Crimson Soul's expression darkened.
"You. Do not even pretend you hold the moral ground over me. You had Fixed Immortal Travel.
And for how long exactly?
How many people have you allowed to die, without lifting a finger?
Because you would not use the Gu. "
He snorted coldly.
"Even if you had refined the Gu yesterday, you could have stopped me from killing Uru Tan He from bringing the Uru Clan to the brink of ruin and saved hundreds of lives.
So, what is your excuse? That you oh-so-coincidentally refined the Gu a minute ago? What a laughable joke!" He shouted as loudly as he could.
Trying to smear the name of the two members of the Heavenly Court.
But they remained indifferent, they stared at him coldly.
"Hmph! Dogs who are about to be put down are always so noisy." Seven Poisons Lord spoke whilst scratching his ear, irritation evident in his face.
He did not try to refute him in the slightest.
Anybody with half a brain could see such an obvious thing, but so what? What difference did it make?
He even sneered inwardly. Who would ever guess that a demonic overlord would say such a ludicrous thing? His desperation was obvious.
But just as this thought reached his head.
Crimson Soul suddenly flickered a crimson aura surged around his body.
His aura had been concealed until the last moment, and when they were distracted, he finished his move.
He charged towards the duo as he let out a primal scream.
Thunder Ghost True Monarch raised her eyebrows, and a tiny smirk appeared on her delicate face.
However, just as the duo prepared for an intense fight.
Crimson Soul suddenly changed direction and flew away.
Even turning himself into a small orb to move faster.
"…"
"…" The two members from Heavenly Court stared at each other, several messages were transmitted silently, and the two chuckled.
They chased after him.
…
The situation surrounding the over a hundred Immortals settled, they realized with joy that the Blood Phantoms had grown completely static.
They no longer moved and were on a standby; they purposefully turned into crimson orbs.
That remained floating amidst their apertures eerily, even then, most Immortals were still unable to deal with them.
But at least the situation had stabilized.
Several Immortals stared at each other, especially those who just a few moments ago had listened to Crimson Soul, without speaking a single word.
They all scattered.
While at the moment they had a tremendous advantage, they knew full well that if they dared linger for even a second longer, they would be hunted and captured by Heavenly Court.
People of the Spectral Blood Sect, too, immediately ran away,y heading towards the Heavens.
The remainder of the immortals merely sighed in relief; they had no intention of slowing down.
As the chaotic situation rapidly receded, Crimson Soul was forced to run away.
He felt a peculiar thing.
"My Infamy Gu. Its strength is vanishing." Crimson Soul's orb trembled in rage as he realized the cause.
"Those bastards. They are recording everything in Treasure Yellow Heaven."
Reputation and Infamy Gu were a pair of Gu that were, at least in comparison to other Gu, easier to increase in rank.
Being their main material, merely the emotions others felt towards them.
Of course, other materials had to be added, but they were few; furthermore, the refinement of the Gu itself was rather trivial, as long as you added in the right materials, even if the technique was sloppy, you had almost a 100% of refinement rate.
Still. While they were easier to rise in Rank, they were also far more unstable than other Gu's.
For example, every time one used Reputation Gu, one could move faster than with any other Gu from the same Rank; every breath in which Reputation Gu was used would deflate the Gu.
To return it to its previous condition, one would need to accumulate enough reputation, worse off if one overused the Gu, depleting its 'reputation' entirely, the Gu would automatically regress in Rank!
While the process of raising the Gu in Rank was comparatively easier than with other Gu's, it was no easy by any means; if you made a single misstep, everything could go wrong.
The weakness that impaired Reputation Gu also impacted Infamy Gu heavily.
Worse off, whilst sustaining Reputation Gu was easy, Infamy Gu required the user to commit crimes everywhere, creating a million enemies, for seemingly no reason.
The only reason why Crimson Soul pursued such an unstable Gu was simply that he had no other choice.
Amidst the myriad of thoughts, suddenly.
His pupils widened.
A harpoon materialized from Thunder Ghost's True Monarch, aiming at the blood core.
As it directly collided with the core, there was some trembling within.
Several tiny cracks appeared in its surface, and it released a pinkish substance.
A corrosive gas rapidly leaked out, spreading everywhere, but she did not care in the slightest.
Thunder Ghost's True Monarch merely smiled lightly at him.
Whilst she did not kill him in one blow, the tiny wound in the core was more than enough to use as leverage.
With a simple gesture, she pulled backwards the harpoon, dragging alongside it, Crimson Soul.
But Crimson Soul would not allow it.
[Blood and Sweat] The blood core began to spin rapidly; from its surface, several drops of a red liquid were shot.
Like a million of tiny bullets towards her.
Thunder Ghost True Monarch retreated, whilst she was more than confident in her understanding of Soul Path, her knowledge regarding Blood Path was too flawed.
However, whilst Crimson Soul was busy attacking, another Killer Move was unleashed.
A toxic gas cloud surrounded him from every direction.
Crimson Soul had no way to evade it, so instead he directly rammed ahead.
As he touched the poisonous gas, his core rapidly began to melt; the corrosive substance damaged the core and made him bleed even more violently.
The cloud also acted as a barrier preventing him from advancing, but Crimson Soul held on.
Forcefully, he made his way through the poisonous cloud, but just as he was about to get away.
Lightning struck the core, pushing him back.
Crimson Soul roared unwillingly.
In his desperation, he finally made a choice.
Infamy Gu's effect is activated.
Black lines sprout across the blood core like veins, and the blood core rapidly grew inflated.
Thunder Ghost True Monarch's eyes slightly widened, and the purple lighting coming out of her fingertips suddenly turned black.
She retracted her hand before it was too late.
Even so, the backlash still ended up burning her hands slightly.
"A petty person avenges even the smallest of grudges. I guess this Gu uses the same principle to retaliate using my Killer Move."
The ability was rather annoying, she frowned.
But her expression did not waver in the slightest.
On the contrary, she attacked even more violently.
She laughed maniacally.
"What a great move! But. I am very curious, just how many times can you employ it?"
Crimson Soul, of course, did not reply to his body, which even now had turned into an orb kept charging ahead, ignoring everything.
Thunder Ghost True Monarch snorted coldly.
"Hmph! You won't say, don't worry, I will figure the answer myself."
She raised her arm and unleashed intense flashing lights.
Her arms trembled violently.
However, the armor surrounding her body protected her from the pain.
Not only that, but she made use of hundreds of Gu to heal herself whilst keeping the flow steady.
Strong enough to steadily deplete Infamy Gu but not strong enough to kill her in the act.
Whilst she provided chip damage, Seven Poison Lord kept hindering and delaying, whilst also putting deadly traps for Crimson Soul to step into.
Yet.
No matter how many traps he employed, Crimson Soul persisted.
His soul was dimming and growing more and more minute; he was rapidly losing his strength, yet he held on.
Moving forward tirelessly.
At a certain point.
He was unable to hold on.
His blood core revealed far too many signs of cracking. Without any other choice, he purposefully reversed the transformation, revealing his human body once more.
He was panting heavily.
His body looked covered in wounds, whilst his gaze looked empty.
The tearing in his soul was far too extreme; he was nearing his limits.
Yet there was a faint smile on his face.
He stretched his hands widely as he exclaimed.
"You failed!"
Thunder Ghost True Monarch and Seven Poison Lord stopped upon hearing those words; they stared at him warily.
Soon after. King Crimson manifested from thin air.
And then.
He teleported once more.
But this time, he headed towards Jade Dragon River.
And as he stepped onto it.
A hidden formation suddenly triggered, countless of Gu appeared.
Creating a red-purple barrier at the same time.
At the very center of the Formation, one could see a strange fissure.
From which a gentle breeze slowly came out.
Without any hesitation, Crimson Soul jumped into the fissure.
Thunder Ghost True Monarch and Seven Poison Lord, who looked anxious instants ago, immediately relaxed.
They smiled at each other.
"Is just like the Heaven Overseer Lord said." Seven Poison Lord chuckled.
"But what else did you expect? She is a Great Grandmaster in Wisdom Path?" Thunder Ghost shrugged nonchalantly.
"Heh-Heh. Even so, it is rather scary how easily he was schemed by. No, how easily he is being schemed by."
"Indeed. He believes himself to be so powerful. How would he react if he were to know that he has only gotten this far because we have allowed him to?" She smiled devilishly.
Heavenly Court was in a dangerous position, after enduring the SS's era, whilst they conserved a considerable portion of their wealth, their top forces were mostly gone.
And most of the remaining ones were already one foot in the grave, resting in the graveyard of Heavenly Court, barely clinging to life.
They could only be used during rare moments, such as this.
Whilst the remaining ones could not act freely, as they had to keep the region under watch.
So, what could they do?
"He believes himself to go against us, and yet so far all he has done is to act as our hidden sword.
No matter how hard he tries to avoid it, he's just another pawn to be used and discarded by us." Seven Poison Lord smirked.
He touched his chin.
"Of course. A good sheep needs to be herded from time to time. With Fate damaged, the world has gone unpredictable.
And so, to ensure he does not stray from the path we settled for him, we need to guide him in the right way once in a while."
He laughed heartily.
Infamy Gu was a rather powerful tool, one that they would never allow. Of course, the other actions Crimson Soul made were with their tactic permission.
Especially the weakening of the Uru Clan.
"Now that they are so desperate, there's little doubt that they will join the Central Continent." Thunder Ghost True Monarch chuckled to herself.
Seven Poison Lord smiled.
"Of course. This has been foreseen by the Heaven Overseer Lord. Still. We need to move now, whilst we want him alive. We do not want to make it too obvious.
If he knows that we won't kill him, he may grow even bolder in the future."
Whilst the two communicated with each other, less than three seconds had passed in the outside world.
As for the Formation?
The Formation looked deadly, emitting strange lights and rare fluctuations. Moreover, there were countless concealing Gu emitting intense light, revealing that there were dozens of thousands of Gu hidden.
That, plus the strange movements and patterns, made it look mysterious and intimidating.
As if a single misstep could lead to death.
But Heaven Overseer lord had already deduced the truth.
It was just a paper tiger.
Meant to barely intimidate and look tough.
Not to stop the enemies but merely to make them hesitate, whilst Crimson Soul slipped away using the time fissure.
Seven Poison Lord and Thunder Lord True Monarch jumped together at the fissure.
…
As they jumped onto it, they witnessed the beauty of the zone.
Beneath their feet, there was a pal,e almost crystal clear water, from which a faint scent of spring or grass could be felt.
Despite looking like water one could effortlessly walk through it, at the same time.
Ahead of their path, they could see a pathway of True Sunflowers decorating the area, like a million of torches.
(True Sunflowers were explained before; they look like sunflowers except that they shine brightly like the sun.)
Moreover, the way ahead looked like a narrow tunnel; around them, there was the same crystal-clear water.
Making a tube-like shape.
At the same time, there was a soft breeze that was driving their bodies forward.
As to where they were?
They were in the River of Time, of course.
Yet. This zone looked utterly different from the segments; it was the Spring River Segment.
An area made by an ancestor of the Qin Clan, which was composed of similar segments, several narrow tubes connecting several areas, at several points, one could see similar fissures from which one could pass.
Effectively, there were hundreds of zones one could go through.
It was similar to the Spaceless Tunnels that Thieving Heaven produced.
By walking just a few kilometers, one could traverse thousands of kilometers in the world outside, using the weird geometry.
And indeed.
The creator, who was the ancestor of the Qin Clan, was greatly inspired by Thieving Heaven's actions and wanted to replicate them through Time Path.
He killed every creature, every plant in its way, and began to build this channel of tunnels to pass through.
Still, unlike Thieving Heaven, he had never been able to complete it.
The Qin Clan Ancestor died filled with endless regret; despite trying for centuries, he only managed to crave a few hundred points during his lifetime.
He urged the future generations to maintain the tunnel, as well as to expand it further.
But nobody did.
It was such a thankless process, with no end in sight; furthermore, it was not a one-time payment, the walls needed to be maintained over time, a price that would only grow greater as the tunnel was expanded further.
Especially because it had one weakness that others would exploit, once it grew large enough.
Crimson Soul frowned; he turned his head as he observed the duo.
"Hmph! You want to kill me, but do you think I will make things easy for you?"
Without hesitation, he turned to his left.
And with his full strength.
He unleashed a devastating Killer Move.
His attack was overwhelmingly mighty and piercing, yet the bloodstream only managed to create a small fissure in the 'tunnel.'
Even so.
As this tiny bit of the tunnel cracked, suddenly.
The fissure expanded further and further still, and the tides of the river of time began to descend violently.
Crimson Soul flew away.
"Do you still want to chase after me?" He snickered.
If the two dared, they could easily be drowned by the River of Time.
And whilst it was still possible to work their way out, it was not an easy thing once they got trapped.
Nobody would take such a pointless risk.
Even so, his heart bled.
He was being forced to destroy one of his escape routes; how could he not feel pain?
But just while he was thinking this, his eyes suddenly widened.
At the end of the passage, just ahead of another time fissure.
There was another Rank 8 Immortal who was staring at him with his arms crossed.
Smirking widely.
"Sorry. You underestimated how thorough our preparations were."
As he spoke those words.
The sharp sword of the man was unsheathed.
A devastating sword strike was unleashed towards Crimson Soul.
Who gulped.
He raised his arms to block, but it proved pointless.
His body was sliced in half.
Yet.
His body kept twitching.
His lower limbs, which had been detached from his torso, ran towards the swordman, trying to block him.
Whereas Crimson Soul turned to the left and said.
"There's already a fissure here for a lack of maintenance, as long as I can grasp it." He gulped.
Even if he escaped, his chances of survival were dim.
Yet what other choice did he have?
To stay here was a near-guaranteed death.
He roared, punching through.
And forcing his way out.
Immediately, he was bombarded by the chaotic river of time, assaulting him from all sides.
He screamed in agony.
Using his Rank 8 Cultivation, he was barely able to withstand it.
Yet, despite everything, he kept forcing his way through, desperately trying to escape from the swordman and the other immortals from heavenly court by swimming even deeper into the river of time.
The swordman merely shook his head.
"If he were not such a demon, I would actually feel sorry for him. Oh well. Is not as if he's going to die anyway.
In just 3 short days, he should coincidentally find another exit. Heh." He chuckled to himself; he was about to step away, entering into the time fissure to return to the five regions.
Yet.
His pupils suddenly shrank.
From seemingly nowhere.
A Rank 9 presence was suddenly felt.
His eyes widened, and he looked beneath his feet.
And saw a strange cicada moving its wings and swimming upwards, towards them.
Or rather.
Towards Crimson Soul.
The cicada opened its mouth, and like a black hole, it devoured all the surrounding water on its way.
Crimson Soul, who was nearby, widened his eyes in bewilderment.
Why was a Rank 9 Gu exactly swimming towards him?
And since when was there even a Rank 9 Gu in the River of Time?
The same question appeared in the Heavenly Court members, as well as the Immortals in Treasure Yellow Heaven, which even now kept recording the miserable state of Crimson Soul.
Crimson Soul's eyes widened.
"The Gu seems to feed on the water of the river of time, but because it is a Rank 9 Gu. It eats such an overwhelming amount of water that it produces a vacuum wherever it is.
Moreover. As it produces a Rank 9 aura, it should also scare off all the Immemorial Desolate Beasts that can be found in most places of the river of time."
A wide smile appeared on his face.
"Truly, the Heavens always leave a way for man! I may have lost the chance to gain a Rank 8, but today, I also have won a Rank 9 Gu! Hahaha!"
He laughed heartily; the Gu who, for some unknown reason, had approached him was grasped in his two hands.
Then.
Using that same Gu, he swam his way through, ignoring everything in his way.
Leaving the audience stunned.
How could somebody have such a dogshit luck?
…
The only one who had even the faintest clue of what could be stood there petrified.
"Is that…Spring Autumn Cicada?" Kao Dao Ji exclaimed.