Wills originated from thoughts. Although they were similar to whispers in some ways, they didn't possess their power. Wills used the power of belief as fuel, but whispers became belief itself.
The longevity of a will depended on the thoughts that supported it. A will was eternal as long as it had the power of thoughts.
That's why most immortals followed the path of will for eternity.
However, wills were vulnerable and changed over time. Changing a will was like finding impurities in an ore. Impurities were the poison that every will inevitably had to drink. Over time, wills transformed and lost their original purity. But this wasn't necessarily a bad thing. After all, times changed; so how could a will remain constant?
Yet some didn't accept this change. They didn't fuel the furnace of their thoughts with the wood of the times. When they decided they needed a pure will, they created a new way of thinking that rejected any change. They called this way of thinking "fanaticism."
The more "fanatical" a thought became, the more authentic it remained. This was an absolute truth; but in this world, everything had a price. An authentic thought had to reject changes, so it inevitably became savage. Changes, whether good or bad, were all suppressed. Minds were closed, and ears were deafened. This was the other side of the coin of fanaticism.
Humans were special; the reason for their uniqueness was a power that other beings lacked. Humans could create their own wills. People could discover new paths, refine old paths, or create other paths.
However, most of them preferred to use the discovered paths. That's why they became "followers" and borrowed the powers of a specific "will." Without realizing it, they spent their thoughts to sustain that will and benefited from its power. That's why most humans were forgotten after death; because they chose the path of "following" and spent their thoughts on it.
This was a summary of Fang Yuan's situation. He made a deal with an authentic will but knew nothing about this situation. The will needed Fang Yuan's thoughts to survive, and Fang Yuan was in mortal danger. This mutual need led to such a risk, but how had that will remained unchanged for thousands of years? Fang Yuan knew nothing about fanatical thoughts. However, did that will really carry traces of fanaticism? What dangers threatened Fang Yuan? Only one could answer these questions, and that was time…
A heavy pressure weighed on his body. He could barely breathe under the rubble. However, because he had an immortal body, he didn't die under the debris. With his will, he activated the Healing Gu. The healing power of the Healing Gu multiplied. The severe wounds closed, broken bones mended, and accumulated fatigue disappeared.
Suddenly, a new power flowed through his energy channels. The will found its place in his brain and settled there. The power of a will originated from thoughts; and now that it was in the brain, it had countless thoughts at its disposal. As long as Fang Yuan was alive and his thoughts weren't corrupted, it could use its power infinitely.
However, it didn't stop there.
Fang Yuan's will was weakened. This weak will couldn't suppress the hostile will. So, in the end, it was suppressed and sent to the depths of darkness; thus, Bai Mo opened his eyes in Fang Yuan's body.
"So this is what reincarnation is like…"
But he hadn't completely taken control of Fang Yuan's body. To perform a true possession, he needed a soul, but he was only a will from ancient times. So he couldn't completely destroy Fang Yuan's will. Instead, he weakened Fang Yuan's will as much as possible and sent it to the abyss.
Bai Mo dragged himself out from under the rubble.
He could clearly sense the path the cultivators had taken. He followed their aura and passed through several dark tunnels. Gradually, a whisper-like sound echoed in the tunnels. He had managed to catch up with them at an incredible speed.
Seeing Lu Guang, a fear formed in his heart. His heart raced, and his blood flow quickened. He felt his legs had no strength to stand. His body trembled.
"Fear… you fear him; but only someone who hasn't seen a dragon fears an ant," Bai Mo muttered.
With these words, his eyes glowed with a red light. Immediately, Lu Guang's head exploded, and his brain splattered everywhere.
Bai Mo smirked and took a step forward.
"Now that's it … well… let's dance!" He said excitedly.
The death squad took a defensive formation. They felt an ominous presence but didn't sense a powerful cultivator's aura. This meant a weak cultivator had attacked them.
Their commander had a lot of experience. He knew that underestimating an enemy, no matter how weak, was a fatal mistake. He positioned himself at the heart of the defensive formation and spread his aura everywhere.
Still, he sensed nothing.
"Useless…" Suddenly, a voice echoed down the tunnel. The death squad commander made a horizontal slash, leaving a deep mark on the walls and cutting everything in its path.
"Heh heh heh… that's how it's done!"
Suddenly, a black line emerged from the darkness, tearing through the dust and striking one of their swords.
"Ugh…"
It was a powerful strike but couldn't break through their defense.
"That damned thing!!!"
Before he could finish his sentence, the black line moved again, creating thousands of slashes.
"This isn't a single strike!!!"
He realized it too late, but when the black line cut his neck, he saw a smirk carving a new path.
Bai Mo used the technique of a thousand death slashes. The repeated use of thoughts heated his brain. Many thoughts were consumed, and if he continued, Lu Guang's fate awaited him.
"This damned body…" He was under immense pressure. He only had enough strength for one more move.
His eyes bled. The bloodline on his cheek dried and got wet again. He was using the Healing Gu but simultaneously burning Fang Yuan's lifespan.
"Haaaaa"
The strikes became more savage. He had reached the brink of madness. The swords were chipped. The pressure of the attacks was so heavy that defense was practically impossible.
"There…!!!"
Bai Mo saw a weakness in the defensive formation and entered through it.
Thus, the entire death squad was slaughtered at once… To anyone witnessing the scene, he was a monster. The embodiment of violence and a deadly shadow, like a nightmare on starless nights; standing among the mutilated corpses, a shadow of infinite depth enveloped him. A cloak of darkness wrapped around him, and an aura of terror emanated from him.
As he stood there panting, he coughed up blood. He was in pain, and even with the Healing Gu, he couldn't do much. Despite all the pain that cut through his existence like a sword, he smiled madly.
"Heh heh heh… yes, that's it… I feel it… I'm alive!!! This pain, this fear of death, my heartbeat… I'm back!!!"
Then he noticed eyes staring at him in fear. In the darkest part of the room, he heard faint breaths. Bai Mo looked in that direction. His eyes were bloodshot. He had no color in his face; anyone seeing him would think he had been resurrected with dark magic.
The faint cries of fear caught his attention. He heard the sound of chains and the rustling of frayed fabric on cracked skin. He slowly walked over the corpses. With a snap, a bright aura appeared on his finger.
When the aura partially illuminated the space, Bai Mo faced a half-dead girl with a terrified baby fox curled up at her feet.
Bai Mo brushed the girl's hair aside and touched her bloody jaw.
"What a pity, it seems you can't answer me."
He noticed the girl's tongue had been cut out. Although he had the Healing Gu, its power wasn't enough to regenerate lost limbs. It was a tragic fate, but Bai Mo didn't care. He only saw himself. A will that had returned to life after centuries of exile in the Gu world had no sense of compassion.
However, he was curious. Why would they imprison this girl in the basement? But he didn't think much beyond that. He had spent many thoughts in that battle. He couldn't strain himself with baseless speculations. However, he decided to take the girl with him.
He did this not to save her but for potential benefits. Now that he had Fang Yuan's body, he could choose, so he chose to make a deal with the girl.
But not everything went smoothly. Storm clouds took over the sky. Lightning hammered the ground, setting everything ablaze.
Bai Mo had expected this to happen. He had counted on this threat to escape. But what he didn't expect was the presence of the Heavenly Kings…