The sound of explosions had already persisted for three days and two nights.
The offensive from Bai Hai Sha Tuo's group had not ceased since the very beginning.
Countless mortal-level killing moves, interspersed with immortal-level killing moves, repeatedly bombarded the Immortal Gu House—the Feathered Holy City.
The Feathered Holy City shook ceaselessly. More than half of the city's soldiers and civilians had perished, and despair was spreading.
"Failure is already certain. Let's break out!" The Feathered People Gu Immortal Zhou Zhong proposed hoarsely.
"The Feathered Holy City has already been pinned down by the enemy's methods. Without this Immortal Gu House, how can we break out?" another Feathered People Gu Immortal, Zheng Ling, countered.
There had been three Gu Immortals in the Feathered Holy City, but one had already fallen. Only the Seventh Transformation Gu Immortal Zheng Ling and the Sixth Transformation Gu Immortal Zhou Zhong remained.
"Lord Zheng Ling, the situation is dire. I must speak frankly." Zhou Zhong wore a solemn expression. "The reason the Feathered Holy City was trapped was because you, my lord, were unwilling to abandon this world. That gave the enemy time to set up their methods. If you don't cut your losses and make a clean break now, I'm afraid both our lives will be forfeit here! I don't fear dying in battle, but the tens of thousands of innocent clansmen in the city will perish as well. Even if these enemies spared their lives, they would train them as slaves, making them toil like beasts of burden for those humans!"
After hearing this counsel, Zheng Ling finally had a sudden awakening.
He looked at Zhou Zhong, tears glistening in his eyes. "You're right. I was being foolish!"
Zhou Zhong consoled him: "My lord, I can understand your decision. After all, this is the age of humanity—there is no place for us variant humans to survive. This world is a fragment of the Green Heaven from the Primordial Nine Heavens, cut off from the outside world—a hidden paradise. It cannot be given up lightly. But now, whether we wish to or not, we must let it go."
Zheng Ling furrowed his brow. "Now that the Feathered Holy City has also been immobilized, there is only one way for us to lead our people to escape alive."
Zhou Zhong immediately voiced his support: "That's right—let's use that immortal-level killing move, Heaven Follows Human Wishes!"
And so, half a shichen later, all the remaining Feathered People were summoned and gathered around the martial arena.
"I wish—for our Feathered People to survive!"
"I wish—for our Feathered People to retain their freedom!"
"I wish—for our Feathered People to have a world!"
Tens of thousands of Feathered People raised their voices in unison. Under the joint activation of Zhou Zhong and Zheng Ling, the entire Feathered Holy City began to shimmer with a pure white light.
The light initially measured only five or six chi, but quickly climbed higher and higher, reaching a height of seven or eight zhang.
"Lord Bai Hai Sha Tuo, the enemy seems to be making a major move. Shall we not interfere?" the female Gu Immortal Tang Yanran asked.
"It's no matter. I anticipated this situation long ago. All I want is this Immortal Gu House—they won't be able to take it with them." Bai Hai Sha Tuo explained calmly, then issued orders to the others. "Don't stop the attack. Just maintain the current pressure. Don't disturb them. Let them flee."
--- Northern Plains, Tai Bai Blessed Land.
The sky was a crystal-clear azure, and the earth stretched out as a barren wasteland of yellow stone.
Accompanied by Tai Bai Yun Sheng, Fang Yuan toured this excellent blessed land.
This was not Fang Yuan's first visit to the Tai Bai Blessed Land, but it was his first time being personally escorted by Tai Bai Yun Sheng.
Only when a Gu Immortal anchored their Immortal Aperture into the world would the Gu Immortal's true body enter the Aperture to preside over it.
At other times, the Immortal Aperture was concealed within the Gu Immortal's body. When the Aperture was anchored into the outside world, it was the Aperture that contained the Gu Immortal.
A Gu Immortal and their Immortal Aperture were one and the same. During the period when the Aperture was anchored in the outside world, the Gu Immortal could not leave the Aperture to step outside.
The Tai Bai Blessed Land was itself a high-grade blessed land, vast in area, covering over seven million mu. Its Time Path resources were extremely abundant—one day in the outside world meant thirty-three days inside.
Of course, after the Tai Bai Blessed Land had been anchored, it absorbed the ambient qi of the outside world and established a connection with the Northern Plains. The time flow had already slowed, to a ratio of only twelve days.
Tai Bai Yun Sheng had managed the Tai Bai Blessed Land very well.
Not to mention the Floating Ball Tea Grass filling the sky, nor the flocks of Jade Peak Birds among the tea grass. In the air, there were already vast stretches of Tiankui Cloud Clusters, with Sky Flowers growing within the clouds and Floating Hawks soaring through them.
Tai Bai Yun Sheng had already begun establishing his third economic pillar.
His first source of income was Jiang Shan Ru Gu—repairing blessed lands for Gu Immortals and restoring the environments of the Five Regions. This was Tai Bai Yun Sheng's greatest source of revenue, which not only increased his wealth but also expanded his network of connections. It was essentially comparable to Fairy Li Shan's Mountain Alliance Gu.
Tai Bai Yun Sheng's second source of income was Floating Ball Tea Grass. Each quarter, the Tai Bai Blessed Land produced a massive quantity of Floating Ball Tea Grass.
Tai Bai Yun Sheng sold all of this tea grass to the markets of the Eastern Sea. Through the mediation of the Shark Demon Zombie Immortal at the Zombie Alliance headquarters, Tai Bai Yun Sheng had already secured a foothold in that market. However, this business was fiercely competitive, relying on slim margins and high volume. Often, one quarter's harvest could not compare to a single payment for repairing an Immortal Aperture for another Gu Immortal.
"I plan to use Fortune Path mortal Gu as my third venture. Over a hundred thousand Floating Hawks have already migrated in. The hawks carry parasites, and large numbers of Cloud Path mortal Gu will emerge from these parasitic swarms. But what comes next depends on this Earth Disaster. If I can weather it smoothly and it adds Cloud Path Dao Marks to my blessed land, that would be ideal."
Tai Bai Yun Sheng explained his hopes to Fang Yuan.
For this very reason, none of the resources in his blessed land had been moved out.
It was all to "lure" out related Earth Disasters. After weathering them, the Tai Bai Blessed Land would gain Cloud Path Dao Marks.
Blessings and calamities are intertwined.
Previously, when the Fox Immortal's Blessed Land had undergone tribulation, Fang Yuan had moved virtually all valuable resources out beforehand. This attracted a Blood Path Earth Disaster, granting Blood Path Dao Marks to the Fox Immortal's Blessed Land.
If Fang Yuan had not moved those resources, the Earth Disaster might have taken a different form entirely—manifesting as Fire Path Dao Marks beneficial to the Dark Fire Dragon Python, Wisdom Path Dao Marks useful for the Eternal Hate Spider, Water Path Dao Marks more suited to the Dragon Fish, and so on.