After his regression, Fang Yuan had already repaired the Spring Autumn Cicada.

  It had been a rare week when he had time to spare. But Fang Yuan was not someone in a position to idle like a child simply because he had free time.

  He thought:

  “The Spring Autumn Cicada is severely damaged. In that case, I’ll use the Vital Core Conversion Gu, the Flow Control Gu, and the extreme-grade Resource-Time Regression Gu to repair both the Spring Autumn Cicada and all my previously damaged Gu.

  The vital cores sacrificed will be numerous, but for that very reason, once they’re expended, they’ll be restored entirely.

  In the end, rather than a loss, I’ll come out ahead.”

  Having reached that conclusion, he executed the plan, considering the variables low. As he predicted, not only was the Spring Autumn Cicada restored, but all his damaged Gu were also fully repaired. Fang Yuan briefly wondered why he hadn’t used this method earlier, his attention shifting slightly to the battlefield of the Star Constellation Immortal Venerable.

  He knew that dao-grade Gu were rare, but judged that in that battle, a considerable number would need to be sacrificed.

  Now—back to the present.

  Fang Yuan had all his resources preserved, yet simultaneously, other people retained their memories from before the regression.

  Only the world had regressed—everything else remained intact, at least mentally.

  Sweating from physical strain, Fang Yuan looked again at the Spring Autumn Cicada, somehow still usable, and reflected:

  “I still haven’t gained full control over this thing.

  What I mean is—I can't control the regression of the Spring Autumn Cicada.

  It’s... bothersome.”

  That thought sparked a moment of contemplation.

  Quite simply, Fang Yuan found it unacceptable that the Spring Autumn Cicada’s regression could not be controlled.

  To eliminate this issue, he theorized that linking certain Gu together would enhance cohesion, reinforcing their conceptual stability.

  To test this, he linked a Scent Gu—known for emitting random smells—with his Telepathy Gu. As he focused on the scent of an apple, the Scent Gu responded by releasing the exact aroma.

  This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

  Physically, it was just the smell of an apple.

  But in Fang Yuan’s mind, it might have been the most perfect apple scent he had ever perceived—a discovery potent enough to stir emotion, or at least the idea of it.

  He held a faint optimism that by combining the Circulation Gu and the Telepathy Gu, he might better control all minor errors and variables.

  The only remaining concern was whether Telepathy would tax his mental state. That, too, was something to test—nothing more.

  He briefly considered the risk of others discovering the restored Spring Autumn Cicada, which could render it useless. But he asked himself:

  “Would I really suffer a loss from a risk I can control?”

  The answer, as always, was “No.”

  Fang Yuan believed even such small variables could be brought under control.

  That was his freedom.

  Feeling a sense of correctness in his approach, he prepared to implement it.

  Just then, he noticed a low-grade flying Gu.

  “…Is that an Affection Gu, look.

  What’s the difference from an Emotion Gu, then? Just more intense affection...? Useless—”

  Before he could finish speaking, the Gu rubbed against his sleeve. Cautious, Fang Yuan pried it off, suspecting a trap.

  Apparently, it had expressed affection toward him—for reasons unknown.

  "Gu acting with emotion? Why?" he wondered.

  Then the Affection Gu tried to activate an ability toward him.

  Fang Yuan’s Emotion Suppression Gu reacted first. Instinctively, he claimed the Gu as his own.

  "Gu are not meant to behave this freely...

  Affection Gu are single-shot. Once they activate, they vanish.

  But this one persists. Why?

  Are the others the same?"

  He analyzed the situation.

  Next, he casually drew out his Explosion Gu.

  The Gu flew around erratically. Watching it, he muttered:

  "Do Gu have free will now?"

  Indeed, just as he suspected, in this regression line, the Gu possessed autonomy and acted according to their individual traits.

  Fang Yuan realized:

  If that’s true, I’ll have to exert much more control.

  He felt a suffocating sense of pressure and moved to relocate.

  Fang Yuan attempted to determine his current location before setting his next destination.

  There were green-tinted trees and the village he stood in—it all seemed ordinary, yet something felt unmistakably different.

  Cold and warm winds alternated across the area, seemingly caused by geographical factors. Fang Yuan thought to himself:

  “This terrain and village… they aren’t in my memory.

  Why is this regression so unstable?”

  Though the restoration and control of the Spring Autumn Cicada had been successful, the more he used it, the more unpredictable it became—gradually altering the world or failing to revert certain elements, creating inconsistencies. That was what was happening now.

  Walking through the area, Fang Yuan asked a passerby for the current date.

  Strangely, the man gave the date from before the regression—and he seemed confused by it himself.

  It appeared that even ordinary people had been dragged into this regression by Fang Yuan, their memories intact.

  And now, Fang Yuan understood:

  “That future is now the past—

  A future no one remembers, turned into a past that can be rewritten.

  But even that must be exploited.”

  Thinking this, Fang Yuan retrieved a Gu from his collection—one that had existed before: the Flight-Type Unified Surveillance Gu.

  He released it to survey the area—but the Gu disobeyed, flitting around aimlessly. Fang Yuan felt irritation and unease.

  “Free will… in a Gu?”

  The Surveillance Gu crawled along a lantern.

  When Fang Yuan reached for it, it dodged. But when he held his hand still, the Gu finally came to rest in his palm.

  Looking at it, Fang Yuan reflected:

  “To think I must train my Gu… like one trains a dog.”

  This trouble, he concluded, would soon extend to everyone else.

  If so, then there was only one choice.

  He said:

  “It seems that to gain my freedom,

  I must kill yours.”

  He spoke as if it were a regret—

  Yet his eyes held not doubt, but certainty…