However, Scorching Heaven Demoness was not a strength-path Gu Immortal, but rather specialized in flame path, and knew it would be difficult to withstand.
Her battle experience was extremely rich. The sacrifice of the flame bird had been highly valuable—Fang Yuan and the others had gleaned quite a bit of intelligence from it, and Scorching Heaven Demoness was no exception.
Flame-path killer move—Five-Finger Flame Chain!
In an instant, Scorching Heaven Demoness had already made the wisest choice.
Her body shot backward at full speed while her right palm opened wide. Five fingers transformed into five slender ribbons of flame—like whips, or perhaps chains—that lashed toward the one-finger stream shark to ensnare it.
The five flame chains were just about to wrap around the one-finger stream shark when, once again, the same phenomenon as before occurred.
Time around the one-finger stream shark's body abruptly slowed to a crawl.
The one-finger stream shark, as a time-path wild beast, relied on its monstrous adaptability and the deep time-path dao marks within its body, and so was comparatively less affected.
The five flame chains intertwined with one another. But the one-finger stream shark swayed its agile body and slipped through the narrow gaps, evading all of them with impossible grace.
Then it caught up to Scorching Heaven Demoness and pierced straight through her forehead.
The small shark's body, like a silver flying arrow, burst out from the back of Scorching Heaven Demoness's head!
"Did it work?" Su Baiman was both shocked and elated.
The Shark Demon's eyes blazed with fierce light, and he could barely contain himself from making a move.
Although an immortal zombie's body lacked the fatal weak points of ordinary Gu Immortals, it did have drawbacks. The brain was one of them.
An immortal zombie's original thought speed was already very slow, so they had to rely on wisdom-path Gu to generate thoughts within their minds to aid in thinking.
Scorching Heaven Demoness's mind had been pierced through. While not fatal, it was still an extremely severe injury.
"If the four of us seize this chance to rush in and attack…" Just as this thought stirred in the Shark Demon's mind, the one-finger stream shark abruptly reversed course and shot back like lightning, piercing through Scorching Heaven Demoness's chest once more.
A burst of yin fire burned, and in the blink of an eye, it restored the holes in Scorching Heaven Demoness's forehead and chest to their original state.
Seeing this scene, even Fang Yuan clicked his tongue in amazement. "What a formidable killer move. It can actually recover that quickly!"
Scorching Heaven Demoness clutched her chest and stared fixedly at the one-finger stream shark. Having suffered a devastating blow, she nonetheless smiled. "Heh heh heh, interesting! So it turns out there are three time-path immortal Gu. One immortal Gu can slow down time. One immortal Gu can accelerate time. And one immortal Gu can alter my perception of time."
Although she did not know exactly what the specific time-path immortal Gu were, nor what their ultimate limits of power might be, Scorching Heaven Demoness had managed to guess the general picture.
Earlier, when the one-finger stream shark had clashed with the flame bird and escaped the Five-Finger Flame Chain, it had used the first time-path immortal Gu to slow down time.
As for accelerating time, that was what the tap on the flame bird's nose had accomplished.
The flame bird could not sustain itself for very long. After one portion of it was tapped by the one-finger stream shark, the accelerated time brought it to the point of disintegration. Then the disintegration at that point of contact triggered the collapse of the flame bird's other parts, ultimately destroying its stable structure and causing the flame bird to self-destruct, nearly annihilating the surrounding sea for miles around.
Finally, when the one-finger stream shark pierced through Scorching Heaven Demoness's forehead and chest, it had used a time-path immortal Gu to influence Scorching Heaven Demoness's sense of time, causing her to be unable to dodge in time, which was how she took the hit.
The Shark Demon's brow furrowed deeply; he sensed that things were going badly.
On the one-finger stream shark's body, there were indeed only three distinct auras of immortal Gu.
In just a few exchanges, Scorching Heaven Demoness had already probed the one-finger stream shark's full capabilities.
It was a clear display of this Eighth Transformation Gu Immortal's extraordinarily powerful combat prowess.
At the same time, it also revealed the weakness of individual Gu compared to immortal path killer moves.
Gu insects had singular functions. Using a single immortal Gu in isolation would often allow opponents to figure out its secrets.
But deploying an immortal path killer move was a different matter entirely. The combination of countless Gu not only concealed the core immortal Gu, but also made it extremely difficult for the opponent to mount an effective response.
Just as the Shark Demon had feared, Scorching Heaven Demoness changed her tactics in the subsequent battle.
She split off five or six clones, each one lifelike and vivid. The one-finger stream shark ran itself ragged chasing them. Its attacks appeared devastating on the surface, but in reality it had already been driven in circles by these clones.
"A beast is a beast after all—its intelligence is lacking."
"If it had a scouting immortal Gu parasitizing its body, perhaps it could see through them. Unfortunately…"
"It looks like the outcome of this battle has already been decided. Scorching Heaven Demoness has taken the initiative."
Fang Yuan and Tai Bai Yun Sheng communicated via secret transmission, analyzing the situation.
It could be said that with the battle having progressed this far, there was no longer any suspense.
For the one-finger stream shark, the only real window of opportunity had been in the opening exchanges. If it had caught Scorching Heaven Demoness before she figured out its abilities, perhaps a wild barrage of attacks might have killed her.
But now that Scorching Heaven Demoness had uncovered its secrets and changed her tactics, the tide of battle had been immediately reversed.
Unless an outside force intervened, there were no more variables in this fight.
"The only outside forces right now are the Shark Demon and Su Baiman. But do the two of them truly have the courage to steel their hearts against an Eighth Transformation powerhouse?" Fang Yuan glanced at the immortal zombie couple and noticed their flickering, hesitant gazes. He silently shook his head.
The real window of opportunity had been the instant Scorching Heaven Demoness's mind was pierced.
But the Shark Demon had already squandered it.
Though he bore the title of Demon, he lacked the spirit of reckless, all-in bravery. Perhaps after serving the Zombie Alliance for so long, he had lost the fighting spirit needed for independent combat. Or perhaps, burdened with family and dependents, he had too many concerns weighing on him.
Both the Shark Demon and Su Baiman, the two principals in this situation, felt this way. As outside helpers, Fang Yuan and Tai Bai Yun Sheng were even less inclined to thrust themselves forward.
Through their continuous secret communications, Fang Yuan and Tai Bai Yun Sheng had already agreed on a plan: watch for the right moment and look for an opportunity to retreat.
"The two of you, please lend us your aid! We cannot distinguish Scorching Heaven Demoness's clones. If either of you has a method, please help the one-finger stream shark see through the illusion and pinpoint Scorching Heaven Demoness's true body. Only then might there be a turning point in today's situation." At that moment, Su Baiman suddenly sent a heartfelt transmission.
The Shark Demon added, "If the two of you can succeed, we will reward you handsomely. We absolutely will not go back on our word!"
Without a moment's hesitation, Fang Yuan sent back a bitter refusal. "Lady Su Baiman flatters us too much. The two of you are Seventh Transformation cultivators, seasoned Gu Immorts with rich techniques and deep reserves. We can hardly compare. If even the two of you have no solution, what could we possibly do?"
Tai Bai Yun Sheng likewise shook his head. "I am only skilled in healing. For this sort of scouting matter, I'm afraid I cannot be of any help."
Su Baiman said no more. The Shark Demon cast a dark, displeased look at Fang Yuan and Tai Bai Yun Sheng.
Fang Yuan sneered inwardly, feeling contempt for the Shark Demon and Su Baiman.
Honestly speaking, Scorching Heaven Demoness's techniques were not without hope of being countered.
But the Shark Demon and Su Baiman refused to make a move.