The phantom waves that had been carrying Tang Song and Liu Qingyu beside Zhou Li surged straight ahead, crashing toward Fang Yuan.
A sense of oppression instantly arose in Fang Yuan's heart.
Though the waves were nothing but phantoms, he felt as though he were facing a hundred-zhang-tall tsunami — helpless and insignificant, like an ant about to be swallowed whole by the sea!
"What a powerful immortal path killing move!"
"A Seventh Transformation Gu Immortal truly can't be trifled with."
In that moment of dire peril, these two thoughts flashed through Fang Yuan's mind in rapid succession.
Without the waves to carry them, the three immortals halted their pursuit.
"The matter is settled," Zhou Li said with a smile, confidence gleaming in his eyes.
Tang Song and Liu Qingyu exchanged a glance, already having guessed at Zhou Li's scheme. They couldn't help but look at the man with newfound respect.
It turned out that Zhou Li had been quietly gathering intelligence on Fang Yuan all along, gradually uncovering his true capabilities — learning his strengths and weaknesses, and determining which methods would be needed to counter his advantages.
On the surface, he had been helping the other two fly, but in reality he had been using the opportunity created by their engagement with Fang Yuan to continuously build up the phantom waves beneath his feet. As the chase wore on, the phantom waves grew ever larger, gradually forming into an overwhelming tide.
And now, at last, Zhou Li made his move.
When he didn't strike, he didn't strike at all — but when he did, it was like a cataclysmic tsunami, enough to overturn heaven and earth. Carrying the full force of that gathered momentum, his attack was faster than any sword-flying immortal gu, nearly impossible to dodge or block!
Fang Yuan possessed a Seventh Transformation Flying Sword Gu, but against phantom waves, it was as ineffective as it had been against mud beasts or cloud creatures.
He also had his Sword Flight Gu, but the phantom waves blanketed the sky, wrapping around him like a dumpling in its wrapper. His space to dodge could only shrink further and further. The Sword Flight Gu wouldn't be able to break through the encirclement of phantom waves in time — it would be of little use.
"I never expected that Zhou Li, who seems so timid and pushable on the surface, actually has this level of cunning. I was barking orders at him before, and he didn't say a single word. This man is even more deep than I am!" Liu Qingyu felt a chill of wariness toward Zhou Li.
Tang Song's expression was no better. He had painstakingly prepared his own immortal path killing move, hoping to save face, but he had never gotten the chance from start to finish. In the end, it was Zhou Li who stole the spotlight.
Sixth Transformation Gu Immortals were one thing — but anyone who reached the Seventh Transformation was no simple character.
The moment Zhou Li struck, Fang Yuan was like a turtle in a jar.
"The battle is decided!"
All three Seventh Transformation Gu Immortals shared the same thought.
But then Fang Yuan suddenly let out a thunderous laugh: "Hahaha. Three fellow immortals, how foolish can you be? Coming here to throw away your lives. In my opinion, those Sixth Transformation Gu Immortals were far smarter than you three."
The three immortals looked over and saw Fang Yuan making no effort to dodge, his hands clasped behind his back, hovering in midair with perfect composure, as if he had all the time in the world.
All three of them shuddered, and a single thought struck them simultaneously: "Something's wrong! He's completely unperturbed — could this be an ambush?"
Fang Yuan spoke again: "What is this move called? It's actually a transforming technique. But… can it break through my clan's immortal path battlefield killing move? Hehehe, I don't think the chances are great."
The tidal phantom waves were clearly devastating enough to take his life, yet Fang Yuan acted as if they didn't exist — as though he faced not a lethal killing strike but a gentle spring breeze.
He even dispelled the defensive killing move on his body, the Lion Hair Armor, right in front of the three immortals.
"This is bad! This move uses nearly all of my immortal gu — strong in offense, weak in defense. If the enemy launches a counterattack…" Zhou Li's pupils contracted sharply. There was no time to think. Instinctively, he recalled the phantom waves to protect himself.
The tidal phantoms had been layered upon each other, forming an inescapable killing formation, but Zhou Li recalled the bulk of them, leaving only a small portion to deal with Fang Yuan. The moment he did, a gap opened up — and Fang Yuan seized it.
"Three sirs, I won't see you off!" Fang Yuan pushed his Sword Flight Gu to the limit, soaring skyward through the gap. In a flash of lightning, he plunged into the boundary wall between realms.
All three immortals froze for an instant, then erupted with rage.
"That kid is far too cunning — it was all a bluff!"
"He was already at the end of his rope, but he masked it so perfectly. After him — quickly!"
Tang Song and Liu Qingyu, seething with fury, resumed their chase after Fang Yuan.
Zhou Li's face shifted between green and white. He stood frozen for a moment, then suddenly slapped himself across the face before setting off in pursuit again.
But after throwing away such a golden opportunity with his own hands, where would he find another one half as good?
Fang Yuan, having narrowly escaped death, burrowed desperately deeper into the boundary wall the moment he entered it.
The three immortals cursed inwardly in frustration.
Their cultivation advantage had here become a hindrance.
In that moment, all three of them wished they were only Sixth Transformation Gu Immortals.
The deeper into the boundary wall, the stronger the suction force became, slowing their speed dramatically.
Left with no choice, the three immortals could only pin their hopes on the Sixth Transformation Gu Immortals arriving behind them.
But those Sixth Transformation Gu Immortals were also heavily affected. Compared to Fang Yuan, who moved through the boundary wall without any obstruction whatsoever, the gap was enormous.
Before long, the pursuing Gu Immortals from behind were falling further and further behind Fang Yuan.
"What cultivation level is this person? How is he so minimally affected inside the boundary wall?" The Eastern Sea Gu Immortals were baffled.
Little did they know, this was the result of Fang Yuan deliberately restraining himself.
He didn't want to expose this secret completely, so he intentionally slowed down, putting on a show of struggling through with great difficulty — enough to stir suspicion but nothing more.
Unable to catch up to Fang Yuan, the Eastern Sea Gu Immortals were unwilling to give up so easily.
"I refuse to believe he's really hiding in here and won't come out!"
"He's only a Sixth Transformation Gu Immortal — flying in here costs him even more immortal essence. Let's see whether a Sixth Transformation Gu Immortal's reserves can compare to those of a Seventh Transformation like me!"
No matter how unwilling the Eastern Sea Gu Immortals were, the truth was cruel.
Fang Yuan pulled further and further ahead of them, to the point where even the ancient cloud beast herd behind him was gradually catching up.
After causing yet another round of chaos among the beasts, the Eastern Sea Gu Immortals could only swallow their bitterness and watch as the ancient cloud beast herd overtook them in pursuit of Fang Yuan.
These ancient cloud creatures came from the Daytime Realm, and the boundary wall between the Five Regions had no effect on them whatsoever.
Gradually, Fang Yuan slipped beyond the tracking range of the Eastern Sea Gu Immortals entirely. All they could do was follow the ancient cloud beasts.