Seeing Chang Biao enter the battlefield, the Ma family also dispatched a female powerhouse.
Her name was Xi Xue, a peak Fourth Transformation cultivator and renowned Ice Path expert. She possessed a Fifth Transformation Man Tian Fei Xue Gu — once activated, it unleashed a violent flurry of goose-feather snow that transformed everything within several thousand steps into a frigid ice domain.
When Chang Biao saw her, he thought bitterly, "This is trouble."
Even at his peak condition, he would have to tread carefully against this woman. Now, burdened with injuries, he stood no chance.
The two clashed. Xi Xue's attacks were fierce and relentless, while Chang Biao relied primarily on evasion and stalling. As a result, he was inevitably forced onto the defensive.
The great battle continued. As time wore on, Fourth Transformation Gu Masters fell one after another — some retreating wounded, others killed outright by their enemies.
Both sides suffered casualties. Overall, the battle maintained a rough equilibrium.
Gradually, the number of Fourth Transformation Gu Masters in both royal tents dwindled, too few to deploy any further.
"Patriarch Gu, I must ask for your strength at this moment." Hei Loulan turned his gaze toward a figure who had been seated motionlessly in the royal tent.
Gu Guolong, Patriarch of the Gu family, was an Earth Path Gu Master who had once piled stone into mountains, causing enormous trouble for the Hei family army. At one point, he had even made Hei Loulan consider withdrawing entirely. But ultimately, the arrival of Tai Bai Yun Sheng secured victory for the Hei family, and the Gu family, as the defeated party, was absorbed into the Hei family army.
When Gu Guolong stepped onto the battlefield, the Ma family army was shaken.
This was the first deployment of a Fifth Transformation powerhouse. Ma Shangfeng responded immediately, sending out Patriarch Cheng Long of the Cheng family.
He was a Fifth Transformation Transformation Path expert — Cheng Hu's elder brother.
Seeing Cheng Long take the field, Gu Guolong offered a slight bow and said courteously, "So it is Patriarch Cheng. Please, grace me with your guidance."
Cheng Long chuckled. "I wouldn't dare offer guidance to Patriarch Gu. Let us simply exchange a few moves."
The two clashed with overwhelming momentum, instantly drawing all eyes upon them.
Gu Guolong was both offensive and defensive — sturdy and unshakable. Cheng Long, on the other hand, soared through the air with ease, fierce yet composed.
After twelve exchanges, Hei Loulan dispatched another Fifth Transformation powerhouse — Luo Bojun.
Luo Bojun had originally defected to Liu Wenwu. But after the Liu family's defeat at the hands of the Hei family, he became one of the high-ranking figures in the Hei family army.
The Ma family immediately sent a Fifth Transformation expert of their own to answer the challenge.
In terms of Fifth Transformation lineup, the Ma family was far from inferior. Before this, the Nur army had absorbed the Tao family. The Yang family had defeated the Nur, and the Yelu then defeated the Yang, but ultimately the Ma family broke the Yelu army and emerged as the final victor. Through this chain of battles, the Ma family army had accumulated numerous large tribes — including the Qilian, Cheng, Zhao, Lü, Tao, and Yang families, among other formidable powers.
Moreover, they possessed three Beast Path grandmasters: Jiang Baoya, Yang Poying, and Ma Zun!
Most Fifth Transformation Gu Masters held high positions of authority. Their tone and bearing were far more composed and affable compared to the killing intent radiating from the Fourth Transformation Gu Masters. When they fought, they still held back a measure of their strength and preserved a degree of face.
Should any of them fall, their tribes would be left leaderless and swallowed by either the Hei or Ma family.
Though they stood on opposing sides, their true concern lay with their own tribes' interests. Even bound by blood oath pacts, an unspoken code of conduct prevailed among them.
Fang Yuan sat in perfect composure, watching quietly.
Though he had only displayed peak Fourth Transformation cultivation, he was in fact a Beast Path grandmaster — a key figure capable of influencing the outcome of the battle. His status was therefore special, even elevated above those Fifth Transformation patriarchs.
"Immortal Venerable Ju Yang truly had grand vision and brilliant strategy!" Participating personally in the Royal Court Contest filled Fang Yuan with ever-deepening admiration.
Immortal Venerable Ju Yang had left behind legacies for future generations, established the Eighty-Eight True Yang Building, and instituted the tradition of the "Royal Court Contest" — all reflecting exquisite foresight and painstaking effort.
Setting aside the Eighty-Eight True Yang Building, the Royal Court Contest alone served as a purification each time it was held. The golden tribes absorbed other clans, strengthening themselves.
At the same time, the concentration of resources created a booming war economy of merit-based wealth — a form of distorted prosperity. War reparations facilitated technological exchange, greatly deepening the foundations of the golden tribes.
Most crucially, it was survival of the fittest. Gu Masters were pushed to the brink of life and death, sparking reflection and driving them to strive for greatness, becoming true powerhouses. It served as a filter, selecting the seeds of Gu Immortals for the golden tribes.
Immortal Venerable Ju Yang, though no longer among the living, still ruled the entire Northern Plains through his enduring influence.
"Compared to an Immortal Venerable, I am as small as an ant. But thanks to this Royal Court Contest, my strength has surged forward at a pace otherwise impossible..."
His thoughts drifting, Fang Yuan quietly turned his mind inward, directing his spiritual consciousness into his Empty Orifice.
Inside the Empty Orifice, several new Gu Insects had appeared — most at the Fourth Transformation level, one at the Third Transformation, and among them a Fifth Transformation Xiu Luo Shi Gu and a Fifth Transformation Tu Ba Wang Gu.
Ever since gaining inspiration from the "Three Heads, Six Arms" killer move, Fang Yuan had combined his own foundation with his visions to produce a handful of results.
He then consolidated these results into a single killer move of his own design, which he named — Four Arms Earth King!
Once he activated this killer move, a pair of entirely new arms would sprout from both sides of his body. With all four arms deployed, his combat power would skyrocket, rivaling the Liu brothers' "Three Heads, Six Arms" ultimate technique!
"However, compared to Three Heads, Six Arms, my Four Arms Earth King form can only be maintained for a shorter duration. It can only unleash its full power when my feet are planted on solid ground. The moment I take to the air, my combat strength drops by half."
This killer move was still in its nascent stage, far from complete. It would require testing through actual combat — adding new Gu Insects, replacing unnecessary old ones, or removing them outright. Only through such refinement could the killer move be gradually perfected.
The sun climbed higher, but in the approach of the blizzard disaster, even the ordinarily fierce and blazing sunlight appeared cold and feeble.
On the battlefield, killing intent surged to a boiling point, accumulating toward its peak.
Dozens of battle circles erupted with dazzling bursts of multicolored flames, their clashes deadlocked and fierce.
Inside the Hei family royal tent, the Gu Masters who remained were few — either engaged in combat, withdrawn to recuperate, or simply dead on the battlefield.
But overall, the Hei family still held a slight advantage.
Throughout the conflict, Hei Loulan had received substantial support from the two Gu Immortals Hei Bai and Hei Cheng. The Ma family, by contrast, had only sought aid from Xue Song Zi at this decisive battle.
"Hmph. These Ma family bastards are awfully tough!" Hei Loulan snorted coldly, his gaze savage. He was growing increasingly impatient.
His eyes turned toward Fang Yuan, and he was about to speak when three waves of beast packs charged out from the Ma family formation.
On the left, ten thousand horses thundered forward, their hooves pounding the earth like rumbling drums!