"Hmph, and what if I refuse?" Ying Guang Xin began to prepare her strongest move.
Although she would not truly die in the event that Fang Yuan killed her, she knew 2 things.
One is that her death would mean that she would be reassimilated into Spectral Soul Demon Venerable.
This would be a fate truly worst than death.
She would retain all the memories and emotions of being free but will never again be able to have a taste of such freedom.
Forever enslaved by Spectral Soul.
The second was that Fairy Zi Wei would either be killed or enslaved once again.
Her life was now her Responsibility and although Ying Guang Xin had no idea what would happen, she did have a strong intuition from Responsibility Gu that failing her Responsibility would incur some severe loss.
And more importantly, Ying Guang Xin did not want anything bad to happen to Fairy Zi Wei.
But she also didn't want to lose her Freedom.
"Our best option out of here is Freedom Gu," Ying Guang Xin used Responsibility Gu's mind link with Fairy Zi Wei to talk secretly.
"Agreed, but we have no idea the specifics of Freedom Gu," Zi Wei responded: "Buy me some time so I can deduce a suitable Killer Move that at least won't blow up in our faces."
This all happened in a matter of seconds.
When suddenly Fang Yuan attacked Fairy Zi Wei!
Fang Yuan's speed was too fast for Ying Guang Xin to react, by the time she turned her head Fang Yuan's hands were already stabbed into Zi Wei.
"NO!!!" Ying Guang Xin cried out as her eyes turned red with grief which then turned into anger.
Immortal Killer Move ---------- Yin to Yang!
Ying Guang Xin assumed his male form and struck at Fang Yuan with his greatest strength!
"Arggh!"
Immortal Killer Move ---------- Heavenly Desolate Punch!
This move sacrificed one's own Dao Marks to covert it to unstable Heavenly Path Dao Marks that upon collision would explode out into the enemy dealing not just physical damage but also causing tribulation clouds to gather!
However, this move takes a long time to charge up to be effective, it's just that in his rage Ying Guang Xin failed to consider that.
"Oh, sit down and behave," Fang Yuan casually called out as his left hand made a down gesture.
Immediately, Ying Guang Xin felt a compelling power forcing him onto the ground!
As he tried resisting the force; cracks were formed on the ground.
"What is this?" He called out amid his struggled breath.
"Guang Xin, calm down it's a Rule Path method."
Ying Guang Xin began to calm down after hearing that voice: "Zi Wei you're still alive?"
His relief soon turned to outrage: "Fang Yuan! You demon let her go don't use her as leverage I won't submit to you!"
But Fang Yuan chuckled: "Hehe, leverage? Trust me someone else had claims on that before me."
Ying Guang Xin was confused by what Fang Yuan said until Fairy Zi Wei walked forth and explained: "Guang Xin, when we reunited with the main, I mean, Spectral Soul Demon Venerable I was taken aside and given further reinforcements on my enslavements, in addition to those a small part of my Soul was also taken so that I could continually be recreated. This part was removed from my memories. But thanks to Great Love Immortal Venerable that portion of my Soul should now be dead and Spectral Soul has no way to track or force me back."
Indeed, SPectral Soul had left a method in her Soul so that he could both track and detonate Fairy Zi Wei whenever he wanted, always able to bring her back as long as held a tiny bit.
Fang Yuan used a Pseudo-Rank 9 Killer Move using Dang Hun Mountain and Luo Po valley to destroy that remeant soul.
Hearing her words Ying Guang Xin became a little grateful, confused, and even more warry against Fang Yuan.
"Great now can you let me go?" he sarcastically called out to Fang Yuan, still annoyed at the disparity between them.
He thought to himself: "No matter what he claims or says I know he has some ulterior motive behind everything, Fang Yuan will fight tooth and nail to obtain the most benefit he can from every scenario!"
"I agree, but he is the only backing we can obtain," Zi Wei spoke to him via their mind link: "I won't sugarcoat things, we're in a very precarious situation there is no doubt that Spectral Soul is on his way here right now."
She was right Spectral Soul and the other 2 Venerables were on their way as they were speaking.
"Fine, what are your terms," Ying Guang Xin relented as she dispelled her Yang Form.
Fang Yuan smiled.
"Simple, I don't need any Gu from you in fact you can borrow them as per the rules of the Great Love Alliance, but I do want to inspect your memories particularly the scene of you refining Freedom Gu!"
Ying Guang Xin was shocked: "How do you know I was refining Freedom Gu?"
But Fang Yuan merely side-stepped the issue: "How bout it? I only need that from you."
He stepped forward with his hand outstretched for a handshake.
"Is that it?"
"Yup."
"No alliance agreement?"
"Nope. Anyway, I doubt they work against Freedom Gu."
"Aren't you worried we'll betray you?"
Fang Yuan laughed: "And go where?"
Fang Yuan knew the 2 of them were destitute, they had a very powerful enemy that could travel nearly anywhere in the 5 Regions and was unstoppable.
"You 2 have nowhere to go, wherever Ying Guang Xin is, Spectral Soul will chase and who would take back the once controlled Fairy Zi Wei? Even if they believe your free why take that chance?"
Fang Yuan had expertly deduced their situation and knew their exact weakness, no backing!
Ying Guang Xin did not want to be used any longer, but that's all the other 2 Venerables would consider her as.
That wasn't to say Fang Yuan could be completely trusted either but at least they could grow somewhat stronger under Fang Yuan.
They really didn't have any good options here.
Ying Guan Xin sighed: "Fang Yuan you have a deal, but I warn you if my or Zi Wei's free will gets encroached Freedom Gu will leave on its own."
She said as she shook his hand.
But as soon as they shook hands Responsibility Gu's weight doubled!
Ying Guang Xin took out Responsibility Gu and saw a 2nd green light lit up on one of the points and its direction pointed towards…
"Shit!"
"Oh? How interesting."
It was Fang Yuan!
Ying Guang Xin kept Responsibility Gu and their triple mind link was shut off.
"How fascinating, we'll explore this more in the future for now let's examine those memories!"
Fang Yuan extracted the memories with ease since Ying Guang Xin was cooperating, he then shoved them into his aperture, along with the remaining members of the Great Love Alliance.
"Now then let's get down to business,"
Fang Yuan then engrossed himself in the memory.
Outside the Myriad Beast Fusion Color Heaven.
"Dammit! Where is Fang Yuan!" Spectral Soul arrived first and his mighty voice boomed across the world.
His presence sent the Huang Jin tribe stationed outside into a panic.
"Quick run! Spectral Soul Demon Venerable is here!"
The surrounding Huang Jiu tribes scattered away.
Spectral Soul wanted to pursue them to ask questions but,
"Spectral Soul! Don't you even dare think about it."
It was Giant Sun Immortal Venerable!
Star Constellation was close behind as well, observing the situation.
"Hmm, Fang Yuan should have consumed the Myriad Beast Fusion Color Heaven by now but its still here which can only mean…"
She then called out to the other 2: "Fang Yuan is still inside the Myriad Beast Fusion Color Heaven!"
The 2 Venerables then turned towards the Grotto Heaven.
"Tch, damn coward." Giant Sun was greatly annoyed as it meant that Fang Yuan would be a constant thorn in his Northern Plains.
"Hmph, you can't hide from me." Spectral Soul was prepared to rip open the Grotto Heaven, but Heaven's Will's voice shouted in his head.
"Don't you idiot!"
Spectral Soul didn't stop charging his attack: "Why not?"
Heaven's Will could not give Spectral Soul an answer as it was bound by the Heavenly Dao, but it instead responded with a question: "Why do you think you're the first Venerable to attack?"
It then dawned on Spectral Soul as he looked around: "They want me to break the Alliance Oath for them!"
Indeed, the other 2 Venerables still remembered that they were not allowed to steal or interfere with the participant's prize.
"Which means?" Heaven's Will asked.
"That I can't attack the Myriad Beast Fusion Color Heaven!" Spectral Soul finally pieced the whole puzzle together, but this made him more outraged: "Does that mean he can hide in there forever?"
In his anger he launched the Killer Move he was preparing straight into the ground, completely destroying the terrain and forever leaving a scar.
"Spectral Soul!" Giant Sun was incensed!
First, Fang Yuan became a parasite and now Spectral Soul was damaging his region? Who did they think he was?
Star Constellation then spoke: "Spectral Soul calm down, Fang Yuan cannot hide in there forever, you should know best that his greatest weakness right now is time."
Star Constellation's hint clicked the final piece of the puzzle for him: "Of course, the Sovereign Immortal Fetus Gu is only Rank 9! It needs to eat. Although Fang Yuan can stave off the effects using Paradise Earth's Aperture it is only temporary!"
"I give him 3 months tops before the Sovereign Immortal Fetus Gu gets hungry again! Since we can't interfere why don't we wait him out?"
The other 2 Venerables nodded in agreement.
They all thought: "Its just 3 months what could he possibly do? He's just delaying the inevitable."
Inside the Myriad Beast Fusion Color Heaven,
Fang Yuan was quietly meditating as he inspected the memory of Ying Guang Xin.
"Yin-Yang Path, Heaven's Will, Yin-Yang Body and, most importantly, Order Refinement!"
Fang Yuan had extracted all the useful bits of information from Ying Guang Xin's memories.
He then brought Ying Guang Xin back out.
"Show me your Refinement method once again."
Ying Guang Xin was puzzled but she thought: "Well as a Refinement Path expert he should be curious about this."
Little did she know that because of this his status as a Dao Lord was lost!
To be a Dao Lord one must have attainment that is at the level of the Heavenly Dao. To understand every principle about a Path.
The Heavenly Dao is not everything that exists. It is everything that has ever existed!
It collects and stores every advancement made to the various Paths.
Whenever a new path is created the Heavenly Dao records it, whenever that path is advanced so to does the Heavenly Dao's knowledge of it.
Order Refinement exists beyond the Heavenly Dao's knowledge until it was brought into the Gu World.
It's like not knowing what a cake is but all the ingredients are laid in front of you.
Individually you know an egg is an egg and sugar is sugar but the collective of cakes is beyond you, additionally, you do not know the steps required to make one.
This is how everyone, including the Heavenly Dao, is like.
However, the Heavenly Dao does nothing with the ingredients and leaves it to the inhabitants of the world.
Through trial and error someone eventually makes something close to cake, these are the pioneers, it's rough and crude but it beats eating raw ingredients.
Soon others begin to copy it and improve it.
Others might take it in a different direction and make, chocolate or vanilla or a variety of other flavors, this is how side paths are created, things like Phantom Path, from Rule Path, and Emotion Path from Wisdom Path.
Yet others might take the ingredients and make a completely new pastry altogether!
This is how the myriad paths like Fire, Water, Wisdom, Rule, Earth, Heaven, Human, etc… were created.
And all this while the Heavenly Dao sits there watching and recording every instance of trial, error, and success!
Thus, Fang Yuan was currently not a Dao Lord because he no longer knew everything about Refinement Path.
He was now behind the Heavenly Dao in terms of Refinement Path attainment!
"I need to take back my Dao Lord status! Order Refinement was only just introduced which means the Heavenly Dao, and the world knows very little about it. I have to get ahead and monopolize it."
Phew. Quick tip for future writers. Plan stuff in advance!
I srsly wish I had a whiteboard to keep track of plots and stuff.
Another thing, make your own stuff!
Writing based on another's work sounds easy on paper but is mind-numbingly hard!
It takes about an hour or two to make one chapter and its more draining than doing my job!
Anyway, I'm really happy with how the story had been coming as of late but I feel like I'm being held back by some of the earlier chapters, not very proud of some of those.
But eh whatever