Inside the Immortal Gu House, Fang Yuan and the others hurried to protect themselves.
Vast quantities of fire, like venomous snakes, devoured and incinerated every Gu worm in their path, then closed in on Fang Yuan and the others from every direction.
Fang Yuan let out a roar and activated the Immortal Killer Move Winter Garment. Immediately, a layer of pristine white frost covered his entire body.
The frost not only protected Fang Yuan himself, but at this critical moment spread outward, shielding his Time Path clones, Hei Loulan, Ying Wu Xie, Bai Ningbing, and the others nearby.
In this respect, the Winter Garment move surpassed the Reverse Flow Protective Inscription.
The Reverse Flow Protective Inscription could only protect its user, with no ability to shield others. Winter Garment, however, could extend its protection from oneself to those around.
Winter Garment blocked the fire serpents' assault, but the next instant, the powerful old man on Stone Lotus Island bellowed: "Majestic power—let all serpents become dragons!"
Whoosh!
The flames erupted violently, unleashing terrifying waves of scorching heat. The fire serpents intertwined and merged, transforming into a horrifying Flame Dragon over ten zhang long, fangs bared and claws extended.
The crimson Flame Dragon tore through Winter Garment and lunged at Fang Yuan once more.
Fang Yuan had just been about to open his Immortal Aperture portal to store everyone around him into his Supreme Immortal Aperture, but the fire serpent move had a follow-up. The powerful old man's combat experience was extraordinary, and he left Fang Yuan no room to breathe.
The Flame Dragon, vivid and lifelike, opened its massive jaws and dove from above.
Fang Yuan and the others were forced to look up, their faces bathed in red light, as searing heat crashed over them like being placed on a roasting grill!
Bai Ningbing, Hei Loulan, and the rest saw their expressions shift, a hint of despair creeping into their eyes.
This Flame Dragon was no ordinary Eighth Transformation Killer Move—its power was extraordinary. Even Bai Ningbing's White Phantom move would be unable to save them.
Their only hope rested on Fang Yuan.
Blood seeped from Fang Yuan's nostrils, both ears, and the corners of his mouth!
Winter Garment had been broken, and Fang Yuan was suffering the backlash of an Eighth Transformation Killer Move. A massive number of mortal Gu had been reduced to ash; fortunately, the core Immortal Gu had survived with only minor damage and could still be used for the time being.
Fang Yuan faced a dire situation.
Behind him were his Time Path clones, Bai Ningbing, Hei Loulan, and the others—their cultivation was far too low. On their own, they could never withstand this Flame Dragon. With the Immortal Gu House prototype, they might have had the bare minimum qualification to participate in the fight, but the powerful old man had been ruthless—destroying the prototype from the very start.
If Fang Yuan stayed in place to shield them, never mind that Winter Garment had been broken and he had no good means left—even if he did have some, it would be extremely dangerous!
The enemy's goal was precisely to force Fang Yuan into a head-on clash. If Fang Yuan fought the Flame Dragon to protect the immortals behind him, he would be playing right into the old man's hand.
Fang Yuan could almost certainly guess that the old man had more killer moves in reserve. If he engaged the Flame Dragon in a direct struggle, he would fall into the old man's rhythm and be led by the nose for the rest of the battle.
In an instant, Fang Yuan made his decision. His figure shot out like lightning, veering sideways to dodge the Flame Dragon.
The powerful old man burst into wild laughter: "A fine demon, indeed! Then burn to ash, the lot of you!"
The Flame Dragon ignored Fang Yuan entirely and continued its dive toward the others.
Fang Yuan snorted coldly and suddenly changed direction, charging straight at the powerful old man.
The old man immediately shifted his gaze, eyes locked on Fang Yuan as he watched him rush over. His lips split into a grim grin.
Fang Yuan's heart sank slightly. His charge was meant to force a rescue through pressure—attacking the enemy's base to compel a retreat—but he hadn't expected the old man to be equally fearless and bold, unafraid of a direct confrontation. It was even highly likely that the old man had further arrangements on Stone Lotus Island, giving him great confidence and composure.
Fang Yuan pointed a finger forward. After months of nearly sleepless training, his results were remarkable. Spring Scissors was activated once more, shooting toward the powerful old man ahead of everything else.
The scissors were razor-sharp, but when they struck the old man's body, his hair suddenly burst into flames, transforming into a massive blazing fire mantle that burned fiercely around him, holding the Spring Scissors firmly at bay.
"Hahahaha! This move of mine is called Yang Mang's Fire Mantle! I drew inspiration from the flame-like hair of Tai Ri Yang Mang in the legends of the Human Ancestor—my proudest creation in all my years. To tell you the truth, although I am a Fire Path Gu Immortal, my strength lies even more in defense than offense! Forget your Spring Scissors—even if your Summer Fan strikes at the same time, I won't bat an eye." The powerful old man roared with laughter.
But the very next moment, the old man's laughter cut off abruptly.
It turned out that the Flame Dragon's attack had been in vain. Whether it was Fang Yuan's Time Path clones, or Bai Ningbing and Hei Loulan—they had all kept their lives.
The old man's eyelids twitched violently. He licked his dry lips and snarled: "So this is the dream realm?"
As it turned out, when Fang Yuan dodged the Flame Dragon, he had not abandoned his clones and fellow Gu Immortals. At the critical moment, he had ordered Ying Wu Xie to self-destruct.
Ever since the battle at the Five Boundary Mountains, Ying Wu Xie had changed his body, once again becoming a Pure Dream Reality Seeker. It was precisely the Dream Path marks on this body that, after he cast Lead Soul Into Dream, had successfully ensnared the Eighth Transformation Gu Immortal Jun Shen Guang.
Now, with the Pure Dream Reality Seeker body self-destructing, Ying Wu Xie's soul naturally sank into the dream realm. The other immortals, all standing close by, were enveloped as well.
The dream realm manifested, severing all techniques of every other Path. The powerful old man's Flame Dragon was ferocious beyond measure, but when it crashed into the dream realm, it was nothing more than a phantom of light—utterly ineffective.