The Heavenly Court battlefield.
The slaughter among Eighth Transformation Gu Immortals had already reached its most brutal extreme.
"You of Longevity Heaven! Your performance is truly most disappointing to us!"
"Hmph, the fellows of Heavenly Court are always talking such big talk. You've been on top for too long — watch me topple every last one of you!"
"You and I are both of the human race, yet you fight each other so viciously. The Northern Plains Gu Immortals are fierce and brave, but they have no conviction whatsoever."
"You could never understand our conviction!"
Northern Plains Gu Immortals continued to fall, but the death of every Northern Plains powerhouse cost the lives of several Heavenly Court Gu Immortals in return.
"Northern Plains! Longevity Heaven!" Dragon Lord's fury was boundless, his gaze fierce and savage. "Though we may be evenly matched, that we — the great Heavenly Court — should be forced into such a sorry state… unforgivable!"
BOOM!
Dragon Lord raised both arms with tremendous force and finally shattered the cage that had trapped him.
But the Calamity Fate Altar and Qiji Huangdu both lunged forward immediately, and the three engaged in a relentless clash, locked in a stalemate.
"Hurry, hurry, hurry!"
"It's done! The Refinement Path Grand Formation has finally been repaired!"
"Yuan Qiongdu, the rest is up to you! We will guard you. As long as we still draw breath, no one will be able to shake this Refinement Path Grand Formation!"
Several Heavenly Court Gu Immortals called out in low voices, taking positions on all four sides to form a solid defensive line.
Thanks to the Heavenly Court Gu Immortals' reckless self-sacrifice, the Refinement Path Grand Formation was repaired, and the defensive line was rebuilt once more.
Seeing this, Bing Saichuan immediately abandoned Dragon Lord, attempting to disrupt Heavenly Court's plan.
"Don't even think about it!" Dragon Lord roared, ignoring the wounds covering his body, pouring every last ounce of his strength into pinning down both the Calamity Fate Altar and Qiji Huangdu.
When Bing Saichuan found himself unable to break through, he hastily redeployed his forces.
The Northern Plains Gu Immortals charged once more. Heavenly Court's casualties were grievous, but as members continued to awaken within the Immortal Tomb and fill the ranks, the defensive line became more impregnable than before.
"Now! Go now! Eh?!" Liu Liuliu had been about to sneak in, but his expression suddenly changed drastically, and he was forced to reveal his true form.
A Heavenly Court Gu Immortal stood surrounded by numerous floating jade beads. The beads flew toward Liu Liuliu, and the Gu Immortal's face was filled with killing intent: "So it's you? The one whose hands are drenched in the blood of my Heavenly Court friends? Your little performance ends here."
"So it's Senior Yuzhuzi…" Yuan Qiongdu, who was just about to enter the formation, happened to witness this scene, and his spirits soared with delight.
Throughout history, the Eighth Transformation Gu Immortal powerhouse Yuzhuzi had been renowned for his extraordinary detection abilities. Judging by the number of jade beads floating around him, he clearly possessed a fairly complete set of Immortal Gu. With this, Liu Liuliu had been countered completely.
"We can win! With so many Heavenly Court seniors here, we can definitely win!"
"No — to be precise, victory will most certainly belong to our Heavenly Court!"
A light of resolute determination flashed through Yuan Qiongdu's eyes.
He entered the Gu formation once more. The moment he began operating it, he was delighted to discover that this Refinement Path Grand Formation was even more exceptional than the previous one.
"So that's how it is."
"To repair Fate Gu, the seniors contributed so many more Immortal Gu…"
Tears welled up in Yuan Qiongdu's eyes.
The more Immortal Gu that were used in the Refinement Path Grand Formation, the fewer the Gu Immortals would have for themselves, making them far more likely to die in battle.
This was all sacrifice!
Willing and wholehearted sacrifice.
"Continue repairing Fate Gu!" Yuan Qiongdu sat cross-legged, his expression one of perfect calm, yet within his heart a flame blazed to life.
A roaring inferno!
Through the flames, a scene from the depths of his memory surfaced.
His master stood before him: "Little Du, so you were napping behind the mountain again? You really can't keep being this lazy all the time!"
The young Yuan Qiongdu woke up, and resentment immediately crept across his face: "It's you, Master!"
He grumbled, speaking in an ill-humored tone: "Master, why didn't you transfer me back? I like the Flame Path! The Flame Path is a man's choice!"
"But Little Du, your talent in the Refinement Path is truly extraordinary — that's why I had you choose to cultivate it. In comparison, your talent and aptitude in the Flame Path are far too ordinary."
"But I just like the Flame Path! The way it looks in battle — the presence, the majesty! As for the Refinement Path, you're always cooped up in some secret chamber, refining Gu, refining Gu. The costs are enormous, Gu often fail during refining, and all your efforts go to waste. What's more, the risks of refining Gu are just as dangerous as combat! I'd rather use the Flame Path and die a dignified death on the battlefield than waste away miserably some day while refining Gu!"
His master sighed helplessly and spoke in a low voice: "Little Du, your choice of the Refinement Path shouldn't be about what you enjoy — it's about responsibility. Our lineage's Refinement Path desperately needs a genius to restore its glory! Stop indulging yourself, Little Du. You're a man now. It's time you shouldered your responsibility. Do you understand?"
The young Yuan Qiongdu turned his head away unhappily: "Tch. I understand. If this is Master's command, then I'll obey."
His master sighed once more: "It's not a command. It's a responsibility. And cultivating the Refinement Path has its own kind of joy — one day, you'll feel it. So carry that sense of responsibility and refine Gu happily."
"How is that even possible?!"
……
"I, who was always so idle, have never once felt the weight of responsibility pressing so heavily on my shoulders."
"That's right."
"And there's this feeling too — happiness."
"Hehehehe… hahaha." The corners of Yuan Qiongdu's mouth curled upward as he laughed in his heart.
Tears streamed down his face.
"Master, I finally understand what you said!"
"Your disciple hasn't let you down!"
"There's no need to waste any effort defending my own life. With them here, everything will be fine."
"Just like this — all the way through! Finish repairing Fate Gu completely, fulfill my responsibility, and live up to everyone's expectations. And then… happily embrace death's arrival."
Yuan Qiongdu wore a smile as he activated the forbidden move. Once this move was unleashed, regardless of whether the Gu refinement succeeded or not, his death was certain.
But what did that matter?
There were things far more important than one's own death!
The Dragon Hideout battlefield.