Fine rain drifted through the air, and Qing Mao Mountain appeared even more lush and verdant beneath the downpour.
Fang Yuan sat quietly in the room, facing his younger brother Fang Zheng.
"Brother, why are you still so obstinate? Uncle and Aunt have raised us all these years through so much hardship, yet you reported them to the clan's Elder Council — this is nothing short of ungrateful betrayal!" Fang Zheng stood tall and straight before Fang Yuan, berating him with righteous indignation.
Fang Yuan's expression was calm, his gaze cold as ice as he surveyed his surroundings, thinking: "This dream realm is quite realistic indeed."
He then inspected himself and found a Wine Worm and a Full Effort Gu, among others, stored within his Third Transformation Empty Orifice.
Fang Yuan's heart settled. "This level of cultivation is equivalent to what I had at the Three Kings Blessed Land."
Just then, Fang Zheng before him shouted excitedly, "The Elder Trial hasn't been convened yet — there's still time, Brother. If you withdraw your complaint now, it won't be too late. If you really go through with it, your reputation will be ruined. Everyone around you will look down on you, and I won't acknowledge you as my brother anymore!"
Fang Yuan chuckled softly and rose to his feet, walking toward Fang Zheng.
Fang Zheng took a step back. "Brother, what are you doing?"
Seeing him act this way, a wave of disgust rose in Fang Yuan's heart.
"This is a dream trap," Fang Yuan understood clearly. He suppressed the disgust and walked past Fang Zheng toward the door.
"Brother!" Fang Zheng spun around and grabbed Fang Yuan's arm.
Fang Yuan could not move forward. He turned back to look at his brother, and the loathing in his heart grew even stronger. An impulse surged up — he wanted to slap Fang Zheng across the face and then stride away without looking back.
But Fang Yuan grew even calmer. He gently gripped Fang Zheng's arm and applied slow, steady pressure, trying to free himself from the hold.
However, immediately after, Fang Zheng's other hand seized him as well.
Fang Yuan let out a resigned sigh, but a sharp light flashed through his eyes. He suddenly raised his leg and kicked Fang Zheng flat to the ground.
Fang Zheng lay sprawled on the floor, unable to rise for the moment.
Only then was Fang Yuan free. He turned and strode out through the main door.
The instant he stepped outside, the scene before him transformed abruptly.
He had arrived at the Gu Yue Clan's Grand Council Hall.
Elders sat in rows on either side. The Clan Leader occupied the high seat at the center, looking down upon Fang Yuan and Fang Zheng.
Fang Yuan inspected himself and realized he was kneeling on the ground. Fang Zheng knelt beside him.
Fang Yuan's mind was crystal clear — he understood that having kicked Fang Zheng earlier had stirred his emotions, making the dream trap all the more potent.
The first scene had contained only a small hut and two people. Now this council hall was far more spacious than that hut, and nearly ten figures had appeared, though all their faces were blurred — only Fang Zheng's was clear.
As Fang Yuan's gaze swept across the hall, he found that the longer he looked at the Clan Leader, the more the Clan Leader's face began to sharpen into focus.
Fang Yuan quickly looked away.
The more he observed, the more memories were drawn up from within him, and the more vivid the dream became. What was even more dangerous was that it stirred the emotions buried in his heart — once he became emotionally entangled, he would fall into the dream's trap.
Without any Dream Path Immortal Gu to assist him, once he was caught in the trap, breaking free would be extremely difficult.
"Where exactly is the Gu refinement material hidden in this dream? Could it be that it's not in this second scene, but further below?" Fang Yuan searched with his gaze but found nothing. Just as he was pondering, the Clan Leader in the hall spoke.
Then an Elder stepped forward from among the others and announced to the assembly that Fang Yuan had accused his uncle and aunt of embezzling his parents' inheritance.
Fang Zheng served as a witness and spoke publicly on behalf of his uncle and aunt.
Fang Yuan heard every word, and the disgust within him gradually intensified, laced with a thread of suppressed indignation.
The Elders in the hall all spoke up, their words clearly biased toward Fang Zheng's side, regarding Fang Yuan with undisguised disdain.
Fang Yuan's situation was dire, yet his heart remained as calm and cold as ice. He carefully examined the emotions within him, and deep in his soul, he remained utterly dismissive.
"Summon the accused parties," the Clan Leader suddenly declared.
The uncle and aunt appeared, wearing expressions of righteous outrage. From the moment they opened their mouths, they launched into a tirade against Fang Yuan, airing fabricated stories about his usual unfilial behavior. It was pure slander — utterly baseless — yet every Elder took it as truth, directing cold, mocking stares at Fang Yuan.
"I will give you one last chance. Do you have anything to say in your defense?" Finally, the Clan Leader addressed Fang Yuan.
Fang Yuan let out a cold laugh. This was a trap within the dream — if he spoke, it would stir the emotions in his heart and put him in grave danger.
So he shook his head and said nothing.
The Clan Leader's expression changed immediately. He sneered and pointed at Fang Yuan. "You clearly have no defense. I will now announce that the Nine-Leaf Vitality Grass Gu will be handed over to your uncle and aunt."
The Nine-Leaf Vitality Grass Gu appeared vivid and lifelike as the Clan Leader produced it from his Empty Orifice and presented it on the spot to the uncle and aunt.
Fang Zheng kowtowed repeatedly, saying gratefully, "Thank you, Clan Leader. Thank you, esteemed Elders, for your penetrating insight in clearing my uncle and aunt's good name."
A faint surge of sorrow and anger rose in Fang Yuan's heart, but he held it all back.
His eyes burned with intensity as he fixed his gaze on the Nine-Leaf Vitality Grass Gu.
The dream's Gu refinement material had appeared — it was this very "Nine-Leaf Vitality Grass Gu" before him.
"How insidious. The moment the key item appears, they will stop at nothing to provoke my emotions. The more I focus on this dream material, the more my feelings are stirred, and the deeper I fall into the dream trap."