But a vast, ashen-gray plain now lay revealed before everyone, like a phantom drifting like smoke. It seemed separated by a veil, dreamlike and ethereal.
How could a plain appear atop the mountain peak?
This was the result of Xiao Mang’s punch piercing through the Blessed Land, creating a loophole in it.
In an instant, silence fell over the three-pronged peak. The Gu Masters stood frozen, some stunned, some shocked, some exchanging bewildered glances. No one moved.
Xiao Mang gave a cold snort in his heart, then subtly winked toward a spot in the crowd.
Immediately, a Gu Master broke from the group and cheered: «Lord Xiao Mang is invincibly mighty! He’s punched straight through the Blessed Land! Now, we’re no longer restricted by the Three Kings’ inheritance—we can all go in!»
After shouting this, he vaulted over the others, took a few bounding steps, crossed through the loophole, and entered the Blessed Land.
Right before everyone’s eyes, he activated his Gu Insects.
One, two, three... Near the loophole, the suppression of heaven and earth was weak, allowing him to activate three Gu Insects.
This scene immediately set the crowd stirring, countless people snapping to awareness, their breathing growing heavy.
Being able to use Gu Insects meant possessing the ability to protect oneself. It also meant that the risk of venturing into the Blessed Land had dropped dramatically.
But the show wasn't over yet. The Gu Master suddenly turned around, made a few bounding leaps, jumped back out of the Blessed Land, and successfully returned to Three-Abacus Mountain.
"Hahaha!" He laughed three times and cupped his fists toward Xiao Mang. "Thank you, Lord, for your generosity!"
Xiao Mang chuckled lightly. "No need for thanks, no need for thanks. I simply believe that the treasures of heaven and earth should be open for everyone to compete for. For a select few to monopolize them entirely would be going too far. However, how much you manage to seize from here on out depends on your own abilities."
"Lord Xiao Mang's benevolence and righteousness are truly unparalleled!"
"What a wonderful person Lord Xiao Mang is! His elder brother is none other than the great hero Xiao Shan!"
"Remarkable indeed — truly a dragon of a brother and a tiger of a sibling!"
"Looking at all the great Fifth Transformation Gu Masters on Three-Abacus Mountain, only Lord Xiao Mang thinks about us, the weak and small. What a paragon of the Righteous Path — how merciful he is…"
The crowd's cheers never ceased, and waves of flattery washed into Xiao Mang's ears like a rising tide.
The crowd surged forward as a massive number of Gu Masters charged into the blessed land.
"A bunch of fools," Xiao Mang thought, his face beaming with a warm, benevolent smile while inwardly scoffing with cold contempt.
"Compared to people like Tie Mu Bai and Wu Gui, I arrived at Three-Abacus Mountain far too late. The inheritances of the Dog King and the Faith King have already been snatched by others — all that's left is the Blast King's inheritance! Damn it! I should have petitioned my father and the elders long ago, but those people only care about Xiao Shan's condition! Hmph! Wouldn't it be better if he just died? Then I could become the young patriarch…"
"Sigh, I had to wheedle and badger just to get permission to come here, but it's already too late! How can I possibly compete with the head start those people have accumulated? The only way for me to profit from this is to blast open the blessed land, create a breach, and throw everything into chaos!"
"For this blessed land, the more people who enter, the greater the burden. Heh heh heh. The heavenly and earthly suppression grows weaker by the moment — so what if you've obtained an inheritance? I can freely deploy my Gu Insects to seize them! The inheritances of the Blast King, the Dog King, and the Faith King — they're all mine. And if I can't have them, then neither can you!"
……
"All right, that's roughly the situation." Fang Yuan surveyed his surroundings and nodded with satisfaction.
The bronze great hall stood atop a hill. The hill was no steep peak but rather sloped gently outward into a gradual incline.
Such terrain was not easy to defend, but fortunately, the dog beasts were numerous, and sheer numbers could compensate to some degree.
For the past hour and more, Fang Yuan had been directing Bai Ningbing in setting up formations, briefing her on what scenarios might arise and how to respond to each.
Boom...
At that moment, the entire world shuddered slightly, and a fine shower of dust rained down from the bronze great hall.
"Not good! That Xiao Mang has used the Grand Light Gu, punching a hole through a section of the blessed land to form a passage. A massive number of Gu Masters are flooding in, fighting each other and scrambling for resources — it's absolute chaos!" the land spirit transmitted.
Fang Yuan chuckled, showing no alarm.
In his memories of his past life, there had been this same scene. Xiao Mang's arrival had heralded precisely this event.
"Chaos is good. Xiao Mang wants to win amid the chaos, but I can use this chaotic situation to buy myself more time." A dark gleam flickered in Fang Yuan's black eyes.
"Hm? Among this crowd, there's actually a Fifth Transformation Gu Master mixed in... This young man is remarkably powerful — he actually managed to shield himself from my perception entirely. I only realized something was off when he made his move!" the land spirit suddenly spoke again.
Fang Yuan's brow furrowed — this was beyond his expectations. "Who is it?"
An image materialized before him. He saw a young man with ink-black hair that reached his waist. His eyes held double pupils, colored deep purple. A pair of thick, heavy black brows swept upward at their ends, splitting into several wild, extravagant branches — like raging flames burning.
Demonic energy radiated from him, carrying an overwhelming, world-destroying arrogance and dominance, as though an evil dragon had descended upon the mortal realm.
"Mo Wutian!" Fang Yuan's gaze sharpened as he recognized the young man.
This was a prodigy of the Demonic Path who had inherited an ancient legacy — a Soul Path Gu Master. In terms of both reputation and strength, Fang Yuan could not yet compare to him.
In his memories, during the Battle of Yitian Mountain, Mo Wutian had slain several Fifth Transformation Righteous Path Gu Masters with overwhelming ferocity, his name spoken in dread and his demonic aura blotting out the sky. In the end, the Demonic Path forces crumbled, but Mo Wutian had shattered through the encirclement and departed unchallenged, with no one able to stop him.
"In my previous life, Mo Wutian never came to Three-Trace Mountain! It seems the ripples of my rebirth have already reached figures of this caliber?"