The silvery-white sky was spotless and pure.
Countless palaces built of white jade stood exquisite and magnificent, empty and serene.
Among the clusters of palaces, there was an old, scar-covered white tower that stood out like a crane among chickens, towering conspicuously.
The tower was named Jian Tian, created by Star Constellation Immortal Venerable, meaning that standing on this tower, one could oversee the world!
But times change and nothing lasts forever. Star Constellation Immortal Venerable, despite his genius surpassing the heavens, could not escape the depletion of his lifespan and eventual demise. Afterwards, it endured attacks from three Demon Venerables, then Original Lotus Immortal Venerable and Giant Sun Immortal Venerable took charge. When Spectral Soul Demon Venerable dominated the world, he also considered seizing the Heavenly Court, but for some reason, he abandoned the idea.
Over three million years!
Countless traces of history were deeply engraved on the Jian Tian Tower.
Sometimes brilliant, sometimes gloomy, all these vicissitudes had merged with the Jian Tian Tower, turning into a dignified bearing, like an ancient tree growing from antiquity, old yet ever fresh. Or like a bronze tripod, witnessing the changes of the world, standing unyielding.
The master of the Jian Tian Tower, leaning on a staff, hunched over, stepped up the stairs one by one.
He was a Gu Immortal of the eighth rank, yet his surging aura of power was mixed with a strong, dense air of decrepitude.
His hair was white as snow, his skin wrinkled like old tree bark, and his aged eyes were dim and cloudy.
He slowly lifted his foot—or rather, dragged it. He was like an old insect, hobbling along the endless stairs, each step a struggle.
He walked step by step.
With every step, the white jade stair beneath his foot would glow faintly, emitting a clear, melodious sound like a chime.
Along with this, the walls around the old man changed.
Shadows and lights continuously shifted on the walls. Sometimes they were blurry misty shapes, sometimes colorful lines with obscure meanings, and only occasionally did clear images appear on the walls.
The old man watched the images on the walls.
Every time he ascended a step, one unit of his immortal essence was consumed, and simultaneously, the image on the wall would change.
The old man paused slightly.
On the wall, an image vividly depicted a valley.
"Luo Po Valley," the old man murmured softly, a glint of sharpness flashing in his turbid eyes.
At the center of the image were two Gu Immortals in combat. One was a wind path Gu Immortal, the other a metal path Gu Immortal.
At the edges of the image, several Gu Immortals stood, their gazes fixed on the center, watching the battle.
The image continued to change.
The duel between the two Gu Immortals was not intense; they exchanged only a few moves before stopping.
Eventually, the image froze on a scene—the wind path Gu Immortal slowly lowering his head to the metal path Gu Immortal.
The old man silently memorized this scene.
Among the ninety-nine thousand steps leading to the top of the tower, only a few could display such clear images.
The master of the Jian Tian Tower continued his ascent.
He saw in the depths of the sea a group of Gu Immortals, most of whom were immortal zombies, attacking a blessed land.
A female immortal knelt on the sand, pleading with an old Gu Immortal.
A young Gu master lay unconscious on a bed, a soul-planting flea on his forehead, trembling slightly.
He also saw a Gu Immortal in white robes with blue eyes walking silently through the forests of the Southern Border.
He also saw, in a dark swamp, a vast blood light enveloping it, within which a blood path Gu Immortal was cultivating.
The more the old man watched, the colder his face became, and more anger accumulated in his turbid eyes.
"These people have all escaped the judgment of fate!"
Finally, he finished the stairs and stepped onto the top of the tower, where an immortal gu appeared before him.
The ninth-rank immortal gu—Fate!
It was shaped like a spider, black and white, with a faint aura. A bright red wound almost cut it in half.
The old man gazed at this gu for a long time and let out a long sigh.
The Jian Tian Tower was a ninth-rank immortal gu house, but unfortunately, its first core, Fate, had suffered a fatal wound and was on the verge of destruction.
"Red Lotus Demon Venerable!" the old man ground his teeth, his eyes filled with a bone-deep hatred.
The one who caused such damage to the Fate Gu was none other than the infamous Red Lotus Demon Venerable in history.
Red Lotus Demon Venerable damaged Fate, thus breaking the shackles of destiny, allowing all beings to control their own fate. However, the Fate Gu was not completely destroyed.
But despite the protection of all the immortals of the Heavenly Court, the wounds of Fate had not healed after hundreds of thousands of years.
The reason for this was the work of Red Lotus Demon Venerable.
The wounds of the Fate Gu were not only manifested on the gu itself but also on all beings who had escaped the judgment of fate.