"Futile." Fang Yuan let out a deep sigh.
Almost as soon as the words left his lips, the specter's assault outside surged with renewed ferocity.
The specter's cold voice rang out: "Fang Yuan, you truly disappoint me. How long do you intend to keep hiding? I'll tell you the truth — your position was just calculated by Fairy Zi Wei."
"Relying on deception — that is nothing but the conduct of the weak. Hmph, entrusting the Supreme Grand True Space Gu to you was like casting pearls before swine!"
"Come out and face me. At least after your death, the world won't call you a craven coward who bullies the weak and fears the strong, too terrified to live."
"Despicable!" Wu Shuai's train of thought was disrupted, and he grit his teeth in fury.
Fang Yuan gave a cold snort, his brow furrowed tight, and said nothing. To him, what did reputation matter? What Fang Yuan cared about was whether Fairy Zi Wei had truly pinpointed his location, or whether the specter was deliberately deceiving him — even that moment of hesitation a performance, a probe aimed at Fang Yuan.
Ancestor Qi Sea had already departed from that area, so Fang Yuan had no clear picture of the situation there.
"Even now, the Wisdom Path grand formation over there could still be running. That doesn't rule out one possibility — Fairy Zi Wei using it to stall both Heavenly Court and Longevity Heaven while secretly informing the specter of her calculations in advance. Ah, I can't worry about all that." Fang Yuan sighed and quickly cast the matter from his mind.
Not because he had found the truth, but because the Dragon Palace's current state was on the verge of collapse — it desperately needed him to act.
Fang Yuan opened a sliver of his blessed land's gateway and released the primordial year beasts he had prepared long ago!
Several primordial year beasts roared and howled, charging out of the Dragon Palace. Some attempted to ram through the black smoke vortex, while others charged straight at Demon Vain Specter.
"All futile gestures." Demon Vain Specter struck, black smoke swirling across his entire body as a bleak, chilling wind swept outward, engulfing everything within a thousand li.
His fingers flicked in succession, each strike releasing only a wisp of black smoke — yet their speed was terrifying and their power immense. The black smoke struck the primordial year beasts and immediately expanded, transforming into thick, vine-like chains of dense smoke that shackled the beasts in place.
The primordial year beasts struggled, but the black smoke chains were bolstered by the black smoke vortex, growing thicker and tighter with each passing moment. The beasts had initially been able to thrash about, but soon they were rendered immobile, reduced to mere targets, and then swept away by the vortex.
"Tricks — nothing but tricks. You truly disappoint me, Fang Yuan." Demon Vain Specter hovered high in the sky, gazing down at the black smoke vortex beneath him.
The illustrious Eighth Transformation Immortal Gu house, the Dragon Palace, was nothing more than a plaything. Once he had seen through its workings, it could only submit to his manipulation, toyed with in the palm of his hand.
Wu Shuai grit his teeth and activated the Dream Wisp Smoke killer move.
Demon Vain Specter let out a derisive snort and spat out several soul spheres from his mouth. The spheres trailed behind them like tadpoles, casting dark, spectral shadows as they sliced through the air and plunged directly into the bodies of the primordial year beasts.
A thin layer of black qi rapidly surfaced across the beasts' bodies. The black smoke chains melted away within it, and in the span of a blink the qi intensified more than tenfold.
The primordial year beasts regained their freedom, only to roar with rage and charge straight at the Dragon Palace!
One of the primordial year beasts rammed headlong into the Dream Wisp Smoke killer move itself.
These primordial year beasts had all been turned on the spot by Demon Vain Specter.
The Dream Wisp Smoke swept the year beasts away, but Wu Shuai felt a deep sense of powerlessness. Now that the specter controlled the battlefield, enjoying ample freedom and initiative, the Dream Wisp Smoke killer move no longer posed a genuine threat to him — it had been reduced to a minor nuisance.
The specter was now deploying several Soul Path killer moves that neither Fang Yuan nor Wu Shuai had ever seen or even heard of.
The depth of a Ninth Transformation Venerable's reserves was truly unfathomable!
High above, the Wisdom Path grand formation continued to operate without pause.
Fairy Zi Wei held the central position, still appearing as though she were exerting herself fully in calculation.
The immortals of Longevity Heaven and Heavenly Court encircled the Wisdom Path grand formation.
Qin Dingling gazed silently at the formation. Just moments ago, word had arrived from Heavenly Court — the immortals left behind had successfully suppressed Emperor Cang Sheng.
Emperor Cang Sheng had already been struck by Ancestor Yuan's Origin Qi Path killer move, and his condition had plummeted to rock bottom. When Fang Yuan fled, he had abandoned the creature entirely without a shred of concern. That the remaining Heavenly Court immortals had captured and suppressed it was hardly surprising.
From this single fact, one could see the desperation of Fang Yuan's retreat. The fact that he couldn't even spare a thought for a being like Emperor Cang Sheng spoke volumes about his current vulnerability.
It was precisely this reality that fueled Qin Dingling's killing intent toward Fang Yuan.
An opportunity like this — once in a millennium!
With the calamity dragon suppressed, the immortals left behind immediately set about repairing the Heavenly Court's blessed land. The breaches were patched swiftly, and the crisis this time was already more than half resolved.
This development brought Qin Dingling some relief, but other worries lingered.
"Ancestor Qi Sea left not long ago. Given the Dragon Palace's speed and heading, it should have reached the Intestine Corridor by now, shouldn't it?" Qin Dingling calculated silently.
Fang Yuan had fled by steering the Dragon Palace out of the Primordial White Heaven and heading straight for the Central Continent. This had thrown Heavenly Court into a state of both urgency and fury — they feared that their own territory would bear the fallout of the battle and suffer devastating losses.
The Intestine Corridor was the northern gateway of the Sorrowful Wind Mountain Range, a formation created in ancient times when a powerful beastman perished and merged with the surrounding earth and mountains. It was under the control of Black Heaven Temple, one of the Ten Great Ancient Sects of the Central Continent.
Qin Dingling had already sent word to Black Heaven Temple, instructing them to deploy their Immortal Gu houses and operate freely along the Intestine Corridor. If an opportunity arose, they were to strike. If the enemy proved too formidable, they were to abandon the Intestine Corridor entirely — preserving their strength was the top priority.
Black Heaven Temple received Heavenly Court's command as though facing a mortal enemy. They scrambled to mobilize virtually their entire sect and set their plan in motion.
But they waited, and waited, and neither the Dragon Palace nor the specter ever appeared.