Chapter 1968

Old Man Zheng Yuan, Fairy Zi Wei and Spectral Soul Demon Venerable move stealthily through black heaven when a huge, wild qi tide comes from all directions. Lifeforms perish wherever it goes. The three raise defensive methods, and after several minutes it passes them. Old Man Zheng Yuan grieves, saying that since the five regions fused into one, qi tides surge once in a while and spare neither the regions nor the two heavens. Fairy Zi Wei explains that the regions’ heaven and earth qi differ, which formed the regional walls, and that with the walls gone the qi are converging into one and birthing the tides. She cannot calculate how long they will last or whether they will strengthen or weaken. ^{ch. 1968}

Spectral Soul calls the tide a hindrance, since soul beasts cannot resist it and even survivors have their soul cores damaged. He wants to recover his strength by devouring souls, the fastest method. The Door of Life and Death, which he had meant to retrieve, was moved away in secret. With the fight in Heavenly Court over, he brought his two subordinates to black heaven to hunt soul beasts. ^{ch. 1968}

Old Man Zheng Yuan offers to stay and help, but Spectral Soul says he alone is sufficient and has tasks for them. Back then he expended his assets to refine sovereign immortal fetus Gu and left it for Fang Yuan to create a complete otherworldly demon. Since fate Gu is destroyed, the plan has succeeded, and the two are to capture Fang Yuan alive so he can be refined back into the Gu. To grow stronger Spectral Soul needs the Door of Life and Death, the dream realms and the sovereign immortal aperture. The Door is gone, which disappoints him slightly, but soul beasts can serve instead. Fang Yuan holds the dream realms and the aperture, so he is the first target. ^{ch. 1968}

Old Man Zheng Yuan recalls that Fang Yuan left Heavenly Court right after destroying fate Gu and nobody knows where he went. Spectral Soul answers that the heaven path dao marks left Fang Yuan barely able to save himself. Spectral Soul reasons that Fang Yuan inferred the arrangements in sovereign immortal fetus Gu, so while refining a Gu in the fight, Fang Yuan restricted him with Red Lotus’ method. Red Lotus wanted that too. The two venerables worked together to destroy fate Gu and are enemies again, and Spectral Soul will deal with Red Lotus after Fang Yuan. ^{ch. 1968}

Fairy Zi Wei asks how to find Fang Yuan, whom she could not locate even in Heavenly Court. Spectral Soul cannot sense him either, because his connection to the sovereign immortal body was cut once Fang Yuan absorbed the heaven path dao marks. Spectral Soul orders that Fang Yuan be forced out of hiding. Old Man Zheng Yuan asks how, since Fang Yuan has no attachments to threaten. ^{ch. 1968}

The two are to spread the secret that the aperture annexes immortal apertures to avoid tribulations, which is how Fang Yuan reached rank eight and destroyed fate Gu. Whoever kills him gains countless venerable inheritances and the aperture itself. They are also to announce that the heaven path dao marks leave him without battle strength. Afterwards they are to take the secret treasuries Spectral Soul left, rebuild Shadow Sect with the resources and recruit more members. They are to look for Bai Ning Bing and Hei Lou Lan, Fang Yuan’s subordinates, who may hold clues. ^{ch. 1968}

Spectral Soul says the tides force the five regions’ Gu Immortals to recuperate, the stronger their foundation the longer, so Fang Yuan will lay low for a very long time. The two are unaffected, as former Heavenly Court members who had phantom apertures. Dismissed, they leave quickly. ^{ch. 1968}