Chapter 2417 Rank 9 Gu

Duke Long couldn't figure it out: "Well, might as well go look," he flew up with Fang Yuan.

Ordinarily even he would have feared a Chaotic Tribulation but since he was undying within the Painting World, and it was going to burn anyway.

Amidst the backdrop of a dark and dreary world, the arcs of Lightning created by Chaos felt eerily fitting.

Duke Long flew till he reached Fang Yuan, his gaze towards the lightning.

"Hehe Duke Long I knew you couldn't resist coming," Fang Yuan spoke as his eyes were ever focused on the Chaotic Tribulation.

Duke Long frowned: "Fang Yuan if you're trying to convince me to let you go it won't…"

Fang Yuan indifferently waved his hands: "Be necessary."

"Tell me Duke Long what is righteousness?"

?!

"What are you?" Duke Long was puzzled by this shift in tone.

"Oh, come on the world is going to be burned before our eyes you might as well tell me why I'm wrong no? If not then just humor me," Fang Yuan said as his necked turned to glance at Duke Long for a second.

Duke Long had his eyebrows raised, but he could see no way out for Fang Yuan, in any case talking wasn't going to set him free either: "It is about doing the right thing, no matter the cost to one's personal benefit."

Fang Yuan sneered: "So sacrificing the lives of millions to save the billions?"

Duke Long could sense Fang Yuan's dissatisfaction but he didn't care: "Precisely."

"Then what's the goal of the Righteous Path?"

"This…" Duke Long was taken aback.

No one had ever asked this question before.

Fang Yuan added: "What's the endgame for those of the Righteous Path? For the Lone and Demonic cultivators its their own personal goals, whether it be getting stronger, living forever, or slaughtering the lives of millions. It is all the individual whims of those people but what about your Righteous Path?"

"This…" Duke Long thought about it: "I can't speak for the clans or sects of the world, but I can speak for Heavenly Court! To protect Humanity."

This time Fang Yuan was a little taken aback.

Normally people of the Righteous Path would start some spiel about defending the weak or fighting evil.

But this was what set Heavenly Court apart from other factions, they pursued only 1 thing, defend Humanity!

Their goals and ambition were admirable even to Fang Yuan, though he would never relate, he still admired their passion for Humanity.

Fang Yuan simply nodded.

"Like a flower that quickly fades, here today and gone tomorrow a vapor in the wind so to is human life. I live by the mountains yet soon the mountains will live on without me." Fang Yuan let out a turbulent sigh.

The sorrow of death and its loneliness moved even Duke Long.

For once, he understood where Fang Yuan was coming from, the lament he had for a life that was destined to die.

"But so, what? We are all destined to die you can't change this," Duke Long shook his head: "We reap what the old have sown and steward it for the future to reap. This is life."

But Fang Yuan responded: "This is true for those who are resigned to their fate. But then what's the point in living? Look at Feng Jiu Ge does he live for his family or for himself? He loves them no doubt but is he alive for their sakes or his?"

Duke Long merely remained silent.

The two understood the root of each other but they had long been entrenched in their own paths.

"Fate may no longer exists, but the established cycle of Life and Death has been around since time immemorial you cannot change it. I can tell you have grand ambition, look at you trying to refine Rank 9 Wisdom Gu!"

!!!

Indeed, Fang Yuan was attempting to use Order Refinement to create Rank 9 Wisdom Gu!

"Hehe, Duke Long you were right that before Star Constellation, Genesis Lotus and Giant Sun attacked me I was refining Rank 9 Wisdom Gu." He said as he held the incomplete Gu: "But I have a better idea."

He kept the incomplete Gu in a crystal to save it for later.

And he took out a seemingly odd illusory black colored fog that had a spider like Gu in its center.

Duke Long frowned as he squinted his eyes: "Is that a Predicament? Wait! Inside it is that…"

"That's right! Its ability Gu!"

!!!

Duke Long was dumbstruck: "How does he keep getting these legendary Gu worms!?"

After, exiting the Myriad Beast Fusion Color Heaven Ability Gu was still trapped within the predicament.

Fang Yuan originally tried injecting the most basic form of Order he could muster, thanks to Ying Guang Xin.

But instead of speeding up the situation it had a negative effect on Ability Gu. It was only upon seeing the Chaotic Tribulation around him that Fang Yuan had an idea.

"Perhaps, the tribulations that Ren Zhu was referring to were Chaotic Tribulations!"

It would make sense.

Predicaments were the physical manifestations of Tribulations and were born from Chaos that the Heavenly Dao refined into Predicaments.

*Rumble*

The storm of Chaotic Black Lightning began to show signs of descending.

Fang Yuan turned to face Duke Long, Gu still in hand: "You said I can't change Destiny, that I can't break the cycle."

*Rumble!*

The sounds of thunder grew louder, as more and more lightning filled the skies.

"Then let me show you something beyond your comprehension!" Ability Gu left Fang Yuan's hands as it floated amongst the Chaotic Thunder.

Instantly the Gu was struck!

The Predicament began to grow but a crack immediately formed on Ability Gu, but Fang Yuan healed it.

*Screech*

Another lightning bolt descended on the Gu, leaving an even longer crack.

But Fang Yuan saved it.

Duke Long was both in awe and in fear: "It seems Fang Yuan's theory was correct but luckily at this rate the Gu will be destroyed by the next strike, and he can't save it."

Just as Duke Long predicted the next strike was the strongest but before it could hit Ability Gu Fang Yuan tossed in Rank 8 Fortitude Gu!

"It is only through resilience that one can heighten their abilities."

*Boom*

The lightning struck creating a blinding light as Rank 9 aura began to spread out.

"He actually did it…" Duke Long felt rather defeated.

He felt a bitter sense of invincibility that Fang Yuan exuded.

"I have failed my final mission…my last chance of redemption" he was incredibly somber.

In contrast, Fang Yuan stood amongst the clouds like a god.

"So this is Rank 9 Ability Gu," Fang Yuan held the Gu in his hands.

Rank 9 Ability Gu was still in the shape of a spider but now its body was covered in a jeweled like state, every part would shine and shimmer except for its abdomen which was currently dark black.

"Interesting," Fang Yuan was thoroughly inspecting the Gu: "Rank 9 Ability Gu can consume Chaos just like all the other Ranks but because it has no more improvements that can be made through increment it just stores the Chaos."

Fang Yuan suspected that if he filled up the entire Ability Gu with Chaos it could refine itself to Rank 10!

Fang Yuan peered down at Duke Long: "Hehe what do you think?"

Without waiting for a response Fang Yuan said: "I'm done here time to leave."

"Hmph," Duke Long snorted: "Okay Fang Yuan you may have surpassed even other Venerables, but I won't let you leave so easily! After Genesis Lotus and Giant Sun see that you resolved the Chaotic Tribulation, they'll just use brute force to destroy this world!"

"Heh, they can try," Fang Yuan smirked.

Fang Yuan brought out a Gu Worm that radiated peak Rank 8 energy.

"Is that…Thieves Den?!" Duke Long had seen so many shocking things today, but a Gu House Gu was the final straw.

Actually, Fang Yuan already used a Gu House Gu on him, Myriad Year Flying Warship, it's just Duke Long died to fast to notice.

Thieves Den, bolstered by Strong Gu, began exerting a terrifying pulling force on the Painting World.

"What are you doing!?" Duke Long grew worried.

"Well since Genesis Lotus doesn't want this portion of the Painting World why let it go to waste?"

The originally encapsulating Painting World began to grow smaller and smaller until being completely absorbed into Thieves Den.

"You won't get away with this…..." of course Duke Long was swept in as well.

In the real world, Genesis Lotus was still furious at Giant Sun when they both noticed that the Chaotic Tribulation had stopped.

"Strange. I didn't think he would choose to block it. Should we try again or destroy the world with pure force?" Genesis Lotus was now less apprehensive about having to sever that portion of the world.

Giant Sun was weighing the options when he had a strong Luck Path premonition: "Quick destroy it!"

But before they could use their most destructive Killer Moves, the Painting World continuously shrank until it vanished leaving behind Fang Yuan who was holding onto Thieves Den.

"Fang Yuan!"

"My Painting World!"

Genesis Lotus was now extremely furious, and worried.

"Shit! This is the worst outcome imaginable Fang Yuan has a portion of the Painting World!"

Both Giant Sun and Genesis Lotus were apprehensive.

While on the surface Genesis Lotus was the biggest loser, Giant Sun was actually close behind!

It took great amount of his own Luck to attract the Heavenly Dao into triggering a Chaotic Calamity.

Originally, he devised this move to use on himself to grow stronger than any Venerable in history.

But after one close brush with death, and the severe number of resources that went into surviving one Chaotic Tribulation, he decided to sparingly use this move.

For Venerables their only worry was a Chaotic Tribulation but for Fang Yuan a Chaotic Tribulation was like a buffet.

After, obtaining the secrets of Order Refinement he wanted to try it out but soon realized that Order was ungodly hard to obtain from Chaos.

Not to mention trying to obtain and store Chaos alone was hard enough but to then filter and distill Order from it was several magnitudes harder.

"No wonder Reckless needed a Pseudo-Rank 10 Secluded Domain of Heaven and Earth." Fang Yuan had just barely scratched the surface with a vessel to hold Chaos, Ability Gu.

Now he needed a way to extract the Order from it safely and to get that he needed Rank 9 Wisdom Gu's help.