What was going on?
Seeing Cold Ash Fairy knocked flying by Qing Chou with their own eyes, every immortal present was stunned.
The aura of a Ninth Transformation Immortal Gu could not be faked — but this trace of it was far too faint, and it was predominantly the aura of an Eighth Transformation Immortal Gu. This sort of thing seemed to have happened for the very first time.
A half-finished Ninth Transformation Immortal Gu?
The immortals found it almost inconceivable.
Refining Gu had always been an extremely meticulous process — whether it was the human method of Gu refinement or the hairy man method, both were highly demanding. Fang Yuan was like this, and Ancestor Long Hair was the same. Never had anyone heard that a Gu Insect could still be used during the refinement process.
But the facts were right before their eyes, and the immortals had no choice but to acknowledge them.
"What sort of refinement method is this?" Many Gu Immortals were buzzing with excitement. "This will surely be a new chapter in the Dao of Refinement!"
"Demon Venerable Soul? Qing Chou carried the Hatred Gu — it couldn't have been mistaken. Who would have thought that Cold Ash Fairy was actually Demon Venerable Soul in disguise?"
"From what Demon Venerable Soul just said, it sounds like Fang Yuan is also here — hiding inside the Dragon Palace?"
The immortals were caught between shock and suspicion.
In this battle, far too many unexpected things had occurred. Heavenly Court, the Two Heavens, Soul, Fang Yuan — every faction had their own schemes, and not a single person had a complete picture of the battlefield. Even Fang Yuan, with his rebirth, was no exception.
Demon Venerable Soul's identity being exposed actually filled Fang Yuan with a measure of relief.
The Dragon Palace retreated even faster. Wu Shuai immediately recalled the three Dragon Commanders while simultaneously ordering the remaining Gu Immortals of the Two Heavens Alliance to protect the Dragon Palace and deal with Demon Venerable Soul.
Wu Shuai didn't dare rashly bring the other Gu Immortals of the Two Heavens Alliance into the Dragon Palace — Demon Venerable Soul's exposure cast suspicion on everyone else as well.
"I can't wait any longer…" Sea of Qi Elder — Fang Yuan — gritted his teeth in the shadows and quietly set his contingency plans into motion. Originally, he had planned to maintain his disguise a while longer, but Demon Venerable Soul's exposure and Qing Chou's entry into the battle made him realize he had lost control of the situation. He had to act, and fast!
Fang Yuan took the initiative to contact Qin Dingling: "The improvement has yielded results. You must protect me — what comes next will be absolutely critical!"
"Understood!" A flash of elation crossed Qin Dingling's face. This was the best news she had heard since the battle began.
The Heavenly Court Gu Immortals pulled back swiftly, forming a tight defensive line while keeping strict watch on both Demon Venerable Soul and Wu Shuai's Dragon Palace.
ROAR!
Qing Chou charged toward Cold Ash Fairy.
The Ninth Transformation aura of the Hatred Gu grew ever denser, as if Demon Venerable Soul's appearance had stirred the deepest hatred within Qing Chou's heart. This thick, overwhelming tide of hatred was rapidly refining the Hatred Immortal Gu.
Once activated, the Hatred Immortal Gu granted Qing Chou with comprehensive augmentation. Its offensive killer moves, in particular, saw a terrifying surge in power.
In the clash between Demon Venerable Soul and Qing Chou, Soul was actually pushed onto the defensive.
The ferocity on his face deepened. After a few exchanges, he suddenly spat out a puff of black gas.
The black gas was tiny and dim, seemingly unremarkable — but as soon as it landed on Qing Chou, it immediately caused the creature's movements to stiffen, disrupting the flow of its attacks.
Demon Venerable Soul's body shuddered, and he suddenly split into thousands of copies, densely surrounding Qing Chou.
Qing Chou possessed the Hatred Gu and should, by all reason, have been able to identify the true body — but faced with thousands of Souls, it showed only confusion and bewilderment, losing sight of its target.
Demon Venerable Soul's true body suddenly appeared on Qing Chou's back. He lunged forward, reaching down — his palm and half his forearm plunging deep into Qing Chou's body.
Qing Chou's body convulsed violently, racked by excruciating pain, and it let out a heaven-shaking roar!
Qing Chou unleashed one Immortal Killer Move after another, completely disregarding its own safety as it bombarded Demon Venerable Soul on its back.
Demon Venerable Soul weathered the torrential onslaught, refusing to relinquish his current technique.
Qing Chou crashed headfirst into the ground with a thunderous boom that shook heaven and earth, smashing open a massive crater.
Qing Chou rolled across the ground, but could not shake off Demon Venerable Soul.
"No good — he's refining Qing Chou!" Qin Dingling saw through his intentions, her heart lurched, and she was about to order the other Gu Immortals to go disrupt Demon Venerable Soul.
But Wu Shuai was a step faster.
The Dragon Palace once again unleashed the Dream Mist killer move — a wisp of pink smoke drifted lazily toward Demon Venerable Soul.
Demon Venerable Soul feared no other technique; only the Dream Path killer moves gave him pause.
He had no choice but to halt his technique and pull back.
Qing Chou broke free, regaining its liberty, but was utterly spent — nearly collapsing to the ground.