Several months later, the Southern Border.
An unnamed, ordinary valley.
"Hah!" Sixth Transformation female Gu Immortal Ba Tao shouted, her aura surging powerfully. She raised both hands high above her head as though propping up a weight of ten thousand jin, and soon her face flushed deep crimson, her body trembling slightly, straining with all her might.
"Hurry up," Ba Tao urged.
On the other side, another Gu Immortal was also activating his killer move.
This person was a Sixth Transformation cultivator with the appearance of a young man. He hailed from the Tie Family, his surname Tie and given name Yi — the son of Tie Quzhong.
One crimson sphere of light after another spiraled upward, then suddenly detonated with a thunderous boom, transforming into a towering pillar of crimson light that shot straight toward the heavens.
But at that moment, a third Gu Immortal — an elderly man — revealed his figure. He stood upon the clouds and waved his hand, pressing the crimson pillar back down.
The crimson pillar dissipated, revealing a seven-story pagoda. It appeared as though it had been cast from red copper, and atop its peak, a flame burned quietly.
"Done." Tie Yi exhaled a turbid breath, a look of satisfaction crossing his face. "One beacon tower has been built."
"That wore me out." Ba Tao let out a long sigh of relief, flopping down onto the ground in a sitting position, gasping for breath, her forehead drenched in sweat.
Finally, the third Gu Immortal, the elderly man, slowly drifted downward. At the same time, countless Gu insects swirled and gathered around him, one after another burrowing into his sleeves.
This was a beacon tower construction team.
It consisted of three people: the Tie Family Gu Immortal Tie Yi handled the primary assembly, Ba Tao assisted, and the elderly Gu Immortal set up the grand formation and created the disguise — for when a beacon tower was completed, the commotion was considerable and could easily be detected.
There were more than a dozen such teams. Ever since the Southern Border's Righteous Path forces had begun to seriously unite, these teams had been running about, constructing beacon towers across the length and breadth of the Southern Border.
"The beacon tower truly lives up to its reputation as the Tie Family's signature Immortal Gu House — it's simply incredible. Built from nothing more than ordinary mortal Gu insects, yet it achieves the power of an Immortal Gu House and can even teleport Gu Immortals!" The elderly Gu Immortal gazed at the beacon tower before him, marveling endlessly.
Tie Yi walked over to Ba Tao and pulled her to her feet. Hearing those words, something stirred in his heart, and he said: "The true power of beacon towers lies in this: the more of them that are built, the greater their collective power becomes. To reach the level of an Immortal Gu House, you need at least a hundred beacon towers. Here in the Southern Border, we've already surpassed the thousand-mark and can fully transport Seventh Transformation Gu Immortals. But to transport an Eighth Transformation one, you'd need around ten thousand."
"Thank you for the explanation." The elderly Gu Immortal nodded repeatedly in gratitude.
Tie Yi met his gaze, and both men shared a faint smile.
In the past, such secret intelligence regarding beacon towers would never have been spoken aloud. But now, with the Southern Border Alliance in the process of formation, the way Gu Immortals regarded one another and interacted was gradually changing.
"If only there were a beacon tower built near that tributary of the River of Time, our Southern Border Righteous Path forces could definitely deploy reinforcements and rescue my grandfather in time." Ba Tao stared blankly at the beacon tower, murmuring to herself.
"Fellow Daoist Ba Tao, we still have hope. Wasn't the Yi Family Gu Immortal already released by Fang Yuan? This demonic fiend Fang Yuan simply wants more cultivation resources, that's all." The elderly Gu Immortal offered in consolation.
Tie Yi said nothing, maintaining his silence, though his thoughts churned within.
He and Ba Tao were in similar circumstances — his own father, Tie Quzhong, was also one of Fang Yuan's captives.
Naturally, he felt anger and hatred toward Fang Yuan. But he had to admit: had Fang Yuan not captured so many Southern Border Gu Immortals this time, dealing such a painful blow to the Southern Border Righteous Path, would they have united so quickly?
Comfort and suffering — naturally, the latter was far more likely to move people's hearts.
Sometimes, reflecting on it in private, even Tie Yi found the whole thing somewhat ironic. The grand beacon tower project had been a dream harbored by the entire Tie Family for years, yet it was ultimately realized because of a Demonic Path colossus. Of course, there was also the crucial factor of the great era's arrival. But regardless, Fang Yuan's contribution had been nothing short of pivotal.
Ch-ch.
The beacon tower suddenly emitted a strange sound and trembled slightly.
"What's going on?" The sight immediately drew the elderly Gu Immortal's attention. He furrowed his brow and looked toward Tie Yi.
Ba Tao also fixed her beautiful eyes upon Tie Yi.
She had participated in the construction of quite a few beacon towers and had never witnessed anything like this. Could it be that during this tower's construction, some defect or flaw had been left behind?
Tie Yi's brow furrowed even deeper. "There's no need for concern, you two. This situation doesn't mean there's a problem with this particular beacon tower. It means that among all the beacon towers distributed across the Southern Border, one of them has been completely destroyed."
"Oh? So that's what it is." The elderly Gu Immortal's brow relaxed slightly.