He shook his head to clear his thoughts and moved his line of sight along the vines, and sure enough he discovered a heap of withered roots gathered into a ball-shaped clump at a corner. The Liquor worm was resting on the clump of dead roots, sleeping soundly. It was already within easy reach.
Fang Yuan walked over and took the Liquor worm into his arms and sat cross-legged, his eyes closed.
"I finally got my hands on the Liquor worm. The Liquor worm is rarer than the Moonlight Gu, because in a sense it is a Gu that increase a Gu Master's latent talent!"
The Liquor worm was still sleeping soundly. Its body size was slightly bigger than the Moonlight Gu, soft and white like a silkworm.
Placed in his hand, it was not heavy. Its weight was about half a chicken egg. When smelling it carefully, its body exuded a whiff of wine aroma. This fragrance was not the aroma of green bamboo wine but the Liquor worm's own fragrance. The smell was faint and misty, as if it was not there. Fang Yuan's nose twitched as he inhaled the fragrance of the Liquor worm.
The wine fragrance moved straight downwards into the aperture, entering into the green copper primeval sea. The primeval sea surged and rippled for a moment, quickly absorbing in the wine. A gleam of pure and refined primeval essence was produced.
The other primeval essence had an jade green color, shining with a metallic copper luster. However this primeval essence was a pale green, and it was more condensed than the original primeval essence. This was the primeval essence that a Rank one middle stage Gu Master could produce.
Aware of this gleam of pale green primeval essence in his green copper sea, Fang Yuan revealed a satisfied smile. "Right now my cultivation base is just that of a Rank one initial stage. But with the Liquor worm's condensing, after the primeval essence is refined I will be able to have Rank one middle realm primeval essence. The beauty of this benefit is something that cannot be said in one or two sentences."
But very soon, he took back his smile. "However right now I have yet to fully master the Liquor worm. It is only when I refine the Liquor worm, then I will be able to freely use it and later on with maximum efficiency, refine my primeval essence."
Thinking up to this point, he no longer hesitated and began to draw out a jet of green copper primeval essence from his primeval sea. The primeval essence tightly wrapped around the Liquor worm, bringing it into the air before Fang Yuan, and started to invade its body.
The Liquor worm felt its life at danger and woke up immediately. It began to struggle violently, using its own power to drive out Fang Yuan's primeval essence.
"Spring Autumn Cicada." His two eyes flashed with a firm light as he shouted inside his heart.
But nothing happened and Liquor worm was still struggling violently.
Fang Yuan opened his eyes and looked at the Liquor worm in front of him. His face looked grave.
""It's just a pity... Even though I have been reborn, the Spring Autumn Cicada did not come with me."
"As the waters of the River of Time are too turbulent, Spring Autumn Cicada was destroyed." he came to a conclusion.
Gu comes in thousands of shapes and sizes of strange and mysterious variety – there are too many to count.
"I have to be more cautious this time."
"But first, I have to refine the Liquor worm." His two eyes flashed with a firm light as he continued pouring primeval essence into the Liquor worm.
A continuous jet of green-copper coloured primeval essence that resembled a jet of mist emitted out from Fang Yuan's whole body, then it gathered together and firmly wrapped around the Liquor worm. The Liquor worm hovered in the air, its distance less than a feet away from Fang Yuan's face. It struggled with all its might in the midst of the green copper primeval essence.
Time slipped away quietly.
Fang Yuan could see the situation clearly. His talent was a poor grade anyway, add on the Liquor worm that he was trying to refine having an incredibly tenacious will to live; it was even stronger than a normal Moonlight Gu. Most of all, he doesn't have Spring Autumn Cicada in this life for instant refining.
"But even if its gone, I can still refine another Spring Autumn Cicada in this life." After the thoughts of pity were put aside, Fang Yuan's heart burst forth ambitious and determined feelings.
Fang Yuan's heart was clear like a mirror, not a single trace of anxiety and discouragement in him. Suddenly, the Liquor worm curled up into a ball.
"Oh, the Liquor worm is counterattacking!" Fang Yuan instantly opened his eyes, a hint of astonishment in his gaze. Before him, the Liquor worm had curled into a round little dumpling, fiercely giving out a blinding white light.
It was risking everything in this one last stand!
At once Fang Yuan felt a strong will coming out from the Liquor worm's body, flowing directly through the primeval essence and descending into the primeval sea in his aperture.
The situation where a Gu counterattacked was incredibly rare. Only Gu with extremely strong will would give their all, it was either success or death. In the face of such a scenario, the usual teenager would be panicking right now.
Though he was surprised, Fang Yuan did not panic; in fact he was somewhat delighted. "Staking everything in one last attempt, this is also a good thing."
"As long as I can handle this counterattack, the Liquor worm's will shall greatly weaken. However I need to put full focus into fighting back against this will, I cannot receive even the slightest outside interference. Or else that would be bad,… but It's a good thing, that I am inside a mountain crevice, far from the prying eyes of others."
His thoughts finalized, he gathered the primeval essence in his aperture, ready to accept the Liquor worm's will.
After the Flower Wine Monk died, his strong will continued existing in the Liquor worm. Right now with Fang Yuan trying to refine the Liquor worm, it actually meant fighting against the Flower Wine Monk's will.
This was way more difficult than trying to refine a natural Gu.
A human's will is generally stronger than a natural Gu. When facing death humans were able to produce strength that even they themselves could not imagine.
"Flower Wine Monk, even though you were a rank 5 Gu Master, you are a mere insect to me!"
The Liquor worm's radiance grew ever more intense, white like snow. Its tiny body curled like a ball, and—
Whoosh!
This strong willpower descended from above, surging down towards the bottom of the aperture where the green copper primeval sea was. The waves in the sea tumbled, setting off bursts of high tide.
Under Fang Yuan's will, large amounts of primeval essence rose upwards to the sky and gathered together, forming a towering monster wave, brazenly accepting the incoming Liquor worm's will.
Fang Yuan's face was solemn, but his eyes remained calm like a deep well.
He pressed both palms together and directed his primeval essence like raging currents, forming a dome of green water to suppress the invading will.
Boom!
The two forces collided in the primeval sea — the essence of Flower Wine Monk's last will, and the deep, cold ocean of a reborn demonic venerable.
The Liquor worm's will was indeed ferocious — like aged wine bursting from a shattered jar, it spread recklessly, trying to dominate the sea.
But Fang Yuan's will was forged from the bitterness of eight lives. He had experienced the rise and fall of world, the betrayal of kin, the indifference of the heavens. He had stood alone at the peak of the Gu world, only to fall — and rise again.
"Let me show you what it means to defy fate itself," Fang Yuan muttered inwardly, eyes shining coldly.
What followed was a long, grueling struggle.
Fang Yuan remained in a meditative pose, unmoving. His aperture trembled occasionally, and cold sweat ran down his back as he consumed primeval stones to recover his lost essence.
Slowly, the Liquor worm's glowing body dimmed.
Its resistance faded and silence returned in his aperture.
Fang Yuan opened his eyes slowly. His body was soaked in sweat, and his face was pale. But his eyes burned with sharpness.
He extended his hand. The Liquor worm obediently floated into his palm, quietly pulsing with energy.
A slight smile tugged at the corner of his lips.