The second junglefowl region was still burning.
Black smoke rose from collapsed wooden sheds, drifting into the pale sky of the immortal aperture. The ground had been scorched into patches of dark red and ash gray. Feathers were scattered everywhere, some half-burned, some still carrying faint traces of food path dao marks.
Broken formation pillars leaned to the side. A few had been completely melted by fire. Mortal Gu corpses littered the ground like dead insects, their bodies cracked open from overload.
The junglefowl that survived were still in disorder.
Groups of Green Junglefowl ran aimlessly across the damaged land, crying in panic. Some hid behind half-burned stone walls. Others gathered near the remaining formation nodes, instinctively seeking the aura of the Immortal Gu core.
The Immortal Gu had survived.
That was the only good news.
The formation's protection had done its duty, but only barely. It had protected the core Immortal Gu, not the beast groups, not the outer mortal Gu, and not the buildings arranged around the production area.
Fang Ming stood above the damaged region, looking down silently.
His first heavenly tribulation had passed.
It had not threatened his life.
But it had caused losses.
The calamity had come in the form of fire foxes. At the center were three desolate beast fire foxes, each possessing Rank 6 battle strength. Around them had been a large group of mortal-level fire foxes, from Rank 1 to Rank 5.
The three desolate beast fire foxes had been fast, cunning, and troublesome. Their battle strength was not the highest among desolate beasts, but their speed and fire path methods made them annoying opponents. Fang Ming had spent quite some effort suppressing them without killing them.
And while he dealt with the three strongest ones, the rest of the fire fox group had entered the second formation region.
Junglefowl had no real combat ability.
Against fire foxes, they were only prey.
By the time Fang Ming returned his attention to the formation, fire had already spread across half the region. Newly incubated Green Junglefowl chicks had been burned alive. Mature stock prepared for trade had been bitten apart or chased into flames. The formation's outer structure had been damaged, and the entire production cycle had fallen into chaos.
Fang Ming's expression was calm, but his gaze was cold.
The repair cost alone would reach nearly thirty immortal essence stones.
More importantly, it would take around three outside-world days before the formation could run smoothly again.
Three outside days meant more than a hundred days inside the aperture.
For a business based on accelerated time flow, delay was also loss.
Below him, a group of Rank 3 fire foxes tried to flee through the smoke.
Fang Ming raised one hand.
Tyrannical Lift.
Invisible strength spread outward like a huge hand gripping the air.
The escaping fire foxes froze.
Then they rose.
Not only them.
Hundreds of fire foxes hidden among the ruins, behind broken walls, under collapsed sheds, and within scorched grass patches were pulled upward at the same time. Rank 1, Rank 2, Rank 3, Rank 4, even several Rank 5 fire foxes floated helplessly in the air.
Their limbs struggled wildly. Flames burst from their mouths and tails, but they could not touch the ground.
Fang Ming watched them for a moment.
Only then did he realize something.
He had been thinking of this killer move in terms of Gu Immortal combat. Control, suppression, interruption, restraining desolate beasts. But against large groups of weaker beings, Tyrannical Lift was even more efficient.
It did not kill.
It captured.
It ignored numbers, as long as the targets were weak enough.
A faint thought moved through his mind.
This kind of strength path control was almost like an invisible battlefield hand.
Against mortal-level beast groups, it was extremely useful.
The three desolate beast fire foxes were already restrained elsewhere. Thick strength path chains formed by killer move effects bound their limbs and mouths. They still struggled occasionally, but their resistance had weakened.
Fang Ming had captured all three.
He had also captured nearly all the mortal fire foxes.
The tribulation had caused damage, but the harvest was not poor.
Fire path dao marks were added to his aperture. They were not useful to him at the moment, but dao marks were dao marks. The more valuable gain was the enslavement path dao marks mixed into the tribulation.
He planned to develop enslavement path in the future. These dao marks were not many, but they were suitable.
More importantly, the battle itself had given him experience.
This was his first true immortal-level combat after ascension.
Three desolate beasts at once.
For an ordinary newly ascended Rank 6 Gu Immortal, even one desolate beast could be dangerous before they stabilized their methods. Without Immortal Gu, fighting three desolate beasts was almost certain death.
But Fang Ming was not ordinary.
He had Immortal Gu.
He had immortal killer moves.
He had the dao marks from Great Strength True Martial Physique ascension.
His killer moves were not merely supported by Gu worms. They were amplified by his own body and dao mark foundation.
Among Rank 6 Gu Immortals, his current combat strength was already in the upper tier.
But the battle also showed that his methods were still incomplete.
The fire foxes were fast enough to force him to adjust repeatedly. There were still gaps in Tyrannical Repulse. Tyrannical Push was powerful, but not yet smooth enough against agile enemies. Tyrannical Smash was effective, but too destructive when he wanted to capture rather than kill.
Tyrannical Lift had performed the best.
Fang Ming looked at the fire foxes floating in the sky.
"For capture and group suppression, this move is better than expected."
That was useful.
Very useful.
After the remaining fire foxes were sealed, Fang Ming spent several days inside his immortal aperture restoring order.
The damaged mortal Gu were replaced. Formation pillars were rebuilt. The frightened junglefowl were gathered and separated according to maturity. Burned ground was cleared. The surviving Green Junglefowl were counted. The dead were processed into materials instead of wasted.
The three desolate beast fire foxes were sealed separately.
The mortal fire fox group was temporarily moved to an empty region far away from the junglefowl farms.
His aperture was large enough for this.
Eleven thousand square kilometers meant the fire foxes had only damaged one area. Most of his aperture was still empty. Even if they had wanted to destroy more, they would not have reached the other formations in time.
This was the advantage of space.
It was also the weakness.
His land was vast, but most of it was empty.
The fourth junglefowl formation had already been completed before the tribulation. Fang Ming had spent another monthly Copy and Counterfeit Copy cycle to create the necessary Immortal Gu foundation for it. With four production lines, his output would rise again.
But output without buyers was not a blessing.
It was pressure.
Eastern Sea was still under merchant suppression. The local junglefowl and food beast traders had not stopped squeezing him. Adding the fourth formation's output into that market would only intensify the conflict.
Among those suppressing him were several Rank 7 Gu Immortals.
Fang Ming did not think he could defeat three unknown Rank 7 Gu Immortals if they decided to act seriously.
The current stalemate was not ideal, but it was still profitable.
He had no reason to turn it into a life-and-death market war before he could replace them.
Thus, the fourth formation needed another outlet.
After the second region was repaired and the formations resumed their cycles, Fang Ming left his aperture.
Purple smoke appeared around him.
The smoke gathered, wrapped around his body, and pulled him away.
When the purple haze dispersed again, Fang Ming had arrived in Lang Ya blessed land.
The first thing he saw was destruction.
Lang Ya blessed land looked far worse than his own aperture.
The cloud soil was full of holes. Some pits were covered in frost, while others still released black smoke. A few places burned with stubborn flames that had not been fully extinguished. Broken formation marks stretched across the ground like torn veins.
In the distance, several cloud buildings were damaged. One had lost half of its upper structure. Another leaned sideways, its wall split open. A third was missing entirely from its original place, leaving only shattered foundation fragments.
Dead beasts lay across the cloud soil.
Some had been cut apart. Some had been frozen. Some were burned so badly that their original species could barely be identified.
Fang Ming stopped in the air and looked around.
Compared to this, the damage in his aperture was nothing.
His own aperture was vast and mostly empty. The fire foxes had damaged one production region because there was little else to destroy.
Lang Ya blessed land was different.
This place was developed.
It was organized.
Every damaged formation, every collapsed structure, every dead beast represented accumulated resources.
Fang Ming silently estimated the loss.
Thousands of immortal essence stones.
At least.
Perhaps more.
Lang Ya blessed land's foundation was deep, but the cost of repairing such damage would not be small.
Before Fang Ming could move closer, the cloud soil beneath him trembled.
A huge golden-brown body drilled out from below, blocking his path.
It looked like a giant cubic boulder with nine pairs of legs stabbing into the cloud soil. In front of its body were enormous pincers, thick and heavy, carrying terrifying force. Its shell was hard and dense, giving off the aura of a desolate beast.
Swamp crab.
Fang Ming recognized it at a glance.
A defensive desolate beast with powerful close combat ability.
The swamp crab raised its pincers, blocking the way forward. It did not immediately attack, but its meaning was clear.
Stop.
Fang Ming looked at it calmly.
If this had been before his first heavenly tribulation, he might have tested Tyrannical Smash or Tyrannical Push carefully.
But he had just fought three desolate beast fire foxes.
Compared to them, the swamp crab was slower, heavier, and more reliant on close-range strength.
Its defense was high.
But defense did not matter if it could not move.
Fang Ming raised his hand.
Tyrannical Lift.
Invisible strength descended.
The swamp crab's legs froze.
Then its huge body shook violently as it was pulled upward from the cloud soil.
Its nine pairs of legs struggled wildly, stabbing at empty air. Its pincers opened and closed with explosive force, but there was nothing within reach. The desolate beast's body rose higher and higher, leaving a large hole beneath it.
Fang Ming slightly tightened his fingers.
The swamp crab stopped struggling.
It did not stop because it wanted to.
It stopped because the force around it had locked its body in place.
High defense.
Strong pincers.
Heavy body.
All useless.
Against Tyrannical Lift, a beast that relied on physical contact was simply a weight suspended in the air.
Fang Ming did not injure it further.
He only held it there.
A moment later, Lang Ya land spirit's angry voice sounded from afar.
"Rascal, stop! That is my desolate beast!"
Fang Ming turned his head.
Lang Ya land spirit appeared above the damaged cloud soil, his expression ugly. He looked at the suspended swamp crab, then at Fang Ming, and his eyes twitched.
"You… what killer move is that?"
Fang Ming lowered his hand slightly, placing the swamp crab back onto the cloud soil. The beast retreated immediately, clearly unwilling to approach him again.
"Strength path method," Fang Ming said.
Lang Ya land spirit snorted. "Of course I know it is strength path. Do you think I am blind?"
Fang Ming did not reply.
Lang Ya land spirit looked at him for a few breaths, then turned his head away with irritation. "You came at a bad time."
"So I see."
Fang Ming's gaze swept across the damaged blessed land again.
Lang Ya land spirit's face darkened further. "Some thieves attacked. Hmph! They thought my Lang Ya blessed land was easy to bully. I drove them away, but they destroyed quite a few things."
Fang Ming nodded.
He knew.
This should be the first probing attack from Shadow Sect's side.
But he would not say it.
There was no evidence, and even if there were, now was not the time. Lang Ya blessed land still had internal problems. Fang Ming had no intention of exposing knowledge that had no reasonable source.
He only said, "Your losses are not small."
Lang Ya land spirit glared. "Do I need you to tell me?"
Fang Ming looked past him.
For a brief moment, he sensed another immortal aura deeper within the blessed land. It was concealed, but not completely absent. Not human. At least, not ordinary human.
Inkman Gu Immortal.
Lang Ya had guests.
Or allies.
Fang Ming's eyes remained calm.
Lang Ya blessed land was not transparent. It had its own relationships, its own secrets, and its own variant human connections.
To others, that might be a warning.
To Fang Ming, it was also an opportunity.
He was currently searching for another market.
Eastern Sea could not safely absorb his fourth formation's output. Treasure yellow heaven could take some goods, but not everything. If he forced more junglefowl into Eastern Sea, he would provoke the local merchants further.
Lang Ya was different.
Lang Ya blessed land had hairy men, Gu Immortals, large numbers of Gu worms, beast groups, and desolate beast guardians. Feeding all of that required resources. A place like this could consume huge quantities of food path beasts.
Perhaps one formation's output.
Perhaps two.
If Lang Ya land spirit raised more beast groups, even three formations' worth would not be impossible.
And beyond Lang Ya were the variant humans.
Inkmen, hairy men, and other hidden groups usually had connections with one another. Fang Ming did not know their existing supply channels. Perhaps they produced their own food beasts. Perhaps they bought through treasure yellow heaven. Perhaps their supply was unstable.
But if there was a gap, he could enter it.
Not as an outsider forcing into Eastern Sea's market.
But as a supplier introduced through Lang Ya.
That possibility was valuable.
Lang Ya land spirit noticed Fang Ming's gaze and frowned. "Why are you looking around?"
Fang Ming withdrew his gaze. "I came for business."
"Business?" Lang Ya land spirit's expression improved slightly, but his tone was still bad. "If it is refinement, the price has increased. Repairs cost money."
"It is not refinement."
"Oh?"
"I have food path beasts. Stable supply. Red Junglefowl and Green Junglefowl."
Lang Ya land spirit blinked.
Fang Ming continued, "Your blessed land has many mouths to feed."
Lang Ya land spirit's anger paused.
He looked at the damaged formations, the dead beasts, the remaining cloud buildings, then back at Fang Ming.
His expression changed.
Lang Ya blessed land had indeed suffered losses. Repairing formations required materials. Replenishing beast groups required resources. Feeding desolate beasts and hairy men was not free. Food path beasts were not rare, but stable supply at a reasonable price was always useful.
Lang Ya land spirit stroked his beard.
"How much can you provide?"
Fang Ming's eyes remained calm.
There it was.
The first opening.
He did not answer immediately. Instead, he looked at the damaged blessed land again.
Smoke still rose from broken formations.
The swamp crab had retreated far away.
Hidden deeper inside, the inkman Gu Immortal's aura remained concealed.
Lang Ya blessed land had just suffered a crisis.
But crisis often exposed needs.
Fang Ming came here thinking he might sell the fourth formation's output.
Now he realized that the opportunity might be larger than that.
Lang Ya blessed land was not safe.
It was not simple.
But it might become the market he needed most.