Magu lowered her head and said softly,
"Now that Form-Grass Sword is dead, what should we do about the Northern Garrison Prince's side..."
The towering, one-armed man's gaze was cold.
"To raise a sword that can be used is no easy feat. No one, not even the Tara Sect, can obstruct our Dao."
There were only so many divine path cultivators in this world who could kill a third-rank expert without a sound.
Moreover, judging from Form-Grass Sword's death, it was clearly the handiwork of Princess Prajna.
For years, the Tara Sect and their Tenfold Dao had always kept their distance, well water never mixing with river water. Their attitude had always been ambiguous, and they rarely clashed.
After all, the Tara Sect saves others, but not to save them, it is to transcend themselves.
To put it bluntly, only when the world suffers can they step in to save it. Without suffering, they would have no purpose.
And the greatest suffering in Great Wei... was precisely their Tenfold Dao.
The logic was hellish, but it fit the Tara Sect's doctrine perfectly.
But this Gu Fangchen was nothing more than an abandoned pawn of the Northern Garrison Prince. How had he managed to make Princess Prajna willingly provoke conflict with the Tenfold Dao?
And at the very first move, she had killed one of their most important "swords."
It was baffling.
"But the more terrifying part of this," the one-armed giant said with a frown, "is that Princess Prajna somehow knew where Form-Grass Sword was."
Could it be... that Great Wei's National Preceptor had broken the Sixth Division Star Lord's Art of Causality and Fate?
No, impossible.
If that were the case, all of their operations would have been hindered, not just this one.
Perhaps someone had left traces or flaws somewhere. Or maybe... they had a traitor.
The one-armed giant turned to the bowed Magu, snorted coldly, and extended two fingers.
"Tell Gu Yuye that I'll take Form-Grass Sword's place. He'd better arrange things properly."
"Also, pass on my command, starting today, slaughter all Tara Sect followers outside their temples."
Magu's palm burned hot. Shocked, she looked down to see the character "Candle" glowing on her hand.
This immensely tall, broad-shouldered man was one of Lord Yubai's most trusted subordinates under the Dao of Death, named Wu Hui.
He was known as the Sun Tamer.
It was said that he had sacrificed his left arm and replaced his heart with the crystallized essence of a dead Golden Crow, wielding its True Fire as his own, capable of burning all things under heaven.
Under his command was a group of death warriors known as the Candle-Cutters.
One extinguished lamp, one extinguished household.
They were the most elite and loyal force ever cultivated by the Dao of Death.
Magu hurriedly said,
"Yes, Lord Wu Hui."
Wu Hui nodded. "Go."
Magu turned and vanished. Wu Hui raised his remaining arm and touched the severed end of his left shoulder.
It was covered in golden talisman seals.
"Rip-"
He tore the seals away in one motion.
Golden flames burst forth, forming a blazing arm of fire.
Wu Hui lifted this fiery arm and spread his palm toward the sky.
From his palm, countless golden sparks shot upward like flocks of birds, merging into the moonlight above.
The ignorant believe that the sun and moon are equals.
But in truth, the moon is dark and lightless, shining only by borrowing the sun's radiance.
Wu Hui's eyes glowed gold as he guided the Golden Crow's flame along the moonlight, descending into the Prince's Manor.
This incident had made him wary, there must be a traitor within.
He wouldn't foolishly wait for Gu Yuye's arrangements. Better to act himself, and see what tricks this Gu Fangchen was hiding.
...
Magu disguised herself once again, returning to the manor as the same aged servant.
Even now, she was still dazed, as though waking from a dream.
That was Form-Grass Sword, invincible since his debut, yet he had died silently in a shabby thatched hut.
All his lifetime of glory had been wiped away.
This was the true nature of battles between high-level cultivators.
Magu steadied herself, recalling her orders, and found Gu Yuye.
Gu Yuye frowned.
"I don't think Form-Grass Sword would go back on his word."
He hadn't expected Magu to return within a day. A familiar unease crept into his heart.
Expressionless, yet deeply irritated, Gu Yuye thought, again that feeling.
Unexpected. Unexpected. One mishap after another, constantly disrupting his plans.
Ever since he had corrected the twisted fates of Gu Fangchen and Gu Yuandao, the number of accidents had far exceeded all those in his previous lifetime combined!
Magu said with difficulty,
"Form-Grass Sword would never stoop to breaking his word."
Gu Yuye's tone turned cold.
"Then why have you come back?"
Magu took a deep breath.
"Form-Grass Sword is dead."
Gu Yuye's pupils constricted.
"Dead?!"
Absurd!
If he didn't know that Magu came from the Dao of Measurement rather than the Dao of Emotion, he would have thought she was here to mock him.
A third-rank sword expert, dead, just like that, in a single day?
By rank, Form-Grass Sword's cultivation was equal to his own. He knew full well how strong the man was.
Magu said in a low voice,
"Your Highness, I can hardly believe it myself, but Form-Grass Sword is truly dead. It happened just now."
Gu Yuye's face darkened.
"Just now? Who did it?"
"It should be the Tara Sect."
Gu Yuye's expression turned even gloomier. Tara Sect... again Princess Prajna?
She had invited Gu Fangchen to White Horse Temple, sent Xiyin Attendant to watch him, and now she had killed Form-Grass Sword.
There was no enmity between Form-Grass Sword and the Tara Sect. Princess Prajna would never act without reason.
And what were the odds, everything happening on the same day, at the same time?
Clearly, this was targeted at them.
She was determined to interfere in the struggle between the true and false heirs of the Prince's line.
But what benefit did this bring to the Tara Sect?
Even if she knew that Gu Yuye was involved with the demonic path, wouldn't that be advantageous for her?
If the world fell into chaos and suffering, the Garan Temple could not save people in this life. The Tara Sect's following would only grow stronger.
Princess Prajna had never been a true saint.
If she acted out of self-interest, she should not have done this.
So why would she take Gu Fangchen's side?
Who was this man pretending to be Gu Fangchen, and what gave him the power to persuade Princess Prajna?
Gu Yuye fell silent, sitting still for a long time before finally saying,
"Since Form-Grass Sword is already dead, there's no need for me to make further arrangements for you."
Magu shook her head.
"The superiors place great importance on your cooperation. Lord Wu Hui has already arrived. I ask Your Highness to continue as planned."
"Wu Hui... a third-rank peak divine cultivator. I suppose we don't need to fear Prajna too much then."
Gu Yuye rubbed his temples.
"Very well. Let's see how it plays out."
After Magu left, Gu Yuye rested his head on his hand, eyes closed, deep in thought.
It wasn't until the sound of knocking interrupted his silence that he opened them again.
"Your Highness, someone from the Purple Extremity Hall has arrived."
A soldier knelt on one knee outside the door, his expression solemn.
Gu Yuye exhaled heavily, rubbing the armrest of his chair before standing.
Though he had already ordered the entire Prince's Manor to keep their mouths shut, Gu Fangchen's move had been ruthless, fast and clean, cutting him off at the root and dismantling all of his preparations.
Now, the only thing left to do was stall for time.
The Purple Extremity Hall receiving the news so quickly was no surprise.
With something this large, there was no way to hide it. But knowing Emperor Yong'an's temperament, they were likely here to exert pressure rather than to act directly.
Gu Yuye murmured,
"Is it Xiao Qiu?"
The soldier replied respectfully, "Yes."
Xiao Qiu was the head eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial Rites and commander of the Blood-Robe Guards, a loyal servant who had followed Emperor Yong'an for a hundred years, the very definition of a faithful hound.
The royal surname of Great Wei was Xiao, and "Xiao Qiu" was a name personally bestowed by the Emperor himself, proof of his favor.
There was no need to guess. He must have come to inquire about the results of the bloodline verification.
Gu Yuye stepped outside, the hem of his robe fluttering in the night wind.
The more one panicked, the more mistakes were made. He had calmed himself now.
If the other side could eliminate Form-Grass Sword ahead of time, then even the Grandmaster of Garan Temple, Master Juehui, would likely be powerless against him.
Of course, it was also possible that this was merely Gu Fangchen putting on a show of false strength, a warning meant to make him hesitate.
Either way, that trace of divine soul would have to be tested again.
But what Gu Yuye truly realized was something else entirely,
Princess Prajna was not only bound by the Tara Sect itself... but also by the Sacred Relic.
The Tara Sect had only recently hinted at seeking the Sacred Relic; there had been no signs before, which was why he had not thought of it sooner.
But considering Princess Prajna's sudden secret arrival in Huangtian City, it was clear she placed great importance on it.
If Gu Fangchen knew the whereabouts of the Sacred Relic, her uncharacteristic behavior was perfectly understandable.
However, if Gu Fangchen thought that having the Sacred Relic meant he was untouchable, he was gravely mistaken.
Gu Yuye's lips curved into a cold smile.
The Sacred Relic... was in his hands.
...
"By Lord Wu Hui's order, from this day forth, all Tara Sect followers outside their temples are to be slaughtered."
Magu faced a farmer who appeared utterly ordinary, plowing his field. She extended her hand, showing the glowing "Candle" mark in her palm.
The farmer wiped his sweat, squinted, and smiled faintly.
"I see. Since it's Lord Wu Hui's order, you may go."
Magu nodded and turned, about to form a hand seal.
Then came the sound of heavy wind.
"Whoosh-shhk!"
A dirt-caked rake suddenly pierced through her skull, stabbing clean through her face.
Her eyes widened in confusion.
The farmer's face was emotionless. He pushed down on the rake, forcing her head into the soil, then kicked a few clumps of dirt over it, burying it completely.
"I said, 'It's Lord Wu Hui's order, you may go.'"
....
"Nggh-!"
Gu Fangchen drove the last Suppression Nail straight into the crown of his skull.
The moment it went in, the Xiyin Attendant clinging tightly to him shuddered violently, letting out a muffled, pained groan.
"Uh... you okay?"
Gu Fangchen asked awkwardly, still pressing the nail inward.
The formation was almost complete, and his consciousness was now half-detached from his body, like a lucid dream.
Once this final nail pierced through, linking his upper, middle, and lower dantians, he could begin the first great refining of the Demon Refinement Method, the refinement of the inner demons.
Because he was both the master and the puppet, the process demanded balance.
During the refinement, he had to maintain connection with his body as the puppet's vessel.
But the instant it was completed, he had to leave the shell, acting as the master again to continue controlling it.
Otherwise, the process would fail.
He had to remain in this delicate, half-separated state.
Without Qingjian's assistance, enduring the pain while maintaining precise control would have been impossible.
Now, with her help, things were much easier.
Though, for Qingjian, the pain was anything but bearable.
Gu Fangchen had driven one hundred and eight Suppression Nails into his own flesh.
Through the wrappings of Qingjian's bandages, her body bore one hundred and eight identical wounds.
And this was far more than just "sticking nails" into flesh.
Each nail was etched with living arrays of spiritual runes that burrowed into flesh and bone, reshaping them with agony deep enough to shake the soul.
After all, these devices were originally instruments of torture, perfect for the great refining of the inner demons.
A single Suppression Nail could make a sixth-rank divine cultivator confess everything.
And Qingjian now bore one hundred and eight of them.
Even the pain-hardened Xiyin Attendant was at her limit.
"Uhh..."
The girl bit down on her teeth, her eyes glazed with tears at the corners. Her arms wrapped tightly around Gu Fangchen's back, her smooth nails scratching faint red lines into his skin.
"Hss-"
Gu Fangchen inhaled sharply.
Qingjian's teary eyes fluttered open. She whispered through trembling lips, "Does it... hurt?"
Biting her lip hard, she forced her arms to relax and leaned her head gently against his shoulder, as if in comfort.
Gu Fangchen: "..."
Why did he suddenly feel like the one being pitied here?
"It's fine. This little bit of pain is nothing."
Gu Fangchen said magnanimously,
"You can grab me if it helps."
This was only the beginning...
Hopefully he wouldn't break the Xiyin Attendant in the process.
Gu Fangchen pressed the final Suppression Nail fully in, exhaled, and began forming seals, chanting under his breath.
His three dantians connected. The nails linked into one network.
Now!
With a flicker of thought, the two poisons within his body, except for the Heart-Poison Mark, were unleashed.
The venom accumulated over more than a decade surged through his veins and flesh.
Qingjian gasped and bit into his shoulder.
...Fine, let her bite.
Gu Fangchen maintained his focus, face stern as he guided the array.
Moments later, he brought his palms together and closed his eyes. His soul detached from his body in an instant.
Blood-red lines spread across his body like veins, pulsing and vanishing again and again, one hundred and eight times in total.
Then, Gu Fangchen's consciousness returned.
He opened his eyes and breathed out in relief.
It had been difficult, but in the end...
He had succeeded!
All thanks to his hard work!
Then he suddenly felt something wet.
Looking down, he reached to touch the fabric beneath Qingjian's skirt on the bedding. It was warm to the touch.
Oh, damn. That was bad.
....
In the moonlight, flocks of flame-born birds took form.
Wu Hui's divine sense swept over the East Wing Room where Gu Fangchen resided and his face changed drastically.
That presence...
It was the aura of the Lord Himself!