All he could hear was the howling of fierce wind. Still hurtling through the air, "Fang Yuan" shuddered violently and snapped awake, blurting out: "I've been reborn!"
"The Spring Autumn Cicada really is extraordinary! As expected of Red Lotus Demon Venerable's Life Immortal Gu!"
"What time is it now?"
Ying Wu Xie halted mid-flight and looked around, realizing he was en route to the battlefield at the center of Yitian Mountain.
He was now less than ten thousand li from his destination.
"Fang Yuan deliberately lent me the Fixed Immortal Travel, intending for me to rush to his location so he could easily reclaim the Gu Insects and secure his victory!"
"But he could never have anticipated that he himself is merely a pawn of Heavenly Will. The Spring Autumn Cicada he seized has always been under Heavenly Will's control."
"Now that I've been reborn, I remember everything about the situation at Yitian Mountain's center. I can use the Fixed Immortal Travel to teleport there directly — deal with Fang Yuan and exact my revenge!"
At this thought, Ying Wu Xie suddenly shook his head violently.
"Damn it! I was influenced by Fang Yuan's fake intent again."
Ying Wu Xie gritted his teeth. "Heavenly Will truly harbors no good intentions. Even if I rush there now, Fang Yuan has already used the Supreme Immortal Fetus Gu. At best, I could only inflict some damage while he's weakened."
"What a pity! If only I could return to the moment I first escaped from the dream realm, I could turn the tide. Hmph — Heavenly Will would never do that. Because it wants even less to see my original body obtain the Supreme Immortal Fetus Gu."
"Since the outcome is already decided, I'll follow my original body's instructions and temporarily withdraw!"
"Heavenly Will wants two tigers to fight each other — how could I let it have its way?"
"Anyone who wishes to accomplish great things must endure what others cannot."
"There's no need to deal with Fang Yuan. Let him draw Heavenly Will's attention instead. If he manages to survive in the future, I can use him as the primary Gu material to refine the Supreme Immortal Fetus Gu again. That would certainly save enormous cost and effort."
"As for me, I need to rebuild the Shadow Sect. This outcome is far from the end! Tai Bai Yun Sheng and Hei Lou Lan can both be put to use — I mustn't let them encounter Fang Yuan."
Now that he recognized the fake intent and was on guard, Ying Wu Xie broke free from Fang Yuan's formation.
He cast one final glance at Yitian Mountain, his eyes flickering with rage, hatred, and anticipation.
At this distance, he could already see the massive ruins left by Yitian Mountain's collapse. That detestable thief Fang Yuan, the one who had stolen his achievements — he must still be there!
But he couldn't go now.
Everything had to be subordinated to the greater picture.
Ying Wu Xie gritted his teeth, turned, and flew away.
"Why hasn't Ying Wu Xie come back to find me yet?" Fang Yuan had been waiting a long while, his heart gradually sinking.
"Could it be that he saw through my arrangements and escaped my control?"
Fang Yuan's brow furrowed deeper and deeper.
Though he didn't know what accident had occurred, and his memories from his previous life had faded along with them, and he couldn't comprehend the truth of the Spring Autumn Cicada, Fang Yuan understood one thing clearly: this time, he was in serious trouble.
"If Ying Wu Xie doesn't come here, the fake intent I infused into the Gu Insects won't activate. Once the time limit expires, all these Gu Insects will self-destruct! I must reach Ying Wu Xie as quickly as possible and subdue him. Or convince Hei Lou Lan and Tai Bai Yun Sheng to help me subdue him."
Fang Yuan still had the Attitude Gu in his possession — this was the perfect evidence to convince Hei Lou Lan.
As for convincing Tai Bai Yun Sheng, that would be even easier. After spending so much time together, mentioning some obscure minor details from the past would be enough to earn Tai Bai Yun Sheng's trust.
Fang Yuan inspected his Gu Insects.
The Gu Insects that came with the soul swap were now back under his control.
Chief among them was the legendary Attitude Immortal Gu. In addition, he had the Wisdom Path Immortal Gu Puzzle Solving and the Soul Path Immortal Gu Soul Swap.
The rest were all ordinary Gu Insects of the Soul Path and Dream Path — not worth mentioning.
Fang Yuan's brow knitted tightly.
Because among all of these, there wasn't a single Gu Insect for movement!
"Am I supposed to chase down Ying Wu Xie on foot while he has the Fixed Immortal Travel? Or should I first claim the Dream Path Gu Insects on Ying Wu Xie's body for my own use? Among those Gu Insects, there are some for teleportation."
These Gu Insects didn't carry Fang Yuan's will, so he couldn't subdue them as easily as Puzzle Solving or Soul Swap.
To use them, he would likely need to resort to the Attitude Gu and similar methods — essentially, deception.
But he had already deceived them once before, and even Fang Yuan himself didn't feel confident about a second attempt.
"But there's no other way. I have to try." With this thought, Fang Yuan instinctively looked up toward Ying Wu Xie's body, which hovered in midair.
He could never have imagined that this would be the last time he ever laid eyes on Ying Wu Xie!
The very next moment, Ying Wu Xie's body detonated.
There was no sound.
It was a silent explosion.
And the result of the explosion wasn't the slightest bit bloody. Instead, it radiated a resplendent, ethereal beauty.
Every last bit of Ying Wu Xie's flesh, bone, skin, and hair transformed into layer upon layer, wave upon wave of brilliant radiance.
These magnificent lights displayed a kaleidoscope of seven-colored hues, stunningly beautiful.