Whoosh.
A torrent of blue water burst forth like a geyser. The wide-eyed tiger let out a tremendous roar, unleashing a sound like thunder.
This was a Fourth Transformation Tiger Roar Gu!
The tiger roar's sound waves surged through the air, forming ripples visible to the naked eye. The sound waves collided with the torrent, blasting the stream apart into a sky full of rain.
Having transformed into the wide-eyed tiger, Cheng Hu launched an overwhelming offensive, immediately projecting the aura of a conqueror sweeping all before him.
The Tiger Roar Gu unleashed devastating sound waves. The Tiger Claw Gu struck with ruthless, unpredictable sharpness. The Tiger Skin Gu offered extraordinary defense!
The Tiger Fang Gu, pointed as a spear, pierced through with lethal force. The Tiger Tail Gu, hard as a steel whip, lashed out freely!
Transformation Path Gu Masters, in order to forge killer moves, would collect the corresponding Gu Insects. Once the full set of Gu was assembled and they could shift their form, their combat power would undergo a qualitative leap.
Of course, the more powerful the transformation, the more valuable and harder to collect the required Gu combination.
Even if a Gu Master could transform, they still needed extensive training. Humans are born walking upright on two legs, with a single head and two arms. Shifting into another form, unfamiliarity was the most natural reaction.
Just like flight, only extensive training, combined with natural talent, could allow a Gu Master to wield their transformed state with proficiency.
Gu Masters had three core disciplines — Gu Raising, Gu Utilization, and Gu Refinement — and this was the deeper meaning behind Gu Utilization.
Both armies fixed their eyes on the battlefield before the formations.
The clash between Hao Jiliu and Cheng Hu had reached a critical juncture.
Cheng Hu had deployed his killer move, transforming into the wide-eyed tiger, firmly seizing the upper hand. The Water Demon Hao Jiliu could only focus on dodging, abandoning his previous aggressive onslaught and looking thoroughly wretched.
However, as time dragged on, the battle remained deadlocked. Though Cheng Hu held an enormous advantage, he could never convert it into a decisive victory.
While the vast majority of Ma clan soldiers were still cheering loudly, the figures inside the Ma clan's command tent had all furrowed their brows.
"This isn't good. That Water Demon is cunning! Cheng Hu is in danger," Ma Yingjie spoke up.
Many of the powerhouses present nodded in agreement.
A killer move was powerful in practice, but it involved activating multiple Gu Insects simultaneously. This multiplied True Essence consumption several times over, making it a double-edged sword for any Gu Master.
Cheng Hu had activated his killer move, but the Water Demon Hao Jiliu was extraordinarily experienced in battle, completely shifting away from his head-on brawling style. If Cheng Hu couldn't finish him off quickly, once his True Essence was depleted he would have no choice but to revert to human form. And when that happened, it would be the Water Demon Hao Jiliu's turn to launch a devastating counterattack.
Ma Shangfeng's face remained calm, but his heart sank.
In the past, Cheng Hu's failure would have had nothing to do with him. But now, Cheng Hu's outcome was no longer a personal matter — it concerned the morale of the entire army.
The Ma clan had already suffered two consecutive defeats. Ma Shangfeng knew full well that the various allied tribes that had pledged themselves to the Ma clan were beginning to waver.
The Ma clan army was an alliance, with the Ma clan at its core and the other tribes in supporting roles. Once the hearts of the alliance began to wobble, the situation would become dire.
Ma Shangfeng naturally did not want to see Cheng Hu fail.
But as the battle continued to stall, the probability of Cheng Hu's defeat only grew. Ma Shangfeng could do nothing but silently sigh in his heart before calling out: "Fei Shengcheng."
Fei Shengcheng immediately stepped forward, placing his right palm over his heart in salute. "Your subordinate is here."
"You will take the second bout," Ma Shangfeng said. To offset the impact of Cheng Hu's inevitable defeat, he was pinning his hopes on Fei Shengcheng.
Fei Shengcheng was also a fierce warrior.
He had previously been sidelined and overlooked within the Fei clan. The Ma clan had sown discord, turned him into an inside agent, and seized the opportunity during the Fei clan's internal turmoil and power struggle to launch a surprise assault, swallowing the clan whole.
After Fei Shengcheng defected to the Ma clan, he had truly found a worthy master. He racked up merit in battle after battle and received focused cultivation.
Without hesitation, he descended to the front of the formations and began shouting provocations.
"That is Fei Shengcheng. Since the contest for the Royal Court, he has already slain eight Fourth Transformation powerhouses. In the last major battle, he used a Numbness Gu — a single man fighting three opponents of equal rank simultaneously, with truly dazzling results," Sun Shihan spoke from within the Hei clan's command tent.
Beside him, Yelu Sang wore a cold expression.
The "major battle" that the cunning gentleman Sun Shihan referred to was none other than the clash between the Ma clan and Yelu Sang's alliance. Yelu Sang had been defeated, then chased down by the Ma clan forces until he was practically a man alone. The Qilian clan and other major tribes that had once pledged to Yelu Sang had all subsequently submitted to the Ma clan.
The Numbness Gu was a rare Fourth Transformation Gu, its value comparable to a Fifth Transformation Gu. Once a Gu Master was struck by it, their entire body would go numb, leaving them almost completely immobile. Though it lasted only a short time, in the heat of intense combat it was a truly lethal tool.
Hei Loulan hummed in acknowledgment, sweeping his gaze across those assembled. "Who is willing to fight?"
Before the words had even faded, a man let out a hearty laugh and strode forth from the crowd. "Fei Shengcheng is nothing special. I am willing to take the field and sweep away every obstacle in the path of your dominion!"
Hei Loulan looked closely — it was none other than the Single-Blade General, Pan Ping.
Pan Ping had previously been blown apart by the Liu brothers' killer move in battle, only to be revived afterward by Tai Bai Yun Sheng using a Use As Before Gu. He was not the only one — Gao Yang and Zhu Zai had also been saved in the same way.
"Very well. Go," Hei Loulan nodded his approval.
If this had been at the start of the war, he would not have had much faith in Pan Ping. But after more than ten major battles, Pan Ping was a far cry from who he had been. He had grown rapidly into a powerhouse on par with the likes of Pei Yanfei.
"Son of the Fei clan, you are nothing but a shameless traitor who abandoned his own family for the sake of glory. Your very existence is an insult — come and meet your end!" Pan Ping strode onto the field and unleashed a torrent of abuse, his battle intent boiling over.
Fei Shengcheng flew into a rage. He despised above all else when people spoke of him this way. "You're nothing but a bastard of the Demonic Path! The only reason you got to act so arrogant before was because you hadn't run into me!"