From the Yunhui Great Domain of the Southern Ghost Realm, heading towards the middle and outer regions of the Eastern Ghost Realm, the journey is so long that it requires traversing over a thousand Great Domains.
However, for Instructor Fang, who wields spatial authority such as teleportation, spatial distance has never been an issue. He could traverse a Great Domain in a mere dozen steps, even while carrying the Holy Court Continent.
His speed was not slow. Even so, he still spent a full month to complete the monumental feat of relocating the Holy Court. While not as exaggerated as creating the Oasis Great Wall, this feat was enough to stun countless onlookers.
Upon entering the vicinity of the Oasis Great Wall, the Holy Court Continent immediately resonated with the Ten Great Foundations and various oases. The foundation of the Holy Court is the supreme treasure Eternal Pure Land; this resonance alone more than doubled the stability of the Oasis Great Wall.
Oasis Great Wall Lv1 → Lv3!
Along the way, he did not encounter crises. After all, it was a journey lasting 'a full month.' There were ancient beings secretly observing, believing that Instructor Fang, burdened with the Holy Court, was powerless to act. They made their move to test him.
Hitina, Black Blade, Flowing Blade, and others, guarding the Holy Court, all retaliated. Golden divine blood rained down from the end of the sky. The observing ancient beings suddenly sobered up. Was this the ember of hope they could provoke? How could they have been so foolish!
However, those ancient beings who probed in secret, hoping to fish in troubled waters, were only a minority. These individuals could never stir up any significant waves. The true enemy, in the past, present, and future, has always been the Evil God faction.
On the third day of the migration, a rolling black river surged forth. Over a dozen high-ranking ghost fiends and seven to eight attendants attacked, but they were quickly defeated by Hitina and the others. A few attendants who narrowly survived fled into the dark gray mist, never to show their faces again.
But on the twenty-first day, a blood moon hung in the sky in the direction the Holy Court was heading, sealing off all surrounding space. This was a terrifying battle initiated by the Blood Moon faction, which had been gathering strength for a long time, emerging from the gray mist. For this battle, the Blood Moon faction summoned dozens of high-ranking ghost fiends. Furthermore, over twenty attendants participated, led by several tenth-level Evil God Envoys. Among them was an old acquaintance of Fang You—the Master of the Blood Lake, the Sower of Blood, the King of Fear, the Favored of the Scarlet Moon... the Lord of the Blood Lake, Filichius!
Years ago, the Lord of the Blood Lake, from an infinite distance across space, conjured a colossal blood-red palm that cracked the crystal wall of the Blue Star World. Had the Blue Star World not merged with the World Mystical Stone and ascended to a higher world at that time, it might have been destroyed by the Lord of the Blood Lake. Later, Instructor Fang had exchanged blows with the Lord of the Blood Lake several times, and finally, a few years ago, he slew this terrifying existence outside the City of Starlight.
And today, the Lord of the Blood Lake not only returned from rebirth but had also advanced further, breaking into the tenth realm and wielding the authority of blood.
"The Envoys of the Evil Gods are truly terrifying; their rebirth or recovery is a thousand times stronger than that of the ancient beings."
Then, the Lord of the Blood Lake was slain. His death was far from peaceful. Chi Yan even charged alone into the depths of the gray mist, wreaking havoc. Excluding Chi Yan, on the main battlefield, An Jianyou, Black Blade, and Flowing Blade almost unleashed their full power. Instructor Fang also joined the fray. Leaning against the Indora Life Tree, he held the Holy Court aloft, casting down endless thunderous radiance. This battle annihilated a Great Domain, causing countless oasis dwellers in the surrounding Great Domains to tremble. The celestial anomalies swept through ten or even a hundred Great Domains like a torrent. The true power of humanity's ember was revealed before countless factions and ancient beings.
And the early stages of the Ghost Realm were churned by waves of turmoil.
The external commotions were unrelated to the jubilation within the Oasis Great Wall. Since the establishment of the Oasis Great Wall, the Ancient Moon Dynasty had weathered a great calamity and was rapidly repairing its defenses. However, compared to overlord factions like the Ancient Moon and Seven Stars, ordinary super oases and large oases could more clearly feel the benefits of the Oasis Great Wall. Most cities at the level of large oases, unless they bordered the territories of overlord factions or were subordinate cities of super factions, had almost been annihilated by now. Even with the aid of powerful factions, many large oases were like small sampans tossed about in a storm, on the verge of capsizing at any moment. After all, their powerful reinforcements, the super oasis factions of various domains, were also having an exceptionally difficult time. Many leaders of super oases looked considerably aged. Among their mythological realm powerhouses, few were not injured. The awakened warrior fighters below the mythological realm had suffered countless deaths. Furthermore, disasters such as the blood moon hanging high, causing mutations; rivers becoming polluted, with vengeful souls emerging; desires arising, leading to the birth of anomalous evil entities; and so forth, cast a shadow. With external enemies and internal calamities, the leaders of various oases were at their wits' end. They worried that one day, upon closing and opening their eyes, their defenses would be breached.
But since the establishment of the Oasis Great Wall, their national crisis had been greatly alleviated. Not only had the number of ghost fiends impacting the oases been reduced by several to ten times, but the influence of some disasters had also directly vanished. Since the emergence of disasters, which had become increasingly severe, this was the first time people had seen a glimmer of hope. Both humans and the scattered foreign races within the range of the Oasis Great Wall were moved to tears.
"The ember has arrived, and hope is here!"
But the joys and sorrows of people are not shared. Compared to the significantly more stable half of the Eastern Ghost Realm, other regions of the Ghost Realm remained in dire straits. Even the Winterless Empire, the second human overlord second only to the ember, was having a rather tough time.
"Your Majesty the Empress, two of our empire's large oasis cities have been breached again."
"What about the mythological teams responsible for support? Are they all useless!"
The demigod who spoke responded with a wry smile, "They have already set out for support, but there are six large oases suffering simultaneously. The mythological teams ultimately cannot attend to all the oases."
The Ice Empress fell silent. She wore a white cloak, noble and stern, exuding an aura akin to an icy divine prison. However, if one looked closely at the Ice Empress's face, they could still discern the unconcealed fatigue from her brow. This was a dual fatigue, both mental and physical. The Winterless Empress was also constantly rushing to put out fires, but often the rescue was not in time, or rather, she was spread too thin. She also clashed with Evil God attendants from time to time. And in battles, injuries were inevitable. After these numerous major battles, she had actually been wounded multiple times. Some law-based injuries required time and effort to purify with her own law power for slow eradication, but she had no such time, so she could only swallow some treasures to recover slightly and suppress her injuries. For the Ice Empress, her own injuries were a minor issue; what truly wore her down was the increasingly chaotic situation.
"Has this wave of calamity lasted for five months now?"
"A total of 149 days, Your Majesty," the demigod replied. He looked at the pensive Ice Empress and hesitated before speaking, "Your Majesty, the calamity tide has not receded for so long. If this continues, even if the Evil Gods do not care about us humans in the future, we will have very little space to survive."
"Your Majesty, the only way forward is to seek help from the ember."
The Ice Empress remained silent for a while.
"There have always been powerful beings of the ember active in our Northern Ghost Realm, and several cities in our empire have received the grace of salvation from ember powerhouses. Moreover, compared to our Winterless Empire, other human factions need the ember's rescue even more."
"But the ember's power is also limited; they cannot save everyone."
The demigod wanted to speak but stopped, finally saying, "Your Majesty, you know, I do not mean that."
The Ice Empress fell silent again.
"...Migrate the oases?"
She certainly knew that if the oases could be relocated within the Heavenly Curtain Great Wall of the Eastern Ghost Realm, their safety would not be a concern, at least not for the time being. But how to migrate the oases? She could not do it. Even with the efforts of the North Wind Sage and another sage, it would be difficult to achieve. Moreover, even if it were possible, could she abandon other oases and focus solely on migrating one? Not to mention that the migration would be subject to attacks from the Evil God faction. Only the ember could achieve such a feat. But such a feat was no small matter for the ember, requiring significant power and time. And if her Winterless Empire hoped for the ember's help, did other overlord factions and super factions not wish the same?
The Winterless Empress could not bring herself to ask. She was not qualified to do so.
But... she looked at the old minister, a demigod whose face was weathered and whose skin was cracked, with new flesh growing in the fissures. She thought of the billions of her empire's citizens behind her. She opened her mouth and finally said,
"I... understand."
...
After a long pause,
The old minister, a demigod, looked at his Empress, his eyes filled with three parts surprise, three parts shame, and four parts disbelief. He was also a little confused.
"Your Majesty, has the ember... agreed? What terms did you offer?"
"Yes, they agreed."
They truly agreed?! The old minister, a demigod, had never imagined that things would be so easy. Could it be that Her Majesty had offered the instructor of the ember an offer they could not refuse? Was this offer...
As if sensing his thoughts, the Ice Empress said lightly, "Just ordinary costs, a batch of high-level resources, and the condition of obeying the ember's unified command after entering the Oasis Great Wall." The latter, under normal circumstances, many high-ranking officials of the empire would find unacceptable. But times had changed; if the empire fell, power would only be an illusion. Moreover, if there were a president of the Human Alliance, it would undoubtedly be the ember. Complying with the leader's command was not entirely unacceptable.
"The ember has agreed to help us migrate as many oases as possible, but they will prioritize migrating oases with weaker resistance."
The old minister, a demigod, was moved to tears, muttering, "The empire is saved, the empire is saved... Uh." He suddenly paused, "You mean the ember plans to migrate many oases?"
"Precisely."
The Ice Empress gazed silently at the sky, her silver-white hair fluttering in the cold wind, mirroring her fluctuating emotions. She also couldn't quite understand. But she would watch.
...
The ember's actions were faster than imagined. After migrating the Holy Court Continent, other top-tier powerhouses of the ember stepped forward to migrate individual large oases. However, migration was indeed a strenuous task, capable of being handled by only a very few individuals. It was time-consuming and labor-intensive. After a few days, it seemed not many oases could be relocated. Until...
"It's the Lord of Earth!"
"This is a top-tier ancient god, wielding the authority of earth. He stomps on the ground, carrying two oases on his shoulders, and two more in his hands. His migration efficiency is incredibly fast."
"And the Mother of Nature, this is also a top-tier ancient being."
"The Moon Lord has acted! This great powerful being has erected a moon bridge to transport the oases!"
Some human powerhouses watched in dumbfounded amazement. Those few who had received prior notice, like the Winterless Empress, were even more shocked. She had made some coordination and stabilization efforts, but she had never imagined...
"The ember has hired ancient beings? And all of them are top-tier ancient beings!" Even the Ice Empress, whose heart was usually as clear as ice, wanted to open her mouth slightly and exclaim, "Holy shit."
...
The ember's undertaking was too grand. Their prestige was too immense! But Fang You, the person in charge, knew that it wasn't solely due to his great prestige. He had never even met most of the top-tier ancient beings who had acted. He could hire these ancient beings entirely thanks to the Moon Lord's vast network of connections. And by offering exorbitant rewards, he managed to persuade the Lord of Earth and other top-tier ancient beings to deign to transport oases.
"But it's not just about the reward."
"The Crystals of Life I offered hold significant appeal to injured great powerful beings like the Moon Lord. However, to say that such treasures can 'command' top-tier existences is impossible." He, Instructor Fang, was self-aware.
"The reward, the Moon Lord's favor – these are only part of it. The more important factor is likely..."
"That my ember created a miracle like the Oasis Great Wall."
The ancient beings lent their favor, and at the same time, they wished to see the limits of the Oasis Great Wall and whether it could truly resist the invasion of calamities. The possibility was slim, but the ancient beings were willing to try. After all, transporting oases was not difficult for top-tier ancient beings.
On the interface, Xiao Huan's figure appeared. Her face was serious and focused. She pulled up a projected map and said, "Currently, outside the Oasis Great Wall, the Human Alliance still has 2159 super oases, and the number of large oases cannot be counted." The number of human oases was extremely large, spread across the four Great Domains of the Ghost Realm; this was the fundamental reason why humans could be called the first major race. However, over two thousand super oases, while seemingly numerous, had actually been reduced by the oases that had been destroyed by calamities in the past few months. This number was not large. But the workload was immense! Only a handful of ember members could transport oases, and for safety, they had to work in groups of two or three. He had also hired some tenth-level ancient beings, but this number was also quite limited. Of course, ordinary oases were not large, and migrating them was much easier and faster than the Holy Court Continent.
"But even so, according to the current situation, we can only migrate a small portion of the oases... The optimal migration plan is calculated below using data."
Since the arrival of the calamity tide, An Jianyou and others had been traveling incessantly across various regions of the Ghost Realm. Even Black Blade, the chief instructor who often stationed at headquarters, had to go out for field operations. Fang You himself also did. He appeared less frequently, but he had to constantly monitor various locations, for fear of a major disaster occurring at any moment. For several months, he had had almost no time to cultivate; at most, he could use his secondary consciousness to comprehend some time laws. However, he also deeply understood that cultivation was the most important task at present. Compared to the several months in reality, the decades within the Time Secret Realm were the time for stable and focused cultivation. However, the Time Secret Realm was completely sealed, like being locked in a dark room, from which one could not exit midway. And during the calamity tide, even within a short day, unexpected situations could arise. Therefore, the date for An Jianyou and others to enter the Time Secret Realm for cultivation had to be carefully arranged to ensure that at all times, the organization had sufficient power to guarantee safety. Ember powerhouses were swamped with work and frequently clashed with Evil God attendants. As time passed, large and super oases, supported by great powers, were relocated within the Oasis Great Wall. However, at the same time, countless oases also vanished under the tide of calamity. But regardless, the relocated oases within the Oasis Great Wall finally found stability. Even though this forceful migration caused irreparable damage to the oases, permanently reducing their vitality and shrinking their size... people were still grateful and joyous. At the same time, as more oases were relocated, the power of the Oasis Great Wall also continuously increased. Its stability increased; its world power increased; its amplification effect on the vitality of oases increased. In numerical terms, it was approximately:
Oasis Great Wall: Lv3 → Lv5 → Lv7...
The progress was rapid. Some oases, due to insufficient care and hasty migration, suffered damage to their foundations, directly dropping in level, and their land area significantly shrunk. But soon, they were enveloped, nourished, and amplified by the Oasis Great Wall, returning to their original state or even slightly surpassing it.
"Not only oases of the Human Alliance, but the Elemental Spirit Court, the Sea Demon Empire, and the Myriad Beast Territory also wish to relocate and receive the protection of the Oasis Great Wall. For this, they are willing to pay a hefty fee and do not require the ember to exert any effort." These three overlord races all had close relationships with top-tier ancient beings. They directly approached these ancient existences. Without the ember needing to spend money or effort, and even earning extra, how could he refuse?
"This is approved."
In the meeting, over a dozen core members of the ember sat in attendance, discussing various matters concerning the Oasis Great Wall. At this moment, Pei Hongjing pondered and said, "Master, but if this is the case, the pressure brought by the calamity will fall entirely on us, the ember. And those Evil God factions..."
"Uncle Pei, you're too cowardly. Even if the Evil God awakens in the future, we will definitely be able to block her outside the wall... No, we will definitely be able to obliterate her and burn her to ashes!" the girl with wine-red hair snorted. Pei Hongjing did not want to speak. He was speaking of reality. As more oases were migrated, the pressure on their ember increased. The frequency of attacks from the Evil God faction during migration also grew. In recent times, migrating oases had become very difficult. And their ember would gradually become a thorn in the side that the Evil God faction must remove. He felt it was more prudent to keep the not-weak oasis factions like the Elemental Spirit Court to attract firepower. However, he did not want to refute Yin Luoxi's words. He could not defeat this girl whose way of thinking was different from others. Oh, to be precise, he couldn't defeat any of the people present. He was, after all, only in an administrative position. The majority of people in the conference room were also combat-oriented, and the entire meeting was characterized by one word: toughness.
"There is no turning back in this battle."
"Sooner or later, we, the ember, will become an enemy that the Evil Gods must eliminate."
"Perhaps now, while the Evil Gods have not fully awakened, we can adapt a little," Fang You said jokingly.
"However, Old Pei has a point. From now on, we can only reduce the frequency of migrating oases and strengthen our defenses, guarding against sneak attacks from powerful Evil God faction members."
...
The Ghost Realm was in turmoil. If people could still cope with the second calamity tide with their ninth-level oases, then this third tide delivered a severe blow to countless people. As time passed, the calamities did not subside, and the Great Domains outside the Oasis Great Wall gradually turned into true dead zones. Cities were destroyed, and oases lost their vitality. Like flickering lights in the darkness, struggling and swaying for a long time, they were eventually extinguished by the encroaching darkness.
But within the Oasis Great Wall, under the night sky, the cities were brightly lit, and the streets were bustling with pedestrians. Outside the city, scattered teams could be seen, carrying faint lights, traversing through the gray mist. Those were lights, and they were fires. Although weak, they covered the land. The establishment of this Oasis Great Wall was to ensure that this vast expanse of starlight could continue to burn without end.
Buildings, streets, urban areas, oases, Great Domains, a hundred domains... the vast scenery condensed into a pair of deep eyes. The gaze fell upon the silver-haired woman in front of him, who was as elegant, noble, and sacred as if she were not human. She truly was not human.
"Without a doubt, the calamity tide will not end. It will continue until... the Evil God fully awakens." The Moon Lord spoke slowly. She knew that the human powerhouse before her still had many questions, and she would answer them one by one.
"The battle a few years ago?"
"The three of us could borrow the power of most of the authority of light. We disturbed the Twisted Black River, and thus, we were defeated, utterly defenseless."
"If the Twisted Black River had been awake at that time..." she would have surely perished. She could not recall more specific details. Because the memory itself carried filth, which would continuously pollute her divine body. She herself had blurred this part of her memory. She even vaguely recalled meeting an Evil God a long, long time ago, but that memory was damaged.
"After the Evil Gods awaken, will they engage in civil war or fight amongst themselves? Perhaps, perhaps not."
"Evil Gods are indeed mortal enemies, but to place hope on the mutual destruction of each Evil God to gain space for survival?" Many people thought this way. Among the ancient beings, many held similar ideas. This was not their fault. In the eyes of the Evil Gods, humans and ancient beings were insignificant, far less important than their mortal enemies, the other Evil Gods. However,
The Moon Lord revealed a shocking secret.
"There has always been only one Evil God. They not only resent each other but also wish to devour each other."
"There is no mutual destruction in battles between Evil Gods; there is only... devouring, and the birth of the true, primordial Evil God."