Not only that, this immense pressure penetrated his body, directly affecting his bones. Liu Chen could even hear the faint 'click-clack' sounds of his bones under the pressure, as if they were about to shatter at any moment.
However, facing such terrifying pressure, Liu Chen showed no fear. He straightened his body, standing tall and proud before Lang Ya Earth Spirit, like a pine tree braving the snow.
"This Gu recipe, I will absolutely not exchange it until I ascend to Immortality!" Liu Chen's voice was not loud, but it was filled with determination and resolve.
Seeing this, Lang Ya Earth Spirit's face became even more hideous and terrifying. He glared at Liu Chen fiercely, threatening, "Boy, don't refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit! I'll imprison you here, make you suffer all kinds of torment, and see if you still say that then!"
However, Liu Chen seemed to not hear Lang Ya Earth Spirit's threat. He subtly curled his lips into a faint smile and confidently said, "I am Thieving Heaven Demon Venerable's successor. You haven't fulfilled the Three Gu Agreement, so you absolutely won't lay a hand on me."
Liu Chen's gaze, like lightning, locked directly onto Lang Ya Earth Spirit, without the slightest hint of backing down.
Lang Ya Earth Spirit trembled with anger at Liu Chen's words. His face alternated between green and white, clearly having been hit where it hurt by Liu Chen.
"You..." Lang Ya Earth Spirit was furious and about to erupt, but the words died in his throat, suddenly deflating like a punctured ball.
He completely changed his previous fierce demeanor, quickly walked up to Liu Chen, and pleaded with a mournful face, "Young man, please, have mercy, and exchange the Gu recipe with me. As long as you're willing to exchange it, I'll agree to any conditions you have."
As Lang Ya Earth Spirit approached, the pressure on Liu Chen suddenly lightened. He looked at the Lang Ya Earth Spirit, whose attitude had changed so quickly, feeling somewhat speechless, and couldn't help but sigh that this Earth Spirit's ability to change his expression was faster than flipping a book.
"Young man, please have some tea, how does it taste?" Lang Ya Earth Spirit, with a beaming smile, waved his hand, and a steaming cup of tea appeared out of thin air in his hand, then was gently placed before Liu Chen, as if it was all just a casual gesture.
Liu Chen looked at the fragrant tea before him and couldn't help but marvel at Lang Ya Earth Spirit's exquisite methods. He picked up the teacup, took a light sip, and immediately a refreshing aroma spread in his mouth, leaving a lingering aftertaste.
"Good tea!" Liu Chen couldn't help but praise.
However, despite the deliciousness of the tea, Liu Chen's attitude remained firm. He put down the teacup, looked directly at Lang Ya Earth Spirit, and said, "This Gu recipe is of extraordinary significance to me. Unless I can ascend to Immortality, I will absolutely not exchange it with you."
While drinking tea, Liu Chen had already pocketed the eight-colored treasure chest.
Lang Ya Earth Spirit clearly did not expect Liu Chen to refuse so decisively. His face instantly turned somewhat ugly, and he said in exasperation, "Ascend to Immortality? Do you know how difficult it is to ascend to Immortality? Do you think this is something that can be done casually? Moreover, if you die, wouldn't this Gu recipe be lost forever?"
Liu Chen smiled slightly and replied firmly, "Of course I know the difficulty of ascending to Immortality, but I am confident that I can achieve this goal within these twenty years."
The reason he was so confident was that he had already used Three Watches Gu. Although this Gu could make one cultivate at an incredibly fast speed, it would also consume the user's lifespan. If he couldn't ascend to Immortality within twenty years, then he would probably only be able to wait for death to arrive in old age.
Lang Ya Earth Spirit saw through Liu Chen's condition and said, "You've used Three Watches Gu, you clearly have no time left! Do you know the requirements for ascending to Immortality, balancing the Qi of heaven, earth, and man? How much human Qi can you accumulate in these short twenty years? If you give me this Gu recipe, I can certainly help you."
"You don't need to worry about my accumulation of human Qi. As for your method, it's nothing more than petty Qi Gu. Do you really possess the Immortal Gu Grand Qi? Don't even think about this Gu recipe!" Liu Chen said with a calm expression.
The reason he was so confident was that he had received Fang Yuan's memories from his previous life, and deeply understood the arduous path to ascending to Immortality. The method Lang Ya Earth Spirit used was merely to absorb the Qi of heaven and earth through petty Qi Gu, thereby controlling the tribulation of ascending to Immortality.
However, Liu Chen was not at all worried about his own human Qi. This was because human Qi did not come out of nowhere; it was formed by his life's actions and the Realm of the Dao he had achieved. The more a person experienced a tumultuous life, the deeper his human Qi would become.
With his current Realm as a Grandmaster of multiple Dao, it was enough to generate a large amount of human Qi, completely eliminating any worries about insufficient human Qi.
"Young man, please pity this old man! I usually can only pass the time by refining Gu, it's truly boring!" Lang Ya Earth Spirit, seeing that Liu Chen was unmoved, actually started to throw a tantrum on the ground, completely losing his previous immortal demeanor.
Liu Chen's face was full of black lines. Faced with Lang Ya Earth Spirit's various antics, he really didn't know what to say, and could only silently sip his tea to alleviate his inner speechlessness.
And Lang Ya Earth Spirit, seeing Liu Chen so indifferent, also felt a bit bored, so he slowly stood up from the ground. However, because he had been rolling on the ground earlier, his white robe was now dirty, as if it had been trampled upon and covered in dust.
"What a heartless young man!" Lang Ya Earth Spirit said indignantly while dusting off his clothes, "You truly live up to being Thieving Heaven Demon Venerable's successor, hmph!"
Liu Chen ignored Lang Ya Earth Spirit's complaints. He knew very well how important these three Gu refining opportunities were to him, and he absolutely could not waste them easily.
"For these three Gu refining opportunities left by Thieving Heaven Demon Venerable, if you want to refine mortal Gu, I can guarantee success no matter how many times." Lang Ya Earth Spirit seemed to have realized Liu Chen's determination, and his tone softened slightly as he continued, "However, if you want to refine Immortal Gu, regardless of success or failure, it will consume one Gu refining opportunity. So, what kind of Gu do you want to refine?"
Liu Chen did not immediately answer Lang Ya Earth Spirit's question, but instead fell silent for a moment, deep in thought.
"Don't worry, although I cannot sell this Gu recipe to you, I never said that other Gu recipes cannot be exchanged," Liu Chen finally spoke, his gaze falling on Lang Ya Earth Spirit, revealing a shrewdness and decisiveness.
Liu Chen naturally valued these three Gu refining opportunities immensely, and he absolutely would not let them go to waste. Therefore, he decided to make a deal with Lang Ya Earth Spirit, using other Gu recipes to exchange for these precious Gu refining opportunities.
"Your other Gu recipes?" Lang Ya Earth Spirit was initially delighted to hear this, but quickly regained a serious expression, "Then let's agree beforehand, the Gu recipes I have here cannot be counted, okay?"