Boom...
Waves of qi surged outward, as if stirring up ten thousand tides. Radiance blazed in every direction, the sight magnificent and grand.
Within that brilliant light, a figure gradually stepped forward.
He was exceptionally tall, standing nine chi high, with a powerful and imposing frame. Thick, dark hair cascaded behind him like a cloak, rising and falling gently with each stride.
Most striking of all were the pair of coral dragon horns protruding from this Gu Immortal's forehead — as if forged from purple gold, they shimmered with a resplendent gleam.
Fairy Ziwei had been waiting for a long time. She stepped forward to greet him, bowing with a look of relief and joy on her face. "Lord Dragon."
Indeed, this was none other than Lord Dragon.
He had personally led the Central Continent's multitude of Gu Immortals, commanding the Monitoring Heaven Tower, to become the greatest victor of the Dream Realm battle.
The Monitoring Heaven Tower had traveled at tremendous speed, crossing two regions in the span of a day and returning to the Central Continent. The immortals of the Ten Great Ancient Sects had dispersed on their own, and Lord Dragon and Fairy Ziwei had received an escort back to Heaven Court.
In accordance with what Lord Dragon had previously described, Fairy Ziwei had activated Heaven Court's Gu formation to verify his identity, guarding against any possession by Spectral Soul Demon Venerable.
From the current situation, it appeared that Spectral Soul had failed to possess him. Lord Dragon was still Lord Dragon.
It was just that...
His complexion remained ashen, his brow deeply furrowed. With every step he took, his soul would tremble with a jolt.
"Spectral Soul Demon Venerable truly lives up to his name. Even in death, his attainment in the Dao of Souls remains unmatched beneath the heavens. In the days to come, I will use the Heaven Court Immortal Grave to completely suppress him." Lord Dragon said, "Fairy Ziwei, you shall continue commanding Heaven Court. Focus on eliminating Fang Yuan and his associates — cut off this root of trouble for good."
Fairy Ziwei nodded. "I have already made contact with Wu Yong. Leveraging the strength of the Southern Border Gu Immortals, I have managed to separate Fang Yuan and the remaining members of Shadow Sect. Just recently, I sent another message to Wu Yong, informing him of these Shadow Sect remnants' precise locations. Within a few days, we should receive word of victory."
Lord Dragon gave a slight nod, and a flash of approval passed through his gaze as he looked upon Purple Mountain True Monarch.
This was the true power of a wisdom-path Gu Immortal!
With a single shift in the landscape of events, she could move heaven and earth. She could read the hearts of others while remaining free herself, letting others fight and kill on her behalf.
Fairy Ziwei was already exceptional — among Eighth Transformation Gu Immortals, she was an elite powerhouse, and it was precisely this that had earned her a place in Heaven Court. With the Star Constellation Chessboard in her possession, her wisdom-path might truly ranked among the top three in all the world.
The reason she was not called the foremost was that the world was vast, and there were always hidden dragons and lurking serpents — great powers concealed from sight. Even Heaven Court did not know the full picture. It would take a time of chaos, when heaven and earth shifted and all things were thrown into upheaval, before such figures were dragged into the light.
As for why Fairy Ziwei had not accomplished much before, it was because she had lacked the critical piece of information.
At that time, Fang Yuan's defenses had been too thorough.
But now things were different.
Lord Dragon continued his instructions: "This scoundrel Fang Yuan must be killed. He is a complete otherworldly demon — the only natural enemy of Destiny Gu in existence. However, he is also the successor that Red Lotus has awaited for so long. Within him lies not only the Giant Sun True Inheritance, but also the Red Lotus True Inheritance."
"The great era approaches. Our Heaven Court must welcome the fourth Venerable — the Great Dream Immortal Venerable. To guide her arrival, we must clear away all dust and obstacles in her path. Fang Yuan, Giant Sun, Red Lotus — all of them."
"Everything is for the sake of guiding the Great Dream Immortal Venerable. Ziwei, do you understand?"
"Ziwei understands." Fairy Ziwei replied. "I have already carried out your arrangements. That person is now in the Southern Border."
"Good." Lord Dragon nodded and said no more, turning to leave.
Fairy Ziwei stood at a distance, quietly watching Lord Dragon until his tall, powerful frame vanished entirely into the depths of the Immortal Grave.
She let out a slow breath, gazing upon the vast project before her. Her purple eyes gleamed with light.
"Heaven Court is the strongest. It always... has been!" she murmured softly.
Southern Border.
A white figure streaked through the sky at great speed.
Thunder and fire followed in its wake, detonating one after another.
A narrow escape — close by a hair, yet a miss by a thousand miles.
The white figure had dodged in the nick of time, unscathed. Then it suddenly halted, and the figure casually waved a hand backward.
Whoosh!
In an instant, ice and snow swirled through the air as a frigid gale roared forth.
A figure burst from the thunder and fire, intending to press the attack, but hastily stopped in his tracks and deployed a defensive method.
After a few breaths, the small valley had been transformed into a frozen landscape. Ice crystals blanketed every surface, glittering beneath the sunlight with a piercing, bone-deep chill.
"Only a Sixth Transformation cultivation, yet possessing Seventh Transformation combat strength. Impressive — truly worthy of someone who ascended with the Northern Dark Ice Soul Body." The Seventh Transformation powerhouse of the Chai family, Chai Pojun, silently praised in his heart. Then he exerted his full strength.
Crack.
The thick layer of ice encasing his body could not withstand his ferocious power and shattered apart.
His build was lean and wiry, his entire body as if wrought from iron, his skin slightly dark. A pair of eyes sharp as a wolf's fixed tightly upon his opponent standing atop the slope.
His opponent wore white robes, her figure slender and graceful.
Silver hair, crystalline and lustrous like a tassel of silk, cascaded down to her waist. A pair of pale blue vertical-slit dragon pupils radiated an aura of bone-chilling cold. Her skin was fair as snow, her expression frigid, her beauty absolutely peerless — even Chai Pojun, seeing her for the first time, was struck with pure astonishment at her stunning appearance.
What drew even more attention were the pair of delicate, adorable red coral-like dragon horns on this female Immortal's forehead.
It was none other than the Dragon Woman, Bai Ningbing.
She and Fang Yuan had jointly activated the ancient battle formation, the Four Extremes Eight Directions Formation, but Chi Quyou's Gu formation had disrupted it, causing the formation to fail and scattering the four Gu Immortals in different directions.
Bai Ningbing had landed in this place and immediately set about healing her wounds. She had been preparing to follow Fang Yuan's instructions and rendezvous with the others when Chai Pojun found her.
A fierce battle had thus begun.