Chapter 867

Tai Bai Yun Sheng rejects Zheng Ling’s offer of stones. Fang Yuan, wanting slaves rather than stones, proposes settling the matter by strength. Zhou Zhong and Zheng Ling judge the immortal zombie easier to handle than the fiery old man, and choose to hear him out. ^{ch. 867}

Unknown to them, they have already fallen into Fang Yuan’s trap. He proposes ten duels: a win gives him ten percent of the feathermen, a loss earns him only immortal essence stones. Zhou Zhong objects that Fang Yuan benefits either way, and Fang Yuan only smiles. Tai Bai Yun Sheng blusters that he will slaughter the feathermen if his aperture is damaged, and the two Gu Immortals ignore him completely. ^{ch. 867}

They confer privately, and Fang Yuan presses: agree, or it is battle. Zheng Ling agrees, on condition both sides bind themselves with an information path immortal killer move. Whatever the result, Fang Yuan’s side must let the feathermen leave unobstructed after ten duels. ^{ch. 867}

Zhou Zhong takes the first duel against Tai Bai Yun Sheng, choosing flying speed as his specialty. Tai Bai Yun Sheng has only a mortal flight move against Zhou Zhong’s wings and immortal movement killer move, so the result is never in doubt. The feathermen cheer, and Zhou Zhong hands over a dozen immortal essence stones. ^{ch. 867}

In the first duel, Fang Yuan’s side loses. For the second, the featherman side sends Zheng Ling, their stronger fighter. Fang Yuan proposes a speed contest; Zheng Ling’s immortal killer move makes him twice as fast as Zhou Zhong, and Fang Yuan loses quickly too. The third, fourth and fifth duels go the same way, the losses piling up one-sided. The two featherman Gu Immortals relax, growing confident their enemies are all bark and no bite. ^{ch. 867}

They size up the truth: Fang Yuan is strong only in attack. Tai Bai Yun Sheng, for all his bluster, fights with mortal moves too. Too late, they realize their own information path oath binds them only to leave. By the ninth duel, the featherman side has won every round. Yu Fei, watching, forms a new ambition: to become a Gu Immortal himself, even at the cost of his kingship. ^{ch. 867}

Fang Yuan steps forward and sets the final duel’s terms: he attacks while Zheng Ling defends in the first round, then they switch, with each side’s partner allowed only to heal, and whichever side cannot continue loses. Zhou Zhong and Zheng Ling exchange an uneasy glance, but the agreement leaves them no way to refuse. Zheng Ling steps forward and invites the attack. ^{ch. 867}

A strength path giant hand tears through space toward Zheng Ling. Zheng Ling suppresses his instinct to dodge, blocking it with armor made of light. Zhou Zhong shouts that they have blocked it, but Fang Yuan warns his attack is not yet finished. He unleashes every one of his core Immortal Gu at once. ^{ch. 867}

The giant hand starts to crack the light armor. Zhou Zhong worries Zheng Ling will be crushed to meat paste, but Fang Yuan warns the hand can only attack, and that breaking free now would void all nine duels they have won. Zheng Ling stacks a second, immortal-killer-move defense against the hand, and both sides reach a deadlock. ^{ch. 867}

Zhou Zhong reassures himself a rank six zombie cannot outlast Zheng Ling. But Fang Yuan stays full of vigor while Zheng Ling starts to falter. Zhou Zhong realizes with fury that Fang Yuan is converting their compensation stones into immortal essence, while their side runs dry first. He wants to help, but the rules allow him only to heal. ^{ch. 867}

Zheng Ling holds on and Zhou Zhong can only sweat. Fang Yuan laughs that it is over, and seven more giant hands fly out to slam the feathermen on the ground with overwhelming force. ^{ch. 867}

Zhou Zhong howls, demanding to know what Fang Yuan is doing. Zheng Ling shouts back not to fall for the bait and to keep enduring. ^{ch. 867}

While Zhou Zhong is still stunned, Fang Yuan spits the immortal killer move poison spit at Zheng Ling, using it here for the first time. Zheng Ling is poisoned instantly, and his distracted mind reacts too slowly to cure it before the poison runs too deep. Calling Fang Yuan unscrupulous with his last word, he loses control. The strength path giant hands crush him into meat paste. ^{ch. 867}

Zhou Zhong screams Zheng Ling’s name in fury. Zhou Zhong reacts too late to save him, having no Immortal Gu like Man as Before. Fang Yuan turns his remaining giant hands on him, reminding him the rules allow only healing, never defense, attack or dodging. ^{ch. 867}

Any of those would void the nine duels already won, and once the hands grab him he dies. Even unable to kill him, Fang Yuan has him trapped: he cannot retaliate, so the victory is assured. Even Tai Bai Yun Sheng looks on Zhou Zhong’s dazed expression with pity. ^{ch. 867}