At the heart of the grand formation, Wan Xiao's face was as dark as water, a heavy stone weighing on his chest.
The Fang family's sudden assault had caught Wan Xiao completely off guard!
In truth, the Wan family had not been without preparations.
Ever since the Wan family had taken the lead in calling upon the Righteous Path superforces of the Western Desert — and failed — the entire clan had been reinforcing its defenses. Additional manpower had been deployed to resource points along every border, and the defensive Immortal formations there had been strengthened accordingly.
They had even gone so far as to pay a hefty sum to have the Xiao family deploy a teleportation Immortal formation, allowing for timely reinforcements.
But who could have predicted that the Fang family, when they finally moved, would bypass the borders entirely and plunge straight into the heartland of Wan family territory — launching a brazen assault on their second-largest resource point!
"This was planned by the Fang family well in advance. But how did they get here?" Wan Xiao's mind seethed with doubt.
The Wan family had long been familiar with intelligence on the Fang family's three Immortal Gu houses — Chicken Coop and Dog Kennel, Wenjin Dock, and Falling Blossom Hall. Not a single one of them should have been capable of something like this.
"This is bad!"
At that very moment, Wan Xiao made a horrifying discovery. The grand formation was shaking violently, the ground trembling as if enormous trenches were splitting open. Throughout the Gaosong Oasis, trees toppled in droves.
"The formation foundations of this defensive array are buried deep underground, thousands of zhang down. The Fang family has located them precisely — and they're destroying them!"
Wan Xiao hurriedly checked and immediately spotted an Immortal Gu house rampaging through the deep underground, systematically demolishing the formation foundations.
Immortal formations always possessed formation foundations, much like how a building required a foundation to be laid first. Formation foundations were of paramount importance to an Immortal formation — they were the bedrock upon which everything else rested.
If the formation foundations were destroyed, the grand array would become like a building with its foundation ripped out: desperately unstable. The slightest wind or rain would cause it to sway and tilt, exposing enormous vulnerabilities — or even bring it crashing down entirely.
This was why, throughout history, Gu Immortals had always taken great care to conceal their formation foundations. Some were hidden deep underground, others concealed high in the sky, and still others were wrapped in the very center of the formation itself.
The defensive formation protecting the Gaosong Oasis had been established long ago, and environmental constraints meant that for the Gu Immortal who had originally set it up, the only viable option had been to bury the foundations deep underground. Only in this way could the formation address all considerations — providing defense while simultaneously maximizing resource cultivation.
"Now the formation foundations have been found and are under savage assault! Cunning and ruthless indeed, the Fang family — to have concealed an Earth Path Immortal Gu house as well!" Wan Xiao gritted his teeth.
What chilled him even further was that the Fang family had struck with thunderous force, clearly having made thorough preparations.
"Who devised this strategy? Wasn't Fang Di Chang trapped in the City of God Emperor? Could it be that young man Fang Yun? What am I supposed to do now?" Cold sweat covered Wan Xiao's face.
He had possessed confidence before. The defensive formation of the Gaosong Oasis was formidable. He was certain he could hold out with it long enough for the Wan family's main stronghold to send reinforcements.
The Fang family had Immortal Gu houses — and so did the Wan family!
Once the Wan family's Immortal Gu houses arrived to reinforce, working in concert with the defensive formation, driving back the Fang family would not be difficult.
As long as they repelled the Fang family, it would count as the Wan family's victory.
Because the Fang family's current actions had already crossed the bottom line of the Western Desert's Righteous Path. If they were beaten back, their momentum would inevitably plummet.
The Wan family could seize the opportunity to counterattack and once again rally the superpowers — openly and with justification. When that time came, the reactions of the Western Desert's major superpowers would surely differ from before.
"But can I hold out until then?" Wan Xiao's expression was grave.
The Wan family's main stronghold.
"What? The Fang family has launched a surprise attack on our Gaosong Oasis!" Upon receiving Wan Xiao's plea for help, the Wan family's Supreme Grand Elder's face changed drastically.
Wan Xiao had detailed the situation in his message. The circumstances were dire — an emergency of the highest urgency.
The Gaosong Oasis was the Wan family's second-largest resource point, a super-resource point renowned throughout the Western Desert and even across the Five Regions. It had to be rescued at all costs. If it fell, the losses would be catastrophic.
"The Fang family… truly venomous. Our Wan family has reached a critical juncture!"
Though the Supreme Grand Elder possessed only Seventh Transformation cultivation and his combat strength was unremarkable, he possessed a keen sense of the bigger picture.
He understood with perfect clarity: if the Gaosong Oasis fell, it would not merely mean the total loss of its resources — the Wan family's reputation and prestige would suffer a devastating blow.
They had already failed in their recent call to arms. If their resource point were now destroyed by the Fang family as well, then in everyone's eyes the Wan family would be regarded as the very bottom of the Western Desert's Righteous Path — an object of mockery, a symbol of weakness to be bullied at will!
Once such a perception took root, the Wan family would inevitably spiral into decline. In the current era, with all-out war on the horizon and hearts unsettled, if the chaos erupted, everyone would see the Wan family as fair game.
For the Wan family, that was a terrifying prospect.
Therefore, the moment the Supreme Grand Elder received Wan Xiao's plea, he sprang into action, personally taking command of the Curved Light Platform to ride to battle.
Only a single Sixth Transformation Gu Immortal and one Seventh Transformation Immortal Gu house remained to guard the main stronghold.
On the way to provide aid, the Supreme Grand Elder also sent urgent messages to every Gu Immortal in the Wan family.
The Wan family's immortals were shaken with alarm and fury.
"The borders are entirely calm — everything is stable for now." After receiving replies from the immortals, the Supreme Grand Elder's brows remained tightly furrowed.
After a brief period of intense deliberation, he clenched his teeth and issued his command.
Wan Haoguang received this order shortly thereafter.