Let us not speak of how Qin Baisheng sacrificed himself, conjuring the Great Unity Wind and leaving Feng Jiuge, Ling Mei'aoxue, and the other two immortals in peril.
Instead, let us tell of how Jiang Yu and four other immortals fought to break through.
They were on the verge of escaping when Hei Cheng was struck down by a lethal move.
His face deathly pale, he cried out for help.
But in the desperate rush to flee, every second counted. In such critical moments, even the slightest delay meant the difference between heaven and hell.
The immortals turned a deaf ear, pushing their speed to the absolute limit.
Fairy Jiang Yu was even more heartless and cold, bluntly declaring they should abandon Hei Cheng without a care for whether he lived or died.
The dawn of escape was already within reach. With Hei Cheng lagging behind, wouldn't he be perfect to hold off the Central Continent Gu Immortals? Only he possessed the Immortal Gu House Black Prison—once Hei Cheng died, it would likely fall into Central Continent hands.
This brought Jiang Yu and the others a twinge of regret.
But regret was regret. Compared to an Immortal Gu House, their own lives were undoubtedly more important.
"Heh heh heh, go play among yourselves. I'll be leaving first!" During the breakout, Hui Fengzi suddenly burst into laughter.
Immortal Killer Move—Wind Escape!
His speed surged dramatically. In just a few breaths, he left Jiang Yu and the others far behind.
Under the burning gazes of Jiang Yu and her companions, Hui Fengzi was about to fly off into the distance.
"Cooperate with me!" Hong Chiming shouted.
A Gu formation on the perimeter immediately activated, erupting with blinding light.
After a hundred days of battle, the Central Continent Gu Immortals had developed a tacit understanding.
"You're not going anywhere!" Chen Zhenchi and Bu Feiyan moved in unison, making use of the sole formation at the edge to overtake and intercept Hui Fengzi.
Hui Fengzi was the foremost in mobility across the Northern Plains, coming and going like the wind. This was something the Central Continent Gu Immortals had to admit.
Neither Chen Zhenchi nor Bu Feiyan alone could have stopped Hui Fengzi. But with the two of them cooperating, their coordination was seamless.
For a time, no matter how Hui Fengzi charged left and broke right, he couldn't shake Chen and Bu. His speed plummeted, and the breakout failed.
"Serves you right!" Jiang Yu and the others felt a rush of delight. They changed direction and attempted to break out from another angle.
"Down with you!" Canyang Laojun snorted in fury, unleashing his signature Killer Move—Life-Chasing Fire.
Hong Chiming piled on, adding another strike.
Hei Cheng's body erupted in flames. Screaming, he plummeted from the sky.
With a thunderous crash, he hit the ground. The moment he coughed up a mouthful of blood, countless vines sprouted from the earth, binding him up tightly.
In an instant, Hei Cheng was trapped. Hui Fengzi was pinned down. Hong Chiming abandoned Hei Cheng and caught up to He Liangzi.
His Killer Move roared forth, hammering down on He Liangzi without mercy.
He Liangzi had no choice but to activate a transformation-path Killer Move, turning into a massive thunder wolf to block the attack.
Fairy Jiang Yu and the mysterious black-robed Gu Immortal had not yet fled far. They were intercepted by Canyang Laojun and the Tianlao Elder.
Without a word of preamble, the four immortals clashed.
In an instant, winds and clouds churned, thunder exploded.
The four immortals displayed their respective extraordinary abilities, fighting with earth-shattering ferocity, stirring up violent waves of qi that cracked mountains and shattered boulders.
Canyang Laojun was a renowned expert among Seventh Transformation Gu Immortals. In Dongfang Changfan's fake-death battle, he had fought against Zizai Shusheng, Fang Yuan, and Pi Shuihan, proving his extraordinary combat power.
Tianlao Elder's strength was comparable to Canyang Laojun's. The former was the Grand Elder of Black Heaven Temple, and had been dispatched specifically with the thought that he could counter the sound-path Gu Immortal Feng Jiuge.
On the Shadow Sect's side, while the mysterious black-robed Gu Immortal was indeed powerful, Fairy Jiang Yu was slightly weaker.
After a dozen or so exchanges, Canyang Laojun and Tianlao Elder gained the upper hand and seized an opportunity to strike.
Immortal Killer Move—Life-Chasing Fire!
"Oh no!" Fairy Jiang Yu's soul nearly fled in terror. She tried to dodge, but it was already too late.
"Fall back—leave this to me." At the critical moment, the mysterious black-robed Gu Immortal used a technique to swap positions with Fairy Jiang Yu, shielding her with his own body and taking the Life-Chasing Fire head-on.
"Hmm? Strange!" Canyang Laojun was taken aback.
The mysterious black-robed Gu Immortal had been hit by Life-Chasing Fire, yet seemed completely unaffected.
"Sneaky wretch, show your true face!" Tianlao Elder roared, clapping both palms together to unleash a sky full of flying blades.
The mysterious black-robed Gu Immortal desperately defended himself. His black robe was torn apart, finally revealing his true appearance.
Canyang Laojun couldn't help but stare. "You're actually a Yanhuang Lei'ze Physique!"
One of the Ten Extreme Physiques—Yanhuang Lei'ze!
"What's there to fear? He's nothing but a Gu Zombie!" Tianlao Elder roared again and again, his attacks growing even more ferocious.
The mysterious black-robed Gu Immortal's true identity was a Seventh Transformation Gu Zombie. But unlike other Gu Zombies, his status was extraordinary—he was the Gu Zombie transformed from one of the Ten Extreme Physiques, the Yanhuang Lei'ze.
"Hmph! Now that I've been discovered, there's no point in continuing this charade." The mysterious black-robed Gu Immortal tore off his tattered robe and charged straight at Canyang Laojun.
Canyang Laojun was a fire-path Gu Immortal, countered by the Yanhuang Lei'ze Physique, and was forced onto the defensive.
Tianlao Elder tried to help, but was held at bay by Fairy Jiang Yu's desperate, suicidal resistance.
"Go!" Fairy Jiang Yu screamed at the top of her lungs.
The Yanhuang Lei'ze Gu Zombie snorted coldly. After forcing Canyang Laojun back, he didn't look back and completely escaped the bounds of Luopo Valley, breaking free.
"Where do you think you're going?!" Canyang Laojun roared in fury and moved to pursue, but Fairy Jiang Yu, drenched in her own blood, somehow managed to stall him for a precious moment.
"I see you've truly thrown your life away! Could it be that this Gu Zombie is your lover, worth such a sacrifice?" Tianlao Elder's face was cold and grim as he descended from the sky, both palms landing squarely on Fairy Jiang Yu's back.