Birdsong rang out, crisp and melodious, ceaseless.
The small Northern Wasteland within the Supreme Immortal Aperture had been nothing but a barren expanse of white frost. Now, infinite greenness was spreading across its surface.
The power of the Earth Tribulation was immense. After just a dozen breaths, the land for over a hundred thousand li around Fang Yuan had been transformed into a lush, verdant grassland.
Grass and trees grew thick and abundant, adorned with intricate patterns—it was as though heaven and earth had received a brand-new face.
Fang Yuan stood at the peak of Soul-Stirring Mountain, his expression solemn, every sense on high alert.
This was his third Earth Tribulation. He had brought Soul-Stirring Mountain with him once more.
But the current scene was bizarre.
The Spring Dawn Emerald Orioles formed by the Earth Tribulation were actually helping Fang Yuan build his immortal aperture.
Over half a month ago, Treasure Yellow Heaven had reopened. Rather than venturing out to the Hei Family to take risks, Fang Yuan had returned home and devoted himself to developing the Supreme Immortal Aperture.
He had cultivated many areas, but the small Northern Wasteland had always served as his tribulation-forging ground and had never received any real construction.
Now, this Earth Tribulation was doing the work for him—it was entirely beyond Fang Yuan's expectations.
This was, without question, a stroke of good fortune.
"But the Heavenly Will is unfathomable. It wouldn't be so kind without reason. There must be an ambush or some follow-up. I'll observe and wait." Fang Yuan stood atop Soul-Stirring Mountain, watching cautiously.
The small Northern Wasteland was still vast.
The grassland created by the Earth Tribulation hadn't filled the entire small Northern Wasteland—it only covered a circle of frost-white earth centered on Soul-Stirring Mountain.
Looking out, the green deepened with each passing moment. Before long, saplings shot upward, growing at a speed visible to the naked eye.
At this rate, a great forest spanning a hundred thousand li was going to form here.
Fang Yuan felt both astonishment and delight.
The power of the Earth Tribulation had always manifested in destruction before the eyes of the world. This time, it was being used to construct an immortal aperture, and the results were staggeringly impressive. If Fang Yuan had tried to transplant this forest and grassland himself, it would have cost him an enormous amount of effort and time.
The Spring Dawn Emerald Orioles had extremely short lives. One after another, they perished, dissolving into streaks of emerald light that scattered into the sky. But at the same time, brand-new Spring Dawn Emerald Orioles condensed and took shape, following their predecessors without hesitation.
In an instant, the sky was filled with the silhouettes of these desolate birds in flight. There were so many of them—like a flock of sparrows, a truly magnificent sight.
"Wait!" Fang Yuan's expression suddenly changed.
"Go." Realizing something, he murmured a low command and pointed with his finger.
A streak of sword light shot out, swift as lightning.
Seventh Transformation Immortal Gu—Flying Sword!
The Spring Dawn Emerald Orioles were fast, but they couldn't match the sword light. However, their agility was remarkable—they didn't fly in straight lines. It took Fang Yuan some effort before he finally managed to destroy one.
A wisp of true meaning flowed forth, pouring into Fang Yuan's heart.
In that instant, Fang Yuan felt as though he had become a Spring Dawn Emerald Oriole—experiencing birth, flight, and then death. In the span of just a few moments, he had traversed life and death, and his state of mind shifted along with it.
Fang Yuan absorbed this true meaning completely, and clarity returned to his eyes.
He was now at the Grandmaster realm of Transformation Path. Absorbing this Desolate Beast true meaning was no longer the struggle it had once been.
Before, it had been like an empty basin trying to catch bucketfuls of water. Now, drawing in the Desolate Beast true meaning was more like a well receiving bucketfuls—effortless by comparison!
Fang Yuan's brows furrowed. With this, he understood the Heavenly Will's scheme.
Fang Yuan's Earth Tribulation was unique. Due to the Immortal Tribulation Forging Orifices and the special nature of the Northern Ice Plains, his Earth Tribulation was split into two parts.
One part was controlled by the Heavenly Will. The other was influenced by the Desolate Beast true meaning.
In the previous two Earth Tribulations, the part controlled by the Heavenly Will had always manifested first, with the Desolate Beast true meaning following after. But in this third Earth Tribulation, the portion influenced by the Desolate Beast true meaning had appeared first!
This caught Fang Yuan completely off guard.
After all, it was the first time he had encountered this situation!
Fang Yuan had taken a small, silent loss.
Between the Desolate Beast true meaning and constructing the blessed land, the former was far more important while the latter was secondary.
The Desolate Beast true meaning could directly advance his Transformation Path realm, and it only appeared during tribulations. The risk and cost were both extremely high.
As for building the blessed land, that could be done at any time.
"The Heavenly Will knows my cautious nature—quite the calculation. Fearing that my Transformation Path realm would advance too quickly, it made me waste a good deal of true meaning." Fang Yuan laughed aloud, though he was not disheartened.
His body blurred like lightning as he shot into the sky.
Once airborne, his powerful frame shuddered, and countless phantom images of himself materialized—manifestations of Strength Path.
Strength Path killer move—Myriad Self!
Myriad Self surged forward, converging into a torrential tide of human figures that swept through the Spring Dawn Emerald Orioles along its path.
The Spring Dawn Emerald Orioles were desolate birds, after all. They wove through the Myriad Self tide with ease, their calls still ringing out without pause.
Seeing that Myriad Self was proving ineffective, Fang Yuan quickly shifted to another technique.
Immortal killer move—Sword Wave Triple Surge!