"Shadow Sect has moved up their timeline too?" Fang Yuan gazed at the sky above, feeling exasperated.
Though he himself had been intent on acting ahead of schedule, it was only after the attempt that he realized how beautiful plans looked on paper, and how frustrating reality could be.
In his previous life, the Shadow Sect Gu Immortals had not appeared until the Southern Border Gu Immortals had weathered several waves of tribulations.
But in this life, the Shadow Sect's Gu Immortals had also accelerated their plans, deploying the Ten Extremities Immortal Zombie Lifeless Formation.
With this formation now complete, Fang Yuan was suddenly in no hurry to retreat.
The reason was simple.
The worst-case scenario had already come to pass.
Just as in his previous life, his Fixed Immortal Travel Gu was rendered useless within this formation.
Ninety percent of the Ten Extremities Immortal Zombie Lifeless Formation—even the Immortal Gu House Jinghong Luan Dou Tai would likely need considerable effort to break through.
Fang Yuan had dismantled many battlefield killer moves before, especially in the Jade Dew Blessed Land of the Eastern Sea, where he had cracked quite a few.
But the battlefield killer moves in the Jade Dew Blessed Land, though each was ingenious, were unattended—dead mechanisms. Even at their most powerful when attended, they did not reach a hundredth of the Ten Extremities Immortal Zombie Lifeless Formation's might.
Though Fang Yuan was no Formation Path Gu Immortal and lacked deep expertise in that discipline, he still had the discernment to recognize this.
Going out now would make him the primary target. The Southern Border Gu Immortals would not let him off, and the Shadow Sect Gu Immortals would certainly not sit idle while he claimed the Immortal Gu House.
"Suppress the Great Strength True Martial Immortal Zombie first, then watch for an opportunity to force a breakthrough with the Immortal Gu House." Fang Yuan shifted the bulk of his attention to the Great Strength True Martial Immortal Zombie.
The sudden appearance of the Shadow Sect Gu Immortals had, to some extent, actually helped him.
Without their arrival, the Southern Border Gu Immortals would certainly have kept all their focus on Fang Yuan.
Both body and mind eased under the reduced pressure, freeing up more energy for Fang Yuan to devote to the Great Strength True Martial Immortal Zombie.
What surprised him was that this Immortal Zombie still had considerable power in reserve.
Facing Fang Yuan's relentless onslaught, he activated his Immortal Gu and rallied his battle intent, resisting with fierce determination and ferocity.
For a moment, Fang Yuan actually could not gain the upper hand.
"This Immortal Zombie is a cunning old fox. Earlier, he used his battle intent in an attempt to refine the Immortal Gu House. It failed. Perhaps he ran out of momentum afterward and fell into slumber. During his sleep, he accumulated strength, hoping that upon waking, he could use the reserves he had built to stage a comeback." Fang Yuan speculated, and could not help feeling a measure of admiration for his opponent.
If this were a Strength Path Great Strength True Martial Immortal Zombie, it likely would not have possessed such methods.
But this Immortal Zombie was very different. He had exceptional Strength Path talent, yet he had abandoned it entirely to cultivate the Wisdom Path instead.
What he had been thinking, no one could say.
But what Fang Yuan knew was that it was precisely his Wisdom Path methods that had allowed him to carve out a loophole in what should have been an inescapable defeat.
Perhaps this Immortal Zombie had woken and slept, woken and slept, many times over. Through all this cycling, he had managed to accumulate that amount of battle intent. And during his slumber, the Immortal Gu House had purified all of that battle intent.
If Fang Yuan had not intervened, this trajectory would have eventually allowed the Immortal Zombie to break free.
Not only could he have freed himself, but he would have seized the Jinghong Luan Dou Tai in the process.
Unfortunately, his plans had come to nothing, preempted by Fang Yuan.
While Fang Yuan continued his battle against the Great Strength True Martial Immortal Zombie, the situation in the skies above Yitian Mountain was developing at a rapid pace.
Thousand Pearl Light Tribulation, Mystic Yin Flying Frost, Wild Beast Plague, Dragon Roar Tribulation, Four Flame Cloud Canopy Tribulation, Snow Calamity Tribulation Lightning—
Tribulation after tribulation, identical to his previous life, grew ever more terrifying. The Southern Border Gu Immortals suffered devastating losses.
They had not failed to attempt a breakout.
But with ninety percent of the Ten Extremities Immortal Zombie Lifeless Formation active, how could they possibly break free?
Just as in his previous life, they mistakenly believed Shadow Wu Xie to be the greatest vulnerability, only to be struck by the Soul-Drawing Dream Immortal Path Killer Move and beaten back in disgrace.
Later, they had placed their hopes on the tribulations, hoping the disasters would destroy the Ten Extremities Immortal Zombie Lifeless Formation. But the Shadow Sect Gu Immortals had launched their offensive proactively.
As time passed, the resistance of the Great Strength True Martial Immortal Zombie beneath the Jinghong Luan Dou Tai grew steadily weaker.
When Fang Yuan finally began to see hope, the Southern Border Gu Immortals had fallen into complete despair.
Nearly all of them were dead—either killed within the Ten Extremities Immortal Zombie Formation or swallowed by the terrifying tribulations.
Only two Eighth Transformation experts remained, grievously wounded, scrambling like headless chickens in the gaps between the tribulations and the Shadow Sect's assault, clinging desperately to life.
At this point in the battle, there was nothing Fang Yuan could do.
He had tried to help the Southern Border Gu Immortals.
He had not yet fully suppressed the Great Strength True Martial Immortal Zombie, and naturally, he had hoped they could buy him some time.
Not long ago, he had secretly transmitted his voice, attempting to warn these Gu Immortals about Shadow Wu Xie's formidable abilities.
But the Ten Extremities Immortal Zombie Lifeless Formation already encompassed a ten-thousand-li radius around Yitian Mountain, sealing both space and sound. Fang Yuan was helpless.
He had tried other methods as well, but all had failed.
After several fruitless attempts, Fang Yuan wisely cut his losses and decisively refocused the bulk of his energy on the Great Strength True Martial Immortal Zombie.
Meanwhile, higher in the sky, a pure white, towering pagoda floated in silence.