Seven Star Child immortal zombie's Star Billow Pillar struck Rolling Rock Battlefield again.
The grey rock battlefield hanging in the sky trembled violently, but it did not break.
Seven Star Child stared at it blankly for a breath, as if he could not understand why this ugly grey mass still existed after being struck by his attack.
Then his anger increased.
He raised his right arm.
Starlight gathered above the sky, forming a huge hand. The hand pressed downward with overwhelming force and slapped Rolling Rock Battlefield.
Boom!
The grey battlefield cracked open.
Through the crack, Fang Yuan, Hei Lou Lan, and Fang Ming could faintly see the scene inside. The zombie dragon was badly injured, and Shi Lei was covered in wounds, but both were still fighting.
The battlefield had not collapsed yet.
Fang Yuan only glanced once before retracting his gaze.
"Move."
Hei Lou Lan frowned. "Where?"
Fang Yuan's answer was short.
"Saving a person."
Fang Ming's eyes flickered.
Saving a person?
Fang Yuan was not kind.
If he used those words, it meant the person had value.
The three moved through the forest quickly. Broken trees and crushed rocks marked a path through the ground. At the end of the trail, a Gu Immortal lay on a cracked boulder, blood spreading beneath him.
It was Star Lord Wan Xiang.
His injuries were horrifying. His chest was almost completely caved in, with only torn flesh connecting the upper and lower parts of his body. The stomp from Seven Star Child immortal zombie had nearly crushed him in half.
Hei Lou Lan inhaled lightly. "This was caused by one stomp?"
Fang Yuan crouched down immediately. Eight arms moved over Star Lord Wan Xiang's body, checking injuries, Gu worms, aperture state, and soul condition.
Fang Ming stood to the side, guarding.
Dream Feather stirred faintly.
He could sense traces of dream path entanglement around Star Lord Wan Xiang. It was not obvious, but after experiencing the Star Constellation dream trap, Fang Ming could recognize the feeling.
Star Lord Wan Xiang's body was here.
His soul was not.
Fang Yuan's expression darkened. "Too late."
Hei Lou Lan looked at him. "Dead?"
"His body can still be repaired if a heavy price is paid," Fang Yuan said coldly. "But his soul has been pulled into the dream realm. Unless that dream realm is broken, he cannot truly be saved."
Hei Lou Lan's expression changed.
She thought of herself kneeling in the Star Constellation dream, unable to resist.
If Fang Yuan had not used icy drill stardust to wake her, and if Fang Ming had not pulled her away from Star Billow Pillar, she might have ended like this.
Body abandoned outside.
Soul lost inside the dream.
Then killed without understanding anything.
Fang Ming said nothing.
He did not try to save Star Lord Wan Xiang with Dream Feather.
There was no reason.
It would expose too much. The dream realm was too dangerous. There was no time. More importantly, the value of a living Star Lord Wan Xiang had already vanished.
Fang Yuan sighed, but his hands did not stop.
"What a pity. If he were still usable, we could obtain information from him, enslave him, or even use him to plot against Shi Lei."
Hei Lou Lan stared at him.
Even now, Fang Yuan was thinking about how to use a dying Gu Immortal.
Then Fang Yuan's gaze sharpened.
"Help me seal his immortal aperture."
Hei Lou Lan's eyes changed.
A rank six immortal aperture.
Star Lord Wan Xiang's body might be ruined, but his immortal aperture was a complete blessed land. It contained his accumulation, resources, Gu worms, and perhaps even a land spirit.
This was a huge gain.
Fang Yuan started placing Gu worms around Star Lord Wan Xiang's corpse. His movements were fast and complicated. Mortal Gu of many paths flew out and arranged themselves around the corpse like a temporary formation.
Fang Ming watched carefully.
He recognized the purpose.
Sealing the immortal aperture before it fully landed and rooted.
He had used a more complete method borrowed from Lang Ya land spirit before, but that had required specific Gu worms and arrangements. He did not carry that full borrowed set now.
Fang Yuan's method was rougher.
Improvised.
Temporary.
But it was being arranged under pressure, with limited Gu worms, while enemies fought above and death could arrive at any moment.
Fang Ming's evaluation of Fang Yuan rose again.
This was not the perfection of a grandmaster refining in peace. This was survival craft, built from countless experiences and prepared fragments.
Fang Yuan suddenly said, "I lack several Gu worms."
He transmitted a list.
Hei Lou Lan immediately opened a connection to treasure yellow heaven through her immortal aperture. At the same time, she contacted Fairy Li Shan for emergency help.
Fang Ming also searched through his stores.
"I have three of these."
He flicked his fingers, sending several Gu worms and materials toward Fang Yuan.
Fang Yuan took them without courtesy. "Good. Still missing five."
Hei Lou Lan quickly purchased them at high price.
No one discussed cost.
Time was more important than immortal essence stones.
Above them, Rolling Rock Battlefield finally broke.
Grey rock clouds scattered across the sky. The zombie dragon fell downward like a dead snake, covered in wounds. Its scales were shattered, claws broken, and zombie fire leaked from its body.
Shi Lei emerged from the broken battlefield.
He was also badly injured. A long wound ran from his shoulder down to his waist, so deep that bone could be seen. Grey-white zombie fire still burned on parts of his body. His breathing was rough, and his face was pale.
But his battle intent was stronger than before.
He laughed.
"Hahaha! Good! Very good!"
Then Seven Star Child immortal zombie turned toward him.
The two rank seven-level monsters looked at each other across the sky.
Seven Star Child raised a finger.
Immortal killer move — One Star Finger.
Shi Lei flipped his palm.
Immortal killer move — Shocking Rock Break.
Starlight pierced through the sky, and a mountain-like rock smashed downward.
The two attacks struck almost at the same time.
Seven Star Child immortal zombie was buried under shattered stone. Shi Lei's chest was pierced by starlight, blood spraying from both front and back.
Hei Lou Lan looked up once and felt her scalp tighten.
Fang Ming did not look for long.
This was not their battlefield.
Fang Yuan shouted, "Focus!"
Hei Lou Lan returned her attention to treasure yellow heaven and the Gu purchase.
Fang Ming helped suppress some of the aperture's peripheral disturbance. He did not lead the sealing, but he stabilized several points when Fang Yuan's mortal Gu structure shook.
Fang Yuan noticed but said nothing.
The sealing method gradually took shape.
At this moment, the rocks burying Seven Star Child immortal zombie exploded.
He flew out wearing a cloak of starlight.
His speed suddenly increased.
In an instant, he crashed into Shi Lei.
Shi Lei spat blood and was sent flying into the sky. Before he could stabilize himself, Seven Star Child appeared beside him again.
Star Billow Pillar erupted at close range.
The starlight pillar swallowed Shi Lei.
One breath.
Five breaths.
Ten breaths.
Fifteen breaths.
When Shi Lei fell from the sky, his head and upper body were charred black. His features were almost melted, but he was still alive.
Hei Lou Lan's heart shook.
Fang Ming's gaze became colder.
If that pillar had struck any of them fully, survival would be almost impossible.
Shi Lei opened his eyes.
Golden light erupted.
"Enough!"
His roar shook the air.
Earth path and transformation path aura surged together.
Immortal killer move — Rock Mountain Immortal Monkey King Transformation.
A golden pillar of light rose into the sky.
When the light faded, a sixteen-meter-tall giant monkey stood in the air. Its fur was golden like armor. Its muscles bulged like mountains. Red claws stretched from its hands, sharp as blades. Its golden pupils were cold, domineering, and full of battle intent.
Immortal Monkey King Shi Lei had revealed his true strength.
Fang Ming's expression became solemn.
This was Shi Lei.
Not merely famous because he liked battle, but because he had the power to survive battles others could not even enter.
Fang Yuan's hands suddenly stopped.
The sealing formation around Star Lord Wan Xiang's body stabilized.
"Done."
Hei Lou Lan asked quickly, "How long?"
"Seven minutes at most," Fang Yuan said. "Without Immortal Gu, this is only a temporary seal. After that, the immortal aperture must land and take root."
Hei Lou Lan nodded.
Seven minutes.
That was enough to escape, but not enough to relax.
At that moment, Shi Lei's golden eyes moved.
His gaze pierced through the distance and landed on them.
Fang Yuan's concealment failed.
Hei Lou Lan's expression changed.
Fang Ming also felt the gaze.
Shi Lei had seen them.
The Immortal Monkey King's senses after transformation were far above before. Fang Yuan's concealment methods could not deceive him in this state.
Fang Yuan reacted instantly.
"Hide the corpse!"
Hei Lou Lan grabbed Star Lord Wan Xiang's ruined body and threw it into her immortal aperture.
At almost the same time, Seven Star Child immortal zombie howled toward the sky.
His voice spread through Starry Sky grotto-heaven.
Starlight pillars descended from different directions.
From those pillars, desolate beasts appeared one after another.
A diamond bear roared.
A flying sword rat group scattered through the air.
A golden pangolin dug out from the earth.
Other desolate beasts from the seven spaces began moving under Seven Star Child's will.
Fang Ming's eyes darkened.
Seven Star Child's cognition was returning.
Slowly.
Imperfectly.
But enough.
Once the grotto-heaven's beasts were mobilized, the entire environment would turn hostile. Staying here was no longer scavenging. It was waiting to be surrounded.
Fang Yuan said, "Into my aperture."
Hei Lou Lan did not hesitate.
Fang Ming also did not hesitate.
This was not the time to expose Teleport Gu. Fixed Immortal Travel was the cleanest exit.
Hei Lou Lan entered Fang Yuan's immortal aperture first.
Fang Ming followed immediately.
Inside Fang Yuan's aperture, the environment was dead and filled with death energy. Fang Ming did not look around carelessly. He concealed his observations and remained still.
Outside, Fang Yuan activated Fixed Immortal Travel.
Green jade light rose.
Shi Lei's golden pupils shrank.
Fixed Immortal Travel.
Immortal zombie.
Fang Yuan.
The three clues joined instantly in his mind.
"So it was you!"
Shi Lei recognized Fang Yuan.
As for the other two Gu Immortals who had vanished into Fang Yuan's aperture, he did not know them. He only assumed they were Fang Yuan's acquaintances or allies.
But there was no time to chase.
Seven Star Child immortal zombie was already charging toward him again.
Fang Yuan vanished.
Green light disappeared from Starry Sky grotto-heaven.
Shi Lei's expression turned ugly.
But he was still Shi Lei. Even under Seven Star Child's attack, he did not forget profit.
He dove downward toward the walking meat tree fragments.
Those pieces were real.
He swept them into his immortal aperture.
Then he rushed toward the place where the astral wind flying heavenly boar corpse had fallen.
A huge corpse still lay there.
Shi Lei stretched out his hand.
His fingers closed.
Nothing.
The corpse image collapsed into broken light.
Several mortal Gu shattered in his palm.
For a moment, Shi Lei froze.
Then he understood.
Fake.
The ancient desolate beast corpse had been stolen long ago.
Right under his nose.
By Fang Yuan.
Rage surged into Shi Lei's eyes.
"Fang Yuan!"
Boom!
Before his fury could fully erupt, a Star Billow Pillar struck him from behind and smashed him into the ground.
Seven Star Child immortal zombie descended, starlight cloak fluttering, his blue eyes cold and empty.
Shi Lei crawled up from the crater, golden fur stained with blood and dust.
His anger burned even hotter.
But the one who had stolen the corpse was already gone.