Bang!
A muffled impact rang out as the Falling Star Dog slammed hard into the Drill Bear.
Though the Drill Bear was only a Sixth Transformation desolate beast, its body was incredibly hard, like a wall firmly blocking the Falling Star Dog's charge.
It staggered back five or six steps from the collision but still held its ground. The Falling Star Dog retreated only one step, though its head swam with dizziness.
It shook its head, clearing the fog from its mind.
Seizing this opening, five or six killer moves flew in from among the giant grass, striking the Falling Star Dog one after another.
The Falling Star Dog howled in pain, its flesh torn open and its skin split wide.
Fang Yuan watched coldly from the sidelines.
"So it seems that not only has Mao Shi'er improved greatly, but the other Mao people Gu Immortals have all mastered Immortal Path killer moves as well."
"However, these Immortal Path killer moves likely each rely on only a single core Immortal Gu, with power no greater than the Sixth Transformation level."
The Falling Star Dog had taken many hits. Though its flesh was torn and its skin split, the injuries were only superficial.
It was an ancient desolate beast. Although it was still young and not yet fully grown, its defense and recovery capabilities were formidable.
"This time I absolutely cannot fail and let Fang Yuan laugh at me!" Mao Shi'er focused all his attention, his heart burning with an unprecedented fighting spirit.
The three desolate beasts seemed to sense their master's resolve, their own battle instincts surging.
Under Mao Shi'er's command, the hardest-bodied Drill Bear served as the main line of defense, the Gold White Tiger assisted as the secondary force, and though the Chestnut Yak was quite weak, it could barely provide support from the flanks, acting as a distraction.
"Mao Shi'er commands the desolate beasts with discipline and order, and he still seems to have energy to spare. But the situation is deadlocked — the Falling Star Dog's charge is fierce, yet he hasn't released a fourth beast. These three desolate beasts are probably all he has."
Fang Yuan analyzed calmly.
The fact that even a Chestnut Yak had been brought out strongly suggested his guess was correct.
"When Treasure Yellow Heaven opened, Mao Shi'er probably purchased a Drill Bear and a Gold White Tiger from it. But his selections were rather poor — a single Drill Bear alone would have been barely sufficient. The Gold White Tiger is a Gold Path desolate beast, also a tough defensive type. He would have been better off swapping it for a flying beast with a more threatening offensive capability. That way, the Falling Star Dog would have been forced to split its attention between attacking and defending, its offensive weakened. Hmm?"
As Fang Yuan was mulling this over, Mao Shi'er's command slipped. The Drill Bear moved past its position, leaving a gap.
"Damn it!" Mao Shi'er's eyes blazed with fury as he immediately directed the nearest Chestnut Yak to fill the gap.
"Hold the line!" Mao Shi'er roared inwardly.
The Falling Star Dog bellowed and sent the Chestnut Yak flying with a single blow.
Then the Falling Star Dog broke through the encirclement and lunged viciously at the surrounding patches of grass.
The Mao people Gu Immortals hiding in the nearby grass cried out in alarm.
"Quick — use that move!" On the verge of being pounced upon by the Falling Star Dog, a panicked Mao people Gu Immortals frantically shouted.
Swish.
In the next instant, he vanished from his spot and reappeared beside another Mao person a thousand steps away.
"Thank you, thank you — thank goodness you were quick with your hand, or I'd be a dead man." The rescued Mao people Gu Immortal's face was still pale with fright.
His savior was none other than Mao Liu.
He patted the Mao people Gu Immortal on the shoulder. "Calm down. Calm down. Don't forget there are outsiders present — let's not make a fool of ourselves in front of them."
Even now, he didn't forget to stir up discord.
The rescued Mao people Gu Immortal hastily schooled his expression, though his body still trembled slightly.
Fang Yuan gave a cold snort, the killing intent hidden deep within his gaze as he looked at Mao Liu.
"This fellow — sooner or later, I'll kill him! But he and I are both members of the Langya Sect, bound by the Path of Information covenant. We cannot turn on each other. To kill him, I'll first need to secretly deal with the Langya Sect covenant binding me."
Fang Yuan needed to harness the power of the Langya Sect, and Mao Liu was a serious obstacle in his path.
The relationship between Fang Yuan and the Langya Sect had soured to such a degree in no small part because of Mao Liu's machinations.
Within the Langya Sect, both Fang Yuan and Mao Liu harbored ulterior motives. Their relationship was far from simple.
The two had once conducted transactions with each other, and each held leverage over the other.
Fang Yuan was bound by the Langya Sect covenant and could not deliberately do anything harmful to the Sect or its members. Of course, thinking and talking about it were still permissible. Mao Liu was a member of the Langya Sect, and moreover, if Mao Liu's life were ever in danger, Fang Yuan could not simply stand by and watch him die! Though there were provisions allowing one to act within their means. So Mao Liu's plan to deliberately court disaster — provoking an ancient desolate beast and using it to entrap Fang Yuan — was simply unworkable.
Since Fang Yuan had been able to join the Langya Sect and sign the covenant, he naturally would not allow himself to be easily restrained.
And Mao Liu, for his part, also wished to eliminate Fang Yuan and claim his physical body. But first, his own strength was insufficient; second, Fang Yuan held leverage over him as well; and third, regarding the greater plans of the Shadow Sect, he was the only remaining mole and needed to be kept in place to deal with the Langya Blessed Land.
Both sides were wary of making a move, each afraid of the other's retaliation.
As if sensing Fang Yuan's gaze, Mao Liu looked back at him from afar and flashed him a sinister grin.
He was one of Spectral Soul's split souls, and his combat experience was actually quite rich. This was also why he had been the first among the Mao people Gu Immortals to act and rescue someone.
Uniting the other Mao people Gu Immortals as much as possible, ostracizing Fang Yuan, and suppressing his growth — that was Mao Liu's current operational strategy.
The battle continued.
Having failed to kill any Mao people Gu Immortal, the Falling Star Dog was quickly pinned down again by the Drill Bear and the Gold White Tiger. Before long, the Chestnut Yak also rushed back from a distance, reforming the encirclement.
The Mao people Gu Immortals resumed their ranged attacks.
But despite exerting every ounce of his ability, Mao Shi'er could not avoid making errors when the situation suddenly shifted.