"Who would have thought that even blessed lands could be destroyed..." Tie Ruonan murmured with a sigh upon hearing such secrets.
"How could anything under heaven be eternal? The Heavenly Dao cycles, all things vie for the Dao, and in this vast world, we mortals are like a handful of sand at the bottom of the sea — insignificant beyond measure. Only by ascending to become a Gu Immortal can one truly transcend the mundane and gain a foundation, turning from sand into an island capable of withstanding the waves." Tie Mubai's tone was thick with emotion.
"If a blessed land faces destruction, wouldn't the people inside be in grave danger?" Tie Ruonan asked.
"Indeed." Tie Mubai nodded. "The moment a blessed land dissolves, the Great Convergence Wind will blow, merging it back with heaven and earth. Everything within the blessed land will revert to the most fundamental primordial energy of the world. This wind's power is vast — it can sweep away all dust and ash. Even Gu Immortals dread it; even Immortal Gu can be destroyed."
"Such a terrifying wind exists?" Tie Ruonan exclaimed, heavy worry filling her eyes.
Tie Mubai waved his hand dismissively. "It's fine. I've entered blessed lands several times now, and my understanding of them deepens with each visit. I've been observing and comprehending their nature the whole time. The blessed land is indeed growing weaker, but it's still some time from destruction. During this period, the mighty force of heaven and earth within the blessed land will grow weaker and weaker, and the restrictions on us Gu Masters will gradually loosen. Bit by bit, we'll be able to use one or two Gu insects, then three or four, then five or six... By the final phase, the blessed land will be riddled with holes, forming tunnels, and we'll be able to come and go as we please."
Tie Mubai gazed into the distance, his deep eyes brimming with wisdom, as though he could already see the future.
"It's only in the final phase that the great battle for the Three Kings' inheritance will truly begin. With the blessed land's suppression almost entirely gone, everyone will be able to deploy their full strength and fight and plunder to their heart's content. By then, Three-Forked Mountain will have far more than just three Fifth Transformation Gu Masters — that will be the true gathering of dragons and serpents, the real clash of heaven and earth."
A flash of insight struck Tie Ruonan, and understanding flooded her mind.
She finally understood why Tie Mubai had not fought those two Demonic Path Gu Masters to the death.
It was because the enemies of the future would be far more than just those two. Exhausting himself prematurely would only let others reap the benefits.
The further the Three Kings' inheritance progressed, the richer the rewards for the Gu Masters.
Those truly knowledgeable about blessed lands were already preparing for the final decisive battle.
……
Central Continent.
Heaven Ladder Mountain.
Fox Immortal Blessed Land.
"Finally... I've made it to the halfway point." Fang Zheng gasped for breath, beads of sweat rolling down his face.
His limbs ached and tingled, nearly drained of all strength. To have climbed this high under his own power alone had wrung out almost every last drop of his soul's potential.
The mountain wind blew past, bringing waves of intense vertigo that nearly made Fang Zheng collapse.
His entire field of vision spun around him. His soul had been pushed to its absolute limit, and he had even lost the ability to think.
In his haze, he heard a voice from the Soul-Lodging Flea within his Empty Orifice: "Good, very good, my dear disciple. You've held on all the way to this point — that's truly no small feat. You've succeeded! Now leave the rest to your master!"
As soon as these words were spoken, Fang Zheng felt an invisible force penetrate to the deepest reaches of his soul.
The sensation of collapsing vanished in an instant. It was like a child who had just learned to walk suddenly being steadied by an adult's hand.
Everything in his vision sharpened and cleared. The vertigo that had plagued him vanished at an astonishing speed.
Fang Zheng took several deep, gasping breaths. He felt fantastic!
It was like a traveler trudging through the desert, on the verge of dying of thirst, who suddenly drank from a sweet spring. Or like someone who had worked without rest for years finally sleeping soundly for seven days and seven nights.
Everything felt better. Refreshing.
"My good disciple, seize the moment — climb higher, quickly!" Lord Celestial Crane urged.
"Yes, Master!" Fang Zheng's fierce eyes blazed with brilliant light. He craned his neck upward. Feng Jinhuang and the others were still far ahead, but their pace was growing slower and slower.
An unprecedented surge of confidence rose within Fang Zheng.
"I can do this! With Master's support, I will definitely defeat these favored children of heaven and become the sole inheritor of the Fox Immortal's legacy! Come on, Fang Zheng!"
After pumping himself up, Fang Zheng began to climb.
His movements were both swift and steady, and he ascended with startling speed — an absolute burst. This performance immediately caught the attention and interest of those who were watching closely.
When the Fox Immortal Blessed Land opened, it maintained a constant connection with the outside world.
As a result, the ten Gu Immortals lurking outside the blessed land immediately noticed Fang Zheng's sudden change.
"Hm? This child had already reached his limit and was about to be eliminated. How did he suddenly become so fierce?"
"Something's off — that speed is even faster than Feng Jinhuang and the others!"
"That junior is from the Immortal Crane Sect. So that's how it is..."
The ten Gu Immortals exchanged thoughts, and soon one of them uncovered Fang Zheng's trump card.
"He Fengyang, you really spared no expense. A Soul-Lodging Flea isn't exactly rare, but to keep it functioning in the blessed land, you must have used your Self-Nature Gu, didn't you?"
As one of the Immortal Crane Sect's Supreme Elders, He Fengyang's possession of a Sixth Transformation Self-Nature Gu was already well known.
The Self-Nature Gu could allow other Gu insects to function normally within a blessed land.
It was a consumable Gu that could only be used three times. After three uses, it would vanish completely.
"He Fengyang, what a cunning move — who would have thought you'd planted this hidden piece."