Several months later.
Southern Border, Three-Forked Mountain.
In a spacious cavern, a lavish banquet was in full swing. Gu Masters exchanged cups amid brilliant lantern-light and the rich aroma of delicacies.
"Come, come — eat and drink your fill! No need for formalities!" The Hundred-Year-Old Child sat in the seat of honor, surveying the room and calling out loudly.
The Hundred-Year-Old Child wore a black robe and looked like a twelve-year-old boy, but in truth he was already over a hundred and eighty years old.
Under normal circumstances, a person's lifespan in this world was only about a hundred years. The best way to extend one's life was to find a Lifespan Gu.
But Lifespan Gu were exceedingly rare and difficult to obtain.
Humans were the spirit of all living things — who would complain about having too much life? That was why so many alternative methods had been devised.
The Hundred-Year-Old Child was one such example. Though he had never found a Lifespan Gu, he possessed a Rejuvenation Gu that accumulated his life force and released it slowly, achieving the effect of prolonging his years.
The downside, however, was that his body and appearance remained fixed at the look of a twelve-year-old.
The Hundred-Year-Old Child possessed Fourth Transformation High Stage cultivation, and coupled with over a hundred and eighty years of experience, he was an undisputed elder among the Demonic Path.
Having grown shrewd with age and with a wide network of connections, he enjoyed hosting banquets for all manner of people. Sometimes he would even offer guidance to newcomers, passing on his experience. Among the Demonic Path, he had earned a reputation for mentoring juniors.
A number of Demonic Path Gu Masters he had helped would take him as their godfather. Over time, the Hundred-Year-Old Child had gathered quite a collection of godsons and goddaughters, forming a sizable faction.
Today's banquet included many of these godsons and goddaughters, as well as distinguished guests — figures like Rock Lizard Li Qiang and Violent Fire Star Bao Tong, both well-known Demonic Path personalities who were not to be underestimated.
"Yi Huo from the Shang clan is truly powerful — he outclasses the other four peak Fourth Transformation cultivators. Right now, no one on Three-Forked Mountain can match him."
"Gu Refinement Master Feng Tianyu has come and agreed to refine Gu for Yi Huo. Whatever Gu he's crafting, Yi Huo's combat strength is only going to grow."
The hottest topic of discussion at the banquet was, as expected, the current situation on Three-Forked Mountain.
Yi Huo hailed from the Shang clan and represented the Righteous Path. His dominance had a sweeping impact, keeping every Demonic Path Gu Master on Three-Forked Mountain on the back foot — they fought with their heads hung low, timid and cautious.
"Yi Huo may be formidable, but in the end he's only at peak Fourth Transformation. If Tie Baxiu were still alive, he could have fought him head-on, and Yi Huo wouldn't be enjoying such an imposing reputation today."
At the mention of Tie Baxiu, everyone inevitably thought of Fang Yuan.
"Just the other day, the Little Beast King killed Yu Cang — that's the fourth Strength Path Gu Master he's dispatched this month," someone murmured.
Yu Cang had been a Righteous Path Gu Master from a mid-to-small clan — the Yu family.
Ever since Fang Yuan had slain Tie Baxiu, his momentum had surged. He repeatedly picked fights, cutting down Demonic and Righteous Path Gu Masters alike. His fearsome reputation terrorized the region.
The Hundred-Year-Old Child's ears twitched — his senses were keen. Hearing the title "Little Beast King," his expression darkened.
The Flying Tiger Xue San-Si, whom Fang Yuan had killed, had been one of his own goddaughters. He had loudly proclaimed he would settle the score with Fang Yuan. But the moment Fang Yuan slew Tie Baxiu, he had immediately swallowed his words and stopped talking about him entirely.
"Hmph! The Little Beast King is powerful, all right, but that's only thanks to the Three Kings' Inheritance. He knows a great many secrets about it, which is why he reaps far richer rewards than us every time he enters. Li Xian — you've traded with him and know more about his situation than anyone. Is that true?" Rock Lizard Li Qiang suddenly called out in a booming voice.
Li Xian nodded. "That's exactly right. Over these past months, the Little Beast King has repeatedly sold off secrets from the Three Kings' Inheritance. Nine out of ten pieces of information he shares turn out to be genuine — all of it verified. For instance, the first half of the Faith King's Inheritance requires disrupting the Hairmen's Gu refinement. And there are also various insights from the Dog King's Inheritance."
"The Little Beast King must be sitting on far greater secrets deep in his heart. His luck has finally arrived, and he's hit it big — with the Three Kings' Inheritance, his combat strength keeps climbing. Right now, he's one of the leading contenders to inherit the Three Kings' Legacy!" Violent Fire Star Bao Tong said between drinks, his tone steeped in envy, jealousy, and spite.
"Fang Zheng's strength grows ever greater, and he updates his Gu Insects with impressive frequency."
"These past few months, he and Bai Ningbing have teamed up — an absolute pair of scoundrels! The two of them collude and scheme together, and who knows how many people have fallen to their schemes."
"The Little Beast King's ambitions are enormous. From the moment he arrived on Three-Forked Mountain, he's been challenging Strength Path Gu Masters left and right. Just the other day, he declared he intends to become the foremost practitioner of Strength Path and restore its ancient glory."
"Thank goodness I'm not a Strength Path Gu Master…"
The chatter went on and on.
Fang Yuan only actively targeted Strength Path Gu Masters, which meant they all lived in constant dread, while Gu Masters of other paths stood on the sidelines, watching the show with a sense of schadenfreude.
Despite his outrageous behavior, Fang Yuan had managed to avoid drawing universal outrage.
First, his combat strength was formidable, and with his ability to fly, he was genuinely difficult to deal with. Second, he proactively leaked a great deal of information about the Three Kings' Inheritance, which paradoxically made many people eager to curry his favor. Third, he only targeted Strength Path Gu Masters — a single category of people — rather than recklessly provoking every Gu Master around.
"Hundred-Year-Old Lord, you had better be careful. If I recall correctly, you're a Strength Path Gu Master too, aren't you? That brute Fang Zheng — when he gets it into his head to cause trouble, he's truly unreasonable and savage," Rock Lizard Li Qiang said, fixing the Hundred-Year-Old Child with a long look, as though offering well-meaning advice.