Li Xiaobai followed several information-path Gu Immortals as they crept forward with great caution.
"Xiaobai, right now the Black and White Heavenly Realms are merging, causing violent upheaval — the environment is extremely dangerous. When the dog pack flies in, watch carefully but don't move around, understand?" The leading Seventh Transformation information-path Gu Immortal instructed him.
Li Xiaobai nodded quickly: "Yes, I'll follow all of your instructions, seniors."
He behaved with perfect deference, showing none of the arrogance one might expect from a great talent. This only endeared him further to the information-path Gu Immortals present.
Li Xiaobai had long since advanced to the Sixth Transformation, becoming an information-path Gu Immortal himself. Thanks to his exceptional Aptitude, he was now regarded as the most promising young Gu Immortal in the entire Huawen Grotto-Heaven.
All of the information-path Gu Immortals here hailed from the Huawen Grotto-Heaven, each holding at minimum the rank of a second-tier official in the grotto-heaven's imperial court.
The Huawen Grotto-Heaven operated under a unique system. Gu Immortals had established an imperial court, and the vast majority served in key positions within it. Li Xiaobai had ascended to Gu Immortal rank, and in the future he too would work within this court.
The sole exception was the elder Huayu.
He possessed Eighth Transformation cultivation, remaining hidden behind the scenes while controlling everything.
"They're coming." After a moment, the Gu Immortal responsible for reconnaissance spoke up.
The group hurriedly activated several more killer moves, deepening their concealment.
Soon, Li Xiaobai spotted a massive pack of Heavenly Mutilation Dogs racing through the void, their paws striking empty air as they thundered along.
These were ancient desolate beasts of the Space Path that fed on Space Path Gu worms.
"There are three hundred and sixty-eight Heavenly Mutilation Dogs, plus four Heaven-Devouring Dogs," Li Xiaobai reported. He cultivated the information path and excelled at gathering intelligence — one glance and he had already ascertained the full scale of the pack.
Heavenly Mutilation Dogs were already ancient desolate beasts, and upon reaching a certain stage of growth, they could evolve into Heaven-Devouring Dogs.
Heaven-Devouring Dogs were primordial desolate beasts that consumed fragments of the Nine Heavens and even grotto-heavens and blessed lands. They had always posed a grave threat to the heavenly realms and grotto-heavens alike.
As the pack drew closer, the Huawen Grotto-Heaven Gu Immortals began coordinating their efforts in silence, unleashing killer moves in tandem.
This information-path killer move spread outward without a sound, imperceptible and swift.
At first, the dog pack showed no reaction whatsoever. But after a dozen breaths or so, three of the four Heaven-Devouring Dogs halted in their tracks, baring their fangs and glaring in the same direction with a look of wariness.
The remaining Heaven-Devouring Dog also slowed its pace.
The four Heaven-Devouring Dogs exchanged a series of barks, and then three of them led the vast majority of the Heavenly Mutilation Dogs, altering their course toward a different direction.
The last Heaven-Devouring Dog continued along the original path, leading roughly twenty-odd Heavenly Mutilation Dogs behind it.
The Huawen Grotto-Heaven Gu Immortals remained deeply hidden throughout, only revealing themselves once the dog packs had moved beyond sight. Then they all heaved a collective sigh of relief.
"Good, it's done."
"The majority of the pack has been successfully misdirected — they think there's a rich food source in that direction. In reality, there's a group of soul beasts waiting there."
"Ha ha, those soul beasts have also been planted with information-path techniques. Once the dogs charge in, they'll mistakenly believe there are immortal apertures hidden among the soul beasts. Let them fight each other to the death."
"That last Heaven-Devouring Dog wasn't fooled — it likely has a wild Immortal Gu on it. But at this scale, Lord Huayu can handle it easily enough."
"Xiaobai, did you see? In the future, once your cultivation reaches the Seventh Transformation, you'll regularly carry out missions like this. Our Huawen Grotto-Heaven cannot afford to move even an inch. It appears condensed to a single point, anchored in the void, but there are still many dangers that must be resolved preemptively."
Li Xiaobai replied at once: "I will work even harder!"
The group of Gu Immortals immediately set out, following the trail of that last Heaven-Devouring Dog.
That Heaven-Devouring Dog, leading its cluster of Heavenly Mutilation Dogs, walked straight into an ambush halfway along the route — a battlefield killer move that the elder Huayu had set up in advance closed in around them like a net.
After a fierce battle, the Heaven-Devouring Dog perished. Sure enough, it carried a wild Immortal Gu, though sadly the Gu was destroyed in the fighting.
A few of the remaining Heavenly Mutilation Dogs managed to slip through, escaping through gaps in the damaged battlefield killer move.
They were Space Path creatures after all, with a natural knack for escape.
However, they almost immediately ran straight into Li Xiaobai and his group.
Several rounds of killer moves rained down, and the Heavenly Mutilation Dogs were reduced to shredded remains. Li Xiaobai contributed as well, expending a small amount of Immortal Essence — his impact was minimal.
But he put on an expression of excitement, as though he hadn't had nearly enough fun yet. The other information-path Gu Immortals noticed this, and their impression of the young junior as an endearing, spirited youth deepened further.
The elder Huayu withdrew the battlefield killer move, and the group of Gu Immortals hurriedly bowed in greeting.
The elder Huayu nodded, his gaze sweeping across the crowd. When he spotted Li Xiaobai, he offered the young man a faint smile.
He held this young junior in high regard as well.
In his mind: Li Xiaobai came from solid stock — the most outstanding Gu Immortal to emerge from the grotto-heaven in the last century. He represented the future of the Huawen Grotto-Heaven.
"Alas! Who would have thought that Ancestor Qi Hai was actually a clone of the Refining Heaven Demon Master, Fang Yuan!"
"Fang Yuan is cunning and treacherous — I was deceived by him. If it weren't for Heavenly Court and Eternal Life revealing the truth, I might have continued being used."
"What 'Venerable of Great Love'? That kind of talk can only fool ghosts!"
"Sigh, outsiders can never be trusted. Only these Gu Immortals before me are truly dependable — our own people."
Ancestor Qi Hai had once personally intervened to assist the Huawen Grotto-Heaven.
Because of this, the elder Huayu had always held Ancestor Qi Hai in the deepest respect. After joining the Righteous Qi Alliance, he had followed Ancestor Qi Hai's lead in all things.
But now that Ancestor Qi Hai's identity had been exposed, the elder Huayu's respect had transformed into an equal measure of shame, frustration, and bitter fury!
The elder Huayu kept his composure despite his turmoil, promptly taking command of the situation. He ordered some Gu Immortals to clean the battlefield and erase all traces, while dispatching others to scout the surrounding area.
They were all information-path Gu Immortals — the battlefield was quickly dealt with, leaving no obvious clues behind.
The scouting Gu Immortals also returned with intelligence —
"The Celestial Qi Wall between the ancient Black and White Heavenly Realms has mostly dissipated, and the merger of the two realms has intensified dramatically. Not only are the beast packs within the two realms clashing with each other far more frequently, but the Dao Marks originally present in both realms are undergoing violent transformations. Some are conflicting and consuming each other fiercely, while others are tangling together, impossible to unravel."