"Is there anything under heaven that cannot be destroyed? The Heavenly Dao moves in cycles, and all things compete by law. In the vast expanse of the cosmos, we mortals are like a handful of sand at the bottom of the ocean — utterly insignificant. Only by ascending to become a Gu Immortal can one truly transcend the mundane, gain a foundation, transform from sand into an island capable of weathering the waves." Tie Mubai's voice was brimming with emotion.
"Then when a blessed land faces destruction, aren't the people inside it in great danger?" Tie Ruonan asked again.
"Indeed." Tie Mubai nodded. "The moment a blessed land dissolves, a Great Unity Wind will blow, merging it back with heaven and earth. Everything within the blessed land will be reduced back to the most fundamental primordial qi of heaven and earth. The power of this wind is vast — it can sweep away all things. Even Gu Immortals fear it, and it can destroy even Immortal Gu."
"There's actually a wind that powerful?" Tie Ruonan exclaimed, her eyes filling with deep worry.
Tie Mubai waved his hand dismissively. "It's nothing to worry about. I've entered blessed lands multiple times, and my understanding of them grows deeper with each visit. I've been observing and reflecting the whole while. The blessed land is indeed growing weaker, but there's still some time before its destruction. During this period, the great power of heaven and earth within the blessed land will grow weaker and weaker, and the restrictions on us Gu Masters will gradually diminish. Slowly, we'll be able to use one or two Gu Insects, then three or four, then five or six... and in the final stage, the blessed land will be riddled with holes, forming tunnels — we'll even be able to come and go freely."
Tie Mubai gazed into the distance, his eyes deep and brimming with wisdom, as if he could already see the future.
"It's only in the final stage that the true decisive battle of the Three Kings' Inheritance will take place. The suppression from the blessed land will be nearly gone, and everyone will be able to unleash their full strength, plundering and fighting to their heart's content. By then, there will be far more than three Fifth Transformation Gu Masters on Three-Fork Mountain. That will be the true gathering of heroes, the real storm of destiny."
A flash of insight struck Tie Ruonan, and sudden understanding dawned on her.
She finally understood why Tie Mubai hadn't fought those two Demonic Path Gu Masters to the death.
Because the enemies of the future would be far more than just those two. If one exhausted all their strength too early, it would only let others reap the benefits.
The further one progressed in the Three Kings' Inheritance, the richer the rewards a Gu Master could obtain.
Those truly knowledgeable about the blessed land were already preparing for the final decisive battle.
……
Central Continent.
Heaven Ladder Mountain.
Fox Immortal Blessed Land.
"Finally… I've made it to the mountainside." Fang Zheng panted heavily, beads of sweat rolling down his forehead.
His arms and legs were sore and numb. He had been pushed nearly to the limit. Climbing to such a height entirely on his own had drained almost every last bit of his soul's potential.
The mountain wind blew past, bringing with it waves of intense dizziness. Fang Zheng felt as though he might topple right over.
His entire field of vision was spinning, his soul squeezed to its absolute limit—he had even lost the ability to think.
In a daze, he heard a voice transmitted from the Parasitic Soul Flea within his Empty Orifice: "Good, very good. My fine disciple, you've held on to this point, which truly isn't easy. You've succeeded—now leave the rest to your master!"
Once those words were spoken, Fang Zheng felt an invisible force pour into the deepest reaches of his soul.
The sensation of toppling over vanished instantly. It was like a small child who had just learned to walk suddenly being steadied by an adult's hand.
Everything in his vision cleared up, and the dizziness that had been plaguing him dissipated at a rapid pace.
Fang Zheng sucked in several deep breaths of air. He felt absolutely wonderful!
It was like a traveler crossing a desert who was on the verge of dying of thirst suddenly drinking from a cool, sweet spring. Or like someone who had worked without sleep for years finally crashing into seven days and seven nights of deep, restful slumber.
Everything was better now—comfortable, refreshing.
"My good disciple, seize the time—climb upward, quickly!" Lord Celestial Crane urged.
"Yes, Master!" Fang Zheng's tiger-like eyes blazed with a brilliant, piercing light. He raised his head and gazed upward. Feng Jinhuang and the others were still far ahead, but their speed was growing slower and slower.
Within Fang Zheng's heart, an unprecedented surge of confidence arose.
"I can do it! With Master's support, I can definitely defeat these favored children of heaven and become the sole inheritor of the Fox Immortal's legacy! Fang Zheng, you can do it!"
After psyching himself up, Fang Zheng began to climb.
His movements were both swift and steady, his rate of ascent astonishingly fast — an outright explosion of speed. This performance immediately caught the attention and interest of certain watchful individuals.
When the Fox Immortal's blessed land had opened, it maintained a continuous connection with the outside world.
As a result, the ten Gu Immortals lying in wait outside the blessed land immediately noticed Fang Zheng's unusual behavior.
"Huh? This child — he had already reached his limit and was about to be eliminated. How did he suddenly become so vigorous?"
"Something's fishy — this speed is even faster than Feng Jinhuang and the others!"
"This junior is from the Celestial Crane Sect. So that's how it is..."
The ten Gu Immortals exchanged thoughts among themselves, and soon someone discovered Fang Zheng's trump card.
"He Fengyang, you really are willing to spend big. The Soul-Lodging Flea isn't that rare, but to protect the Soul-Lodging Flea's operation, you used the Self Essence Gu, didn't you?"
As one of the Supreme Elders of the Celestial Crane Sect, He Fengyang's possession of a Sixth Transformation "Self Essence Gu" was already widely known.
The Self Essence Gu could allow other Gu Insects to be used normally within a Blessed Land.
It was a consumable Gu, only usable three times. After three uses, it would vanish without a trace.
"He Fengyang, you truly are cunning. I never would have thought you'd planted this hidden piece."
"I hardly deserve the compliment. Among this generation's newcomers, Myriad Dragon Dock produced Ying Shengji, Spirit Affinity House produced Feng Jinhuang, and Spirit Butterfly Valley produced Xiao Qixing. Our Celestial Crane Sect simply cannot compete, so we had no choice but to resort to this lesser strategy." He Fengyang spoke with modesty, keeping a very low profile.