During this month, Lang Ya blessed land faced its earthly calamity.
Above Crescent Lake, the night sky split apart.
Thunder rolled without stopping, and lightning fell like rain. This was not ordinary lightning. Each bolt carried the power of heaven and earth, striking Lang Ya blessed land again and again, tearing small holes into its outer boundary.
Endless Thunder and Lightning Rain.
Outside the blessed land, several Gu Immortals had already gathered.
Gui Wang, Loner Hong Yu, and the Hua Hai three immortals watched from the dark clouds above Crescent Lake. Their gazes were not fixed on the calamity itself, but on the openings that the calamity created.
Lang Ya blessed land was Long Hair Ancestor's residence.
Inside it were countless Gu recipes, and there might even be Immortal Gu recipes.
Before such temptation, the difference between righteous path and demonic path became less important.
When the holes appeared, the Gu Immortals acted.
One immortal essence bead after another was thrown into the gaps, forcing Lang Ya land spirit to consume its own immortal essence to defend the blessed land.
This was not a direct attack but a slow erosion to weakened the blessed land's reserves.
Inside one of the cloud buildings, Fang Ming sat cross-legged.
The calamity shook the world outside, but he did not move.
His injuries were slowly healing. Under Lang Ya's arrangements, his body had already recovered by a large amount, but his true waiting point was not his flesh. It was Counterfeit Copy.
Its cooldown needed time.
Thus, Fang Ming remained quiet.
Outside, the Gu Immortals finally forced their way in.
They passed through the holes torn open by lightning and entered Lang Ya blessed land.
What they saw made even Gu Immortals pause.
Cloud soil stretched endlessly beneath their feet. Twelve cloud buildings stood in the distance, ancient and majestic, surrounded by immortal cranes, feathermen, colorful clouds, and dense refinement aura. The fragrance of sandalwood drifted through the air, making the blessed land seem peaceful and profound.
This place did not look like a ruined blessed land facing a calamity.
It looked like a refinement immortal's treasury.
Their greed surged.
But Lang Ya blessed land was not defenseless.
The invaders had entered, but entering was just the first step, what followed next was the real challange.
Lang Ya land spirit moved.
The twelve cloud buildings shifted, cloud soil rose, and refinement formations activated one after another. The Gu Immortals had wanted to force Lang Ya to exhaust his immortal essence, but they had still underestimated the foundation left behind by Long Hair Ancestor.
Gui Wang roared.
Loner Hong Yu retreated.
The Hua Hai three fairies tried to support one another.
But the blessed land closed around them like a cage.
One by one, they were suppressed and captured.
By the time the lightning rain weakened and the calamity passed, Lang Ya blessed land was barely damged.
The intruding Gu Immortals had all fallen into Lang Ya land spirit's hands.
When the month ended, Fang Ming opened his eyes.
His wounds had recovered.
More importantly, Counterfeit Copy was ready again.
Not long after, Lang Ya land spirit appeared before him.
The old man's face still carried traces of fatigue from the calamity, but his eyes were bright.
"Boy, one month is over."
Fang Ming stood up.
Lang Ya land spirit stared at him with expectation.
"You said you had an Immortal Gu recipe."
Fang Ming nodded.
"Second Aperture Gu."
He took out the recipe.
Lang Ya land spirit received it.
At first, his expression was casual. Then his brows rose, his eyes widened, and both of his hands began to tremble.
"Second aperture… breaking the single-aperture limitation… using lifespan Gu, apertures, Divine Travel Gu… interesting, very interesting!"
The old man almost pressed his face against the recipe.
"This idea is bold. Crude in some places, but bold! The original creator had ambition, but the structure can still be improved. Hah! This is indeed an Immortal Gu recipe!"
Fang Ming listened silently.
Lang Ya land spirit read faster and faster, muttering to himself as his thoughts moved through the recipe.
"Some steps waste materials. Some transformation points are unstable. The lifespan stages can be refined with better control. The aperture absorption can also be adjusted…"
After a long while, Lang Ya land spirit finally looked up.
"You want me to refine this?"
"Yes."
"And you want to watch?"
"Yes."
Lang Ya land spirit stroked his beard.
"You are only a mortal. Even if you watch, how much can you understand?"
Fang Ming replied calmly: "That depends on my ability."
The old man snorted. "You sound confident."
"I came here to learn."
Lang Ya land spirit waved his sleeve.
"Fine. Watch if you want. Even if you see it, it does not mean you can learn it. Refinement path is not something one understands just by opening his eyes."
Fang Ming cupped his hands.
"Then I will trouble senior."
Lang Ya land spirit's mood improved greatly after being called senior.
"Stand there. Do not disturb me."
Clouds gathered.
Materials flew out from one of the cloud buildings.
Gu worms, rare ores, ancient blood essence, lifespan Gu, aperture-related materials, and many refinement tools appeared in the air. Lang Ya land spirit did not need a bronze cauldron like Ba Gui. The cloud building itself became the refinement chamber.
The air changed.
Refinement aura thickened until it almost felt solid.
Fang Ming stood nearby, watching every movement.
Lang Ya land spirit began.
His method was completely different from Ba Gui's.
Ba Gui had followed an inherited arrangement, relying on the old master's preparation and the remaining immortal essence inside the blessed land.
Lang Ya was different.
He controlled the process like a true refinement path supreme expert.
Materials melted without flame.
Gu worms entered the flow without resistance.
Each step was clean, precise, and natural.
Fang Ming's eyes grew serious.
This was not merely refinement.
This was art.
At the same time, deep within Fang Ming's awareness, Counterfeit Copy activated.
Fang Ming did not wait for the final product, this time he started from the beginning.
The lesson from Teleport Gu was already clear. Copying the end only gave a shell, but following the process could create something more stable and powerful.