He withdrew from the blind zone and returned to the outer chaos.
By now, the dream blessed land had become disorderly. Disciples shouted everywhere. Some accused rival sects of releasing beasts. Some believed the blessed land's collapse had accelerated naturally. Some thought the dream beasts were reacting to the immortal methods used by the first few groups.
Fang Ming stood within a layer of pale purple fog, his expression calm as he listened to the noise spreading through the broken world. He had no intention of returning to Wing of Freedom Sect's group.
Wu Meng's identity had already served its first purpose. It had allowed him to pass through the forbidden zone, enter the blessed land, and move among the disciples without suspicion. But now that the blessed land had fallen into chaos, staying with a mortal group would only slow him down. They would hesitate, argue, worry about sect rules, and fight over small gains. Fang Ming's target was not the scraps that subsidiary sects were allowed to touch.
His gaze turned toward the center.
The pale tower still flickered in the distance. Sometimes it stood beyond a forest. Sometimes it appeared on the surface of a lake. Sometimes its reflection hung upside down in the sky, as if the blessed land itself could not decide where the tower truly existed.
Fang Ming moved toward it.
He did not fly openly. Even though the dream fog had become thick and the outside Gu Immortals could no longer observe deeply, he remained cautious. His immortal body was already increasing the pressure on the collapsing blessed land. If he used too much immortal power too openly, the blessed land might break apart before he reached the core benefit. More importantly, this was Central Continent. Even inside a collapsing blessed land, Fang Ming did not believe the great sects had left the central region completely unguarded.
The scenery around him shifted as he advanced. He passed through a village where the same empty street repeated seven times. Each time he walked past a door, he heard a different voice whispering from inside, yet every house was hollow when he glanced through the windows. After that came a lake where water flowed upward into the clouds, carrying sleeping fish that opened human eyes when they passed him. Beyond the lake was a field of white grass. Each step through it caused the grass to whisper names, some belonging to people from this world, some from his previous life.
Fang Ming ignored all of it.
Dream path was troublesome because it did not attack only the body. It attacked perception, memory, emotion, and identity. A weak-willed Gu Master might collapse from hearing one familiar voice. A person carrying deep regret might be dragged into illusion without knowing it. But Fang Ming had Unfathomable Will Gu, Attitude Gu, and a mind trained by years of schemes, battles, and refinement. The dream path effects here could disturb him, but they could not make him lose himself so easily.
After some time, the pale tower became clear.
It was not truly a tower. It was the external manifestation of a dream realm. From one angle, it looked like a tower built from mist. From another, it resembled a sleeping person standing upright. Its windows opened and closed like eyelids, and behind each window was a different scene: a battlefield soaked in rain, a wedding hall without guests, a lonely mountain under a broken moon, a room filled with stars, a child crying beside a door that would not open.
The tower had no fixed height. One moment it was only three stories tall. The next moment its peak pierced the sky.
Around the dream realm, the fog was thick but strangely calm. No ordinary subsidiary sect disciples stood nearby. No random Gu Masters fought for resources. The ground had been cleared, and several traces of formation activity lingered faintly in the air.
Fang Ming hid behind a half-collapsed wall and looked ahead.
Four rank five Gu Masters stood around a young woman dressed in elegant robes. She sat cross-legged near the edge of the dream realm, eyes closed, breathing slow and steady. Her skin was white as snow, her bearing noble even while unconscious. Behind her soul, faint illusory wings appeared and vanished, like feathers made of dreams.
Feng Jin Huang.
Spirit Affinity House's precious genius.
Fang Ming's gaze paused on her for only a breath before shifting to the four guards around her. Each of them was a rank five expert. They stood in four directions, forming a protective formation around Feng Jin Huang's body. Their eyes were sharp, their postures steady, and their hands never drifted far from their Gu worms.
They were not ordinary mortals. They had been selected by Spirit Affinity House to guard Feng Jin Huang while she explored a dream realm. Their Gu sets were complete, their cooperation was trained, and they almost certainly carried some life-saving methods left by Gu Immortals. If a normal rank five Gu Master tried to break through their formation, he would die before taking ten steps.
But Fang Ming was not here to fight them as a mortal.
He was also not here to kill Feng Jin Huang.
Killing her would be foolish. Behind her stood Spirit Affinity House. Behind Spirit Affinity House stood Fairy Bai Qing and Feng Jiu Ge. Behind the ten great ancient sects stood Heavenly Court. Fang Ming had not infiltrated this place to invite an endless storm onto himself.
He was here to steal.
His true target was not Feng Jin Huang's life, nor even her original Immortal Gu. He only needed a brief window to get close enough.
Fang Ming stood silently in the fog. A thought moved, and the command pattern of the eagle swarm changed.
Moments later, eagle cries tore through the air above the pale tower.
The first wave descended from the clouds. Five rank five eagles dived like dark blades, their wings cutting through the dream fog. Behind them came more rank five eagles, and then groups of rank four eagles spread outward in arcs. Lower-ranked eagles filled the sky in scattered flocks, enough to make the entire central region seem overrun.
One of Spirit Affinity House's guards raised his head sharply.
"Eagles!"
Another shouted at once, "Protect Lady Feng Jin Huang!"
The four reacted immediately. A white barrier rose around Feng Jin Huang. Ribbon-like Gu worms flew through the air and struck at the nearest eagles. Wind blades rose from the ground, sound path attacks burst outward, and several eagles were forced back before they could get close.
Fang Ming watched from the fog, his expression unchanged.
These four were indeed strong. Even under the sudden attack of many rank five eagles, they did not panic. Their first priority was always Feng Jin Huang's physical body. They did not chase the eagles, nor did they scatter in anger. They stayed close, defended carefully, and maintained formation.
Unfortunately for them, Fang Ming had no intention of letting the formation remain stable.
His hand lifted slightly.
Immortal killer move — Tyrannical Push.
The force was narrow, silent, and invisible. It struck one guard from the side just as he released a wind blade. His body suddenly flew sideways as if hit by a giant hand. His eyes widened in shock, and he crashed into the ground several steps away.
"What?"
Another guard turned instinctively, but Fang Ming's second move had already arrived.
Immortal killer move — Tyrannical Lift.
The female Gu Master standing behind Feng Jin Huang suddenly rose into the air. Her feet left the ground, her expression changing abruptly. She hurriedly activated movement Gu, but before she could stabilize herself, two rank four eagles dived toward her, forcing her to defend.
The protective formation opened a gap.
The eagles pressed in immediately.
"Some of these eagles have Gu worms!" one guard shouted.
"No, something is hidden in the fog!" another said.
"Do not leave Lady Feng Jin Huang!"
Their judgment was not completely foolish. To them, the invisible force always appeared together with the eagle attacks. An eagle would dive, and then someone would be pushed away. Another eagle would cry, and then a guard would be lifted into the air. In this dream path environment, where perception was unreliable and strange phenomena appeared everywhere, it was not difficult for them to believe that some eagles were carrying special Gu worms or that the dream realm itself was interfering.
Fang Ming did not give them time to think.
Tyrannical Grab pulled one guard three steps away from Feng Jin Huang. Tyrannical Push forced another backward just as he tried to return. Tyrannical Suction twisted the angle of a sound path attack, causing it to miss the eagle it had targeted and strike empty air.
The four Spirit Affinity House Gu Masters were not defeated. They were too experienced for that. But they were separated by eagles, fog, and invisible strength. Their formation had been broken, and that was enough.
Fang Ming adjusted his robe, made his face pale, and rushed out from the side in Wu Meng's appearance.
His timing was perfect.
A rank four eagle dived toward Feng Jin Huang's exposed body. Fang Ming appeared beside her and activated a mortal defensive Gu. A dull grey shield formed above them, barely blocking the eagle's claws. The impact sent cracks across the shield, and Fang Ming staggered back half a step like a mortal struggling under pressure.
From the perspective of Spirit Affinity House's guards, this unknown subsidiary sect disciple had risked himself to protect Feng Jin Huang.
"Who is that?" one of them shouted.
"A disciple from a subsidiary sect!"
"He is helping Lady Feng Jin Huang!"
"Hold the eagles back! Return to formation!"
They were anxious, but they could not immediately approach. The eagle swarm pressed them from all sides, and whenever one of them found a path back, Fang Ming secretly sent another invisible push or lift, making them lose balance at the critical moment.
He controlled the rhythm carefully.
Not enough to kill.
Not enough to expose immortal power clearly.
Only enough to keep them away.
Fang Ming stood beside Feng Jin Huang, looking like he was barely holding on. Another eagle dived from the left. He dodged awkwardly and countered with a mortal Gu. A third eagle swept down from above. He raised his shield, the shield trembled, and his knees bent slightly as though he were under great pressure.
In truth, every eagle near Feng Jin Huang was under his control.
None of them would truly harm her.
While pretending to defend her, Fang Ming moved half a step closer. Feng Jin Huang remained asleep, her consciousness inside the dream realm. Her physical body sat quietly, wrapped in layers of protection methods that Fang Ming did not casually touch.
He did not need to touch her directly.
His copying ability began to work.
For ordinary Gu Immortals, copying an Immortal Gu hidden inside another immortal aperture was extremely difficult. The aperture could be isolated, distant, or sealed from outside perception. Even if the Gu Immortal stood nearby, the Immortal Gu inside their aperture might as well be in another world.
But Feng Jin Huang was not a Gu Immortal.
She had no immortal aperture.
Dream Wings Immortal Gu was with her mortal body. The distance was close enough. The target was clear enough.
Fang Ming's mind became still.
The chaos, the eagle cries, the shouting guards, the trembling blessed land — all of it faded into the background. Invisible refinement light flickered only within his perception. Outside, nothing seemed to change. To the Spirit Affinity House Gu Masters, Wu Meng was still desperately protecting Feng Jin Huang. To the eagles, he was the commander giving silent orders. To the dream realm, he was a strange false identity standing at its edge.
Inside Fang Ming, a new Immortal Gu slowly took shape.
Not Dream Wings.
A copied variation.
Dream Feather Immortal Gu.
Its aura was faint and soft, like a feather drifting through sleep. Its body resembled a translucent plume. Within each strand of the feather, tiny dream scenes appeared and vanished, too small to read yet filled with mystery.
The Immortal Gu stabilized.
Success.
Fang Ming quietly withdrew the copying method.
At that moment, the pressure from the eagle swarm began to lessen. The four Spirit Affinity House Gu Masters immediately noticed the change and rushed back with all their strength.
One of them shouted, "Hold on! We are coming!"
Fang Ming glanced toward them, his face pale and tense.
Then a sharp eagle cry sounded behind him.
A rank five eagle suddenly swooped down from the fog. Its claws grabbed Fang Ming's shoulders and lifted him into the air.
Fang Ming widened his eyes deliberately.
"Help!"
The eagle dragged him upward.
One Spirit Affinity House disciple took a step forward instinctively, but the leader shouted, "Do not chase! Protect Lady Feng Jin Huang!"
"But he helped us!"
"Lady Feng Jin Huang is the priority!"
The disciple gritted his teeth and stopped.
The four guards quickly returned to Feng Jin Huang's side and restored their protective formation. They were breathing heavily, their clothes disheveled, and several had minor wounds from the eagle attacks. Their faces were ugly, but none of them dared to abandon their duty.
The eagle carried Fang Ming higher and higher.
Fang Ming struggled like a captured mortal, shouting once more for help. No one came.
The Spirit Affinity House guards watched him disappear into the dream fog. One of them sighed softly.
"That disciple…"
The leader's expression remained tense. "Remember his face. If he survives, Spirit Affinity House can repay him later. For now, protect Lady Feng Jin Huang."
No one argued.
A subsidiary sect disciple being taken away by an eagle was unfortunate, but Feng Jin Huang's safety mattered far more.
Once the eagle flew beyond their sight, Fang Ming stopped struggling.
His expression returned to calm.
The eagle carried him across a broken ridge and descended into a quiet valley filled with dream fog. Several rank five eagles circled overhead, forming a loose defensive perimeter. Rank four eagles moved through the surrounding fog, while lower-ranked eagles scattered through nearby broken paths to create signs of danger.
The eagle released Fang Ming gently.
He landed without a sound.
The abduction had only been a show. It gave him a clean exit. No questioning, no gratitude, no chance for Spirit Affinity House to examine him, and no need to explain why Wu Meng had appeared beside Feng Jin Huang at the perfect moment.
Fang Ming opened his palm.
A translucent feather floated above it.
Dream Feather Immortal Gu.
He examined it closely. It was not exactly the same as Dream Wings. Dream Wings allowed Feng Jin Huang's soul to grow wings and roam dream realms with unusual freedom, advancing and retreating more safely than almost anyone in this era. Dream Feather was lighter and less complete, but it suited Fang Ming. It could guide entry into a dream realm, attach dream path protection to the soul, and help withdraw if the dream realm rejected him.
It did not make him a dream path expert.
A tool was only a tool.
But compared to having no proper entry method at all, this was a difference between heaven and earth.
Fang Ming looked back toward the pale tower.
Feng Jin Huang was exploring the main dream realm. The Central Continent sects were waiting for their disciples to gather information. The subsidiary sects were struggling in the chaos. And Fang Ming now had his own way inside.
Before entering, he needed protection.
He opened his immortal aperture, and three Gu Masters walked out.
All three were rank five. They wore Eagle Sect robes, and their auras were steady. They had been selected not merely for cultivation, but for loyalty, calmness, and experience guarding important places inside Fang Ming's aperture.
The moment they appeared, they knelt on one knee.
"Supreme leader."
Fang Ming nodded. "Guard my body. Do not leave this valley. If disciples approach, drive them away. If they insist, injure them but do not kill unless necessary. If dream beasts approach, stall them and signal the eagles."
"Yes, supreme leader."
One of the rank five Gu Masters glanced at his own robe and asked carefully, "Should we conceal our sect markings?"
Fang Ming looked at him once.
The Gu Master immediately lowered his head.
Fang Ming waved his hand. Their robes changed under a simple disguise method, removing the obvious Eagle Sect symbols.
"Do not speak unless needed."
"Yes."
The eagles above shifted formation. Rank five eagles guarded the outer sky. Rank four eagles circled through the fog. Lower-ranked eagles scattered around the broken paths, making the entire region look like another eagle-occupied danger zone. Few mortal disciples would dare approach. Even if they did, the three rank five Gu Masters could delay them long enough.
Fang Ming sat cross-legged on a flat stone and held Dream Feather Immortal Gu near his chest.
The blessed land trembled again.
He could feel it more clearly now. His immortal body, the eagle chaos, the captured dream beasts, and his repeated use of immortal killer moves had all worsened the collapse. The world was like a cracked bowl. Every movement caused the cracks to spread.
Fang Ming was not worried.
A stable situation benefited Central Continent.
A collapsing situation benefited him.
The more chaotic the blessed land became, the easier it was to steal the core benefits before the great sects reacted.
He closed his eyes.
Dream Feather Immortal Gu activated.
A soft feather-like light covered his soul. For a moment, his body became distant. The eagle cries faded. The breathing of the three rank five Gu Masters faded. The trembling of the blessed land faded.
Only the pale tower remained.
Its windows opened one by one.
Behind them were countless dreams.
Fang Ming's soul moved forward.
This was his first true step into dream path. He was not Feng Jin Huang. He did not have her natural advantage. He was not Fang Yuan. He did not have a mature dream path killer move that could unravel dreams directly.
But he had stolen his own entrance ticket.
And that was enough.
The dream fog swallowed him.