"To forcibly break through my Yama, and to do so right after the Lang Ya Blessed Land was attacked — nine times out of ten, this is the Heavenly Court's doing!"
In a flash, a storm of thoughts raced through Fang Yuan's mind.
"Fang Zheng has been taken. He shares a bloodline connection with my Sixth Transformation Time Dao clone, but that clone is inside my Supreme Immortal Orifice. That thread should be unusable."
"My previous Secret Crossing Immortal Gu fell into the Heavenly Court's hands — that's a critical lead, but it alone wouldn't be enough to break through my Yama."
"Then what method has the Heavenly Court employed? And what key information about me have they gathered?"
Fang Yuan pondered even as he rapidly shifted positions.
Now that his location was exposed, staying put would be the worst possible move. The top priority was to keep relocating, and at the same time repair Ghost Unaware and figure out a way to resolve this predicament.
Crack!
After flying for two or three hours, a bolt of lightning suddenly erupted from the clear sky overhead.
The bolt targeted Fang Yuan directly, striking down with savage force.
Fang Yuan was already on guard and quickly dodged aside.
The lightning struck the ground with a deafening boom. As the electric light stabilized, it took the shape of a person.
The figure quickly sharpened into focus — Thunder Ghost True Monarch Jing Lan, clad in black, menacing armor, crouching on the ground.
Hss, hss, hss, hss...
Countless tiny arcs of electricity crackled across her armor.
The impact had carved out a deep crater, its bottom scorched completely black. Wisps of white smoke curled upward from the extreme heat.
Jing Lan slowly rose to her feet. Her original frame had been petite and delicate, but clad in her armor, she now towered over three meters tall, massive and imposing.
BOOM!
Her Eighth Transformation aura swept outward like a mountain bearing down — overwhelming and absolute.
She raised her head slowly, gazing at Fang Yuan hovering in midair, and spoke in a frigid voice: "So you're Fang Yuan? Where do you think you can run?"
"An Eighth Transformation Gu Immortal from the Central Continent... and judging by this bearing, she's almost certainly from the Heavenly Court!" Fang Yuan's pupils contracted slightly as his wariness peaked.
Immortal killer move — Myriad Self!
A sharp gleam flashed in Fang Yuan's eyes. Facing this unknown and formidable enemy, he struck without hesitation.
In an instant, countless copies of Fang Yuan spread across the horizon. In the span of a single blink from Jing Lan, the previously cloudless expanse was filled with an ocean of Fang Yuan's strength-attribute phantom clones.
The army surged forward with a thunderous roar, like a world-ending tidal wave crashing toward Jing Lan.
Jing Lan closed her eyes — then snapped them open. Her originally black irises had turned a deep, luminous blue, with infinite bolts of lightning swirling like vortexes within her pupils.
Her gaze swept in every direction, but she could not locate Fang Yuan's true body.
"Familiar Meeting, is it... Hmph." Jing Lan let out a displeased cold snort, then suddenly opened her mouth wide.
"ROOOAR—!"
Her roar rolled out like continuous thunder.
The sound waves carried rippling blue electrical energy, expanding outward from her at terrifying speed. Everywhere they reached, Fang Yuan's phantom clones couldn't endure even a single breath before bursting apart.
One move, and the clear sky returned. Every last one of Fang Yuan's strength-attribute clones had been annihilated, leaving only his true body exposed.
"Lightning Dao, Eighth Transformation... but why do I also sense traces of the Soul Dao from her?" Fang Yuan's brow furrowed slightly.
He wasn't shocked by the destruction of Myriad Self — that killer move had always been a probe. Against an Eighth Transformation Gu Immortal's attack, no matter how many clones there were, they could hardly produce a meaningful result.
Immortal killer move — Burning Thought Flying Stone.
Immortal killer move — Purple Insight Starlight.
Fang Yuan thrust both palms forward, and innumerable meteors trailing long tails of flame rained down toward Jing Lan on the ground.
After completing that move, he clenched his right fist and suddenly scattered it downward, releasing a cascade of purple starlight — brilliant and crystalline.
Jing Lan's lightning-attuned eyes first spotted the Burning Thought Flying Stones and immediately showed a look of disdain. But the moment she caught sight of the Purple Insight Starlight, her pupils contracted slightly.
"This killer move is exceptional — I must avoid it." The thought flashed through Jing Lan's mind, and with a crack, her body transformed into a streak of lightning, shooting straight toward Fang Yuan.
Fast! Fast! Fast!
Her speed was so extreme that even Fang Yuan showed a trace of alarm.
Moreover, the lightning was nimble and unpredictable — not a blind charge. Along the way, it batted aside the Burning Thought Flying Stones but deftly dodged the Purple Insight Starlight, weaving through freely.
Fang Yuan's offensive was overwhelming, yet Jing Lan cut through it all unimpeded. After a few sharp turns in midair, she was already before Fang Yuan.