Fang Yuan's expression turned peculiar. This was the first time he had ever heard of such a bizarre Immortal Gu as Dog Shit Luck.
At this point, exposing the Spring Autumn Cicada was no longer a big deal. The Heavenly Court Gu Immortals already knew, and the ten great ancient sects of Central Continent had learned as well. It was practically out in the open.
The Langya Earth Spirit continued, "It's a pity that the Spring Autumn Cicada is only at the Sixth Transformation level. If it were the former Ninth Transformation Spring Autumn Cicada, you would surely have won a complete victory. Now that the Spring Autumn Cicada has fallen into Ying Wuxie's hands, you absolutely cannot let him run free with it! Fortunately, I have quite a few means in the Time Path as well. The Spring Autumn Cicada is only Sixth Transformation, and since we know who holds it, restraining it should be comparatively easy."
"Restraining the Spring Autumn Cicada?" Fang Yuan grew intensely interested. In truth, this was his greatest worry.
The Langya Earth Spirit said offhandedly, "The Spring Autumn Cicada is only Sixth Transformation. If we didn't know who had it, that would be one thing—but since we do, dealing with it becomes much simpler. So what if it was once the Life Gu of Red Lotus Demon Venerable? There are only invincible Gu Masters in this world; there are never invincible Gu. Under heaven and earth, the Time Path is not supreme—every major path flourishes like a hundred flowers in bloom. That said, using Time Path methods to counter it would be more effective."
Fang Yuan nodded repeatedly upon hearing this, finding the Langya Earth Spirit's reasoning quite sound.
For instance, this very time—his rebirth through the Spring Autumn Cicada had been calculated by Shadow Sect and even exploited to the fullest.
This was the classic case of using the Wisdom Path to counter the Time Path.
The Spring Autumn Cicada did possess its own unique strengths, but it was by no means an invincible existence. Humans are the spirit of all creation; Gu are the true essence of heaven and earth. Heaven and earth value balance. That the Spring Autumn Cicada could be countered by other methods was entirely natural and expected.
"Ever since my rebirth, I've always treated the Spring Autumn Cicada as my greatest trump card. I never imagined there would come a day when I'd need to counter it." Fang Yuan sighed with feeling.
At the very moment he was communicating with the Langya Earth Spirit, over in Central Continent.
Mingtang Valley.
This valley, perpetually bathed in radiance, was rather well known even across Central Continent.
It was jointly controlled by two of Central Continent's ten great ancient sects—the Fengyun Manor and the Tianlian Sect—and served as the land's most famous holy ground for producing Light Path Gu.
This treasure trove contained extremely dense Light Path Dao marks. Roughly once every twenty years, a wild Immortal Gu of the Light Path would be born within it.
And deep within this Mingtang Valley, a Demonic Path Gu Immortal was hidden.
The Unmovable Mountain—Gongsun Liang.
Suddenly, he opened his eyes from slumber.
"Hm? Someone is calling me?" he murmured softly. A flicker of confusion crossed his face before quickly giving way to solemnity and gravity.
He sank his consciousness into his Immortal Aperture and used a rather unique Information Path method to establish contact.
"Grand Master, you wish to borrow my Immortal Gu?"
On the other end, deep within the Earth Abyss, Ying Wuxie replied, "Yes."
Gongsun Liang's eyes were now fully open, every trace of drowsiness gone. He hesitated greatly, his gaze flickering back and forth.
He was a Demonic Path Gu Immortal. For years he had been hunted and suppressed by Central Continent's Righteous Path, especially the ten great ancient sects. He had fled for his life across the land, and during one desperate escape where death lurked at every turn, he had fallen into a trap, hanging between life and death. At that moment, he had been rescued in time by a mysterious figure.
Gongsun Liang not only survived but, guided by this mysterious person, joined a secretive organization.
This organization had only a single name: Reverse.
All of its members used numerical code names, shrouded in mystery.
Through this organization, Gongsun Liang had received a great deal of assistance. Without it, he could never have remained on the run to this day without being captured by the ten great sects.
As time passed, he came to value the organization even more, and he had formed numerous guesses about the purpose behind its founding.
"The code names of this organization typically represent the time of joining and one's standing within it. Grand Master is Number One—the expert who founded the Reverse organization. Now he suddenly wants to borrow my Gu…"
After long deliberation, Gongsun Liang finally gritted his teeth and nodded in agreement.
Central Continent, the Juntian Sword Sect.
Two Sword Path Gu Immortals, Miao Jun and Miao Yue, were discussing sect affairs.
At that moment, Miao Jun's body trembled slightly as he received a message from Ying Wuxie.
Facing Ying Wuxie's request, Miao Jun hesitated greatly and said to Miao Yue beside him, "The Grand Master has contacted me. He wants to borrow an Immortal Gu from us."
Miao Yue immediately furrowed his brow. "This Grand Master—his identity is extremely mysterious. We joined Reverse a good while ago and have never once received a message from the Grand Master. And now, right off the bat, he asks to borrow an Immortal Gu…"
Miao Jun nodded. "We joined Reverse precisely because we hoped the organization could help us. But when we were trying to leave Crane Gate earlier, Reverse offered us no assistance whatsoever. Now he comes asking to borrow our Immortal Gu—this Grand Master really doesn't treat himself as an outsider."
Several years ago, someone within the Juntian Sword Sect had successfully ascended to immortality.
As a result, the sect possessed three Gu Immortals.
The Juntian Sword Sect had originally been a vassal of Crane Gate. With three Gu Immortals in its ranks, the sect wished to cast off its status as Crane Gate's subordinate.
Unfortunately, the attempt ended in failure. Worse still, Crane Gate poached the third Gu Immortal away from them.
After this incident, the Juntian Sword Sect received pointed "attention" from Crane Gate, and the two immortals Miao Jun and Miao Yue found their lives growing ever more difficult.
The pair had originally hoped to leverage Reverse's strength, but that hope went unfulfilled, leaving considerable resentment in their hearts.
Because of this, Ying Wuxie's request to borrow Gu under the guise of the Grand Master met with rejection.
Crack!