Wu Yong's voluntary retreat did not make Fang Yuan or Feng Jiuge happy. Instead, their hearts sank.
If Wu Yong could retreat, he could also advance.
Both Fang Yuan and Feng Jiuge had hoped that Wu Yong would choose to fight them head-on, clashing until one side was destroyed.
But Wu Yong did no such thing. Instead, he chose to retreat with remarkable composure and clarity.
He was an Eighth Transformation Righteous Path Gu Immortal, yet faced with two Seventh Transformation experts joining forces, he actually chose to withdraw on his own initiative.
Once this news spread, Wu Yong would lose no small amount of face.
The reason he would not lose it all was that the Gu Immortals he faced were the illustrious Feng Jiuge and Liu Guanyi.
Wu Yong's decision required considerable courage.
Of course, it required even more wisdom.
The Immortal Path battlefield killer move Four Purities Four Edges Wind had been disassembled, and Wu Yong suffered a devastating backlash, leaving him covered in serious injuries.
However, he still possessed the Jade Clarity Dripping Wind Small Bamboo Tower and retained the ability to fight.
But once he realized that Feng Jiuge possessed movement and evasion abilities while he could do nothing against Fang Yuan, he wisely chose to retreat.
This retreat came at precisely the right moment.
It could even be said that it was sharper than his previous aggressive assault, striking Fang Yuan and Feng Jiuge squarely at their vital weak point.
First, the Jade Clarity Dripping Wind Small Bamboo Tower had only lost some peripheral fragments, and its speed remained astonishingly fast.
It would be virtually impossible for Fang Yuan and Feng Jiuge to pursue Wu Yong. Especially since Fang Yuan's Supreme Extreme Sky Eagle had also slipped out of his control.
Second, Wu Yong had secured precious time and space, allowing him to recuperate at his leisure.
After all, the injuries he sustained were not light — they significantly impacted his combat capabilities.
Finally, Wu Yong could repair the Jade Clarity Dripping Wind Small Bamboo Tower and even add new Gu worms to this Immortal Gu House. The next time he faced Feng Jiuge's Immortal Path killer move, he would not be nearly as disadvantaged.
Although Wu Yong's attainment in the Sound Dao was merely ordinary, his mastery of the Wind Dao had long since reached the level of cross-referencing comprehension. He could readily make adjustments along the Wind Dao path to minimize the power of Feng Jiuge's killer move.
In other words, when Wu Yong came chasing after them again, what Fang Yuan and Feng Jiuge would likely face was a fully recovered Eighth Transformation Gu Immortal Wu Yong, along with an Immortal Gu House at peak condition — the Jade Clarity Dripping Wind Small Bamboo Tower, specifically modified to counter Feng Jiuge.
Wu Yong could advance and retreat freely, with absolutely no need to fight Fang Yuan and Feng Jiuge head-on. He could withdraw first, then wait for a better opportunity.
In contrast, Fang Yuan and Feng Jiuge could do nothing but remain trapped in a passive state, unable to do anything about Wu Yong.
Fang Yuan only had the Reverse Flow Protective Seal, which was the only move worth mentioning. As for Feng Jiuge, although he possessed Immortal Path battlefield killer moves, even with time to set them up, he could not restrain Wu Yong — all because the latter controlled the Eighth Transformation Immortal Gu House, the Jade Clarity Dripping Wind Small Bamboo Tower.
The gap in strength.
Despite Fang Yuan and Feng Jiuge fighting together, facing Wu Yong still meant an enormous disparity in power.
If it were Wu Yong alone, the two of them would still have had a slim chance of victory.
But with the Immortal Gu House Jade Clarity Dripping Wind Small Bamboo Tower in Wu Yong's hands, his overall strength surged dramatically. This left the two of them utterly helpless.
"Fang Yuan, you should go." At that moment, Feng Jiuge spoke to Fang Yuan.
His tone was calm and even.
Fang Yuan's pupils contracted ever so slightly.
Feng Jiuge gazed deeply at Fang Yuan, his face devoid of expression. Then he slowly turned his head, looking toward a small dark speck on the distant horizon.
"Once upon a time, you saved my life. Today, I save yours. From now on, neither of us owes the other anything," Feng Jiuge continued.
Fang Yuan raised an eyebrow slightly. "That doesn't seem right. Without my help this time, you would likely have been killed by Wu Yong long ago. I helped you, and you helped me — so you still owe me a favor."
Yet Feng Jiuge's tone remained indifferent: "I say I owe nothing, and that puts my mind at ease. That means I owe nothing. You can believe what you like. But remember — if I survive this encounter, I will make you my target and hunt you down. Even if you flee to the ends of the earth, I will not let you go. You'd better be careful."
"Haha." Fang Yuan could not help but laugh aloud.
He had completely grasped Feng Jiuge's thoughts.
Feng Jiuge saved him to repay the life-saving debt from before. But doing so went against his identity as a Righteous Path member, and would also put his wife and daughter in an awkward position.
So once Feng Jiuge had saved Fang Yuan once, he would then hunt Fang Yuan down and kill him — proving himself to the world while also looking out for his wife and daughter.
"Very well. The next time we meet, we will be mortal enemies." As Fang Yuan spoke, he opened his Gu aperture and released Hei Loulan and the others.
The ancient battle formation All Paths Connected began activating slowly.
Feng Jiuge made no further response. He did not even turn to glance at Fang Yuan one last time. He simply flew directly toward Wu Yong.
If Fang Yuan used All Paths Connected to leave, it would likely trigger Wu Yong's pursuit. In order to truly settle Fang Yuan's life-saving favor, Feng Jiuge risked his life to go and engage the Jade Clarity Dripping Wind Small Bamboo Tower head-on.
Taking one final, deep look at Feng Jiuge's retreating figure, the ancient battle formation roared to life, carrying Fang Yuan and the other three immortals, and vanishing on the spot.
Wu Yong, who had been watching Fang Yuan and Feng Jiuge the entire time, could only let out a bitter laugh when he saw Fang Yuan suddenly disappear.
Now he felt some regret over his earlier arrangements. If he had not been alone, he would certainly have had the ability to keep both Fang Yuan and Feng Jiuge detained.
But for the sake of the Wu family's reputation, he had painstakingly devised his plans, carefully separating the other Southern Border Righteous Path forces, like casting a vast net to drive Fang Yuan and his group toward this, his final line of defense.
This place was already not far from the Western Desert.
With Fang Yuan's escape at this moment, barring any unexpected mishaps, it was a foregone conclusion.
"I was careless."
"I never expected that the Heavenly Court would intervene — and actually help that demonic monster Fang Yuan."
Wu Yong stared at Feng Jiuge flying toward him, his gaze cold and sinister.
It was this very person who had ruined his entire scheme. Damn him.