The main reason was that fighting underwater greatly disrupted the continuity of Fang Yuan's attacks.
Because he needed to constantly surface to breathe.
In this respect, Fang Yuan was inferior to the deceased Mu Linglan. The latter was a Water Path Gu Immortal, bearing special Water Path Dao Marks that allowed him to breathe freely at the bottom of a river.
By contrast, an Immortal Zombie's body didn't need to breathe at all. After all, an Immortal Zombie was, in essence, a dead thing.
"Hmph!" Unable to break through, Fang Yuan suddenly shifted his target and aimed at Zishan Zhenjun cradled in Ying Wuxie's arms.
Ying Wuxie, anxious for Zishan Zhenjun's safety, hastily made a move to intervene.
But Fang Yuan abruptly reversed direction, his finger thrusting straight toward Ying Wuxie's eyes.
This move was vicious and ruthless.
If it landed, Fang Yuan could follow through and drive his finger into Ying Wuxie's skull, destroying his life for good.
Ying Wuxie's heart lurched with terror. He was already too slow to defend, and despair washed over him in an instant.
But at that very moment, something unexpected happened.
Zishan Zhenjun suddenly burst free and lunged toward Fang Yuan's face.
Fang Yuan, holding the initiative, naturally had the spare capacity to defend. He seized Zishan Zhenjun with one hand and attempted to crush him in his fist, squeezing the life out of him by brute force.
But although Zishan Zhenjun was only a Wisdom Path Gu Immortal, his Wisdom Path Dao Marks were incredibly dense and unfathomably deep. Gripping him felt like trying to hold a slippery loach—his body squirted out of Fang Yuan's grasp in an instant.
Now free of Fang Yuan's clutches, Zishan Zhenjun's body moved with extraordinary agility through the water. His pair of wings only enhanced his nimbleness, causing every subsequent grab from Fang Yuan to meet nothing but empty water.
Then Zishan Zhenjun flew to Ying Wuxie's side, seized his collar, and pulled with all his might—and the two of them shot away from Fang Yuan in a flash.
Ying Wuxie, stunned with both shock and elation, looked at Zishan Zhenjun and saw that his eyes were clear and lucid. He immediately understood—at this critical juncture between life and death, Zishan Zhenjun had regained his sanity!
"Excellent!" Ying Wuxie's heart soared. With a lucid Zishan Zhenjun at his side, the two of them could absolutely rally and capture Ma Hongyun and Zhao Lianyun alive.
"Go! Now!" Zishan Zhenjun hauled Ying Wuxie along, following the river's current as they fled at speed.
His body was small, yet it carried tremendous power.
"Lord Zishan!" Ying Wuxie suddenly realized what was happening—and sure enough, moments later, Zishan Zhenjun relapsed into his mad state once more.
"Aigh!" Ying Wuxie let out a deep sigh. He knew why Zishan Zhenjun had chosen to retreat. His condition was far too unstable.
Because of Zishan Zhenjun's interference, Fang Yuan had failed to eliminate Ying Wuxie.
Moreover, he had been pushed a considerable distance downstream.
He was now far away from Ma Hongyun and Zhao Lianyun.
Xuehu Laozu's expression was grim.
The withdrawal of Ying Wuxie and Zishan Zhenjun left only three people remaining in the Reverse Flow River.
They were Ma Hongyun, Zhao Lianyun, and Fang Yuan.
"Who is this man? A Northern Plains Gu Immortal, yet he dares foil my plans?" Xuehu Laozu directed a deep killing intent toward Fang Yuan.
Hei Loulan was already standing beside Xuehu Laozu. Hearing his words, she stirred inwardly.
The enmity between Fang Yuan and Ying Wuxie was plain for all to see—she had to answer.
Now a member of the Shadow Sect, Hei Loulan could not reveal Fang Yuan's true identity at this moment. Fortunately, he had another identity, so she replied: "His name is Liu Guanyi."
"Liu Guanyi? The Demonic Path Gu Immortal who slew Yelu Qunxing and cultivates the ancient Sword Flood Dragon transformation?" Xuehu Laozu blinked in surprise, then quickly caught on.
He knew of Liu Guanyi.
Though he had been busy mass-refining Gu in the Snow Mountain Blessed Land, he had always kept tabs on the situation in the Northern Plains.
After all, every Eighth Transformation Gu Immortal in the Northern Plains was a potential obstacle to his refinement of the Heaven's Equal Fortune Immortal Gu. As for the likes of Liu Guanyi and Chu Du, Xuehu Laozu didn't consider them worth worrying about.
Yet now, one of those insignificant figures he'd dismissed had, at this very moment, ruined his plans.
"Ha ha ha! Fortune is clearly on our side!" Dog-Tail Life-Extending Sable burst into hearty laughter that shook the wind and clouds, his voice booming in rolling waves.
Bi Chentian and Wei Lingyang had regrouped, and the Central Continent Gu Immortals stood in tight formation, ready for battle. It seemed they had chosen to stay and wait for their chance.
Xuehu Laozu, Hei Loulan, and Bai Ningbing stood together in one group.
All three factions were aligned, just waiting for Ma Hongyun and Zhao Lianyun to be swept out.
"Fairy Lianyun, Ma Hongyun—you two may come out now! We Central Continent Gu Immortals will lay down our lives if we must, but we will keep you safe!" Wei Lingyang called out in a booming voice.
"Ridiculous! You Central Continent dogs actually think you can steal people right in front of your Grandpa Mao?!" Dog-Tail Life-Extending Sable—Mao Liqiu—immediately bristled, his beard puffing out with indignation.
Xuan Jizi, worried that Mao Liqiu's fearsome manner would frighten Ma Hongyun, hastily tried to smooth things over: "Ma Hongyun, you have earned the recognition of the Heaven's Equal Fortune Immortal Gu and carry the blood of Juyang. That makes you a child of the Heaven of Everlasting Life. The Heaven of Everlasting Life is the grotto-heaven of our Immortal Ancestor Juyang, the wellspring of our bloodline. We've come this time to bring you home."
Xuehu Laozu let out a cold snort and instead addressed Fang Yuan with a threat: "Liu Guanyi, if you can capture the Ma-Zhao pair, I will grant you the position of Third Peak Lord of the Great Snow Mountain. My word is iron—you can rest assured of that. With this merit and my backing, your future cultivation will be smooth sailing."
With his reminder, the other Gu Immortals took renewed notice of Fang Yuan.
Fang Yuan had lost his chance to kill Ying Wuxie.
There was nothing to be done.
He had given it his all.
But the sheer depth of an Eighth Transformation powerhouse's foundation, the advantage of a Strength Path Immortal Zombie in the Reverse Flow River, and above all, Zishan Zhenjun's brief moment of lucidity—all of these had pushed him toward the abyss of failure.
"Failed!"