Two Gu Immortals streaked through the sky, both rugged in appearance and broad of stature — Meng Zizai and Meng Zhao of the Meng Family.
Just as Fang Yuan had predicted, the moment he first revealed himself, Meng Tu had relayed the news of an incoming enemy attack at the earliest opportunity.
As for what came after — when Meng Tu unleashed his Blade Path Dao Marks, plunging the entirety of Autumn Blade Plain into an environment resembling a battlefield between Gu Immortals — no further messages could escape until his death.
An enemy had come, and so brazenly at that. The Meng Family naturally did not take this lightly. They immediately dispatched a Seventh Transformation Gu Immortal, Meng Zizai, and a young Sixth Transformation Gu Immortal, Meng Zhao, to provide support.
"Uncle, who do you think is so blind as to provoke our Meng Family's tiger whiskers? Heh heh, my guess is some Demonic Path Gu Immortal who sequestered himself too deeply in closed cultivation, lost contact with the outside world, and came away with a few minor achievements." Meng Zhao flew at breakneck speed while offering Meng Zizai a grin.
Meng Zizai kept a stern expression — though that was his usual manner — and the look in his eyes betrayed a relaxed ease. He grunted in agreement. "Reasonable analysis, but one must always prepare for the worst. In these current times, with Long Life Heavens rising to lead our Northern Border's great Golden tribes, Old Ancestor Snow Beard defeated and vanished, and Heavenly Lord Hundred Legs transitioning from rogue to righteous, the Righteous Path has never been more prosperous. For someone to still dare defy the will of the world and come looking for trouble with our Golden tribes — they're either a madman or someone with powerful backing. That's why the family sent us: to provide support and guard against the unexpected."
"You're right, Uncle. However..." Meng Zhao paused mid-sentence, then burst into laughter. "That fellow truly picked the wrong day — running into Lord Meng Tu stationed at Autumn Blade Plain. Lord Meng Tu is a specialist of the Blade Path, a Quasi-Grandmaster of the Blade Path, one of the top three among our clan's Seventh Transformation Supreme Elders!"
"He may not be a Quasi-Grandmaster anymore," Meng Zizai remarked with a sigh.
Meng Zhao's eyes lit up. "What do you mean, Uncle?"
Meng Zizai smiled. "That cousin of mine is the person I admire most in my life. His talent on the Blade Path is unmatched within our family. After years of secluded training here at Autumn Blade Plain, given his natural gifts, he's likely already a Grandmaster."
"A Blade Path Grandmaster! As expected of Lord Meng Tu!" Meng Zhao exclaimed with admiration.
"Haha, yes indeed." Meng Zizai laughed as well. He had received Meng Tu's help many times during his own cultivation and held him in the highest respect. That was precisely why, after receiving Meng Tu's message about the enemy attack, Meng Zizai had volunteered to go to his aid. In truth, deep down he had tremendous confidence in Meng Tu. This trip was mainly an opportunity to catch up with his cousin and introduce Meng Zhao to him.
Meng Zhao was a junior Gu Immortal whom Meng Zizai had personally selected for the family to nurture. Within the Meng Family, there existed various factions, each representing their own political interests.
Meng Tu and Meng Zizai belonged to one such faction, and Meng Zhao was the fresh blood chosen by Meng Tu to bolster their ranks.
Meng Zhao himself understood the significance of this trip, and his spirits were correspondingly high.
"Autumn Blade Plain isn't far now. Before long, I'll get to see cousin. It's been years since I last saw him. If he truly became a Blade Path Grandmaster, it would be a tremendous boon for our faction," Meng Zizai mused silently.
But at that very moment, his powerful frame shuddered violently, his expression transforming in an instant, eyes widening to fill with shock of the highest order.
"What's wrong, Uncle?" Meng Zhao asked, bewildered by the sudden change in Meng Zizai's demeanor. Since first getting to know this steady, composed uncle, he had never once seen him so shaken.
But what Meng Zhao witnessed next was even more unsettling.
Unconsciously, Meng Zizai had slowed his flight. He came to a complete halt, hanging motionless in the high sky like a stone statue.
His face had turned ashen, his eye rims flushed red — there were actual tears in his eyes.
Meng Zhao's shock deepened. Something momentous must have happened. He didn't dare ask further, instead remaining at Meng Zizai's side, content to accompany him as they hung in the cold wind.
Meng Zizai stared blankly for a long while. Then, abruptly, his expression shifted once more — into something ferocious and horrifying, a pair of crimson eyes blazing with raging fury.
He let out a thunderous roar that shook the heavens for a thousand miles, then shot forward like a bolt of lightning, rocketing toward the distance at speeds no eye could follow.
Meng Zhao, caught completely off guard by the abrupt change, scrambled to give chase once he recovered.
But how could his speed possibly compare to that of a Seventh Transformation Gu Immortal like Meng Zizai?
In moments, he had been left far behind without a trace.
A cascade of questions churned in Meng Zhao's mind. "What in the world is going on?"
A heavy sense of foreboding crept over him. "Wait — Uncle is heading straight toward Autumn Blade Plain. Could it be that Lord Meng Tu has... met with disaster?"
At that thought, a violent shudder ran through Meng Zhao's entire body.
If that were truly the case, it would be nothing short of catastrophic for him personally — and terrible news for the entire Meng Family.
Meng Tu, a peak Seventh Transformation combatant — if he lost his life, it would be an immense blow to the Meng Family.
Meng Zhao pursued with every ounce of his strength, and at last arrived at Autumn Blade Plain.
"What... happened here?!" Meng Zhao was stunned beyond words. Before even reaching the plain, he could already feel the overwhelming surge of Blade Path Dao Marks from high above.
The original landscape of Autumn Blade Plain had been utterly obliterated. In its place lay billions of blade scars, slashing wildly and frenziedly across the ground, carving out a web of intersecting trenches and deep gullies.
Meng Zhao quickly spotted Meng Zizai — kneeling on the ground, still as a statue.
Meng Zhao descended cautiously to the surface. The air here was saturated with dense Blade Path Dao Marks, each one stinging his skin with sharp, pulsing pain.