Hua Caiyun couldn't help but smile bitterly.
So all of this — everything that had seemed so close to success — was nothing more than an enormous trap meticulously orchestrated by the Heavenly Court!
"Precisely so." Zhang Yin and the others smiled with perfect composure.
Qing Yue'an and the others finally caught on.
"In order to put us at ease, you actually allowed me to enslave Old Man Beifeng — what sinister intentions you harbor," Shen Congsheng said coldly.
"This was not our plan, nor was it Lord Dragon's design." Zhang Yin shook his head, clearly the leader among the four. "Did you truly believe that any of your actions escaped Zi Wei Immortal's calculations? Our being stationed here as hidden reserves — that was also Zi Wei Immortal's arrangement."
Song Qiyuan's gaze once again fell upon the Dragon Palace. "In that case, this Eighth Transformation Immortal Gu House is actually a enslavement-path Immortal Gu House… It can enslave not just one or two Eighth Transformation Gu Immortals, but four of them! And it can continue to suppress and enslave Di Zangsheng as well! Throughout all of history, this must surely be the greatest enslavement-path Immortal Gu House to have ever existed!"
Zhang Yin and the others' expressions shifted slightly.
Qing Yue'an, Hua Caiyun, and Shen Congsheng all glanced at Song Qiyuan, immediately understanding that he had not given up.
Despite such a shocking turn of events, were these Eighth Transformation Gu Immortal powerhouses the kind to simply surrender?
Moreover, although they had been ambushed and sustained injuries, they had still preserved much of their fighting strength. Continuing to battle for supremacy remained very much within the realm of possibility.
Ambushing Eighth Transformation Gu Immortals was no easy task.
The vast majority of Immortal Path killer moves, once activated, would radiate unmistakable aura fluctuations.
And so Zhang Yin and the others had not been able to prepare any truly terrifying killer moves — concealing the aura of their killer moves was already taxing enough. Methods capable of hiding a killer move's aura were exceedingly rare.
As far as anyone knew, only Wu Yong of the Southern Border possessed such an ability. No one else, not even members of the Heavenly Court, had access to it.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Thunderclaps roared once more.
Unwilling to concede defeat, Song Qiyuan and his forces clashed with Zhang Yin and the others.
The Unbeaten Blessed Land battlefield.
Bai Cangshui was fighting a desperate retreat with Chen Yi in tow.
Wu Yong and the others struck in succession, attempting to force her away from the grand formation behind her, so they could eliminate the Heavenly Court's two Eighth Transformation immortals outside the formation's protective range.
Bai Cangshui was hard-pressed on all sides, each moment a brush with death.
The Southern Border immortals were putting her under immense pressure, especially Wu Yong. Every one of his killer moves had its aura completely concealed, and when it erupted without warning, it made Bai Cangshui deeply wary. Even when Wu Yong wasn't attacking, she still had to remain constantly vigilant of this dangerous figure.
"Put me down and flee!" Chen Yi urged.
He had been struck by the peerless strange move Song You Feng and was completely immobilized, with nothing to do but wait for death.
At this moment, his sleeves, eyebrows, and hair were all dissolving. His limbs were already incomplete — the horrifying power of Song You Feng was on the verge of completely erasing his limbs, after which it would spread to his torso.
Fortunately, Song You Feng was not contagious; it targeted Chen Yi alone. That was the only reason Bai Cangshui dared to keep Chen Yi close.
"You think I'm trying to save you?" Bai Cangshui transmitted secretly.
Chen Yi was briefly stunned.
He suddenly understood.
Sure enough, Bai Cangshui continued transmitting: "I'm doing this deliberately — appearing unwilling to abandon you, putting myself in mortal danger, all to draw the Southern Border immortals' attention. It buys time for those behind us to set up more Immortal formations. You're already dead, but you can still squeeze out a bit of remaining warmth. I may die as well, but as long as we buy enough time, it will have been worth it. For the Heavenly Court, for the Central Continent, for all of humanity — what are our sacrifices?"
Chen Yi fell silent. In this moment, he felt a sudden urge to smile — death had become utterly inconsequential.
Though he had been deeply attached to power and status, he nonetheless possessed a sense of righteous duty toward humanity. Like Bai Cangshui, he did not fear sacrifice. Had it been otherwise, Zi Wei Immortal would never have elevated him to the ranks of the Heavenly Court.
But Chen Yi never managed to smile. Instead, his expression grew even more bitter and pained — he had to play his part, cooperating with Bai Cangshui to deceive the Southern Border immortals.
"Let me squeeze out a bit of remaining warmth in these final moments of my life," Chen Yi said calmly, facing death with equanimity.
But just then, a melody drifted into his ears.
In the midst of such fierce combat, who would have the mind to sing?
Chen Yi was briefly stunned, then found himself drawn in by the song.
Bai Cangshui, Wu Yong, and the others were affected the same way.
The melody was ethereal yet heavy, seemingly filled with contradictions — utterly unique.
At first, the song was like a small mountain stream, gently trickling along. Then the stream seemed to transform into molten lava, expanding into a great river that surged through continuous mountain ranges like a colossal dragon roaming free.
At the same time, the mountains beneath the lava river rose and fell like great waves, crashing and surging without cease.
Lava and waves collided and mingled, sending billowing steam skyward, obscuring the heavens.
The steam condensed into wisp after wisp of azure clouds, rising as if to ascend beyond the ninth heaven.
Suddenly, lightning flashed and thunder struck, the bolts piercing through the azure clouds. The immortals in the field felt as though they were plunging from the clouds themselves, a vast emptiness filling their hearts.
Illusion and reality, heights and depths. At times soaring with spirits, at times cast adrift and desolate. At times hunched and bowing low, at times spreading their wings to soar…
On the battlefield, the fighting had ceased entirely. Every soul was immersed in the song, lost beyond themselves.
But the melody abruptly cut off, and the immortals snapped back to awareness.
Chi Quyou's face was grim. "What on earth was that song? Terrifying — it actually drew us all in, unable to break free!"
Qiao Zhicai was deathly pale, his face still haunted by what had just happened. "Thank goodness the song suddenly stopped, or none of us would have escaped — we'd all have fallen victim to it."