Fang Yuan went through the Miasma Regional Wall, every single step feeling like he was tied to a large weight behind him that only grew heavier. When he saw the red of the Raging Flame Regional Wall indicating that he was nearing the Western Desert, he frowned and could only curse his luck. It appeared to be far thicker and denser than the Miasma Regional Wall on the Southern Border side.
Given this, he could only change direction - but if he changed direction, it would take him even longer, even if the damage done to his aperture was lower. And when he considered forcing his way forward, although he hadn't used a killer move, he felt a sense of dread and loss. The meaning was clear: trying to force himself to go forward would only result in misery.
There was something else that changed the calculation entirely: that delay from helping Shang Guai Li with his tea ceremony had resulted in Fang Yuan's earthly calamity descending far sooner than he would otherwise have thought. If he continued to go forward like this, the chances of him being able to find the inheritance before the first earthly calamity struck were basically nonexistent.
He could try and undergo his tribulation in the Western Desert; however, Fang Yuan already had a sinking feeling that his first earthly calamity would not be easy. Shang Qing Qing had not been entirely wrong. The first earthly calamity tended to be "free," more of a test on one's resources than anything else. It was the repeated tribulations that tended to erode one's foundation; that was when Heaven's will would then turn to strike and deal the killing blow, generally by the sixth or seventh earthly calamity, and if not, then by the heavenly tribulation.
Fang Yuan had already sacrificed quite a bit to go through the wall, but he had no choice but to turn back now. He knew when to cut his losses.
There was an even bigger issue than simply the matter of his tribulation occurring in a different region: that would end up supplanting some of the Heaven and Earth qi within his aperture, making the tribulation even more difficult. He had already stocked up on Heaven and Earth qi from the Southern Border before going. Still, why make something that was already going to be difficult even more so?
The bigger issue was that he needed time in order to work on a potential solution to his tribulations and calamities. Fang Yuan had several ideas in his mind; several projects that he wished to work on but not enough time for all of them. There was upgrading the Blood Chariot to perhaps Rank 6 or even Rank 7, if he managed to get his hands on a Blood Path Gu worm. There was the development of both the Pill Path and Luck Path. Then there were experiments within the Human Path, including trying to deduce the secret behind the Dollhouse, and perhaps even constructing a Rank 6 Human Path Gu House if he couldn't upgrade the Dollhouse itself if possible. Fang Yuan also wanted to deepen his foundation in the Formation Path and find a way to grow the Emotion Lilies grow better.
Then there was the dream realm aspect. He had not, as of yet, managed to create a killer move that could rival Unravel Dream, and Dream Realm Emotional Compass still had multiple flaws which needed to be fixed. Then there was the matter of the Luck Path and his ideas for creating a move that would solve his current issue of having low luck.
But he could not do all of these at once, especially not when compounded with the longer-term plan of trying to find Thieving Heaven Demonic Venerable's inheritance. With a sigh, he simply backed out of the Miasma Regional Wall, his return journey far easier than the journey in, and then laid down his aperture.
His aperture took in a small amount of Heaven and Earth Qi as time within it slowed, giving Fang Yuan the time needed in order to focus on the main problem that he had.
***
Down below in the Fang Yuan Continent, now that Fang Yuan was no longer moving through the regional walls, things had settled down. That wasn't to say that everything was going back to normal. No, it was the equivalent of Fang Yuan picking up an ant farm and then shaking it violently before placing it down.
The various humans were shaken at what had happened. Casualties thankfully were low; even those who had been dragged out to sea were able to swim back to safety. That wasn't to say that everyone was all right, though. Many of them were injured, and given how much a good portion of them shied away from using gu worms for healing - despite the Human Path's propensity for healing - they ended up remaining injured. Several passageways and hunting grounds that they used to use could no longer be used.
However, with destruction also came new opportunities. The opening of the earth, thanks to what Fang Yuan had done, had released a good number of gu worms into the air. The landscape had changed, but that also gave way to new opportunities.
Most people feared or hated gu worms. However, with the weakening of the old order in many places, it would give people the opportunity to try and use these gu worms. People would naturally be curious as they came across these gu worms and consider cultivating. Gu Master cultivation might no longer be as suppressed as it was earlier. At least, that was what Fang Yuan hoped.
One of the major beneficiaries of everything was Wang Tian. He had managed to run for the rest of the day and the rest of the night after escaping. Even when the calamity had ended, he did not relax and continued moving on.
Right now, he was in a cave. Alone and without a single ally or friend, yes - but he was safe, and most importantly of all, he was free.
He glanced into his aperture. The gu worm that he had managed to refine was still there. It still looked weak and sickly, appearing like two thin snakes coiled tightly around each other to form one large thread. He had never seen a gu worm like that before. And as it was, Wang Tian's knowledge of Gu Master cultivation was basically nonexistent. He had no idea what this Gu worm in question did.
He had seen a few wild gu worms outside and wondered if he should try and capture them. With that said, wild gu worms were not just easy free loot; they could also be dangerous, especially if they tried to attack him.
He turned his attention towards his aperture and then glanced around where he was sitting. The cave was damp and cold, but not unreasonably so. There were a large number of mushrooms there. Wang Tian had seen a fox a few minutes earlier nibble off one of them, so he assumed that they would be safe for consumption. For now, it looked like food was taken care of.
He turned his attention to his aperture again as he looked outside. He felt exhausted and knew he couldn't run any further, and this place was hidden well enough that it would be hard to get to him. As it was, he was settled some distance up on a rough hill - the exact kind of terrain that those horse riders would have wanted to avoid.
Taking in a deep breath, once he had eaten his fill of the mushrooms, he decided to send the waves of primeval essence within his aperture against the crystal walls. If he was going to try to capture a few more gu worms, it was best that he advanced in his cultivation first. And so, cracks began appearing in his crystal walls. He didn't have any primeval stones, but he naively hoped that his primeval essence reserves would be enough. Fortunately for him, his aptitude was incredible and such a goal was indeed attainable.