"Master, should I teleport you there?" Little Hu Immortal asked.
Fang Yuan gave a slight nod. "Mm."
With that, Little Hu Immortal teleported Fang Yuan to Dang Hun Mountain.
Moments later, he spotted a rock before him.
"Master, there's a gutstone here!" the land spirit shouted, pointing excitedly at the stone near his feet.
This stone was like a person's gallstone, it grew on the mountain rocks, having mixed colors. If one did not look properly, they would think it was an ordinary stone.
Fang Yuan squatted down and smashed the gutstone with his hand.
Once the stone shattered, a Gu flew out and turned into a grey eerie light, entering Fang Yuan's body.
Fang Yuan felt his brain turning clear, a new type of strength had entered his soul, and the buzzing in his ears had lessened.
Dang Hun mountain could shook souls, it was the death grounds of all living beings. It was only because of the land spirit's suppression that Fang Yuan could move around with ease.
But Dang Hun mountain was not a simple death ground.
The souls of living beings break into pieces on the mountain, scattering and fusing with the mountain. As time passes, gutstones are formed.
And in some gutstones, guts Gu are found, it could strengthen a person's soul.
This is like how the resting place of a poisonous snake has the herbs to create an antidote. All living beings compete, and the world is fair; where there is life, there is death.
Dang Hun mountain might look like an absolute death ground, but a chance of survival was hidden in it.
But this guts Gu can only exist for an instant, after that, it would either disperse or be broken down by Dang Hun mountain again.
After being rejuvenated by this guts Gu, Fang Yuan was like a thirsty traveller in the desert getting a mouthful of fresh water.
He continued on his way, and with this land spirit acting as a dutiful guide, they found another dozen gutstones, smashing them open one by one.
With that, Fang Yuan acquired another twenty Guts Gu to mend his soul. Although his previous injuries hadn't fully healed, and his memories remained out of reach, these Gu helped in slowly restoring his fragmented soul.
After spending nearly half an hour using the gutstones, he returned to the palace.
Taking out the Immortal Essence from his Primeval Elder Gu, he said, "Combine this with your Immortal Essence."
"I'm going to refine another Immortal Gu, and you'll be used as a refinement material."
"Are you afraid now?" Fang Yuan asked calmly, his gaze fixed on the land spirit.
The little girl was suddenly struck with fear. She trembled and cried out, "Master, please don't abandon me!"
"I'll do anything you say!" she pleaded, clinging to Fang Yuan's leg as she sobbed—though no tears fell from her eyes.
Fang Yuan explained, "You won't disappear. You just won't be bound to this blessed land anymore. But you can still manage it—just not as its land spirit."
"Ah!" the land spirit gasped in surprise. "Master, I agree! I definitely agree!"
Every land spirit is inherently tied to their blessed land—if the land is destroyed, they perish with it.
Even though a land spirit isn't a true living being, the fear of death still exists.
So, when Fang Yuan assured her that she would survive—albeit no longer as the land spirit—she agreed without hesitation.
Fang Yuan nodded silently, saying nothing more. His eyes swept over the empty cauldron before him, and he began tossing materials into it.
"You handle the Immortal Essence expenditure," he instructed the land spirit. "When it starts to fade, add a drop or two."
Without delay, the land spirit dropped two glistening drops of Immortal Essence into the cauldron.
As the materials began to melt and blend, Fang Yuan tossed in another Gu—it was the intact Abomination Gu he had in his possession.
Next, he added the rare materials he had collected from Ba Gui's Blessed Land. This time, however, he did not use the Lifespan Gu. Instead, he opened the Tusita Flower and poured a red, water-like liquid into the cauldron—none other than the blood that could enhance a person's aptitude.
He had once sold a degraded version of this blood to the Shang Clan under the name "Dragon's Blood" for a single immortal essence stone.
But now, Fang Yuan wasn't thinking about any of that. His entire focus was locked on the refinement process.
As the mixture started to blend, he said, "Throw in the Divine Travel Gu."
The land spirit hesitated for a moment but obeyed, casting the Divine Travel Gu into the cauldron.
Fang Yuan observed the process carefully. Everything was going smoothly. He took out another batch of materials and added them to the cauldron.
Half an hour passed, and the mixture began to change color—turning into a rich yellow hue.
"Add five drops of Immortal Essence," Fang Yuan commanded sharply. "Then take the Fixed Immortal Travel Gu and enter the cauldron."
The land spirit, visibly shaken, added the five drops as instructed. Then she stepped in front of the cauldron, her face twisted in fear and sorrow.
"Master… please don't abandon me…" she whimpered, tears in her voice though none fell from her eyes.
"Go!" Fang Yuan shouted, his tone firm and unwavering.
"Waaahhh!" the little girl wailed as she leapt into the cauldron. Her cries were abruptly cut off—replaced by a blood-curdling scream.
"AAAGGHHHH!"
"Master, save me!"
"It's burning—!"
"AAAGGHHHH!"
"Please, Master, save me!"
But Fang Yuan didn't even flinch. He ignored her desperate pleas and calmly added another batch of materials to the cauldron as the refinement began in earnest.