Gu Fangchen, for once, was not lying.
In this storm of blood and wind, human thoughts fluctuated endlessly. Once the spirit was disturbed, all kinds of delusions would arise, clouding the five senses and affecting judgment.
This fierce ghost's power was extraordinary, it even carried an inherent environmental buff of sorts, making it more dangerous within its own domain.
Without knowing the truth, the longer one was trapped in this bloody tempest, the deeper the influence would seep into their mind.
But given Gu Yuandao's cultivation, he should have been the last person to be affected.
Especially since he had only faced the ghost for a short while, and with Ding Xingfeng's Six-Syllable True Words suppressing the evil wind.
Yet, Gu Yuandao's mind was now filled entirely with thoughts of killing Gu Fangchen, his heart brimming with hatred so deep it nearly consumed him.
Thus, ironically, he became the first to fall victim to the illusion.
Had it been anyone else, it wouldn't matter, but Gu Yuandao's strength was real. If only he'd calmed his mind and carefully sensed his surroundings, he would've noticed something was wrong.
However, he was in too much of a hurry...
After waiting over ten years, he had been suppressing his frustration, only to see every chance for glory snatched away by Gu Fangchen ever since they returned to Huangtian City.
Now that he finally had a chance to eliminate Gu Fangchen once and for all, how could he not be impatient?
In Gu Yuandao's mind, he was already imagining how, after Gu Fangchen's death, he would claim the credit for pacifying the Seven Sects and reclaim his title as heir.
That eagerness blinded him.
In his rush to act, he ignored the inconsistencies, especially the fact that Gu Fangchen, a martial cultivator, was now pointing out flaws in his spiritual perception.
It was the last mistake Gu Yuandao should have ever made.
Gu Fangchen, of course, spared him no face. Without hesitation, he thrust his blade directly into Yuandao's chest.
As the saying went, lies do not harm, but truth cuts like a blade.
Gu Fangchen's rare moment of honesty struck the deepest wound of all.
Gu Yuandao's face twisted with rage, glaring at Gu Fangchen as he snapped:
"Gu Fangchen! I am a disciple of the Sage, a true heir of Mount Yao! I act with a clear conscience! It is you who harbors evil intent, how dare you slander me!"
But his words rang hollow, devoid of conviction.
Gu Fangchen smirked faintly.
"If you weren't being corrupted by evil thoughts, then as a Fifth Grade Shendao cultivator, how could you perform worse than me?"
"We agreed to track the fierce ghost's position, had my master followed your lead, he would've already been ambushed!"
Crossing his arms, Gu Fangchen looked at Yuandao with mocking contempt.
"So tell me, oh great Saint's disciple, true heir of Mount Yao, how is it that you can't even handle such a trivial task? Can you explain that to me?"
Gu Yuandao's face flushed between green and red, unable to say a word.
He could only force himself to sneer coldly:
"A momentary mistake, nothing more! No one is perfect! You were merely lucky, what's there to be proud of?"
But facts spoke louder than words. The others traveling with them exchanged uneasy glances.
Gu Yuandao had always appeared as a righteous gentleman.
Moreover, as a Fifth Grade cultivator in the Freedom Realm, there was no way he should have been inferior to Gu Fangchen.
Everyone also knew he carried the Righteous Qi of the Vast Heavens. If he couldn't suppress evil thoughts even with that, then just how corrupt was that evil energy?
Gu Lianqian, still thinking about her wager, was stunned. Her lips tightened, and her small face turned pale as she looked toward Gu Yuandao.
The voice that had whispered in her mind all this time made her heart waver endlessly. Now, this scene only drove her confusion deeper.
She shut her eyes, trying to reassure herself.
"No... Second Brother can't be like that. This must be another one of Gu Fangchen's tricks..."
But as she hesitated, the fierce ghost returned, rushing toward Ding Xingfeng once more. Gu Fangchen, however, called out each movement with eerie precision.
Ding Xingfeng was inwardly amazed, his curiosity about Gu Fangchen's origins growing, but this was not the time for gossip. He refocused his mind and fought on.
Now that the ghost could no longer hide itself or unleash mental attacks, Ding Xingfeng's martial advantage shone. Within moments, he had the ghost retreating again and again.
But just as the ghost was about to vanish again, it screeched sharply and lunged straight for Gu Fangchen.
"Yiii, , !!!"
It had realized that Gu Fangchen was aiding the fight, and chose to eliminate him first.
Turning invisible once more, it surged forward with the howling of blood-soaked winds and claw marks tearing across the earth.
"Boom!"
The carriage was overturned. Everyone scattered.
Gu Lianqian shielded Ning Caiyong; Qingjian grabbed Xuexiang; the rest spread out.
Gu Fangchen retreated quickly, his face grave. Suddenly, dozens of demonic cultists appeared around them. Though they looked like ordinary cultivators, their manner marked them as followers of the "Path of Righteousness."
The ghost no longer hid its movements. Ding Xingfeng's soul force was running low, and his use of the Six-Syllable True Words was reaching its limit. Being one who preferred direct battle over technique, he decided to end things in one decisive strike.
In an instant, Ding Xingfeng appeared above the ghost's invisible form, bellowed the mantra once more, and punched downward.
At that same moment, Gu Yuandao, standing off to the side, cast a glance toward Gu Lianqian.
"Little Sister!"
His voice rang in her mind:
"Do it now! Once Gu Fangchen dies today, our family will finally be reunited!"
It happened in a flash.
Gu Lianqian's heart pounded violently as she looked at Ning Caiyong beside her.
The beautiful woman, with no cultivation, could barely follow the chaotic battle. Her face pale, she still looked anxiously toward Gu Fangchen.
"Chen'er! Be careful!" she cried.
Gu Lianqian's hand trembled as she gripped the short sword at her waist, the very one Gu Yuandao had gifted her at their first meeting.
Its name was "Evil-Bane."
According to the plan, she should now draw the blade and feign an attack on Ning Caiyong.
With Gu Fangchen already struggling against the cultists, this would force him to divide his focus, sealing his fate.
Seeing her poised to draw the weapon, Gu Yuandao's lips curved in triumph. Laughter almost burst from his chest.
Gu Fangchen, so moved by his false bond with mother and sister, let him now die for that sentiment!
All his pent-up humiliation and bitterness finally found release.
He widened his eyes, wanting to watch with his own eyes how that usurping wretch met his end.
But...
One breath. Two. Three... ten breaths passed.
Before his eyes, Ding Xingfeng's punch landed, blasting the ghost into its true form.
"Boom!"
With a deafening roar, the ghost exploded into a mass of mangled flesh, screaming as it was driven into the earth.
Then, from that pulped mass, countless infant faces emerged and burst apart, turning into swarms of resentful spirits surging toward Ding Xingfeng.
But Gu Lianqian still stood frozen, her hand on the hilt, unmoving.
Gu Yuandao's eyes bulged, his expression twisting hideously. Forgetting secrecy, he shouted aloud:
"Gu Lianqian! What are you doing?! Strike now!"
"Ah!"
Startled, Gu Lianqian recoiled, releasing the sword, her face drained of color.
"I'm sorry, Second Brother... I... I can't!"
Gu Yuandao was livid.
Can't?!
When you agreed, why didn't you say you couldn't? Didn't you swear you would see it done?!
"Useless!"
He snapped through gritted teeth.
Gu Lianqian's face paled further, stepping back in disbelief.
She could not believe that the brother she idolized, the one she thought so much better than Gu Fangchen, would call her that.
Ning Caiyong blinked, frowning.
"Gu Yuandao, Lianqian is only fifteen, and she has suffered greatly. It is only natural she hesitates to fight. Why do you scold her so harshly?"
She thought he was angry because Lianqian refused to strike the demonic cultists.
She could never have imagined that her own son had planned to use her life as bait.
"Mother!"
At those words, Gu Lianqian broke down, tears streaming as she clung to Ning Caiyong.
Only now did she realize how blind she had been, how close she came to committing an unforgivable sin, just to kill Gu Fangchen.
How could she even think of raising her sword against such a kind mother?
She was truly wretched.
Gu Yuandao's face darkened further as he turned toward Gu Fangchen.
Having lost the chance to distract him, Gu Fangchen had regained his footing and was now fighting the demonic followers head-on.
These cultists were all elite, most around the Sixth Grade.
Some faces were even familiar, he had seen them during the Seven Sect Rebellion.
They were the ones who had stirred the chaos and targeted the Sword Pavilion.
These "Righteous Path" followers lived disguised within sects as ordinary disciples, only to be activated by the cult at critical moments.
But Gu Fangchen's strange spiritual energy made him a living bomb. Every strike caused chain explosions, spreading toxic miasma through the air.
Though not as deadly as the Heart-Poison Mark, the twin toxins were still infamous, lethal even to masters.
He was, in essence, a walking poison grenade.
In this melee, Gu Fangchen could barely defend himself, but to touch him was suicide.
Every move, every strike from the enemies, he preemptively dodged.
The "Thousand Tribulation Silk" he wielded was also fearsome. The power of Heavenly Calamity was not something ordinary men could withstand.
Even without full strength, it kept them suppressed, unable to unleash their full might.
A battle of attrition was meaningless.
And as if that weren't enough, Gu Fangchen seemed to have an endless supply of elixirs, spiritual recovery pills, stimulants, never running out.
Gu Yuandao's face grew darker still. His rage and hatred were about to burst.
Useless! All of them!
This perfect opportunity, he would not let it go to waste!
If Gu Fangchen returned to Huangtian City alive, Yuandao would become the laughingstock of the realm.
He was supposed to be the heaven-favored son!
All his years of effort, was he to lose everything now?
No.
Absolutely not!
His gaze shifted from Gu Fangchen... to Ning Caiyong.
His expression slowly changed from rage to calm.
He took a deep breath, quietly moving closer to her.
And just then,
From the shadows, a "Path of Extinction" cultist appeared.
A being of pure darkness, its body fluid and shadowlike, emerged silently from Gu Fangchen's own shadow.
In its hands formed a massive scythe.
The fierce ghost had been but a distraction.
This was the true assassin the cult had prepared,
The Path of Extinction, entity name: Wangliang.
From the moment they entered the bloody storm, it had hidden within Gu Fangchen's shadow, waiting.
Its cultivation was only Fourth Grade, but it wielded the most terrifying art of all: karmic annihilation.
Wangliang was a shadow, and a shadow was the reflection of one's karma.
The karma one creates does not vanish, but if that karma is erased, then the person dies.
Its technique was called Shadow-Slay.
Hidden within shadows, it completely concealed its presence.
It did not need to touch the target's body.
To kill the shadow was to kill the cause.
Erase the cause, and the person perishes.
Yet, this art came with a cost.
To erase another's karma, one's own karmic burden must outweigh theirs.
Wangliang, as a Fourth Grade, bore the karma of ten thousand lives. Anyone beneath that weight could be erased instantly.
And this "false heir of the Northern Garrison Prince's Manor", a mere nineteen-year-old, how much karma could he carry?
Even if he were a reincarnated old monster, reincarnation reset all karma. Past deeds were but dust.
Only karma of this lifetime counted.
Thus, Gu Fangchen was fated to die today.
"Swish!"
Gu Fangchen turned, just in time to see that pitch-black shadow rise and swing its scythe toward his shadow's neck.
Ding Xingfeng, still entangled with the ghost, sensed danger and shouted:
"Boy! Move!"