The fake prince was exposed at the beginning, and I took office as emperor on the spot

Chapter 237 I've come to retrieve...my sword (Two-part summary)

From the moment they appeared, Gu Fangchen knew that there were more than just two second-rank officials who had come to besiege him today.

In the past, he relied on the huge information gap between himself and the Demonic Sect, taking advantage of their contempt to save his life and continuously grow stronger.

However, in the process of becoming stronger, the information gap between him and the Demonic Sect is gradually being bridged.

Even now, although there are still many information gaps, neither the Demonic Sect nor the Confucian School can ignore Gu Fangchen's strength and "harm".

On the contrary, their biggest worry right now is Gu Fangchen, this variable.

Therefore, if they don't take any action, that's fine, but if they do, they'll definitely do something big to completely crush Gu Fangchen.

Although his cause and effect have been completely blocked now, the Demonic Sect is not stupid. They can only use the law of cause and effect to make calculations without any subjective initiative.

They could rely on informants and also analyze information to find out Gu Fangchen's whereabouts and activities.

Gu Fangchen had anticipated this.

As soon as he returned to the Central Plains, the Demonic Sect began to take action.

At this moment, both the "Life" and "Reveal" paths have arrived, but they are not the parts of the Demonic Sect that are best at fighting. The "Extinction" path is currently under Gu Fangchen's control, so how could the "Death" path not take action?

Before An Qisheng and "Huanxi Niangniang" appeared, he had already sensed the presence of "Yubai Gong".

After all, he used the unique secret method of "Yu Bai Gong" to create this puppet body.

Since they share the same origin, there is naturally some connection between the two puppets.

Of course, "Yu Bai Gong" has a higher cultivation level and puppet level, so it would be very easy for him to unilaterally conceal his aura.

However, it is obvious that as someone who is in the same camp as Gu Fangchen, and having witnessed Gu Fangchen's actions in Qingman, there is no need for them to conceal their presence.

On the contrary, he was deliberately warning Gu Fangchen.

The only remaining worry in Yu Baigong's heart was whether Gu Fangchen could reach the third rank, get close to Xuanling, and find a way to awaken her.

Now, Gu Fangchen has proven her abilities through her actions.

Simply bringing the Sea Kingdom into the Qingman Alliance camp would be enough to grant him a promotion to the third rank, thanks to the faith he gained from his reputation.

The demonic cult launched a massive crackdown, recognizing the danger involved.

With the three paths of "life," "exposure," and "death" operating together on such a scale, Gu Fangchen would inevitably be unable to withstand it.

With things having developed to this point, "Yubai Gong" naturally no longer needed to worry about exposing his stance.

If he doesn't expose himself, is he really going to make a move against Gu Fangchen?

"'Bastard'...you?!"

The true form of "Empress Huanxi," hidden in the void, was pierced through by a single sword, revealing her completely.

Her true form is a massive mountain of flesh, or rather, more like a flesh worm.

Her shoulders, arms, and head truly embodied the image of a beautiful woman as expected. Her long black hair cascaded down like a waterfall, and her stunningly beautiful and charming face possessed a captivating allure. In particular, her phoenix eyes were bright and clear, filled with a misty, watery quality that would make anyone who saw them tremble involuntarily.

However, looking down is enough to immediately dispel such emotions, and even transform them into boundless fear and dread.

She was wearing a red wedding dress, her belly was swollen and obese, filled to the brim by the "offspring" she was forcibly "nurturing" inside, and her skin had become almost transparent, covered with veins.

The people trapped inside struggled and writhed, their faces contorted in agony and howling as countless hands pounded against the fleshy walls, trying to break free.

It's like "fetal movement".

The limbs of "Lady of Joy" were pushed aside by this huge ball of flesh, making them appear extremely small in comparison, like the segmented limbs of an insect, which was quite terrifying.

At this moment, the fat and huge body of "Lady Joy" was pierced by the rusty sword of "Lord Debauchery". Her face showed a ferocious expression of shock, anger and disbelief.

She glanced at the grinning Gu Fangchen, then at "Yu Baigong" who was still holding his long sword.

"It was you?! How could it be you?! You're the mole!!!"

The "Joyful Lady" was extremely shocked.

Meanwhile, An Qisheng, who was fighting Prajna Lotus Moon on the other side, was also incredulous. Then, as if a lightning bolt had struck his mind, everything that had felt strange and wrong before suddenly became the same.

An Qisheng took a deep breath:

"No wonder...no wonder even with the 'Death' Path mobilized, they still couldn't kill a sixth-rank cultivator!"

He was referring to how the Demonic Sect actually took things quite seriously after Gu Fangchen initially ruined their plans.

Even a mere sixth-rank cultivator dispatched elites from the "Death" path, namely that group of "Candle-Cutting Ghosts".

Even so, they still couldn't kill Gu Fangchen.

Even with the efficiency of the "Candle-Cutting Ghost," Gu Fangchen shouldn't have been able to meet Ning Songjun unharmed.

So it turns out... it's because the Path of Death had already betrayed us from the very beginning!

Who the hell can defend against that?!
An Qisheng and "Happy Lady," the two leaders of the Demonic Sect, had experienced countless grand occasions, yet at this moment, they truly felt a chill run down their spines.

Including that gathering of the Demonic Sect, where Gu Fangchen impersonated the leader of the "Love" Path. If it weren't for "Yu Baigong" testifying, they might not have fully believed her, which led to Gu Yuye falling into a trap and being killed by Gu Fangchen.

Looking back now, it turns out that every single thing was traceable!
Gu Fangchen's ability to survive so many near-death experiences is largely thanks to "Yu Bai Gong's" great contributions.

But even if the Demonic Sect is suspicious, how could they possibly suspect "Yu Bai Gong"?
This guy is known for only having his own "Dao" in his heart. Even the "Four-Phase Tribulation Master" has a huge ambition, but this guy is like a robot, self-disciplined, silent, and efficient, without any selfish desires at all.

There wasn't a single flaw exposed.

Why would someone like that become a mole? And why would they be Gu Fangchen's mole?
Gu Fangchen is a person with uncanny foresight, and has inexplicable connections with many powerful figures, but no matter how you look at it, such connections cannot be attributed to "the Degenerate Lord"...

They never imagined that Gu Fangchen would use the "Decadent Duke's" secret method to turn themselves into a puppet.

The "Bad Gentleman" himself holds a secret they never expected.

Beneath the bamboo hat, the face of the "Bad Gentleman" remained devoid of any emotion; he simply slashed downwards with the rusty sword in his hand.

"laugh--"

A sound like tearing silk rang out.

A terrifying sword intent emanated from the blade of "Yu Bai Gong," annihilating all life wherever it passed.

"Do not--!!!"

The "Joyful Goddess" had a contorted face and let out a terrifying shriek.

Wherever the sword passed, it pierced her flesh, her belly that "nurtured" thousands of lives.

In an instant, her almost transparent, obese body began to rot rapidly, and the people trapped inside quickly turned into a pool of scarlet, rotting flesh.

But as they approached death, their pained faces finally revealed crazed smiles, and the inhuman figures behind them scrambled forward, trying to touch that real "death."

They used both their hands and feet, scrambling and crawling.

"Rip! Rip!—"

They tore through all obstacles, including the layers of internal organs of the "Lady of Joy" blocking their way. Soon, those things that had multiplied to the point of being unrecognizable as original objects were torn apart and crushed, turning into a pile of mud.

"No, no, no, no! No!!! My children! My children! Come back! Come back!"

"The Joyful Goddess" screamed loudly, her eyes wide open, frantically waving her thin arms and legs, trying to stop the people pouring out of her body like a flood.

She roared angrily, and her body, which had opened a huge gash, began to writhe, transforming into a gigantic, blood-red maw, ready to swallow back all those who had escaped.

However, she forgot that even if these people escaped, they wouldn't survive. The most terrible poison clung to the sword of "Bad Lord".

Although its toxicity is not as strong as "Heart-Planting Poison," thanks to "Decay Lord's" cultivation of the Dao of Death, this toxicity is the strongest poison in the world today.

In an instant, the scarlet toxin had spread.

Those who were first cut by the rusty sword had blood spreading across their bodies, and clusters of scarlet fungi grew on them.

These fungi grew rapidly, then burst open, spreading spores like a red mist.

Wherever it passed, everything turned into scarlet, rotting flesh.

But the "Lady of Joy" was no pushover. Seeing that her "children" had all run away and her face was contorted with madness, she immediately activated the domain of the "Life" Dao.

"Gurgle... Pfft!"

Her flesh and blood grew rapidly in an instant, turning the part of the "child" that was still squeezed into her body into its own nourishment!

Those layers of flesh and blood immediately turned her originally normal shoulders and head into swollen lumps of flesh.

In the blink of an eye, she transformed into a blood-red fleshy figure, half of her body rapidly decaying and the other half rapidly growing.

Her flesh and blood seemed to have a consciousness of their own, climbing up the rusty sword of "Bad Lord" and wrapping around his arm.

"Hehehehehe—Our paths are interdependent, each with its own strengths and weaknesses. Do you really think your deadly sword intent can kill me?"

The "Joyful Lady" laughed eerily, but she no longer had her original charming appearance. Her voice was distorted and unpleasant, making her sound particularly terrifying.

"Bad Duke" turned his head and looked at the infected flesh on his arm.

His arms, like the flesh and blood, began to grow rapidly. Soon, they became overwhelmed, and the blood vessels and muscles beneath the skin seemed to come alive, writhing and struggling like worms, trying to break free from the skin's constraints.

The two paths of "life" and "death" are indeed mutually reinforcing and mutually restraining; theoretically, neither can overcome the other.

The "Lady of Joy" was actually warning him with this action.

“‘Insolent and dissolute man’!”

An Qisheng suddenly spoke, advising in a deep voice:

“You should know in your heart that the paths of ‘life’ and ‘death’ are mutually exclusive, and if this continues, it will only lead to mutual destruction.”

"Ask yourself honestly, is it really worth making an enemy of the entire Demonic Sect and the whole world for the sake of Gu Fangchen?"

"If you don't want to die together with others, it's better to stop here!"

The current situation was indeed beyond his expectations.

What was originally expected to be a three-on-one match has now suddenly become a two-on-two match. The two sides are roughly equal in strength, and the outcome is still uncertain.

Prajna Lotus Moon was clearly determined to help Gu Fangchen, and the breakthrough point naturally lay with "Yu Bai Gong".

In his view, "Yu Baigong's" betrayal made no sense at all.

They have absolutely no foothold; with just a little provocation, they'll find nothing but flaws and excuses.

A slight wavering should be enough to make "the corrupt official" hesitate.

An Qisheng kept a close eye on the "spoiled brat's" performance, but out of the corner of his eye he caught sight of the composed Gu Fangchen.

The young man even crossed his arms and raised his eyebrows, as if watching a play!
An Qisheng's brow twitched, and an ominous premonition arose within him.

If things were really as he thought, why wouldn't Gu Fangchen be nervous at all? This guy doesn't seem to be bluffing...

Gu Fangchen smiled silently.

What they didn't know was that... "Yu Bai Gong" was merely a puppet of the puppet master Xuan Ming.

Although creating this puppet was indeed a huge sacrifice for Xuanming.

However, the ultimate purpose of all these sacrifices was simply to save his daughter, Xuanling.

Now, his goal is about to see a glimmer of hope.

Therefore, whatever he had to give up was, in his view, an acceptable price to pay!

"Bad Lord" slowly raised his head, and the sword in his hand flashed, turning into a silver arc. To onlookers, it was just a flash of cold light, and his entire arm was cut off by the sword in his hand.

The power of the "Death" path instantly transformed into severed flesh and blood, completely sealing it off and eliminating any possibility of further growth.

He raised his other hand, took a new rusty sword from his iron raincoat, twirled it, and then looked at "Lady Joy".

"Today, anyone can die, but Gu Fangchen cannot."

"You scoundrel," he said coldly.

Before he finished speaking, his figure had already disappeared from the spot, and "Lady of Joy" let out another shriek, looking at the half of her body that had been cut off, and roared in anger.

"In that case, let's see who's the real deal!"

The entire sky was completely covered in blood.

Four second-rank officials, two against two.

However, Gu Fangchen also faces considerable pressure.

The masters of the "Life" and "Reveal" paths have basically all gathered here today, a bunch of fourth-rank and third-rank experts, as if they were free.

Gu Fangchen had the advantage of superior weaponry, but in a battle of attrition, he was no match for the overwhelming force. His spiritual power was ultimately limited, not to mention the two second-rank cultivators who were still eyeing him covetously.

"Huh...huh...huh..."

"This is much more exciting than the chase Gu Lianxian faced back then..."

Gu Fangchen fought off another person, her body already soaked in blood, panting and murmuring to herself.

His gaze was icy, and he raised the sword in his hand, his arms trembling slightly.

The demonic cult members surrounded them again.

suddenly.

"Om-"

A sword cry rang out, approaching from afar, like a wave.

"It's finally here. It wasn't for nothing that I removed the causal barrier from my body earlier..."

Gu Fangchen let out a long breath and looked up.

A sword came from the horizon.

It split the blood-red sky in two.

Then, a barefoot woman appeared, her feet creating flowers in the air.

Grandma!
An Qisheng's pupils constricted, and he immediately stopped, horrified, and exclaimed:
"Who are you? What brings you here?"

The woman's gaze fell on Gu Fangchen, and she pointed a finger, saying calmly:
"I've come to retrieve...my sword."

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

PS1: I've created a bonus group. The group number is in the description. You need 3000 follower points to join. I'll be updating some supplementary chapters as a bonus, which won't affect the main story. If you're interested, feel free to join.
PS2: Meituan's free milk tea... Hmm... Sure enough, it's gone viral (staring into the distance).
(End of this chapter)