The reason why Wu Wei knew that Zhang Niujiao's death in the dungeon would quickly break through his defense was because Wu Wei knew that the secret realms and dungeons were not interlinked.
For example, Old Zhang was summoned from the dungeon that Wu Wei opened. Wu Wei could not just find a random dungeon to put him in.
What did this prove?
It proved that the Old Zhang in the other instance dungeons was not the Old Zhang that Wu Wei knew.
In other words, once Old Zhang from Wu Wei's dungeon died, the Old Zhang that Wu Wei knew would be completely dead.
In the future, even if he went to other dungeons in the Battle of Ying Tao and met other Old Zhang, that Old Zhang would not be the Old Zhang he knew.
That was why Wu Wei lost control of his emotions when he knew that Old Zhang would die in the instance dungeon.
In fact, when Wu Wei lost control, his mind was not as simple as saving Old Zhang.