The Earth Calamity
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In Hu Blessed Land, the calamity had begun.
Amidst the swirling sea of clouds, a burst of radiant light exploded, creating a massive white circular gate that loomed over the blessed land. The intense brilliance was nearly blinding. From within the glowing portal, a giant creature descended—its blue-jade body so immense that it resembled a mountain in motion.
Fang Yuan's eyes narrowed as he observed the creature. "Still a desolate beast calamity? Hmm..." His expression remained cautious, his gaze unwavering as he studied the beast.
Among the numerous types of earthly calamities, the desolate beast calamity was notorious for its destructive potential. When such a calamity occurred, one or more desolate beasts would charge toward the central control area of the blessed land, wreaking havoc. If they weren't dealt with quickly, entire blessed lands could be decimated in their wake.
As Fang Yuan assessed the creature, its massive white tusks glistened under the light, and its shimmering blue skin caught his eye.
"A Six Storey Building Water Elephant," Fang Yuan mused. "Not particularly powerful. And no Immortal Gu on it, either."
He recalled the distinctions well: a Water Elephant with six storeys was classified as a desolate beast; with seven, it became an ancient desolate beast, and with eight, an immemorial desolate beast.
After scanning his surroundings and sensing no additional threats, Fang Yuan prepared to act. He activated his Thunder Eagle desolate beast transformation, a killer move he had created in preparation for moments like this.
"I could engage it directly or dodge its attacks if needed. And if anything unexpected happens, I can always retreat." Fang Yuan's thoughts raced as he considered his options, feeling confident but cautious.
Within ten minutes, the battle was over. Fang Yuan, having perfected his killer move and being intimately familiar with the weaknesses of desolate beasts—especially the Water Elephant—swiftly dispatched the creature. His deep understanding came from his previous experiences of living like them, granting him an upper hand.
"That's it?" Fang Yuan muttered to himself, keeping his killer move active for a little longer, just in case. He was always wary of hidden schemes—especially from Heaven's Will.
After a few moments of silence, it became clear: the sixth earthly calamity had ended.
Fang Yuan's expression remained composed, but his thoughts churned. "I was expecting the Gruel Mud Immortal Gu to manifest. I even prepared seals for it..."
A brief flicker of disappointment passed through his mind. "I need that Immortal Gu for future plans. If I can't get it here, I'll have to find another way."
Reflecting on the ease of the calamity, Fang Yuan became suspicious. "Why would Heaven's Will send such a weak calamity? That leaved behind a desolate beast's corpse... Was this considered help, or is there a hidden motive?"
After some contemplation, he shook his head. "Whatever the reason, it doesn't matter. No scheme can stop me from growing stronger. Not even Heaven itself."
His resolve was unwavering. With the A.I. Chip at his side and a deep understanding of the future plot, Fang Yuan felt confident in his continued rise to power.
"The future will indeed be interesting," he mused, his gaze growing more intense as he prepared for the next phase of his plans.
---
two months Later
Fang Yuan spent the next months refining the Gu worms he still needed. One of the most important was the Rank 5 Lurking Soul Coat Gu, which allowed him to conceal his soul fluctuations. The refinement of this Gu was only possible thanks to the help of the hairy men, who tirelessly refined tens of thousands lower-rank versions of the Gu for him to combine into higher-level ones.
The hairy men worked non-stop under Fang Yuan's competitive system, eager to prove their refining abilities. Tens of thousands of lower-rank Lurking Soul Coat Gu were refined in the process.
Fang Yuan also used his knowledge from 500 years worth of future memories to refine several unknown Gu worms that would aid him, like Thread Trace Gu, which allowed a Gu Master to trace beings by following the Dao marks they left behind. Additionally, he refined Strength Qi Gu, which summoned phantom beasts to fight on his behalf. Fang Yuan alone possessed the recipe for this Gu, having reversed the refining process of Atmosphere Gu to obtain Strength Qi.
Fang Yuan was using all the resources at his disposal to strengthen himself.
"A.I. Chip, display my attainments," Fang Yuan commanded, though he knew the frustrating outcome.
[... Beep! Host's attainments below Quasi-Master will not be displayed:
Transformation Path: Grandmaster
Blood Path: Grandmaster
Strength Path: Quasi-Grandmaster
Refinement Path: Quasi-Grandmaster
Enslavement Path: Master
Earth Path: Master ]
Despite all the progress he had made in refining and analyzing Gu, with the assistance of the A.I. Chip and using Reality Simulation, his refinement and transformation attainments were still stuck at their level. No matter how many Gu worms he refined or how many simulations he tried, breaking through that barrier proved elusive.
The only good news was some paths achieved ordinary level especially wisdom Path as it was the focus of Fang Yuan for a long time even in reality simulation he was trying to simulate the wisdom type beasts.
"From the Grandmaster level onward, it becomes increasingly difficult to advance," Fang Yuan thought, recalling the intricacies of attainment levels.
At the Grandmaster level, a Gu Master could use inductive reasoning to employ their own path's methods to imitate other paths. However, at the Great Grandmaster level, one could harness natural Dao marks. The highest, Supreme Grandmaster level, allowed venerables to sense and refine all natural Dao marks of a particular path, making them a Dao Lord with the ability to manipulate those Dao marks at will.
"I will achieve Supreme Grandmaster in all paths and refine every Dao mark in existence," Fang Yuan thought, feeling a surge of ambition as he set his sights on his ultimate goal.
The path ahead was arduous, but Fang Yuan was determined to seize power no matter the cost.
---
Fang Yuan had successfully negotiated a new deal with the Immortal Crane Sect, which had been lingering outside his blessed land, eagerly eyeing the opportunity to invade.
"This will keep them from attacking me for now. Let them believe I'm still just a mortal," Fang Yuan thought, his expression calm but inwardly annoyed by the situation. "It seems like I'm losing in this deal, but don't worry, Crane Sect. I'll pay you back in time."
His strategic mind churned as he considered his next move. "Lang Ya Blessed Land's calamity is approaching soon."
He paused for a moment, weighing his options.
"Should I go to Lang Ya and strengthen our relationship?" Fang Yuan calculated the time difference between his blessed land and the outside world. "Wait, two months in here is only twelve days outside... That means there's still some time before the calamity hits there."
For a moment, he had forgotten the significant time flow difference between his blessed land and the outside world.
"Alright, it's time to go there," Fang Yuan said with a smile, preparing to use the Fixed Immortal Travel Gu.
"I'm headed to the Western Desert," he whispered, as his thoughts shifted toward the next phase of his plans.
With the activation of the Fixed Immortal Travel Gu, Fang Yuan's figure flickered and disappeared, setting his sights on his next destination.
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