Fang Yuan's situation was peculiar in the extreme, and it commanded Qi Zai's full attention.
"Just what kind of Dao marks does he carry? How can he use killing moves from various Paths to amplify their power, without suffering any kind of backlash?!"
On the surface, Qi Zai appeared composed and in control, sitting as calmly as an angler on his platform. In truth, his mind was racing.
"To my knowledge, only one person in all of history has achieved something like this… the Mad Demon Venerable!"
Among the great demonic Venerables of human history, there was one of particular renown — Mad Demon. He was the founder of the Strength Path, its primordial ancestor, and he had simultaneously cultivated the Transformation Path.
According to clear historical records, he could shift into a thousand different forms, and his Dao marks could transform freely at will.
For example, when Mad Demon Venerable became an Electric Wolf, he could unleash Lightning Path killing moves. When he became a Mud Swamp Crab, he could employ Earth Path killing moves, unaffected by any suppression or reduction from his other Dao marks.
By contrast, an ordinary Transformation Path Gu Master could typically only specialize in a single transformation. In the Northern Plains' Royal Court competition, for instance, the two Gu Masters who transformed into a dragon and a tiger could only assume dragon form and tiger form respectively.
As for Transformation Path Immortal Gu Masters — like He Langzi, who had once clashed with Fang Yuan — he could shift between three different wolf forms, each carrying different Dao marks. But when switching between them, he needed to wait for a period, taking the opportunity to purge his original Dao marks and prevent interference between the different Paths.
This shortcoming had plagued Transformation Path Gu Masters and Immortal Gu Masters alike since ancient times.
With one exception.
That was Mad Demon Venerable.
He appeared to be able to transform at will, with no concern for interference between Dao marks.
A pity. After Mad Demon Venerable perished, this technique of his was never passed down. Countless brilliant minds and outstanding geniuses had attempted to comprehend his methods, and all had failed. Not one had gained anything.
"Could it be that the enemy before me happens to have inherited Mad Demon Venerable's critical Transformation Path legacy?" At this thought, Qi Zai's heart flared with burning excitement.
He could conceive of no greater possibility.
"Of course, a Gu Master's cultivation is vast and unpredictable. Dragons and serpents mingle together. The variety of methods is like the stars in the night sky — one cannot judge by common sense alone." Qi Zai narrowed his eyes, remaining as calm as ever.
In truth, his guess that Fang Yuan had obtained Mad Demon Venerable's true legacy was still an underestimate.
The reason Fang Yuan could achieve this level of power was because of the Ninth Transformation Supreme Immortal Embryo Gu, refined by Venerable Soul.
This Immortal Gu was no ordinary treasure!
It was not only the key artifact by which Venerable Soul had intended to be reborn, but also the cornerstone upon which he had pinned his hopes of surpassing all other Venerables in the future.
Back then, after Venerable Soul died, he was unwilling to accept the status quo.
So he established Shadow Sect and labored painstakingly in its planning. During that time, he not only organized everything he had ever learned, but also scoured the world for countless legacies. Among these legacies were those of Gu Masters — plenty of high-quality ones that provided Venerable Soul with fresh inspiration and entirely new avenues of thought. There were also Immortal Gu Master legacies. He even obtained legacies from quite a few other Venerables.
Even the most mysterious Red Lotus Venerable — Shadow Sect had managed to acquire one of his true legacies. What hope did the other Venerables have of keeping theirs hidden?
Venerable Soul commanded Shadow Sect and established its subsidiary, Zombie Alliance, spreading across all five regions. Over tens of thousands of years, he accumulated tirelessly and researched ceaselessly, expending countless efforts and sacrifices.
In the end, he drew from every stream, extracted the essence, and fused it all into a single furnace to produce the Ninth Transformation Supreme Immortal Embryo Gu.
It could be said that this Immortal Gu was no longer merely the crystallization of Venerable Soul's Soul Path. It was a supreme rarity forged from his inclusive, all-embracing philosophy — condensing the essence of countless Paths and the true legacies of many Venerables into one.
Though Heavenly Will had arranged Fang Yuan as its chess piece, at the critical moment, Fang Yuan had relied on the instincts of an Otherworldly Demon to break free of his chains and claim the Supreme Immortal Embryo Gu for himself.
Qi Zai harbored his doubts, but even though Fang Yuan only displayed Sixth Transformation aura, he did not let his guard down for an instant.
He was probing Fang Yuan.
He was a Seventh Transformation Immortal Gu Master — even without a Seventh Transformation Immortal Gu, he would typically possess Sixth Transformation ones.
Previously, he had refined the Resentment Mud Ball from the foul sludge, then transformed it into the mud man Ni Jian — both were Immortal Path techniques.
But he had not yet deployed an Immortal Gu.
Immortal Gu were the trump cards of Immortal Gu Masters, and using them consumed Immortal Essence!
Qi Zai's blessed land was of low grade, and under normal circumstances, he would not resort to Immortal Gu.
Of course, Immortal Essence was not the main reason. The primary factor was that once an Immortal Gu was deployed, the enemy could perceive it.
One had to understand that the Gu insects in a Gu Master's possession — how many there were, and what they were — were strictly guarded secrets. Once that intelligence leaked, the enemy could target and counter them.
Immortal Gu Masters were the same.
In a first encounter, with no knowledge of the other's capabilities, Immortal Gu Masters always went through a period of mutual probing.
While Qi Zai was probing Fang Yuan, Fang Yuan was probing him just the same.
All manner of mortal-path killing moves emerged ceaselessly from Fang Yuan's hands. Paired with his refined and handsome appearance, they drew considerable attention from Qi He.
Like Qi Zai, Fang Yuan possessed Immortal Gu, but he could not use them freely.
Though the Seventh Transformation Sword Path Immortal Gu was tremendously powerful, Fang Yuan only had Sixth Transformation Green Grape Immortal Essence — far less than the Seventh Transformation Immortal Gu Master Qi Zai.
Had Fang Yuan not pledged himself to the Langya Sect and gained access to a large supply of Immortal Essence Stones to replenish his reserves, he would certainly have lost this battle.
The two sides exchanged blows back and forth, attack and defense alternating, their clash spectacular and thunderous. Qi He watched without blinking, marveling again and again.
Inevitably, Qi Zai was gradually pushed onto the defensive.
No matter how exceptional mortal-path killing moves might be, they could not compare to even a single Immortal Gu. So while they received some amplification from the Dao marks on Qi Zai's body, there was a definite ceiling — they would never exceed what an Immortal Gu alone could achieve.
In the vast sweep of history, there was only one recorded instance of a mortal-path killing move that, once deployed, could rival an Immortal Gu.
That was the White Bone Chariot, created by the Arrogant Bones Demon Lord, Shen Jie'ao.
This man was an Eighth Transformation Demonic Path Immortal Gu Master, and he truly had grounds for his arrogance. In terms of this singular achievement alone, not even the Ten Great Venerables in all of history could match him.
Venerable Immortals and Venerable Demons may have once been invincible under heaven, but that did not mean they were omnipotent.
Every field had its specialists. Even Giant Sun Immortal Venerable and Theft Heaven Demon Venerable had needed to seek out Ancestor Long Hair to help them refine Gu.
By contrast, Fang Yuan, while his accumulated Dao marks were far fewer than Qi Zai's and the amplification to his mortal-path killing moves was limited, compensated with an inexhaustible variety of techniques. He handled each exchange with ease.
And so, gradually, Fang Yuan shifted to mostly attacking with little need for defense, seizing ever greater initiative.
Qi Zai saw the situation with perfect clarity. He knew exactly how the battle stood. His brow furrowed slightly as he began to counterattack.
Battlefield Killing Move — Air Lock Domain.
In an instant, the surrounding sky was sealed. The air froze solid, forming a translucent, temporary battlefield.
Fang Yuan smiled faintly, entirely unruffled.