On the mountain peak, three pillars of light stood between heaven and earth.
Red, blue, and yellow.
Compared to their first appearance, the three pillars had dimmed greatly. Their light was no longer blazing or overwhelming, and their size had shrunk by more than half, like candles that had already burned deep into their own wax, still standing but clearly approaching their end.
The ancient Gu Immortal blessed land was nearing collapse.
After being reshaped by the three kings, it had endured countless entries by Gu Masters. Gu were taken, materials were stripped away, inheritance rewards were seized, and battles consumed both strength and foundation. Every entry weakened it further. Every death accelerated its decline.
It was like a sinking ship.
The hull had already gone under the surface. Only fragments remained above the water, enough to deceive the eye but not enough to deny the truth.
Everyone present understood this.
The final moment was close.
At the mountain peak, righteous and demonic Gu Masters gathered together in an unusual stillness. If this had been any other day, blades would already be drawn. Demonic path cultivators would seize resources openly, and righteous path forces would respond under the banner of justice. Old grudges, clan hatred, inheritance disputes — any one of these could ignite a battle.
But now, the crowd remained orderly.
No one wanted to waste strength.
No one wanted to enter the inheritance already injured.
Before overwhelming benefit, hatred could be postponed.
In the Gu world, everything had a price.
Justice had a price.
Hatred had a price.
Face had a price.
When the benefit grew large enough, even enemies could stand side by side and pretend not to see one another.
At the front of the crowd stood the Rank five Gu Masters.
They were the true peak of the mortal world.
Below Rank five, even Rank four peak stage Gu Masters lowered their presence. Talent and reputation meant little here. Cultivation defined position.
Wu Lan Shan glanced toward Tie Mu Bai.
On San Cha Mountain, Tie Mu Bai was recognized as the strongest Rank five Gu Master. Even Wu Gui and Ku Mo, who stood on the opposing side, did not deny this fact.
Wu Lan Shan raised her hands slightly, preparing to speak.
"Old clan leader Tie, you—"
Her words never finished.
A sharp tearing sound cut through the air.
Boom!
The ground beneath Fang Ming's feet split apart.
His figure blurred and shot forward, slicing through the crowd like a black arrow.
Tyrannical Dash Gu.
In a single instant, he crossed the distance between himself and the three inheritance pillars. His movement was direct, forceful, and without hesitation.
He did not look at Tie Mu Bai.
He did not ask for order.
He did not wait for agreement.
Before Rank five Gu Masters could settle entry sequence, before Rank four experts could even react, Fang Ming had already reached the yellow pillar.
King Quan Inheritance.
The yellow light swallowed him.
He vanished.
For a brief moment, the entire peak fell silent.
Then the reactions spread.
Shock.
Displeasure.
Wariness.
Excitement.
"He entered first?"
"Does he not care about Tie Mu Bai?"
"He fought Tie Mu Bai before. That is exactly why he dares."
Soft discussions spread rapidly through the crowd.
Among the Rank five Gu Masters, expressions changed subtly.
Fang Ming's action had broken an unspoken rule.
Before such an inheritance, there was always an invisible order. The strongest entered first, followed by others according to strength, background, and influence. No one announced it, but everyone followed it.
Fang Ming had ignored it completely.
He did not step over the rule.
He shattered it.
Wu Lan Shan's expression stiffened slightly, her unfinished words still caught in her throat.
Wu Gui narrowed his eyes.
Ku Mo let out a cold laugh.
Wang Xiao's gaze flickered with calculation.
Tie Mu Bai looked at the pillar Fang Ming had entered, his eyes deepening for a moment before returning to calm.
No one moved to stop him.
Stopping Fang Ming meant fighting him.
He was Rank five peak stage, and he had already matched Tie Mu Bai before. His methods remained unclear, his background uncertain, and his temperament direct.
More importantly, the blessed land was collapsing.
Who would waste strength now for the sake of order?
They could remember the slight.
They could settle it later.
But acting now would be foolish.
Tie Mu Bai spoke calmly.
"Then I will go next."
He stepped forward and entered another pillar.
After him, the others began moving.
Each Rank five Gu Master chose a different entrance whenever possible.
No one wanted to meet Tie Mu Bai too early.
No one wanted to meet Fang Ming either.
Tie Mu Bai was avoided because he was known.
Fang Ming was avoided because he was not.
A known enemy could be calculated.
An unknown enemy could not.
After the Rank five Gu Masters entered, Rank four peak experts followed.
Order was maintained.
Grudges were suppressed.
Everyone waited their turn.
Then, movement stirred at the edge of the crowd.
Two figures approached.
Black robes.
White hair.
Cold eyes.
Fang Yuan and Bai Ning Bing.
Whispers spread instantly.
"The black and white twin demons."
"They finally returned."
"They killed Tie Ba Xiu."
"They survived Tie clan pursuit."
Their reputation had already spread widely. Though they were only Rank four, few treated them lightly.
Among the crowd, Tie Ruo Nan stood still.
Her gaze locked onto Fang Yuan.
Hatred surged within her, but she did not move.
She clenched her fists.
Then loosened them.
Then clenched again.
Finally, her breathing steadied.
She stepped forward.
"Little beast king," she said coldly, "your life is mine. One day, I will kill you and offer your blood to my clan."
She turned immediately after speaking.
She entered the inheritance without attacking.
The crowd stirred again.
Fang Yuan watched her leave.
His eyes darkened slightly.
Hatred that could be restrained was more dangerous than hatred that exploded.
He suppressed his thoughts and continued forward.
Then another figure stepped out.
Yun Luo Tian.
He blocked their path.
"I heard you killed Tie Ba Xiu," he said.
Fang Yuan stopped.
Bai Ning Bing looked at him coldly.
The atmosphere tightened.
Yun Luo Tian continued, "You relied on a loophole. Such a victory is not honorable."
Everyone waited for Fang Yuan's reaction.
But Fang Yuan only smiled.
"You are right."
Silence.
"I used a loophole. It was not fair."
He cupped his hands slightly.
"Sorry."
The crowd froze.
This was not the response anyone expected.
Yun Luo Tian hesitated for a brief moment, then recovered.
"Since you understand, step back."
Fang Yuan nodded calmly and moved aside.
Murmurs spread.
Some mocked him.
Some praised Yun Luo Tian.
But Fang Yuan ignored all of it.
Face had value only when it brought benefit.
At this moment, delay had no value.
After Yun Luo Tian entered, Fang Yuan and Bai Ning Bing moved forward.
They entered another inheritance together.
The light swallowed them.
Outside, the mountain peak remained noisy.
The pillars continued to dim.
The blessed land continued sinking.
And everyone was still fighting for a place on what remained.