"What?" Hearing Fang Yuan's words, Water Demon Hao Jiliu was instantly enraged.
Since he first made a name for himself, no one had ever dared to evaluate him like this. No one had ever shown him such contempt.
"Wolf King, you're too arrogant! Today I'll make you pay the price!!" Water Demon Hao Jiliu roared in fury, thrusting both palms forward.
Fourth Transformation — Waterfall Gu!
True Essence poured in wildly. Water vapor filled the air, then with a thunderous boom, a massive torrent of water materialized from thin air.
The current was incredibly violent, like a waterfall crashing down from a great height.
The silvery rushing water, carrying a fierce momentum, crashed brutally into the wolf pack.
In an instant, over a thousand wolves were killed or injured. The torrent swept outward, clearing everything around Hao Jiliu.
At the same time, the Yan family Gu Masters collectively activated a Gu Insect.
This was a Fifth Transformation Wind Barrier Gu, generating a massive gust of wind. The wind was like gauze, carrying wisps of green, enveloping everyone within.
When the wolf pack charged in, they were entirely blocked by the invisible wind. Many wild Gu attacks from the wolf kings struck the wind barrier and vanished without a trace, like stones dropped into the sea.
"How can this be?" On Moon Lake, Yan Cui'er — captured and held as a hostage — stared wide-eyed at the fierce battle unfolding on the shore before her.
She had never imagined things would develop this way. She, who had been at the center of everyone's contention, the focal point of the entire affair, had now become nothing more than a bystander.
The camel wolves kept retreating, carrying Fang Yuan further away from Water Demon Hao Jiliu.
"Foolish." Watching Water Demon Hao Jiliu who kept charging forward trying to close the distance, along with the Yan family members defending their position, Fang Yuan let out a cold laugh.
Water Demon Hao Jiliu plus Yan family patriarch Yan Tianji — that was two Fourth Transformation Gu Masters. And there were over ten Third Transformation Gu Masters among the Yan family's upper echelons. Their combined strength was formidable indeed.
But the strength of a Path of Domination Gu Master lay in the ability to face many opponents alone!
Back then, Chang Shanyin led his wolf pack to challenge opponents far above his level, slaying the Fifth Transformation Gu Master Ha Tugu and wiping out all of Ha Tugu's elite subordinates in one sweep.
Why?
Precisely because he was a Path of Domination Gu Master.
Now the wolf pack in Fang Yuan's hands had already taken shape and grown to a significant scale. With over thirty thousand wolves under his command, he had numerous Hundred Wolf Kings and Thousand Wolf Kings, along with one Night Wolf Ten Thousand Wolf King and a young mutant beast — the White-eyed Wolf.
Though this scale still couldn't compare to even half of Chang Shanyin's wolf pack at its peak, it was already enough to annihilate the combined forces of two or three Ge families!
Facing merely twenty-some Gu Masters now was like wielding a butcher's cleaver to slice chicken — utterly trivial.
Sure enough, after fighting for a short while, Water Demon Hao Jiliu was panting heavily, his charging momentum gradually subsiding.
He was tired!
"Damn it! This wolf-controlling art is so troublesome — and these are just Hundred Wolf Kings and Thousand Wolf Kings..." The look in Water Demon Hao Jiliu's eyes as he gazed at Fang Yuan had already changed.
It wasn't as if he had never fought Path of Domination Gu Masters before, but how could those he had encountered possibly compare to Fang Yuan?
"So this is the Wolf King's beast-controlling art... Being caught in it feels like sinking into a quagmire — the deeper you struggle, the deeper you sink!" Water Demon Hao Jiliu parried the wolves' relentless assault, a cold dread settling in his heart.
Sparing a thread of consciousness to probe his own Empty Orifice, Hao Jiliu secretly groaned.
That fierce charge just now, unleashing his ultimate techniques repeatedly to blast open a path, had drained his True Essence severely. His Empty Orifice now held less than half of its peak capacity.
Once True Essence was completely depleted, a Gu Master's combat strength would plummet to rock bottom.
Hao Jiliu, thinking long-term, had no choice but to rein in his offensive. In doing so, his charging momentum vanished entirely, and he was surrounded on all sides by the wolf pack.
"Water Demon Hao Jiliu. Fourth Transformation Gu Master. Uses Water Path Gu Insects. His attacks are vast and overwhelming, excelling at fighting many opponents at once. In his early years, he roamed the Northern Plains committing crimes repeatedly, his reputation utterly vile... He captured Yan Cui'er and successfully extorted the Yan family, then attended the Heroes Assembly, presenting Yan Cui'er to Hei Loulan. Hei Loulan was delighted and entrusted him with important responsibilities. After entering the Royal Court Blessed Land, rewards were distributed according to merit, and Hao Jiliu was ranked as Hei Loulan's third elite warrior."
Fang Yuan recalled the relevant memories, his gaze deep and unfathomable.
In his previous life five hundred years ago, this Hao Jiliu had also been a notable figure. After remaining active for ** years, he too was slain by Chang Shanyin.
"A vast offensive usually means massive True Essence consumption. Hao Jiliu is no longer a concern. Right about now, he's probably secretly plotting his escape route. He's skilled at fleeing through water — it won't be easy to keep him here today. After all, I have far too few water wolves. But my primary target isn't him anyway. It's the Yan family Gu Masters."
Fang Yuan shifted his gaze toward the Yan family members.
The Yan family Gu Masters were famous across the Northern Plains for their defensive skills. Sure enough, these Gu Masters defended impeccably. The Fifth Transformation Wind Barrier Gu was practically a turtle shell, firmly protecting everyone within.
"Hmph, these Yan family people are truly naive. Surrounded and besieged, yet still harboring thoughts of conserving strength and watching tigers fight from the mountain. No wonder history's evaluation of Yan Tianji said he was excessive in caution but lacking in initiative. Since they want to stall for time, that suits me perfectly." Fang Yuan sneered inwardly, deliberately slowing the wolf pack's offensive.