"Hehehe, no one has ever pushed me to such a desperate state! Fang Yuan, you bastard... truly interesting. Once I catch my breath, I will definitely kill you!!" Bai Ningbing roared inwardly as he fled.
The killing intent radiating from Fang Yuan made him feel suffocated.
For him, this was an unprecedented experience.
The thick scent of death made his entire body tremble, giving rise to a morbid sense of excitement.
Behind him, Fang Yuan drew ever closer.
"Take this!" He suddenly flung his hand, tossing out a black Gu Insect.
Fang Yuan's steps slowed, as though facing a formidable foe. But upon drawing closer, he realized this Gu Insect was that Forcible Takeover Gu from Xiong Zhan.
*Snap.*
With a soft sound, Fang Yuan caught the Gu Insect in his hand.
The Forcible Takeover Gu was a black beetle, normal-sized, with a pair of iron pincers at the front of its head. White speckles dotted its carapace.
The aura of the Spring Autumn Cicada leaked out, and with a pulse of True Essence, the Forcible Takeover Gu was refined and stored inside his Empty Orifice.
He continued to sprint in pursuit.
Bai Ningbing resorting to such measures only proved how severe his injuries were and how dire his situation had become. But because of that brief pause, the distance Fang Yuan had painstakingly closed widened once more.
"If only I had a movement-assisting Gu Insect. With such a Gu, I would have caught up to Bai Ningbing long ago," Fang Yuan sighed inwardly.
"This Fang Yuan—he refined the Forcible Takeover Gu in an instant?" Bai Ningbing was deeply shaken.
He had obtained this Forcible Takeover Gu and spent many days attempting to refine it. Although he had made some progress, the process had been arduous and he had ultimately failed. This was partly because Xiong Zhan's death was indirectly related to him. The will within this Forcible Takeover Gu originated from Xiong Zhan himself, and so it harbored even deeper hatred and disgust toward Bai Ningbing, making the refinement all the more difficult.
But Fang Yuan had refined it in an instant. Bai Ningbing caught this from the corner of his eye, and his heart filled with both shock and chill.
There were indeed some special Gu Insects that could achieve such an effect.
But Bai Ningbing had never possessed one. And Fang Yuan actually had one?
Involuntarily, he grew even more wary of Fang Yuan. Fang Yuan's image in his mind gained yet another layer of dangerous mystery.
However, as time passed, Fang Yuan's mood began to sink.
The longer time went on, the more True Essence Bai Ningbing recovered, and the lesser his injuries became. The advantage Fang Yuan held over him would grow ever smaller.
"I'm afraid I won't be able to kill him this time!" Fang Yuan sighed inwardly.
If things continued like this, before long Bai Ningbing's injuries and True Essence would see considerable recovery.
Although Fang Yuan kept using the Moon Beam Gu to add to the injuries on his body, the Northern Ice Soul Physique's aptitude was truly exceptional—practically blessed by heaven and earth. His rate of True Essence recovery was actually faster than what Fang Yuan could absorb from Yuan Stones.
"Unless... a wolf pack appears up ahead, trapping him in encirclement. Or a Gu Master team shows up, temporarily blocking Bai Ningbing. But if it's the Bai family team, then I'll be the one in danger."
Thoughts churned in Fang Yuan's mind, and the intention to retreat had already taken root.
Their chase had covered a long distance, yet they had not encountered a single wolf pack or Gu Master team along the way. This meant that Bai Ningbing, who controlled the direction of his escape, also possessed reconnaissance Gu Insects and had made evasive detours in advance.
Qing Mao Mountain was vast, and escape was possible in every direction. There was no way Fang Yuan could force Bai Ningbing to flee down only one path.
...
"The most important thing when facing a wolf tide is to absolutely stay together and not get scattered by the wolf pack. Once scattered, you're in real danger," Gu Yue Qingshu said as he traveled, instructing Fang Zheng beside him.
"If the opponent is a Mighty Lightning Wolf pack, we can hold a strong position and defeat them head-on. But if it's a Frenzied Lightning Wolf pack, the first thing to do is retreat, then use Signal Gu to wait for nearby Gu Master teams to gather. At least three teams need to unite before there's a real chance of defeating a Frenzied Lightning Wolf pack. Of course, the opponents in a wolf tide aren't just lightning wolves—there are Gu Masters as well."
At this point, Gu Yue Qingshu paused briefly.
The other four knew exactly who he was referring to.
Obviously, it was Bai Ningbing.
These past days, Bai Ningbing had been issuing challenges everywhere, deliberately suppressing his cultivation to use only Second Transformation Red Iron True Essence when causing trouble for Xiong Li, Chi Shan, and others.
In the words he had spread, Gu Yue Qingshu was his next target.
"If we encounter Bai Ningbing..." Gu Yue Qingshu continued, "it would be best not to engage if we can avoid it."
Hearing these words, Fang Zheng felt a surge of indignation rise within him.
In his heart, though Gu Yue Qingshu appeared gentle on the outside, he was resolute within and possessed strong principles. From Gu Yue Qingshu, he had felt a deep sense of familial warmth. He respected and admired Gu Yue Qingshu, and naturally was unwilling to see Bai Ningbing overshadow him.
"Everyone's been talking about Bai Ningbing—what kind of person is he really?" Fang Zheng asked with a furrowed brow.
The other three team members fell silent.
Gu Yue Qingshu smiled warmly at Fang Zheng: "He is the number one genius of Qing Mao Mountain! Fang Zheng, listen well. You are still young, with Grade A aptitude. In the future, you may well surpass him. So before you've grown strong enough, it's best not to have any direct confrontation with him. Do you remember the story I once told you? Bowing your head and raising your head—sometimes, a person needs to bow their head."
Fang Zheng looked at Qingshu, and when his gaze met those warm, jade-like eyes, he nodded involuntarily: "I understand. Please rest assured, Brother Qingshu."
"That's good..." Qingshu was just speaking when the reconnaissance Gu Master in the team suddenly said, "Not far ahead, there is a Gu Master, moving at great speed."
Everyone's expression changed.
Healing Gu Master Gu Yue Yaohong said with a solemn face: "It must be a team that was scattered by the wolf pack. Let's go rescue them quickly."
But Fang Zheng blurted out: "Could it be Bai Ningbing? Isn't he someone who travels alone?"
"It could be, or it could not be. But if it truly is a lone Gu Master, regardless of which stockade they're from, they are our ally now. We should go rescue them." Gu Yue Qingshu spoke, then took the lead, changing their direction of advance.