"There's nothing we can do. Water is the most precious resource in the Western Desert, and it only exists in oases. Since humans occupy them, it's only natural that waves of wild beasts will be drawn in."
Lin Yan raised an eyebrow as he listened to the conversation between these outside Gu Masters. It turned out they were members of the Family's task forces.
The various beast groups surrounding Shajing Oasis had all entered their breeding season, becoming far more irritable than usual. Many Gu Master patrol teams had already encountered fierce battles, suffering heavy losses. Fortunately, they also harvested a large number of Gu materials and came to Flame Island to trade.
"A beast tide…"
Lin Yan fell into thought. Shajing Oasis experienced a minor beast tide every year and a major one every three years. Now, it was time for a large-scale beast tide, with autumn approaching in just a few months.
If that were the only concern, it would still be manageable. But there was another issue. A migration route from Ember Passage Ridge, tens of thousands of miles away, was about to pass through this region.
Ember Passage Ridge was one of the seven wonders of the Western Desert. It manifested as endless sand dunes that migrated continuously for hundreds of thousands of miles, as if the heavens had swept across half the desert with a single stroke.
Wherever it passed, everything was erased—no oases, fierce beasts or mountains—only boundless yellow sand remained. All life was buried beneath it, its destructive force so overwhelming that it could reshape the world itself.
This was a manifestation of Heaven's Will, a natural calamity that even Rank 8 Gu Immortals could not resist.
The people of the Western Desert named it Ember Passage Ridge, a reflection of their awe and helplessness in the face of such vast and unstoppable power.
Lin Yan recalled that in the original novel, each Ember Passage Ridge contained its own massive ecosystem. Within it lived powerful beings, including desolate beasts comparable to Rank 6 Gu Immortals. When combined with a beast tide, the resulting disaster would become extremely dangerous.
Fortunately, the surrounding oases were far from its migration route. At most, they would only face an overflow of ordinary wild beasts. Otherwise, survival would not have been possible.
"Shajing Oasis still existed twenty years later in the original timeline… so this beast tide should pass without disaster. Facing Ember Passage Ridge is simply a normal occurrence for Western Desert forces."
Lin Yan thought it through several times and ultimately concluded that it did not concern him too much. If he were still at Rank 2, it would likely have been a life-and-death crisis, forcing him to prepare with everything he had. But now, he was a Rank 3 Family Elder, and more importantly, a recognized genius of the Huang Family.
Even if he were required to participate in battle, he would be deployed in the later stages. By then, his strength would have improved further, and he would have nothing to fear.
After gathering the necessary Gu materials, Lin Yan made no further detours. He returned to his residence and, along the way, spent additional resources at the Gu Chamber to exchange for a Rank 3 Great Strength Defecation Gu, a Rank 3 Sound Path Lion's Roar Gu, and three Rank 1 Paper Crane Gu for communication, colored light blue, dark green, and pink.
That's right—he intended to refine a Rank 3 Dishonest Gu, specifically to counter the Vow Gu.
It was not that he intended to betray the Family, but being bound by a Vow Gu was ultimately an unstable factor.
Dishonest Gu had not yet appeared in this era. It would only be developed in the future by a tribal leader in the Western Desert, and it was one of the rare Gu whose refinement method was clearly recorded in the original novel.
Naturally, Lin Yan intended to refine it. The cost, however, was not small. In total, he spent fifteen thousand primeval stones refining his Flame Path Gu, the Seven Fragrance Liquor Worm, and Dishonest Gu, leaving him with four hundred seventy thousand.
"Money really flows like water."
Lin Yan let out a quiet breath and focused fully on refining his Gu. This process was already deeply familiar to him through countless repetitions in his dream realm.
Half a month later, he finally completed the refinement of the last Gu, the Dishonest Gu.
A phantom lion head appeared in mid-air, opening its massive jaws and devouring the Great Strength Defecation Gu. However, after consuming only one-third of it, the Lion's Roar Gu could no longer continue. The phantom lion head even began to show signs of collapsing.
Without hesitation, Lin Yan summoned a light blue Paper Crane Gu. It slowly drifted forward and was swallowed by the phantom. Instantly, the unstable form stabilized, no longer showing signs of dissipating.
Then, one after another, the phantom lion head devoured three Paper Crane Gu along with the Great Strength Defecation Gu. The originally white glow began to shift, emitting alternating hues of light blue, dark green, and pink, while a strange chant echoed continuously:
"Eat shit… eat shit…"