Chapter 1697

The winds of assimilation erode the stone lotus island until it vanishes completely, yet the River of Time loses only a completely negligible amount of water. Fang Yuan is deeply shocked that the island was really destroyed, since its protection force had repelled him earlier. The island was completely helpless against the winds. Feng Jiu Ge destroyed it himself and counts the act a failure, because Heavenly Court paid a huge price to find it and trap it with the river suppression lotus sealing formation. He had no choice, for Luo Po seal had struck the formation and it was definitely going to break. ^{ch. 1697}

Once it breaks, Feng Jiu Ge and Xing Ye Wang must return to the Immortal Gu House, while Fang Yuan and Bing Sai Chuan gain strength like fish in water. Expecting Fang Yuan to take the island eventually, Feng Jiu Ge cut his losses, and Fang Yuan praises the resolution. Bing Sai Chuan sighs deeply, dejected. He is very disappointed, having hoped the island’s Red Lotus true inheritance held a way to destroy fate Gu, unaware that Fang Yuan secretly obtained one such inheritance already. ^{ch. 1697}

The heavily damaged formation breaks in a chain of explosions, most of its Immortal Gu are destroyed, and the Gu Immortals controlling it die one by one. Water rushes back in, and the River of Time returns to normal. Feng Jiu Ge orders a retreat, since the time path Immortal Gu Houses are only rank seven and not even Duke Long could win here. Heavenly Court never expected Longevity Heaven to cooperate with Fang Yuan. Feng Jiu Ge returns to Three Autumn Yellow Crane Platform and asks, frowning, whether Longevity Heaven gave up revenge because of Bing Sai Chuan. Fang Yuan, turned into the immemorial year monkey, chases the retreating houses with Bing Sai Chuan and Five Elements Grandmaster, who controls Year End Gatehouse. ^{ch. 1697}

The three Xunzi, resolved to die, stay behind with the tattered Present and Past Pavilion while the other three houses escape through a tributary. The pavilion is completely destroyed and the three Xunzi die. Fang Yuan regrets that he captured no rank eight Gu Immortal. He sweeps the battlefield and annexes the immortal apertures of the many rank seven Gu Immortals who died, making great gains. Fang Yuan proposes going to Eastern Sea. Longevity Heaven has shown its fullest sincerity and shares his goal of stopping Heavenly Court from repairing fate Gu. ^{ch. 1697}

Fang Yuan and Bing Sai Chuan confirm that the Red Lotus true inheritance is truly destroyed. They did not obtain it but kept Heavenly Court from getting it, a result neither defeat nor victory. They set out for Eastern Sea. On the way they hear that Duke Long won the Dragon Palace battle. Duke Long suppressed the Eastern Sea rank eights; Chen Yi, Heavenly Court’s new rank eight member, then arrived with an Immortal Gu House, and Eastern Sea’s lone immortal Yang Jun turned to help Duke Long. With that help Duke Long suppressed and kept the rank eight house Dragon Palace, then left at once, heavily injured. ^{ch. 1697}

Five Elements Grandmaster says Heavenly Court recruited Yang Jun, but Fang Yuan suspects Yang Jun was a Heavenly Court spy in Eastern Sea all along. Fang Yuan thinks of Prince Feng Xian, planted in Northern Plains as a spy from the start and still unexposed. He looks at Bing Sai Chuan and decides to keep this a secret. ^{ch. 1697}