The palm of the qi arm struck the iron giant's face, sending him reeling. The giant stumbled when one of his feet fell into a massive muddy swamp that dragged him downward. His left leg sank into the mire, yet he could still retaliate.
The giant's grip on Fang Tian loosened, allowing him to cancel his killer move and seize the chance to evade the giant.
His weakened body fell from the giant's hands to the ground. At that moment, he was able to see the group that had saved him. Wu Ji extended her right arm and pressed down on the air while revealing a strained smile. Beads of sweat streamed from her forehead and fell onto the ground; from this, Fang Tian could tell that she would not be able to hold on much longer.
On the other side, the chubby Qing Mo used a Gu worm and formed a swamp that dragged the giant's limbs deep into the earth and restricted his movements. The group was suppressing the Rank Four Gu Master very effectively.
Even the injured Fang Tian decided to participate in a different way.
"Grass Puppet Gu!"
He had obtained this Gu worm as a gift from the Yin Clan. After using it once, he realized that it belonged to both the Enslavement Path and the Wood Path at the same time.
On the ground in front of them, dozens of short and slender rattan grass soldiers grew, armed with bamboo swords and shields in both hands.
These rattan grass soldiers only possessed Rank One strength, but under Fang Tian's control, and with the advantage of his seemingly inexhaustible primeval essence, their numbers continued to increase.
"Well done!"
Ying Yue shouted as she unleashed powerful attacks toward the giant's body, while the Gu Master of the Poison Path transformed into a two-legged monster, his body covered in viscous purple slime.
He charged toward the iron giant and began tearing at its defenses, leaving the giant's body suffering from poisoning and paralysis.
Dozens of rattan grass soldiers climbed up the giant as he was lifting himself, striking various parts of his body with their swords.
The group continued to suppress the Rank Four Gu Master, causing their morale to soar. However, the iron giant soon reverted to an ordinary old man.
The old man waved his hands and shouted.
"You are forcing me! You demons, good, good, try this!"
The Gu Master stretched out his arms in all directions, and a blinding white glimmer appeared from his arms. This tiny glimmer rapidly expanded and came to cover the world.
The rattan grass soldiers melted away, their bodies corroded under the intense light, while the members of the group suffered various injuries. Fang Tian clenched his teeth as he activated Palm Canopy Gu and Jade Bark Shell Gu.
Even with the amplification of his Extreme Physique, the defenses of Palm Canopy Gu were gradually collapsing. Fortunately, the light did not last long; it soon disappeared, and Fang Tian's vision returned.
The Rank Four Gu Master had become extremely pale, and pairs of wings gradually grew from his back, causing Fang Tian to act at once.
A willow arrow shot out at terrifying speed, pierced through the Rank Four Gu Master's defenses, and punched through his abdomen, leaving a massive hole in his body.
The Rank Four Gu Master's body gradually fell as he spat out his final curses at them.
Thus, a Rank Four expert died under the pressure of Fang Tian and his group.
When Fang Tian turned his head to assess the situation, he saw Wu Ji coughing up blood as she regenerated her burned limbs. Elsewhere, the chubby Qing Mo crawled out from underground, panting in fear. Meanwhile, Ying Yue froze her wounds to stop the bleeding and used a healing Gu worm to stabilize her injuries.
As for the Gu Master of the Poison Path, nothing remained but a piece of scorched, sticky poison residue at his location. He had been the closest to the Rank Four Gu Master and had suffered the attack more than the others.
Fang Tian did not grieve over the death of a team member; instead, he was thinking about killing another.
"Jun Yun?"
Qing Mo asked Fang Tian, who replied.
"He ran away and left me to fight that old bastard. Damn it, I almost died."
"Oh really? …Then I think we should retreat. The commotion of the battle will attract unwanted attention."
Fang Tian nodded and began to examine the corpse of the Rank Four Gu Master in search of any gains. As expected, all of his Gu worms had been destroyed.
Fang Tian was not surprised. Gu worms could be destroyed with a single thought. Unless one possessed special Theft Path Gu worms to plunder the Gu Master, or killed the enemy faster than a single thought could arise, one would gain nothing from a dead Gu Master.
Fang Tian moved toward Wu Ji, who had sealed her wounds. Even her limbs that had been torn apart and severed had returned to normal, though she looked slightly pale.
"Is that Self-Reliance Gu?"
"Oh? It seems you know a few things. Yes, that's right… It seems you lost an arm? With the foundation of your Strength Path, you should be able to regrow a new arm using Self-Reliance Gu."
Fang Tian looked at his shoulder where no arm extended. The injury had already healed with Small Buds Gu, but to regrow a new arm, he would need more than just Rank Two Gu worms.
"I don't think we have time. There are already Gu Masters rushing toward us… about ten of them."
Ying Yue came from behind them. Her skin had become pale like a corpse, and a cold expression replaced her former gentle look.
Fang Tian almost cursed. He did not have enough strength to fight another battle, and neither did his group. Thus, they could only flee—or fight.
In the next moment, Fang Tian was already running with Wu Ji slung over his shoulder.
"Damn it, I was foolish enough to continue fighting!"
From behind, Ying Yue was shocked by Fang Tian's cowardice and hurled curses at him as she activated her movement Gu to escape. The surrounding environment turned into ice as she fled like a majestic snowstorm.
Behind her, more than ten Gu Masters from the Yang Clan pursued her.
"Fang Tian, you bastard! Why did you leave Ying Yue behind!"
Wu Ji weakly struck Fang Tian's body and roared in anger. Fang Tian endured the blows as he leapt forward.
"Cough… you idiot, do you think I wanted to?! But one of us had to be sacrificed to save two! Jun Yun could run away and abandon me, but I can't?!"
"That's not the same thing!"
"Shut up!"
Fang Tian struck Wu Ji on the head and continued fleeing for several minutes before stopping.
After activating several investigative Gu worms, Fang Tian continued to observe. One minute passed, then five, then a full eight minutes. Only then did Fang Tian realize that no one was chasing them.
"Wu Ji, wake up!"
Wu Ji, who had fainted, woke up and looked at the surroundings in confusion. Then, when her gaze focused on Fang Tian, she glared at him fiercely.
"You bastard, why are you still here? Why don't you leave before I smash you into bloody pulp!"
"Silence.. There are no pursuers behind us, and the Yang Clan's resource point is almost empty now. I've already recovered my primeval essence. I can lend you Heavenly Essence Treasure Lotus Gu so you can recover your primeval essence as well, and then we will launch a swift attack with our strongest moves, plunder whatever we can, and flee!"
Wu Ji's expression shifted from ferocity to confusion, then to shock. In an incredulous tone, she spoke.
"Attack?! Attack?! …Are you still determined to do that?! Wait—did you say Heavenly Essence Treasure Lotus Gu? That legendary Gu worm is in your hands?!"
That was too much information at once, so Fang Tian could only ask Wu Ji to follow him back to the Yang Clan's resource point while he explained.
"So you're saying you encountered an incredible fortuitous opportunity and actually obtained Heavenly Essence Treasure Lotus Gu?.. And now you're lending it to me?"
Wu Ji could hardly believe her eyes. Heavenly Essence Treasure Lotus Gu was resting in her aperture, rapidly replenishing her primeval essence. She could not match Fang Tian in either the amount of primeval essence or the speed of recovery, but the speed was still astonishing.
"Yes, that's the case. Also, return Heavenly Essence Treasure Lotus Gu to me. I will charge in first with my strongest attack, and you should do the same. The inheritance of your Strength Path is impressive; you possess killer moves for long-range attacks, so unlike me, you won't be a burden."
Wu Ji felt somewhat embarrassed. Despite her bold personality and strong charisma, she was still embarrassed.
"Alright. The formation hasn't been repaired yet, and from what I can see, there are four Gu Masters guarding this resource point."
"You're wrong. There are six."
Fang Tian no longer cared about the numbers. He had decided to gamble—charge in quickly, try to kill as many enemies as possible, then retreat.
In the next moment, the Gu Masters inside the Yang Clan's resource point heard a voice say:
"Twisted Vine Manifestation!"
This was a trap.
It instantly drew the Gu Masters' attention toward the direction of the sound, making them neglect the yellow willow arrow that was approaching at terrifying speed. In the next moment, the arrow pierced one of their heads.
The Gu Masters screamed in panic as they activated defensive Gu worms. At once, a stunningly beautiful woman two meters tall appeared, her red skin steaming with heat.
She clenched her fist and punched the air with explosive force. A qi fist shot out and slammed into one of them. The Gu Master's defense immediately collapsed, though he was not injured.
Even so, his terror deepened when he saw a tree man covered in a layer of jade bark, with hundreds of vines hanging down and extending from beneath it.
The vines seized him and crushed him into bloody pulp in an instant.
"Two down, four left!"
The tree man let out a roar-like sound. At once, the hearts of the Gu Masters of the Yang Clan sank into icy dread.