Central Continent.
"This qi skill fruit is mine!"
"Get lost!"
"Don't even think about it!"
The qi tide had only recently subsided, and a group of loose immortal Gu Masters native to the Central Continent were fiercely fighting over a dozen or so qi skill fruits.
For grotto-heavens, the qi skill fruits that grew within them were a dire threat. But after a qi tide swept across the Five Regions and Two Heavens, the qi skill fruits left in its wake were treasures that every Gu Immortal craved.
The qi tide had persisted for some time now, and Gu Immortals across all five regions had come to fully appreciate the wondrous effects of qi skill fruits.
A Gu Immortal needed no particular attainments in the qi path. As long as one obtained a qi skill fruit and crushed it within one's own immortal aperture, the degree of harmony between heaven and earth qi could be greatly enhanced. This allowed one to pull ahead of other Gu Immortals, gaining the freedom to act sooner than the rest.
While the immortals were still fighting over the fruits, a snow-colored rainbow suddenly pierced through the scene.
The rainbow was sharp and fierce, striking directly at one of the Gu Immortals in the fray.
This Central Continent Gu Immortal was only at the Sixth Transformation. Seeing that the rainbow's aura, though overwhelming, was also only at the Sixth Transformation, he sneered and activated his defensive killing move to resist.
Boom.
The rainbow struck the Central Continent Gu Immortal head-on, then pierced clean through his body.
"Impossible?!" The struck Gu Immortal's eyes went wide, his expression at the moment of death filled with utter disbelief.
Both sides were Sixth Transformations — how could the gap be so vast?!
"Who is that?!"
"Ah, could it be the Snow Demon?!"
The other two Central Continent Gu Immortals were also Sixth Transformations. Seeing that the Gu Immortal who had been locked in a stalemate with them had lasted only a single breath before falling on the spot, their souls nearly fled from sheer terror.
The two immortals immediately withdrew, not daring to contest further.
The snow-and-ice rainbow paid them no heed, heading straight for the main prize. With a casual sweep, it plundered every last qi skill fruit.
Having secured the haul, the snow-and-ice rainbow withdrew at once, extremely alert.
It flew for a full half an incense stick's worth of time, constantly shifting routes and employing concealment techniques along the way, before finally coming to a stop deep within an unnamed valley.
The snow and ice dissipated, revealing the Gu Immortal's true appearance — none other than Bai Ningbing.
It turned out that ever since the Battle of Destiny, Bai Ningbing had been left behind and never recalled by Fang Yuan.
Bai Ningbing had temporarily gained her freedom and had no desire to return to Fang Yuan's side, so she chose to cultivate alone. During this period, she had been actively striking out, seizing numerous qi skill fruits for use in her own immortal aperture.
The qi skill fruits she had harvested would have had a negligible effect on Fang Yuan's Eighth Transformation grotto-heaven. But for Bai Ningbing's Sixth Transformation blessed land, the results were remarkable.
Bai Ningbing had originally possessed the Future Body, granting her combat power at the Peak Seventh Transformation level. But after the Battle of Destiny, the downstream River of Time had become turbulent and violent, causing the Future Body killing move to lose its efficacy. As a result, Bai Ningbing's true combat strength had reverted to her original Sixth Transformation level.
"Just a few hundred more qi skill fruits, and I'll be able to fight at full power for an entire hour." Bai Ningbing used up all the stolen qi skill fruits, quietly making her calculations.
Suddenly, her heart lurched. Sensing something wrong, she immediately shot out from the valley at explosive speed.
But it was already too late.
A purple light barrier rapidly enveloped her, dragging her directly into an isolated space severed from the outside world.
"A battlefield killing move!" Bai Ningbing's brow furrowed deeply. "Who is it? Show yourself!"
Clap, clap, clap.
Accompanied by a crisp round of applause, Zi Wei Fairy revealed her form.
She wore a smile as she looked at Bai Ningbing. "I had just activated this battlefield killing move, yet you already detected it. Truly worthy of being someone Fang Yuan took an interest in."
"It's you!" Bai Ningbing immediately recognized Zi Wei Fairy, and her heart sank to the depths.
The opponent was an Eighth Transformation Gu Immortal, while her own strength was currently only at the Sixth Transformation. Had she still possessed the Future Body killing move, there might have been a sliver of hope for resistance. But with the gap in power so vast, Bai Ningbing was utterly helpless.
Zi Wei Fairy fixed her gaze on Bai Ningbing and asked with evident curiosity, "How did you just sense it? I clearly didn't see you activate any special detection methods."