63 Communicating with Huang Baotian, Acquiring Starfire Swarm

The night sky was filled with stars, and the temperature had dropped significantly, causing each breath to turn into mist.

Wuying retrieved the Toasting and Drinking Gu and infused it with the True Essence produced by the Heavenly Yuan Treasure Lotus.

As a humanoid Earth Calamity Dark Phantom Ghost, Wuying's true body was incapable of producing True Essence on its own, even though it had cultivated an avatar.

The various mortal Gu on Wuying's body, aside from a few that did not require True Essence, were all natural Gu that passively absorbed ambient energy from the air. However, using these Gu was never as smooth as refined ones.

Moreover, the Toasting and Drinking Gu consumed an immense amount of True Essence and was difficult to activate independently, making the Heavenly Yuan Treasure Lotus essential due to its ability to produce True Essence naturally.

Before long, Wuying established communication with its true body in the Blessed Land.

In response, Qitian sent over eight Withering Marsh Gu, which he had refined within his Blessed Land.

These Withering Marsh Gu resembled dried-up fish. Though categorized as water-path Gu, they possessed unique properties that amplified the effects of other Gu.

Upon reaching the Northern Plains, these Gu were downgraded to the third rank.

Using all eight together allowed their effects to stack, equating to the power of a fourth-rank Gu.

The Toasting and Drinking Gu itself was originally a fifth-rank Gu, but after arriving in the Northern Plains, it was suppressed to the fourth rank. This meant it could only transfer fourth-rank Gu.

Now, with the enhancement of the Withering Marsh Gu, the Toasting and Drinking Gu was temporarily restored to fifth rank, allowing it to transfer fifth-rank Gu.

Wuying transferred the Communication Gu and Divine Thought Gu to the Blessed Land, while Qitian sent back a newly refined Toasting and Drinking Gu.

The previous one shattered instantly and became unusable.

With everything settled, Wuying retracted its Gu, concealed its presence, and disappeared into the night.

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Fox Immortal Blessed Land

Under Qitian's command, the Fox Immortal planted the Communication Gu within the Blessed Land.

The Cave Link Gu connected to the Blessed Land—once placed, it could not be altered. Similarly, the Communication Gu could only connect to one Cave Heaven.

Since Qitian's Communication Gu was now linked to Huang Baotian, it could never be changed.

"At last, I can communicate with Huang Baotian!" Qitian was delighted.

With the Communication Gu, he could bypass the Immortal Crane Sect's trade blockade and conduct business within Huang Baotian.

This was why he had never considered obtaining a Communication Gu from the Immortal Crane Sect.

The recipe for this Gu was unique, and the Immortal Crane Sect would never allow Qitian to connect with Huang Baotian, which was why they strictly controlled the materials needed to refine it.

With a slight expenditure of Immortal Essence, the Communication Gu transformed into a vast, borderless mirror, suspended in midair.

The mirror displayed the scene of Huang Baotian.

Gu insects, beast herds, exotic races, plants, mineral veins, soil, water, fine wines—all manner of resources were available for trade.

The Fox Immortal continued to activate the Communication Gu, causing the mirror's display to shift and flicker with various images of goods.

Qitian instructed the Land Spirit to throw in a batch of Mixing Mud.

The northern marshes of the Fox Immortal Blessed Land contained a great deal of Mixing Mud, imbued with the power of Immortal Gu, making it an essential material for refining the Mixing Mud Immortal Gu.

This material had a solid market in Huang Baotian.

As expected, the moment Qitian placed the Mixing Mud for sale, it immediately attracted a great deal of attention.

"What's going on today? So many high-quality goods appearing!"

"This is real Mixing Mud, infused with strong Immortal Gu energy."

"Unfortunately, I don't have the recipe for Mixing Mud Immortal Gu, so this is useless to me…"

Immortal Gu cultivators sent out their divine thoughts, competing against each other with bids.

Under Qitian's orders, the Fox Immortal responded, listing trade conditions.

"Transactions will be conducted using Immortal Essence Stones. Priority consideration will be given to offers that include Hairy Men, Purple Crystal Relic Gu, Eggspring Gu, Communication Gu, or Divine Thought Gu."

With the conditions set, numerous buyers inquired about the trade.

Qitian successfully sold a batch of Mixing Mud, obtaining:

Three Immortal Essence Stones

Five Purple Crystal Relic Gu

Three Eggspring Gu

Additional Communication Gu and Divine Thought Gu

"With these Purple Crystal Relic Gu, I can directly reach the peak of the fifth rank once I break through."

Of course, these relic Gu would need to be inspected first. Some might have been tampered with and could not be used.

"The Eggspring Gu will be planted in the Blessed Land to increase its energy flow and save Immortal Essence. The extra Communication Gu and Divine Thought Gu will be used in the Night Soul Blessed Land."

With clear plans for his newly acquired resources, Qitian continued his trades.

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Market Strategy

After a few more transactions using Mixing Mud, Qitian deliberately halted further sales despite having more available.

This tactic was a form of market manipulation—first selling a portion, then withholding the rest to drive anticipation and attract more competitive bidders.

Of course, in the grand scheme, this was merely a minor trick.

"It's time to acquire a batch of Starfire Swarm." Qitian mused.

Starfire Gu were already rare in the Primordial Era and had gone extinct by the Ancient Era. In the past, they thrived in Orange Sky, one of the nine primordial heavens.

Starfire Gu were third-rank Gu, similar in size to regular fireflies, but they emitted genuine, dazzling blue starlight.

Using a Star Gate Gu required the presence of starlight. Without natural starlight, one had to rely on Starfire Swarm instead.

Since Qitian would inevitably use Star Gate Gu, acquiring Starfire Swarm in advance was necessary.

Although Starfire Gu were extinct in the mortal realm, a few Gu Immortals still had Starfire Swarms for sale.

Upon searching Huang Baotian, Qitian found that only Myriad Phenomena Star Lord was selling Starfire Gu.

However, instead of rushing to buy, Qitian prioritized acquiring ordinary Starfire Insects.

Unlike Starfire Gu, which could not reproduce, ordinary Starfire Insects could breed. Having a swarm of these insects would allow him to cultivate an endless supply of Starfire Gu.

From his past life's memories, Qitian knew that once Star Gate Gu emerged, the price of Starfire Gu would skyrocket, and all information regarding them would become classified.

In the future, Huang Baotian wouldn't even sell Starfire Insects—only Starfire Gu.

Since Gu could not reproduce, only insect swarms had that ability.

"If I stock up on these now, I'll become a major supplier of Starfire Gu and make an immense profit in the future."

To lure out sellers, Qitian tossed several Immortal Gu Recipe Fragments into Huang Baotian.

Once his bait was set, divine thoughts flooded in, and the trade began anew.