Atop Three Fork Mountain, only one pillar of light remained.
But a vast gray-black plain, like a phantom wreathed in mist, had spread out before everyone's eyes. It seemed as though separated by a layer of gauze — dreamlike and illusory.
How could a plain appear on a mountain peak?
This was the result of Xiao Mang punching clean through the blessed land, tearing a hole in it.
In an instant, silence fell over Three Fork Mountain. Gu Masters stood dazed, stunned, exchanging bewildered glances — none of them moved.
Xiao Mang gave a cold snort inwardly and discreetly shot a glance toward a particular spot in the crowd.
Immediately, a Gu Master darted out from the throng: "Lord Xiao Mang's divine might is truly invincible! He punched straight through the blessed land. Now, we're no longer bound by the Three Kings' inheritance restrictions — we can all go in!"
Having shouted those words, he pushed ahead of the crowd, leaped several times, passed through the gap, and entered the blessed land.
Then, right in front of everyone, he channeled his Gu insects.
One, two, three… Near this breach, the heavenly suppression was weak enough to let him activate three Gu insects.
This scene instantly ignited a commotion among the crowd. Countless people jolted to awareness, their breathing growing heavy.
Being able to use Gu insects meant having the ability to protect oneself. It also meant the risk of venturing into the blessed land had plummeted.
But the performance wasn't over yet. The Gu Master suddenly turned and ran back, leaped several times, and hopped out of the blessed land, successfully returning to Three Fork Mountain.
"Hahahaha!" He laughed three times and cupped his fists toward Xiao Mang. "Thank you, my lord, for your generosity!"
Xiao Mang chuckled. "No need for thanks, no need for thanks. I simply believe that heavenly treasures should be open to fair competition for all. It's太过 for a handful of people to monopolize them. However, how much you can seize from here on out — that depends on each of you."
"Lord Xiao Mang's benevolence is beyond compare!"
"What a wonderful person Lord Xiao Magn is! His brother is none other than the great hero Xiao Shan!"
"Truly worthy of admiration! What brothers — like a dragon and a tiger!"
"Looking at all the Fifth Transformation Gu Masters on Three Fork Mountain, only Lord Xiao Mang thinks about us lesser folk. A true paragon of the Righteous Path, how compassionate…"
The crowd's cheers were unceasing, and flattery flowed toward Xiao Mang's ears like a tidal wave.
The surging mass of people — vast numbers of Gu Masters — charged into the blessed land.
"A bunch of idiots." Xiao Mang wore a beaming face, a warm smile on his lips, while inside he sneered with contempt.
"Compared to people like Tie Mubai and Wu Gui, I arrived at Three Fork Mountain far too late. The Dog King's and Faith King's inheritances have already been snatched by others — only the Explosion King's inheritance remains! Damn it all. I wanted to ask Father and the various elders for permission long ago, but those people only care about Xiao Shan's condition! Hmph — wouldn't it be better if he died? Then I could become the Young Patriarch…"
"After pestering and begging, I finally got permission to come to Three Fork Mountain, but it's already too late! How can I compete with the accumulation those people built up beforehand? The only way is to smash through the blessed land, create a breach, and cause chaos — that's the only way I can profit!"
"The more people who enter the blessed land, the heavier its burden becomes. Heh heh heh. The heavenly suppression grows weaker by the moment. So what if you obtain an inheritance? I can freely use my Gu insects to seize them by force! The Explosion King's, Dog King's, and Faith King's inheritances — they're all mine. And even if I can't get them, don't you think you will!"
……
"All right, that's roughly how things stand." Fang Yuan looked around and nodded with satisfaction.
This bronze grand hall sat atop a hill. The hill wasn't a steep peak but rather sloped gently outward in all directions.
This kind of terrain wasn't easy to defend, but fortunately the dog-beast numbers were large, and sheer quantity somewhat made up for the deficiency.
Over the past hour or so, Fang Yuan had been having Bai Ningbing set up formations, instructing her on what to do should various situations arise.
Rumble…
At that moment, the entire world trembled faintly, and a shower of dust fell from the bronze grand hall.
"The situation is dire! That Xiao Mang used Supreme Light Gu to punch through a section of the blessed land, creating a passage. A massive number of Gu Masters are flooding in, fighting each other and scrambling for treasures — the scene is utter chaos!" the Earth Spirit transmitted.
Fang Yuan chuckled, showing no alarm.
In his memories of his previous life, this scene had occurred as well. Xiao Mang's arrival had heralded this very event.
"Let the chaos reign. He, Xiao Mang, wants to profit from disorder — and I want this chaotic situation to buy me time." Fang Yuan's dark eyes gleamed with a subtle light.
"Hm? Among this crowd, there's actually one who's sneaked in at the Fifth Transformation level… This young man is remarkably powerful. He actually shielded himself from my perception earlier. I only noticed something was wrong when he made his move!" the Earth Spirit spoke again.
Fang Yuan's brow furrowed — this was beyond his expectations. "Who is it?"
An image appeared before him. He saw a young man with jet-black hair reaching his waist, his eyes bearing double pupils of deep purple. A pair of thick, heavy black brows slanted sharply upward, splitting into several prongs at the tips, wild and unrestrained — like flames blazing upward.
An aura of demonic energy radiated from him, carrying an invincible, heaven-destroying, earth-shattering arrogance, like an evil dragon descended upon the world.
"Mo Wutian!" Fang Yuan's gaze sharpened as he recognized the man.
This young man was a prodigy of the Demonic Path, an inheritor of an ancient legacy — a Soul Path Gu Master. In terms of both fame and strength, Fang Yuan could not yet compare.
In his memories, at the Battle of Yitian Mountain, Mo Wutian had slain several Righteous Path Fifth Transformation grand Gu Masters, his fearsome reputation shaking all under heaven, his demonic flames surging to the skies. In the end, the Demonic Path suffered defeat, but Mo Wutian shattered the encirclement and departed as he pleased — no one could stop him.
"In my previous life, Mo Wutian never came to Three Fork Mountain! Has my rebirth already influenced events to the point of reaching figures at this level?"