Fairy Hanhui was the first to slowly fly out from the portal of the Ice Crystal Grotto-Heaven.
The two Seventh Transformation Gu Masters left behind outside the Peaceful Soul Grotto-Heaven immediately went to greet her.
"Aunt," the tall and thin Gu Master asked with concern, "how did the negotiations go?"
Fairy Hanhui shook her head slightly. At this moment, Lord Ye Tianlang also flew out from the Ice Crystal Grotto-Heaven.
The two exchanged a few more words before parting ways on the spot. Lord Ye Tianlang led his wolf pack, while Fairy Hanhui led the soul beast army, setting off again to return to their respective Grotto-Heaven strongholds.
Along the way, the three immortals continued to converse, none of them aware that Demon Venerable You Hun had actually been lurking beside them the entire time.
Demon Venerable You Hun had originally intended to hunt the soul beast army, but after this development, he quietly changed his mind.
Just hearing the name "Peaceful Soul Grotto-Heaven" was enough to know it was built on the Dao of Souls. And seeing that Fairy Hanhui and the other two immortals were all soul-path Gu Masters, the Peaceful Soul Grotto-Heaven was certain to have abundant soul-path cultivation resources.
Setting everything else aside, the soul beast army alone, in their hands, was a sumptuous feast for Demon Venerable You Hun.
"The Qi Tides sweep across the Five Regions and the Two Heavens — the Grotto-Heaven forces of the Black and White Heavens won't be able to hold back. Heh heh, I can use this to my advantage, striking at the other Venerables' forces ahead of time to hasten my own rise!"
Demon Venerable You Hun not only had to deal with Fang Yuan, but also with the forces of other Venerables — Heavenly Court, Eternal Heaven, and the rest.
Now that the Fate Gu had been destroyed, Demon Venerable You Hun had the possibility of being reborn and cultivating back to the Venerable realm. The other Venerables were no different.
With Fang Yuan's whereabouts unknown, Demon Venerable You Hun naturally had to look at the bigger picture. Though he was bloodthirsty by nature, there were many ways to kill. Borrowing a knife to kill was also an excellent method of slaughter, perfectly suited to his current needs.
Fairy Hanhui and the other two immortals still did not know that they and the Peaceful Soul Grotto-Heaven were already enveloped in the vast shadow of Demon Venerable You Hun. Meanwhile, Lord Ye Tianlang had returned to the Night Wolf Grotto-Heaven.
The many Gu Masters within the Night Wolf Grotto-Heaven immediately came to pay their respects.
Lord Ye Tianlang said, "Immortal King Bingjing and his lot simply want to form an alliance with us to resist the Five Regions together. I find myself in a difficult position."
The Gu Master Ye Zhi nodded. "It is indeed difficult. With the current situation — Fate destroyed, the Five Regions merged, heavenly and earth qi thoroughly intertwined — under the sweeping Qi Tides, no Grotto-Heaven can remain hidden. Our strength is small and our forces thin; if the Five Regions attack in the future, we certainly won't be able to hold. However, we don't necessarily have to resist the Five Regions. We are of the human race, while Immortal King Bingjing and his lot are of other races. That the Five Regions are strong and the Two Heavens are weak is an obvious fact. Why don't we pledge ourselves to the Five Regions?"
Lord Ye Tianlang laughed heartily. "Ye Zhi knows my mind — I've had the same thought. If we ally with the non-human races, we'll certainly be branded as human traitors. Even if the Five Regions have no intention of attacking us, once we form that alliance, they will."
Ye Zhi frowned. "But pledging ourselves to the Five Regions isn't appropriate either. First, among the Five Regions, the Northern Plains is absolutely out of the question. Second, the other four regions may not be willing to accept us rashly. And lastly, if we try to pledge ourselves to the Five Regions, I fear we'd first have to endure a siege from Immortal King Bingjing and his forces."
Lord Ye Tianlang sighed. "Exactly. That's why I've already agreed with Fairy Hanhui of the Peaceful Soul Grotto-Heaven — on one hand, the two sides will advance and retreat together; on the other, we'll actively seek alliances with human Grotto-Heaven forces. As for which of the Five Regions to pledge ourselves to, in my view, Central Continent's Heavenly Court is the best target. We can make covert contact first."
Lord Ye Tianlang was a formidable figure — not only was his cultivation at the Eighth Transformation, but his political acumen was also extremely shrewd. No one under his command in the Night Wolf Grotto-Heaven dared to disobey.
With such decisive resolve from their lord, the Gu Masters of the Night Wolf Grotto-Heaven naturally dared not voice any objections.
Heavenly Court.
The Central Grand Hall had finally been repaired. Currently, Qin Dingling was presiding over the overall situation.
The restoration of the Fate Gu had failed, and Heavenly Court had endured brutal fighting, leaving it devastated. Even now, most of it remained in ruins.
"This is a humiliation!" Qin Dingling set down the letter Gu in her hand, taking a brief rest. Her expression was calm, but her gaze flickered as memories resurfaced in her mind, anger steadily accumulating within.
After Red Lotus's grand scheme succeeded, Lord Long fell on the charge, and Fang Yuan promptly withdrew. But the Gu Masters of the Three Regions wanted to completely destroy Heavenly Court, and no one retreated.
At the critical moment between life and death, Immortal Venerable Yuanshi's measures began to take effect. All manner of fury, ill fortune, and despair descended upon the Three Regions' Gu Masters, causing their condition to plummet.
As it turned out, this measure had originally been intended to deal with Fang Yuan, but it had been intercepted by the phantom of Demon Venerable Wuji. After Red Lotus's grand plan succeeded, the dual-Venerables' chess match at the Pavilion of Incomplete Regret also reached its resolution — Wuji laughed heartily, and both Venerables' phantoms dissipated simultaneously. Without the suppression of Wuji's phantom, Yuanshi's measures began to take effect once more.
There was one small mercy: though Feng Jiuge had turned against them at the critical moment, he had only helped Fang Yuan refine Gu and did not make things difficult for Heavenly Court at this time.
Heavenly Court managed to catch its breath, counterattacked, and painstakingly turned the situation around.
Left with no other choice, the Three Regions' Gu Masters held their line with the Dragon Palace, the Tribulation Fate Altar, and the Jade Purity Dripping Wind Small Bamboo Tower, and were forced to slowly withdraw.
Once outside Heavenly Court, some still wanted to plunder Central Continent — but that was when the first Qi Tide struck.
The immortal apertures of the Three Regions' Gu Masters all became unstable, forcing them to withdraw completely.
The Gu Masters of Heavenly Court gave up the chase as well. Having personally witnessed Fang Yuan refine the Fate Gu, their fighting spirit and will to battle were no longer strong.
The great battle ended, and the battered Heavenly Court licked its wounds and cleaned up the aftermath.
Lord Long had fallen in battle, and Purple Star Fairy had also defected, pledging herself to Demon Venerable You Hun. After deliberating among themselves, the Gu Masters of Heavenly Court appointed Qin Dingling to temporarily assume the role of leader.
In the period since the war, it had been Qin Dingling presiding over everything, handling the mountainous pile of affairs both great and small.
Qin Dingling appeared calm on the surface, but inside, a fire was raging. The illustrious Heavenly Court had actually been defeated — utterly and completely defeated! She was desperate to wash away the humiliation, but reason told her she could not act rashly. Because everything had changed. Heavenly Court was no longer the Heavenly Court of old, the enemies were no longer the enemies of old, and even heaven and earth were undergoing dramatic transformation.
After resting for a moment, Qin Dingling resumed her work.