Chapter 184: Refinement Materials
Graceful Chaotic Duel Stage turned away from Sacred Feather City.
The crimson Immortal Gu House did not chase.
Sacred Feather City had been knocked back, its walls cracked and its momentum broken, but Fang Ming did not mistake one collision for victory. The strike had only proved that Graceful Chaotic Duel Stage could fight under Giant Sun immortal essence. It had not opened a path through the ten extreme immortal zombie lifeless formation.
The dark clouds still covered heaven and earth.
The formation still sealed the battlefield.
Tribulations still fell from above.
Fang Ming controlled Graceful Chaotic Duel Stage's movement, guiding it through the turbulent space inside the formation. Fang Yuan maintained the flow of Giant Sun immortal essence, ready to activate defense or attack whenever the situation changed. The two of them had already divided their roles, and neither side wasted words.
The first direction Fang Ming chose was southeast.
Graceful Chaotic Duel Stage shot forward, crimson light tearing through the dark clouds like a meteor. Fang Yuan activated the Gu House's defensive layer, blocking stray tribulation power and Shadow Sect attacks. For a brief moment, the pressure before them seemed thinner.
Then an Immortal Gu House appeared.
It was completely black, with a metallic luster covering its surface. It looked like a fortress forged from iron, heavy and compact, without the grand elegance of Sacred Feather City. If Sacred Feather City resembled a noble prince descending from the sky, this Gu House was an armored warrior standing with a shield in both hands.
Unbreakable Iron Fortress.
It blocked Graceful Chaotic Duel Stage's path.
Fang Ming shifted the Gu House's angle, trying to avoid a direct contest, but Unbreakable Iron Fortress moved with it. Fang Yuan sent a surge of yellow apricot immortal essence into Graceful Chaotic Duel Stage, and crimson light struck the iron fortress from the side.
Boom!
The two Immortal Gu Houses clashed. Unbreakable Iron Fortress was pushed back, but it did not break. Its purpose was not to defeat Graceful Chaotic Duel Stage. It only needed to slow it down.
Fang Ming's expression darkened slightly.
He changed direction.
Graceful Chaotic Duel Stage rose upward, trying to break through the higher layer of the formation. The Gu House had not yet gathered full momentum when blood-red light appeared ahead. A chariot-shaped Immortal Gu House rushed out from the clouds, surrounded by a river of blood.
Blood River Chariot.
It cut across the route like a blade drawn through water.
Fang Yuan activated attack methods. Crimson light collided with blood-red radiance, and the surrounding clouds exploded into chaotic waves. Graceful Chaotic Duel Stage forced Blood River Chariot aside, but the delay had already done its job. The formation around them thickened again, and the opening vanished.
Fang Ming moved again.
This time, he chose a darker gap to the west, where tribulation force had just torn through Shadow Sect's arrangement. But before Graceful Chaotic Duel Stage could pass through, a castle appeared silently in the clouds. It had grey tiles, pale walls, and an eerie stillness that made it seem less like a building and more like a nightmare given shape.
Nightmare Castle.
The moment it appeared, strange dream-like ripples spread outward. Fang Yuan reacted quickly, strengthening the Gu House's defense, while Fang Ming pulled Graceful Chaotic Duel Stage away before the ripples could fully wrap around them.
Three routes.
Three obstructions.
Sacred Feather City, Unbreakable Iron Fortress, Blood River Chariot, and Nightmare Castle had formed a tightening net around Graceful Chaotic Duel Stage.
Fang Yuan's expression finally changed.
"Four Immortal Gu Houses," he said slowly.
He had lived five hundred years. He had experienced the chaotic war of the five regions. He had seen super forces, rank eight experts, and many hidden arrangements. But Immortal Gu Houses were not cabbages in a field. Even among super forces, one Immortal Gu House could act as a foundation-level treasure.
Shadow Sect had revealed four in this battlefield.
And this was not counting the hidden methods they had already used.
Fang Yuan turned toward Fang Ming.
Fang Ming's expression was grim.
This made Fang Yuan's heart sink slightly. Fang Ming had been cautious from the start. He had refused to waste immortal essence on the Great Strength True Martial immortal zombie, had insisted on cooperation, and had acted as if a great disaster was waiting behind the Southern Border Gu Immortals. But now, even Fang Ming looked unsettled.
Fang Ming was not shocked that Shadow Sect had deep foundations.
He had expected that.
What unsettled him was the direction of pressure.
Shadow Sect should have been focusing more attention on Heaven Overseeing Tower. Heavenly Court was outside the formation, carrying a rank nine Immortal Gu House and the strongest direct threat to Shadow Sect's plan. Yet several Shadow Sect Immortal Gu Houses were moving to contain Graceful Chaotic Duel Stage, as if keeping Fang Ming and Fang Yuan inside the formation mattered more than it should.
Fang Ming's thoughts turned cold.
Heaven's will.
In the original flow of events, Fang Yuan had not known the true value of Sovereign Immortal Fetus Gu at the beginning. Heaven's will could use him as a blade to destroy Shadow Sect's plan. By the time Fang Yuan understood what Sovereign Immortal Fetus Gu was, he had already taken it, and the situation had passed the point where heaven's will could stop him cleanly.
Fang Ming was different.
He knew Sovereign Immortal Fetus Gu existed.
He wanted to seize it, not destroy it.
He had prepared too much, moved too early, and gathered too many advantages. Heaven's will could not read him like an ordinary person, but it did not need perfect knowledge to sense danger. If it had noticed that he was not here to ruin Shadow Sect's refinement but to steal the final result, then affecting the situation so Shadow Sect pressured him was not impossible.
Fang Yuan saw Fang Ming's expression and asked, "Daoist Fang Ming, is this why you were so cautious? Did you expect this?"
Fang Ming shook his head, then nodded.
"I was not pessimistic," he said. "Even now, I still believe the outcome can favor us. As for Shadow Sect having this kind of foundation, I did expect it. Several Immortal Gu Houses are not outside what they can bring out."
Fang Yuan's eyes narrowed. "Then what surprised you?"
Fang Ming looked through Graceful Chaotic Duel Stage's perception at the surrounding Gu Houses. "They are targeting us like this while ignoring the enemy outside."
Fang Yuan became even more confused.
Shadow Sect.
He had heard very little about them in his previous life. Aside from their attack on Lang Ya blessed land, they had not appeared with such terrifying force in his memories. If this was their true foundation, then what had he known before? Was the Lang Ya battle only a small part of their strength? Had they hidden through the entire chaotic war while letting others fight in the open?
And who was the enemy outside that Fang Ming kept mentioning?
Fang Yuan asked, "Fellow Gu Immortal, who is the enemy outside?"
Fang Ming smiled lightly. "Heavenly Court."
Fang Yuan was stunned.
Heavenly Court.
These two words carried a weight that no ordinary Gu Immortal could ignore.
Fang Yuan had lived through five hundred years of chaotic war. He knew what Heavenly Court represented. It was not merely an ancient Central Continent force. It was the supreme overlord among human forces, the organization that had stood through countless eras. It only accepted rank eight Gu Immortals, and even among rank eights, not everyone had the qualification to enter. Those who joined Heavenly Court were elites among elites, old monsters with terrifying battle strength, methods, and experience.
And now Heavenly Court was here.
Before Fang Yuan could think further, Unbreakable Iron Fortress pressed forward again. Blood River Chariot circled from the side, Nightmare Castle released faint ripples, and Sacred Feather City stabilized in the distance.
The encirclement tightened.
There was no time to dwell on Heavenly Court.
Fang Ming controlled Graceful Chaotic Duel Stage to retreat diagonally, avoiding the heaviest pressure from Unbreakable Iron Fortress. Fang Yuan activated a counterattack, forcing Blood River Chariot to slow. The crimson Gu House slipped between two waves of tribulation, then tried to rush through a thin section of dark clouds.
Sacred Feather City blocked it.
Fang Yuan sent more Giant Sun immortal essence into the Gu House. Graceful Chaotic Duel Stage's crimson light flared, but Fang Ming held back from a full collision. He twisted the Gu House's movement, using the impact of a nearby tribulation wave to shift direction.
It almost worked.
Then Nightmare Castle appeared ahead again.
The escape test failed.
They tried upward.
Failed.
They tried southeast again after the tribulation tore a gap.
Failed.
They tried using Blood River Chariot's retreat angle as a path.
Failed again.
Each time, Shadow Sect's Immortal Gu Houses did not need to defeat Graceful Chaotic Duel Stage. They only needed to block, delay, and prevent momentum. The ten extreme immortal zombie lifeless formation did the rest.
Fang Yuan's expression became colder.
"If this continues, we will only waste immortal essence," he said.
Fang Ming replied, "Then suggest something useful."
Fang Yuan looked upward. "Heavenly Court is outside. If we make Graceful Chaotic Duel Stage look suppressed, they may attack Shadow Sect. Once they move, the formation will become chaotic."
Fang Ming did not reject it. "Do it."
Fang Yuan reduced the output.
The crimson light around Graceful Chaotic Duel Stage dimmed. Its movements became heavier, and when Unbreakable Iron Fortress pressed forward, Fang Ming allowed the Gu House to be pushed back more than before. Blood River Chariot's attack struck its defense and made the red light flicker. From outside, Graceful Chaotic Duel Stage looked as if it were being suppressed by Shadow Sect's encirclement.
Above the battlefield, Heaven Overseeing Tower watched everything.
Inside the tower, Heaven Overseeing Tower Lord's eyes glowed with white light. The light faded after a few breaths, and his expression became cold.
"Gu Yue Fang Yuan," he said. "The otherworldly demon connected to Imperial Court blessed land and the collapse of Eighty-Eight True Yang Building."
The Heavenly Court Gu Immortals around him listened silently.
Heaven Overseeing Tower Lord continued, "And Fang Ming. Another variable from Gu Yue village. His traces before and after the Northern Plains upheaval are tangled with Fang Yuan's. Both are inside or connected to Graceful Chaotic Duel Stage."
A Gu Immortal frowned. "Then are they allied with Shadow Sect?"
Heaven Overseeing Tower Lord shook his head. "Whether they are allies or enemies does not matter. Fang Yuan is baiting us to attack. Fang Ming is using the same chaos. But the ten extreme immortal zombie lifeless formation is Shadow Sect's crucial arrangement. Since the target is worth striking, we will strike."
He raised his walking stick.
"Heaven Overseeing Tower, activate."
Heavenly Court moved.
A vast beam of light descended from the white tower, striking toward the ten extreme immortal zombie lifeless formation.
Shadow Sect reacted immediately.
Three more Immortal Gu Houses emerged from the dark clouds.
One was a pavilion with red bricks and green tiles, surrounded by waves of green light.
Green Wave Pavilion.
One was a manor wrapped in countless white traces, as if threads and cocoons were being woven around it.
Weaving Cocoon Manor.
The last was a shining golden altar, solemn and heavy, radiating an ancient aura.
Golden Altar.
Together with the Immortal Gu Houses already revealed, Shadow Sect's hidden foundation seemed almost absurd. Sacred Feather City, Unbreakable Iron Fortress, Blood River Chariot, Nightmare Castle, Green Wave Pavilion, Weaving Cocoon Manor, Golden Altar — seven Immortal Gu Houses had appeared in one battlefield.
Fang Yuan looked at the scene and was briefly silent.
Since when had Immortal Gu Houses become so common?
Inside Graceful Chaotic Duel Stage, Fang Ming's expression remained grim. This was Shadow Sect. A force hidden in history, spread through the five regions, preparing for Spectral Soul's resurrection. Such a foundation was terrifying, but not impossible.
What mattered was whether he could still take the final result from this ocean of hidden arrangements.
Green Wave Pavilion, Weaving Cocoon Manor, and Golden Altar joined forces to resist Heaven Overseeing Tower's attack. Their lights connected, forming a barrier within the dark clouds. The beam from Heaven Overseeing Tower struck the barrier, and the whole formation shook violently.
Then Heaven Overseeing Tower fully activated.
The sky turned white.
The earth turned white.
The clouds, tribulations, Gu Houses, corpses, and battlefield all vanished into whiteness.
For a moment, Fang Yuan could see nothing.
Fang Ming could see nothing either.
There was only white light, filling all directions. It did not feel hot. It did not feel sharp. It did not carry the ordinary killing intent of a blade, flame, or thunderbolt. But that made it more terrifying. It was like the world itself had declared an outcome, and everything beneath it had to accept that result.
Fate.
The power of Fate Gu descended through Heaven Overseeing Tower.
When the white light faded, the battlefield had changed.
Debris fell from the sky.
Green Wave Pavilion had broken apart. Weaving Cocoon Manor's structure collapsed into countless dead Gu worms. Golden Altar was badly damaged, its radiance dim and unstable. Other Shadow Sect Immortal Gu Houses were also damaged to different degrees. Even Sacred Feather City, which had already been injured by Graceful Chaotic Duel Stage, looked worse than before.
Countless dead Gu worms rained through the air.
Their bodies showed no clear injuries, but every trace of life was gone.
Graceful Chaotic Duel Stage shook violently, but it remained intact.
Fang Yuan immediately checked the Gu House's condition. It had suffered damage, but compared to the Shadow Sect Gu Houses closest to Heaven Overseeing Tower's attack, the damage was lighter. Fang Ming's movement control had pulled them away from the core impact, and Fang Yuan's defense had responded at the right moment.
But neither of them felt relieved.
Heavenly Court had not spared them.
Heaven Overseeing Tower's main target was Shadow Sect's formation. Graceful Chaotic Duel Stage had simply not stood at the center of the attack. If Heavenly Court chose to target them directly, the result would not be pleasant.
The ten extreme immortal zombie lifeless formation continued turning.
Dark clouds spread again, thicker than before. The damage caused by Heaven Overseeing Tower had not ended Shadow Sect's plan. Instead, the formation began revealing a deeper layer.
In the dark clouds, immortal apertures appeared like scattered stars.
They were the immortal apertures left behind by dead Southern Border Gu Immortals.
One by one, they were drawn upward by the formation's power, sinking into the depths of the clouds. Countless Gu worms flew around them. Mortal Gu, Immortal Gu, materials, dao marks, apertures, tribulation force — everything seemed to be pulled into one vast process.
Fang Yuan's eyes narrowed.
A chill rose in his heart.
"This formation…"
He had seen many ruthless methods in five hundred years. He had used countless people himself. He had refined Gu, killed enemies, destroyed blessed lands, and manipulated wars. But this scene still carried a scale that made even him pause.
The ten extreme immortal zombie lifeless formation was not only a sealing formation.
It was a refinement path Gu formation.
The Southern Border Gu Immortals who had entered the gambling contest, the same immortals who had treated mortal Gu Masters as pawns, were now dead or dying. Their immortal apertures were being taken as refinement materials.
Fang Yuan looked toward Fang Ming.
"Do you know what is going on?"
Fang Ming's reply was calm. "More or less."
"Explain."
Fang Ming did not answer directly.
He pointed upward.
Then he shook his head.
Fang Yuan frowned at first, then his gaze shifted slightly. Above them was Heaven Overseeing Tower. Beyond Heaven Overseeing Tower was Heavenly Court. Beyond Heavenly Court was something even more troublesome. In this battlefield, words were not always harmless. Some truths, once spoken, could draw attention.
"If you answer," Fang Yuan said slowly, "we will be in more danger?"
Fang Ming nodded.
Fang Yuan stopped asking.
The dark clouds continued to swallow immortal apertures.
The Southern Border Gu Immortals had once stood above Yi Tian Mountain like gamblers watching ants fight. They had used mortal lives as counters on a board, caring only about battle will and the Immortal Gu House beneath the mountain. They believed themselves to be players because they saw the mortals as pieces.
Now their own immortal apertures were being dragged into Shadow Sect's formation.
Their dao marks, resources, Gu worms, and accumulated cultivation were becoming materials.
In a higher-level scheme, they had never been players.
They were only resources waiting to be harvested.
Graceful Chaotic Duel Stage floated within the dark clouds, crimson light dim but steady. Around it, damaged Shadow Sect Gu Houses still blocked the formation. Above it, Heaven Overseeing Tower remained like a white spear pointed at the battlefield. Beneath and around it, the refinement continued.
Fang Ming looked into the depths of the formation.
The thing he truly came for was drawing closer.