Within the Heavenly Court, there was a tower, a Gu House that had stood ever since the time of Star Constellation Immortal Venerable herself - the Heaven Overseeing Tower.
The current overseer of the Heavenly Court, the Heaven Overseeing Tower Lord, was an old man with a walking stick. Despite his sickly and ancient appearance, one could not underestimate his strength. He was a Rank 8 Gu Master of Wisdom Path, having reached the pinnacle of what those who were not Venerables could achieve.
The Heaven Overseeing Lord slowly began to climb the steps of the tower.
Alongside the staircase were numerous portraits of various people: most of them were of people from a village working against the backdrop of a mountain as white as bone; there was also a woman flying over a mighty sea, a man fighting a lion in a wide open grassy plain, a young girl who was sleeping, and a man fishing by a pond.
This was but one of the powers of the Heaven Overseeing Tower - it could watch all of the Two Heavens and Five Regions at once.
With every step that the Heaven Overseeing Tower Lord took, one drop of White Litchi Rank 8 Immortal Essence was consumed. It continued to be consumed until he reached the top.
There, the core of the tower and the greatest treasure of the Heavenly Court was kept: a gu worm mentioned in the Legends of Ren Zu. It was none other than Fate Gu, which took the form of a black and white spider.
At least, that was how it was supposed to look.
Next to it was one of their Refinement Path experts, who greeted the Heaven Overseeing Tower Lord. "How is the progress on repairing Fate Gu?" the Heaven Overseeing Tower Lord asked.
"It has been going well, but for some reason, there continues to be an issue with its repair," came the answer.
The Heaven Overseeing Tower Lord shook his head and simply answered, "There is no 'for some reason' delaying its repair. I know exactly what is going on." From his aperture, he pulled out a gu worm and presented it to the man. A gu worm that took the form of a bright flame and let out a Rank 4 aura.
"Is that... Rank 4 Ambition Gu?" the man asked.
"Indeed," the Heaven Overseeing Tower Lord said. "This gu worm is mentioned within the Legends of Ren Zu as a Fate-defying Gu. It can break through the crystal walls of one's aperture, allowing a Gu Master to increase in strength by a massive amount. Its widespread sale and distribution have led to Fate Gu being weakened and making it harder to repair."
"I don't understand. How could a simple mortal gu damage Fate? Fate Gu is Rank 9!" the man asked, surprised.
"Don't be so shocked," the Heaven Overseeing Tower Lord said, pointing toward Fate Gu. "Let us say there was a man who was fated to die at a certain juncture within his life, perhaps to a wild beast or an enemy Gu Master. But let's say they managed to get their hands upon Ambition Gu. Through using Ambition Gu, they were able to break through to the next major realm of cultivation and gain a massive surge in strength. By limiting people's aptitudes, Fate Gu also limits how far they can get in life. But if they happen upon Ambition Gu and manage to break through to the next major realm, they can use their increased strength to avoid that calamity. After all, man is the spirit of all things."
"But that's impossible," the man replied. "Surely Fate Gu would just kill them in another way? Whatever has been decreed by Fate has to pass."
The Heaven Overseeing Tower Lord shook his head and pointed to the red line that traversed the middle of Fate Gu - the damage caused by Red Lotus Demon Venerable many thousands of years ago. "That would be true if Fate Gu was still intact. Even if they managed to escape their fate they would then meet their end quickly soon thereafter through an alternative means. However, with it being damaged, those who have Ambition Gu can proceed further than what they were destined to. If they happen to get their hands upon further Ambition Gu, they can rise greatly beyond what they were originally capable of."
"But... don't Relic Gu also allow one to advance?"
"The difference between a minor realm and that of a major realm is immense. Slowly but surely, the widespread circulation of Ambition Gu has begun to chip away at our foundation to repair Fate Gu." He continued, "Because Fate Gu is damaged, souls no longer move along its path as they should have. Fate Gu also prevented most forms of resurrection and revival; however, with it being damaged, zombies have emerged in the world - people who did not go to the next phase of existence." Zombies were widespread, and the Heavenly Court, despite its massive influence, could not completely stop people from becoming zombies even if they frowned on this practice. Zombies were another thorn on their path to repairing Fate Gu. "As it is, Ambition Gu is more damaging than someone becoming a zombie."
"When one becomes a zombie, their future potential is limited. They cannot break through to the next rank without reviving, which is more difficult the more one advances in Rank. On top of which, they cannot produce primeval or immortal essence depending on their rank, further limiting their power. They can only cling to life, a shallow shadow of their former glory. With Ambition Gu, however, we have the opposite problem," Heaven Overseeing Tower Lord said. "They not only escape Fate, but become evermore stronger to continue doing so, worsening the situation."
"We should find the person who is selling these then, and put an end to them," the refinement expert suggested.
The Heaven Overseeing Tower Lord shook his head. "Easier said than done. Tracking people through Yellow Treasure Heaven is nigh-impossible without further clues. And the sale is too widespread to stop. We can only try to deal with problems one at a time."
No matter how wide a net they cast, they could not deal with all of those who had escaped Fate.
At that moment, someone reached out to the Heaven Overseeing Tower Lord, whose eyes widened. "You're saying... one of Genesis Lotus Immortal Venerable's inheritors has appeared?"