The moment he threw himself into the pillar of light, Fang Yuan felt an intense sensation of weightlessness.
When his vision stabilized, he found himself standing in a vast, desolate wilderness.
Looking around, the sky was a hazy, dull white. On the ground, small mounds of grayish-white rock stood like graves. The gray earth wasn't fertile—it was dry and hard, with sparse patches of brown grass.
The white of the sky, the gray of the earth, the yellow of the dead grass—these were the three primary colors of this world. Beyond them, there seemed to be no other colors at all.
Silence filled his ears—more accurately, it was deathly silence. No wind, no rustling leaves, no birdsong or animal cries. Being here made one feel like the sole living creature left in all of heaven and earth. Invisibly, feelings of loneliness, desolation, confusion, even panic would spread through one's heart.
Although he had entered the inheritance together with Bai Ningbing, Fang Yuan was utterly alone here.
But he remained calm and composed throughout.
"So this is the Dog King's inheritance." He looked around, murmuring softly to himself.
The Three Kings' inheritance had a major difference from the ordinary inheritances left by Fifth Transformation Gu Masters.
Ordinary Fifth Transformation inheritances, whether set in Central Continent, Southern Border, Northern Plains, Eastern Sea, or Western Desert, all existed within the main world. The Three Kings, however, had set their inheritances within a Gu Immortal blessed land.
In years past, the Three Kings had been in dire straits when they stumbled upon an inheritance left by an ancient Gu Immortal, which allowed them to rise to prominence. Each of the Three Kings possessed extraordinary talent, but they all failed their attempt to break through to the Sixth Transformation. Before their deaths, they each set up their own inheritance within this Gu Immortal blessed land.
Therefore, the place where Fang Yuan now found himself was no longer the main world. It was a Gu Immortal blessed land—a small world that existed as an extension of the main world.
Every world had its own set of rules and laws. Upon entering a world, one had to abide by its corresponding rules.
"Even though Bai Ningbing entered the inheritance together with me, this small world has surely sent her somewhere else. But that's fine—as long as both of us can make it through each trial, we'll eventually meet again."
Fang Yuan understood—this was the unique spatial law of a small world. At the same time, the flow of time was also different.
"The flow of time here is roughly three times faster than outside." In the center of Fang Yuan's Empty Orifice, the Spring Autumn Cicada—which had been dormant—had already awakened and was recovering at three times the speed it would in the outside world.
The Spring Autumn Cicada fed on the waters of the River of Time. In this small world, the current of the River of Time was a full three times faster than outside. This was enormously helpful for the Spring Autumn Cicada's recovery.
But for Fang Yuan, this was not good news. The pressure exerted by the Spring Autumn Cicada when fully recovered would be far beyond what a Fourth Transformation Empty Orifice could withstand. The Dog King's inheritance was both a rare opportunity and a death trap for Fang Yuan.
"One day passing here means three days outside. I must act quickly and save as much time as possible." A sense of urgency rose spontaneously in his heart.
Fortunately, he had memories of his previous life and was no stranger to this Fifth Transformation Gu Master's Dog King inheritance.
"If my calculations are correct, there should be some kind of canine beast nearby..." Fang Yuan set off, moving steadily while scanning his surroundings, searching ceaselessly.
"Woof, woof, woof."
A bark suddenly rang out. A thin stray dog with eyes glowing an eerie green was running toward Fang Yuan. The dog was nothing but skin and bones, its mouth full of yellowed teeth, reaching only to Fang Yuan's calf.
It was acting ferociously, clearly starving. Having caught the scent of human flesh on Fang Yuan, it lunged at him without hesitation.
Fang Yuan furrowed his brow slightly. This stray dog was very ordinary. Encountering it for the first trial—his luck today didn't seem to be good.
He stood still quietly, allowing the stray dog to charge at him.
Under the current circumstances, Fang Yuan's other Gu Insects couldn't be easily used. He could only employ the First Transformation Dog-Taming Gu. This was another restriction imposed by the small world's laws.
The Dog King had modified the Gu Immortal blessed land so that each Gu Master could only bring one First Transformation Dog-Taming Gu into his inheritance. Meanwhile, all other Gu Insects could not be freely used within.
Of course, the Spring Autumn Cicada was an exception. The Spring Autumn Cicada was a Sixth Transformation Gu. When a Gu Insect reached the Sixth Transformation, whether in the main world or a small world, there could only ever be one of its kind. The Spring Autumn Cicada was no longer a mundane creature—it was an Immortal Gu. Even within a blessed land, it could be wielded freely and at will.
"Not just the Dog King's inheritance—the Faith King's and Explosion King's inheritances were the same. Upon initially entering the inheritance, Gu Masters could only use the First Transformation Dog-Taming Gu, Paper Crane Gu, and Explosion Egg Gu."
Watching the stray dog rush toward him, Fang Yuan promptly activated the Dog-Taming Gu within his Empty Orifice. The Dog-Taming Gu was shaped like jade, no bigger than a thumb. Its jade form resembled a dog's head.
Fang Yuan channeled just a single drop of bright gold True Essence and frantically activated the Dog-Taming Gu.