During the day.
BOOM—!
A tower burst through the air, hurtling through the daylight at tremendous speed, trailing a wake of displaced air that stretched several zhang long.
Wherever it passed, the beast herds scattered in all directions, for the tower emanated a dense aura of Ninth Transformation, sending waves of intense threat through every creature it encountered.
It was none other than the Surveillance Tower!
After the Super Dream Battle, the Heavenly Court contingent had stripped the Southern Border's Super Gu Formation bare, packing away every last Gu insect.
Now, with the efforts of numerous Central Continent Gu Immortals, the Surveillance Tower had been fully restored.
At the tower's summit, only Lord Dragon and Fairy Zi Wei remained.
"It seems the daytime skies of the Southern Border haven't been affected by the Heavenly Origin Fortune Palace." Fairy Zi Wei withdrew her gaze from the outside world and turned to Lord Dragon beside her.
A hint of worry surfaced on her beautiful features.
Lord Dragon sat cross-legged on the ground, his face ashen grey, his expression occasionally twisting into a grimace, brow furrowed deep.
His powerful frame resembled bedrock—even seated, he gave the impression of a colossal pillar supporting the heavens.
"As expected of the Ghostly Soul Demon Venerable. Even with only a remnant of his soul remaining, he's caused Lord Dragon such tremendous trouble. Lord Dragon took the Gate of Life and Death for the Heavenly Court's great cause, never expecting the Demon Venerable's ghostly soul to borrow strength from it."
Fairy Zi Wei was both deeply anxious and filled with admiration for Lord Dragon.
This time, the Heavenly Court had struck out, sweeping away the demoralization from their previous defeat in the Northern Plains. They had raided the battlefield so thoroughly that they had even captured the Ghostly Soul Demon Venerable alive.
Most of these achievements were Lord Dragon's doing.
Without Lord Dragon taking part in the battle, such impressive results would have been impossible.
Just then, Lord Dragon slowly opened his eyes.
"Lord Dragon, is there anything I can do to help?" Fairy Zi Wei quickly stepped forward and asked.
Lord Dragon shook his head slowly. "It's nothing. The Ghostly Soul Demon Venerable is a spent arrow—I've already taken control of the situation. Once we return to the Heavenly Court, I can use its power to suppress him with ease."
"That's good. Given our current speed of travel, we should have more than enough time." Fairy Zi Wei let out a breath of relief.
But Lord Dragon continued, "Still, we must prepare for contingencies. If the Ghostly Soul Demon Venerable devours me, he could very well disguise himself in my form. So the moment we return to the Heavenly Court, confine me immediately—layer seal upon seal, then use every method at the Heavenly Court's disposal to verify me continuously."
"If I'm the one suppressing the Ghostly Soul Demon Venerable, I'll naturally cooperate. If the Demon Venerable has devoured me, that's when he'll slip up. And if he continues the charade, submitting passively to the Heavenly Court's layers of sealing without resistance, then he'll simply become a lamb awaiting slaughter."
Lord Dragon's considerations were thorough, leaving not the slightest opportunity for the Ghostly Soul Demon Venerable.
Fairy Zi Wei quickly agreed.
After a moment of silence, Lord Dragon asked, "What's the situation with Fang Yuan?"
Fairy Zi Wei answered, "Earlier, the Yi Family of the Southern Border's Immortal Gu House, the Sea Corner Pavilion, happened to stumble upon Fang Yuan's group. Unfortunately, they failed to stop him in the end."
"Fang Yuan is cunning—he suspected he might be tracked, which is why he lured the Sea Corner Pavilion into action. He used an Immortal Gu to investigate, and sure enough, he uncovered the ruse."
"However..." A confident smile appeared on Fairy Zi Wei's face. "Even if he discovered it, what of it? This investigative killer move of mine was activated through the Immortal Gu House, the Stellar Chessboard. This is a method that the Star Constellation Immortal Venerable herself once wielded."
"That's good." Hearing this, Lord Dragon relaxed and slowly closed his eyes once more.
Southern Border.
The Supreme Sky Eagle carried Fang Yuan and the others, flying swiftly onward.
A piercing eagle cry resounded across the heavens, scattering every flock of birds within a hundred li.
The journey proceeded unimpeded, with no sign of the Sea Corner Pavilion giving chase.
The Shadow Sect immortals gradually let their guard down.
A massive gorge gradually came into view before them.
The gorge was profound and deep, its bottom invisible even under the bright daytime sky, shrouded in layer upon layer of shadow.
"This is the Shadow Plunder Gorge." Fang Yuan rose to his feet, gazing down from on high to survey the gorge in its entirety.
After Ying Wu Xie had led the group of immortals to the Northern Plains under Fang Yuan's relentless pursuit, awakening Zishan True Monarch, and after the great battle at the Reverse Flow River, Zishan True Monarch had led the remnants of the Shadow Sect from the Northern Plains to the Eastern Sea, traveling onward until they finally arrived at the Southern Border.
This Shadow Plunder Gorge served as their temporary headquarters.