Chapter 1023

The wind roars as a flying figure calling himself Fang Yuan jolts awake, praising Spring Autumn Cicada; it is really Ying Wu Xie, reborn. Less than ten thousand li from Yi Tian Mountain, he realizes Fang Yuan lent him Fixed Immortal Travel to lure him back so Fang Yuan could reclaim his Gu worms and win. Fang Yuan never expected it, but he was heaven’s will’s tool from the start. Heaven’s will had controlled his Spring Autumn Cicada all along. Knowing the mountain’s ground clearly now, Ying Wu Xie considers teleporting there to settle accounts, but catches himself: it is Fang Yuan’s fake will swaying his judgment again. ^{ch. 1023}

Reasoning that rushing back now could only injure, never kill, Fang Yuan, already weakened by sovereign immortal fetus Gu, he decides heaven’s will wants this confrontation and chooses to retreat as instructed instead. He sets Fang Yuan aside, planning to use him later to refine sovereign immortal fetus Gu again if he survives. He resolves to rebuild Shadow Sect. He will use Tai Bai Yun Sheng and Hei Lou Lan, without letting them meet Fang Yuan. On guard against the fake will, he escapes the scheme, takes a last look at ruined Yi Tian Mountain, then turns and leaves, the bigger picture mattering more. ^{ch. 1023}

Fang Yuan waits a long time, his heart sinking, wondering whether Ying Wu Xie saw through his arrangement and slipped free. Not knowing Spring Autumn Cicada’s truth, he knows only that he is in a pinch: without Ying Wu Xie, the special will in his Gu worms will never activate, and once the time limit passes they will self-detonate. He needs to reach Ying Wu Xie fast. Attitude Gu is his best evidence for a suspicious Hei Lou Lan, and a few revealed details will win over Tai Bai Yun Sheng. ^{ch. 1023}

Inspecting his Gu worms, Fang Yuan finds he has regained the soul path Change Soul, along with Unravel Mystery and attitude Gu. He has no movement Gu of his own, so he decides to try subduing the dream path Gu worms Ying Wu Xie carries, with little hope. At that moment, Ying Wu Xie’s body self-detonates in complete silence, turning into layers of dazzling rainbow light rather than blood. Fang Yuan retreats fast. He recognizes an external dream realm, unfathomably deep, forming before him. Ying Wu Xie’s body had only an eighteen hour lifespan, rising one rank every two hours, before self-detonating this way, since it had been born from nothing through Immortal Gu Become Real. ^{ch. 1023}

The dream realm expands a thousand li before it stops, filling his view. He flees its reach, lacking the mortal Gu to use unravel dream despite holding Unravel Mystery Immortal Gu. He reflects with relief that he did not destroy sovereign immortal fetus Gu as advised, or his soul would now be trapped with Ying Wu Xie’s body until death. This wrecks his plans. That body, with its dream path Gu worms and formidable lead soul into dream, and Spectral Soul trapped inside, had been extremely valuable for a soul search. The battlefield’s possible remaining immortal apertures and life and death blessed land now lie buried too, out of reach for years. ^{ch. 1023}

Southern Border Gu Immortals are sure to converge on the site. Fang Yuan searches for Tai Bai Yun Sheng and Hei Lou Lan but fails to find them. Unknown to him, the two had already changed direction after a fight with Southern Border Gu Immortals, and Ying Wu Xie, using knowledge from his rebirth, had already joined them. Posing as Fang Yuan, he talks down Hei Lou Lan and leads the group away by Fixed Immortal Travel, to move Hu Immortal blessed land’s resources to safety. Meanwhile, the real Fang Yuan sprints tirelessly without a single Gu worm, discovering his new body’s incredible defense and huge strength. Wherever he goes, he finds no trace of Ying Wu Xie, Tai Bai Yun Sheng, or Hei Lou Lan. ^{ch. 1023}