Fang Yuan still had many questions left unanswered.
He had consulted the Langya Earth Spirit, but it had not brought him the answers he sought.
As for Ghost Unnoticeable, Fang Yuan still had no concrete leads. So far, all he knew was that it targeted the soul.
"God's Unawareness is already so extraordinarily refined — Ghost Unnoticeable, which shares equal fame with it, should be no less impressive."
"Actually, compared to Ghost Unnoticeable, I'm more concerned about that singing voice!"
Every time his thoughts turned to this, Fang Yuan would furrow his brow involuntarily.
The poem that Star Constellation Immortal Venerable had sung in the dream was very peculiar.
Logically, since the poem originated from a dream, it should have had no connection to reality. Yet Fang Yuan's experiences in the Valley of Fallen Spirits suggested that this poem held significant real-world meaning — it was nearly a prophecy.
"If we're talking about prophecies, that's always been the specialty of great Wisdom Path masters. Like the One Word Immortal and his Three Venerables Theory. Could this dream also be a prophetic dream left behind by Star Constellation Immortal Venerable?" Fang Yuan speculated.
Star Constellation Immortal Venerable had been the foremost figure of the Wisdom Path. After her death, she had left behind measures that successively outmaneuvered three Demon Venerables, preserving Heavenly Court from falling.
Such dazzling, almost blinding achievements had cemented her status in the Wisdom Path as immovable as a mountain, leaving all who came after to gaze up in awe.
That her dreams were special and possessed prophetic qualities was hardly surprising.
Moreover, although Fang Yuan had five hundred years of his previous life, that had been a time when the Dream Path was developing rapidly, spreading like wildfire. Dreams emerged one after another, their mysteries far from fully explored.
That Fang Yuan was unfamiliar with such a special type of dream was understandable.
"The singing fades, the hero falls. Fate's hardships cannot be stemmed... The first line of this dream poem likely refers to the Valley of Fallen Spirits' Heaven-Stealing True Inheritance, and to Feng Jiuge. So what about the next line?"
"A broken sword sinks in the sand — ages of rise and fall. The endless Celestial River churns ceaselessly."
Fang Yuan murmured softly.
"The Celestial River... the Falling Sky River?"
"'A broken sword sinks in the sand'... Could this be about Boqing, the foremost swordsman?"
"He perished under a tribulation countless years ago. When he rose to prominence, the Five Regions watched in awe, and his splendor was boundless. When he fell, not even his bones remained, and his brilliance faded into nothing. Truly a tale of rise and fall across the ages."
After his experiences in the Valley of Fallen Spirits, Fang Yuan now recalled the entire poem.
After further deliberation, he became increasingly convinced that the second line of the poem was related to Sword Immortal Boqing.
Combined with the memories of his previous life, Fang Yuan's resolve to explore the Falling Sky River only grew stronger.
He had wanted to go all along.
Dangerous as it was, the remains of ancient and primordial desolate beasts and plants at the source of the Falling Sky River were all excellent immortal materials.
They couldn't compare to the Eighth Transformation and near-Ninth Transformation immortal materials Fang Yuan had harvested in the Trench.
But the sheer volume of these materials was enormous, and when calculated in aggregate, their total value actually exceeded what Fang Yuan had gained in the Trench.
Although many Gu Immortals had perished at the bottom of the Falling Sky River, during the early stages of exploration, virtually every Gu Immortal had made a fortune.
"So it seems the emergence of Boqing's Immortal Zombie presents a great opportunity for gain. However, now is not yet the right time to explore. First, when the sword light erupts, it follows no pattern — a grazing touch wounds, direct contact kills. Far too dangerous. Second, the bottom of the Falling Sky River is home to countless ancient and primordial desolate beasts and plants, with surging undercurrents and whirlpools everywhere. Danger lurks at every turn."
Although Fang Yuan had the modified immortal killer move Meeting Like Old Acquaintance at his disposal, this technique had its limitations.
Currently, Fang Yuan could only transform into humanoid creatures — he could not take the form of beasts or other species.
The original version of Meeting Like Old Acquaintance, on the other hand, could replicate anything.
Why was that?
Because Fang Yuan had not yet refined the Transformation Immortal Gu. Transformation Immortal Gu was the core component of Meeting Like Old Acquaintance. Only once he possessed the Transformation Immortal Gu could Fang Yuan take on other species' forms, breaking free from the shackles of being limited to human disguises.
But even with the Transformation Immortal Gu added to the mix, Fang Yuan still couldn't venture to the bottom of the Falling Sky River.
Apart from the ancient and primordial desolate beasts and plants, the Falling Sky River contained countless lethal natural traps, more than enough to end Fang Yuan's life.
Only when Boqing's sword light finished erupting, and the Falling Sky River had been scoured and washed clean by the sword light — with the ferocious beasts and dangerous plants temporarily cleared out and the natural traps nearly all destroyed — would it be the optimal time to enter the river's depths.
In the short term, Fang Yuan could only wait. There was no better option.
Now, regarding Crown Prince Fengxian.
The Eighth Transformation Gu Immortal Crown Prince Fengxian was one of the pinnacle figures of the Northern Plains Gu Immortal world. But his true identity was that of a Central Continent spy, planted years ago by the Spirit Affinity Hall. He had infiltrated the Northern Plains back when he was still a Gu Master. Rising through the ranks to immortality, he had become an authentic Northern Plains Gu Immortal.
Partly thanks to the Spirit Affinity Hall's covert support, and partly due to his own efforts and talent, he had ultimately reached the position he held today.
Crown Prince Fengxian was unwaveringly loyal to the Spirit Affinity Hall.
He understood Feng Jiuge's strategic importance to the Spirit Affinity Hall.
During the time Feng Jiuge had been missing, he had been deeply worried. When he received Huifeng Zi's message and learned that Feng Jiuge had reappeared, he was overjoyed.
However, he had no idea that the "Feng Jiuge" in the news was actually Fang Yuan in disguise.
He waited several days, but Feng Jiuge never came to him.
"I am the Spirit Affinity Hall's chief operative in the Northern Plains. Now that Feng Jiuge has freed himself, why hasn't he come to find me? Could he have run into some powerful enemy or trouble?"