Inside Hu Immortal Blessed Land.
The competition to win the owner ship of the blessed land was in its final stage.
Little Hu-the land spirit of the blessed land was watching attentively, this competition would decide her future master after all.
Fang Zheng, the twin brother of Fang Yuan, stood frozen in shock as Feng Jin Huang pushed past him, determination blazing in her eyes.
The elegant dream wings folded behind her as she reached the edge of the cliff.
She was breathing heavily, her body trembling, forcing the immortal Gu to activate was causing severe damages to her soul, she was but a mortal after all.
"I… I lost?" Fang Zheng whispered, his voice filled with disbelief and frustration.
Feng Jin Huang was almost there. Her arms gripped the edge of the peak. Just one more push, and victory would be hers.
"I can do this," she murmured, summoning the last bit of her strength. Her amber eyes sparkled in the glowing pink light of the blessed land.
Everyone, including Hu Immortal's land spirit, held their breath, waiting for her to claim victory.
She bit her lip and pulled herself up, inch by inch.
But just then—
*Swoosh!*
A flash of jade light appeared out of nowhere. A man and a woman suddenly materialized on the mountain peak.
They could barely see the figures of the people on the mountain, the jade light blinding their eyes.
Before anyone could process this, another flash transformed the woman into a tall, imposing man. He had striking blue eyes that shimmered even after the light faded.
The other man had eyes akin to an endless abyss, a wound still bleeding in his forearm.
His strong, battle-worn body exuded the presence of someone who had endured countless struggles.
The immortals watching from the shadows couldn't believe their eyes, two naked men appeared out of no where, was it the scheme of one of the great sects?
"Brother?! Bai Ning Bing?!" Fang Zheng exclaimed, the shock of seeing the people who butchered his clan standing in front of him caused him to lose his footing and tumble down the cliff.
Bai Ning Bing landed first, steady despite his state, while the other man, Fang Yuan, landed beside him.
Fang Yuan coughed up blood and raised his head to look at him with a dazed expression.
Feng Jin Huang, still hanging on the cliff's edge, stared at Bai Ning Bing in utter disbelief. Her gaze moved upward from his feet, her wide-open eyes freezing like a statue as they caught sight of… everything.
Bai Ning Bing looked around, quickly realizing the situation. His head was foggy, the result of drinking too much wine earlier, but he pieced things together.
"Eh? Isn't this Feng Jin Huang below me?" he muttered, his voice unsteady.
"This means I am in Hu immortal blessed land, on top of Dang Hun mountain to be exact."
While Bai Ning Bing was trying to gather his thoughts, Fang Yuan tried to speak but collapsed almost immediately, his consciousness slipping away.
Bai Ning Bing sighed, barely managing to stay upright himself.
He felt the lingering effects of the Brotherhood Gu that was linking them together, and knew that without it, Fang Yuan would have killed him right here and now.
Unbeknownst to him, the Brotherhood Gu wasn't the only reason, the fate threads around them has already connect them to each other.
He also noticed the aura of the Spring Autumn Cicada in his aperture, it had been stolen by him from Fang Yuan.
'It seems I also took the Spring Autumn Cicada from Fang Yuan, it was his vital Gu, explaining his unconscious state right now'
Using the one time use the Unwanted Gift Gu, Bai Ning Bing managed to steal three random Gu from Fang Yuan.
The first one being the Yang Gu, that allowed him return to being a male again.
The second was the Spring Autumn Cicada, a Gu that was basically a time Machine.
And the third Gu was the Blood Skull Gu, capable of upgrading someone's talent grade using their blood relatives.
While Bai Ning Bing processed his thoughts, Feng Jin Huang's strength faltered. Too weak to hold on, her fingers began to slip from the rocky ledge.
"Ah!" she cried out, panic flashing across her face.
Bai Ning Bing noticed her peril and reacted instinctively. Reaching out, he grabbed her hand and pulled her up to safety.
Her trembling body collapsed on the peak, her breaths coming in shallow gasps.
Bai Ning Bing turned to Little Hu, his expression firm. Mimicking Fang Yuan's authoritative demeanor, he addressed the land spirit.
"Little Hu, shouldn't you be calling me your master?"
The small girl froze, her translucent cheeks turning red.
"M-Master…" she stammered, glancing away in embarrassment.
"Master! You should be ashamed!" she exclaimed, stomping her foot. "You're too old to be walking around like this. Wear some clothes already! B-Both of you!"
Bai Ning Bing blinked, his tired mind struggling to keep up. "Old? I'm not even thirty…" He shook his head, muttering.
"Little Hu, kick everyone out of the blessed land except me and the two next to me."
He pointed at Fang Zheng, who was still failing of from the mountain. "Keep him too, but throw him in prison for now."
Little Hu nodded, still flustered, and began carrying out his orders.
Bai Ning Bing finally gave in to exhaustion, collapsing unconscious beside Fang Yuan.
Fate had been altered, and a new venerable seed has been decided.
A new era was on the horizon, with two venerable's fated to dominate the five regions and the two heavens.
The most interesting part was that, there Dao guardians would someday surpass them.
———
Somewhere else.
Inside an old white tower covered in blemishes, standing tall and conspicuous like a crane in a flock of chickens, Fate Gu was about to experience something that no Gu Immortal in the world would know.
Red Lotus's Will appeared out of thin air, approaching Fate Gu with a calm yet determined stride. The atmosphere trembled under his presence, as if time itself held its breath.
Suddenly, Genesis Lotus's Will emerged, radiating vigilance, his presence akin to an ancient oak, rooted and unwavering. His voice echoed like rolling thunder, firm and authoritative.
"Red Lotus, what are you planning?"
Red Lotus's Will stopped, his form unshaken. "Fate must change, Genesis. The cycle must be broken."
Genesis Lotus's Will raised his hand, golden light swirling around him, preparing to attack. But before he could act, a new presence arrived.
It was Genesis Lotus's Will from the future.
The older Will, cloaked in a faint silver glow, raised a hand to stop his younger self. "Wait. Let him speak."
Genesis Lotus's present Will faltered, his form flickering as doubt and confusion intertwined with his vigilance.
Before any further action could be taken, Star Constellation's Will slipped into the tower.
Her arrival was silent, yet the room itself seemed to shift under her influence, stars flickering faintly in the air around her. She spoke with a calm, unyielding tone.
"Red Lotus, your interference ends here."
But before she could take control, another force made itself known: Limitless Will.
A dark presence enveloped the tower, its aura cold and suffocating, as if the void itself had taken form. Limitless Will's entrance was chaotic, his laughter echoing through the space like the crackle of shattered glass.
"Star Constellation. Let's see how you handle this one."
The tension reached a breaking point as Reckless Savage's Will got out of his skin, stirring from the depths of the tower, emerging with raw, primal energy. His voice was a booming roar.
"What's all this racket? If there's chaos, count me in!"
The wills converged, their auras clashing like storming seas. But before chaos could erupt, time seemed to twist and bend.
Future versions of all these wills began to appear, one by one, forming a circle around Fate Gu.
Each Will looked at their younger selves with unreadable expressions, their forms exuding power far beyond comprehension.
Star Constellation's Will attempted to call for reinforcements, her ethereal form shimmering as she reached for the outside world. But her future self intercepted her effortlessly, severing the connection with a mere gesture.
"What is the meaning of this?" Star Constellation's present Will demanded, her tone sharp.
Her future self only shook her head, speaking with an eerie calm. "You will understand in time."
Then came a moment that silenced all.
A dragon woman's Will materialized, her presence unlike any other. She was regal, her long, flowing hair cascading like molten silver, and her smile carried an enigmatic warmth.
She did not look back. Instead, she walked forward, her every step deliberate.
Red Lotus's Will placed a hand on her shoulder, a silent exchange of trust passing between them. One by one, the other Wills followed, forming a line. The immense power of their collective Will began to focus, channeling through the dragon woman.
Her form glowed with a radiant light, illuminating the blemished tower. When she reached Fate Gu, she embraced it with both arms, her smile as warm as the setting sun.
A shockwave erupted, tearing through the tower. Every Will was thrown back to their respective places, their forms flickering as they were forcefully returned to dormancy. Their memories of the event faded like dissipating smoke.
The tower stood in silence once more, but its atmosphere had shifted. A subtle yet profound change had taken place.
Fate had been altered.
A new era was on the horizon.
———
In Qing Mao Mountain, where it all began.
A tree began to stir, its roots curling and twisting as green light enveloped it. Slowly, its shape transformed, taking on the semblance of a human figure. Within the wooden frame lay the soul of a long-forgotten immortal, one whose existence had faded from the annals of history.
Trapped for ages inside the tree, the soul had waited patiently, longing for the right moment to seize another body. But that moment never came. Now, desperation took hold, and the immortal resolved to use the tree as his body, hoping to slip unnoticed past Heaven's Will.
The heavens, however, were not so easily deceived.
His wooden body lacked vocal cords, and though he tried to curse his fate, no sound emerged.
Heaven's Will noticed him immediately. At first, it mistook him for an otherworldly demon. But with no real body or method to conceal his identity, the truth was swiftly uncovered—he was a fate escape, a being Heaven's Will knew all too well.
It wasted no time. A terrifying tribulation descended, the sky darkening with wrathful intent.
A single thunderbolt streaked down, striking him with unerring precision. His million-man soul, fragmented and scattered, obliterating him on the spot, along with all the Gu he carried.
But that's what should have happened.
But Fate Gu was under siege elsewhere, assaulted by the future Wills of the venerables.
Heaven's Will, distracted by this disturbance, failed to annihilate him completely. A fragment of his soul managed to slip away, escaping Heaven's grasp.
Blown by the winds of the tribulation, the remnant soul fled into the distance.
The thunderbolt obliterated Qing Mao Mountain, leaving only a charred crater in its wake. Yet the soul, flickering like a dying ember, continued to drift, barely clinging to existence.
After some days, it found itself caught inside a Grotto-Heaven, ensnared by the Heavenly Spirit of the blessed land.
The spirit, resembling an old man with a cigar dangling lazily from his lips, had sensed the faint aura of some immortal Gu clinging to the soul. Greed overtook him as he trapped it within his domain.
Setting what remained of the immortal's broken body on the ground, the Heavenly Spirit smirked, smoke curling around his weathered face.
"Hahaha, waiting for those descendants of mine all this time has finally paid off. Truly, the heavens are fair!"
But his confidence was misplaced. His fate was not in the hands of Heaven's Will, but rather his own bad luck.
The remnant soul, despite its injuries, refused to accept its doom. Faced with two choices, either to perish and detonate the Gu in its possession or to forsake its humanity to survive.
If you knew who this soul belonged to, you would have know its choice.
To live.
Using the Merging Gu, he made a desperate gamble.
Under normal circumstances, the best case scenario would be that the Gu would merge its user with a dead fetus within a mother's womb, making them grow normally.
But now, the soul chose another target.
The Heavenly Spirit.
Caught off guard, the spirit attempted to resist, but it was too late. The soul surged forward, merging into the spirit's form with a violent burst of energy. Green light flared, the spirit's figure flickering as it struggled to maintain its essence.
Finally, the merging was complete.
The immortal's soul settled within the Heavenly Spirit, its memories fractured and scattered. Only a single fragment of its identity remained, the name it once bore:
Ning Zu.
Now, reborn as Bai Xiang Heavenly Spirit, the land spirit of the deceased Bai Xiang, the legendary ancestor of the Bai Clan.
The entity opened its glowing eyes and a new chapter of fate began.