Kun Jing roared in agony, clutching the wounds on its body.
The massive hole torn open by the Youdu Power Tiger Totem had caused its condition to plummet.
Its body continued shrinking, like a leaking balloon, until it had reduced to roughly half its original size — only then did the edges of the gaping hole draw together, closing and healing over.
Kun Jing stabilized itself, but it no longer dared to fight Hei Lou Lan. With a shrill cry, it turned and fled.
Hei Lou Lan didn't give chase. She picked up the Sixth Transformation Immortal Gu from the ground, and continued forward with Lu Tong Lan.
The two of them pressed uphill with all their strength, reaping greater and greater rewards.
Before long, they had obtained two Sixth Transformation Immortal Gu and one Seventh Transformation Immortal Gu.
Their encounter soon awakened the others, and one by one, everyone began pushing uphill with full force.
Gradually, some people exhausted all their strength and tumbled off the Heavenly Path, crashing onto the yellow earth of the Tianyue Slope.
Some encountered Kun Jing but failed to break through, dying inside its belly. Others managed to defeat the Kun Jing but suffered severe depletion, their faces streaked with worry.
Kun Jing was fundamentally a peculiar type of wild beast — as long as one's combat strength exceeded its tolerance limit, it would be defeated. Force-based methods simply proved more effective.
Hei Lou Lan found the journey increasingly difficult with every step.
After she had defeated two more Kun Jing, she realized that of the original eighty-eight participants, only thirty-something remained.
"I can barely go on. I've already consumed more than half my strength, and the Kun Jing that appear afterward keep getting stronger. With what I have left, I can probably defeat only one more," Hei Lou Lan said through gritted teeth, unwilling to accept this.
"Don't worry, I have a plan. Let's keep moving." Lu Tong Lan patted Hei Lou Lan's shoulder, maintaining an optimistic attitude.
When they encountered yet another Kun Jing, Lu Tong Lan unleashed the Blue Phoenix Totem, and together with the Youdu Power Tiger Totem, they brought it down.
"Watch out — don't let it escape!" This time Lu Tong Lan called out a warning and struck in time, refusing to let the Kun Jing flee. She killed it outright.
"Eat." Lu Tong Lan carved open the Kun Jing's flesh and handed a portion to Hei Lou Lan.
Hei Lou Lan had read the "Legend of the Human Ancestor," and sudden understanding dawned upon her.
With each bite of Kun Jing's flesh, she felt a portion of her strength return. By the time she and Lu Tong Lan had finished dividing the Kun Jing between them, her power had recovered to seventy or eighty percent.
However, doing so also exposed their method.
Many Gu Masters witnessing this scene immediately began to imitate them.
Yet some Gu Masters showed no surprise at all — they had clearly known about this trick all along.
"You can't eat too much Kun Jing flesh. Overconsumption is harmful — it will cause your heart to self-combust and your mental state to collapse," Lu Tong Lan sighed. "Let's keep moving."
After the time it took for an incense stick to burn, Jiao Huo hurried forward and caught up with Hei Lou Lan and Lu Tong Lan.
"What do you want?" Lu Tong Lan barked, putting on a show of sternness.
Jiao Huo snorted coldly. "There are only seven of us left, so naturally I want us to cooperate. The grudges between us can be settled properly once we get out. But right now, we need to see the bigger picture!"
Lu Tong Lan fell silent.
"Clan Leader Jiao Huo is right. The predicaments are growing ever stronger — we should cooperate." Clan Leader Huang Zhong had also caught up. He looked toward Hei Lou Lan. "Holy Son, greetings. You are qualified to cooperate with me, to walk side by side."
Then Clan Leader Huang Zhong turned to the others. "Since everyone has made it this far, all are qualified to cooperate together. What do you say?"
Among the remaining seven, one was at the Sixth Transformation, two at the Eighth Transformation, and the remaining four were all at the Seventh Transformation.
They exchanged glances, and for a moment, no one spoke.
"Cooperating together would indeed let us go further!"
"But how do we divide the Immortal Gu and Immortal Materials?" The Sixth Transformation Gu Master raised the key question.
If it came to snatching, he certainly wouldn't be able to outcompete the others.
Clan Leader Huang Zhong pondered for a moment, then spoke. "There is no need to scramble for Immortal Gu and Immortal Materials — everyone can take turns picking them up. As for the order, let's discuss it. If anyone breaks the rules, that person becomes our common enemy. The Heavenly Road appears only once every ten thousand years — anyone who violates this agreement will be hunted down by all of us from now on!"
"Agreed." Another Eighth Transformation Gu Master consented.
But the question of how to arrange the order led to yet another lengthy argument among the group.
The person who went first would naturally obtain treasures of lower value. The Gu Masters who picked later would generally find items worth more. But who could be confident they would last until the very end?
Everyone here was already at the end of their rope — if they weren't, they wouldn't have been forced into cooperation. If one's turn was scheduled too late and one was eliminated miserably before it arrived, that would be an enormous loss!
After careful deliberation, they finally settled on an order and continued onward.
After defeating two more predicaments, the first Eighth Transformation Immortal Gu appeared!
According to the order, it was the Sixth Transformation Gu Master's turn.
Under the gaze of everyone present, the Sixth Transformation Gu Master picked up the Immortal Gu with trembling hands.
The two Eighth Transformation Gu Masters made no move to snatch it — their turns were still further back. Moreover, this Sixth Transformation Gu Master held no low status; his father was a well-known Eighth Transformation powerhouse.
The appearance of the Eighth Transformation Immortal Gu made the atmosphere within the seven-person team grow tense.
They walked up another stretch of uphill slope, and this time no predicament blocked their path. The group spotted a stalk of Dragon Horn Grass.
Dragon Horn Grass was a Primordial Wilderness plant. It resembled coral in shape and looked like a dragon's horn. Cut a finger-length segment, and after about a month, a new segment would grow back.
According to the order, this time it was Jiao Huo's turn.
Jiao Huo put away the Dragon Horn Grass, a sense of helplessness rising in his heart. He had hoped for an Immortal Gu; the Primordial Wilderness was not lacking in such immortal material resources.