Time passed. Months flew by in the blink of an eye.
The Northern Plains.
Fierce winds howled. Heavy snow danced through the air.
The world was a vast expanse of white, with thick blankets of snow covering tens of thousands of miles of grassland. Bone-piercing winds tore across the land, sweeping through heaven and earth. They would gather into raging tornados one moment, then whip up deep layers of snow the next.
The decade-long blizzard continued its rampage across the entire Northern Plains. Living beings lamented their fate, all things withered, and in the limited pockets of refuge, surviving humans and animals clung desperately to life.
They had to endure the bitter cold, and fight fierce battles against snow monsters and the like.
In these brutal conditions, however, the Snowmen thrived like fish in water, growing increasingly active and energetic.
The freezing blizzard winds were, to the Snowmen, as warm as a spring breeze.
They hunted through the storm, and great numbers of wild Snow Path, Ice Path, and Water Path Gu Insects parasitized their bodies.
During normal times, the Snowmen tribes — hunted, oppressed, and trafficked by Gu Masters — had now enjoyed tremendous development, their influence expanding at a breathtaking pace.
Through the roaring blizzard, two dark figures materialized.
The figures alighted atop a cliff, radiating an ethereal immortal presence. They were none other than two Gu Immortals from the Hei clan — Hei Bai and Hei Cheng.
They stood high above, gazing down into the valley below.
The blizzard raged on, yet it could not stir even the hems of their robes. Snow swirled through the air, but it could not obstruct their penetrating gazes.
In the valley, rows upon rows of ice houses had already been constructed, packed so tightly there were easily tens of thousands of them.
A group of valiant Snowmen warriors had just returned from a hunt. Once again laden with spoils, they entered through the valley mouth.
Sixth Transformation Wood Path Gu Immortal Hei Bai furrowed his brow. "Hmph. These Snowmen have actually managed to flourish in all this! In just three days, this is the seventh tribe of this scale we've encountered."
Those who are not of our kind must harbor different hearts. The Snowmen, though their name contained the word "human," were nonetheless an alien race.
Once the blizzard ended and the Northern Plains' human race began its resurgence, they would inevitably clash with these Snowmen in numerous battles.
The greater the Snowmen's numbers, the more numerous and powerful humanity's enemies would become.
Beside him, Hei Cheng patted Hei Bai on the shoulder and smiled. "You should be pleased, brother. Look at it from another angle — every one of these Snowmen is a source of wealth for us. If we capture them, we can trade them to other Gu Immortals for Immortal Yuan Stones. Besides, it'll teach Snow Pine a thing or two."
A slight curve appeared at the corner of Hei Bai's lips. "Well thought out, brother. If it weren't for Snow Pine, I would have obtained the Wood Chicken Gu long ago. And now he's even stuck his nose into this Battle of the Royal Court. These days, we've been hunting Snowmen everywhere and selling them off to the Treasure Yellow Heaven. Hehehe — I'd love to see the expression on Snow Pine's face right now."
After saying this, the smile on Hei Bai's face quickly faded, replaced by a trace of anxiety in his eyes. "Brother, Hei Loulan has been inside the Royal Court for quite some time now. By our estimates, the Eighty-Eight True Yang Building should have already formed over twenty floors. Why is there still no sign of the Wood Chicken Gu?"
Hei Cheng laughed heartily. "Patience, patience. The Eighty-Eight True Yang Building has a total of eighty-eight floors — how many has it formed so far? That child Hei Loulan may be hot-tempered, but he handles important matters with caution. Ever since he entered the Royal Court, he hasn't lost contact with us once, has he? Besides, Hei Loulan already holds a Lord Token. The moment the Wood Chicken Gu is captured, before a new floor fully forms, Hei Loulan will sense it. That's when we'll receive word."
The Hei clan was a supreme powerhouse. While none among them possessed the talent to rival Fairy Mo Yao, they had their own methods for using Gu Insects to communicate both inside and outside.
Hei Bai sighed. "The time flow inside the Royal Court Blessed Land differs from the outside world. One day out here is over twenty days in there. I'm worried Hei Loulan might not be able to relay the news in time. If that happens, the help we can provide will be limited."
Hei Cheng smiled and offered reassurance. "Brother, you're letting your concern cloud your judgment. Don't worry. Given Hei Loulan's current strength this round, breaking through three or four floors shouldn't be a problem. In the meantime, let's deal with this Snowmen tribe before us."
"Fine." The anxiety in Hei Bai's heart eased slightly, and he nodded.
Their figures shot downward like bolts of lightning, diving straight toward the Snowmen tribe in the valley.
Hei Cheng opened his mouth and let out a soft laugh.
In an instant, a tremendous laugh shook heaven and earth, its force sufficient to halt the clouds! The entire valley trembled and buzzed from the shockwave, and even the torrential snowfall was momentarily stilled.
Boom, boom, boom, boom…
The sound wave swept through, shattering countless ice houses into snow and ice dust.
In the span of a single heartbeat, the Snowmen tribe had suffered devastating losses.
"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"
"A powerful enemy! A powerful enemy has appeared! Warriors, the time to defend our home has come!!"
"Defend our home! Remember — we must not fall! Behind us are our wives, our children, our parents!"
The Snowmen roared and shouted. After a brief moment of panic, they steeled themselves to fight back.
"Hmph. A mantis trying to stop a chariot — know your place." Hei Bai hovered in midair, watching the Snowmen swarm toward him. His gaze was cold and detached, as though observing ants crawling in a line.
He waved his sleeve lightly. Buzzing filled the air…
A black swarm of Gu burst forth. First hundreds, then thousands, then tens of thousands.
In the end, hundreds of thousands of Gu Insects blanketed the sky above the entire valley, like a dark cloud bearing down on a city.
The Snowmen looked up at the sky, their faces frozen in terror and disbelief. The fighting spirit that had just surged within them was completely quelled by the overwhelming might of the Gu Immortals.
In that moment, they truly felt the bone-piercing chill within the blizzard.
Gu Immortals possessed Immortal Essence. A single drop of Immortal Essence could be regarded as an inexhaustible supply of True Essence. This meant that any Gu Immortal could command an enormous number of mortal Gu without ever worrying about running dry.
The Snowmen tribe, though powerful, was nothing more than lambs awaiting the slaughter when facing the combat strength of Gu Immortals — helpless to do anything but submit.
The next instant, Hei Bai pointed a single finger, and the swarm of Gu came roaring down.
Miserable screams echoed without cease through the valley.
More than ten days later…