Bao Zhi collected the gains of his bet and headed to leave Tian Qucheng blessed land without lingering longer than necessary.
He had the appearance of a jovial drunk, his face aflush.
Tallying up the amount of immortal essence stones, even after the various expenditures and previous losses, it was a staggering amount.
Bao Zhi had over five hundred immortal essence stones!
This a a huge step forward.
"Now I can afford to feed my immortal gu and have the necessary resources I need." He calculated in his mind.
His current goal was to gather enough strength and take back his grotto heaven. From then on, having the protection and resources of a rank eight grotto, he could rely on it to have a smooth cultivation journey.
But the problem was the urgency of the situation.
He managed to stabilize the situation and halt Wen clan's advance. But could this balance be enduring?
Bao Zhi had no such misconceptions. He knew, even if the internal situation worked out, which wasn't a certainty in itself, then he still had to consider external threats.
The location of the grotto heaven was at a risk of begin discovered.
It was not hard to see this. Kong Guying and Yuhun Kuang had already discovered the location and intruded into the Treasure Blue Beaver blessed land.
But before Bao Zhi could continue dwelling on his future plans, he met Hao Meng, who came in a hurry looking for him.
"Master! There is a problem. The soul beast tide arrived earlier than forecasted!" He transmitted urgently.
"Huh?" Bao Zhi had no plans with the soul beast tide whatsoever.
The soul beast tide was a large scale cyclic migration phenomena, affecting a great portion of the five regions.
Bao Zhi hurried his steps, dropping his act of a drunkard, he took to the sky of the blessed land, flying straight for the exit.
A short while ago on the outside, the sand trembled as the first rumble of the beast tide approached, roars carried on the desert winds.
It appeared at first like a dark shimmer on the horizon, a distortion where the dunes met the sky. But as it drew closer, the shimmer resolved into a flood of movement.
A sea of soul beasts surged and writhed like an unstoppable force.
From the safety of the blessed land, the chaos outside seemed distant, yet it was impossibly close within moments, barreling forward by the second.
Tian Qucheng blessed land's entrance was caught, like a solitary boulder in the path of an overwhelming tsunami.
The soul beasts came in waves. Their eyes glowed with an eerie light, the intense soul path aura washed over like ripples in a storm-tossed sea.
The monstrous forms rolled forward, climbing and entangling each other. Some were massive quadrupeds with jagged tusks, some looked like snakes, but most could not be discerned, their silhouettes merged into an amorphous mass.
Sand exploded in their wake, forming a sand storm that darkened the sun as they charged with reckless abandon.
Their roars mixed with the howling wind, creating a deafening cacophony of rage and misery.
Above, winged beasts filled the sky, their shadows casting a dim veil over the desert. Their shrieks pierced the sky as they circled in the gloom, swooping low, talons outstretched, eager to rip into anything that crossed their path.
Moments ago, Hao Meng was ready to take to the sky, following the escape of another gu immortal, however his better judgement stopped him.
It was already too late to reach the immortal gu house in time.
The rank six gu immortal who charged out, in just three breaths of time, got overwhelmed and was dead within the next moments!
Hao Meng gulped in fright a the overbearing force of nature. He retreated behind the defensive lines to notify Bao Zhi.
Through the single opening of the blessed land, the mountain of bodies and wings surged endlessly.
A lion-like beast with long fur, its eyes shining, lunged toward the entrance, only to be flung back by an immortal killer move.
A moment later, a serpent slithered forward, weaving through the fray, its jaws wide open in a soundless hiss. It struck with lightning speed, but like the others, it was repelled, falling back into the indistinct jumble.
The tide of soul beasts showed no signs of slowing. Each wave brought new horrors, like a hulking behemoth with three eyes, or up above, a flock of vultures and bats diving down like deadly darts.
The sheer diversity of the soul beasts was mind-boggling, a true display of soul path's effect on the living beings in the five regions.
Inside the blessed land, the banquet came to an unexpected and abrupt end.
The air was heavy with the muffled sounds of the chaos outside, the turmoil was palpable in everyone's hearts.
Che clan was mobilizing their forces into key positions, while the attendees of the banquet hurried to escape, only to be met with the impenetrable torrent outside the entrance.
"So many soul beasts!" A guest inhaled sharply at the sight. "How did they arrive so quickly? The predictions were different from this..."
"We are caught in the main stream of the beast tide, this is only the first shock front!"
"Get back!" Someone shouted from behind him.
A pack of desolate beasts emerged suddenly, lunging at a rank six gu immortal.
He could only save himself thanks to the combined effort of the other gu immortals present, drowning the invading beast in a flurry of attacks.
"There's no way out..." The sombre realization dawned on them.
A deep sense of isolation permeated the space, as if the world outside was a huge monster swallowing the tiny blessed land in whole.
"Close the blessed land's gate!"
But why wouldn't have Che clan already done so if they could? Because this was a public blessed land, pieced together by dissimilar immortal apertures.
It had no land spirit to control or defend itself, it could only exist passively.
The natural shortcoming of public blessed lands, their low defense, became a major headache for Che clan right now.
As the soul beast tide battered the defenses of Tian Qucheng blessed land, Che clan found itself scrambling to maintain control.
Che Jinhua, the head of the clan's operations in the blessed land, stood amidst the chaos, her eyes sweeping over the remaining gu immortals who were still capable of defending.
It was clear they needed reinforcements. Many of the guests who had come for the banquet were either fleeing or paralyzed with indecision.
She grit her teeth, knowing that, despite their reputation, Che clan's available power alone would not be enough to fend off this tide.
In a hurried voice, she called out to the crowd.
"All gu immortals present! If we do not band together now, Tian Qucheng blessed land will fall, and we will all perish!" Her voice cut through the noise, forcing attention.
"Our clan will generously reward anyone who aids in defending this land. Immortal essence stones, rare resources, and access to our unique gu formations!"
Bao Zhi, who had already flown to the highest vantage point to assess the situation, narrowed his eyes at the offer. He wasn't interested in saving Che clan's assets, but this provided an opportunity he couldn't ignore. If he could negotiate a good deal, not only could he secure vital resources, but he could also minimize personal risk.
Descending swiftly from the sky, Bao Zhi approached Che Jinhua, the person who tried meddling in the star skipping game.
He dropped his jovial drunkard facade and spoke in a cold, calculating tone. "Your offer is generous, but let's be realistic. This is no ordinary soul beast tide. Your defenses will crumble without expert help, and you know it."
Che Jinhua's face was unreadable. Bao Zhi had a good point and she knew he was hiding his skills. Looking back at his gamble, she recognized the expert skill in his win, it wasn't a fluke.
Even though she wanted to rope him and Lord Hao into Che clan and the situation was tense, she wasn't willing to show her hand too easily. "State your terms." She said.
Bao Zhi paused briefly, his eyes flicking toward the swirling mass of soul beasts just outside the barrier. The tide was pushing harder, and the defenses wouldn't hold for much longer.
Next to him, Hao Meng spoke up. "We'll fight, but in return, I want ten percent of all immortal resources harvested from this blessed land."
Che Jinhua's jaw clenched. "How audacious! What ability do you have to demand such a price!?"
It was an extortionate demand, but she was cornered.
Bao Zhi looked at her, activating Perception Warp immortal gu, his and Hao Meng's auras surged to the peak of rank six.
Fiery wings unfurled on Hao Meng's back and the combined aura of their four rank six immortal gu was unleashed!
"Is that enough?" Lord Hao smiled.
"!!!"
"Done." She snapped, her voice barely concealing her shock and frustration. "But you'd better deliver."
With the agreement made, Bao Zhi turned to Hao Meng, who stood nearby. "Stay close to me." He transmitted. "No rash moves."
The two joined the defensive lines, taking their positions among the remaining gu immortals. Bao Zhi activated several of his gu worms, his aura surging as he prepared for battle. Around him, other immortals did the same as they summoned their own soul beasts and prepared their moves.
The next wave of soul beasts was already upon them.
The beasts crashed against the blessed land's defenses like a hammer hitting iron. Roars filled the air as more desolate beasts broke through, scattering the gu immortals.
Bao Zhi unleashed an invisible torrent of human qi, halting the advance of a monstrous soul beast with two heads, but it was only a temporary reprieve. More beasts swarmed the breach.
All around, the attendees fought desperately, their attacks mixing in a chaotic storm of power. The occasional flames, lightning, and wind ripped through the mostly soul path battlefield, but the horde was unrelenting.
The defenses were faltering, and it wasn't long before cracks began to spread from Tian Qucheng's entrance through the walls.
The tide of battle began to turn, but not in the defenders' favor. Despite their best efforts, the sheer volume of soul beasts overwhelmed them.
Che clan's formations were failing, and the soul beasts were getting dangerously close to penetrating to the heart of the blessed land.
Realizing the dire situation, some of the gu immortals started to shift their focus.
If the blessed land couldn't be saved, then they could at least salvage something for themselves, should they manage to escape.
A few immortals broke off from the defensive lines.
"Save the resources!" They acclaimed, turning to plunder Tian Qucheng's immortal resource points, robbing immortal resources and gu worms that had been painstakingly cultivated.
Bao Zhi noticed this and smirked. It was typical behavior in such a situation. They were already abandoning the fight.
The defenses collapsed in stages. Soul beasts began tearing into the heart of the blessed land, their monstrous forms smashing through what remained of the protective barriers.
Screams filled the air as gu immortals fell, overwhelmed by the tide.
A massive tiger-like soul beast, eyes blazing with rank seven power, crushed several immortals in its rampage, and the sky was thick with the flurry of winged creatures finding their way inside among the cracks of the blessed land's boundary wall.
Amidst the chaos, Bao Zhi remained composed. He and Hao Meng fought back to back, using a gu formation to ward off the encroaching soul beasts.
But it was clear that Tian Qucheng blessed land was doomed. Che clan's forces were scattered, and the immortals looting the land only hastened its destruction.
"Master, what now?" Hao Meng asked, his voice barely audible above the noise of destruction.
"We're leaving soon." Bao Zhi said calmly. His eyes scanned the battlefield, ensuring no one was watching too closely.
A short while later Tian Qucheng blessed land suffered a major fracture in its sky.
"This is our only chance!" With a flick of his hand, Bao Zhi activated a the improved Concealed Human Qi killer move, shrouding both himself and Hao Meng in a veil of invisibility.
Together, they slipped away unnoticed, disappearing into the shadows as the blessed land continued to collapse around them.
Behind them, Tian Qucheng blessed land was torn apart by the relentless soul beast tide.
Many immortals who had stayed behind met their demise, their screams drowned out in the tumultuous onslaught.
Without the power on the level of rank eight or multiple peak rank sevens, Che clan's efforts to defend had been in vain.
As Bao Zhi and Hao Meng escaped to safety, the hidden Wondrous Inspiration Pagoda picked them up, maneuvering carefully through the flying beasts.
Bao Zhi couldn't help but reflect on the turn of events. His gamble in the star skipping game had paid off handsomely, but now, with the destruction of Tian Qucheng blessed land, misfortune seemed to follow him wherever he went.
Was this just bad luck, or was something greater at play? He was troubled by this reoccurring string of events.
"Oh, so you want to know the cause?" Qinyang wondered aloud. Finally a chance for her otherworldly knowledge to shine.
"But first, what are you willing to offer for saving your life?"
Qinyang had no qualms about getting a cut of the benefits. She was also eager to apply her new methods, extracted from Shou Xin's will, to set an agreement.
* * * * *