Chapter 1954

Fang Yuan, bloodied and injured, stands and looks at Embroidered Tower. Primordial Origin Immortal Venerable left it to his disciple Star Constellation as a mortal dowry, and as Star Constellation Immortal Venerable she turned it into an Immortal Gu House with extremely mystical powers. Over a million years ago Reckless Savage Demon Venerable stormed through Heavenly Court until he stopped at Heaven Overseeing Tower. On the way, Embroidered Tower’s trump card Dao Embroidery forced him to discard three pieces of skin, and dao mark threads sewed them into the air. Embroidered Tower’s damage could never be repaired, and its later use against Spectral Soul at Yi Tian Mountain left it useless. ^{ch. 1954}

Duke Long and the other Gu Immortals see the three skins stir above the tower like bloody banners, showing a bird with six legs and no wings, a beast with no teeth and a fish with no gills. They break the dao mark threads and become blood red lights that land around Fang Yuan. The lights reveal three enormous beasts, a yellow bird, an azure blue leopard and a dark green fish. The immortals are shaken, and Duke Long halts his attacks. They wonder whether Fang Yuan triggered a venerable’s method and notice that the beasts resemble three recorded in The Legends of Ren Zu. ^{ch. 1954}

Chapter four of the Legends has Ren Zu wandering mad. Fate Gu’s manipulation has separated him from his children, and he has lost wealth Gu. Taking each group for his own kind, he joins wingless birds, toothless blue leopards and gill-less fish in turn, and each pushes him away as a human. Each says it once held freedom Gu without realizing it, lost its wings, teeth or gills with it, and now pursues it. Each time Ren Zu decides that humans also need freedom to escape fate’s shackles, and wishes in turn to go anywhere with whomever he wants forever, to have endless wealth and comfort, and to live forever. The groups call his wishes preposterous, since humans are destined for separation, for empty hands and for death by age and illness. All three advise him to cherish freedom Gu if he ever obtains it and not let it fly away, but he forgets, and passersby say he has gone completely mad. ^{ch. 1954}

One day freedom Gu flies to Ren Zu of its own accord, and he grabs it, extremely happy but puzzled. It says it did not come for him, who once used attitude Gu to bully it, love to bind it and wealth to bribe it, but for the cognition Gu on him. Cognition Gu explains that his madness fills him with delirious thoughts, and freedom Gu says they strengthen it. Freedom Gu demands release and says it will never work for him, but Ren Zu grasps it tighter. Responsibility Gu flies over and presses on his shoulder until he almost bends double. Cognition Gu says freedom and responsibility coexist, so he must at least be responsible for himself. ^{ch. 1954}

Ren Zu kneels as fate Gu’s spider silk wraps around his body and cuts into him, and he is barely shouldering the responsibility. Freedom Gu says the longer he holds on, the tighter the silk will bind him, even to death. He refuses and laughs that the feeling of sensing a Gu far away alone makes him happy and satisfied. Cognition Gu confirms that whoever obtains freedom Gu can also sense happiness Gu’s location. The silk tears into his bones, and Ren Zu faints from the pain. ^{ch. 1954}

When he wakes, the silk is loose, responsibility Gu no longer presses on him and cognition Gu has disappeared. He cannot sense freedom Gu and opens his hands in panic. The moment a gap appears, it flies away and leaves him behind. Humans often understand freedom only after losing it. Ren Zu remembers the advice of the birds, leopards and fish and feels extremely regretful. He tears out his hair, says he is better off dead and would rather lose love or his life than freedom. ^{ch. 1954}