After obtaining the Divine Travel Gu, Fang Yuan directly placed it into his second aperture.
Although this second aperture—now a miniature blessed land—sounded formidable, in reality, it was neither particularly strong nor weak. Its time flow was 1:1, meaning time inside passed the same as the outside world. Fang Yuan couldn't enter the aperture anyway, so this limitation didn't bother him much. That was one of its drawbacks.
However, a significant advantage was its ability to produce over a hundred beads of immortal essence each day.
At first glance, this seemed incredibly powerful. But the real secret lay in its time flow manipulation—the aperture could slow time to the minimum, allowing it to function more like a traditional aperture that continually produced immortal essence, similar to how primeval essence once worked, until it reached capacity.
The conditions for advancing this aperture were both simple and complex. To upgrade it to the next level and generate higher-tier immortal essence, one had to evolve their vital Gu to the next rank within the aperture. If someone knew the recipe for the next rank, they could progress swiftly; otherwise, they might remain stuck at their current level for life.
Interestingly, the recipe wasn't originally his. It was something a future otherworldly demon would develop. Fang Yuan, however, had refined it—eliminating most of its flaws and turning it into one of the most coveted Immortal Gu in the coming 700 years.
As these thoughts crossed his mind, he glanced toward the group of captives with a smirk.
Among them were two individuals destined to become future venerables. But Fang Yuan doubted they'd reach that status in this timeline.
He was determined to rewrite the mistakes of his past.
"It's time," Fang Yuan murmured, eyes fixed on them.
...
Bai Ning Bing pounded the light cage surrounding him with all his might, but his efforts barely made a dent. His knuckles bled from the force of the strike, but the injury quickly healed due to his Northern Dark Ice Soul Physique.
"Why? Just... why?" he muttered in frustration, unable to comprehend why he couldn't defeat defeat Fang Yuan who is only Rank 4.
Around him, others in their own cages were struggling to break free, each of them trying and failing to escape. But one person stood out— a girl who sat quietly in her cage, eyes closed, seemingly in the midst of cultivation.
She had skin as white as snow, a straight nose, and red lips that contrasted beautifully with her slanted eyes, which held a sharp, lightning-like gleam. Her golden brows were long and thin, and a small red birthmark rested in the center of her forehead. Her beauty was striking, almost otherworldly.
While everyone else was panicking or screaming in fear of the dark, she remained calm, seemingly indifferent to it all. She wasn't just meditating—she was also tracking the time, counting the minutes since she was captured.
As others around her cried out in terror, she seemed unfazed, her expression serene, as though the darkness didn't concern her. Then, a voice echoed through the dark, breaking her silence.
"Look! Light!"
"Someone's being taken out!"
"Wait, let me out! Let me out!"
The voices shouted angrily, but the girl merely furrowed her brow, contemplating, before the darkness once again consumed their surroundings.
With a soft murmur, she noted, "It's been five hours."
This girl, unmoved and focused, was none other than Feng Jin Huang.
Feng Jin Huang wasn't sure who had claimed the inheritance, but one thing was certain: Gu Immortals would come to rescue them. That certainty kept her calm, even as she remained trapped in her cage. What puzzled her, however, was how someone had managed to obtain the inheritance in just three weeks. She had still been at the foot of the mountain when the inheritance was taken—how had anyone reached it so quickly?
Her mind grappled with the impossibility of it. She couldn't wrap her head around it.
As time dragged on, she watched as one person after another was taken from their cages, leaving only darkness behind. The uncertainty of what was happening outside terrified the others. Their cries shifted from desperate pleas of "Let me out!" to fearful shouts of "Save me!"
The passing hours seemed to weigh heavier on the others, growing more suffocating with each minute. One by one, the captives were taken, and Feng Jin Huang soon found herself the last person left in her cage.
Without realizing it, over twelve hours had passed since she was imprisoned. Beads of sweat began to form on her brow, but not from heat or fear. There was a subtle, creeping tension in her expression, the kind that comes with the unknown. What had happened to the others? Where were they? Her mind churned, but the answers remained out of reach.
Just as the tension inside her reached its peak, a beam of light appeared, illuminating her cage. It lifted her, and she was moved into the Dang Hun Mountain Palace. There, seated before her was a young man in white robes. His black hair cascaded like ink, and his deep black eyes stared at her with an unsettling indifference, his hand resting thoughtfully on his cheek.
Feng Jin Huang glared at the young man, shouting, "You scoundrel!"
"Do you even realize where you are?" she demanded. "This is Hu Immortal Blessed Land, a place coveted by the ten great sects of the central continent."
"If you know what's good for you, you'll release us!"
Just as she spoke, she noticed the light cage around her had shattered, freeing her. But before she could act, she saw the young man stand up from his seat and walk slowly toward her.
She tried to summon her Gu Worms, but immediately realized she couldn't use them at all.
"Turn around!" he commanded.
"What?" Feng Jin Huang shouted, but the young man was already standing in front of her.
He was a head taller than her, and with a stern expression, he repeated, "Turn around!"
Before she could protest, he placed his hand on her shoulder, forcing her to turn around.
"You..." she started to say, but then she heard the sound of fabric ripping from behind her.
The young man had torn her back dress apart with his hands, and her phoenix coronet was ripped off in the process.
For the first time, Feng Jin Huang felt a surge of fear. She stammered, "You... You can't do this!"
But the young man had already placed his warm hand on her bare back while she barely managed to cover her front with the torn fabric.
Then, the young man shifted one hand towards Feng Jin Huang's waist and placed the other on the back of her neck.
"What… What do you think you're doing?" she asked, her voice trembling with fear.
She couldn't bring herself to imagine what he intended to do, and she wanted desperately to turn around, to confront him and demand an explanation. But his strength was overwhelming. She couldn't move, barely managing to keep her clothes from falling apart completely.
He then removed his hand from her neck and placed it on her side, his fingers brushing against her breasts.
The unexpected touch sent a shock through her, and tears started to form in her eyes. She yelled, "You bastard, I'll kill you!"
But before she could do anything, his other hand, which had been resting on her waist, shifted to her breasts and then moved to her back.
"You… I'll kill you!" Feng Jin Huang screamed in fury.
Then, an emotionless voice came from behind her. "Too noisy."
With that, a hand strike landed on her neck, and she heard a sharp crack before everything faded to black.
As darkness consumed her, a last thought crossed her mind, "Dad, save me!"