"Enough, Yu Liang. Go and perfect your Gu formation. Only by breaking through this final barrier will you be able to fully inherit my main body's legacy. As for you, Canyang Laojun — today you shall lose your head here." Dongfang Changfan's Star Will spoke slowly, its voice measured.
Canyang Laojun took a small step back, his tone cold and haughty. "Hmph. Though I may be outnumbered, you are nothing but a group of Sixth Transformation cultivators, augmented by a mere sliver of will. You think that's enough to take my life? Don't forget — my accomplice is standing among you. And the Demonic Path Gu Immortals outside are ravenous as wolves and tigers. Your phantom beasts won't hold them off for long."
Though he spoke those words, his face was already etched with vigilance and caution.
Having lived to such an age and achieved what he had, a cautious temperament was an indispensable trait.
What Canyang Laojun said was also the plain truth — every sentence struck at the Dongfang clan's vital weakness.
It was precisely because of this that, despite their numerical superiority, the Dongfang Gu Immortals had not rashly made a move.
Dongfang Changfan's Star Will chuckled lightly. "In the ancient era, Immortal Venerable Xing Su, the founder of the Wisdom Path, passed away — yet she could calculate everything for a million years after her death. She forced three later Demonic Venerables to return empty-handed, preserving Heavenly Court. I, Dongfang Changfan, may be far beneath Immortal Venerable Xing Su, but I can still perceive a century or so beyond my own time. Since I set this formation, I naturally have trump cards to play."
As soon as these words left its lips, a phantom Gu formation materialized within the great hall.
Countless Gu Insects swirled and danced through the air like thousands of spider threads, weaving into a dense net that blanketed the entire hall.
Compared to this grand formation that had appeared so suddenly, the Gu formation Yu Liang had been perfecting was like an infant's plaything beneath a giant's feet.
Canyang Laojun's expression darkened instantly at the sight. "A Phantom Formation! I didn't expect you, Dongfang Changfan, to have such profound attainments in the Phantom Path — enough to construct a Phantom Formation!"
Ordinary Gu formations, once exposed, were vulnerable to attack and disruption.
This was because the Gu Insects composing the formation were all corporeal entities.
And Gu Insects themselves were extremely fragile. Even an immortal-grade Spring Autumn Cicada — with just a gentle pinch of two fingers from Fang Yuan — would shatter and be destroyed.
But the Phantom Formation employed superior Phantom Path techniques to render each composing Gu Insect intangible, without obstructing the formation's operation.
This was why the phantom beasts had managed to hold off Fang Yuan and the other Demonic Path Gu Immortals for so long. Phantom beasts could naturally become intangible. Once intangible, no attack had any effect.
The Star Will had displayed the formation openly without the slightest fear that Canyang Laojun would strike to destroy it — precisely because the formation was intangible. Canyang Laojun could only glare at it helplessly, unable to do a thing.
The Gu formation gradually began to activate, and the great hall was filled with blinding, mysterious light.
"Hahahaha." Canyang Laojun suddenly burst into hearty laughter. "I may be helpless against the Phantom Formation — but I can simply kill you all instead!"
"Everyone, be careful!"
"He's coming!"
"Watch for the traitor — don't let your guard down! This is the decisive battle for our clan's survival!"
"Right! As long as we survive this, the road ahead will be wide open."
The Dongfang clan Gu Immortals were already in battle formation, their attention locked onto the enemy.
"There's no need to panic. For the time being, he cannot reach us." Dongfang Changfan's Star Will remained calm and composed.
In the next instant, Canyang Laojun charged forward — yet his movements were exceedingly slow.
The flames he launched, which should have been blindingly fast, drifted through the air as sluggish as snails.
"What is this?" Canyang Laojun quickly realized that it was not himself who had slowed. Rather, the space before him concealed mysteries imperceptible to the naked eye.
A distance that appeared to be mere dozens of steps was in fact a compression of space.
"I spent decades and poured countless efforts into setting up this trap. This great hall looks ordinary, no different from the surrounding chambers — but long ago, I gathered the vast majority of Space Dao marks from the Void Bat corpse and concentrated them here. What appears to be a distance of merely dozens of steps between us and Canyang Laojun is in truth far beyond a thousand li." The Star Will spoke unhurriedly.
"Truly worthy of Lord Dongfang Changfan!" The Dongfang clan Gu Immortals relaxed, their eyes lighting up with boundless admiration as they gazed at the Star Will.
The Star Will nodded. "Now comes the crux. I shall speak plainly. The formation I have revealed is a grand killing formation. With my Wisdom Path Immortal Gu as its core and Blood Path Immortal Gu as its auxiliary, once activated, its power will be immense — enough to crack the sky and split the earth. In particular, with the inclusion of Blood Path Immortal Gu, it will prove especially devastating against Gu Immortals. Once the formation is fully activated, it will not only slay Canyang Laojun but also annihilate the Demonic Path Gu Immortals above. After this battle, our Dongfang clan will surely make a name across the Northern Plains, commanding wariness and restraint from both the Righteous and Demonic factions and every major power. When the battle is over, take this formation back to the clan's Blessed Land. If Yu Liang passes my inheritance trial, he shall be its first master."
Hearing these words, the Dongfang clan Gu Immortals were stirred with extraordinary fervor.
By contrast, Canyang Laojun's face could barely conceal his shifting expressions of alarm and suspicion.
The Star Will continued, "Before my main body's death, though I forged alliances with the Righteous Path's supreme powers and signed pacts, in this world, only true strength in one's own hands can guarantee safety. Remember this well — do not place idle hope in others."
The Dongfang Gu Immortals nodded repeatedly, acknowledging the teaching.
Dongfang Yikong spoke urgently, "But Lord Changfan — there is still a traitor among our clan. You can guard against outsiders all you like, but a traitor within the household is the hardest to stop!"
"Patience," the Star Will said with a light laugh. "I am not finished. Everything has its advantages and disadvantages, its gains and losses. This Gu formation's power is extraordinary, but it carries a critical flaw. Activating it requires drawing upon the Immortal Aperture's origin from each Gu Immortal."
"What?" Many Dongfang Gu Immortals cried out in shock.
The Immortal Aperture's origin was the very foundation, the very root of the Immortal Aperture.
If that origin were drawn out, the Immortal Aperture — painstakingly cultivated over long years — would regress. Its space would shrink, its spiritual energy thin, and all things within it wither.
A Gu Immortal either advanced or fell behind. Once the time came, the Immortal Aperture would face the ordeals of Heavenly Tribulations and Earth Calamities.
An depleted Immortal Aperture meant a weakened Gu Immortal — and the slightest misstep could bring death by calamity.
With their very lives on the line, the Dongfang Gu Immortals could not help but lose their composure.
But soon, one Gu Immortal stepped forward.
It was none other than Dongfang Wanxiu.