Using the mark of the Dao of Measurement, Gu Fangchen reversed the transmission path of the Between the Weft and Warp array, traveling instantly from the Intermediate Underworld to his destination.
However, this act was a complete violation of the array's rules, immediately drawing the attention of the General of Qianmo.
Gu Fangchen turned his head just in time to see a massive hand stretch out from the still-unclosed rift, forcing it open for a brief moment.
It was the divine-soul manifestation of the General of Qianmo.
The Between the Weft and Warp was a massive array, any disturbance would ripple through the entire structure. Since it was anchored to the Intermediate Underworld, even the General himself could not interfere too much with its nodes, or else the Intermediate Underworld might invade the mortal realm and disrupt the cycle of reincarnation.
Still, having someone forcibly hijack his array was no small matter.
The General of Qianmo had been directly alerted.
From the depths of the passage, half a blurred face appeared, and an enraged voice thundered out:
"Who?! Who dares tamper with my formation?!"
On Gu Fangchen's hand, the mark of the Dao of Measurement glowed faintly.
The General of Qianmo sensed it and reclaimed the mark, only to be filled with confusion.
That mark... it should have been placed on the fake heir, Gu Fangchen, and later transferred to the Death Path's agent to perform the assassination, no?
In other words, the one who had broken his array, could it actually be that notorious good-for-nothing?
His confusion did not last long, for Gu Fangchen gave a light chuckle and said calmly,
"Duan Qicang, have you stayed buried in the Underworld so long you can't even recognize me?"
Hm?
The General of Qianmo froze.
Duan Qicang, that was his true name, known to no one in the current age except a handful of ancient beings.
That tone...
He quickly noticed that this "Gu Fangchen" carried an odd aura. It wasn't quite right, yet it felt strangely familiar. In an instant, he realized who stood before him, and he snapped irritably,
"Yubai? What are you doing here?!"
"Your Death Path was supposed to kill that Gu Fangchen! Why are you here instead?"
Gu Fangchen narrowed his eyes slightly and said in a quiet voice,
"Isn't he already dead?"
"But Gu Yuye is not a man worth trusting. It's better that I personally borrow Xiao Ding's influence rather than keep dealing with Gu Yuye's endless schemes."
The General of Qianmo shook his head. Knowing Yubai's blunt and solitary temperament, he wasn't surprised.
If Gu Fangchen had been replaced by Yubai, then their current situation was, in fact, even more advantageous.
The only problem was that the Dao Lords of Cause and Effect, Revelation, and Life had planned everything together, and now their scheme had been disrupted. They would likely come after Yubai to demand an explanation.
But knowing Yubai's nature, he wouldn't care in the slightest.
The General sighed and asked without much hope,
"Did you discuss this with anyone else?"
Gu Fangchen sheathed his sword and remained silent.
I knew it.
The General sighed again, then frowned slightly.
"When did you start learning formation arts? You even managed to break through my Between the Weft and Warp..."
Gu Fangchen said calmly,
"I only know how to kill people. I don't know formations."
Then it must have been someone under his command... but was there really anyone in the Death Path with such mastery over arrays?
If he had wanted to use the Between the Weft and Warp, all he had to do was tell him, why go through so much trouble? It almost looked like provocation!
Still, as a formation-obsessed maniac, the General of Qianmo was not angered by this.
Finding out that the one who breached his array was one of their own, his fury turned into competitiveness, itching to know more.
To think someone could actually break through his life's proudest creation!
"You, "
Before he could speak further, Gu Fangchen smiled faintly and said with amusement,
"Duan Qicang, I remember that three hundred years ago, when you laid down the Between the Weft and Warp, you once declared that if anyone could break it, you would take that person as your teacher and follow them without question."
The General of Qianmo clicked his tongue. So that was what this old monster was after.
If a conflict arose with the other three Paths, the Death Path alone would be at a disadvantage, but if joined with the Dao of Measurement, that would change everything.
It was true, he had said those words back when he was young and arrogant, not thinking twice.
But he hadn't even seen this person in action, nor did he know how the array had been broken, so he certainly wouldn't just agree to such a thing that easily.
"No, no, that doesn't count!"
True to his demonic nature, the General shamelessly said,
"This time doesn't count! How do I know it wasn't just some old maintenance flaw in my array that let someone slip through?!"
"Unless... give me a month to repair and strengthen it, and then we'll try again!"
"If that person can break it again, then I'll honor my promise!"
Gu Fangchen paused, pretending to think, then nodded.
"Fine."
"But you'll have to do something for me first."
The General replied readily, "Alright, what is it?"
Gu Fangchen's eyes flickered with meaning.
"The next time you see me, remember to remind me, to untie the bell, one must first tie it."
He had made too big a scene at the Qionglin Banquet; the Demonic Sect would surely investigate this "member" who claimed their name. The Dao Lords would inevitably meet.
Which meant that the next time the General of Qianmo encountered "him," it would be Yubai himself.
That phrase was a message, one meant for Yubai.
It was also the key phrase required after completing the hidden side quest, triggering the dialogue to persuade the Death Path's Dao Lord into neutrality.
For now, he was only impersonating the man; soon, Yubai would discover it.
And being hunted by the Death Path was no laughing matter.
It was about as bad as facing Gu Yuye directly, both could kill him in an instant.
And at present, he no longer had the Power of Life and Death skill.
Therefore, he had drawn the General of Qianmo here precisely to have him deliver this line, to shift Yubai's allegiance and take the blame himself.
And conveniently, it gave Gu Fangchen a new identity within the Demonic Sect.
When out in the world, one's identity was what one made of it.
Acting under the title of the Northern Garrison Prince's heir was, after all, rather inconvenient.
The General of Qianmo didn't ask why he wanted to remind himself, people who had lived for so long all had their quirks.
Just as he didn't ask why Yubai had suddenly appeared at the tooth maker's workshop.
The divine-soul hand withdrew, and the rift closed behind it.
Gu Fangchen finally exhaled in relief.
He looked down at his empty palm, eyes narrowing slightly, a faint smile playing on his lips.
The Measurement mark had been reclaimed; Gu Yuye and the Demonic Sect's planned operatives were now powerless.
And this Qionglin Banquet, this had been Emperor Yong'an's test for him.
During that conversation in the Purple Extremity Hall, the old monster had never once explicitly acknowledged his identity. Even the scroll Xu Fu had given him proved nothing; he could only use it to suppress Gu Yuandao's advantage.
Emperor Yong'an, or rather, the Lord of the Dao of Constancy, never cared who he truly was. He cared only whether, after pledging loyalty, Gu Fangchen had the ability to deliver results.
At present, the scholars of Yaoshan Academy held half the court in their grasp.
If Gu Yuye's son were to enter the imperial government as a disciple of the Sage, the fragile balance would collapse completely.
What Emperor Yong'an sought to suppress was not one man, but the entire influence of Yaoshan Academy.
And Gu Fangchen's promise to take a tooth from the "Rules" was nothing less than pulling out the fangs of the Confucian Sage himself.
Only if he accomplished this, and survived, would the Emperor truly stand behind him.
At the same time, his enmity with Gu Yuye and his son Gu Yuandao had now reached a point beyond reconciliation, even Ning Caiyong could not mediate.
But... that was just fine.
He only hoped Gu Yuye could endure what was coming.
Gu Fangchen's eyes gleamed as he picked up the "Rules'" tooth, still stained with blood, and tossed it toward the tooth maker who had been rubbing his hands together eagerly beside him, smiling all the while.
The tooth maker's eyes lit up. He caught it and stroked it like a priceless treasure.
"Customer, what would you like me to craft?"
"Lotus Concealed in the Womb."
"Right away!"
...
Gu Yuye had only just left White Horse Temple when word reached him that something had happened at the Qionglin Banquet.
He frowned deeply, a chill of foreboding tightening his chest.
Gu Fangchen was absolutely not the kind of man to expose his own identity!
But outwardly, he showed only fury, snapping,
"That rebellious son is a member of the Demonic Sect?! Has His Majesty been informed? Send men immediately to capture that traitor!"
A subordinate stammered nervously,
"The city has been sealed off, and the search for the heir is underway, but... word just arrived from the manor. They say, they say..."
Gu Yuye said coldly, "What are you stammering for? Speak!"
The subordinate bowed his head, sweating.
"They say that last night, the Princess Consort left the city with the heir, headed for Sword Gate."