Standing atop the back of the double-headed rhinoceros, the two powerhouses—Shadow Swordmaster and Fei Dian—scanned the surroundings.
The battlefield was a chaotic mess. Of the dozen or so battles between Fourth Transformation Gu Masters, three had already been decided. The Hei family had won two, while the Dongfang tribe had won one.
Several elite units were still locked in combat with one another. Due to Dongfang Yuliang's earlier scheming, the Hei family was at a slight disadvantage in this regard.
The wolf packs, crocodile swarms, crab swarms, and bat swarms were also locked in stalemate.
Fang Yuan had vanished without a trace, hidden in some unknown corner.
Bian Sixuan and Dong Pokong had failed to find him, their faces growing even darker with frustration.
Dongfang Yuliang quickly accepted this setback. He let out a hearty laugh. "Now this is getting interesting, but I had already anticipated this. As long as the Wolf King continues commanding the wolf pack, his soul fluctuations cannot be concealed. Sooner or later, I will find his location. Hei Lou Lan, your defeat has merely been postponed."
"Hahaha." Hei Lou Lan threw his head back and laughed, his voice filled with utter disdain. "Dongfang brat, you really think you have me cornered?"
As he spoke, the skin across his entire body turned pitch black as the night. At the same time, billowing black smoke began rising from every pore.
The black smoke roiled and surged, quickly enveloping his entire form.
In a matter of moments, Hei Lou Lan transformed into a humanoid mass of black smoke. The smoke curled and drifted, and from the outside, all one could see was a pair of blood-red, ravenous eyes.
A powerful sense of foreboding instantly surged through Dongfang Yuliang's heart.
The thought of retreat flashed through his mind immediately.
But although Cloud Vortex could suppress Dark Whirlpool and restrain Hei Lou Lan, on the other hand, wasn't it equally true that Dark Whirlpool had been tying down Cloud Vortex?
In the next instant, the black smoke that Hei Lou Lan had transformed into poured entirely into the Dark Whirlpool.
"This is bad!" A bone-chilling terror seized Dongfang Yuliang.
But it was already too late.
The massive black sphere, as large as a small hill, had been slowly devoured mouthful by mouthful by Cloud Vortex. But now, Dark Whirlpool contracted once more.
Cloud Vortex couldn't react in time and hastily followed suit, contracting inward.
But in the next instant, Dark Whirlpool violently expanded.
"No, rather than calling it an expansion, it's more like—an explosion!" Dongfang Yuliang's expression changed dramatically.
Without any sound whatsoever, this was a silent, colossal detonation.
Cloud Vortex held on for only three breaths before being burst apart by Dark Whirlpool. The dark sphere kept expanding like a prehistoric colossus, opening its vast maw to devour everything—men and beasts alike.
Not until the entire battlefield spanning ten li in every direction was covered did the hemispherical dark sphere abruptly vanish.
There were no shockwaves from a conventional explosion, nor any blast of air. This bizarre and overwhelming detonation possessed a corrosive might—a sinister venom that dissolved everything.
After Dark Whirlpool dissipated, the battlefield spanning ten li had been completely cleared. Only Hei Lou Lan remained hovering in midair, and Dongfang Yuliang in the depths of a crater below.
Everyone else had been corroded into nothingness by Dark Whirlpool's self-detonation!
Hei Lou Lan gazed down at Dongfang Yuliang below his feet. He was panting heavily, utterly exhausted, his entire body drenched in dark red blood.
But at the corners of his mouth, a wild and savage grin had formed.
"Hahaha! Dongfang Yuliang, if you were able to devise a killing move like Cloud Vortex to counter Dark Whirlpool, then of course I was able to improve upon my original technique! Well? How does the feast I carefully prepared for you taste? This has been my hidden card all along—not even my closest kin knew about it."
Hei Lou Lan roared with laughter, his voice echoing across the entire battlefield.
For a moment, his imposing aura overwhelmed everything around him. Even the Gu Masters engaged in battle couldn't help but turn their gazes toward him.
When they saw that Hei Lou Lan had gained the upper hand, the Hei family Gu Masters' morale soared. Conversely, the Dongfang tribe's Gu Masters felt immense pressure bearing down on them.
A general is the soul and courage of his soldiers. The clash between Hei Lou Lan and Dongfang Yuliang was critical—not merely a matter of personal life and death, but one that influenced the entire vast battlefield.
"Cough, cough, cough…"
Hei Lou Lan's wild laughter came to an abrupt halt as he violently coughed up several mouthfuls of black blood.
Though this technique was immensely powerful, it was a case of killing a thousand enemies while losing eight hundred of your own—a self-destructive move. Regardless of the outcome, once activated, the majority of the Gu Insects forming the Dark Whirlpool killing move would perish.
When the Gu Insects perished, the Gu Master would naturally suffer the backlash.
However, he had already made a huge profit.
Hei Lou Lan had not only broken free in one fell swoop and suppressed Dongfang Yuliang, but he had also killed Wei Xin, Jiang Wanshan, and E Xuanming, who had been linked through Three Hearts Combined Soul.
With these three dead, the mixed beast packs immediately lost their unified command and descended into fierce infighting. Just as Fang Yuan had predicted before, they collapsed without being attacked.
The scattered, wildly attacking mixed beast packs made the battlefield even more chaotic.
Dongfang Yuliang, his face grim and solemn, slowly rose into the air.
Hei Lou Lan had done an excellent job keeping this secret. Dongfang Yuliang hadn't possessed the slightest evidence—this improved killing move with such terrifying destructive power had completely exceeded his expectations.
In fact, he had secretly prepared escape methods for E Xuanming, Wei Xin, and Jiang Wanshan—means that could teleport the three directly from their positions to the rear of the battlefield.
But Hei Lou Lan had clearly added Space Path Gu Insects when he improved his Dark Whirlpool killing move. When Dark Whirlpool detonated, the surrounding space was locked down entirely, rendering Dongfang Yuliang's methods useless.
"Dongfang Yuliang, it's not too late to admit defeat now. Surrender, and I will let bygones be bygones, set aside all past grievances, and appoint you as my first strategist," Hei Lou Lan said, publicly offering to recruit Dongfang Yuliang.
Dongfang Yuliang let out a cold laugh.