Chapter 1178

Inside Hei Fan grotto-heaven, a hundred desolate beast wolves charge again. Hao Zhen and Chou Lao Wu answer with their strongest technique, the immortal killer move wind thunder roar. The wind and lightning pillar sweeps the field. Few wolves are left standing, and the immortals watching rate that battle strength the peak of rank seven. The wolves are mostly clones, weaker than their true bodies, and two true bodies die. The last survives only because it stood at the back. Wei Ming, a rank seven Gu Immortal who blinded himself pursuing battle strength, shouts to kill it before it regrows a clone army, and pounces. ^{ch. 1178}

Immortal Wang warns that a fragrant sorcerer yin statue wolf is hiding nearby. It strikes at Wei Ming, missing by an inch. Its second strike, a blast of green wind, shreds his body. The real Wei Ming escapes by his body replacement killer move. This ancient desolate beast has rank seven battle strength on its own. Paired with a clone of Heavenly Lord Bai Zu wielding Immortal Gu, the two hit far harder than either could alone. Bai Zu pairs ancient desolate beasts with his clones, tilting the battle his way. ^{ch. 1178}

Wind thunder roar carries a huge price, leaving Hao Zhen and Chou Lao Wu weak. The other immortals protect their lives on purpose, wind thunder roar being the group’s best answer to desolate beast groups. The two retreat under Li Si Chun’s escort. Fang Yuan, Immortal Wang and Wei Ming stay to finish the wolf, as Chu Du messages them to hurry toward another ancient beast three thousand li off. Fang Yuan throws his flying sword Immortal Gu as a decoy, drawing Heavenly Lord Bai Zu’s clone to block it, and Wei Ming destroys the clone with a light path immortal killer move. Killing a clone never destroys its paired Immortal Gu, which seems to be a clone as well, so Heavenly Lord Bai Zu’s strength is only slightly weakened. The wolf’s dao marks give it incredible defense, but without a clone to direct it, its intelligence alone cannot match three immortals, and they cut it down and split the flesh three ways. ^{ch. 1178}

Its death costs Heavenly Lord Bai Zu dearly, but taking the grotto-heaven still demands that he press on. All of them take severe losses, Fang Yuan’s green grape immortal essence expenditure worst of any, hard to use and inefficient where the others burn red date essence fitted to rank seven Immortal Gu. Selling desolate beast corpses keeps him solvent. Where he once could shelter in his trench, he is now needed everywhere. Heavenly Lord Bai Zu’s main body stays blocked outside by Chu Du. A seven-clawed heavenly dragon, an ancient desolate beast, is already being fought by Sang Qing Qu, a theft path Gu Immortal recruited by Chu Du. Theft path traces to Thieving Heaven Demon Venerable and has few inheritances left, and the mortal Gu she steals from the dragon’s body do little against it, leaving her losing ground. ^{ch. 1178}

Fang Yuan and the rest join in, the fast-flying dragon taking many times longer to kill than the wolf did. After great effort they also kill Heavenly Lord Bai Zu’s clone. Fang Yuan’s immortal essence expenditure badly outruns what he earns. He judges he will run dry within days. ^{ch. 1178}

As the immortals gather to split the dragon’s corpse, Chu Du interrupts: the dragon fight was a decoy. Heavenly Lord Bai Zu has already planted a field of desolate plant snow willows that must be destroyed before he gains a foothold. A hundred ice spike divine apes guard the willows, their complementary snow and ice path dao marks reinforcing each other, while Heavenly Lord Bai Zu’s clones set up Gu formations around them. Chu Du says he will act alone if there is no other way. Hao Zhen answers that Chu Du must instead hold against Heavenly Lord Bai Zu’s main body, since losing that fight finishes them all. Hao Zhen and Chou Lao Wu arrive too, still not recovered, the dire situation leaving them no choice but to risk their lives. Six Gu Immortals charge into the snow willow forest as an intense battle begins. ^{ch. 1178}