Gu World, Eastern Sea.
Fang Yuan was engaged in a fierce battle here with the Ten Venerables.
The might of a Venerable was already the pinnacle of the current age. When eleven Venerables fought each other at once, the brutality of the battle was simply unprecedented, shocking the heavens and unrivaled throughout history.
"Fang Yuan, I never expected that you secretly refined so many Rank Nine Immortal Gu. You even planned to seize the moment we were unprepared and refine the entire Gu World into a Rank Ten Eternal Life Gu. If Heaven's Will hadn't warned us, you might really have succeeded," Thieving Heaven Demon Venerable said, looking at Fang Yuan, who was trapped in a bitter struggle, his expression complicated.
He greatly admired Fang Yuan's talent and ability. If he himself had possessed such talent and strength, perhaps he truly could have returned to his original world.
Unfortunately, he did not.
The battle continued. Fang Yuan, wielding numerous Rank Nine Immortal Gu, possessed terrifying combat power. Fighting alone against many, he forced several Venerables into retreat—but those Venerables soon regrouped and charged back in.
After a prolonged battle of attrition, Fang Yuan's immortal essence was nearly exhausted. The same was true for the other ten Venerables.
However, there were ten of them. Their combined recovery speed was ten times that of Fang Yuan.
Even though Fang Yuan possessed the Heavenly Essence Treasure Imperial Lotus and could recover immortal essence far faster than ordinary Venerables, he still could not withstand their overwhelming advantage.
In the end, Fang Yuan was defeated.
Reckless Savage Demon Venerable smashed a fist through his heart, and his vitality rapidly drained away.
He was on the verge of death.
Yet none of the Venerables dared to relax. They stared at Fang Yuan intently, guarding against a final desperate counterattack.
"Hahaha! Hahahahaha!"
At death's door, Fang Yuan suddenly burst into laughter.
"Did you really think I hadn't anticipated the possibility of failure?"
"I've roamed the world for so many years, and I've never believed myself to be invincible. That's why I prepared countermeasures long ago."
"Now! I'll drag all of you—and this entire world—down with me!"
As his words fell, Fang Yuan ended his own life.
At the very instant of his death, violent explosions erupted throughout the Gu World.
The entire world was torn open, and the chaos outside flooded in madly.
"Damn it! Fang Yuan actually prepared something like this. Red Lotus, can you go back to the past through the River of Time?" Reckless Savage Demon Venerable said anxiously to Red Lotus Demon Venerable.
All eyes turned toward Red Lotus.
Red Lotus Demon Venerable shook his head and sighed. "You don't understand the Dao of Time. Even if I explain the difficulty, you wouldn't grasp it. So let me give you an analogy."
"If the River of Time were a wooden table, then I'd be a master carpenter. If the table had a few cracks, I could still find materials and barely repair it."
"It might differ somewhat from before, but it would still function."
"But now the table has been shattered into sawdust. What do you expect me to do?"
With that, Red Lotus spread his hands helplessly.
The assembled Venerables fell into silence.
Within the River of Time, Heaven's Will consumed vast amounts of the world's origin to barely repair the flow of time and once more began reversing it.
During the reversal, Heaven's Will continuously expelled chaos and mended the fractures in the world.
At last, everything was restored to its original state.
Fang Yuan had just been reborn. The ten Venerables were still laying their plans.
The world-destroying explosion seemed never to have occurred.
After accomplishing all this, Heaven's Will was extremely weakened. The evil will it had suppressed for countless years seized the opportunity to erupt, devouring the weakened Heaven's Will.
After a period of consumption and assimilation, Heaven's Will was ultimately replaced by this malevolent will.
The moment it took control of the world, it extinguished Fang Yuan's soul, eliminating the greatest variable in existence.
Yellow Dragon River, on a bamboo raft.
Fang Yuan, gazing at the flowing river, suddenly dimmed in the eyes—then quickly returned to normal.
"After being imprisoned for so many years, I can finally experience life properly," Fang Yuan (the evil will) thought to himself.
After successfully seizing the body, Fang Yuan began sorting through his memories.
"So during the time I was devouring Heaven's Will, the world had already progressed to leaving Qing Mao Mountain—and it's just at the beginning. Not bad."
As he thought this, he glanced at Bai Ning Bing, who was standing on the raft, curiously observing their surroundings.
First time leaving the village.
First time leaving a familiar place.
First time seeing the outside world.
Bai Ning Bing looked around eagerly, filled with curiosity.
Bang!
Suddenly, a dull explosive sound rang out.
"Not good—the rope snapped again."
Bai Ning Bing knew this sound all too well. The river's force was fierce; over the past few days, it had repeatedly torn apart the hemp ropes binding the green spear bamboo.
"Hurry and get more rope. I'll hold this for now!"
Fang Yuan quickly crouched down, pressing both hands against the splitting section to prevent the situation from worsening.
Having devoured Heaven's Will and gained knowledge of the world's past development—along with control over the River of Time—Fang Yuan was now nearly omniscient. He had long known the rope would break, yet he still pretended to panic.
Because he truly wanted to know—
If the Ten Venerables were to discover that the greatest variable they had invested so heavily in, hoping to escape fate, was in fact Heaven's Will itself…
What kind of expressions would they have?
"I'm coming! I'm coming!"
Bai Ning Bing rushed over with the rope and handed it to Fang Yuan.
Fang Yuan worked swiftly, wrapping and tying it down, sweat pouring from his brow. Only after looping several layers did he barely manage to secure it.
Thud.
A faint, muffled sound rang out.
"What was that?" Fang Yuan frowned.
Bai Ning Bing tilted her head, puzzled. "Did you hear something? I didn't hear anything."
Fang Yuan's ears sprouted whisker-like feelers. Almost immediately, the dull sounds came again, one after another, and the bamboo raft began to vibrate slightly.
The dartfish had arrived!
After being attacked by dartfish, the raft was badly damaged. The two barely managed to reach the shore.
They waded through the river and stepped onto the soft sandy bank.
Clutching her wound, Bai Ning Bing collapsed onto the ground. Her face was pale. "If this continues, I'll lose too much blood and die. What Gu do you have for healing? Take it out—now."
Fang Yuan did not respond, only continuing to look her over.
Because of the dartfish attack, much river water had splashed onto Bai Ning Bing, soaking her originally pure white clothes and making them cling tightly to her body.
She had only just transformed into a female body, and many daily necessities were not yet in place. The loose white robe, once unremarkable, now outlined her figure clearly when wet.
Combined with the numerous wounds left by the dartfish, she gave the impression of a peerless female knight, injured and fallen into hardship.
In less wholesome stories, an injured heroine like this often encounters a villain of the demonic path.
Coincidentally, Fang Yuan's cultivation was currently low—only Rank One.
And although Bai Ning Bing had Rank Three cultivation, having lost all her Gu, her combat power was actually inferior to Fang Yuan's, who possessed the strength of two boars.
Given their circumstances, it perfectly matched the plot of certain tales.
But Fang Yuan did not act immediately.
Both of them were injured. If things escalated now, blood would spill everywhere, which would rather ruin the mood.
So Fang Yuan planned to wait until Bai Ning Bing had recovered for a few days before making a move.
"Recovering from injuries only to be violated right after—tragic, really. But for someone like Bai Ning Bing, a murderous demoness, this could count as enforcing heaven's justice. Not that I'm a good person myself," Fang Yuan thought darkly.
Thus, for the next several days, the two rested near the rocky cliffs by the shore, recovering from their injuries and organizing their plans.
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There might some changes in this fanfic that were not in original so that the lemon scene make sense but the overall plot is unchanged.