Moments ago,
A 'fake' body of Fang Yuan had just appeared in the Central Continent when ominous clouds began gathering in the sky.
The imposter looked up and showed an expression of terror.
Inside Yellow Treasure Heaven, the real Fang Yuan was controlling this false body, attempting to mimic human expressions through it.
Although he didn't quite get the expression he intended, what did appear on the fake's face resembled fear of the incoming tribulation—fitting enough. Meanwhile, the real Fang Yuan remained composed and focused inside the grotto-heaven.
He tried to move the puppet body, but its actions were stiff and awkward. When he commanded it to run, it stumbled and fell.
Boom!
A deafening crack of thunder echoed as lightning shot down from the sky, striking the fake Fang Yuan.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
One bolt after another rained down on him. Fang Yuan, seemingly helpless, appeared to be using Gu to flee.
As soon as the Immortal Gu aura was released, a formless hand suddenly emerged from the sky and merged with the lightning.
Then—Boom!
The combined lightning struck again, entering his aperture and destroying every Immortal Gu within.
Boom! Boom!
The relentless barrage continued. Fang Yuan's face was burnt, his skin torn and bleeding. He lay there, completely motionless, unable to even stand. His soul began to drift from his broken body in a desperate attempt to flee.
Suddenly, a much more powerful bolt descended, targeting the escaping soul. It obliterated most of it—but not entirely. A fragment managed to survive, and as it tried to flee, the thunderclouds above began to dim and fade away.
Just as the soul fragment was about to escape—
A voice pierced through the sky:
"There you are, you bastard!"
...
Feng Jiu Ge, who was roaming near the borders of the Saint Wall, suddenly noticed dark clouds gathering in the distance and muttered to himself, "A Heavenly Tribulation."
Curious, he headed toward the scene.
But when he arrived, he discovered the tribulation had already ended—and the person who had undergone it now lay still, lifeless on the ground.
As he approached the body, he noticed something strange—the man looked like Fang Yuan, though much older in appearance.
At once, anger surged through Feng Jiu Ge. Upon confirming it really was Fang Yuan, he spotted a soul fragment trying to flee and shouted furiously, "There you are, you bastard!"
He immediately seized the fragment of the soul, then picked up the corpse. Studying it carefully, he muttered, "So he actually managed to ascend and become a Gu Immortal… But where's his blessed land?"
After inspecting the aperture, he realized it had been completely destroyed. The blessed land no longer existed.
Laughing out loud, he exclaimed, "Hahaha! The heavens truly reward the virtuous!"
"Not only did you suffer divine punishment, but you also lost your body and your blessed land. Now, you're nothing more than a dead mortal."
"Hahahaha!" he continued to laugh, eyes fixed on the soul fragment with cold disdain.
"If I'd arrived just a moment later, you might have escaped. But now..." He let out a cold snort, turned his back on the broken soul, and dashed toward the nearby city.
With Fang Yuan's death and corpse, his daughter's future was finally secured.
"Feng'er, your father has avenged you." he thought, as he made his way toward his wife's blessed land.
"Now, you can torment this demonic soul however you please—and once again shine brightly in this world,"
....
Fang Yuan coughed up a mouthful of blood and shot a cold glance at the treasure spirit. "Let's begin the refinement. I don't have time to waste."
Without delay, the treasure land spirit activated the semi-finished materials inside the cauldrons and began channeling white litchi immortal essence into them.
"Two drops into that cauldron. Over there, three drops. And for that one—ten," Fang Yuan ordered calmly.
He continued giving precise instructions, and the land spirit followed every command with mechanical efficiency.
"After three seconds, extract all the immortal essence from that cauldron."
The treasure spirit obeyed, and within moments, a round, insect-like Immortal Gu began to take form.
"Now, add the rhino horn to that one," Fang Yuan pointed at another cauldron, continuing the sequence.
In under three hours, over fifty Immortal Gu were successfully refined under Fang Yuan's direction. Once the process was complete, he sat down atop Dang Hun Mountain, using Guts Gu to restore his soul after the exhausting mental strain.
That day, Fang Yuan remained unaware of one critical detail he had overlooked—an omission that, in just a few days, would not only upend his own fate but plunge the entire Gu World into calamity.
....
"Dad!" Feng Jin Huang cried out, her eyes widening as she saw the bloodstains on her father's robes.
But Feng Jiu Ge shook his head calmly. "It's not my blood. Don't worry."
He tossed a lifeless corpse at her feet. The body hit the ground with a dull thud.
"Let the world know," Feng Jiu Ge declared, his voice firm.
"You, my daughter is a prodigy—and once a prodigy, always a prodigy."
"We'll announce Fang Yuan's death tomorrow. And you, Feng Jin Huang, will walk the world once more with your head held high."
From a short distance, Bai Qing eyed the corpse and frowned. "Strange. The body doesn't show any wounds or blood... so where did the stains on your robe come from?"
Feng Jiu Ge waved it off. "Don't concern yourself with such details."
"As we all suspected, Fang Yuan either had powerful allies or terrifying enemies. On my way back, more than ten Gu Immortals intercepted me. Five of them were even Rank 8."
Both Bai Qing and Feng Jin Huang drew in a sharp breath.
Feng Jiu Ge continued, "I managed to injure one of them—his blood got on me. The others didn't attack. Instead, I negotiated a deal to ensure my safe return."
"What kind of deal?" Bai Qing asked, narrowing her eyes.
Feng Jiu Ge replied flatly, "I gave them Fang Yuan's soul fragment. That was all they wanted. Once they had it, they left."
"They were clearly demonic Gu Immortals. Judging by their reaction, Fang Yuan must had some powerful secrets. They must be trying to extract information from his soul… or simply torment it."
He paused, then added under his breath, "This man made a lot of enemies."
Seeing the worry on Feng Jin Huang's face, he reassured her, "Don't worry. He's truly dead. Even they won't be able to bring him back or recover anything from that fragmented soul."
"You can now cultivate in peace. No more rumors of revenge or unfinished business—with Fang Yuan's body in our hands, no one can question your honor."
He placed a hand on her shoulder, pride shining in his eyes.
"This is your era now, Feng Jin Huang."