Supreme Immortal Aperture.
Small Northern Plains.
"Is everything prepared?" Xue'er sat commanding the Snow Crystal Grand Formation, carefully observing dozens of clusters of cold qi.
"Everything is prepared, Supreme Elder." A Five-Transformation female Snow People Gu Master knelt on the ground with extreme reverence.
"Then go. Remember, receive them warmly. Of course, if there are grievances, don't suffer them in silence." Xue'er thought for a moment, then added her instructions.
"Yes." The Snow People Gu Master withdrew.
Xue'er sighed.
Ever since Fang Yuan had arranged for her to be stationed here, she had devoted herself to the development of the Snow People tribe. With the assistance of Fang Yuan's Snow Crystal Grand Formation, Xue'er had governed diligently, and the tribe under her command had expanded several times over, becoming a massive non-human settlement.
"My husband has finally brought in humans... If I had the time, I'd really like to go see for myself. Unfortunately, I can't leave here." Xue'er gazed at the cold qi, worry weighing on her heart.
She operated the formation, carefully sorting through the energy. Ever since Fang Yuan had devoured the Qi Phase Cave Heaven, his Qi Path Dao Marks had surged dramatically, bringing enormous changes to the Supreme Immortal Aperture. These changes had not yet stopped and were still gradually reshaping every aspect of the Supreme Immortal Aperture.
Take the Snow People tribe where Xue'er was stationed, for example. Cold qi gathered here in ever-greater concentrations, and every few months, Xue'er personally had to step in and operate the formation to sort through it.
If the cold qi were allowed to accumulate past a certain threshold and break its limits, it would trigger a cold tide.
A cold tide would be a catastrophe for the physically frail Snow People.
It would also inflict devastating damage on the surrounding environment. If the cold tide spread far enough, it would even endanger the entire Small Northern Plains.
Thanks to the boundary walls, the other small quadrants would not suffer the cold tide's devastation.
Not long ago, Fang Yuan had sent word, informing Xue'er that a city would be placed near the Snow People tribe. When that happened, the Snow People would need to send personnel and manpower, assemble teams, bring gifts, and engage in active exchanges.
Xue'er had, of course, complied, but throughout her life as a non-human, she had suffered constant oppression from humans. Now having to interact with them in this way touched upon the shadows of her past.
If it were possible, Xue'er would naturally want the entire Small Northern Plains to become the territory of the Snow People tribe.
But she understood that such a thing was nothing but a delusion.
Fang Yuan was a human after all, and when an immortal aperture reached a certain level of development, introducing and cultivating humans was inevitable. It was a sign of an immortal aperture's prosperity and flourishing.
The Snow People tribe's forces had just set out when, simultaneously, the procession of Mo people in the Western Desert reached its destination.
Mo Tansang, City Lord of the Mo People City, soared high above the clouds, waiting quietly.
"They've arrived." His eyes suddenly flashed with sharp light.
In an instant, a brilliant cascade of colorful light blazed across heaven and earth.
Around this mass of radiant color, the earth pushed outward in all directions. The colorful radiance grew larger and larger, gradually revealing the hazy phantom of a city.
The phantom became increasingly solid until finally the light faded. Where there had been nothing, several thousand li of new, vast land now stretched out.
A city sat at its center — the Holy Eagle City from the Beast Calamity Cave Heaven.
The Mo people Gu Masters had already knelt to the ground, singing praises of such an immortal marvel until Mo Tansang sent them his voice command, at which point the crowd finally rose to their feet.
The gates of Holy Eagle City opened, and the citizens inside had long been notified, having formed a welcoming procession.
The two groups met at the city gates and formally began their interaction.
The human residents of Holy Eagle City eyed the dark-skinned, white-haired Mo people with curiosity, while the Mo people gradually set aside their worries.
They too had long lived under human oppression, and they had never expected this newly arrived group of humans to be so agreeable. Their conversations were marked by an attitude of equality, which brought genuine joy to the Mo people's hearts.
"Would you be Lord Mo Tansang?" The Giant Eagle Warrior who governed Holy Eagle City flew up before Mo Tansang. "Please do look after us from now on."
"No need to be so formal," Mo Tansang said with a smile. "Don't stand on ceremony — we're all on the same side."
Small Blue Sky.
Cloud earth gathered into a small hovering continent.
After the starlight bloomed, a magnificent city suddenly appeared on what had been a completely empty landmass.
The city bore scars and marks, having been ravaged — it was the Star Network City that had previously withstood the Toxic Smoke Calamity.
At the center of Star Network City, there was already a brand-new Star Conch Hall, a mortal Gu house that Fang Yuan had specifically built.
As for the Star Sea Conch that had originally served as the hall's body, Fang Yuan had placed it into storage. It was a primordial desolate beast, and its conch shell was an Eighth Transformation immortal material. If handed to the old Beast Warrior King, he wouldn't know how to handle it, and could only let the Dao Marks on the immortal material dissipate naturally. That would be far too wasteful.
"Is this your father's world? How vast and empty it is." The old Beast Warrior King quietly left Star Network City, circled at a distance, and sighed with admiration.
Accompanying him was Zhan Budu. "This is the Small Blue Sky. There are nine other places like this in my father's immortal aperture world. I believe we can live very well here."
The old Beast Warrior King nodded, then asked, "How should we contact the others?"
"Use this. It's an Information Path Gu Insect." Zhan Budu produced a mortal Gu and handed it to the old Beast Warrior King.
The old Beast Warrior King's cultivation was as high as the Eighth Transformation, but his knowledge was quite limited. Even this one mortal Information Path Gu left him amazed: "I never imagined Gu Insects could be used like this."
"This is their true purpose. The Beast Calamity True Inheritance I inherited works the same way." Zhan Budu smiled sheepishly. "Please don't take offense, Grandpa Beast Warrior King — my father told me to keep this secret."
The old Beast Warrior King nodded. "That's understandable. What does your father need this old man to do?"
"In the short term, please have Grandpa Beast Warrior King and the other Beast Warriors learn the orthodox methods of Gu cultivation. We are not safe — there is a great enemy still out there." Zhan Budu's words carried a note of concealment.
The old Beast Warrior King's expression shifted. "Your father is willing to teach us the true art of Gu cultivation?"