Fang Yuan took in the expressions of Chang Biao and the other two.
Regarding the past of the Wolf King Chang Shanyin, Fang Yuan had learned most of it from the "Biography of Chang Shanyin," but he did not know who the real culprit behind the Wolf King's downfall had been.
But even if he had known, he would not have bothered seeking revenge for the dead Wolf King.
He was Fang Yuan. The so-called Chang Shanyin was nothing more than a mask.
"From this day forward, I am the sole Grand Elder of the Chang tribe." Fang Yuan spoke, breaking the silence.
Chang Biao's entire body trembled. He opened his eyes and hastily kowtowed: "Chang Biao pays his respects to the Grand Elder."
"Mm." Fang Yuan nodded. "The matters of the past still need to be thoroughly investigated. But now is not the opportune time—at least not until after the Royal Court struggle is over. From this day forward, I am the sole Grand Elder of the Chang tribe. Chang Jiyou, you will serve as the Chang Family Patriarch. Chang Biao will serve as the First Elder. Ni Xuetong, our fated bond has ended. Continue being Chang Biao's wife."
Because of the tradition established by Giant Sun Immortal Venerable, in the Northern Plains, women held a low status and were often traded as goods. Sometimes, when honored guests visited a household, the host would even send his own wife to attend to the guest in bed.
"What?" Chang Jiyou cried out in shock, standing frozen on the spot.
Ni Xuetong said nothing.
Chang Biao suppressed the tremor in his heart and kowtowed again: "This subordinate obeys!"
"All of you, leave." Fang Yuan waved his hand, issuing them their dismissal. He still needed to seize the time to continue his cultivation.
The three walked out of the Giant Lizard House Gu in a daze. Only when the cold night wind made them shudder from head to toe did they finally come to their senses.
"I actually got through just like that?" An infinite surge of joy and relief welled up in Chang Biao's heart.
"But back then, I covered all my tracks perfectly! Even if there were any traces, after all these years of washing them away, they should be long gone. Back then, I deliberately got close to Chang Shanyin and became his close confidant. Now that Chang Shanyin has suffered such a dramatic change and they haven't met for years, it's only natural that their bond has grown distant." Chang Biao's thoughts raced rapidly.
The current situation was several times better than he had anticipated.
"Although I've been demoted from patriarch to elder, most of my power still remains. Chang Shanyin ordered me to serve as the First Elder—this shows he still trusts me! And he appointed Chang Jiyou as the new Chang Family Patriarch, which shows that deep down, he still cherishes old ties! As long as he still cherishes old ties, everything will be manageable..." The more Chang Biao thought about it, the more his spirits lifted.
He was immersed in his own world and failed to notice the complicated expression on his wife Ni Xuetong's face.
In the past, Chang Shanyin had been infatuated with her beauty, but just now, Chang Shanyin had not even bothered to spare her an extra glance.
On the way here, Ni Xuetong had been terrified. If Chang Shanyin had taken her back by force, she would have been separated from her beloved Chang Biao—what a painful thing that would have been!
But now, the situation was several times better than Ni Xuetong had anticipated.
Not only had Chang Shanyin temporarily refrained from pursuing the matters of the past, but he had also told her to continue being Chang Biao's wife!
This was exactly the result Ni Xuetong had dreamed of. She should have been happy, but for some reason, alongside the lingering fear in her heart, there was also a sense of loss that she herself did not want to admit.
As for Chang Jiyou, he had fallen into a state of great joy, confusion, and bewilderment.
"I've finally met my father. He was just a few steps away! He was far more imposing than I had ever imagined."
"Father didn't acknowledge me as his son but addressed me directly by my name. Does he not know that I am his own flesh and blood?"
"But then why did Father appoint me as the Chang Family Patriarch? I'm so young—only at the Third Transformation. Can I really handle it?"
"I understand! This must be Father's test for me. He is testing this son he has never met. If I can govern the Chang Family well and brilliantly pass his test, then perhaps he will feel gratified and acknowledge me as his son!"
At this thought, Chang Jiyou's heart could not help but surge with excitement. He made up his mind—he would give his absolute utmost effort to perform well in the coming Royal Court struggle!
Fang Yuan could never have guessed that his simple arrangements would cause such enormous psychological upheaval among the three.
But even if he had known, he would not have cared.
Five hundred years ago in his previous life, after helping Ma Hongyun ascend to the throne of the Royal Court, he had also re-seized control of the Chang Family.
Unlike on Earth, when mighty power could be attributed to an individual, the stronger one's power, the greater one's authority.
As of today, Fang Yuan was no longer the low-level Gu Master on Qing Mao Mountain, suppressed and exploited by the system. Now he could manipulate and freely tamper with the power structure of an entire tribe. It could be said that he had already reached the pinnacle of the secular world.
He knew full well that all of this was owed to the immense power he now possessed!
"Right now, my first Empty Orifice has fully adapted to the Northern Plains and can deploy Fifth Transformation Peak Stage True Essence. My second Empty Orifice has also reached Fifth Transformation Middle Stage. Both Empty Orifices have Grade A ninety percent aptitude, and with my current sets of Gu Insects, True Essence is more than abundant."
"But the Gu Insects of the Slave and Strength Paths are not extremely powerful in their own right. On the Strength Path, since acquiring the Fifth Transformation Multiplier Gu, my explosive power has become sufficiently high, but my body can hardly bear it."
Previously, when fighting Liu Wenwu and his two brothers' combined killing move "Three Heads, Six Arms," Fang Yuan could have relied on his Strength Path combat power to challenge them head-on.
But Fang Yuan knew that once he unleashed five hundred jun of force, never mind his opponents—even his own body would be hard-pressed to withstand it.
"My bones are Impermanent Bones. The skin covering my body is Turtle Jade Wolf Skin. To withstand five hundred jun of force, this is far from enough. But if I were to modify my muscles and tendons to suit the Strength Path, they would no longer suit the Slave Path. If they suited the Slave Path, they wouldn't suit the Strength Path. In the end, the Slave and Strength Paths, while somewhat complementary to each other, have an extremely low degree of compatibility. It's nothing like the Soul Path and Slave Path, or the Soul Path and Wisdom Path."
This problem had actually been troubling Fang Yuan for a long time.
If he couldn't solve it, then his Slave and Strength Paths could only reach a level of proficiency—not true peak-level power.
Although Fang Yuan now possessed information about the inheritance of the Valley of Dereliction, the future was uncertain. Anything could happen. Fang Yuan was cautious by nature, and until he actually obtained the Valley of Dereliction, he could not make up his mind to switch to cultivating the Soul Path. Thus, he still needed to perfect the Slave and Strength Paths.
After closing his eyes in contemplation for a while, Fang Yuan slowly opened them and retrieved the East Window Gu from his Empty Orifice.
This Gu was a storage Gu, specifically designed to store information, obtained from the Lang Ya Earth Spirit.
Inside the East Window Gu was detailed information about the killing move "Three Heads, Six Arms." This killing move was incredibly powerful, capable of transforming Liu Wenwu, Ouyang Bisang, and Mo Shikuang into a massive creature with combat power that skyrocketed to terrifying levels.