It's been two years since Fang Yuan and Bai Ning Bing arrived at the Shang Clan, and in that time, Fang Yuan had successfully achieved Rank 5 Peak cultivation. The only step left was breaking through to Rank 6, but he knew he had to be cautious. A breakthrough of such magnitude would surely draw attention, and if he caused a commotion, the Shang Clan's immortals would descend upon him. The current Shang Clan leader, Shang Yan Fei, was already keeping an eye on him and Bai Ning Bing, and their rapid progress had not gone unnoticed.
However, an unexpected complication had arisen. When they once again attempted to use the Yin-Yang Gu at the peak of their cultivation, their genders did not revert. It was as if something was actively preventing them from returning to their original forms.
Bai Ning Bing was horrified by this revelation, struggling with her new reality. Fang Yuan, on the other hand, remained indifferent. He still had the Gender Bender Gu to revert himself at will, but the fact that the Yin-Yang Gu had failed intrigued him. Why had the transformation become irreversible? Who or what had interfered?
His first suspicion was Chaos Demon Venerable. But the question remained—why? What possible benefit could there be in ensuring he remained female? In the grand scheme of cultivation, gender was meaningless. He could still refine Gu, manipulate people, and scheme as before. And yet, something about this situation gnawed at him, an itch at the back of his mind that refused to fade.
Despite his curiosity, Fang Yuan knew he lacked sufficient information. There were no clear leads, no answers to be found, at least not yet. He set the question aside for now. There were more pressing matters at hand—matters of power, survival, and the ever-looming path to true immortality. Perhaps, in time, the answer would reveal itself.
Fang Yuan had already achieved everything he could in the Shang Clan. This place had served its purpose, and now, it was time to move on. The Three Kings Inheritance was approaching, and he and Bai Ning Bing had to set out. However, before that, he needed to ascend to the Immortal Realm—a crucial step that had once led to his downfall in his previous life.
In his future memories, when he refined the Second Aperture Gu, he had faced a dire flaw—his limited Immortal Essence and the betrayal of Bai Ning Bing had cost him dearly. This time, things would be different. Bai Ning Bing would never betray him—not out of trust, but because Fang Yuan had ensured she wouldn't even have the chance to do so.
This time, his approach would be different. In his past life, he had missed out on too many crucial opportunities—the Northern Plains Imperial Court Blessed Land, the Hu Immortal Blessed Land, the Wealth Gu from the Western Desert, and even the Thieving Heaven Demon Venerable's inheritance spread across the Western Desert and Northern Plains.
One thing he wouldn't waste time on was the inheritance that belonged to him in Spirit Affinity House—after all, Chaos Demon Venerable had already given it to him upon his rebirth when he got the system. Unlike Zhao Lian Yun, who was trapped at Rank 6 for eternity, Fang Yuan now had full control over activating and deactivating this advantage at will.
Now, his priorities were clear: focus only on what would benefit him the most, rapidly increase his cultivation, and create clones to cultivate alongside him—accelerating his rise to power in a way that no one could stop.
Shang Xin Ci had fallen in love with Fang Yuan, even going so far as to ask, "Should I help you, or should I come with you?" but he said no becasue she is useless to him right now, and she is an obstruction for his plan, in his eyes, love was nothing more than an insignificant distraction. He had long discarded such trivial emotions, for they held no value in the grand scheme of his existence. His path was one of absolute pragmatism, his ambitions lying beyond mortal desires. His only goal is to reach eternal life.
Pursuing eternal life did not mean he feared death or failure. On the contrary, he had embraced them countless times. Whether or not eternal life truly existed was irrelevant. There was no definitive proof of its existence, yet even if it was an illusion, so what? The pursuit itself was what gave meaning to his life. In seeking the unattainable, he found purpose.
The fleeting pleasures of the flesh, the shackles of love and hatred—he had transcended them all. Such emotions were for lesser beings, for those who remained bound by worldly concerns. Fang Yuan was beyond that. To him, only eternal life was worth pursuing, and nothing would divert him from his path.
Fang Yuan and Bai Ning Bing set out towards the Three Kings Inheritance, but midway, Fang Yuan veered off course, ensuring they evaded the Gu Masters sent by the Shang Clan to monitor their movements. In their place, he left behind false clones—illusory figures imbued with their auras, replicating their movements perfectly. However, the clones could only last for one day, meaning they had to act swiftly before the ruse was discovered.
As they traveled, Fang Yuan faced his Immortal Tribulation. Unlike Bai Ning Bing, he was the one who needed to ascend first—power belonged only to the strong, and a servant's rank was secondary. Though she was firmly under his control now, the moment she broke through to the immortal realm, it would be akin to a rebirth, freeing her mind from the restrictions he had placed on her.
Fang Yuan couldn't allow that.
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Hooray! We have reached 100 chapters—congrats to myself! Today, I have finalized the ending of the fanfic. I'm not sure whether some of you will like it or not, but I can give you a hint related to Ren-Zhu.