Starlight pierced through Heavenly Court's upper layer, dispersing silently as a figure descended. She wore a white robe, her expression serene, yet every step she took seemed to carry heavy burden.
Star Constellation Immortal Venerable had returned.
Beside her descended a second figure. He wore a red robe which fluttered silently with the wind. Red Lotus Demon Venerable's clone walked silently, his gaze deep and distant.
The immortals of Heavenly Court felt the change immediately. Formations pulsed faintly; Gu Immortals emerged from across the Heavnely Court. Within breaths, the sky was cleared and the court assembled.
Qin Ding Ling arrived first. She wore a plain white robe, her hair tied back tightly. Her gaze flickered between the two figures before she lowered her head and cupped her fists. "Heavenly Court's Qin Ding Ling greets Lord Star Constellation."
[Qin Ding Ling's attire will be changed since it's a hassle to describe her being clad in golden armour everytime. I will try to keep the characters as canon as possible. Also, every bs I've created until now (for eg, Blood Covenant, Blood Embryo and Memory Eclipse Gu etc) will be given a proper explanation which will align with the canon story.]
Her tone held the proper reverence, but a hint of vigilance surfaced when her gaze passed over Red Lotus' figure. This was no ordinary visitor – this was a clone of a Demon Venerable who had once brought destruction upon Heavenly Court.
Star Constellation floated calmly. "He enters for a alliance."
There was no room for dissent.
Qin Ding Ling bowed again, this time more deeply. "As you will, Lord Venerable."
She stood silently for a moment. Then, unable to suppress her doubt, she spoke carefully: "Red Lotus once laid waste to our court. May this subordinate inquire as to the reason why Red Lotus is here?"
The clone of Red Lotus remained silent. He had no intention to justify himself. His flame flickered faintly, but no heat was released. He was here not as an enemy, nor as a friend – but as a necessity.
Star Constellation answered for him. "Fang Yuan now holds two fragments of Memory Eclipse Gu. If left unchecked, he will reach the third. This is a matter that transcends past enmities."
The statement was flat. No emotion, no justification; only logic.
Qin Ding Ling felt a chill run down her spine. The mere fact that Star Constellation would allow Red Lotus to step foot into Heavenly Court again spoke volumes of how severe the situation had become.
"The Memory Eclipse Gu..." Qin Ding Ling hesitated. She had read the records, combed through the ancient annals, and reviewed the secret scrolls preserved since the start of Red Lotus' era. "Its path remains undefined. Its aura slips between soul path, refinement path... sometimes even dream path. The archives state that Red Lotus refined it across countless lifetimes. It was meant to erase his legacy."
Star Constellation did not deny it. "Yes. That is the face of the matter."
She waved her sleeve. A projection formed in midair – faint starlight outlined a half-formed moth, its wings trembling, its body layered with fluctuating dao marks.
"But that is not the truth," she continued.
Qin Ding Ling raised her head. Her brows furrowed slightly.
"This Gu worm," Star Constellation continued, "was not refined to erase the past. Its true function lies somewhere else."
The court fell silent.
Qin Ding Ling felt the weight of the statement.
Star Constellation continued. "Everything will be clear once the time comes."
Northern Plains.
Longevity Heaven.
Within the hidden core of the immortal formation, luck path tides swirled around Giant Sun Immortal Venerable. His brows were furrowed, his palm resting on Light Emperor's chest. The latter's condition had stabilized, but injuries remained severe. The backlash from losing Light Gu had not only damaged Light Emperor's foundation, but also disturbed Longevity Heaven's core formation.
A group of desolate lords and Eight Extremities stood silently nearby.
Yao Huang knelt in place, his head lowered. "Lord, the reconstruction of the light path sub-hall has been delayed. The hall has been corroded with dao marks of other paths..."
[Since Light Emperor was given the task to heal Light Gu, Giant Sun had to construct a light path environment in order to increase the efficiency of Light Gu's recuperation.]
Giant Sun waved his sleeve lightly. "Let it be. Construct a new hall to accommodate Light Emperor."
He stood up slowly. His aura surged for a moment before condensing once more into calm. A faint glint passed through his eyes as he muttered to himself, "Memory Eclipse Gu… the second fragment was already taken. The third one lies in Ashen Grotto. Fang Yuan will go there. As will the others."
He turned toward the sealed abyss beneath Longevity Heaven's altar.
Golden mist coiled along the pit, but beneath it, faint traces of blood-red lightning surged occasionally – an unrefined blood path aura struggling against the suppression of luck.
This was where the clone known as Blood Covenant was being suppressed in for the time being.
Giant Sun's gaze grew heavier as memories resurfaced in his mind.
...
Three hundred thousand years ago.
Medival Antiquity Era.
Post-Giant Sun Era. (Basically the time after the death of Giant Sun)
An old man clad in white robe panted silently near a secluded cave in Northern Plains. He had several severe injuries across his body and his clothes were torn beyond recognition.
Far ahead, a group of Gu Immortals searched deliberately.
"Blood Sea Ancestor, give up on hiding and surrender to the righteous tribes! I swear upon Longevity Heaven that we'll give a new chance to flip over a new coin."
Hearing this, Blood Sea Ancestor gritted his teeth in anger. "Hmph! What righteous tribes, you just want my research results!" He paused. "Damn you, Heavenly Court! I was just a few steps away from creating a new physique when you took action. I'll make sure to pay this grudge twofold!"
Blodd Sea Ancestor's situation grew worse as the Immortals crept closer in search of him.
He hesitated for a moment, but quickly made his decision. "Looks like there's no other choice left."
Woosh!
Cold wind blew past Blood Sea Ancestor as he started to use several space path formations at once. After a few breaths, only the white robe of Blood Sea Ancestor was left on the place.
Seeing that they had missed Blood Sea Ancestor again, the Gu Immortals spat out blood in anger. "That old thing only knows how to escape! Hmph, let's see how long you can flee!"
Near a nameless ridge in Northern Plains.
There was distortion in space as several formations activated in series. After a few breaths, an old man came out of the hall beneath the ridge.
It was Blood Sea Ancestor.
He clenched his fists tightly as he made a decision in his mind.
"I shall go into hibernation to improve my understanding of the new physique... by the time my main body wakes me up from this hibernation, i might've lost my sanity and memories..."
He waved his sleeves as several beasts came out from his aperture. After modifying the environment, he went back into the ridge and sealed himself.
...
Giant Sun looked at the sealed chamber with a look of pity. "He was created from my essence," Giant Sun muttered. "But he no longer follows my will."
A subordinate stepped forward. "Lord, should we begin a new plan to suppress Blood Covenant?"
Giant Sun's eyes flashed. "No. Let him continue. He still requires more time. Once the new physique is near completion, he will resurface. And at that time…" He paused. "I will reabsorb him."
...
Reverse Flow River.
Fang Yuan sat alone within the tributary's deepest node. Formation lights flickered quietly around him. His body floated midair, surrounded by rings of wisdom path formations.
The two fragments of Memory Eclipse Gu had been successfully merged. Yet the fusion was not complete in the absolute sense. There were still ripples of disharmony – traces of dao marks interfering with eachother.
Fang Yuan's pupils flickered with profundity.
He activated investigative methods.
One killer move projected scenes from his past decisions – each arranged in sequential order. Another killer move looked out for potential enemies in his surroundings.
Fang Yuan observed silently.
"Star Constellation's previous choices during the pursuit of the second fragment – she held back at three key junctures. Giant Sun used five killer moves but did not fully activate several of his killer moves. Red Lotus' clone appeared yet did not interfere."
His gaze darkened.
"There's too many gaps."
Within his aperture, tens of Gu Masters started their immortal ancension. At the crucial moment, He Chun Qiu used Stealing Heavenly Secret and asked many questions regarding the development of Fang Yuan's combat system and killer moves.
Fang Yuan was not arrogant enough to believe the world was gifting him good fortune. On the contrary, the smoother things went, the more dangerous they became.
He deactivated the projection and activated an alternate killer move.
His will surged into the tributary's walls. The surrounding mist condensed into figures – remnants of his past self. These were illusions which were created to encroach upon different possibilities. A killer move that allowed him to test possibilities without alerting others.
He replayed the encounter from the second fragment once more.
This time, he altered his own reaction.
Instead of escaping with Reverse Flow River, he chose to directly contend with Giant Sun.
The simulation shattered within moments. Fang Yuan's illusion perished.
He narrowed his eyes. "The only successful sequence... is the one I already walked."
The conclusion was clear.
Memory Eclipse Gu was enforcing a path. One that aligned too closely with his own goals to be coincidence. [Basically means that he's going deeper and deeper into someone's scheme.]
And yet, Fang Yuan's lips curved into a faint smile. "That's fine."
He would continue walking forward. Even if it was into a trap, he would walk into it with eyes open. If Memory Eclipse Gu held deeper mysteries, he would unravel them one layer at a time.
Ashen Grotto was next.
Fang Yuan slowly stood with a satisfied expression on his face.