Crimson Soul stared at the nascent Dream Realm.
His expression was growing complicated.
In reality, a mere Dream Realm initiated by a mere Rank 6 Gu could not stop him, or rather.
If he truly wished to, with a flicker of his hands, he could counterattack and destroy the move, killing the people trapped in the dream realm.
But how could he use Kao Dao Ji and Hui Gui Yu as refinement materials, and how could he interrogate the other personality of Kao Dao Ji if he did?
The only reason why he hesitated was one person.
Le Tu.
"Truth be told…The situation is already extremely favorable to me; if I escape now, even without Black Tainted Soul, I would still win…Under those circumstances, should I cut my losses and kill them all?
Or should I take a risk?
And remain here, waiting until they tire themselves out and can no longer sustain Dreaming Gu?"
He turned his head towards the people of Heavenly Court.
Before chuckling.
"I had my hesitations but…If this is truly the extent of how Heavenly Court prepared against me, I am not afraid."
On the other side.
Thunder Ghost True Monarch stared at Crimson Soul.
In her expression, there was a mix of emotions.
Somebody who could be trampled by her just a few months ago had grown to such a large extent.
Especially somebody who had been nothing but a puppet of them for such a long time.
Yet. She also felt relief.
Those thoughts passed through the minds of everybody in Heavenly Court.
To understand this.
One needs to take a glimpse of the past.
After the era of Spectral Soul ended.
Humanity was in an extraordinarily weak state, whilst Variant Humans were on the rise.
Only because Star Constellation deliberately crippled several geniuses before they could mature did humanity evade such a perilous state.
But every time she did so, she incurred a greater and greater cost.
This could not go on further.
That is when Star Constellation decided to make use of Crimson Soul, a half-otherworldly demon who was empowered by Blood Sea Ancestor, Spectral Soul, as well as secretly reinforced by Giant Sun's Luck Path methods.
She twisted his luck in such a way that his benefits would always intersect with harm against Variant Humans. She enabled him and allowed him to learn several precious secrets, including his methods to inject Killer Moves into the aperture of your opponent.
The environment had already been prepared.
In just a few more decades, Crimson Soul would lead a massive war against several variant human groups, toppling the Kao Clan, as well as the Da Clan, among others.
Whilst also weakening other enemy human forces.
To further reinforce him, Star Constellation once more began to kill potential threats and geniuses who could stop him. (Kao Dao Ji was one such example.)
One only needed to look at the results; the Uru Clan had already been partially annexed by Heavenly Court, and there were so many more opportunities along the way.
Unfortunately, all those plans were ruined.
Spring Autumn Cicada Rank 9 appeared, an existential threat, especially because the Gu seemed uncannily aware of itself.
Considering the Gu's formidable ability to travel back in the past and even seize the bodies of others, the threat of the Spring Autumn Cicada reached its peak.
After all, who could refine a Rank 9 Gu?
Only a Venerable.
And a Venerable born during or after the Great Dream Era, who had mastered the intricacies of the Dream Path, plus who was talented enough to refine a Rank 9 Gu, was a huge threat.
Especially because there was no information. What were their preferred methods? Their goals? Their Cultivation Path? Everything was blank, and that was the most fearsome part.
Furthermore, to travel so far into the past was obviously not done without reason. There had to be some scheme.
And a Venerable born from the future, who possessed a Rank 9 Gu, was simply invincible. She did not believe even a fully mature Le Tu would be able to defeat him, let alone the current one.
Upon adding those pieces.
Star Constellation rearranged many of her original projects, which had been set for decades, and accelerated them.
All that Crimson Soul was supposed to gain in the future was given away for nothing, all but the cost of his arrival.
It was a trap.
A very obvious one.
But the trap was not necessarily meant for Crimson Soul himself, but for the fake 'Red Lotus.'
And no matter how mighty the original owner was, he could surely not defy his master.
And if he could…Then everything was pretty much lost anyway, so there was no point in dwelling on that.
Of course, in the odd chance that Crimson Soul did not appear, there were other arrangements in place.
Heaven's Will could no longer afford to be so freehanded with Le Tu, even though Le Tu was not a human; if needed, she would kidnap him and nurture him to grow as fast as possible!
Only a Venerable could deal with a Venerable after all; only perhaps Kao Dao Ji could give more light about the real origins of 'Red Lotus', and considering that he so kindly put himself in the exact place that Le Tu, they intended to bring him along for questioning.
Still, let us move to the case in which 'Crimson Soul appeared.'
Heavenly Court simply allowed Crimson Soul to premeditatedly get rid of some of humanity's greatest threats in advance, using their flesh and blood as a sweet scent to tempt him to come.
And how much he profited from this is already clear, based on previous events.
Anyhow, moving towards the barrier.
The barrier that trapped Crimson Soul, too, had been created in the perfect way, in which the best, and perhaps only way of escaping was by exploding the Spring Autumn Cicada.
And to sweeten the deal, they even brought in a Dao Guardian for him to kill.
Of course, the most ideal case was finding a way to seize the Spring Autumn Cicada.
There were already some plans set in motion to achieve that, and there were also plans to mitigate the losses in case Crimson Soul tried to explode the Cicada.
But the situation changed rapidly; Crimson Soul's enhanced King Crimson caught them off guard.
What surprised them the most was the suddenness with which he exploded the Cicada, even though he already held the advantage.
Thus, by the time they realized what was happening, they did not have the chance to increase their defenses.
Leading to the current situation.
Of course, another factor why they were so unprepared was the fact that 'Red Lotus ' was not able to stop this.
You, a Venerable, were betrayed by your pawn?
Truth be told, Star Constellation and the others believed that it was only a matter of time until 'Red Lotus' betrayed his inheritor and reversed the situation.
Be it by seizing his body or stealing the body of a member of Heavenly Court.
For the former, those same arrangements could be used; at worst, they could force 'Red Lotus' to detonate his Cicada too.
Without a Rank 9 Gu to reinforce him, even if he was once a Venerable, so what?
Heavenly Court had schemed against Blood Sea and succeeded; they could succeed again.
Regarding the latter possibility, there were some other arrangements, after all, even Spring Autumn Cicada Rank 9 would enter into a state of weakness upon being activated, a moment in which he would be at his weakest.
But in reality.
Star Constellation had already resolved in her heart that, even if she had to sacrifice every single member of Heavenly Court she had brought in here, even if she had to sacrifice Le Tu and let Fate be harmed even further, it would be worth it as long as she killed 'Red Lotus.'
In comparison to what she was ready to lose, their current losses were nothing.
That is why everyone at Heavenly Court felt relief.
Especially because of some miracle.
Kao Dao Ji and the others were able to use a Dream Path Method to save themselves.
Even Star Constellation was surprised by this.
If Kao Dao Ji or Le Tu had been there, they would have wondered why she felt such surprise.
Wasn't she the one who had given them those instructions in that prophecy of hers?
…
…
…
While this happened.
Very, very far away.
There was a cocoon, which began to tremble.
<<<<<<<
A man with black hair stood calmly.
Through his hair, there was a powerful breeze.
He stared at the heavens in melancholy.
The Heavens were twisted; countless clouds were spinning in hypnotic patterns, releasing strange, vibrant colors.
Whilst electricity flowed in the air, hitting the earth.
Producing thunderous quakes.
Beneath his sight, on the ground.
The world itself looked withered, almost utterly devoid of life.
"Spring yields to Summer, until Summer fades to Autumn.
Ashes and time do their part, once that you look back---
You realize that there is nothing left."
"What the hell are you rambling about, you psycho! You are the one who brought things to this state. If you want to repent, then take my move!"
Pink energy gathered in the palms of a woman with hair that shone like a rainbow.
But the man turned his head indifferently.
"Oh, Great Dream, Great Dream. I may have failed in achieving eternal life, but do you truly think…"
He smirked devilishly.
"I did not prepare for such a possibility?"
At that moment.
An ominous feeling reached her.
Black flames sprouted from the heavens above.
"Whilst you were busy with me, my clones made some arrangements in case I failed..."
"You! You are like a child; you'd rather see the world die than accept your defeat." Her expression twisted in rage.
"But what else did I expect from you, demon!" She roared; she did not have the intention of allowing that demon to breathe a single more second.
"I can fix this. And I can also fix all the other damage I've made."
"How? What could you possibly do that could fix this, Fang Yuan?"
The lips of Fang Yuan curled up as he took from his aperture a certain Gu.
Spring Autumn Cicada Rank 8.
The expression of Great Dream twisted upon witnessing the Gu.
She laughed in rage.
"You! You truly want everything to go your way. You ruined everything, and now you want me to help you fix the mess you made.
And even if I did, what is the point of raising it to Rank 9?
Without Fate Gu to stabilize the time current, how can one traverse successfully in the River of Time?"
"Of course, that Gu alone would not suffice. But what if something else stabilized it?"
The pupil of Great Dream shrank as she realized what he was asking.
"Dao Lords possess rather powerful abilities; you of all people should know this. If I were to receive your help, how much more could I accomplish?
Besides, I am not asking for help just from you."
He turned his head once more.
"What do you think, Red Lotus? Do you think this plan is feasible?"
"What is the point of me even saying anything now? The world is already on the verge of death. At this point, all we can do is pray that your plan works…"
Fang Yuan chuckled.
"Right, and what do you think?" The memories turned blurry as he stared at the figure ahead, who had a yellow cloak.
Moving to a different memory.
...
Fang Yuan refined the Immortal Gu; he held it in his palm.
A genuine Rank 9 Spring Autumn Cicada.
He touched the Gu lightly, based on his understanding of Refinement Path, which, needless to say, was rather deep.
The Gu differentiated from the ones of previous Ranks in two aspects.
Unlike the Rank 7 and 8 Spring Autumn Cicada, its Rank would not lower to Rank 6 upon being activated.
It was more like the Rank 6 Spring Autumn Cicada, but instead of lying dormant in an unknown state for years, it would be a mere state of weakness. Akin to a person after going to the gym for 3 hours.
And secondly.
The Gu had a large stomach.
Why did this matter?
Because secretly, without anybody realizing, he put another Gu inside its mouth.
Spring Autumn Success.
His decision seemed stupid.
Spring Autumn Cicada could already accomplish the function of the other Gu, so what was the need of having a lower-ranked Gu that could achieve the same purpose?
Because he did not trust Red Lotus.
To traverse the River of Time, he would need to be aided by Red Lotus and the others, who would join hands together, to let him traverse the river of time.
But how could he believe that things would be so simple?
For all he knew, he would be brought back to the worst possible time, where death was almost guaranteed.
Thus. To prevent this, he planned to use Spring Autumn Success, so even if the worst passed, he would simply go back to the past again!
Of course, he could also have chosen another Gu; unfortunately, only a Rank 8 or lower Ranked Gu could be sent. And only a single one. This was the best he could manage. (Of course, more of the lower ranks could be sent, but it was a subpar choice.)
Naturally, he was aware that this could go wrong; he was almost certain that it would.
But what other choice did he have?
Life is a gamble, and a gamble he would take.
As his resolve firmed, he clenched his fist where the Spring Autumn Cicada was.
Then, his body exploded!
As his consciousness appeared in the River of Time.
His resolve hardened.
Where would he appear? After Fate was destroyed? Before?
Back when he was a zombie? Or when he was a mortal?
But his pupils widened.
No matter how much he advanced, his speed did not decrease; if anything, it kept rising and rising.
Before he realized he had passed the era where he was supposedly born.
And yet.
It still did not stop.
Spring Autumn Cicada kept marching at divine speed!
100 years into the past, 1000, 10000…
Just how far into the past was he being sent?
After such a long road.
The Gu ended in a state of collapse, pushed beyond its limits.
So, he went to slumber.
When he opened his eyes, he took a glimpse of the world.
And had a realization of his surroundings.
Initially, he could not do much.
He could do nothing else but watch and think.
Yet, as the days passed by.
He began to experiment with his new state.
Using the Attainment he had accrued, he slowly discovered how to wield the special characteristics of the Gu to his favor.
He learnt how to swim; he learnt how to 'attack.'
But ultimately, his ability was limited.
A Gu's power without a Master was limited, especially since he could not even trigger his ability; he could only make some use of his feeding ability to his advantage.
Yet despite having no ability, he kept scheming.
He kept pondering.
If I were still a living Gu Master, what kind of Killer Moves could I make?
This was not just an activity he made for leisure; it was also part of his planning, for if one day he managed to get out, he was very diligent about this.
He also had an extraordinary attainment to support him.
Thus, as he began to think and think, countless ideas sprouted in his mind, which were developed for several years, waiting for the day to be truly used.
He only needed to get out.
He observed the River of Time, little by little, and he learnt how to 'read' it, even without the ability to use Gu.
Until finally.
An opportunity approached.
He took a massive risk.
He blew his cover and purposefully rescued Crimson Soul in view of everyone.
But it could not be helped; this was the best he could manage.
"I am Red Lotus." He said back then.
He also began to teach Crimson Soul about all he knew. He also modified the Killer Moves he had already made and adapted them to Blood Path so he could fight to his full potential.
And so the partnership between the two sides began.
Yet.
Fang Yuan still had no opening.
Crimson Soul was too cautious and paranoid to fall for anything he said. Whilst his options were very limited, unlike what Crimson Soul and others believed, this was not a thorough scheme that he had arranged for millennia.
He had simply been pushed to a dead end and had to work with whatever little tools he had.
Yet even with such a limited arsenal, he still made a plan.
Instead of opposing Crimson Soul and trying to stop the detonation of Spring Autumn Cicada, he cooperated fully, strengthening it as much as possible.
But secretly.
He pushed away Spring Autumn Success by one of the tides.
Alas. The cost of doing so was rather steep. Spring Autumn Success had been harmed to the point that it had regressed into a cocoon, hence his current frail state.
Even so.
It had been worth it, all of it.
Especially because to create such a massive explosion, Crimson Soul had to unleash a huge amount of Rank 8 Immortal Essence.
A portion of which had been grasped by him.
Now all he had to do was wait a bit longer…