Chapter 158: Unravel Mystery
The open transaction had almost returned to calm.
After the main auction ended, many Gu Immortals had already achieved their goals. Some had obtained immortal materials, some had exchanged inheritances, and some had quietly left after judging that nothing else was worth staying for.
Then Red Fiend Divine Boat appeared.
The complete Gu recipe and usage method of an Immortal Gu House were placed before everyone, and the atmosphere in the hall changed instantly. The so-called open transaction lost its loose order. Voices rose one after another, offers were thrown out rapidly, and even rank eight existences entered the competition without hesitation.
Qin Bai Sheng stood on the platform and watched with a faint bitter smile.
This was supposed to be a free transaction. Each person took a turn, offered one thing, and left after the deal succeeded or failed. But now, no one cared about that. The attraction of an Immortal Gu House recipe was too great. If Qin Bai Sheng tried to force the rules at this moment, he would only offend too many powerful people at once.
So he let them compete.
In the hall, Zombie Alliance's Gu Immortals had ugly expressions. Yin Liu Gong's face was dark, while Dragon Commander Ye Cha's gaze was cold enough to freeze water. They had tried to buy the Red Fiend Divine Boat recipe privately before this, but the lone cultivator selling it had been greedy and slippery. Their negotiation had failed, and now the recipe was exposed in front of everyone.
The seller was also risking his life.
But since he had already offended Zombie Alliance, he might as well sell the recipe for the greatest possible benefit. If he obtained resources that suited him, he could hide, cultivate, and perhaps survive the storm that came afterward.
Fang Ming watched all of this from his seat.
He was interested in Red Fiend Divine Boat.
How could he not be?
He was already a refinement path grandmaster and formation path grandmaster. An Immortal Gu House recipe was not merely a recipe to him. It was a complete structure of Gu arrangement, dao mark balance, movement, defense, offense, and control. Even if he could not build the Red Fiend Divine Boat, studying such a thing would improve his understanding.
But interest did not mean he had to fight.
Zombie Alliance wanted it. Super forces wanted it. Rank eight experts wanted it. Some wanted the recipe for their force, some wanted it to complete existing foundations, and some simply did not want such a thing to fall into their enemies' hands.
Fang Ming had already paid heavily in the main auction. He had no intention of throwing himself into another bottomless pit.
Then Heavenly Lord Bai Zu made a bid.
"Unravel Mystery Immortal Gu."
The moment the name appeared, Fang Ming's attention shifted.
Red Fiend Divine Boat was still valuable.
But Unravel Mystery was different.
Fang Ming's gaze sharpened, though his expression did not change. He had been waiting for this opportunity from the moment he bought Blessing in Disguise. Others might treat Unravel Mystery as a wisdom path Immortal Gu that could deduce inheritance traces, useful but not irreplaceable. Fang Ming knew better.
He had read the original story.
He did not have Fang Yuan's five hundred years of lived experience, and he did not know every detail of every future killer move. But he knew enough. He knew Unravel Mystery was connected to dream path. He knew it could become the core of a dream path immortal killer move. He knew that in this era, before dream path truly flourished, such a Gu could create an enormous lead.
Dream path was not just future potential for Fang Ming.
It was already part of his current foundation.
Dream Feather Immortal Gu was in his hands. He had explored dream realms. He had obtained refinement path and formation path attainment from dreams. He had begun producing dream path mortal Gu and dream materials through his dream formation. His entire dream path system was still crude, but it existed.
Unravel Mystery could push that crude system forward.
It could help with dream exploration, hidden inheritance traces, and deduction of unknown dream arrangements. It could cooperate with Dream Feather and reduce the number of places where Fang Ming had to rely only on trial, error, and danger.
The timing was too good.
If he obtained it now, before dream path became common, the advantage would be immense.
Fang Ming did not move immediately. His gaze passed over the hall, watching the bidding around Red Fiend Divine Boat continue. Heavenly Lord Bai Zu had taken out Unravel Mystery for the recipe, which meant one thing: he did not value this Gu enough to keep it at all costs.
That was enough.
Fang Ming sent a private message.
"Senior Bai Zu."
Heavenly Lord Bai Zu was still observing the Red Fiend Divine Boat competition when he received the message. His response came calmly.
"What is it?"
"I want Unravel Mystery Immortal Gu."
There was a short pause.
Then Heavenly Lord Bai Zu replied, "What can you offer?"
Fang Ming's eyes were calm.
"Blessing in Disguise Immortal Gu."
This time, Heavenly Lord Bai Zu did not answer immediately.
Fang Ming was not surprised. The rank eight expert had wanted Blessing in Disguise earlier. Fang Ming had fought him for it, paid three desolate hounds to make him withdraw, then bought the Gu at an absurd price. To outsiders, Fang Ming had acted as if he wanted to use Blessing in Disguise for his own tribulations.
That was only half true.
Blessing in Disguise was indeed useful to Fang Ming. With his foundation and future preparations, he had confidence in surviving stronger tribulations. Double dao mark gains were extremely tempting.
But he had not bought it only for himself.
Heavenly Lord Bai Zu needed it more.
A rank eight expert who planned to establish his own tribe would not look at Blessing in Disguise the same way as a lone rank six. To Bai Zu, this Gu could strengthen not only himself, but also the future immortals of his bloodline and force. Stronger tribulations were dangerous, but under the protection and arrangements of a rank eight expert, danger could be managed. Double dao marks, however, were permanent.
Fang Ming had seen this from the beginning.
He had not bought only a luck path Immortal Gu.
He had bought leverage.
Heavenly Lord Bai Zu's message came again.
"Only Unravel Mystery?"
Fang Ming replied, "Unravel Mystery, and the Eagle Nest inheritance you mentioned before."
This request was direct.
There was no need to pretend. Heavenly Lord Bai Zu was not a fool, and Fang Ming did not need to act like one either.
A moment later, Heavenly Lord Bai Zu answered.
"Unravel Mystery and Eagle Nest. Nothing else."
"That is enough," Fang Ming replied.
The exchange was completed quietly.
Outside, the hall was still boiling over Red Fiend Divine Boat. Zombie Alliance, super forces, and rank eight experts continued fighting over the recipe. Their voices overlapped, and Qin Bai Sheng allowed the chaos to continue.
Under that noise, Blessing in Disguise left Fang Ming.
Unravel Mystery entered his hands.
The Eagle Nest inheritance followed.
Fang Ming stored both away, his expression unchanged. The trade was not balanced if judged by ordinary market value. Blessing in Disguise was rank seven. Unravel Mystery was rank six. Eagle Nest was only an inheritance, not even central to Heavenly Lord Bai Zu's own path.
But trades between Gu Immortals were never fair in a mortal sense.
They depended on need.
To Heavenly Lord Bai Zu, Blessing in Disguise was more important than Unravel Mystery. To Fang Ming, Unravel Mystery was worth more than Blessing in Disguise because it could push open the dream path road earlier.
Both sides got what they wanted.
That was enough.
Fang Ming did not look back at Heavenly Lord Bai Zu. Whether the rank eight expert continued bidding for Red Fiend Divine Boat, whether he won or lost, had nothing to do with him.
His goal was already achieved.
He closed his eyes for a brief moment and felt the existence of Unravel Mystery Immortal Gu.
This Gu was not dream path.
But a Gu's path did not limit all possible uses.
Man was the spirit of all living beings. Gu were the essence of heaven and earth. The true value of a Gu depended on who used it, where it was used, and when it was used.
In the future, when dream path flourished, methods related to dream exploration would spread among super forces. Dream path mortal Gu would become more common. Dream path killer moves would improve. Dream realms would be explored systematically.
At that time, Unravel Mystery would still be useful, but not priceless.
Now was different.
Now, everyone was still groping in the dark.
Fang Ming already had one lamp.
Dream Feather.
Now he had obtained a second.
Unravel Mystery.
The pieces were not complete yet, but they were beginning to connect.
In another secret room, Fang Yuan also noticed the change.
Unravel Mystery had disappeared from Heavenly Lord Bai Zu's bid.
His fingers stopped tapping against the armrest.
For a moment, he was silent.
He had recognized the value of that Gu. He knew it could be used as the core of a dream path killer move. He knew that if he obtained it now, he could begin exploring dream realms before the world's forces truly caught up.
But he had no suitable method to seize it.
He lacked the right trade pieces. He could not force Heavenly Lord Bai Zu. He could not openly reveal why he wanted the Gu so much. Before he could act, the opportunity was gone.
Fang Yuan's gaze turned cold and deep.
Someone had taken it.
Someone had moved faster.
More importantly, someone might have understood its hidden value.
Outside, the bidding for Red Fiend Divine Boat continued, but Fang Yuan no longer cared as much. The Immortal Gu House recipe was valuable, but for him, Unravel Mystery had been a door to the future.
Now that door had closed.
Fang Ming, meanwhile, sat calmly.
He had lost Blessing in Disguise, but there was no regret in his heart.
Blessing in Disguise could have strengthened his future tribulations.
Unravel Mystery could strengthen his entire dream path foundation.
One was a powerful road.
The other was a road that arrived before its era.
Fang Ming knew which one mattered more.
The hall remained noisy. Offers continued. Zombie Alliance's anger, the seller's greed, super forces' ambition, and rank eight experts' calculations mixed together into one chaotic storm.
Fang Ming had already withdrawn from that game, but before studying Unravel Mystery and creating a dream path killer move around it, there was already another opportunity waiting for him to seize. Thus, Fang Ming teleported away.