Chapter 1437

In Western Desert, Fang Yuan’s group parts from Tang Fang Ming and Tang Lan Ke, who have escorted them ten thousand li after their ten day stay by Tang clan’s tributary of the River of Time. Tang Fang Ming asks directly how the two sides will collaborate going forward. Fang Yuan answers that he is very interested in Thieving Heaven’s dream realm and wants to deepen collaboration there, but Heavenly Court’s rank eight pursuers make this the wrong moment. He offers to remain only if Tang clan truly insists, noting their different camps and the huge pressure of the chase. He leaves indifferently with his immortals behind him, and the two Tang clan Gu Immortals watch until his group vanishes over the horizon. ^{ch. 1437}

Tang Fang Ming and Tang Lan Ke read this as a demand: to obtain dream path research gains, they must help Shadow Sect resist the Heavenly Court forces pursuing it. Tang clan cannot bear the loss of its righteous path reputation once the collusion is exposed, so it has thrown the two of them out as scapegoats to cover the clan’s disgrace. It cannot take a hard approach either, since Fang Yuan’s strength leaves him unafraid of its Immortal Gu House. Alone afterward, Tang Lan Ke doubts whether the alliance helps or harms the clan, while Tang Fang Ming thinks privately that the first supreme elder’s absence over ten days proves the collaboration is insincere. She asks whether Fang Yuan exaggerated being chased by several rank eight Gu Immortals, a question built to trap him either way he answers. He answers honestly instead, calling Fang Yuan a legend of this generation and a man going against heaven, and admitting neither of them compares to him. A flash of joy crosses Tang Lan Ke’s eyes, and she stays silent. ^{ch. 1437}

Flying onward, Fang Yuan recalls Tang Fang Ming’s history: abandoned as a child by Tang clan’s Gu Master elders, he lived as a vagrant with his sister Tang Miao until a fortuitous encounter made him a Gu Immortal. The clan then recalled him by sacrificing those same elders. Tang Fang Ming later created dream path Gu worms that contributed greatly to Tang clan’s rise into Western Desert’s strongest super force during the five regions’ chaotic war, and Fang Yuan rates his standing almost equal to Northern Plains’ Ma Hong Yun. Ma Hong Yun has already died by Fang Yuan’s own hand, though fate had marked him to die regardless. Fang Yuan recalls that in his first life Shadow Sect succeeded in reviving Spectral Soul and infiltrating Heavenly Court, later expanding across the five regions to secretly back both Ma Hong Yun and Tang clan against Heavenly Court. This is the main reason he chose Tang clan again this time, using its tributary of the River of Time to escape Heavenly Court’s pursuit and leaving Feng Jiu Ge’s group waiting fruitlessly at the original spot. He expects he may now have to follow Spectral Soul’s own strategy, staying hidden while backing forces like Tang clan to trouble Heavenly Court. ^{ch. 1437}

In his first life, Fang Yuan recalls, Spectral Soul revived but seemed unable to regain venerable status, and chose to fight Heavenly Court from hiding even with Shadow Sect’s strength intact, proof the Court was too strong to face directly. This life is many times worse: Fang Yuan caused Spectral Soul’s plan to fail, Spectral Soul’s main body was captured, and only a diminished Shadow Sect remains. With Zombie Alliance destroyed and Spectral Soul captive, many of the fate-defying existences that once obstructed fate Immortal Gu’s restoration are eliminated, making its completion much easier. Spectral Soul’s will had deeply warned Fang Yuan that a completely restored fate Immortal Gu would be disastrous, and he cannot think of a way to destroy it. He concludes that surrender is not an option, for Shadow Sect or for himself. He tells himself that in his first life heaven’s will chose him as its tool, and that by using sovereign immortal fetus Gu on himself instead of destroying it he took the path against heaven, leaving no route back. Looking at the vast sky, he feels insignificant beside heaven’s will, but answers only that it is interesting, and smiles. ^{ch. 1437}