Fang Yuan felt frustrated. Suspended between earth and sky, he heard the terrifying roar of the titan mocking him for his incompetence.
Fang Yuan smirked and said, "Unworthy…"
But his body was too exhausted to react. His bones were shattered, and he couldn't even hang onto a rock.
"I…"
Before he could finish his sentence, he fell into an underground water table and sank into its depths.
His hands instinctively reached upwards, but he had no control over them. Black blood pooled on the water's surface, and the last bubble burst.
********
Fang Yuan had lost both his body and identity to Bai Mo.
While wandering through the Dao realm, he heard the anguished cries of cultivators struggling in the depths of Dao.
Progressing on the Dao path was arduous and exhausting. Each step Fang Yuan took felt like an eternity. Finally, when he managed to take a step, he felt a sense of satisfaction. However, the path was endless, and his steps were fewer than the fingers on one hand.
"The essence of Dao is enlightenment, reflection, and justice."
Fang Yuan took the first step.
"Power is for service, not service for power."
This was his second step.
"The path of justice passes through the graveyard."
Thus, he took the third step.
However, the more he reached enlightenment, the more things he didn't understand.
He took the fourth step:
"Each person's destiny is a path they will walk alone; bitter or sweet, everything will eventually come to an end."
Fang Yuan wept.
Now he looked back. His footprints on the Dao path had turned into a sapling that was slowly growing.
This sapling was called "Achievement." Fang Yuan heard a voice in his mind.
"The tree of life has grafted its branches for your achievements; the more you walk this path, the more trees you will have, and one day your achievements will fill your inner world with the breeze of spring like a green forest."
Fang Yuan thought about the next step but found no answer.
And so, a long time passed. Long enough for the saplings to become mature trees.
Fang Yuan looked at the world around him. Everything was the same as before; yet he knew something was wrong.
"My legs are heavy, something is preventing me from taking the next step… it's like a heavy weight is tied to my leg."
But he couldn't understand what this heavy weight was that hindered his progress. He floated in the darkness, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. [I need to build my inner world! Maybe the next step is hidden within myself.] Fang Yuan entered a state of trance and tried to visualize his inner world. [I need land to walk on. I need fresh air to breathe. I need beauty to have hope. I need the sky so I won't be terrified of the darkness of nothingness. I… need a world to take refuge in during hardships!]
A song echoed in the sky, and the Dao aura rose like a shining stream from the heart of the path. [I will my own world into existence. I strive to seize the opportunities ahead.] Fang Yuan shaped the aura with his hands and condensed it into a single drop. [This is my world. My dream of freedom!] Suddenly, the drop entered his chest, creating a world within his soul. Fang Yuan had created a new world that originated from the essence of Dao. It was a world where he could cultivate and refine his soul.
When he opened his eyes, he was standing in a green meadow. A cool breeze blew across the grassland. The tall grass tickled him. The sky was clear and blue. Fang Yuan raised his hand against the sunlight and frowned.
"Where is this place?"
He was in the intrinsic realm of Dao. However, after four steps, he could no longer progress on the cultivation path.
"I was thinking about creating an inner world when suddenly I saw a blinding light and…"
He pondered for a moment. Then, with uncertain steps, he climbed the hill before him.
"As far as the eye can see, it's just…"
"A treeless land."
Fang Yuan was startled. He immediately put some distance between himself and the hilltop and leaped back down the slope.
The breeze continued to blow.
The sunlight cast the foreign figure into shadow.
The man's long hair, like a majestic banner, fluttered in the wind.
A silence fell between them, broken only by the rustling of the grassland.
Fang Yuan prepared for a confrontation. He clenched his fist and waited.
The man slowly moved away from the hilltop.
His clothes, like his hair, swirled in the air.
Fang Yuan took a deep breath and shouted:
"Who are you!??"
The man continued on his way, ignoring him. Fang Yuan was scared. His whole being trembled. He didn't know how to react. At that moment, he suddenly saw the man's face and was stunned.
"Y…you"
His clenched fist didn't loosen a bit.
"Why are you here?"
Bai Mo stood before him like a towering mountain and said, "I've always been here, you were the one who came…"
Fang Yuan screamed, "Shut up!! You deceived me!!!"
Bai Mo smirked and said, "You made a deal, I saved your life."
Fang Yuan burned with rage.
"I never allowed you to take over my body!"
Bai Mo said, "So you want to fight?"
Fang Yuan remembered his first encounter with him. A crushing power that had annihilated thousands of monsters with one strike.
He thought to himself, "Can I defeat this monster?"
But thinking was of no use.
Growling, he said, "You've had my body long enough…"
He raised his fist, focused his power in his right leg, and leaped towards Bai Mo.
Bai Mo slightly tilted his body, and the punch missed.
The wind from the strike destroyed part of the hill.
Bai Mo sarcastically said, "You've improved…"
Then he struck Fang Yuan with his shoulder and said, "But it's not enough!"
Fang Yuan was thrown several meters by the impact. When he hit the ground, it cracked, and the surrounding grass withered.
Fang Yuan struggled to get up but was terrified at the sight of Bai Mo.
He stammered, "Y…you… i…impossible."
Bai Mo said, "What's impossible?"
Fang Yuan pointed at him and said, "What… what are you?"
Bai Mo replied, "I am Fang Yuan."
Suddenly, Bai Mo took on Fang Yuan's appearance. He looked exactly like him.
Fang Yuan lost his composure; this caused him to attack again instinctively.
Bai Mo easily dodged again. Fang Yuan lost his balance and fell to the ground. Sweat dripped from his face. His mind was in turmoil, he was scared, confused; what should he do? There was no answer.
He muttered, "Even fighting is useless…"
He turned to Bai Mo with a terrified face.
"Does this mean I really can't…?"
He closed his eyes and desperately blamed himself.
"No!!!"
He slapped himself.
"I won't give up!!!"
Then he clenched his fist again and shouted, "You vile demon!"
But when he looked around, there was no sign of Bai Mo or the vast plain.
Drenched in sweat, he saw the endless Dao path.
He looked down at his feet.
With a surprised face, he shouted, "What??!"
To his amazement, he had taken the fifth step.
[Do not give up in the face of hardships and challenges]
The sky never ignored sincere efforts. If you put all your effort in the right direction, the sky will not withhold its smile from you; Fang Yuan smiled and watched his fifth sapling grow leaves.
"But still… I want to go back; I must save Xiao…"
Fang Yuan sighed. At that moment, there was nothing he could do.