Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.
The sound of surging waves was ceaseless, and a pungent smell of blood, filling the sky and pervading the earth, rushed into their nostrils.
Two Gu Immortals of the Wu Clan, Wu Yuanju and Rong Hao, were flying high above, each gazing down upon a vast ocean of crimson below. The former wore a grave expression, while the latter's face was lined with worry.
"The blood flood is surging, spreading into a boundless ocean. It has already engulfed an area of over a hundred thousand li, submerging more than ten mountains. If we don't suppress and seal it soon, the losses from this calamity will only grow worse," Wu Yuanju said in a somber voice.
The Blood Tide Heavenly Pit had originally been guarded by Wu Yiran. However, after Wu Yiran lost his life, the pit had been breached by others, and the Gu formations inside had been completely destroyed, allowing an endless torrent of blood to gush out in all directions, causing the current disaster.
Rong Hao said with deep concern: "But having just the two of us re-establish the Gu formations to seal all this blood tide back inside — that won't be easy. If we had one more Sixth Transformation cultivator, combining the strength of three Gu Immortals, we might barely manage."
Both of them were at the Sixth Transformation level. Handling this blood tide disaster was not difficult in itself, but Wu Yong's orders had imposed a strict time limit. Meeting that deadline with just the two of them was beyond what they could manage.
But there was no alternative. Wu Yong simply could not spare any more forces to deal with this crisis.
During Wu Duxiu's era of authority, the Wu Clan's territory had been expanding constantly, and no one had raised objections — because Wu Duxiu alone was enough to keep the entire situation under control.
After Wu Duxiu's death, Wu Yong took power. The Wu Clan now had only one Eighth Transformation expert remaining. Though Wu Yong had demonstrated both talent and decisive ability, the Wu Clan's territory was simply too vast.
Under Purple Mountain True Monarch's scheming, exploiting the restless discontent of other super clans, the Wu Clan had been beset by difficulties from multiple great families.
Wu Yong held the central command, struggling constantly to deploy forces and maintain the situation.
But this time, with Wu Yiran's death, a gaping hole had immediately torn open in the Wu Clan's already precarious defensive line.
Sending out Wu Yuanju and Rong Hao was already the absolute limit of what the Wu Clan could spare.
"Let's give it everything we have. Even if we exceed the time limit, at least we'll have done our best," Wu Yuanju sighed, and began to act.
Rong Hao hurried to coordinate with him.
He was not surnamed Wu. He was a Supreme Elder of non-Wu bloodline recruited by the Wu Clan.
Clans in the Southern Border were extremely exclusive. For the Wu Clan to break with convention and recruit a Gu Immortal of outside bloodline into their ranks was no small thing.
Under the two Gu Immortals' efforts, the blood tide was steadily retreating. The Blood Tide Heavenly Pit was like the maw of some enormous beast, beginning to swallow back the vast ocean of blood surrounding it.
The disaster was being brought under control.
The situation was steadily improving.
Wu Yuanju sighed: "After we suppress the blood tide this time and rebuild the Gu formations, Rong Hao, you'll need to take over Wu Yiran's post and guard this place. I hope you'll be extra careful — the winds have been unfavorable lately."
Rong Hao nodded: "I understand. I've heard that this Blood Tide Heavenly Pit was not formed naturally, but was deliberately created by the Blood Sea Ancestor — is that true?"
Wu Yuanju gave a hum of acknowledgment: "The Blood Sea Ancestor left behind seven True Inheritances. This pit is one of the carefully prepared burial sites for those seven inheritances. Originally it was completely unremarkable, no different from any ordinary sinkhole. Later, a Gu Master of the Shang Clan stumbled into it by chance and was lucky enough to obtain the Blood Sea True Inheritance, acquiring the Blood Hand Print Gu. That person was the Shang Clan's previous patriarch, Shang Yanfei, who has since fallen in battle at Yitian Mountain."
After Shang Yanfei took the Blood Sea True Inheritance, countless torrents of blood had surged from the pit, flowing ceaselessly.
Wu Duxiu then dispatched Gu Immortals to seize the area and incorporate it into Wu Clan territory.
Through the Wu Clan's development, the Blood Tide Heavenly Pit had quickly become a valuable Blood Path resource node. The Wu Clan's cultivation of the Blood Path owed much to this site's contributions.
"You two certainly seem to be enjoying your conversation." Just then, a voice suddenly echoed from the depths of Rong Hao's mind.
"Who's there?!" Rong Hao was struck with absolute terror.
He was about to withdraw his techniques and defend himself, only to discover that he had been rendered completely immobile.
He urgently shot a look toward Wu Yuanju at his side, hoping the man could help him. But in the next moment, he despaired as he realized that Wu Yuanju was equally frozen, trapped in the same predicament.
A tiny figure, at no one knew what point in time, had appeared standing on Rong Hao's shoulder.
The figure was no larger than an ordinary person's finger, with a pair of wings sprouting from its back — gossamer-thin, like cicada wings — and a head of striking purple hair.
It was none other than the Eighth Transformation Wisdom Path Gu Immortal — Purple Mountain True Monarch!
"A tiny Gu Immortal?!" Wu Yuanju was utterly astonished, but immediately forced himself to calm down. Purple Mountain True Monarch had restrained her aura, giving no indication of Eighth Transformation power.
Rong Hao quickly spoke up: "As a non-human, you should know that this is the era of human dominion. Whether you've been instigated by someone or are acting on your own, I advise you not to act rashly. The two of us are not only human Gu Immortals but also members of the Wu Clan. The Wu Clan is the foremost Righteous Path power in the Southern Border. The consequences of taking our lives would be beyond estimation."
"Actually, there's no enmity between us. Our Wu Clan has never abused its power to bully others. If you have any demands, perhaps the Wu Clan could help fulfill them. There's no reason we can't become friends," Wu Yuanju added immediately.
He and Rong Hao played off each other, mixing soft words with warnings — a well-practiced act of coordination.
But before he could finish, his speech became slurred and his gaze glazed over.
Rong Hao was horrified: "You're a Wisdom Path Gu Immortal?!"
By the time those words left his mouth, he too had become incoherent.
Purple Mountain True Monarch's Wisdom Path methods were severely disrupting the thoughts of both Wu Yuanju and Rong Hao, shattering even their ability to form coherent speech, leaving them utterly disoriented and unrecognizable.