Chapter 582

As everyone retreats from Eighty-Eight True Yang Building, Hei Lou Lan, the alliance leader who won the contest, orders experts recruited that night. The entire army is his to mobilize, everyone is deeply grateful that he opened the building to all without cost, and all those called show up without fail. Those who come include Hao Ji Liu, Gao Yang and Zhu Zai, Ma Ying Jie, Fox Commander Tang Miao Ming, Xi Xue, Bian Si Xuan, Dou E, Tao You, Nie Ya Qing, Lu Shuang, Gu Guo Long and Ye Lui Sang. Tai Bai Yun Sheng has the greatest reputation, but everyone agrees after the Imperial Court contest that Fang Yuan’s battle strength is the greatest, so Wolf King Chang Shan Yin sits beside Hei Lou Lan. Hei Lou Lan turns to Fang Yuan, calling him Brother Shan Yin, and promises him half of the rewards if they get through. Many are indignant that the others must share the remaining half, yet no one dares oppose the Black Tyrant or offend the grand Wolf King. Fang Yuan accepts with a nod. ^{ch. 582}

Hei Lou Lan asks why elder Pan Ping has not arrived and is extremely displeased that his summons did not bring him. Chang tribe’s first elder Chang Biao is absent too, but Hei Lou Lan has to ignore it because of Fang Yuan. The news of the deaths of Pan and Chang has not spread yet. Outsiders like Pan Ping pay heavily for guest tokens and leave only when forced. Hei Lou Lan’s attendant Hei Shu reports that the two went into the seventh floor not long ago, a very confusing maze where servants searching for many days found only battle traces. Hei Lou Lan snorts, decides not to wait, and sets the departure for the next morning. ^{ch. 582}

On the second day everyone charges into the fifth floor, the largest force to enter the building since it was formed. In the final round the flying bear phantom is alerted at once and crashes down from the sky, and the experts retreat. Hei Xiu Yi recalls that on the last visit a sneak attack by the bear killed five experts on the spot. By the plan the enslavement path Gu Masters strike first, and Fang Yuan sends over four hundred thousand ordinary wolves that engulf the bear. He handles them so skillfully that the bear cannot break the encirclement. ^{ch. 582}

Then the bear exhales and rank five star river Gu pours a river of starlight over the wolves, turning those without defensive Gu to stardust. The wolf group suffers huge losses. Fang Yuan stays unmoved and orders the retreat only when half the wolves are left. Tang Miao Ming and Hei Qi Sheng replace them, she with fox groups and he with eagle groups. ^{ch. 582}

Once the star river loops around in a ring, the bear claps its paws and roars, and rank five wind tiger cloud dragon Gu turns an intense wind into wind tigers and sudden clouds into cloud dragons. Thousands of the tigers and dragons charge, and a large proportion of Hei Qi Sheng’s eagles are killed. Tang Miao Ming nears her limit, her soul greatly worn out by controlling her foxes very meticulously. The other Gu Masters retreat without surprise. Both Gu were exposed in the previous probing. ^{ch. 582}

An investigative Gu Master tells Hei Lou Lan that star river Gu sits in the bear’s mouth, on the largest tooth on the left side. The other Gu are still to be found. Wild Gu on a beast can be captured. Hei Lou Lan orders the search, since capturing or destroying them would make the bear much easier to defeat. Gu are very fragile alone, and a light squeeze from Fang Yuan would squish even rank six Spring Autumn Cicada. Hei Lou Lan snorts and orders the search to continue, displeased that the star river Gu in the mouth is too hard to capture. ^{ch. 582}

The battlefield worsens. Tang Miao Ming and Hei Qi Sheng, Pei Yan Fei warns, are gradually losing the strength to resist. Sun Shi Han strokes his beard and judges that dying foxes and eagles can be replenished, and the aim of weakening the enemy has been achieved. ^{ch. 582}