Chapter 174: Heavenly Giant Solor
First Hair fell.
The rank seven hairy man Gu Immortal who had blocked the fourth sword light of Five Finger Fist Heart Sword did not even have time to speak. His body hit the cloud soil, and sword energy spread through him like thin white cracks.
"First Hair?"
"First Hair!"
The hairy man Gu Immortals rushed over in panic.
Second Hair knelt beside him and held his body, her hands trembling. "First Hair, wake up. First Hair!"
But First Hair's aura was already gone.
The sword light had not merely injured him. It had pierced deep into his body, destroying him from within. He had blocked the sword for Lang Ya land spirit, but Sword Immortal Bo Qing's legendary killer move was not something that could be received without cost.
Second Hair's face turned blank.
Then she screamed.
The other hairy man Gu Immortals also fell into disorder. Some comforted her. Some began crying. Some looked at Qin Bai Sheng with tears in their eyes.
"Why did you kill him?"
"We had no hatred with you!"
"Can't we coexist peacefully?"
Mo Tan Sang stared at them, stunned.
Fang Yuan's expression became strange.
Fang Ming only watched silently.
These hairy man Gu Immortals had real cultivation, but their minds had not gone through real immortal warfare. They were refinement experts, Gu House operators, formation supporters, and immortal essence providers. In direct battle, they were unreliable.
But Fang Ming did not look down on them.
A Gu Immortal who could not fight was still a Gu Immortal.
If they could refine Gu, maintain Gu Houses, operate formation nodes, and support large-scale production, their value was enormous. Fang Ming had no shortage of thoughts about combat power, but combat was not the only foundation of a force. Production, refinement, formations, and stable manpower were often worth more than one more fighter.
Qin Bai Sheng looked at the crying hairy man Gu Immortals and sneered.
"Hand over Refinement Cauldron, and I will not harm you."
Lang Ya land spirit's face became ugly.
"Impossible!"
Qin Bai Sheng's gaze was cold. "You want to rely on Refinement Cauldron to forcibly refine our Immortal Gu? I will not give you the time."
His hand rose again.
Metal path immortal killer move — City Crushing Hammer.
A giant golden hammer descended from the sky and smashed into the final cloud building.
Rumble!
The building shattered.
The fog formation that had covered the battlefield trembled violently. The clouds split apart. The white mist that had hidden direction, space, and distance scattered like torn cloth.
The Twelve Wave Cloud Confusion Formation collapsed.
The battlefield opened.
Then everyone saw it.
The place where they had been fighting was only a cloud layer.
Below the clouds was the true Lang Ya blessed land.
An ocean spread into the distance. Three vast continents stood within it, filled with forests, mountains, plains, rivers, swamps, cities, villages, beasts, birds, sea monsters, and countless living beings.
Hairy men filled the land below.
They lived in villages. They worked in cities. They refined Gu, traded materials, raised beasts, explored islands, built workshops, and formed an entire civilization beneath the cloud layer.
Mo Tan Sang's body shook.
Hei Cheng stared in disbelief.
Fang Yuan's pupils shrank.
Fang Ming's gaze lowered toward the continents below, and his thoughts moved quickly.
This was not merely population.
This was production.
Millions upon millions of hairy men meant countless refinement workers, Gu Master seeds, possible future Gu Immortals, resource processors, and a complete civilization built around refinement culture. The hairy man land spirit's ambition was unrealistic in the outside world, but inside this blessed land, his confidence had a root.
Lang Ya blessed land was not a workshop.
It was an empire hidden beneath clouds.
At that moment, Qin Bai Sheng raised both hands and grabbed at the sky.
In other directions, Fairy Jiang Yu and the black-robed Gu Immortal also acted. One pulled at the sky. One pulled at the cloud soil.
Thunder roared.
Space cracked.
Gu worms appeared from the broken space, flickering in and out like stars being dragged out of the heavens.
Refinement Cauldron.
Fang Ming's eyes narrowed.
The rank eight Immortal Gu House was no longer only a name spoken in panic. Its structure, its Gu worms, and its connection to Lang Ya blessed land were being forced into view.
Lang Ya land spirit roared, "Dream on! Assemble the battle formation!"
Silver light erupted.
Tens of thousands of Gu worms appeared and surrounded the immortals. Fang Ming, Fang Yuan, Mo Tan Sang, Lang Ya land spirit, and the hairy man Gu Immortals were swallowed by the light.
The hairy man Gu Immortals still had tears on their faces, but under Lang Ya land spirit's command, they moved into their positions.
Lang Ya land spirit's voice rang out inside the silver light.
"Do not rely on these fools to fight! Fang Ming, Fang Yuan, Mo Tan Sang, the three of you will be the main strength. The others will supply immortal essence, formation positions, and soul foundation!"
The silver light condensed.
It turned into liquid metal, spreading beneath their feet and forming a vast inner space. Lines of light crossed in the air, building a three-dimensional formation. Formation nodes appeared one after another, and each Gu Immortal was pulled into position.
Fang Ming stood at one formation core.
He did not resist.
His eyes moved across the Gu worms around him. His formation path grandmaster attainment began working immediately.
This was not a normal formation.
It was not a normal Gu House either.
It was an ancient battle formation.
Heavenly Giant Solor.
Outside, silver liquid solidified into a giant body. Three heads. Six arms. A body several tens of meters tall, shining with metallic silver light. When the giant opened its eyes, its aura spread across the battlefield like a waking demonic god.
Inside the formation, Fang Ming felt his senses link with the giant.
He could feel the other formation cores.
He could feel the hairy man Gu Immortals.
He could feel Mo Tan Sang and Fang Yuan.
Thoughts could be transmitted rapidly. Immortal essence could be routed through the formation. Soul foundations were connected and added together, weakening Qin Bai Sheng's soul suppression advantage.
Fang Ming's attention went deeper.
Three Immortal Gu formed the main structure.
Solar Iron Body Gu.
Rank seven, metal path.
Thousand Circuit Gu.
Rank six, formation path.
Giant Spirit Gu.
Rank six, strength path.
The three Immortal Gu supported the core framework. Metal path formed the giant's body. Formation path linked the circulation. Strength path supported the giant's size, force, and carrying capacity. Around them, countless mortal Gu created branches, joints, channels, and secondary layers.
Fang Ming's heart stirred.
He was inside the formation while it formed. The cores were close. The circulation was clear. Lang Ya land spirit was operating the method in front of him.
This was not like studying a formation diagram from far away.
This was standing inside a living inheritance while it breathed.
Fang Ming was no longer the beginner who once struggled with junglefowl formations even when the inheritance was placed before him. He had arranged countless formations in his immortal apertures. He had adjusted formations for Hei Lou Lan and Eagle Sect Gu Immortals. He had created Factory formations. He had even developed Eagle Nest Formation v1.0, using inspiration from the junglefowl inheritance and Heavenly Lord Bai Zu's experience, but still making it his own achievement.
He could read the framework.
Not completely.
Not instantly.
But enough.
Counterfeit Refinement activated silently.
The rank seven Solar Iron Body Gu was too valuable to ignore. Fang Ming could not create a perfect copy with his current chance, so he made a variant.
Armored Ancient Warrior Gu.
Rank six, metal path.
Then he used his other copy opportunity on Thousand Circuit Gu.
A new rank six formation path Immortal Gu appeared in his possession.
Thousand Link Gu.
Fang Ming's expression did not change.
No one noticed.
Only Giant Spirit Gu remained.
He could not copy it now. For the moment, he would have to substitute it with one of his own strength path Immortal Gu if he wanted to imitate the formation later. That would make his version weaker, especially since the metal path core had fallen from rank seven to rank six and the strength path core would be a substitute instead of the real Gu.
But he already had two of the three core directions.
More importantly, Heavenly Giant Solor was operating around him.
He could observe its framework, record its circulation, analyze its flaws, and adjust a weaker version over time. When his copy cooldown refreshed, he could try to borrow or copy Giant Spirit Gu from Lang Ya later. Until then, he could test, substitute, and perhaps even improve the structure with other Immortal Gu.
Outside, Qin Bai Sheng looked at the silver giant with interest.
"Heavenly Giant Solor…"
Hei Cheng's expression changed. "An ancient battle formation?"
Qin Bai Sheng did not move from where he stood. His hands continued pulling Gu worms from the broken sky.
"Hei Cheng," he said coldly, "block it."
Hei Cheng's face stiffened. "You want me to stop that alone?"
"I am taking Refinement Cauldron. I cannot split my attention." Qin Bai Sheng's tone carried pressure. "You only need to stall it. With Dark Prison, that should be possible. If we succeed, I will heal your injuries and help with your lifespan crisis."
Hei Cheng's breathing became rough.
He knew he was being used.
But he also knew he had no better choice.
A black pearl appeared in his hand. Inside the pearl, an ancient desolate beast slept, shaped like a boar with sharp tusks.
Rank six Immortal Gu House — Dark Prison.
The pearl opened, and the sharp tusk boar rushed out.
The ancient desolate beast roared and charged at the silver giant.
Lang Ya land spirit shouted inside the formation, "Attack!"
The silver giant moved.
Its huge body crashed directly into the sharp tusk boar.
Boom!
The air exploded.
The sharp tusk boar's head bled, and one tusk cracked. The silver giant took several steps back, a dent appearing in its chest, but silver light flowed and repaired the damage quickly.
Fang Ming felt immortal essence being consumed.
Too much.
The result was good, but the expenditure was wasteful. The hairy man Gu Immortals had provided numbers and essence, but their coordination was poor. Their thoughts trembled, their rhythm lagged, and the formation's strength scattered during the clash.
Lang Ya land spirit cursed.
"That damned previous version of me! He raised proper Gu Immortals into sheltered refinement assistants!"
The hairy man Gu Immortals lowered their heads, ashamed and still shaken.
Lang Ya land spirit did not waste more time.
"Mo Tan Sang, you attack! Use your signature killer move!"
Mo Tan Sang's expression turned serious.
"Understood."
Three breaths later, qi gathered inside the silver giant.
One of the giant's heads changed. It turned dark like ink, its eyes widened, and sharp crystal-like protrusions grew from its surface.
Qi path immortal killer move — Blasting Qi Roar.
The giant opened its mouth.
Roar!
The sound wave erupted.
The sharp tusk boar had no time to escape. Its huge body trembled, then exploded into blood, bone, and flesh.
An ancient desolate beast with rank seven battle strength died after only a few breaths.
Inside the formation, the hairy man Gu Immortals froze.
Then joy appeared on their faces.
Mo Tan Sang also stared in shock at the result of his own move.
Fang Ming felt the formation's circulation carefully.
So this was Heavenly Giant Solor's amplification.
Mo Tan Sang's Blasting Qi Roar was already strong, but when routed through the ancient battle formation, it became far stronger. The formation gathered the strength, essence, and structure of the participants, then projected the killer move through the silver giant as if the giant itself was the user.
This was close to Fang Ming's own system in principle.
Clones supporting immortal killer moves.
Eagles creating pressure.
Totems carrying prepared methods.
Formations increasing production and combat output.
Heavenly Giant Solor showed a higher-level version of that logic. It turned many contributors into one amplified combat body.
But Fang Ming also saw the difference between formations and Gu Houses.
For most Gu Immortals, Immortal Gu Houses were superior.
A Gu House was fixed. Once built, it could be operated, used in battle, repaired afterward, and stored away. A single person could control it if necessary. It did not demand that every user understand formation path or coordinate perfectly with others.
A battle formation was different.
It required cooperation, control, compatibility, Gu worm management, and continuous setup. Managing thousands of mortal Gu and three Immortal Gu without disrupting the flow was not easy. Most Gu Immortals would find this troublesome.
But Fang Ming was different.
He was an enslavement path Gu Immortal. He routinely controlled hundreds of thousands of eagles, directing them to fly, attack, scatter, evade, and regroup. He also controlled hundreds of clones in battle, letting them use mortal killer moves and support his immortal methods.
Splitting dozens of clones to manage different parts of a battle formation would not burden him.
To him, this weakness was acceptable.
Perhaps battle formations were not outdated after all.
Immortal Gu Houses were convenient for those who lacked formation path skill. They were fixed and reliable, but fixed also meant rigid. A formation could be changed. Repaired. Expanded. Reduced. Adjusted mid-battle.
Fang Ming could imagine adding wings to a silver giant, reinforcing armor, changing movement, adding more arms, shifting defensive layers, or altering Gu worm circulation while fighting. A formation master could modify the battlefield tool as the battle changed.
A Gu House was a finished product.
A battle formation was a living structure.
From what Fang Ming had experienced so far, fighting Gu Houses and now operating Heavenly Giant Solor, Gu Houses were for laymen in formation path. Battle formations, in the hands of experts, could be stronger. It was hard to counter a formation that could change while it was being used.
Dark Prison did not stop.
After the sharp tusk boar died, Hei Cheng's expression darkened, but he still charged forward with the Immortal Gu House itself.
The black prison tore through the air like a meteor.
Inside Heavenly Giant Solor, several arms moved at once.
One silver palm opened, and Fang Yuan's Star Cloud Grindstone appeared, larger and faster than usual.
Another arm lifted a defensive method from Mo Tan Sang.
A third arm moved under Fang Ming's control.
Force Field Defense.
Invisible force spread through the silver giant's arm, layering over the incoming impact path.
Dark Prison crashed into the star cloud first.
The grindstone spun violently, grinding away at its momentum before exploding.
Dark Prison rushed through the fragments and struck the second defense, cracking it after several breaths.
Then it hit Fang Ming's Force Field Defense.
The invisible barrier distorted, bent inward, and scattered the remaining force. When Dark Prison finally struck the silver giant's chest, its power had fallen sharply. The damage was minor.
Fang Ming's eyes brightened slightly.
Layered defense.
Different Gu Immortals' methods could appear through different arms and body parts, forming sequential defenses. Heavenly Giant Solor was not only an attack amplifier. It could also combine defensive methods into a layered system.
Dark Prison flew back, damaged but still active.
Hei Cheng's voice came from within. "As long as the Immortal Gu remain, Dark Prison will not fall so easily!"
He was right.
Even when damaged, an Immortal Gu House could continue functioning if its Immortal Gu core remained intact and enough mortal Gu could be replenished. This was the resilience of Gu Houses. They were mobile fortresses, not simple killer moves.
But Qin Bai Sheng's side was not the only one with methods.
Time passed.
Lang Ya land spirit suddenly laughed.
"Fifteen minutes are up! You have lost!"
Inside Dark Prison, Hei Cheng's expression changed.
Gu worms were being refined.
A large number of mortal Gu inside Dark Prison changed ownership, and even Immortal Gu were affected. Hei Cheng had relied on Dark Prison to stall Heavenly Giant Solor, but Refinement Cauldron had not been idle. Even after losing some Gu worms, the rank eight Immortal Gu House still retained its core function.
It did not need to smash Dark Prison from outside.
It could attack the Gu worms that formed the Gu House directly.
Fang Ming felt his interest deepen.
Targeting the Gu structure behind a method instead of only attacking the visible effect — this was Refinement Cauldron's true terror.
At the same time, Qin Bai Sheng continued pulling Gu worms from the broken sky.
Each Gu worm he took caused Lang Ya blessed land to tremble.
The seas below surged. Waves crashed against the continents. Mountains shook. Space shrank in distant areas. Hairy man cities fell into panic. Floods, storms, and collapses spread across the world below.
Fang Ming glanced downward.
Refinement Cauldron was embedded into Lang Ya blessed land's world structure.
It was not simply stored here.
Its dao marks helped expand and stabilize the blessed land. That was why a blessed land could contain such enormous space, resources, and population. The concept was novel and interesting. Embedding a Gu House or Gu structure into an immortal aperture could support space, resource production, and stability.
But Fang Ming had no concrete plan for it yet.
He only recorded the principle.
There were obvious drawbacks.
Once such a core was fused with an aperture, it could not be moved casually. If Gu worms were taken away, or the structure was damaged, the entire world would suffer. The disasters below proved that clearly.
A large aperture civilization was valuable.
But when its structural foundation was attacked, the losses spread everywhere.
Lang Ya land spirit roared, "Stop them!"
Heavenly Giant Solor tried to rush toward Qin Bai Sheng, but Dark Prison returned again and again, blocking the silver giant even while damaged.
Qin Bai Sheng pulled down another Gu worm.
Lang Ya blessed land shook harder.
Then Lang Ya land spirit's expression eased for the first time.
"Hahaha! You are too late. Refinement Cauldron still has two hairy man Gu Immortals guarding its core. With them there, you cannot seize it completely!"
His confidence returned.
Even after so much damage, he still believed the core was secure.
Qin Bai Sheng smiled coldly.
"Are you sure?"
Before his voice faded, two hairy man Gu Immortals descended from the sky.
They landed near Qin Bai Sheng and bowed.
"Greetings to Lord Vice Envoy."
Silence spread.
Lang Ya land spirit's laughter stopped.
The hairy man Gu Immortals inside Heavenly Giant Solor froze.
Mo Tan Sang's face changed.
Fang Yuan's gaze became sharp.
The two hairy man Gu Immortals who had been left to guard Refinement Cauldron were Shadow Sect agents.
Shadow Sect had not only attacked from outside.
They had already placed people inside Lang Ya blessed land, at the core of Refinement Cauldron itself.
With outside pressure and inside betrayal working together, Refinement Cauldron's loss was almost certain.
Fang Ming looked at the two traitorous hairy man Gu Immortals, then at the shaking world below.
Lang Ya Blessed Land's greatest strength was also one of its biggest structural weaknesses.
Its foundation was massive, but too many systems were interconnected. Refinement Cauldron supported the expansion of space. The expanded space supported the hairy man civilization. The hairy man civilization, in turn, supported refinement production and produced enough talented individuals to become Gu Immortals. Everything was linked together into one enormous system. It was honestly impressive, but because everything was so tightly bound together, when Shadow Sect attacked the core, the damage spread everywhere, affecting all those separate systems.
For Fang Ming, the gains from observing this battle were enormous.
He had seen the structure of Heavenly Giant Solor and copied two of its core Immortal Gu. He had witnessed the resilience of an Immortal Gu House through Dark Prison. He had seen Refinement Cauldron forcibly refine the Gu worms inside another Immortal Gu House. He had also observed how a Gu House embedded within an aperture could expand and stabilize space. Fang Ming had learned a great deal from both sides.