"Am I going to die here today?" He Feng Yang couldn't help but have this thought cross his mind.
But just at this critical moment, the desolate beast, the Nine Palace Crane beneath his feet, suddenly let out a clear cry and flipped over violently.
As a result, He Feng Yang was thrown off, and the Nine Palace Crane blocked itself in front of the assassinating Gu Immortal.
Splorch.
With a soft sound, the dagger-shaped Immortal Gu plunged deeply into the chest of the Nine Palace Crane.
"Hm?" A flicker of surprise flashed across the face of the third Gu Immortal.
He had originally thought that disturbing He Feng Yang would be enough to affect the Nine Palace Crane. After all, He Feng Yang was a Slave Path Gu Immortal who had enslaved the Nine Palace Crane. If he was disrupted, the crane would no longer be a concern.
He had used several Emotion Path killer moves to severely disrupt He Feng Yang, but he hadn't expected that at the final moment, the Nine Palace Crane would actually protect its master on its own.
"Xiao Jiu!" He Feng Yang cried out in anguish as he fell, tears streaming down his face at the sight of the Nine Palace Crane suffering.
He had nurtured this Nine Palace Crane meticulously and had never used any method to enslave it.
When he was young, on an external mission, he was brutally hunted down, his life hanging by a thread, when he unexpectedly encountered the Nine Palace Crane, which was similarly severely injured.
After a series of coincidences and accidents, he and the Nine Palace Crane supported each other and managed to escape their predicament.
The Nine Palace Crane was on the verge of death. He Feng Yang brought it back to his sect, exhausted his entire fortune, and barely managed to sustain a sliver of the crane's life force.
For the following decades, He Feng Yang braved countless dangers, earning money bit by bit to treat the Nine Palace Crane, slowly pulling it back from the brink of death.
Thus, a profound bond was formed between the man and the crane, deeper than that of brothers.
Later, due to an unforeseen event, He Feng Yang, who was merely a rank five Gu Master, failed his mission and was severely injured. The resources he had on him were only enough to save one person: if he saved the crane, he would die; if he saved himself, the crane would have no chance of surviving.
At such a critical juncture, He Feng Yang deliberated for three days and three nights before finally deciding to sacrifice himself to save the crane!
This act of his drew a sigh of admiration from the Supreme Elder Hu Mo Shangren, who intervened to save both He Feng Yang and the Nine Palace Crane.
Later, fulfilling expectations, He Feng Yang became a Gu Immortal and aligned himself with Hu Mo Shangren's faction.
The Nine Palace Crane let out a mournful screech as its massive, slender body was enveloped in a layer of grey light. Within the grey light, its size rapidly shrank, experiencing a reverse growth, regressing from an adult into a youth, and then into a chick.
This was the power of an Immortal Gu!
The dagger-shaped Immortal Gu was actually a Time Path Immortal Gu, capable of reverting the target's body to a much younger state.
"Retreat. Don't betray the good intentions of your friend," Tiger Demon sighed angrily from within the Immortal Aperture.
"Xiao Jiu!" He Feng Yang roared, ignoring Tiger Demon's angry dissuasion, and turned back to attack.
The hem of his robe fluttered, transforming into a cloak of crane feathers. His eyes widened, blazing with blood-red light, and his long verdant brows danced wildly, moving as agilely as snakes or dragons.
The mysterious Gu Immortals looked shocked.
He Feng Yang had clearly just had the chance to escape, yet they never expected him to turn back and attack!
He was a Slave Path Gu Immortal!
He Feng Yang raised his palms, then pushed forward sharply, unleashing a surging wave of emerald green lightning.
The mysterious Gu Immortal let out a cold snort, raised his dagger, and valiantly clashed with him, simultaneously activating his Emotion Path killer move to affect He Feng Yang's emotions.
But He Feng Yang's heart was filled with rage, and the killer move could not affect him.
Boom!
Amidst the loud explosion, the mysterious Gu Immortal was sent flying backward. He Feng Yang's body shuddered violently, and he spat out a mouthful of blood. Forcing himself to stay alert, he reached out and snatched the infant Nine Palace Crane.
"Xiao Jiu!" Clutching the Nine Palace Crane in his arms, He Feng Yang turned and fled without any further intention of staying.
The Nine Palace Crane had shrunk to the size of a white goose and was gently chirping in He Feng Yang's arms.
The Emotion Path Gu Immortal was left behind, having fallen too far behind to catch up.
The other two mysterious Gu Immortals withdrew from the hunting ground and rushed over.
"Sigh, he got away after all!" the Wind Path Gu Immortal lamented.
"This guy is clearly a Slave Path Gu Immortal, yet he's not weak in close combat. That emerald thunder killer move just now… it felt somehow familiar, as if it reminds me of something…" the Emotion Path Gu Immortal said.