Fang Yuan was invited into the Ge Family's command tent.
"Oh, a three-family alliance is trying to move against us?" At this news, Fang Yuan's eyes flickered slightly before he asked, "Which three families?"
An elder promptly replied: "Reporting to Grand Elder, they are the Pei Family, the Bei Family, and the Zheng Family."
After a brief pause, the elder added: "Patriarch Pei Yanfei of the Pei Family possesses a Fourth Transformation Peak Stage cultivation and is a renowned fierce general of the Northern Plains. Although the Bei Family is only a mid-tier clan, they have cultivated two slave-path Gu Masters. And though the Zheng Family was established only recently, their electric spear battle formation is quite formidable in power."
Fang Yuan nodded. He had heard a familiar name — Pei Yanfei.
This man was indeed one of the Northern Plains' notable fierce generals. After defecting to Liu Wenwu, he immediately became the third-ranked warrior under the Liu Family's banner.
In several subsequent battles, he would frequently charge solo into enemy formations, cutting left and right, throwing the opposition into disarray, and cutting down enemy leaders amid the chaos.
As for the Bei and Zheng Families, Fang Yuan had no particular recollection of them, but that didn't prevent him from assessing their strength.
Either family alone would be roughly equivalent to the Ge Family's power during their time at the Red Flame Valley.
The Bei Family had two slave-path Gu Masters, which meant they could directly resist Fang Yuan's wolf packs. And the Zheng Family had risen to prominence through their electric spear battle formation — their trump card — which was certainly not to be underestimated.
"However, I happen to need a great number of souls to irrigate the Swinging Soul Mountain and strengthen my soul spirit. A three-family alliance — that's quite a few people who can be killed, isn't it? Heh heh heh."
At this thought, the corner of Fang Yuan's mouth curved upward, forming a cold smile.
"Now that the three families have formed an alliance, the situation is dire. Uncle Chang Shanyin, where should our Ge Family go from here?" Ge Guang asked earnestly.
Fang Yuan abruptly raised his eyebrows, his voice filled with killing intent: "What is there to consider? Since they want to kill us, then we strike first and attack head-on! Remember — the best defense is a good offense!"
"Attack?!"
Hearing these words, the Ge Family's senior members were all stunned.
In their earlier deliberations, some had suggested retreating, others had proposed holding their ground, but not a single person had put forward the idea of attacking.
The notion was far too aggressive, far too risky. After all, the three-family alliance's combined strength vastly exceeded the Ge Family's own. Moreover, the Ge Family had only just absorbed the Yan Family prisoners and was dealing with internal troubles of its own.
"Attacking directly — isn't that a bit too crazy?" The elders exchanged glances, sensing the same feeling in one another's eyes. But given Fang Yuan's authority, none dared say so outright.
For a moment, silence fell over the group.
Ge Guang hesitated briefly before finally speaking up timidly: "Uncle Chang Shanyin, the enemy is strong and we are weak. Are we really going to strike first and abandon our fortified camp?"
Fang Yuan gave a cold snort: "That's exactly what you think — and it's exactly what the enemy thinks too. That is precisely why a preemptive strike will catch them completely off guard."
"Tonight, in the dead of night, we gather our elites and launch a night raid! Which family is closest to us?"
"The Bei Family would be nearest, followed by the Zheng Family. The Pei Family is the farthest from us," Ge Guang answered.
Fang Yuan smiled coldly: "Good. Then we destroy the Bei Family first, slaughter the Zheng Family next, and seize the opportunity to eliminate the Pei Family last. This battle will be brutal, so all of you need to be mentally prepared. But you can't catch a wolf without risking the child. Once we've swallowed the three families, our Ge Family will grow even stronger!"
The elders exchanged looks, secretly clicking their tongues in astonishment at Fang Yuan's ambition.
In the Ge Family's current state, he still intended to devour an enemy alliance two or three times their own strength. This was something the elders wouldn't have dared to dream of.
Seeing everyone still wavering, Fang Yuan waved his hand decisively: "It's settled. Go make your arrangements."
"Yes." The others had no choice but to comply.
That night, the wind howled and the sky was dark and moonless.
The gates of the Ge Family camp swung wide open, and wolf packs surged forth like a mighty river, flooding out in a torrent. Countless Gu Masters were interspersed among them, each leaping and bounding through the shadows, their hearts brimming with murderous intent.
"What fine weather — truly fine weather for killing." Fang Yuan sat atop an exotic beast and laughed heartily.
The beast was that white-eyed wolf. It had originally been in its juvenile stage, but Fang Yuan had used time-path Gu to accelerate its maturation. Now the white-eyed wolf's body had grown several times larger than before.
Its white fur was like snow, its body flowing and sleek like water, extraordinarily handsome in appearance — only slightly smaller than a camel wolf.
However, its current combat strength was only comparable to an ordinary Hundred Wolf King. No wild Gu had yet parasitized its body.
For wild Gu to parasitize a beast king, time was required. During a beast king's lengthy growth process, several wild Gu would voluntarily pledge themselves to it.
But this white-eyed wolf had grown far too quickly, lacking the depth of time that such a process required. And since it was constantly by Fang Yuan's side, no wild Gu had attached to it whatsoever.
Fang Yuan simply kept it as a mount by his side. Sometimes, he would use its keen eyesight for scouting purposes.
The army marched swiftly, hurtling directly toward the Bei Family.
The Bei Family's camp was established atop a hill. The hill had originally been covered in dense forest, but the Bei Family had logged it bare and used the timber to construct tall defensive walls.
Watchtowers were built atop the walls, their blazing lights illuminating the camp's surroundings until everything was bright as day. Jagged, menacing wooden spikes protruded from the wall's surface, and several Bei Family Gu Masters stood at intervals along the battlements — a picture of tight and vigilant defense.
"My lord, are we truly going to attack?" The army had crept stealthily as close as possible. Ge Guang eyed the walls with a heart full of doubt, half-inclined to retreat.
But Fang Yuan merely smiled: "This battle is already won."
"Why does the Grand Elder say so?" an elder asked, perplexed.