Feng Jiuge was backed by Heavenly Court, so intelligence was never lacking on his end — he had considerable knowledge of the Shadow Sect cultivators.
Aside from Fang Yuan, there were five others present: Bai Ningbing, Hei Loulan, Ying Wu Xie, Hei Tu, and Fairy Miaoyin.
Bai Ningbing possessed a dragon woman's beauty, stunning beyond belief. Her offensive power was also the fiercest of the group, making her very likely the inheritor of the White Phase True Inheritance.
Hei Loulan had sharp brows and bright eyes. Though female, she carried an unmistakable air of valiance, flames swirling around her as she fought with startling might. She herself was a Ten Absolute Physique — specifically the Great Strength True Martial Physique.
Ying Wu Xie currently wore Cui Bo Fairy's body, green-robed with bewitching eyes, concealing her true methods. For Feng Jiuge, this was a face he had never seen before, and it made him suspicious.
Hei Tu's gaze was ruthless. Her injuries had largely healed by now. She moved with lightning speed, specializing in the Dark Path like an assassin, circling at the perimeter while her eyes stayed locked on Feng Jiuge, biding her time for revenge.
As for Fairy Miaoyin, she had already deployed her signature killer move, the Mystic Sound technique. With six graceful arms adorning her form and a pair of crescent moons surfacing in her eyes, she was, like Feng Jiuge, a cultivator of the Sound Path.
Feng Jiuge used Yangguan Melody to dodge Fang Yuan's lunges while simultaneously sizing up the Shadow Sect group.
Fang Yuan's Reverse Flow Protection Seal was practically unbeatable, but it came with a trade-off: to maintain it, he could not deploy any other immortal killer moves.
Fang Yuan's offense was weak while his defense was impenetrable. If Feng Jiuge wanted to defeat the Shadow Sect, he had to target someone else.
This was the superior strategy — strike where the enemy was soft, avoid where they were strong!
But whom exactly would Feng Jiuge go after?
This question lingered in the minds of Fang Yuan and the others.
Feng Jiuge was not foolish enough to clash head-on with Fang Yuan. By the same token, the others had long anticipated what tactics he would choose.
It was obvious.
The Reverse Flow Protection Seal was far too powerful. In the short term, even Heavenly Court had no means to crack it.
Breaking a killer move was extremely difficult.
But counteracting or mitigating its effects was far more achievable.
However, the Reverse Flow River was essentially a Ninth Transformation Immortal Gu-grade existence — a Secret Realm of Heaven and Earth recorded in the Ancestral Records of Human. How could such a thing be easily countered or weakened?
Therefore, only when Heavenly Court devised a method for a complete breakthrough would they have any way of dealing with the Reverse Flow Protection Seal. Until then, even if the Dragon Lord came in person, he would be powerless.
"Among everyone here, Hei Loulan has the lowest cultivation — Sixth Transformation. Will Feng Jiuge target her?"
"Fang Yuan is out of the question. Going after Fairy Miaoyin is very likely. They both cultivate the Sound Path, and with Feng Jiuge's profound expertise, dealing with Fairy Miaoyin's techniques would naturally come much easier to him."
"He attacked White Rabbit Girl earlier. If he presses his advantage, he might go after Hei Tu as well."
"What about Bai Ningbing? She's our strongest offensive fighter — the sharpest spear. If he removes her, Feng Jiuge's advantage in this battle becomes enormous."
"Ying Wu Xie is also a possibility. She's inhabiting Cui Bo Fairy's body, making her the most unfamiliar opponent for Feng Jiuge. He would likely probe her at the very least."
Various analyses and speculations churned through the minds of Fang Yuan and the others.
If they could guess Feng Jiuge's thinking, they would be far better prepared for the coming fight — perhaps even seize the initiative.
Who would Feng Jiuge choose to strike?
The next moment, the answer was revealed.
Feng Jiuge leaped into the air and activated Yangguan Melody, teleporting himself to the center of the battlefield.
But the immortal killer move did not dissipate. Instead, its aura shifted abruptly.
Feng Jiuge let out a long cry: "Come — listen to how my Jade Song sounds!"
This was his signature technique. The moment the group heard him, they all retreated — everyone except Fang Yuan, who laughed aloud and charged forward with reckless bravery. "Feng Jiuge, you've finally shown some real skill!"
Ding-ding, dong-dong…
The melody drifted through the air, crisp and pleasing, like large pearls and small pearls tumbling onto a jade plate.
Fang Yuan ignored everything and closed the distance to Feng Jiuge, intending to use the Reverse Flow Protection Seal to send a portion of the Jade Song's power right back at him — let Feng Jiuge taste his own medicine.
But to his surprise, Feng Jiuge's Jade Song had retracted all of its destructive force.
Fang Yuan advanced unimpeded, never once reflecting a single blow back.
As the others looked on in astonishment, a hazy figure drifted out of Feng Jiuge's body.
The figure resembled Feng Jiuge closely but was entirely green, as though carved from jade.
"What kind of killer move is this?!" Every member of the Shadow Sect sensed a powerful wave of threat emanating from the mysterious figure.
"Song Warrior!" Fang Yuan's heart sank as he recalled intelligence from his previous life.
This was one of Feng Jiuge's formidable techniques — it allowed the Nine Songs he had created to condense and take human form, lunging at enemies.
In Fang Yuan's previous five hundred years, Feng Jiuge's original Nine Songs were each devastatingly powerful. But they had a drawback: only one could be deployed at a time, limiting flexibility, and their duration was rather short.
After numerous battles, Feng Jiuge had recognized this deficiency. He sequestered himself in closed cultivation for a brief period, and when he emerged, he had mastered the Song Warrior technique.
With it, he could transform any of the Nine Songs into temporary clones to fight powerful enemies — supremely flexible and versatile. His combat strength rose yet again, and across the Five Regions' chaotic wars, this technique had tormented enemies time and again.
"So the famous Song Warrior is actually a variation of Yangguan Melody. Just like the relationship between my Force Great Palm and Myriad Selves."
"In my previous life, Feng Jiuge didn't create the Song Warrior until about five hundred years later. This time he's developed it so much earlier?"
"No — in the previous five hundred years, the Shadow Sect succeeded in defying the heavens and forcibly delayed the great era. Perhaps Feng Jiuge was affected by that as well?"
"Or perhaps Feng Jiuge created the Song Warrior early on Heavenly Court's guidance?"
Countless thoughts surged through Fang Yuan's mind in an instant, a cascade of speculation flashing by.
The Jade Song Warrior did not engage Fang Yuan. Instead, it lunged toward Ying Wu Xie.
Ying Wu Xie's eyelids twitched violently. She retreated hastily, not daring to meet its edge head-on.