At this moment, no fewer than thirty Gu Immortals stood at the riverbed of the Falling Sky River's source.
The immortals' gazes burned with intensity, sometimes fixating on the sphere of light surrounding Bo Qing's immortal zombie, sometimes covertly scanning their surroundings, ever vigilant of the competitors around them.
Among these competitors, the most powerful were undoubtedly the Gu Immortals from the ten great ancient sects of Central Continent.
Jin Lieyang, Hong Chiming, Qi Yuntian, and others.
And among these immortals of the ten great sects, the one who posed the greatest threat was Fairy Bai Qing.
Seeing the stalemate persist, Qi Yuntian spoke slowly: "Fairy Bai Qing, the situation is now quite clear. Bo Qing possesses nothing but the immortal zombie remains — the divine soul within should have already perished in tribulation. However, it seems some fragments of will and emotion still linger within his mind, granting him an instinct for self-preservation."
"Therefore, each time we approach, he activates his Immortal Gu, unleashing devastatingly sharp sword light in all directions. To reduce his hostility, we need objects imbued with Bo Qing's aura, or Gu insects he refined during his lifetime, or the will and emotions he left behind. As long as we produce these, we can approach Bo Qing's immortal zombie and seize the initiative."
Fairy Bai Qing smiled bitterly: "Where would I have such things? If I did, I would have acted long ago, wouldn't I?"
She truly did not have them.
She had never expected that Bo Qing's immortal zombie remains would actually appear.
Qi Yuntian smiled faintly: "Why must Fairy Bai Qing deceive us? You were the first to arrive — why did you come here alone, in secret? Could all of this truly be coincidence?"
Fairy Bai Qing's smile grew even more bitter: "You claim I came in secret. That is incorrect. I borrowed passage through the Wanlong Dock and the War Immortal Sect openly and aboveboard. What secret is there?"
She had come to explore the source of the Falling Sky River because of Feng Jiuge's dying words.
But this truth, she could not speak aloud.
Lingyuan Studio needed to delay the news of Feng Jiuge's death for as long as possible, buying time for their strategic deployment.
Jin Lieyang frowned, his voice growing sharp: "Why must Fairy Bai Qing continue to hide the truth? With the current situation, any delay will only attract more Gu Immortals. Hesitation breeds disaster! Our ten great ancient sects should unite and jointly control Central Continent's situation. If those rogue immortals and demonic cultivators were to seize Bo Qing's Sword Dao Immortal Gu, it would inevitably plunge Central Continent into turmoil. Would your sect really abandon the greater interests of Central Continent for the sake of private gain?"
Qi Yuntian maintained a gentle tone, continuing to persuade: "Our ten great ancient sects, after all, share the same origin. Let us join forces and first seize Bo Qing's immortal zombie. I can represent Fengyun Mansion and sign an alliance with your sect, guaranteeing your interests in this matter."
Fairy Bai Qing remained silent.
She laughed coldly to herself — this Jin Lieyang playing the bad cop while Qi Yuntian played the good cop; did they think she couldn't see through it?
Anxiety churned within her.
The situation had arisen so suddenly that Lingyuan Studio had not sent any Gu Immortal reinforcements.
Even though she had reached the Seventh Transformation, she was still one person facing many — a single pillar cannot support a collapsing roof.
Regardless of what Bo Qing's immortal zombie truly held, recovering his remains along with all his Sword Dao Immortal Gu was of paramount importance to Lingyuan Studio.
The other nine great sects had also recognized this.
Now that Feng Jiuge's whereabouts were unknown and his situation dire, Lingyuan Studio was weakened — they absolutely could not be allowed to obtain Bo Qing's immortal zombie smoothly.
If they cultivated another Bo Qing, one as formidable as Feng Jiuge, where would the nine great sects turn to vent their grievances?
At the bottom of the Falling Sky River, the situation was complex.
Bo Qing's immortal zombie's sword light was piercing and terrifying, shooting across the entire Central Continent.
A massive number of demonic cultivators and rogue immortals had come because of it. They craved chaos, hoping to strike it rich.
The immortals of Central Continent's ten great sects, on the other hand, wanted to stabilize the situation and give these outsiders not the slightest opportunity.
But at the same time, the ten great sects were not united either, forming a tacit alliance of nine sects to collectively resist Lingyuan Studio.
And Fairy Bai Qing, mistakenly believed to possess the key means, found herself in an impossible position.
Just as the immortals were locked in their standoff, a surging aura of the Eighth Transformation swept over them.
"All immortals, retreat. This place is now under the jurisdiction of our Heavenly Court."
The crowd gasped and looked toward the voice, seeing a female immortal descending gracefully through the air.
It was the Eighth Transformation Water Path Gu Immortal, Bai Cangshui.
The situation was immediately overturned!
Central Continent. Heavenly Court.
Bright light illuminated the Surveillance Tower, now fully restored, standing tall before the three immortals.
The Head of the Surveillance Tower, Bi Chentian, and Lian Jiusheng all felt the heavy burden lift from their hearts, secretly breathing sighs of relief.
Ever since the Surveillance Tower had been sliced in two by the sudden sword light, they had not rested for a single moment during these past days.
To prevent the Sword Dao marks from corroding and destroying more Gu insects, they had worked day and night without pause to carry out repairs, and now the work was finally complete.
Fortunately, the three immortals had responded swiftly, and the Heavenly Court's reserves contained ample immortal materials and substitute Gu insects, allowing all the Gu destroyed by the sword light to be rapidly replaced.
There was also an important point — the Surveillance Tower was, after all, a Ninth Transformation Immortal Gu House, and its inherent defenses were already extraordinary. Although it had been cleaved in two by the sword light, the actual damage was limited to the Gu insects near the cut. In truth, the Surveillance Tower had not suffered any truly critical damage.
After gazing at it for a moment, the Head of the Surveillance Tower took a deep breath. Gripping the Fate Gu in one hand and leaning on his cane with the other, he shuffled slowly toward the tower's interior.
Lian Jiusheng couldn't help but advise: "Tower Master, why not rest for a day or two? There's no need to rush into operating the Surveillance Tower."
"Thank you for your concern, but it's no bother." The Head of the Surveillance Tower smiled and declined the suggestion.
For some reason, the instant the sword light had struck the Surveillance Tower, an unease had begun to gnaw at his heart.
As time passed, this unease only grew.
Even seeing the Surveillance Tower fully restored had not dispelled the Head of the Surveillance Tower's apprehension.
"Go," he commanded with a thought. The Fate Gu in his hand transformed into a streak of strange light, darting to the tower's peak and sinking into the core formation eye.
The Head of the Surveillance Tower dragged his aged body up the tower's internal staircase.
Each step he climbed cost him one Eighth Transformation Immortal Essence.
The tower walls shimmered with brilliant light, displaying a chaotic jumble of images that offered no useful guidance whatsoever.