Chapter 1961

The moment fate Gu is destroyed, the white light of fate vanquish vanishes completely and the battlefield returns to its previous state. Heaven Overseeing Tower cracks and crumbles into fragments that fall with Gu Immortal corpses. Genesis Lotus Immortal Venerable’s painting path method turns into a ray of light and flies far away. Heavenly Court falls into deathly silence. Fang Yuan floats in the air and opens his palm, and through everybody’s vision the five regions see the fragments of fate Gu. ^{ch. 1961}

The three regions’ Gu Immortals cheer wildly. Heavenly Court’s remaining Gu Immortals are ashen and dazed, since fate Gu was their banner and spiritual pillar, the Gu on which Primordial Origin Immortal Venerable relied to create the rule of humanity. Feng Jiu Ge falls silent and his destiny song stops. Far away in a secret underground Immortal Gu House, Feng Jin Huang weeps over the sacrifices made in vain. Fang Zheng, in the greatly damaged Demon Judgment Board, tells Fang Yuan he actually accomplished it and, despairing at the gap between them, feels a trace of relief that it is time to give up. ^{ch. 1961}

Heavenly Court’s Gu Immortals weep in shame at failing the comrades who sacrificed themselves. Duke Long tells them not to panic and flies into the sky to restore their morale. He laughs and asks Fang Yuan whether he really thinks he destroyed fate Gu. The three regions’ Gu Immortals mock him, and some Heavenly Court Gu Immortals hope the destroyed Gu was a replica. Duke Long says it was the real one, but asks whether it is destroyed forever, since Heavenly Court can refine it again. ^{ch. 1961}

Immortal Gu are unique, but others can possess one once it is destroyed. Asked by Shen Cong Sheng whether Heavenly Court has the recipe, Duke Long answers that it has held fate Gu for over three million years with countless refinement path experts and three Immortal Venerables, and tells him to guess. Even without a recipe, he says, Ren Zu did not refine fate Gu in the Immemorial Antiquity Era, and Qin Ding Ling agrees it was born from heaven and earth. Heaven and earth will refine it anew, and it could appear at rank six or even rank nine. ^{ch. 1961}

The three regions’ Gu Immortals realize destroying fate Gu may be no big deal. One shouts that they can destroy it again but lacks confidence, since they paid a huge price and only an otherworldly demon could destroy it. They wonder whether the victory is empty, and their expressions turn unsightly. ^{ch. 1961}

Wu Yong, sensing the fallen morale, answers coldly that Heavenly Court’s failure is still a failure, and that a new fate Gu may become a wild Immortal Gu that anyone can possess. Duke Long replies that Gu Immortals can never use fate Gu. Variant humans held it but could not use it, and Heavenly Court needed three million years to research fate vanquish and conceive Heaven Overseeing Tower. Only heaven’s will can use fate Gu. Star Constellation Immortal Venerable sacrificed herself and merged with heaven’s will to influence it, and Heavenly Court built the immortal graveyard where its members hibernate to support her will. ^{ch. 1961}

Bing Sai Chuan retorts from Calamity Luck Altar that fate Gu can serve as material for refining destiny Gu, which others can control, the plan of Lord Giant Sun Immortal Venerable. Duke Long scornfully asks whether that means fate Gu will not exist; used as material it would be spent, yet a new one could still appear later. Bing Sai Chuan cannot reply. Duke Long says fate Gu will exist again whatever they do, and under heaven’s will it will let variant humans rise and humanity decline. He blames them all, above all Fang Yuan, whose destruction of the immortal graveyard leaves Star Constellation’s will unable to interfere with heaven’s will as before. ^{ch. 1961}

Duke Long calls the victory at best a giant joke and says Heavenly Court can secretly refine fate Gu again and again, at rank six only, which is far easier than rank nine. Every fight over fate Gu will also cost humanity heavy losses and give variant humans an opening. The five regions’ mortals resonate with him and call the invaders accursed sinners. The Gu Immortals scattered across the five regions fall silent, because no one can deny Heavenly Court’s contribution in protecting humanity. ^{ch. 1961}

Reckless Savage’s will mumbles inside the cape that destroying fate Gu leaves some emptiness. Fang Yuan, speaking for the first time since the destruction, asks Duke Long whether he is done. Duke Long grows uneasy, because Fang Yuan is too calm and let him speak, though his words have restored Heavenly Court’s morale. Fang Yuan chuckles that destroying fate Gu did not end the battle and that Duke Long has forgotten someone. ^{ch. 1961}

Duke Long follows Fang Yuan’s gaze to the phantom River of Time. Calamity Luck Altar carries Red Lotus Demon Venerable’s method Call of the Ancient, whose power condensed into that river at the start of the battle. Past Gu Immortal experts of Northern Plains walked out of it as a grave threat to Heavenly Court, but it later seemed to grow powerless and showed no new figures. When Fang Yuan destroyed fate Gu, it surged wildly again. ^{ch. 1961}

A figure walks out of the waves reciting a poem that ends with the myriad beings anticipating a life unbound by fate. He looks like a young man in a red robe, his face pure as jade. He steps onto Heavenly Court’s battlefield, and everyone watches in complete silence. His gaze fixes on Duke Long, who shakes, his lips moving without a word. The young man smiles and asks him, calling him Master, whether he has been well. ^{ch. 1961}