Chapter 1253

In Eastern Sea, Fang Yuan’s sword dragon breathes sword light against Ying Wu Xie’s Gu formation. He cannot break it, but holds the initiative. He grows suspicious why the group maintains this costly stalemate instead of retreating. He dives underwater, uses qi luck sensation, and confirms the group is still inside the formation, relaxing that he was overthinking it. He keeps attacking but notices the formation is only passively defending, with no sign of Ying Wu Xie, Bai Ning Bing or the rest. ^{ch. 1253}

After an hour of silent confrontation, Fang Yuan realizes he holds the advantage, since maintaining the formation is draining the enemy’s immortal essence while costing him little. He suspects Ying Wu Xie needs the formation’s safety for some other purpose he cannot allow. Rather than keep hiding his newest trump card, he chooses to force the issue and destroy the formation early. Ying Wu Xie’s plan to mislead his qi luck sensation had worked, but Fang Yuan still acts decisively without holding back. A dragon roar sounds over an enormous distance as he tears the formation open. ^{ch. 1253}

The ancient battle formation Omni-directional Travel carries the group to Eastern Sea’s blue water regional wall, where Ying Wu Xie, Bai Ning Bing, Hei Lou Lan and Shi Nu stand before it, Tai Bai Yun Sheng having entered Hei Lou Lan’s aperture. Bai Ning Bing senses the Gu formation has been broken. Hei Lou Lan marvels at how quickly Fang Yuan managed it. Bai Ning Bing confirms he did not use the upper extreme heavenly eagle. Their losses are huge, since Bai Ning Bing had every Gu worm self-detonate as the formation fell rather than leave resources behind, so Fang Yuan takes nothing from the wreck. The group studies the attack anyway, since information matters greatly in a fight between Gu Immortals. Ying Wu Xie judges it a wholly new killer move of Fang Yuan’s; Bai Ning Bing warns that without a method aimed at it they would not last a few breaths even with their strengths combined. ^{ch. 1253}

Ying Wu Xie knows their side stands on the brink of death. Inside the regional wall they must move on their own, since Gu worms and immortal killer moves backlash there and the ancient battle formation worst of all, while Fang Yuan’s sovereign immortal body crosses walls freely and blends into any region. Fang Yuan’s qi luck sensation will find them again, and Ying Wu Xie judges he would catch up before they cross the wall. Staying in Eastern Sea is no safer, since his whole group are foreign to the region and foreigners can be hunted, rare though that is in Eastern Sea, and the local Gu Immortals would side with Fang Yuan once he had the upper hand. He does not fear his own death, but knows that if he dies, no one else can save the Demon Venerable’s main body now that Shadow Sect lies in ruins. He weighs Bai Ning Bing’s strength, uncertain since she only recently inherited Bai Xiang grotto-heaven, yet still counts their alliance a good decision. He resolves they must reach Northern Plains, where Snowy Mountain blessed land is their only hope and its rank eight Gu Immortal can be used to kill Fang Yuan, and he flies straight into the regional wall. ^{ch. 1253}

Hours later the sword dragon flies in from far away, asking whether they mean to enter Northern Plains; Fang Yuan had broken the formation himself and found no trace of the group, exactly as Ying Wu Xie expected. Fang Yuan understands they staged a ploy to escape. He is glad he exposed his trump card early, and notes that qi luck sensation can still be misled even as it finds a target. He weighs whether the target he now senses could also be false, his only clue either way. If the target is real, he gloats, they are all traveling through the regional wall ahead of him and he can wipe them out inside it, courting death as they are. ^{ch. 1253}