Fang Gong lay in ambush near the Bean God Palace, his expression anxious.
"Why is there still no movement inside? Could something have gone wrong?" Fang Gong checked the time.
This time, Fang Dizhang's plot against Fang Yuan was not his own doing; he had long been in communication with Fang Gong and the others.
To avoid arousing the suspicions of Suan Bu Jin, a Gu Immortal of the Wisdom Path, Fang Gong had remained hidden outside the palace, guarding against any unforeseen developments.
"Grand Elder, please remain calm. Second Elder's plan was meticulously prepared, and his strength already surpasses that of Suan Bu Jin. With the assistance of the Immortal Gu formation outside and the Immortal Gu House inside, defeating Suan Bu Jin is almost a foregone conclusion. Furthermore, if Second Elder were to encounter any mishap and be unable to control the situation, he would certainly have sent word." The Supreme Third Elder, standing nearby, offered words of comfort.
He was an elderly man with graying hair, clad in a yellow robe.
"You speak truly." Fang Gong nodded. Just then, a loud boom echoed from within the Bean God Palace—an explosion had occurred.
Fang Gong and Fang Huasheng immediately locked eyes. The latter blurted out, "They've made their move! The Immortal Gu House has self-destructed."
"Let's go, see what's happening!" Fang Gong was decisive and swift. He immediately rushed out, charging into the Bean God Palace.
The palace gates had originally been sealed, but with Fang Yuan's earlier assistance, Fang Dizhang had managed to refine the palace to a certain degree, allowing Fang Gong and Fang Huasheng to break directly inside.
"Second Elder!" Upon entering the palace, Fang Gong's gaze sharpened as he spotted Fang Dizhang lying amidst the wreckage of the destroyed Immortal Gu House, his entire body drenched in blood, his injuries grievous.
"Second Elder, are you alright? Hold on!" Fang Huasheng arrived right behind him and immediately began administering healing techniques.
Among the Fang family Gu Immortals, he was the most skilled in healing.
Sure enough, under his treatment, Fang Dizhang slowly regained some strength. His spirit visibly revived, and he was able to speak.
He said weakly, "That Suan Bu Jin... still had hidden strength. Although I successfully ambushed him, his counterattack injured me as well. I will need time to recover. As for the Bean God Palace..."
Before Fang Dizhang could finish, Fang Gong raised a hand to interrupt. "Second Elder, don't mention the Bean God Palace. You are our Fang family's strategist, our advisor. The entire family cannot do without you. Let the Third Elder heal your wounds quickly."
These words were quite heartwarming.
Fang Huasheng echoed immediately, "Second Elder, don't try to be brave. Your injuries are not light. Listen to the Grand Elder. Come, let me support you back to the secret chamber so I can give you my full treatment."
"Very well." After uttering those words, Fang Dizhang weakly closed his eyes.
He was taken to the secret chamber and received emergency treatment from Fang Huasheng.
The treatment process lasted an entire day and two nights.
Once the results were in, Fang Huasheng went alone to report to Fang Gong.
"How is the situation?" Fang Gong asked.
Fang Huasheng reported, "Reporting to the Supreme Grand Elder, there should be no problem. I examined Second Elder's bloodline, soul, and physical body—all are unmistakably genuine. Furthermore, the Life Plate Gu and Soul Lamp Gu in the Ancestral Hall show no anomalies. Second Elder should still be himself!"
As it turned out, Fang Huasheng's visit had served a dual purpose: treating Fang Di-Chang and secretly verifying his identity.
Fang Gong nodded. "I naturally trust the Second Elder, but necessary checks are indispensable. Why did the Righteous Path of the Southern Border become the laughingstock of the Five Regions? Because they let Fang Yuan slip in. Suan Bu Jin may not be a demon on the same level as Fang Yuan, but he is still a Wisdom Path Immortal Gu Master. We haven't thoroughly investigated just how many methods he has, so a bit of caution isn't unwarranted. Besides… this identity verification before the operation was something the Second Elder himself requested me to arrange."
Fang Huasheng laughed. "You two elders really worry too much. In my view, though Suan Bu Jin is a Seventh Transformation Wisdom Path expert, he's ultimately an independent cultivator with limited resources. Our Fang family, as a super force, is going all out to scheme against him—we even destroyed a newly established Immortal Gu House. We've spared no expense! With such a disparity in strength, eliminating Suan Bu Jin shouldn't be difficult at all."
"We need to see the body if he's dead, or the person if he's alive. It's precisely because I haven't seen Suan Bu Jin's corpse or soul that I have some reservations." A trace of somberness lingered in Fang Gong's eyes.
"Ha ha ha! He's a Wisdom Path cultivator, not a Transformation Path one. Even if the Second Elder doesn't elaborate, I can more or less guess what happened. Most likely, Suan Bu Jin made a desperate last-ditch counterattack with tremendous force, causing even more violent conflict and explosions, resulting in the complete destruction of both his body and soul." Fang Huasheng said.
On the sickbed, Fang Di-Chang opened his eyes.
"A day and a night have passed since Fang Huasheng's report. It seems I've managed to deceive them!" Fang Di-Chang thought to himself.
He was no longer the real Fang Di-Chang, but rather Fang Yuan's clone!
Time rewound to the moment Fang Di-Chang made his move.
"Brother Suan Bu Jin, I know this weighs on my conscience."
"But I have no choice. You've seen the Fang family's situation—for the sake of our future, I must ask you to die." With these words, Fang Di-Chang bowed deeply to Fang Yuan.
Fang Yuan panicked and erupted into furious curses.
Fang Di-Chang's expression turned cold. "You are a member of the Fang family, so you could say you're dying for a worthy cause. Rest in peace."
The moment his words fell, he activated his final measure.
There was no response whatsoever.
"Hm?" Fang Di-Chang was briefly stunned and activated it again.
Still nothing!
"What's going on?!" Fang Di-Chang's pupils contracted sharply. He quickly checked and his expression changed drastically.
He stared at Fang Yuan in disbelief. "You actually interfered with this Immortal Gu House!"
The panic on Fang Yuan's face vanished abruptly, replaced by a sinister smile of a scheme come to fruition. "Oh, that's right—how terrible, you've figured it out!"
"That's impossible! I personally oversaw the entire formation—you only made a few suggestions!" At this point, a look of horror crept onto Fang Di-Chang's face. "Could it be that…"
"Ha ha ha!" Fang Yuan applauded. "As expected of a Grand Wisdom Path Master—you caught on so quickly. That's right, I only made a few suggestions, but you adopted every single one. The Immortal Gu House built according to those suggestions aligns closely with the Bean Divine Palace in many ways. You set up Gu formations outside the palace and Gu houses inside it, all to infiltrate the Bean Divine Palace and forcibly refine it. But from another perspective, the Bean Divine Palace has also infiltrated your Gu formations and Gu houses. And I just so happen to be able to influence the Bean Divine Palace."