Qinyang and Bao Zhi quickly found themselves in a difficult position. The hostile gu immortals at Red Lotus' wedding encircled them with no way to break through.
They were about to be captured. Just with Fairy Liang Xian's rank six strength it was impossible to resist or escape these rank eight experts.
Bao Zhi raised his hand with Love gu in his grasp but Love gu did not activate.
"It truly is unreliable." Bao Zhi took another glance at Qinyang before he tightened his grasp.
A violent aura erupted as Bao Zhi crushed the rank nine Love gu!
The gathered gu immortals stopped in their tracks with varying expressions of shock and confusion.
The ground began to tremble, pillars swayed and walls crumbled.
Qinyang felt a strong gust of wind on her face, but when she observed closely, it wasn't wind, but the world itself was dissolving all around instead.
Fairy Liang Xiang's figure turned to mist before her eyes.
Bao Zhi's words lingered for a short moment.
"As expected. Without Love gu, the dream realm cannot progress. Let's try one more time."
This round of the dream realm's exploration has failed.
Qinyang and Bao Zhi once again returned to their sampan boat on the surface of the artificial secluded domain of heaven and earth made by Old Time Fisher Immortal.
With the recordings from Qinyang, they began to formulate a new plan.
"That person who becomes Red Lotus in the dream is a huge obstacle." Qinyang began.
"Can we ignore him and complete the scene regardless?"
"I'm not sure what the condition is to complete that scene. But we know that Love gu is necessary. The problem is that Red Lotus should also be involved, right? If he won't act accordingly or refuse cooperation, then we are stuck."
Bao Zhi nodded. "Seeing the other contestant's attitude at the beginning, that is very likely." He added. "We will get rid of that person who becomes Red Lotus in the wedding scene."
"You can tell who it is? Could we strike him down right now?"
Bao Zhi shook his head.
Even if he knew who it was, this river water greatly restricted his combat capabilities, it was very unlikely they could eliminate a gu immortal in these conditions.
"The stage of Silver Wind Valley should be better. There are very few characters there, most of them are probably embodied by someone. While they are still unaware and immersed in the dream realm, that is our opportunity."
"Right! We don't need to know who's who, we will eliminate all of them!" Qinyang understood the opportunity of this.
"Precisely."
Silver Wind Valley
Qinyang's killer move made with the Electric Brain gu from Thieving Heaven's Golden Read Armor inheritance activated within Bao Zhi's aperture.
He awoke in the body of the grey robed wood path gu master for the second time.
"Fighting them head on is futile." He already knew that from the recordings of the previous round. "But there is a proven way that kills everyone in this valley."
Bao Zhi released a letter gu just like before. But this time the contents were different.
He didn't leave his hiding spot and waited for the intended effect.
"Here it comes."
He and Zhou Yang vanished in a blink, instantly arriving before Red Lotus' figure, floating and restricted in mid-air.
"What is the meaning of your message? How is this deviation in events possible?" Red Lotus asked in a low voice.
"The cause is you, yourself." Bao Zhi pointed at Red Lotus. "You are the reason I'm able to tell this to you. The Spring Autumn Cicada works, but there is a flaw preventing you from making any changes to history."
Red Lotus didn't have to guess, he already knew this. "Fate gu governs all outcomes of the world, this is hardly a secret." Red Lotus' eyes narrowed, but then his brows raised in curiosity. "Unless you..."
"Indeed, there is a way." Bao Zhi interrupted Red Lotus. "But first, my fate is entangled with these people here. You need to kill them."
"No please don't! I don't know anything! I- I will not reveal this to anyone." Zhou Yang pleaded for his life frantically.
"Not you." Bao Zhi chided. "It's enough to scare him to death. That's why I wrote to bring him here. But the rest of them have to die in the valley. When my threads of fate begin to loosen, then I will be able to tell you the second part of the message that you sent from the future."
Red Lotus decided immediately, what were these mortal lives worth if he could succeed in changing history and save his loved ones?
His gaze swept across Silver Wind Valley and all gu master lives perished.
This was the might of a young venerable!
Bao Zhi breathed out in relief. "Now I can finally tell you. With true love you will be able to activate Love gu. It is its power that will let you resist Fate gu."
The scenery was already changing by the time he said that.
Second stage, Emperor City
Bao Zhi readied himself to embody Fairy Lian Xiang and control the Sun and Moon Temple immortal gu house.
But to his surprise, he found himself already standing within the inner court among some other gu immortals.
This development greatly shocked him, yet he maintained his calm gu immortal disposition outwardly.
He observed the gu immortals who accompanied him, they were all rank eight gu immortals, but this was his first time seeing them.
"My character in the dream realm has changed!"
Laughter, soft and dignified, rippled through the gathering of gu immortals.
Clusters of gu immortals stood in quiet conversation, their robes swaying like calm waters.
"Who would have thought," This gu immortal stroked his long red beard, smiling faintly. "That I would have the fortune to witness our Heavenly Court's third immortal king's wedding ceremony."
Bao Zhi did not recognize this person.
"This truly is the blessing of humanity. I remember his birth caused an earth-shaking tribulation that took the three of us to stop." The other man speaking appeared elderly, with kind eyes and a benevolent expression.
His eyebrows were especially peculiar, like two long roots, extending from his brow all the way down to his chest.
He was Duke Mei.
"Hong Ting has such an unprecedented potential, words can hardly express it. Even among all the venerable seeds. Simply astonishing! Isn't this so, Duke Tong?"
Duke Mei turned towards Bao Zhi, who stood to the left.
Duke Tong was a middle-aged man with an extremely robust build. His skin resembled bronze, emitting a cold metallic sheen. He was as steady as a mountain and as deep as an ocean, like an indestructible pagoda, unmoved even if heaven and earth trembled, indifferent to wind, rain, thunder, and lightning.
Bao Zhi cleared his throat. "He is favored by human path fortune itself. His innate luck is so dense that it has actually condensed into a red lotus shaped birthmark, visible to the naked eye! He is not just a seed, but absolutely a future immortal venerable! Our Heavenly Court did not waste its efforts to nurture him." Bao Zhi said, his voice filled with emotion meanwhile he carefully studied the others' reactions.
Duke Long nodded thoughtfully, his expression was hard to read.
"Seeing the three dukes of Heavenly Court and the young immortal venerable, oh! It fills my heart with warmth and hope for the future."
"You flatter us, we might have the same title, but compared to Duke Long, I am merely a twinkling star." Duke Mei coughed, inadvertently drawing back the attention. "An old injury. I shouldn't have woken up, but I won't rest easy if I miss this historic event. I'm sure Duke Tong feels the same."
Duke Tong and Duke Mei have suffered severe injuries when they fought the tribulation at Red Lotus' birth, the two of them left Duke Long as Heavenly Court's leader before they chose to recuperate in hibernation.
Bao Zhi listened intently, playing his part as Duke Tong when needed.
"It seems I became Duke Tong, a member of Heavenly Court and this person seems to have a very high seniority."
When he tried to inspect his immortal aperture, sure enough, there was none!
Heavenly Court's gu immortals have severed and merged their rank eight grotto heavens into Heavenly Court's grotto heaven the moment they joined. They received phantom apertures that could hold immortal essence and their gu worms when they had to go out into the five regions and two heavens.
Bao Zhi only took a cursory glance at the rank eight and seven metal path immortal gu within the phantom aperture.
"What a peculiar creation!" However he couldn't help but be fascinated by the ingenuity of the phantom aperture instead.
It was common knowledge, that fighting Heavenly Court's gu immortals were futile. Their corpses did not leave grotto heavens behind to loot or annex, and there would be no spoils for the winner as the phantom aperture would return all immortal gu back to Heavenly Court.
But the specifics of the phantom aperture were shrouded in mystery for outsiders. This was one of Heavenly Court's great secrets!
In the following hours, Duke Tong became even more taciturn than usual, conversing less and less in this grand event.
* * * * *
Time Fisher Grotto
"Returning Moment Pool..." Old Time Fisher Immortal's will slowly repeated the name, as if savoring the last bite of a delicacy.
"Creating all this, so what is your plan now?" It asked his main body as the two of them descended.
The full scale of Returning Moment Pool showed itself. This artificial secluded domain of heaven and earth was Old Time Fisher's proudest creation.
"Gaining complete self-control and independence from the flow of time." He said plainly.
The will had only seen Returning Moment Pool from the top side, now it could see that the bottom side was its mirror image. The water of the upside-down whirlpool has changed direction, its current was spiraling outwards until it joined the top par at its circular edge, completing a cycle.
"I expected nothing less!" The will was shaking with excitement as he put the pieces together in his mind. "So, it really is possible. Finally, finally! How much longer will it take? I want to witness it before I disappear!"
"Not long at all." Old Time Fisher Immortal reassured. "With this many gu immortals captured, it will be done even sooner than I estimated."
"The Returning Moment Pool has already taken over the grotto heaven's tributary, the River of Time can no longer control this space. All that's left are mere formalities and tying up the loose ends."
Old Time Fisher Immortal's aura diminished just as the activation of his killer move came to an end.
"Incredible!" The will was giddy, intently staring at the center of the artificial secluded domain of heaven and earth as the torrential whirlpool swallowed the ice-encased sampan boats, drawing them into the dream realm at the center.
"Now comes the last step." Old Time Fisher Immortal flew ahead as the last of the boats have also disappeared. "The dream realm is now active and the cannon fodder has been swallowed."
"The greedy pigs will meet the butcher block!" His will proclaimed.
Grey robes fluttered in the wind, Old Time Fisher Immortal descended into the whirlpool. "There can be only one winner here. Red Lotus' dream realm will be mine!"
* * * * *
Qinyang found herself kneeling on a red cushion. A strong feeling of nervousness and excitement took hold of her.
"What is this situation? Why am I so tense?" She tried untangling the sensation.
Only after raising her head, could she finally see the situation she was in.
The person in front of her was extremely tall, about nine feet, with a well-built body. He had long and dense black hair that draped behind him like a cloak.
However, the most eye-catching part was this gu immortal's golden-purple eyes and the pair of spiral dragon horns on his forehead, which seemed to shine brightly.
"He is Duke Long!" Qinyang immediately tensed up.
Trying to maintain a calm facade, she scanned the room.
There were other gu immortals present, Duke Long was merely the most eye-catching.
She noticed she had little control over her body.
"Father. Mother." She spoke the words as Duke Long and a female gu immortal that she didn't recognize stepped forward ceremonially.
Only now did she notice the red and gold embroidered qipao dress with dragons and phoenixes that she was wearing.
"I'm in the middle of the tea ceremony! Have I became Red Lotus' bride, Liu Shu Xian?" Her thoughts were racing as she slowly and carefully poured the tea.
She felt the cup's warmth as she offered it with both hands, slightly bowed.
Both gu immortals took the cup and drank the tea.
She felt her eyes sting, holding back tears, as this unknown woman acknowledged her as daughter-in-law.
"So suffocating. This is too much! Stop. Stop it!" She tried to keep a level head, but the moment was too overwhelming. "Don't be drawn in!" She repeated in her mind.
Liu Shu Xian received red envelopes and various gifts as the others present got their turn.
She barely noticed that Red Lotus was also in the room.
He stood there without a real presence, acting our the motions, but his gaze vacantly staring into the distance with a hint of annoyance.
Meanwhile Qinyang's head was spinning, blanking in and out. She was fiercely struggling against the dream realm's power trying to draw her deeper.
At the next moment her head suddenly cleared.
A huge bronze palm touched the back of her hand as she was gifted a small red ornate wooden box.
She looked up and saw a burly man cast of bronze smiling gently.
"You are doing well."
* * * * *