(Semi-info chapter)
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After gathering his thoughts, Fang Yuan frowned slightly. Even though he had read the Reverend Insanity plotline, it was impossible to recall every single detail—especially when it came to specific numbers and measurements.
For example, he couldn't remember the exact size of the Hu Immortal Blessed Land or the precise number of Gu worms inhabiting it. He needed to fix that immediately.
Now that he was the master of this blessed land, everything within it—its treasures, natural resources, and even the land spirit itself—belonged to him. This entire domain was now under his control.
"A.I. Chip, give me all the details of the blessed land from my memories," Fang Yuan ordered. He knew the chip had the ability to retrieve lost information, even restoring details he had long forgotten.
[Beep! Process will start—ERROR! That feature isn't available right now.]
[Analyzing the issue...]
"!!!"
"What the?" Fang Yuan's eyes narrowed. "Well, guess it's just a tool after all. Good lesson—can't rely on it all the time."
With a calm demeanor, he turned to another source. "Little Hu," he called out, his voice steady, "give me a detailed report on the blessed land."
The Hu Immortal land spirit appeared instantly, bowing her head slightly. Her timid nature hadn't changed as she softly responded, "Master, this blessed land spans around 4,000 km². The flow of time here is five times faster than the outside world."
She raised her hand, and a virtual image formed in the air before Fang Yuan, displaying the vast lands under his control. The terrain spread out like a colorful tapestry, divided into various regions teeming with grasses and flowers.
"The land is mostly grassland," she continued, highlighting different areas with her gestures, showing detailed projections of the landscape.
Fang Yuan studied the floating image carefully.
To an untrained eye, these plants might seem ordinary, but to him, they were valuable cultivation resources.
Every species had its use in Gu refinement, and some of these flowers and grasses even nurtured wild Gu worms. With 4,000 square kilometers of land, the number of potential Gu worms was staggering.
"How many wild Gu worms are present in the blessed land?" he asked, his sharp gaze locked onto the projection.
The Hu Immortal land spirit tilted her head slightly, as if calculating, before responding, "At present, there are over 860,000 Rank One Gu."
"Approximately 130,000 Rank Two Gu. 5000 Rank Three Gu. 60 Rank Four Gu. And only one Rank Five Gu—the Fox Skin Gu."
Fang Yuan processed the information quickly.
These wild Gu worms would be easy to capture. With a single command, the land spirit could gather them for him instantly.
This was a major advantage. Gu refinement required vast amounts of raw materials, and if necessary, he could always trade surplus Gu worms.
Lower-rank Gu like Rank One and Two weren't worth much to him right now, but the higher-ranked ones? Those could still be useful—either as trade assets or for future refinement projects.
His mind spun with possibilities. The resources of this blessed land, while nowhere near the reserves of powerful immortal sects, were still a goldmine for someone like him.
He needed to grow stronger—fast. These resources would help him refine crucial Gu worms, cultivate his strength, and expand his foundation.
Of course, the blessed land had its drawbacks. Even though it was sealed from the outside world, it wasn't immune to external calamities and tribulations.
The sixth earthly calamity was looming just over a year away. Fang Yuan wasn't foolish enough to think he could avoid it.
Yet, the corner of his lips curled into a cold smile.
Tribulation? Calamity? Heaven's Will? Countless enemies? They were all just stepping stones.
"Through tribulation, I grow stronger. Through conflict, I gain experience."
He had no doubt—even this upcoming calamity could be turned into an opportunity if he played his cards right.
"Master," the Hu Immortal land spirit's soft voice pulled him from his thoughts, "is there anything else you wish to know?"
Fang Yuan waved her off for now. He had enough information.
His sharp eyes gleamed with a calculating light. "The sixth calamity is just another hurdle. With these resources, I can lay a strong foundation for the battles ahead."
He would cultivate, refine, and grow stronger. He would turn his enemies' strengths against them, bending even Heaven's Will to his advantage.
The path ahead was long, but Fang Yuan had unwavering confidence.
No matter the danger, he would overcome it all—and profit.
— — —
The Hu Immortal land spirit continued her detailed introduction, "Currently, there are about a thousand groups of foxes living here, including red foxes, golden foxes, cloud foxes, wind foxes, autumn foxes, flowing light foxes, and more.""The three largest groups each contain approximately 800,000 foxes, making a total of around 4,700,000 foxes."
Fang Yuan listened intently, nodding thoughtfully.
With three myriad fox groups, the land boasted three myriad beast kings. However, these beasts hadn't yet developed enough to produce a beast emperor.
Mortal Beasts were classified from low to high: hundred beast king, thousand beast king, myriad beast king, and beast emperor.
For instance, the two beast emperors from the Three Kings Inheritance possessed battle strength on par with rank five Gu Masters and were even able to temporarily hold off Xiao Mang.
"There are many fox groups, but they're all common foxes. Not a single mutated beast among them," Fang Yuan mused inwardly.
Ordinary beasts weren't nearly as valuable as their mutated counterparts.
For example, a thunder boar was far superior to a regular boar, and a lion mastiff held much more worth than a wild dog.
Beyond mutated beasts were desolate beasts, and above those were ancient desolate and immemorial desolate beasts.
Immemorial desolate beasts, like the legendary nine-tailed fox, were even mythical, only described in The Legends of Ren Zu.
Fang Yuan planned to develop the Hu Immortal blessed land as part of his journey to reach Rank 9.
The land spirit continued, "There used to be far more fox groups in the blessed land—at least three times as many as now. However, the second earthly calamity brought a meteor fire rain that devastated the eastern area, killing hundreds of thousands of foxes."
"Even now, the flames still burn. Then the fourth earthly calamity struck, unleashing a massive flood that submerged much of the northern grasslands, drowning even more foxes. That's why only this many remain."
As she spoke, she waved her hand, conjuring up smoky images of the eastern and northern parts of the land.
The eastern region was a wasteland of dust and smoke, with massive meteoric craters scattered about. Black flames flickered around them, silent yet exuding a terrifying aura.
Meanwhile, the northern part was shrouded in endless, dark rain. Floodwaters carried bits of destroyed flora and the lifeless bodies of foxes, drifting aimlessly.
The sheer destructive power of an earthly calamity was immense. Their types varied unpredictably, making them nearly impossible to prepare for.
Every decade, these calamities threatened the blessed land. Hu Immortal had successfully withstood five of them before ultimately falling.
The scars left by previous calamities remained unresolved. The loss was devastating: the blessed land had originally spanned 4000 km², but the destruction in the north and east had reduced it by over 1300 km².
Then came even more troubling news.
"Master, the greatest threat is this." The land spirit gestured, shifting the scene to reveal a scorched black prairie. At its center sat a humanoid figure, composed entirely of blue lightning, cross-legged and unmoving.
The figure radiated an intense, terrifying power, glowing with an eerie brilliance.
Fang Yuan's expression hardened. "Even though I already knew about this, seeing it for myself... This is the earthly calamity known as the Blue Charm Lightning Shadow."
This lightning figure was one of the most dangerous types of earth calamities, possessing strength equivalent to a rank six Gu Immortal.
Fang Yuan deduced that this lightning shadow was most likely what had killed Hu Immortal.
An enslavement path Gu Master like her, despite controlling many fox groups, would have struggled immensely against such a powerful foe. The fact that it still lingered meant she had likely engaged it in close combat—and lost.
"Master, please be cautious when moving around. This lightning shadow roams randomly across the land, avoiding only Dang Hun Mountain," the land spirit warned, her voice trembling slightly.
"It's an earth calamity, but it also possesses sentience. Since it has a soul, it instinctively avoids Dang Hun Mountain due to its shockwave capabilities," Fang Yuan reflected.
He sighed. "Are there any more problems? Lay it all out now."
The Hu Immortal Blessed Land was in crisis. Internal and external threats loomed large.
The land spirit shook her head. "I've already told you the worst of it. The remaining news is actually good."
First, in the southern part of the blessed land, there was a tribe of Rockmen—a variant human species that lived underground and fed on ore.
Second, the land contained an abundant supply of immortal essence.
The land spirit led Fang Yuan to the palace atop Dang Hun Mountain. At its center stood an enormous golden bowl, brimming with green immortal essence. Most of it had congealed into a single large bead, resembling a grape.
This green grape immortal essence was exclusive to rank six Gu Immortals and was an incredibly valuable resource. It was the lifeblood of any immortal aperture, and its production rate was tied to the quality of the blessed land.
When a Gu Master advanced to Rank 6, their newly formed immortal aperture would cease producing primeval essence and instead begin generating green grape immortal essence beads.
Every newly advanced rank six Gu Immortal would receive a small initial stock of these beads.
The hierarchy of immortal essence beads was as follows:
Rank 6: Green Grape Immortal Essence
Rank 7: Red Date Immortal Essence (1 Red Date bead = 100 Green Grape beads)
Rank 8: White Litchi Immortal Essence (1 White Litchi bead = 100 Red Date beads)
Rank 9: Yellow Apricot Immortal Essence (1 Yellow Apricot bead = 100 White Litchi beads)
And likewise:
1 Green Grape Immortal Essence bead = 1 Immortal Essence Stone
1 Red Date Immortal Essence bead = 100 Immortal Essence Stones
1 White Litchi Immortal Essence bead = 10,000 Immortal Essence Stones
1 Yellow Apricot Immortal Essence bead = 1,000,000 Immortal Essence Stones
Armed with the knowledge of the blessed land's assets and looming threats, Fang Yuan's mind raced with possibilities—there was so much to do.
Then it hit him, "Oh wait... I have a cheat."
He tapped into his A.I. Chip and commanded, "A.I. Chip, analyze all this information and come up with the best plan for me."
Beep!
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