This imperial decree was a secret edict. So far, only five people knew of its existence.
Gu Yuandao was both the subject of the decree and the one assigned to read it aloud.
Legally, the decree took effect the moment it was issued. But before Gu Fangchen and he reached Huangtian City, it remained a secret edict, no one else knew of it.
That meant there was still room for maneuvering.
Once the "Dragon and Serpent Rising from the Land" formation was discovered, the Seven Sects' plan would be exposed. Not only would their coup fail, but they would also hand Sword Pavilion a righteous excuse to settle accounts.
This "Rebellion of the Seven Sects" had failed completely before it had even begun.
And according to the imperial decree, Gu Fangchen would continue to occupy the position of Heir of the Northern Garrison Prince's Residence.
Gu Yuandao was unwilling to accept this.
He couldn't understand, Gu Fangchen had been at Sword Pavilion for only three days. How had he discovered the existence of the "Dragon and Serpent Rising from the Land" formation?
Not only had he discovered it, he had seemed to know every detail, blocking every step of their plan.
They had planned to target Ning Songjun and destroy his Dao Heart, yet his sword disappeared.
They had planned to cripple Sword Pavilion by seizing the dragon vein, but Gu Fangchen went even further and took the entire dragon vein away!
No one could have imagined such a move.
In anyone's eyes, a dragon vein was something that should remain fixed in place.
Who would have thought that Sword Pavilion's founder had once refined the mountain peaks into swords using the dragon vein?
And somehow, Gu Fangchen had made those seventy-two peaks acknowledge him as master, wielding this entire set of Supreme-Grade Swords.
With almost no effort, he had reduced years of scheming to ashes.
Without that dragon vein, how could the vision of "Heaven's Equal Through Eternity" ever be realized?
Even more, he absolutely could not allow his rightful position as Heir to be stolen and publicly paraded before the world by Gu Fangchen!
If such a man of unknown origin continued to serve as Heir of the Northern Garrison Prince's Residence, then what was the point of his and Gu Yuye's grand reunion?
He, the true son of Gu Yuye, unable to enter the prince's residence openly and instead becoming an awkward outsider, what a humiliation that would be!
It would be an inversion of heaven and earth itself!
For days now, countless eyes had been waiting for the Northern Garrison Prince's Residence to resolve this dispute over the true and false heirs.
He could not be made a laughingstock.
A glint of cold cruelty flashed through Gu Yuandao's eyes.
He took out a message stone and crushed it in his hand.
If that was how it must be, then before they reached Huangtian City, he would kill Gu Fangchen. The credit for quelling the "Rebellion of the Seven Sects" would still belong to him.
For both the Academy and himself, that was the best possible outcome.
A Martial Saint?
So what if he was a Martial Saint? If he were truly invincible, he would never have retired back then.
Before his Dao Heart was fully mended, the Martial Saint was no longer the terrifying being who once stood against ten thousand foes.
He needed to protect everyone. But they, only needed to kill Gu Fangchen.
That was Gu Fangchen's greatest weakness.
Gu Yuandao walked out of the great hall, glanced at the embroidery tower where Ning Caiyong resided, then turned expressionlessly toward Gu Lianqian's quarters.
So then, when faced with life and death, Gu Fangchen, what choice will you make?
...
Everyone followed the direction of Gu Fangchen's finger and saw the "Linked Stars" sword clinging to the two magnetic stones of yin and yang.
The sword was slender, with a long, graceful blade. Nine luminous blue gems were embedded along its center, each containing a flowing galaxy of radiant stars, beautiful and dreamlike.
As a divine-grade sword, its appearance was naturally flawless, a masterpiece of aesthetic perfection.
Ning Songjun stepped forward, glancing once at Gu Fangchen.
Before Gu Fangchen entered, he had not sensed his beloved sword's presence. Yet the moment Gu Fangchen arrived, he could feel it again.
How could that be?
Truly hard to guess.
But, never mind.
A single glance at the formation told Ning Songjun exactly what these Seven Sects had been scheming.
They had dared to tamper with his sword!
If Gu Fangchen hadn't stolen it ahead of time, he might have fallen into their trap today.
Ning Songjun's face darkened. He raised his hand, and the "Linked Stars" sword began to tremble, pulling free from the "Dragon and Serpent Rising from the Land" formation node and flying back into his grasp.
His gaze turned cold. The tip of the sword lowered toward the ground as he looked at the pale faces of the Seven Sect leaders.
"You are bold indeed," he said coldly. "To falsely accuse Sword Pavilion, and even to use this formation to steal my sword, your ambitions are vast."
The true purpose of this formation was something the Seven Sects would never admit now. So Ning Songjun took advantage of the situation, placing the crime of theft squarely upon them.
The evidence was before their eyes, there was no hope of overturning it.
The Iron Tile Hall Master's lips trembled, his voice shaking as he struggled to protest:
"We, we didn't know such a formation was here! This must have been Yang Qing's doing!"
"Oh?"
Gu Fangchen smiled faintly and nudged Yang Zheng with his foot.
"This one is Yang Qing's son. Why don't you tell us who ordered you to guard this place?"
Yang Zheng had already been terrified beyond reason by the sight of his father's severed head.
Kicked forward by Gu Fangchen, he rolled half a turn, pointing with a trembling finger at the six remaining sect masters as he wailed,
"It was them!"
"It was them who conspired to frame Sword Pavilion!"
"It was them who colluded with people from the Path of Righteousness, bribing the old swordsmith to grind magnetic powder into the sword's body, all to shatter the Sword Saint's Dao Heart!"
As the fat youth spilled every secret in a breathless rush, one of the remaining six sect masters could no longer hold out, his knees buckled and he collapsed to the ground, face ashen.
The Iron Tile Hall Master's pupils constricted. His face twisted, and he barked sharply,
"Lies! You dare slander us with such filth!"
"We are righteous sects, how could we have dealings with the demonic path!"
Ning Songjun's expression changed at those words.
If this had only been revenge for past suppression by Sword Pavilion, that would be one thing.
But colluding with the demonic path, that was something entirely different.
Gu Fangchen narrowed his eyes, pretending to be uncertain, and asked,
"Is what you said true?"
Yang Zheng nodded frantically.
"It's true! Absolutely true! I, I have proof! My father said that if the day ever came when he was killed, this thing could save my life!"
He crawled forward obsequiously, kowtowing again and again.
"Your Highness, I was blind before, I didn't recognize the mountain before me as Mount Tai! Please, spare my life!"
At those words, the faces of the remaining sect masters all changed drastically.
The Iron Tile Hall Master surged forward as if in fury, reaching to seize Yang Zheng, but in truth, the sword hidden in his palm was already poised to strike.
The Iron Tile Hall Master specialized in the art of traversal,
Teleportation.
In an instant, he could send his sword straight to Yang Zheng's throat, separating his head from his body like his father before him.
Ning Songjun did not even lift his eyelids. He gently raised the "Linked Stars" sword in his hand.
In the next moment, everyone understood why this sword bore its name.
The jewels on the blade flared with dazzling light, linking together into a single line of condensed sword radiance.
That line of swordlight extended infinitely outward. Star after star ignited along its path as it swept across with Ning Songjun's motion.
Then, the Iron Tile Hall Master froze, half his body marked by a thin red line.
Behind him, across the hollowed mountain peak, another red line appeared, descending slowly in tandem.
A deep rumble followed.
Half the mountain slid away.
As the ground trembled, the sky above them grew blindingly bright.
Before them, the Iron Tile Hall Master's remaining half fell to the ground with a dull thud.