The eighth layer of the Madness Den was far more vast and boundless than Fang Yuan had anticipated.
Ever since learning that a Venerable's Dao field existed here, he had been exploring for quite some time, but the results were far from encouraging.
Fang Yuan had witnessed countless worlds being born and destroyed, and had entered and exited several large worlds, yet he still hadn't found the Venerable's Dao field he was looking for.
Still, it hadn't been a complete waste. These days of exploration had granted him a deeper understanding of the eighth layer.
"This void has no concept of direction whatsoever—no up, no down, no left or right. That makes it both finite and infinite."
"Originally, the eighth layer was nothing more than a cavern, but after Limitless Demon Venerable's arrangements, it became a boundless expanse."
"Perhaps all this time, I've only been walking in small circles. Without deciphering the arrangements here, I'm afraid I won't be able to find the Venerable's Dao field."
Fang Yuan speculated.
To find his destination within this void, what Fang Yuan clearly needed was to elevate his comprehension of the Void Path.
The Void Path was merely a minor school, one that had branched off from the Rule Path.
But this minor school was remarkably successful.
The Void Path emphasized the interplay between void and substance—untouched by all techniques, innately invincible. Voidification was the Void Path's most signature ability. Once the Heaven Monitoring Tower was voidified, virtually every method outside of the Dream Path was powerless against it, making it extraordinarily safe.
The Void Path also possessed supreme profundities. Just as one of the Soul Path's supreme profundities was cultivating the Billion Desolate Soul—such as Demon Venerable Soul's Three-Honored Six Harmonies Thousand-Armed Demon Soul—the Transformation Path had two supreme profundities.
One was Thousand Transformations, changing at will, and the other was Ten Thousand Paths Returning to Transformation, where all things achieved great unity through transformation.
The members of Heavenly Court would all surrender their Immortal Orifices. Whenever they departed from Heavenly Court, they were temporarily granted a Void Orifice to carry their Immortal Essence, Immortal Gu, and other necessities.
This Void Orifice was none other than the Void Path's supreme profundity.
And right now, this very void where Fang Yuan stood—where countless worlds were born and destroyed—was clearly also a supreme profundity of the Void Path.
Although the Void Path was merely a branch of the Rule Path, elevating one's understanding of the Void Path still fundamentally required the Rule Path's true meaning.
However, this school's depths were profound. With only his current Grandmaster-level attainment in the Rule Path, Fang Yuan was still some distance away from fully comprehending this void.
Since a frontal breakthrough was temporarily impossible, Fang Yuan pondered for a moment before deciding to take an alternative approach.
With a shift of will, he began activating the Luck Cooking Pot. Working through the Luck Path to bless himself might yield a breakthrough.
Although the Luck Cooking Pot's level was relatively low and couldn't thoroughly influence his main body's fortune, altering a portion of it was still feasible.
At the very least, the fortune within the Luck Cooking Pot was something Fang Yuan could reshape as he pleased.
With the Luck Cooking Pot, changing his own luck was extremely convenient. Before long, Fang Yuan had accomplished it.
He also took the opportunity to inspect the fortune of his clones.
His Time Path clone's fortune remained unchanged — a small stream resembling a miniature River of Time, shimmering and flowing steadily. Upon closer inspection, wisps of black misfortune continuously surfaced along the river, slowly accumulating.
Fang Yuan's Dream Path clone had the smallest fortune, since it was only a Fifth Transformation Gu Master whose Empty Orifice had been sealed.
The most impressive was clearly his clone Wu Shuai. Wu Shuai was already a peak Seventh Transformation Gu Immortal who had obtained the Dragon Palace and was currently cultivating the Legion Ant. As a result, Wu Shuai's fortune took the form of a winding flood dragon — its scales and eyes gleaming, its horns and claws sharp and imposing, radiating an awe-inspiring majesty. Surrounding the flood dragon were waves of pale blue watery halos. A flood dragon meeting water signified that he was receiving external support — from the Gu tribe and the merfolk. Inside the flood dragon's mouth rested a massive dragon pearl. Within the pearl stood a palace, unmistakably a miniature replica of the Dragon Palace.
There was another dragon pearl, much smaller, clutched in one of the flood dragon's claws. Inside this pearl swarmed densely packed ants, representing the Legion Ant.
The clone with the next largest fortune was Fang Dicang.
His fortune was rather peculiar, resembling a great tree. The trunk was not slender, but neither was it exceptionally thick. Its canopy was lush and green, layered with exquisite precision into the shape of the Bean God Temple. On the ground below, the roots tangled together, many of them exposed — this implied Fang Dicang's deep, inextricable ties to the Fang family.
Beyond these, there were the clones Zhan Budu and Li Xiaobai.
Zhan Budu's clone fortune was far larger than Li Xiaobai's, taking the shape of a great eagle soaring with wings spread wide.
Zhan Budu had only recently become a Sixth Transformation Gu Immortal, while Li Xiaobai remained at the Gu Master level.
Li Xiaobai's fortune resembled a flower in full bloom, its stamens accumulating a thin layer of nectar. This nectar was the result of Li Xiaobai's recent efforts — hard work in growth and diligent cultivation. Beyond the flower fortune fluttered a butterfly, white as frost, flapping its broad wings to stir up icy winds, drifting slowly toward the flower.
"An omen like this..." Fang Yuan's brows furrowed slightly as he observed.
"Butterflies often signify a woman. It seeks to harvest the nectar while simultaneously conjuring cold winds — detrimental to the flower."
"In terms of scale, the butterfly is slightly larger than the flower. The frigid winds it stirs are vast and formidable, representing some greater trend. The butterfly itself is not the root cause — it is merely a catalyst."
"My clone Li Xiaobai's situation is fine for now, but things are unlikely to stay that way. If any accident occurs, the cold descends and the flower withers. Yet the butterfly's closeness to the flower also suggests a hidden opportunity."
Clone Li Xiaobai had been working on conquering the Huawen Blessed Land. But this blessed land was different from the Beast Calamity Blessed Land — guarded by an Eighth Transformation Gu Immortal, Fang Yuan could not operate as freely as he had before.
In the Beast Calamity Blessed Land, Fang Yuan had been able to execute his schemes and implement his plans at will. In the Huawen Blessed Land, however, he was severely restricted. To preserve the greatest gains and profits, the vast majority of his methods were off-limits.
Fortune support from afar had therefore become Fang Yuan's primary means of helping Li Xiaobai.
Without hesitation, Fang Yuan activated the Luck Cooking Pot and began reshaping Li Xiaobai's fortune.
After a brief moment, Li Xiaobai's flower fortune grew vivid and flush with red, resembling peach blossoms in the height of spring — Peach Blossom Luck!
Altering fortune was not done at random; it had to follow certain principles.
With Li Xiaobai's fortune transformed into Peach Blossom Luck, the results would be twice as effective, creating a subtle and beneficial interaction with the butterfly fortune from outside.
"Now it all depends on whether my clone can seize the moment." Fang Yuan pressed onward.
Fortune was merely a shifting trend. When a true opportunity arrived, whether it could be grasped depended entirely on one's own ability.
"Hm?" Fang Yuan's brow arched slightly. Shortly after the adjustment, he had made a gratifying discovery.
He spotted a massive fish drifting through the void, its enormous tail swishing back and forth. It appeared to move at a leisurely pace, yet its speed was truly staggering.
This was the first time he had ever laid eyes on a living creature capable of traversing the void — one that existed beyond the confines of any world.