Eight desolate beasts charged in, surrounding He Fengyang and Fairy Cang Yu on all sides.
"It's all true." Fairy Cang Yu possessed an exceptionally powerful scouting killer move. After surveying the beasts, her delicate face turned a shade paler.
He Fengyang looked around and saw—
To the east stood an Ice Thorn Divine Ape, its body only slightly smaller than Soul Searching Mountain. Frost radiated from it everywhere, leaving a pristine white trail of ice and frost along the path it had traveled. Its entire body was covered in fur that resembled layers of icicles spread across its surface, projecting a sense of oppression upon the two immortals. Its eyes had jade-green whites with frost-blue pupils. This indicated that the ape carried a dense concentration of ancient bloodline. Were both the whites and pupils entirely frost-blue, it would be the ancient desolate beast Ice Waterfall Divine Ape, whose combat power could rival that of a Seventh Transformation Gu Immortal.
To the west hovered a Phoenix Feather Molten Lava Crocodile in midair. The crocodile was only two to three times the size of an ordinary one—nowhere near as massive as the Ice Thorn Divine Ape—but its aura was overwhelming. Each breath it drew sent waves of scorching heat rippling outward. Its crocodile armor was thick and deep, brownish-red in color, and its elongated tail stretched over two zhang. The tail bore no scales; instead, it was adorned with phoenix feathers, gorgeous and multihued, like living flames.
To the north stood proudly a Golden Sand Dark Steed. This horse was enormous, standing as tall as the Ice Thorn Divine Ape's chest. It had six hooves that looked as if forged from metal, muscles bulging with power, its frame as agile as a dragon. Its entire body shimmered with a dark golden luster, save for its six hooves, which were deep, abyssal black.
To the south coiled an Azure Dragon Vine. This vine was not a beast but a plant. Its tendrils had solidified into the shape of a long dragon, and when its roots were planted in the earth, its defensive power and regenerative abilities were astonishingly high, making it supremely suited for prolonged battles. If its roots were drawn out, it could soar through the sky like a true Azure Dragon.
To the southeast crouched a Swamp Crab—the sovereign of the marshlands. Its mountainous, majestic body propped itself up to a height reaching one-quarter of Soul Searching Mountain. Its eyes had degenerated to nothing, and its thick, heavy shell gave He Fengyang the frustrating feeling of staring at a tortoise. It had nineteen pairs of pincers in total, and the first pair in particular could snap through mountain stone with the lightest squeeze, sever dragons and tigers. Even Fang Yuan's immortal zombie body would not dare test the power of those claws.
To the northeast sat a Peach Wolf. This wolf was the smallest of all, resembling a newborn puppy. It looked incredibly docile and cute—round and plump, with fleshy paws, a pink little tongue, and dark round eyes. It appeared utterly harmless, but He Fengyang's pupils contracted. If forced to choose a breakout direction, he would reject this one first!
To the northwest circled an Iron Crown Eagle. The eagle soared overhead, its fierce and imposing aura pressing down on them. Its pair of eagle eyes were locked tightly onto He Fengyang and Fairy Cang Yu. Its wings were broad and heavy, each feather capable of being launched like a sharp arrow. Its talons were hard and grotesque; a single grasp could crush rock and tear apart dragons and tigers.
Finally, to the southwest stood an Earth Dominator desolate beast. It had a human torso and a snake's tail, a bat-like face, an upturned nose, and large ears that caught the wind. Its entire body was pitch-black and covered in fleshy armor. From its chest—front, back, left, and right—sprouted fifty or sixty fleshy whips, each over six zhang long. The surface of these whips was studded with suction cups; once ensnared, escape was virtually impossible. At the tips of the whips were chrysanthemum-like spray nozzles that could eject a milky-white liquid at critical moments. This liquid was intensely corrosive and harbored numerous parasitic microorganisms capable of burrowing directly into a person's pores, entering their body, and wreaking destruction from within.
All eight desolate beasts had been borrowed by Fang Yuan from the Langya Earth Spirit.
More precisely, Fang Yuan had directly borrowed the Langya Earth Spirit's Seventh Transformation Beast-Controlling Gu. This immortal gu could command any wild beast, exotic beast, Beast King, Beast Emperor, desolate beast, or ancient desolate beast under heaven.
A desolate beast could fight a Sixth Transformation Gu Immortal, and the unknown wild gu parasites clinging to them made them even more troublesome to deal with.
The eight desolate beasts surrounded He Fengyang and Fairy Cang Yu, watching them like prey.
Both were silent, their earlier relaxed composure gone entirely.
He Fengyang once again turned his grave gaze toward the peak of Soul Searching Mountain. Compared to the eight desolate beasts, the real threat still lay with Fang Yuan and his companions.
After all, desolate beasts could barely employ killer moves, but Gu Immortals possessed ample intelligence to both use and develop them.
He Fengyang's heart sank. Forcing himself to remain calm, he called out to Fang Yuan: "Who exactly are you?"
Fang Yuan and his three companions—apart from Fang Yuan himself, the remaining three all wore masks. Hei Loulan wore a black bear mask, Fairy Li Shan wore a green bird mask, and Tai Bai Yun Sheng wore a deer-head mask. All three were shrouded in a layer of light that concealed their true faces, blocking the probing of He Fengyang and Fairy Cang Yu.
Fang Yuan chuckled lightly. "Before you ask about our identities, shouldn't the two of you introduce yourselves first?"
He Fengyang paused for a moment and exchanged a glance with Fairy Li Shan. Both detected the bitterness in each other's eyes.
They had originally believed this trip would be a walk in the park. Even in their worst-case scenario, they had only anticipated that their opponents might possess the combat strength of a single Gu Immortal. But they never expected the other side to be this powerful!
Because of this, they had previously maintained an arrogant attitude, pressuring the other party to surrender without ever bothering to introduce themselves.
"My name is He Fengyang, a Sixth Transformation slave-path Gu Immortal of the Immortal Crane Sect."
"This humble girl is Cang Yu, a Sixth Transformation water-path Gu Immortal of the Immortal Crane Sect."
The two immortals spoke one after another, their manner no longer the lofty condescension from before. They even referred to themselves humbly—one using the modest first person, the other calling herself "this humble girl."
Those who recognize the times are heroes. Anyone capable of becoming a Gu Immortal was already among the elite of the elite. Now that Fang Yuan was pressing them so forcefully, He Fengyang and Fairy Cang Yu promptly shifted their attitudes and bowed their proud heads.
Although defeating a Gu Immortal was easy while killing one was hard, and He Fengyang possessed the World Expansion Immortal Gu—capable of tearing through the Fox Immortal's blessed land to make a direct escape—they did not know Fang Yuan's true capabilities. If Fang Yuan possessed an immortal gu specifically tailored to counter his escape, things would turn ugly.
"So it's Brother He and Fairy Cang Yu." Fang Yuan's tone remained courteous throughout. "I am Fang Yuan. Welcome to my blessed land as guests."
To He Fengyang and Fairy Cang Yu's ears, these words sounded rather grating, carrying a note of mockery.
He Fengyang felt a surge of stifled anger.
He had clearly been asking for their true identities, but Fang Yuan played dumb, gave an irrelevant answer, and merely offered his own name.
His name—who in the Ten Great Sects of the Central Continent didn't know it by now?
Fang Yuan deliberately sidestepped the question, and being in the weaker position, He Fengyang didn't dare press further.