Chapter 592: Deep Dark Shadow
Translator: ChibiGeneral Editor: ChibiGeneral
Fang Yuan lowered his head, observing Tai Bai Yun Sheng who had already fainted and lost consciousness.
He was the culprit who caused Tai Bai Yun Sheng to fall unconscious.
At this moment, Tai Bai Yun Sheng's body was bathed in blood, he was lying on the ground and within his deep eye sockets, his eyes were tightly shut.
There were lots of injuries on him, his snow white hair had stuck together because of dried blood, he no longer had the demeanour and appearance of the number one healing Gu Master in northern plains.
Merely a few steps away, outside the main hall's doors, a sea of blood beasts were growling, the messy overlapping noises were sent over with great force.
Fang Yuan raised his head, staring at them as he opened his mouth and said lightly: "Shut up."
Almost immediately, there was silence outside the hall.
The blood beasts all became quiet, lying prostrate on the ground like obedient cats or dogs, staying motionless.
Fang Yuan made use of the six-edge owner token to control this floor, he was the master of this floor, these beasts were all his to control, they listened to his commands and moved according to his will.
Fang Yuan shut his eyes, his mind entering this floor's control system as he let his senses observe the area.
At the moment, in this particular round, there were many Gu Masters remaining.
Among these Gu Masters, some were Gu Masters recruited by Tai Bai Yun Sheng, but during the earlier fighting they had been separated from the main party. Another portion were the information gatherers of all the different forces, they were all investigative Gu Masters. They came from Hei tribe, Ma Tribe, Ye Lui tribe, and all the other large forces, with the intention of observing whether Tai Bai Yun Sheng failed or succeeded.
As for this hall and its surroundings, within them, other than those rotten and dried corpses, only Fang Yuan and Tai Bai Yun Sheng were left now.
Fang Yuan closed the great hall's door, half squatting on the ground as he stretched out his right palm, grabbing onto Tai Bai Yun Sheng's skull.
His Gu worms had been prepared long ago, he activated them one by one.
Very soon, above Tai Bai Yun Sheng's head, a weak shining white light was formed, becoming the only source of light in this dark and dim great hall.
As the light got more and more intense, Tai Bai Yun Sheng's face gradually showed a painful expression, and his brows were frowning more intensely.
After a moment of stillness, Fang Yuan suddenly opened his eyes!
His eyes had no pupils, it was pure white in color.
The whites of his eyes gave off a weak light as at the same time, a large number of images flashed across in Fang Yuan's mind.
Tai Bai Yun Sheng's life, from his old age all the way until he was young, all the memories had been extracted by Fang Yuan.
...
An old man was walking in northern plains, the sky was vast and the wilderness was boundless, the winds blew as the grass was drooping in response, wolf groups were howling freely.
...
"Old sir, we brothers will never forget the kindness you have displayed by saving our lives!" Gao Yang and Zhu Zai kneeled down together before Tai Bai Yun Sheng.
...
A purple haired old beggar opened his mouth, showing his remaining few teeth, laughing in a weird manner: "What kind of Gu Master do you want to become? Hehehe, I happen to have three complete sets of inheritances with me here!"
...
"Mm, this lad has a passable appearance, we will choose him." In the inkmen city, an inkman was pointing at Tai Bai Yun Sheng who was in his youth as he laughed loudly and said.
Even further back, during the time when he was even younger...
"Why, why did you betray me?!" On the night of their joyous wedding, Tai Bai Yun Sheng fell weakly on the ground as extremely loud shouting and fighting noises resounded outside the tent.
As for his wife, she had an expression full of coldness and hatred, she slowly got close to him as her eyes shone with a ruthless light, she gritted her teeth as she said: "Tai Bai Yun Sheng, if you want to blame someone, blame your parents. They were the ones who devoured my tribe, they killed my parents, I want to exact revenge for them!"
During the time of his childhood...
"My son, you are the next generation tribe leader of our Tai Bai tribe! You are not allowed to cry, do not have the heart of needless sympathy! To survive in northern plains, we need to have a tougher heart, a tougher stance! After all in the future, you have to lead our Tai Bai tribe." His father was scolding him in a very strict manner.
...
"Ahhh…" Fang Yuan was screaming from the intense pain.
In his mind, countless images were flashing, they were depicting Tai Bai Yun Sheng's entire life, a legendary tale. Such a huge amount of information had a large impact on Fang Yuan's mind and caused great damage to him.
Thankfully, the images were not endless and unceasing, there came a time when they finally ended.
After browsing through Tai Bai Yun Sheng's entire life, Fang Yuan immediately stopped using his Gu worms, sitting down on the ground to rest.
He was breathing roughly and panting, his entire body was coated in sweat. A long time later, his pupils regained their original color.
Soul searching, this was not an easy action. Especially when Fang Yuan was concerned about Tai Bai Yun Sheng's safety and did not want to cause harm to his life, he could only endure most of the pressure of the soul search himself.
After stopping the soul search, Tai Bai Yun Sheng was still sound asleep, but his tightly knitted brows had slowly eased as he relaxed. His breathing was more stable now, and his expression was rather peaceful.
In contrast, Fang Yuan's brows were starting to frown instead.
"I did not find it!" He heaved a long sigh in pity.
"What did you not manage to find?" In his mind, Mo Yao's will could not hold in her curiosity as she asked.
Fang Yuan's actions were very strange, it made her very curious.
Fang Yuan did not answer her, he only frowned even more as time passed. The matter of landscape as before Gu was related to his grand scheme after rebirth, how could he possibly tell this to Mo Yao?
Landscape as before Gu was an Immortal Gu that Tai Bai Yun Sheng obtained only after he became an immortal.
Rumors said: This Gu was created naturally on its own when Tai Bai Yun Sheng became an immortal, and heaven and earth resonated with him, causing it to spontaneously condense.
But there was another possibility, that within Tai Bai Yun Sheng's mind, he had the Immortal Gu recipe for Landscape As Before from the start.
If he really had the Immortal Gu recipe, then Fang Yuan could steal this Gu recipe, along with river as before Gu and mountain as before Gu, bringing to Lang Ya blessed land and asking Lang Ya land spirit to help by refining this Immortal Gu on his behalf.
This way, he did not have to take a risk and seize the food from the tiger's mouth, it would greatly reduce his danger.
But after this soul search, Fang Yuan obtained a horrible result.
Fang Yuan did not manage to find the Immortal Gu recipe for Landscape As Before, this indicated that the rumors were really true. Landscape as before Gu was indeed a product of the resonance of heaven and earth during the moment when Tai Bai Yun Sheng became a Gu Immortal.
That also meant that: If Fang Yuan wanted to obtain this Immortal Gu, he would have to snatch this Gu by force from Tai Bai Yun Sheng who had already become an immortal by then.
Fang Yuan was still not a Gu Immortal, as for battling an immortal as a mortal, Fang Yuan had never heard of any examples of success in his life, it was no doubt tougher than ascending to heaven!
But what other choices did he have?
Back then, among the three options, this was no doubt the easiest way. He had already invested time and effort into this plan, although Fang Yuan did not have absolute confidence of success, he had no choice but to continue making preparations and take a risk to try it anyway!
...
Outside Eighty-Eight True Yang Building, Tai Bai Yun Sheng's image appeared slowly.
"He is back, he is back!"
"How was the result? Someone saw Tai Bai Yun Sheng fighting his way into the main hall."
"Oh no, Lord Tai Bai Yun Sheng is motionless, it seems he has fallen unconscious!"
The surrounding Gu Masters immediately went over as a crowd.
After taking a look, all of their expression changed mildly. Tai Bai Yun Sheng's body was filled with extremely serious injuries, they were all secretly stunned in their hearts.
"He is still breathing!" Someone stretched out his finger and placed it below Tai Bai Yun Sheng's nose, shouting loudly: "Quick, who is a healing Gu Master, quickly stabilize Old Sir's current injuries!"
"I will do it, I will do it!"
"I am also a healing Gu Master!!"
Many healing Gu Masters quickly helped out, Tai Bai Yun Sheng's reputation and extremely kind hearted nature had already been ingrained in everyone's hearts.
There was no doubt that he was much more popular and loved by people compared to Hei Lou Lan and Chang Shan Yin.
"Even Lord Tai Bai Yun Sheng suffered injuries to such a grave extent, sigh, it seems that this time, the round might not have been passed." Someone sighed.
"The time for the challenge has already ended, but most of the Gu Masters did not return safely, we have truly suffered a huge loss this time!"
"Among all of you, has anyone seen Lord Gao Yang and Zhu Zai coming out?" Someone jolted abruptly, suddenly asking.
Everyone started looking around frantically, but they just ended up staring at each other.
No one saw the figures of Gao Yang and Zhu Zai, meanwhile in Eighty-Eight True Yang Building, that round was still intact and available for challengers. Except that in this short period, Gu Masters were not allowed to enter again.
Everyone was very clear about what this implied.
Ever since Eighty-Eight True Yang Building had formed, five rank five experts had already been sacrificed.
Such grave casualties and losses, it caused the entire area to go into deep silence.
When Tai Bai Yun Sheng opened his eyes eventually, he found himself lying on a bed, his entire body was feeling weak to the point where he even had difficulties sitting up.
Seeing that he opened his eyes, a servant nearby who was attending to him shouted immediately out of joy: "Old sir, you are finally awake, you have finally woken up! Someone quickly come, someone quickly come, old sir has woken up!"
Very soon, Tai Bai Yun Sheng could hear a large number of footsteps rushing over towards him.
A group of healing Gu Masters came to his side, checking his body's condition for him collectively.
"Lord elder, rest assured, your injuries are no longer a problem. Except that you are of old age, so the injuries this time have affected your physical condition. From now on, you have to recuperate carefully, especially for the next few months, your body is weak and lacking in nourishment, you need to rest and recover slowly." The head of the healing Gu Masters urged him in a gentle tone.
In order to get a team to challenge the round, Tai Bai Yun Sheng had no choice but to agree to Hei Lou Lan's request and had already become an external elder of Hei tribe.
Tai Bai Yun Sheng's gaze was completely unfocused, ever since he woke up, he had been in a daze, after hearing these words, he regained some of his senses as he asked: "Where is this place?"
"Replying to lord elder's question, this is Lord Hei Lou Lan's residence. Ever since lord elder failed in challenging the round, and returned barely alive, our tribe leader has been very concerned, he personally brought you here to receive treatment. The servants have already reported your awakening, I believe that very soon, lord tribe leader will be here to see you." The leader of the Gu Masters once again replied.
"Failed in challenging the round, and returning barely alive?" Tai Bai Yun Sheng frowned slightly, the memories in his mind were slowly surfacing, as he recalled that final scene that had happened —
He expended his final portion of primeval essence, activating his defense Gu as he successfully charged into the great hall amidst the attacks and rampaging of the blood beasts.
But soon after, he fainted and fell unconscious, losing perception of all his senses!
When he woke up, he found that he was lying here.
"Does that mean, I really failed in challenging the round?!" Tai Bai Yun Sheng's tone suddenly turned sharp, as his gaze became sharper than ever.
"Lord elder…" The healing Gu Masters around the bed all looked at each other, they wanted to offer words of consolation, but they could not bring themselves to say a thing.
Thus, they could only lower their heads silently.
The room suddenly became completely quiet.
Tai Bai Yun Sheng's gaze was staring into the distance, after being silent for a while, he suddenly raised his head and laughed: "Haha, so I failed after all. All that sacrifice for nothing, all that sacrifice for absolutely nothing!"
He could not get up now, so he could only use his palm to slam the side of the bed with all his strength, laughing maniacally.
"Lord elder, lord elder!" The healing Gu Masters were frantic, they quickly tried to calm him down.
"My pitiful Gao Yang, my pitiful Zhu Zai, they sacrificed their lives in order to protect me!" Tai Bai Yun Sheng's eyes were overflowing with tears, his laughter was filled with pure agony.
"My condolences to lord elder, there is a limit to what a person can do, lord elder had already done his best!"
"Lord elder, the fact that you managed to survive is already the greatest fortune among misfortunes."
"People die when they are killed, the dead cannot be resurrected, old sir, you have to stay strong for all of us…"
Everyone spoke one after another, trying to calm down the unstable Tai Bai Yun Sheng.
But these words felt like utter sarcasm when they entered Tai Bai Yun Sheng's ears. They were like needles stabbing into his heart one by one.
At the final crucial moment, Tai Bai Yun Sheng preserved his primeval essence and did not choose to save Gao Yang and Zhu Zai. It was for himself, to activate the defense Gu and charge into the main hall.
That was him, for his own selfish gains, he had ignored the sacrifices of his comrades.
Was this still Tai Bai Yun Sheng?
Was this still that admirable and publicly recognised figure in northern plains who helped and saved the injured, healing people everywhere, the Tai Bai Yun Sheng who eliminated pain and suffering?
Why did he do that?
But at that crucial moment, he had no time to think about it carefully, he chose to do it in an instant!
Purposely sacrificing Gao Yang and Zhu Zai to obtain a chance for himself to obtain that fifteen year lifespan Gu which was the reward for passing the round! It was for his own purpose of extending his life!
Such a decision made Tai Bai Yun Sheng feel very unfamiliar with himself, he felt extremely ashamed, extremely inferior, and extremely regretful!
Back then, there was no hesitation, he did not think about it, that decision had transformed his morals into a whip, interrogating his soul and lashing at his conscience!
Tai Bai Yun Sheng shut his eyes in great pain, his fists were tightly clenched.
"Lord tribe leader has arrived!"
"Subordinate pays respects to lord tribe leader."
The entire room kneeled, as Hei Lou Lan carried a smiling expression and walked towards Tai Bai Yun Sheng.
Seeing Tai Bai Yun Sheng's pained expression, Hei Lou Lan frowned lightly, but soon his frown vanished: "Elder Tai Bai, I am very glad that you are awake. I have already heard about the situation, you, Gao Yang, and Zhu Zai had displayed the bravery and courage of us northern plains men, although you failed, it was an admirable attempt! As long as you learn from this attempt, I'm sure you'll be able to pass this round in the future, overwriting failure with success and washing away the humiliation."
Tai Bai Yun Sheng did not open his eyes, he did not speak a word as his expression remained painful.
He had already understood the reason why he failed.
After he charged into the main hall, he had successfully avoided the attacks of the blood beasts as he fell on the main hall. But after succeeding, he laughed wildly in great joy, and because his state of mind had been greatly volatile and fluctuating, together with his grave injuries, he lost consciousness.
To get through this round, there was a time limit as well.
Once the time was up, his unconscious self was sent out forcefully along with the other Gu Masters at the fringe of the battlefield.
He was obviously a single step away from success, but he failed because he had fallen unconscious.
Such an ironic ending, this was not the source of the intense pain in Tai Bai Yun Sheng's heart.
His pain was because he had abandoned his comrades for his own selfish gains.
Was this still Tai Bai Yun Sheng?
His memories flashed in his mind one by one once more.
From youth, he had always believed in the power of love.
Since he was a child, he had been reputed to have a kind heart.
When Tai Bai tribe devoured other tribes, he saw that his childhood friend was going to suffer the horrible fate of becoming a female slave, thus he stepped up and requested to marry her. Because of this, the batch of captives were also spared.
But on the night of their wedding, his wife betrayed him. The captives contacted outside enemies and assaulted his tribe, causing his parents to die from this incident.
His slave life after that was extremely tough and pitiful, and he had always been suffering the intense guilt and regret in his heart.
Finally, one day, he gave an unacquainted old beggar a bowl of water out of kindness, and the old beggar gave him three immortal inheritances to choose from.
The first could allow him to bathe in flames and step on fire, surpassing the mortal realm.
The second could allow him to control wind and fly in the air, roaming the world freely.
The third could allow him to surpass life and death, gaining the ability to assist the world's people.
Tai Bai Yun Sheng chose the third inheritance.
From then on, it was as if he found the light in the darkness, his heart was no longer in turmoil as he had no regrets anymore, he had been completely reborn!
After so many years, the old beggar's laughter was still ringing in his ears.
Surpassing life and death, gaining the ability to help people, this had become his life's goal.
And indeed, he truly achieved this in his life later on.
Countless people felt gratitude towards him, his kind reputation had spread widely, his light was shining over the entire northern plains.
He was a living legend.
But right now!
He had failed!
His failure was not in that he did not receive the lifespan Gu. But because he betrayed his comrades, he betrayed the way of life that he had set for himself!!
But the most ironic thing was, all these were done by his own subconscious.
He spent almost his entire life to establish a way of life for himself that he believed in. But that at moment, he completely destroyed his own ideals.
He had seen the other side of himself, his own selfish nature.
He had once thought, he was the person everyone knew him as — walking on the grassland under the setting sun, helping and saving people throughout the region, the savior of the world.
But now, in his heart, this image was slowly leaving him, it was limping away from him.
In the brilliance of the setting sun, his shadow was stretched out and extended into the horizon.
The shadow was extremely dark…