Fang Yuan had been using his Breath Concealment Gu, suppressing his aura as much as possible. Now that he made his move, his true aura erupted forth.
Coupled with the fact that Tie Ruonan and the others had assumed from the start that Fang Yuan was only at the Fourth Transformation Initial Stage, all seven members of the Tie Family were momentarily stunned.
"Fourth Transformation Middle Stage! This Little Beast King is so young, yet he's surpassed our young master Ruonan!"
"Fourth Transformation Middle Stage — no wonder he's so arrogant."
"So what if he's at Fourth Transformation Middle Stage? He actually dares to come after us? He's asking for death!"
……
A flurry of thoughts spun through the minds of the Tie Family members.
Bang!
A muffled impact. Tie Baxiu surged forward from the group, meeting Fang Yuan's fists with his own in midair — a head-on clash.
Tie Baxiu landed steadily on the ground, while Fang Yuan was sent flying backward.
"Fang Zheng, you think you can take us on by yourself? I know you want to rescue your companion Bai Ningbing, but you'd better think twice. Rescuing someone isn't something you can brute-force. If you stop now, there's still time. If you keep going, it means a true rupture and enmity with our Tie Family! In that case, your companion's life won't be guaranteed." Tie Baxiu's words sounded earnest and well-meaning, but in reality he was trying to break Fang Yuan's fighting spirit. After all, there was no substitute for experience.
"Heh heh heh." Fang Yuan let out three light laughs, his gaze fixed on Tie Baxiu and the others, killing intent clearly visible in his eyes. "What is the Tie Family, exactly? So what if we're enemies? If I really can't save Bai Ningbing, then she can only blame her own bad luck. Either way, I've done my best."
These words were so cold and ruthless that all seven members of the Tie Family felt a chill run through them.
Fang Yuan's eyes shifted to Tie Aokai. "You over there — stop scouting. There's only me. Honestly, the route you chose is excellent — very well-hidden. Perfect for me to kill you all."
Hearing this, Tie Baxiu's expression turned completely grim.
"Fang Zheng, you're seeking your own death!"
"Death?" Fang Yuan threw his head back and laughed uproariously, wanton and unrestrained.
"Has this man lost his mind?"
"Has the Little Beast King fallen into qi deviation? Has he lost control of his temperament?"
"All Demonic Path cultivators are madmen like this!"
The Tie Family members watched the wildly laughing Fang Yuan, each finding the situation troublesome.
The fierce fear the bold, and the bold fear those who don't value their own lives. Even though there were seven of them and Fang Yuan stood alone, the Tie Family members still felt apprehension.
This kind of madman who didn't care about his own life — what wouldn't he do?
Fang Yuan's laughter suddenly cut off. He stamped his foot. With a thunderous boom, like a fierce tiger descending the mountain, he charged once more.
"Fight!" Tie Ruonan's expression was solemn as she gave the low command, knowing this battle had become unavoidable.
Tie Baxiu fell back to stand beside Tie Ruonan. Tie Daoku and Tie Xianhua moved up together to meet the charge. Tie Aokai circled to the flank.
The formation instantly loosened, as if a drawstring bag had suddenly been pulled wide open — a display of the Tie Family's superb tactical coordination.
Rampage Gu!
Fang Yuan charged like a wild bull, trampling everything in his path. The mountain rock crumbled beneath his feet. His momentum was fearsome as he plunged without hesitation into the Tie Family's "bag."
"Little Beast King, you're far too contemptuous!" Tie Xianhua cried out in fury. Her right hand's five fingers spread wide.
With a soft pop, a massive black-gold lotus bloomed instantly in her palm.
The lotus opened fully, its enormous petals curving downward in an arc, like the canopy of an umbrella. A verdant green stem shot upward, reaching over an arm's length in the blink of an eye — becoming the umbrella's handle.
Tie Xianhua reached out with her left hand, plucked the lotus from her right palm, then hoisted the green stem and thrust it toward Fang Yuan.
Umbrella Lotus Gu!
Tie Xianhua was petite in stature, but the umbrella lotus was enormous, completely covering her and serving as a shield that protected her firmly.
Fang Yuan let out a cold laugh. A white elephant materialized above his head.
Beast Force Phantom — the strength of an elephant!
Bang!
Without any surprise, Tie Xianhua, who stood blocking Fang Yuan's path, was sent cleanly flying.
She soared a full ten feet through the air, like a leaf swept up by the wind.
"What tremendous force!" She clenched her teeth, enduring the searing pain from the impact, and twisted her body mid-air, swiftly regaining her balance before her feet touched the ground.
But the expected follow-up strike never came. Fang Yuan had ignored her entirely, charging straight for Tie Ruonan.
"Damn it — he's going after the young master!"
"We have to stop him! Protect the young master!"
Fang Yuan's target was Tie Ruonan, and his move ignited the battle spirit and killing intent of everyone around him.
Tie Ruonan knelt on one knee, both hands pressed to the ground. From the very start of the battle, she had been creating puppets.
Around her, grass and plants were growing wildly.
The once-weak blades of grass at her feet had shot up to the height of a person. Dozens of giant stalks twisted and wove together in an emerald glow, forming a Straw Man Puppet.
Straw Puppet Gu!
Fang Yuan had seen the First Transformation Straw Puppet Gu back at Qing Mao Mountain. The Academy had once used them as targets for practicing the Moon Blade.
A First Transformation Straw Puppet Gu posed no threat, but at the Second Transformation, it could easily kill an ordinary hunter. And what Tie Ruonan was using now was a Third Transformation Straw Puppet Gu.
The Straw Man Puppet she created was short and stocky, its grass blades tightly woven together. In one hand it held a bamboo-slat greatsword; in the other, a rattan-armored shield.
These were Rattan-armored Grass Soldiers! They possessed the combat power to slay a First Transformation Gu Master!
A single Rattan-armored Grass Soldier posed no threat to Fang Yuan. But when there were many of them, such things became troublesome.
Rattan-armored Grass Soldiers were frequently used as cannon fodder, designed to drain an opposing Gu Master's True Essence. More critically, over a dozen of them could combine under the power of a Fourth Transformation Gu to form a Fourth Transformation Grass Sword Elite Soldier.