Fang Yuan assessed the situation. He knew the time was not yet right for the identity of "Wu Yihai" to appear.
First, he hadn't completely finished extracting the soul of Wu Yihai. His own preparations were still insufficient.
Second, Wu Duxiu was not dead yet.
As long as Wu Duxiu lived, Fang Yuan absolutely could not reveal his identity as Wu Yihai.
An Eighth Transformation Gu Immortal!
Who knew what methods Wu Duxiu possessed to verify whether "Wu Yihai" was truly her biological son?
Even though this meant the "Wu Yihai" identity would suffer significant losses, all Fang Yuan truly needed was this identity itself.
This had been his original goal. If he were to fail his disguise and personally lose this golden opportunity due to meaningless greed, that would be the ultimate waste, deserving of ten slaps to his own face.
Finally, all the Righteous Path factions were potential dangers, the Wu Clan included.
Where there's smoke, there's fire.
Wu Yong certainly had both the capability and the motive to deal with Wu Yihai.
If Fang Yuan were to appear prematurely, he might even be intercepted and killed by the Wu Clan's forces.
"In truth, this Wu Yihai identity is rather troublesome. Fortunately, I am a reborn person. I know the outcomes of the next five hundred years from my previous life, which can assist my judgment of the situation."
Thus, Fang Yuan continued his secluded cultivation.
He continued the relentless soul search on Wu Yihai while also monitoring external intelligence.
Wu Duxiu's condition worsened day by day, causing a sensation across the entire Southern Border.
Meanwhile, in the Northern Plains, the Blood Battle Martial Arts Tournament continued. Without Liu Guanyi, Chu Du's faction was initially suppressed. However, the situation soon changed. Three Seventh Transformation Loose Immortals, personally invited by Hundred Feet Heavenly Lord, won successive victories, temporarily helping Chu Du's faction reach a stalemate with the Righteous Path Alliance.
Gu Immortal Liu Chang of the Liu Clan was making announcements everywhere, demanding Liu Guanyi come out to fight, calling him a coward and a loser otherwise.
It wasn't just Liu Chang searching for Fang Yuan. Other forces, like the Yelü Clan, would never let Liu Guanyi off. Unfortunately, Liu Guanyi had vanished without a trace, as if he never existed in the Northern Plains Gu Immortal world!
Leaving aside the frustrations of these searching factions, many Gu Immortals from the Central Continent fared even worse.
The Reversal Organization!
This underground organization founded by Gu Immortals from the Shadow Sect had been eradicated root and branch by the Heavenly Court Gu Immortals' planning and the efforts of the Ten Ancient Sects, with none escaping.
Furthermore, most of the names on the Demon Slaying List were also captured by the Ten Ancient Sects. Blood Path Demonic Immortals all met tragic ends. Some demonic or loose immortals, considering their crimes relatively minor, were taken in by the Ten Ancient Sects to become slave Gu Immortals.
About half a month later, one day, Wu Duxiu once again summoned Wu Yong and several Grand Elders of the Wu Clan in her small hut.
Experiencing a final rally of energy, Wu Duxiu spoke with a clarity she hadn't possessed in a long time. She said, "In my life, I have three great regrets."
"The first regret: I failed to completely eliminate the Seven Ghosts of the Fierce Gorge; I only destroyed their lair."
"The second regret: I never found enough Pure Clear Qi to refine the Eight-Faced Majestic Wind Gu."
"The third regret..."
At this point, Wu Duxiu paused.
"I never saw my son, Yihai. Back then... I hated his father, and I killed him with my own hands. But I shouldn't have directed my resentment and anger at an innocent child. He was blameless. I wanted to make amends. But it's already too late."
The small hut fell silent. No one made a sound.
Wu Duxiu sighed and actually sat up by herself.
With difficulty, she reclined halfway, propping herself against the headboard. She weakly waved Wu Yong over.
Wu Yong understood immediately. He lifted the hempen cloth curtain, stepped forward a few paces to Wu Duxiu's bedside, and knelt down reverently on both knees.
Wu Duxiu looked at her eldest son. After a long moment, she chuckled softly. "Yong'er, you've done well. You haven't disappointed me."
Wu Yong's entire body trembled. He raised his head, his eyes already red, tears dropping one by one.
In this moment, his true feelings were revealed. Before him stood his birth mother after all!
"I entrust the Wu Clan to you, and I am at ease," Wu Duxiu continued.
"Mother..." Wu Yong opened his mouth, his voice hoarse, tears streaming down his face.
Wu Duxiu went on, "Since Yihai couldn't make it for our final meeting, it's fate. Let it be. I give all these Immortal Gu to you. You also cultivate the Wind Path. I hope you can cherish them and develop their potential."
"Mother, your son doesn't want your Immortal Gu. Your son only wants you to keep living!" Wu Yong choked out, sobbing.
"Silly child, who among mortals can avoid death? Even as powerful as Immortal Venerables or Demonic Venerables, they are like great stars falling. Eternal life is but a fool's fantasy."
As she spoke, the Immortal Gu on Wu Duxiu's body flew out from her Immortal Apertures one by one, landing on Wu Yong.
On the other side of the curtain, the Wu Clan Grand Elders silently witnessed it all.
The transfer went very smoothly.
The various auras of the Immortal Gu sequentially faded into Wu Duxiu's body.
Wu Duxiu gazed out the window.
The sunlight was bright, streaming in through the small window.
In a trance, Wu Duxiu seemed to see a figure appear in the sunlight.
That figure was not her father or mother, nor any man she had ever loved in her life. It was herself.
That young self, the girl who smiled as brilliantly as the sun.
Wu Duxiu.
Wu Duxiu.
"Heh heh." Wu Duxiu silently repeated her name twice, then chuckled softly.
Her body began to emanate light. From her decayed, withered frame, countless white fluorescent specks flew out.
The scattered points of light were her final dissolution of flesh and soul.
Moments later, the bed was empty. The once illustrious Eighth Transformation Gu Immortal Wu Duxiu, a legendary figure whose influence had enveloped the Southern Border for millennia, finally at this moment, completely vanished from the world.
No corpse remained. Not a trace of her soul persisted.
"Grand Elder!"