarding the path toward the bronze hall.
For a moment, both righteous and demonic Gu Masters were shaken.
Then their gazes moved past the dogs and landed on the bronze hall.
The target was real.
The Gu Immortal treasure was real.
Fear retreated.
Greed advanced.
Mo Wu Tian walked to the edge of the demonic faction and looked toward Xiao Mang.
Xiao Mang also understood.
Neither side could break through alone.
A brief exchange was enough.
Fifteen minutes later, righteous and demonic paths attacked from opposite directions.
Publicly, they still shouted different words.
The righteous path claimed they were using the demonic path to share pressure.
The demonic path claimed they were competing with the righteous path to seize the treasure first.
In truth, both sides had made the same calculation.
Break the dog army first.
Fight over the treasure later.
The assault began.
Gu Masters charged from two directions like floodwater.
Bai Ning Bing immediately felt the pressure multiply.
She controlled the dog army, trying to keep the formation from splitting. Lightning symbol dogs rushed forward. Steel armor dogs held the second layer. Mutated dogs were kept near the center.
But too many enemies had come.
Yi Chong charged like a shark through the battlefield.
Yi Huo advanced in flames, burning dogs wherever he passed.
Kong Ri Tian scattered into petals.
Li Xian vanished quietly, slipping forward under concealment.
Tao Zi gathered Gu Masters around her with healing support.
Yan Jun moved slowly, ignoring attacks with strange shadow methods.
And behind them, Xiao Mang and Mo Wu Tian stood like two mountains pressing down on the battlefield.
Bai Ning Bing gritted her teeth.
She was not an enslavement path Gu Master.
She could control the army, but not perfectly. Each command strained her soul. Each adjustment caused delays. Once several fronts changed at the same time, her control began to lag.
A gap opened near the eastern side.
Several Gu Masters immediately rushed in.
Before Bai Ning Bing could redirect dogs, a figure descended.
Fang Ming.
Tyrannical Dash Gu erupted.
His body shot across the battlefield and slammed into the leading Gu Master. The man's defensive Gu cracked instantly, and his body flew backward into the crowd.
Fang Ming did not chase.
He landed at the gap and raised one hand.
Eclipse Moonlight Gu flashed.
A nearly invisible arc cut through the front line, forcing several Gu Masters to retreat.
Bai Ning Bing glanced at him.
Fang Ming said: "Hold the formation. I will patch the holes."
"Do not order me."
"Then do it before I need to."
Bai Ning Bing's eyes turned cold, but she did not argue further. Dogs flooded back into position.
Fang Ming moved again.
He did not fight deep into the crowd.
He did not chase low-rank Gu Masters.
He acted only where the defense was closest to breaking.
When Yi Chong broke through a layer of dogs, Fang Ming intercepted him with Tyrannical Dash and forced him back with a brutal collision.
When Yi Huo's flames burned open a path, Fang Ming used Mountain Shell Gu to endure the edge of the fire and disrupted the advance long enough for steel armor dogs to close in again.
When Li Xian tried to slip through, Fang Ming released Thousand Mile Smoke Gu, disturbing the concealment path and forcing Li Xian to change direction.
Fang Ming fought openly.
Cleanly.
Bravely.
There was no sign that he was thinking about the Immortal Gu inside the hall.
No sign that Divine Travel Gu had anything to do with him.
This was deliberate.
Fang Yuan had Spring Autumn Cicada.
If this timeline failed and Fang Yuan returned to the past, Fang Ming did not want Fang Yuan to remember him hovering greedily around Divine Travel Gu. He wanted Fang Yuan to remember him standing outside, blocking enemies, buying time.
A useful ally.
A Rank five peak expert who kept his agreement.
Not a thief waiting beside the refinement cauldron.
The battle intensified.
Mo Wu Tian finally moved.
His purple eyes locked onto the dog formation, then shifted toward Fang Ming.
A soul pressure spread silently.
Fang Ming felt a chill in his mind.
His body remained steady, but his thoughts seemed to slow for a breath.
Soul path.
Mo Wu Tian had not even fully attacked, yet the pressure already reached him.
Fang Ming's eyes narrowed.
This person was dangerous.
Far more dangerous than ordinary Rank five experts.
At the other side, Xiao Mang also stepped forward, light gathering around him again.
Bai Ning Bing's face became uglier.
One Rank five was already troublesome.
Two Rank fives, plus countless attackers, were beyond what the dog formation could comfortably endure.
Fang Ming took a slow breath.
Blood path could not be exposed casually.
Cut Time Blood was a trump card and could not be wasted here.
Spring Autumn Tag-Along Gu had to remain hidden.
He could only use his public methods, strength path pressure, movement, and practical combat.
That was enough for now.
Not enough to win.
But enough to delay.
Inside the bronze hall, the outside noise grew faint under the thick walls.
Fang Yuan sat before the bronze cauldron alone with Ba Gui.
The golden peanut shell floated above the remaining immortal essence.
Divine Travel Gu appeared again, sealed in the air like a yellow gem with purple smoke shifting inside.
Ba Gui's voice was weak. "This is the final qualitative change."
Fang Yuan's eyes were red, but his gaze was firm.
Outside, dogs howled and Gu Masters shouted.
Fang Ming was buying time.
Bai Ning Bing was holding the army together.
Ba Gui was almost exhausted.
Fang Yuan raised his hand.
"Divine opportunity is unlimited…"
The final step began.
Divine Travel Gu trembled.
The golden peanut shell shook in response.
Outside, Fang Ming stood between the battlefield and the bronze hall, facing the pressure of Mo Wu Tian and Xiao Mang at the same time.
He smiled faintly.
Not because he was confident.
Not because he was fearless.
But because the situation had finally reached the point he wanted.
Inside, Fang Yuan was touching Divine Travel Gu.
Outside, Fang Ming looked like he was risking his life to protect him.
That was good.
That was exactly the appearance he needed.