At that moment, on the small island at the center of the lake, a group from the Heavenly Envy Tower found themselves trapped, their path cut off.
Before their eyes, the lake churned with rolling waves, towering surges of water surging up, vast and perilous.
The five Gu Masters of the Heavenly Envy Tower all wore furrowed brows, staring at the lake surface with a mix of anger and helplessness.
Through the water, they could even make out a massive creature's body wandering madly in the depths below.
Every flick of the fish's tail whipped up violent undercurrents and sent mountainous waves crashing skyward.
Sometimes, the enormous, solid fish head would slam right into the base of the small island.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Each impact from the Dragon Fish unleashed a thunderous roar, and the island beneath their feet trembled violently over and over.
The Desolate Beast Dragon Fish was naturally gentle-tempered and rarely went berserk.
But the previous Gu Master team from the Ancient Soul Gate had used some technique to drive this Desolate Beast into a frenzied, maddened rage, stripping it of all reason and its true nature.
The Gu Masters of the Heavenly Envy Tower, though they had abilities like walking on water and traversing mountains and rivers, were mortals after all, with limited True Essence. Under these circumstances, it was an insurmountable barrier—there was simply no way across.
"The Ancient Soul Gate actually managed to influence the Desolate Beast Dragon Fish—they must have used an Immortal-level method given to them by their sect! We of the Heavenly Envy Tower are also one of the Ten Great Ancient Sects—we absolutely cannot lose to the Ancient Soul Gate. Elder Zhu Ning, let's use our Immortal-level method too!"
Just as they were at their wits' end, one of the Heavenly Envy Tower's Gu Masters couldn't help but make the suggestion.
At the mention of Immortal-level methods, the others' expressions brightened, their eyes lighting up.
But Elder Zhu Ning, the one who actually held the method, furrowed his brow and let out a bitter sigh: "If I could use an Immortal-level method, I would have done so long ago. Why would I have waited until now?"
He then explained his predicament to everyone.
It turned out that before this trip, a Supreme Elder of the sect had entrusted Zhu Ning with a single Immortal Gu and a supply of Immortal Yuan.
Unfortunately, this Immortal Gu was only useful for defense. Employing it here to deal with the Dragon Fish problem simply wasn't suitable.
"The sect entrusted you with an Immortal Gu?"
"What does an Immortal Gu even look like? I've never seen one!"
"Hurry, take it out and let us have a look!"
Zhu Ning's frank admission sparked intense curiosity among the group. For the moment, they all forgot about the problem in front of them, each wanting a glimpse of the Immortal Gu's magnificence.
Zhu Ning let out another wry smile: "To be honest with you all, I only caught a brief glimpse of this Immortal Gu before the Supreme Elder implanted it inside my body. Even I don't know where exactly it resides within me, let alone take it out."
Everyone was greatly disappointed. Sighs and groans filled the air.
Only Wei Wushang's eyes blazed with light as he said longingly, "If only one day I could have my own Immortal Gu—that would be wonderful!"
The other four senior Gu Masters looked at Wei Wushang's expression and either shook their heads or smiled bitterly.
Wei Wushang was still too young.
It was natural for young people to dream.
But only with enough experience—like these four veteran Gu Masters—would one understand the gap between reality and dreams.
Who wouldn't want their own Immortal Gu? Who wouldn't want to become a lofty Immortal?
But the divide between mortals and immortals was like an insurmountable chasm. Brutal reality had worn away countless youths' prime and shattered countless dreams.
How many could truly achieve immortality?
Their leader Zhu Ning sighed: "There's nothing to be done right now but wait. We'll have to wait for the Dragon Fish to calm down before we can set off."
"But if we do that, all the good treasures will be snatched up by the other nine sects. All that'll be left for us are scraps!" a worried Gu Master said.
"What other choice is there?" Zhu Ning shook his head, but didn't forget to rally their spirits. "Still, this isn't entirely a bad thing. Let them rush in to fight and scramble among themselves. We can use this time to conserve our strength. Immortal Gu may be devastatingly powerful, but they require corresponding Immortal Yuan to activate. Immortal Yuan is finite—let them burn through it on each other. By the later stages, the strength we've preserved will actually be greater."
At these words, everyone's expression softened slightly, and the morale they had lost began to recover.
"However, there is one thing I must seriously remind you of." Zhu Ning's face turned grave. "No matter how strong the strength we preserve, there are two groups of people we should avoid provoking at all costs. One is Feng Jinhuang of the Spirit Affinity Hall, and the other is Fang Yuan of the Immortal Crane Sect."
"Why? Feng Jinhuang and Fang Yuan may be outstanding among our generation, but they're still just one person each. All ten of our sects have five people each, and our respective Immortal-level methods are mysterious and unpredictable. Why should we be afraid of just the two of them?" Wei Wushang wasn't fully aware of the inside story and challenged this with some dissatisfaction.
"That's because you don't understand the full picture." Zhu Ning's gaze was solemn as he swept it across the four Gu Masters around him, speaking in a deep voice. "I only learned this shocking news from the sect right before we set out. Feng Jinhuang was born of incredibly noble blood—both of her parents are Gu Immortals, and they're among the most powerful of that realm. Imagine how terrifying the Immortal-level methods on someone like that must be!"
"So that's how it is!" Wei Wushang was stunned.
The others likewise showed expressions of shock.
Zhu Ning continued: "However, compared to Feng Jinhuang, that Fang Yuan is even more terrifying!"
"Is his background even more noble than Feng Jinhuang's?" the others asked in disbelief.
Zhu Ning frowned: "I don't know the exact details either. But the sect specifically warned me—Fang Yuan is far more dangerous than Feng Jinhuang. If you encounter him, retreat immediately. Under no circumstances should you try to compete with him."
"Fang Yuan may be the number-one genius of our generation, but surely he can't be that terrifying?" Wei Wushang said skeptically.
"Could it be that he possesses an Immortal-level method from the Immortal Crane Sect that's the strongest among all ten sects?" The other Gu Masters attempted to analyze.
Zhu Ning shook his head: "All I know is that the Immortal Crane Sect only sent Fang Yuan here alone this time. Think about what that implies."
"It seems the Immortal Crane Sect has great confidence in Fang Yuan—they believe he alone can handle all of us!"
"Arrogant! To look down on us like that…"
"The Immortal Crane Sect aren't fools. And our own sect also warned us to avoid Fang Yuan. There must be a reason. I think we should follow the sect's instructions."