The boundless sand sea stretched out under the sky, yellow sand meeting the horizon as far as the eye could see.
The sky above was a deep, lofty blue, dotted with clusters of white clouds whose outlines were sharp and crystalline clear.
"I've finally arrived in the Western Desert." A figure shot out from the Western Desert's boundary wall, but rather than slowing down, surged straight upward into the sky.
The figure appeared as a youth in white robes, long sleeves fluttering, with jet-black hair cascading down, deep-set eyes, and features as fine as jade.
It was none other than Fang Yuan!
Feng Jiuge had blocked Wu Yong for him, allowing his escape.
The Supreme Immortal Body possessed the ability to freely traverse boundary walls, so neither the Southern Border's boundary wall nor the Western Desert's could stop Fang Yuan.
On the contrary, within the boundary walls, Fang Yuan was like a fish in water — it became the safest environment for him.
Bai Ningbing, Hei Loulan, and the others all resided within Fang Yuan's Supreme Immortal Orifices. With his help, they were able to traverse the boundary walls effortlessly and follow him to the Western Desert as well.
Fortunately, none of these people possessed Eighth Transformation cultivation, and at the same time, Fang Yuan's Supreme Immortal Orifices had absorbed many others, with abundant Dao marks and a stable blessed land, which allowed them to accommodate these Gu Immortals.
Ordinary Gu Immortals would certainly need a period of rest after traversing a boundary wall, but Fang Yuan, relying on his Supreme Immortal Body, found the crossing trivially easy, suffering no losses whatsoever.
After the great dream battle, although Fang Yuan had become the new master of the Shadow Sect and inherited a considerable legacy from Lord Purple Mountain True Monarch, he had also lost the invaluable identity of Wu Yihai. Liu Guanyi's identity had been exposed, and a critically important Immortal Gu — the Dark Crossing Gu — had fallen into the Heavenly Court's hands. Most crucially, he had lost an Eighth Transformation combat force — the Supreme Sky Eagle!
Along the way, Fang Yuan reflected on this great battle, summarizing his gains and losses.
"I didn't expect that externally manifested dreams could be eroded by Heaven's Will. If not for exploring the dream, I probably wouldn't have been discovered by Heaven's Will."
"However, the Shadow Sect would have attacked the dream eventually regardless."
"Although I've now fled to the Western Desert, I've lost the Dark Crossing Gu, I'm afflicted with the Heavenly Court's detection killer move, and more critically, I'm constantly watched by Heaven's Will — my whereabouts are always exposed."
Escaping from the Southern Border to the Western Desert had merely alleviated the crisis.
If given enough time to plot, the Heavenly Court and Heaven's Will would eventually turn the Western Desert into a dangerous place as well, where Fang Yuan would be hunted by countless Gu Immortals and forces.
Therefore, his most urgent task was to dispel the detection killer move afflicting his body and find a way to shield himself from Heaven's Will.
"The Western Desert's Zombie Alliance branch, though long destroyed, still has considerable resources hidden deep within the Shifting Desert."
"Besides that, there are two more natural Gu-bearing places capable of birthing Immortal Gu, similar to the Jade Pot Mountain of the Southern Border."
Bai Ningbing's Ice Soul Immortal Gu was a wild Immortal Gu that had been naturally nurtured within Jade Pot Mountain.
Under the Shadow Sect's secret operations, there were many hidden locations throughout the Western Desert. Two of them, similar to Jade Pot Mountain, had wild Immortal Gu on the verge of being born.
Without question, all three of these locations were destinations Fang Yuan needed to reach.
"Feng Jiuge saved me, but that goodwill is gone."
"His appearance was rather suspicious — it might well have been orchestrated by the Heavenly Court."
"If he comes after me, even though I have the Reverse Flow Protective Inscription, I still couldn't handle him. The key issue is the Central Continent — them sending more powerhouses to hunt me down is a certainty, it's just a matter of when."
"So for this journey, I must be fast!"
With this thought, a terrifying gleam flashed through Fang Yuan's eyes.
Immortal Killer Move — Ancient Sword Jiao Transformation!
White light burst forth, and in the next moment, Fang Yuan transformed into a magnificent Sword Jiao with dazzling silver scales.
The Sword Jiao flicked its tail with elegant grace, hurtling forward at tremendous speed.
Soon, while maintaining the Ancient Sword Jiao Transformation, Fang Yuan activated the Sword Escape Immortal Gu.
Whoosh—!
He nearly became a streak of silver, slicing through the sky, his speed almost beyond belief.
Several days later — the Shifting Desert.
This was one of the more well-known deserts within the Western Desert.
Just as the Eastern Sea was divided into distinct regions — the Iceflow Sea Area, the Twin Polar Strait, the Bubble Sea, the Shark Sea, the Brocade Sea, and other peculiar sea regions — the Western Desert, too, had vast expanses of deserts scattered about, each with unusual characteristics that set them apart from ordinary deserts, well known to the region's Gu Immortals.
The Sixth Transformation Transformation Path Gu Master Yin Zuan, known as the "Demon Mosquito," now hovered above the Shifting Desert.
He wore sleek black leather armor, had a pointed nose and small eyes, with wild black hair that stuck up atop his head like weeds and also draped over his shoulders.
"Hehehe, this time tailing the Three Feather Child, I might actually find the Zombie Alliance branch's Corpse City."
He felt pleased with himself, twitching his nose and sniffing vigorously.
"Found it." His eyes lit up, and following the scent, he immediately dove down toward the Shifting Desert.
As the distance closed rapidly, the Demon Mosquito made no attempt to dodge.
Just as he was about to touch the ground, the dark armor on his body suddenly flashed with an eerie light.
Swoosh.
With a soft sound, he plunged directly into the desert surface as if diving into water, quickly vanishing from sight.
His vision went abruptly dark as the Demon Mosquito closed his eyes within the sand.
Scorching sand enveloped his entire body. The temperature was extraordinarily high — easily enough to cook an egg in an instant and turn it into a piece of charred black cinder.
But the Demon Mosquito had his own methods of protection, and this environment was not harsh for him at all.
Complete darkness didn't bother him either — the Demon Mosquito excelled at tracking by scent, and underground the clues were actually even more distinct.