Madness Den, Sixth Layer.
The two wretched freaks of the Madness Den lay on the ground, while the Schemer knelt, ignoring his own injuries as he treated Bu Shixian's wounds.
Bu Shixian slowly opened his eyes and came to. At first he was dazed, then realization struck, and with overwhelming relief and gratitude he said, "I actually got out! Boss, you saved my life again!"
Then, puzzled, he asked, "Where's Fang Yuan? Wait — didn't he make it out in time?"
The Schemer smiled bitterly. "No. He's still in the Seventh Layer. But what he said before we parted was true — at that distance, there was no way for him to escape in time."
Bu Shixian was struck speechless. After a long pause, he sighed, "Fate is fate. To think that the great Fang Yuan would meet his end here."
Even with all of Fang Yuan's fearsome reputation, he did not believe there was any real hope of survival.
For Bu Shixian knew full well the terrifying power of the Madness Den.
The Schemer, however, had calmed down completely, his expression tinged with something strange. "Strangely enough, I have this subtle feeling — an intuition that Fang Yuan might actually survive. Logic tells me there's absolutely no possibility, and I can't calculate any means by which he could live. But this feeling just won't go away."
"Boss, you're a Wisdom Path Gu Immortal," Bu Shixian said, momentarily stunned.
"Even a Wisdom Path Gu Immortal — does that mean every emotion is correct?" The Schemer shook his head with a bitter smile. "Perhaps it's just sentimentality about Fang Yuan's fate. He was so powerful — surpassing both of us, shaking the entire world, beyond even what the Heavenly Court could do. But such a figure is going to be swallowed by the Madness Den. Perhaps his end will be our own end someday. I suppose I'm feeling a certain kinship."
Bu Shixian fell silent.
After a long moment, the Schemer spoke, breaking the quiet. "Let's go. We'll retreat, rest and recover. Once the demonic sounds die down completely, we'll go to the Seventh Layer to search for Fang Yuan."
Bu Shixian nodded, even though he understood that Fang Yuan's chances were virtually zero.
He forced himself to stand, but his body lurched and he nearly collapsed.
Fortunately, the Schemer caught him in time.
With the Schemer supporting him, the two struggled forward while warding off the penetrating demonic sounds.
The path ahead vanished into darkness.
Their figures gradually merged into the gloom, both staggering as they walked.
They had no idea that in the Seventh Layer, not only was Fang Yuan unharmed — he had made a discovery.
"Are these new Dao marks?" Fang Yuan's eyes lit up, his expression filled with surprise.
Among the kaleidoscopic waves of Dao marks, he had begun to spot entirely new ones.
Fang Yuan was no longer who he once was. His comprehension across all paths had improved enormously, and he had inherited the true inheritances of multiple Venerables, giving him a vast and open perspective.
But now, he was certain: the Dao marks before him were something he had never encountered before.
These were completely new Dao marks!
"When the Dao marks were still, these new ones were far too few in number and scattered across the region — they were inconspicuous. But now, with the demonic sounds howling, all the Dao marks are constantly shifting. And because identical marks repel each other while similar-path marks cluster together, these new Dao marks have gradually accumulated in enough density to become visible."
Fang Yuan quickly deduced the reason.
When the demonic sounds first began, all the Dao marks were jumbled together, interwoven randomly in a complex, colorful tangle.
After the sounds had been reverberating for a while, the marks of each path coalesced into unified streams of color, much clearer than before and far more majestic in scope.
Ahead of Fang Yuan, a current of Metal Path Dao marks slithered like a massive golden serpent. To his left, an even larger torrent of Soul Path Dao marks advanced like a dark cloud the size of a city wall. And at his feet, there was that string of new Dao marks — a slender stream, murmuring as it flowed.
Fang Yuan paused briefly to study them.
Soon, a look of amazement crossed his face.
From these new Dao marks, he "saw" swords and blades, "smelled" axes and halberds, "felt" hammers and spears, and "heard" darts and arrows…
Fang Yuan's expression turned serious as he murmured, "These new Dao marks represent an entirely new path. This path is remarkably comprehensive — it encompasses swords, blades, axes, and halberds. If someone were to establish it in the future, it would inevitably absorb and subsume the current Sword Path and Blade Path. The combat power of this new path would be formidable, and it clearly draws upon many refined aspects of the Human Path."
But then he shook his head slightly. "However, creating such a path would take who knows how many generations, and who knows how long."
"Perhaps someone has already conceived the idea and possesses the foundation for this path. If they could witness this scene, it would be an enormous help to them. Or perhaps no one in the world has conceived of it yet, and this path will remain buried — like a treasure hidden deep underground, never to be unearthed."
Fang Yuan felt no sense of regret or pity.
This was simply the norm in the Gu world.
People often speak of unrecognized talent, of the need for a discerning patron. In truth, a truly exceptional path also requires someone with the insight to uncover it.
Fang Yuan had no desire to establish some new path.
The paths he already had were more than he could study. And forging a new path required far too much time and energy — he had no such luxury.
Fang Yuan continued onward.
Along the way, he spotted several more new types of Dao marks.
One cluster of Dao marks was gathered into a round, plump formation. From it, Fang Yuan seemed to smell the fresh fragrance of grass and trees, and upon sniffing more carefully, it was almost like the aroma of food.
He wondered — could this be the legendary Elixir Path Dao marks?
Another patch of Dao marks spread flat like a carpet. Though they were all of the same type, their surface shimmered with shifting images of light and shadow — now mountains and rivers, now birds and beasts.
When the flood of other Dao marks swept past, this patch was like a leaf caught in the wind, lifted gently and carried along, clinging to the surface of the larger currents. It neither disrupted the foreign marks nor caused its own fragile structure to collapse. It was truly wondrous.
The moment Fang Yuan laid eyes on it, his heart stirred. "If I'm not mistaken, these must be Painting Path Dao marks!"
He was tempted to claim these Dao marks for himself, but with the demonic sounds still roaring, he had no means of doing so.
"The Fang family has the inheritance of Rob Heaven Demon Venerable — that Immortal Gu house, the Thieves' Nest. If I were to use it, could I steal these Dao marks for myself?" A flash of inspiration struck Fang Yuan.
The Madness Den was littered with immortal materials, but none of them had any practical value.
The reason was that the Dao marks within those materials were all hopelessly jumbled together — a chaotic mess of every type.
But the materials being useless did not mean the Dao marks themselves were useless!
Fang Yuan decided to turn this situation to his advantage. His target was Fang Tichang — who was now his clone.
From Fang Tichang's soul, Fang Yuan had extracted virtually all of the Fang family's intelligence. This naturally included information about the Thieves' Nest.
It was indeed Rob Heaven Demon Venerable's Immortal Gu house, but in a severely damaged state. Since it involved the Theft Path — which the Fang family had never been proficient in — they had been unable to restore it. When they had first obtained it, they had not received the complete contents of the house.
The Thieves' Nest currently had only one function: using a piece of Theft Path immortal material as a catalyst, it would instantly consume the Theft Path Dao marks within that material, then steal Dao marks from the outside world.
The stolen Dao marks had to attach themselves to that same piece of Theft Path material. In the end, the material became saturated with a chaotic jumble of assorted Dao marks, rendering it completely useless.
This was remarkably similar to the situation with the immortal materials in the Madness Den.