"Wh-what is this?"
"What a huge chicken!"
The hairy man Gu Immortals were all stunned when the ancient year beast suddenly barged into the battlefield.
"According to the contents of Black Fan's True Inheritance, year beasts come in twelve forms. It's good luck that we managed to summon a Rooster Year Beast this time." Fang Yuan assessed the year beast in his mind as he appraised it.
This year beast was the size of a small hill.
Its wings were spread wide, casting a massive shadow over the ground.
It stood proud and majestic, its divine presence awe-inspiring. Its feathers were vibrant and brilliant, its chicken claws sharp as blades.
It quickly scanned the battlefield, then locked its gaze onto Fang Yuan.
No one attracted its attention more than Fang Yuan, because it could smell the scent of Year Gu on him.
Year Gu!
This was the food of year beasts. The higher the transformation level of the Year Gu, the more year beasts liked them.
The Immortal Killer Move Year Beast Summon was created based on this very principle. Its creator was none other than Black Fan, who had already developed this killer move long before refining the Flowing Water Year Immortal Gu.
"These are yours." Fang Yuan smiled and suddenly waved his hand, scattering a large quantity of mortal-grade Year Gu.
The Rooster Year Beast was overjoyed. It craned its neck and opened its mouth, sucking in one great breath.
Immediately, a massive current of air formed, like a dragon drawing up water. In the blink of an eye, it sucked every last mortal-grade Year Gu from midair into its belly.
"Kill it, and you can have more." Fang Yuan extended the index finger of his right hand, pointing at the crucial ancient hawk dog.
The Rooster Year Beast's gaze instantly sharpened. It whipped its head around with lightning speed, staring straight at its target.
The ancient hawk dog's fur bristled immediately, baring its sharp fangs. It felt an overwhelming sense of threat from the Rooster Year Beast.
Compared to the Rooster Year Beast, the ancient hawk dog was noticeably smaller. Even standing upright on its hind legs, it barely reached half the Rooster Year Beast's height.
Cock-a-doodle!
The Rooster Year Beast flapped its wings and charged at its target. The burst of speed it unleashed was actually even faster than the ancient hawk dog's.
Bang.
The two crashed together violently. The Rooster Year Beast was only pushed back seventy or eighty steps, while the ancient hawk dog was sent flying a great distance.
The Rooster Year Beast let out a long cry and pursued the ancient hawk dog.
The ancient hawk dog was cunning indeed. After taking a loss, it refused to clash head-on with the Rooster Year Beast any longer, instead dodging left and right in a hit-and-run fight.
Fang Yuan watched for a while, then relaxed.
This Rooster Year Beast didn't possess any Immortal Gu, but its natural quality was far superior to the ancient hawk dog's.
Year beasts were rare and precious creatures, even within the River of Time!
Of course, if the ancient hawk dog activated its Immortal Gu, the Rooster Year Beast would be at a disadvantage. Once or twice wouldn't matter, but if it happened too many times, the Rooster Year Beast would be defeated.
The side possessing Immortal Gu would naturally see a tremendous boost in combat power.
"Black Fan warned in his True Inheritance that summoned year beasts are not enslaved — the level of control is insufficient. If they encounter an enemy that's too strong, they won't fight. Even in battle, they may sometimes withdraw midway and demand more Year Gu from the summoning Gu Immortal."
Realizing this, Fang Yuan knew he didn't have much time left.
He chose not to join forces with the Rooster Year Beast to pincer-attack the ancient hawk dog.
The Rooster Year Beast was beyond his control — he could only communicate with it through the methods Black Fan had left behind. Coordinating together would be extremely difficult.
Fang Yuan's true body hid within his Myriad Self army, stealthily approaching a Wild Beast hawk dog.
The hawk dogs were still in the air, entangled with the Myriad Self army.
From time to time, hawk dogs were knocked down by Fang Yuan's Force phantoms. But in moments, they flew back up into the sky to rejoin the battle.
Although the Force phantoms were numerous, their offensive capability was rather weak against Wild Beasts and ancient Wild Beasts. They could only serve to harass and wear down the enemy.
Force Great Palm!
Suddenly, Fang Yuan made his move. A Force Great Palm materialized from thin air and slapped down directly at a hawk dog's head.
Fang Yuan's positioning was perfect. The hawk dog was caught off guard, smacked by the palm, and let out a miserable howl on the spot before falling unconscious.
The hawk dog began to fall, but Fang Yuan had already summoned another great palm waiting below.
The second great palm caught the unconscious hawk dog and carefully set it on the ground.
Fang Yuan's true body vanished once more into the Myriad Self, disappearing without a trace.
But soon, he appeared at another spot on the battlefield, launching a surprise Force Great Palm strike that knocked another hawk dog unconscious.
Then, he repeated the process, placing the second hawk dog on the ground next to the first one.
The hairy man Gu Immortals were all dumbstruck.
"Elder Fang Yuan appears to be..."
"That's right — he's planning to capture this batch of ancient hawk dogs alive!"
"Truly boldness born of great skill."
The hairy man Gu Immortals couldn't help but marvel. These hawk dog packs, which they regarded as lethal threats to their very lives, were in Fang Yuan's eyes nothing more than a windfall of riches throwing themselves at him.
One hawk dog after another was outmaneuvered by Fang Yuan, slapped unconscious, and piled on top of one another.
Before long, these unconscious hawk dogs had been stacked into a small mountain — a rather spectacular sight.
The ancient hawk dog saw this scene and let out an angry howl. But it was held in check by the Rooster Year Beast and unable to come to their aid.
The Rooster Year Beast was also looking worse for wear, its body covered in wounds, showing signs of wanting to retreat.
After all, Black Fan was a Time Path Gu Immortal. To have been able to create an Immortal Killer Move with effects similar to the Servitude Path was already quite remarkable.
"It seems this killer move, Year Beast Summon, is most effective in favorable battles. In a desperate fight against the odds, its performance leaves much to be desired." Fang Yuan noted this privately. Immortal Killer Moves were best understood through actual use.
Fang Yuan firmly maintained control of the battlefield.
He kept one eye on the battle between the Rooster Year Beast and the ancient hawk dog at all times.
Before the Rooster Year Beast retreated, Fang Yuan had dealt with every last hawk dog.