The ancient battle formation was shattered, and the Gu Immortals of the Bai Zu family suffered tremendous backlash.
"Lord Wei!!" someone wailed in anguish.
Bai Zu Wei had been the key figure anchoring the formation. When the ancient battle formation broke apart, he bore the brunt of the enormous damage—so much that it killed him on the spot.
Bai Zu Wei was the foremost among the Bai Zu family's Gu Immortals, second only to Bai Zu Tianjun himself, and the core pillar of the clan.
No one had expected that just as the Bai Zu family was established and on the cusp of unprecedented glory, he would fall right beside their stronghold.
This shocking development not only plunged the Bai Zu family's Gu Immortals into the deepest grief but also weighed heavily on Fang Yuan and his companions who were attacking the Iron Eagle Blessed Land.
Someone in the Bai Zu family had died!
This enmity had grown immensely!!
Fang Yuan's mood turned grave.
Li Sichun's "face went pale": "Th-what do we do now?"
Hao Zhen and Chou Laowu looked even worse.
"How could this happen? Qingcheng Zongheng can rival an Eighth Transformation cultivator. Our Wind Thunder Roar couldn't possibly cause this kind of damage," Chou Laowu said in disbelief.
"Was it because the coordination wasn't refined enough..." A flash of clarity passed through Fang Yuan's mind.
The ancient battle formation Qingcheng Zongheng was immensely powerful, but clearly not easy to master.
The four Grand Elders of the Hei family had wielded it with ease because they had practiced it countless times over an extended period.
But how long had the Bai Zu family's Gu Immortals been in contact with and practicing Qingcheng Zongheng?
This was also their first time deploying it in actual combat—so errors were entirely to be expected.
"This has blown up. We need to discuss what to do next." The various immortals gradually flew away from the battlefield as Hao Zhen called out.
"Hmph, you two are the ones who killed him. What does that have to do with me?" Fang Yuan sneered and flew off first.
"You!" Hao Zhen was furious.
Chou Laowu hurriedly shouted: "Liu Guanyi. We're all in the same boat! You think Tianjun will let you off when he's enraged?"
But Fang Yuan ignored him completely, retreating swiftly until he vanished into the clouds, disappearing from the other immortals' sight.
The remaining Gu Immortals unconsciously maintained their rapid flight, keeping their distance from one another in a heavy silence.
A sense of panic and guilt gnawed at Hao Zhen and Chou Laowu.
Chou Laowu forced himself to stay calm and broke the silence: "That Liu Guanyi, what a scoundrel..."
Before he could finish, Wang Daxian cut in: "Ah! I've been gravely injured. I need to find a place to heal immediately. You two—farewell for now."
He transformed into his Falling Star Dog form, veered in a different direction, and bolted.
Li Sichun, seizing his chance, laughed: "I happen to be quite skilled in healing arts. No rush, Lord Wang—let me help you."
With that, he followed behind Wang Daxian and quickly departed.
Chou Laowu stared at this scene in disbelief, then his eyes bulged as he cursed: "That dog Wang! How could he be so shameless! We even risked ourselves to save him! If we'd known this would happen, we never would have lifted a finger!"
He turned to look at Hao Zhen beside him, and the knot of negative emotions in his heart finally loosened somewhat.
After all, he wasn't the only one who had acted.
Besides him, Hao Zhen had also made a move.
Chou Laowu and Hao Zhen had a decent relationship—a rarity among Demonic Path Gu Immortals. After this incident, their bond as fellow sufferers deepened considerably.
But none of that helped.
The two exchanged a glance. Hao Zhen's face was ashen as he said in a low voice: "Since it's already happened, nothing we do can undo it. Our only option now is to rely on Chu Du."
Chou Laowu's eyes lit up, like a drowning man grasping a lifeline: "Right, you're right! We were invited here by Chu Du to lend our strength! He can't just abandon us! Let's go find him!"
Fang Yuan did not linger outside. He returned directly to the Langya Blessed Land.
"This is getting complicated," he murmured, his brow furrowing slightly as he carefully analyzed the situation.
Originally, this sneak attack on the Iron Eagle Blessed Land had been quite successful.
Fang Yuan and his companions had breached the Iron Eagle Blessed Land, destroying and seizing numerous resources, truly dealing a painful blow to the Bai Zu clan.
If that had been all, Bai Zu Tianjun would likely have withdrawn to defend his stronghold.
He had worked so hard to establish a superpower, squeezing into the narrow gaps between the Golden Tribes and staking out territory. The amount of effort, time, and cost he'd poured into this was staggering!
If he persisted in attacking the Black Fan Cave Heaven and allowed Fang Yuan and the others to launch raids at will, it would inevitably destabilize his entire position.
Before the Bai Zu family's prestige could even be established, it would completely collapse. Then other forces and Gu Immortals would be drawn in—like jackals and wolf packs converging to deal with the Bai Zu family just as they had dealt with the Hei family.
Once such momentum built up, even Bai Zu Tianjun would find himself in a difficult position.
After all, he wasn't the only Eighth Transformation cultivator in the Northern Plains!
To protect his gains, Bai Zu Tianjun would either need to swiftly capture the Black Fan Cave Heaven or wisely withdraw to stabilize his base and consolidate his position.
Capturing the Black Fan Cave Heaven was not realistic for Bai Zu Tianjun. After all, if he could have done so, he would have done it long ago.