"Damn it!" Fang Yuan cursed, sweeping his hand forward to unleash a golden dragon.
The golden dragon roared past, crushing the pack of Chongtai hounds into pulp and carving out a path.
"Little Beast King, where do you think you're going? Hand over the Immortal Treasure!" Yi Chong appeared before Fang Yuan, waves crashing toward him.
Bone Wing Gu!
Fang Yuan flapped his wings, dodging the crushing waves and soaring into the sky.
"Little Beast King, you'd better stay." Yi Huo waved his hand, and a fire bird spiraled toward Fang Yuan, pecking at him.
Golden Cloud Gu.
Fang Yuan's entire body was enveloped in a thick layer of golden light, his speed surging. After shaking off the fire bird, he retreated swiftly.
"Hmm?" The tremendous commotion had drawn the attention of Mo Wutian and Xiao Mang.
Xiao Mang sent forth a colossal hand of light, large as an elephant, hurtling toward Fang Yuan at tremendous speed.
Fang Yuan executed a sharp turn to dodge.
But just then, a gentle whisper suddenly sounded in his ear.
The whisper was like a lover's intimate murmur, or the long-awaited call of a kinsman. For anyone caught unaware, it would have been enough to make their soul wander and their mind drift.
"Mo Wutian's Tender Affection Gu!" Fang Yuan broke into a cold sweat and struggled free immediately. But his momentum had stalled for an instant, and the colossal hand of light was already seizing at him once more.
"Not good!" Dodging was no longer possible. Fang Yuan had no choice but to activate his Gu insects, attacking in place of defense.
Boom.
With a thunderous blast, the colossal hand of light was shattered. But Fang Yuan was sent tumbling like a kite with its string cut, trailing a line of blood through the air as he plummeted toward the ground.
The howling wind in his ears jolted the unconscious Fang Yuan back to awareness.
Realizing he was falling, he urgently activated his Gu once more and shouted, "Tie Ruonan has obtained an extraordinary Immortal Gu and is refining it!"
Mo Wutian and Xiao Mang's attention was immediately diverted.
Immortal Gu!
The assembled masters erupted into a frenzy, instantly descending into an unprecedented state of manic fervor. Tie Baiqi's pressure skyrocketed.
Fang Yuan seized the chance to catch his breath and immediately activated his Wu Ghost Movement Gu. Vast clouds of dark mist billowed upward as he concealed himself within them and continued his retreat.
But just at that moment...
Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh!
From the void, four chains suddenly shot out — nimble as serpents and swift as lightning — binding Fang Yuan's limbs.
Then, the chains tightened rapidly, coiling and spreading, trussing Fang Yuan up completely before dragging him into the void!
The next instant, Fang Yuan reappeared within the great bronze hall.
The four elders of the Tie family occupied the east, south, west, and north positions respectively, surrounding him.
They crouched halfway to the ground, right palms extended forward, left hands gripping their right wrists, all activating their Gu insects in unison. From each of their palms, a long black iron chain extended.
The Tie family four elders' killer move — Boundless Search Lock!
...
Meanwhile, in the Central Continent, at Heavenly Ladder Mountain.
Within the Fox Fairy's Blessed Land, atop Soul-Swaying Mountain, a competition over the ownership of the Blessed Land had reached its final moment.
"Fang Zheng, keep going! Victory is within reach!" Lord Celestial Crane's voice resonated deep in Fang Zheng's heart. Compared to before, his voice carried an extremely heavy exhaustion and weakness.
"Just one more opponent..." Fang Zheng gritted his teeth, his body drenched in sweat, swaying as though he might collapse at any moment, yet radiating an unwavering determination.
"I, the great Xiao Qixing, have actually been overtaken by some unknown nobody?" Xiao Qixing's eyes widened as he watched helplessly as Fang Zheng climbed past his height.
"Sigh. I never imagined this would be how it ends." Ying Shengji let out a long sigh, then suddenly let go and tumbled from the mountain.
He was the farthest from the summit. After witnessing Fang Zheng's performance, he had already realized he stood no chance and chose to concede outright.
The Fox Fairy Earth Spirit naturally would not let him fall to his death. She snapped her fingers lightly, safely relocating Ying Shengji outside the Blessed Land.
Climb. Keep climbing.
Fang Zheng's hands and feet were already torn and bleeding.
The closer to the summit, the more violent the tremors to his soul became. Fang Zheng could barely think of anything else. All that remained in his eyes was the image of the mountaintop. He had squeezed out every last drop of his potential, pushed to the absolute limits of exhaustion — this was performance that transcended the boundaries of the body.
"This kid..." Feng Jinhuang couldn't help but be moved.
Fang Zheng was clearly exhausted beyond measure, yet somehow a seemingly infinite power sustained him.
"The summit... the summit..." Fang Zheng clenched his teeth, his mind consumed by this single obsession.
Step by step, he climbed higher, gradually surpassing Feng Jinhuang and taking the lead!
At this moment, he was only ten feet from the summit.
Even the adorable little Fox Fairy Earth Spirit had walked to the edge of the cliff, gazing intently downward, watching the birth of her new master.
Outside the Blessed Land, among the Gu Immortals who had been closely following the competition, some had already begun to gasp in awe.