Cold energy surged in all directions as ice blades danced through the air. Iron fists roared, and fangs hissed.
The battle between Xiong Li's group and Bai Ningbing had reached a fever pitch.
The fight had not actually lasted long. But as the pressure from Bai Ningbing grew ever greater, everyone on the opposing side felt time stretching into an agonizing eternity.
Xiong Jiang's face was grim as still water, Xiong Lin was drenched in cold sweat, and even Xiong Li's eyes were filled with gravity.
At this point in the battle, even Xiong Li had to suppress his fury and acknowledge Bai Ningbing's strength. Even though Bai Ningbing had suppressed his cultivation to the Third Transformation level and was only using Second Transformation Gu Insects, the combat power he displayed was far beyond anything they could match combined.
In truth, Bai Ningbing had not yet gone all out. It was not that he was holding back deliberately — he simply had to keep reserves in case of a sneak attack from Fang Yuan.
He had personally witnessed Fang Yuan deploying the Hidden Scale Gu, so even in the heat of combat, he kept a third of his attention focused on watching for Fang Yuan to make his move.
But the battle had dragged on, and Fang Yuan still showed no sign of acting.
"Could he have left already? Impossible! Though we've only met once, he's not the type to withdraw easily. He will strike — he's just waiting for the right moment." Bai Ningbing swirled his ice blades and suppressed Xiong Li's counterattack, all while his mind raced.
He was not only battling Xiong Li's group in strength — he was also playing a game of wits with Fang Yuan.
The longer Fang Yuan stayed hidden, the greater the pressure gnawing at him. A sword left sheathed was the most dangerous kind, because you never knew where it would ultimately strike.
Though Fang Yuan had not made a single move, lurking and watching from afar the entire time, he had kept Bai Ningbing's mind tethered the whole while. Without that distraction, Xiong Li's group would have fallen long ago — they could never have held out this long.
"This Bai Ningbing. Sharp-minded indeed. He cut down Fierce Lightning Wolf cleanly and efficiently, robbing me of a useful pawn. Then he pushed through his injuries and killed the healing Gu Master in Xiong Li's group. Every single move — the wisest and most correct choices. Despite locked in fierce combat with Xiong Li's group, he's still keeping one eye on me…"
From the shadows of the distant treeline, Fang Yuan stood with arms folded, observing from afar. His gaze flickered with shifting thoughts.
It was not that he did not want to act — there simply had not been a suitable opening yet.
But he was in no rush at all.
The longer the battle dragged on, the more Bai Ningbing's combat power would be drained. A Ten Extreme Body's True Essence recovery rate far surpassed that of Grade A, but it still had limits and still suffered wear.
The longer Fang Yuan waited, the more True Essence would be drained from Bai Ningbing's Empty Orifice, and the more the scales of victory would tip in Fang Yuan's favor.
If Bai Ningbing's Empty Orifice ran dry of True Essence, then what did it matter if he had the Northern Underworld Ice Soul Body? A single Moon Blade would take his head!
Fang Yuan knew this. Bai Ningbing knew it too.
Though he held the upper hand firmly, his heart grew heavier with every passing moment.
"I can't keep this up!" A cold gleam flashed through Bai Ningbing's blue eyes. He abruptly took a large leap backward, suddenly widening the distance between himself and Xiong Li's group.
Then his Adam's apple bobbed upward, as though he were regurgitating something from his stomach into his mouth.
His cheeks bulged high. Then, with visible difficulty, he opened his jaws.
A small ice-blue bird peered out from between his pearly teeth. Its lively eyes darted around and quickly found their target.
It crawled out of Bai Ningbing's mouth, spread its broad and powerful wings in a single vigorous beat, and dove straight at Xiong Li.
The blue ice bird looked quite adorable — its shape resembled a pigeon. But the moment Xiong Li's group saw it, all color drained from their faces.
"Third Transformation Blue Bird Ice Coffin Gu?"
"Dodge! Now!"
…
Xiong Li's group scrambled in every direction, but this blue ice bird was nothing like the Moon Blade. Once launched, it could home in on its target on its own.
BANG!
It crashed into the group's logistics Gu Master and instantly detonated.
A torrent of freezing energy erupted outward, and blinding blue light flooded the battlefield.
The next second, the blue radiance vanished as swiftly as it had appeared, revealing a massive, semi-transparent block of ice with a faint aquamarine tint.
Sealed within the ice was the Gu Master, his face still frozen in the terror and horror he had felt in his final moment — but all traces of life had already left his body.
Bai Ningbing did possess Third Transformation Gu Insects. The problem was that the moment he used one, the Second Transformation True Essence in his Empty Orifice would be consumed at a drastic rate, and the Third Transformation Gu Insect would not be able to display its full power. Worse still, he would be vulnerable to a full-scale enemy offensive in the aftermath.
But Xiong Li's remaining three members had already been shaken to the core by the Blue Bird Ice Coffin Gu.
Bai Ningbing did not press his advantage. Instead, he turned and fled, attempting to disengage from the battlefield entirely.
It was an exceedingly wise move. If this continued, the situation would only grow more and more unfavorable for him.
"Damn it…"
"Bai Ningbing, if you've got the guts, don't run!"
"Brother Xiong Xin was killed by him too! Take him down and avenge Brother Xiong Xin!!"
Xiong Li's three roared in fury, but they could not catch up.