Back at the "Tooth Smith's" place, Gu Fangchen had managed to swindle four fine treasures, the most useful of which was undoubtedly the Spirit-Nurturing Bottle.
This little thing could refine a person's soul directly into Jade Nectar Essence, which, when consumed, would increase one's divine cultivation.
However, when rescuing Gu Lianqian earlier, he had been traveling with Qiu and Qi. Although they had encountered many enemies, he hadn't found a proper opportunity to use the Spirit-Nurturing Bottle.
After all, his persona back then had been that of a righteous gentleman, not a Daoist heretic. If he had suddenly pulled out a Banner of Ten Thousand Souls and absorbed everyone, what kind of scandal would that have been...
But now, as the publicly reviled, infamously wicked heir of the Northern Garrison Prince's Manor, even killing people outright would be considered merciful.
Besides, this group truly deserved death.
Gu Fangchen didn't even need to interrogate them to know they wouldn't reveal anything useful.
The real mastermind behind everything was Yaoshan Academy, Xie Qian, and the entire Confucian Order.
These people might have wanted to betray their backers for a chance at survival, but the binding power of their vow had long sealed their tongues.
With Xie Qian involved, none of them could say a word.
His goal had already been achieved, their only remaining value was to become his experience points.
Moreover, Gu Fangchen had stopped Ning Songjun from acting so that his uncle's reputation wouldn't take a hit or become ammunition for the Confucians to launch a public slander campaign.
Ning Songjun's decision to spare them years ago had earned him a tremendous amount of goodwill among righteous cultivators.
It was precisely because of that that he had so quickly and smoothly inherited the title of Sword Saint.
Although one could rightfully be called "Saint" upon reaching the Second Rank Heavenly Sovereignty Realm, within the world of sword cultivation, Ying Baishou's legacy was a shining precedent that everyone compared him against.
Ning Songjun's strength back then had not yet reached that level, but his magnanimous act of mercy had proven his gentlemanly virtue and rapidly elevated his reputation. Among the younger generation of sword cultivators, almost everyone who used a sword regarded Ning Songjun as their idol.
Thus, his uncle's standing among the righteous path was a valuable resource. Such a bloody affair was better handled by Gu Fangchen himself.
After all, he already carried too many debts to care about one more, and too many stains to feel the itch of another.
After making his rounds, Gu Fangchen and Ning Songjun returned to the Sword Pavilion.
Ning Songjun first consulted with Ning Wuzhen, then summoned the elders and core disciples. With the sect master tokens of the Seven Sects in hand, they immediately set out to those sects' territories to take control. The operation was swift and decisive.
Anyone who resisted would be treated as a conspirator.
From that day forth, the Seven Sects would become subordinate branches of the Sword Pavilion.
Of course, given Sword Pavilion's standing, most sects around Liuhua Province already functionally served under it.
The Seven Sects, however, had been unwilling to accept such subordination and had joined forces in rebellion, hoping to seize independence.
Now they had succeeded, in becoming true subordinates.
From that moment on, the entire southwestern region would be the Sword Pavilion's domain.
Gu Fangchen had once joked that in Liuhua Province, Sword Pavilion's word was law. Now, that was no longer a joke.
The rapid turn of events shocked the court and the various sects with spies in the region.
The Seven Sect Rebellion had been crushed in a single day.
Spectators who had hoped for chaos were deeply disappointed, but also amazed.
The Seven Sects had come bearing the Dragon Subjugation Writ, clearly prepared for a long campaign of political maneuvering and public pressure.
At first, every sect in the region knew Sword Pavilion was trapped in a dilemma, how could such a situation be resolved within a single day?
Cultivators speculated wildly.
And when the phenomenon of reversed mountains and roaring dragons erupted over Dragon Hollow Lake that day, curiosity reached a fever pitch.
Rumors, both absurd and plausible, flooded the land.
Most believed it had been Ning Songjun demonstrating the might of a Sword Saint again. Yet when Sword Pavilion released the official statement, everyone was stunned.
According to them:
There was indeed a sword beneath Dragon Hollow Lake, a Divine-Grade embryo no less, but it was not a demonic sword. It was a sacred weapon forged by the Pavilion's founder himself.
The sword drew its form from the mountains and its power from the rivers, a truly supreme creation.
There was also a dragon vein beneath it, but it belonged not to the current dynasty, it was a dormant vein from the ancient Zhou.
The Seven Sects, deceived by the Path of Righteousness, had tried to use these two things to frame Sword Pavilion.
Fortunately, the Pavilion Master's grandson had, by chance during a trial, received the founder's recognition. The sacred sword acknowledged him as its master, and he summoned the entire dragon vein to the surface, resolving Sword Pavilion's crisis.
The Seven Sects had since confessed and been punished, and interrogation was underway.
The story's twists and reversals thrilled every gossip-hungry cultivator. Spread by the Sky-Eye Division, it reached as far as Jiangnan within half a day.
It was good publicity for Sword Pavilion, but one detail puzzled everyone.
Who exactly was Ning Wuzhen's grandson?
The conflict over the true heir of the Northern Garrison Prince's Manor had become public knowledge, and both Gu Yuandao and Gu Fangchen had been present at Sword Pavilion.
Many had even set up betting pools over who had saved Sword Pavilion from disaster.
Unsurprisingly, almost no one had bet on Gu Fangchen.
Then came three new reports from the Sky-Eye Division.
The first confirmed that the one who resolved the crisis and became master of the Supreme-Grade Sword was none other than Gu Fangchen.
The other two were equally shocking.
One: the Lotus Concealed in the Womb was not on Gu Lianqian, but in the possession of a disciple from a reclusive sect called "Not a Daoist."
Two: the Lesser Heaven List had been updated ahead of schedule.
Both were hot topics among cultivators and immediately set off a storm of debate.
At first, the second seemed more important, until someone noticed the true bombshell within it.
The tenth name on the Lesser Heaven List was now Gu Fangchen.
His cultivation: Peak of Sixth Rank Martial Path.
The world was stunned.
Gu Fangchen was supposed to be unable to cultivate, a fact written in stone. And yet, this useless waste had suddenly become a Sixth Rank expert?
Many skeptical cultivators assumed it was a coincidence of names, but after scouring every recent report, they found no other Gu Fangchen fitting the bill.
Combined with the Sword Pavilion revelation, the claim became much harder to deny.
In an instant, Gu Fangchen's reputation transformed, from a useless wastrel to a cunning, sinister prodigy.
Some even claimed that after Sword Pavilion crushed the Seven Sects' conspiracy, Ning Songjun had been reluctant to cause further slaughter, but Gu Fangchen had coldly ordered the execution of every sect master and their families, ruthless beyond measure.
Soon, others whispered that the betting pools themselves had been organized by the Sky-Eye Division...
...
While the power structure of the southwest shifted and the martial world buzzed with speculation, none of it disturbed Gu Fangchen.
Back in Sword Pavilion, he returned to Ning Caiyong's residence and began secluded cultivation.
Although Ning Caiyong himself could not cultivate, his quarters included a meditation chamber designed for training, now conveniently his.
Given Ning Wuzhen's affection for his daughter, this was undoubtedly the safest place in all of Sword Pavilion.
The chamber was built from the finest materials and arrays, gathering spiritual energy dense enough for a Second Rank cultivator to train comfortably.
Unfortunately, the original owner's meridians and dantian had long been crippled, leaving the place to waste for years.
"Now that I've taken the entire dragon vein, the Pavilion's ambient energy has thinned... Still, it's a dormant vein. Losing a third of it should recover in fifty years or so."
"Alright... that's still quite an impact."
Gu Fangchen sat cross-legged, rubbing his chin.
"When I'm done cultivating, I'll leave a Mysterious Water Sacred Flame Array for the Pavilion."
The array originated from the ancient Zhou's qi refiners and had since been lost.
It used water and fire to refine spiritual energy into a self-sustaining cycle, a Second Rank sect-grade formation.
Given Dragon Hollow Lake's hydrology and the heat of its thousand sword forges, the array would operate at peak efficiency, more than enough to replenish the lost aura.
However, its nodes would spread across the entire southwest region, draining spiritual energy from nearby sects for decades.
The Seven Sects, situated in naturally rich areas, would be hit the hardest.
Their disciples would find cultivation much more difficult for years to come.
"Well then, let the Seven Sects suffer a bit, and I'll take the blame."
Gu Fangchen declared righteously.
Then he looked toward the small jade bottle before him and extended his consciousness into his spatial ring.
Among his captives, most sect masters were Fifth Rank or higher.
"Let's see... six Fifth Ranks, three Fourths, one Third. Not bad."
Satisfied, Gu Fangchen nodded and waved his hand, releasing them.
The sect masters glared at him with venomous hatred. If looks could kill, he'd have died ten thousand times.
A few spineless ones quickly fell to their knees, pleading,
"Your Highness, spare me! I'll swear a Heart Demon Oath! I'll hand over every treasure I've collected over the years!"
Gu Fangchen smiled brightly.
"No need to waste your breath. The truth I want, you can't speak anyway."
"As for your treasures, I don't need you to hand them over."
The man blinked, confused.
"Your Highness, I know you've lived in luxury since childhood and are used to rare treasures, but my sect's treasury, "
Gu Fangchen sneered.
Even facing death, these old fossils clung to their pride, still trying to boast about their wealth.
He stepped closer, speaking slowly,
"What I mean is, I don't need you to give them to me. I'll take them myself. Don't worry, not a single item in your treasury will be left behind."
As he spoke, his arms suddenly exploded.
With a deafening bang, his arms burst into clouds of blood mist that drifted toward the captives, clinging to their faces, necks, and hands.
They froze, eyes wide with terror, begging louder.
They thought he was casting some horrific demonic art.
The sight was indeed terrifying.
They were all experienced leaders of major sects, well-versed in interrogation and torture, but it was their first time seeing an interrogator blow his own arms apart first.
If it wasn't some dreadful ritual, then Gu Fangchen had simply gone insane.
And the latter seemed far less likely.
Watching their horror, Gu Fangchen chuckled and sealed them back into the spatial ring. Glancing at his mutilated arms, he sighed.
"Ah, my arms again... well, I'm used to it."
He turned toward his waiting assistant.
Qingjian's expression was strange, but she stepped forward without hesitation. Biting her lip, she removed her outer and inner robes, leaving only a thin undergarment.
Gu Fangchen's wounds were on his arms.
Thus, she pressed her bare body against his limbs, transferring his pain to herself.
The Xiyin Attendant embraced his arms, silently enduring the agony.
Gu Fangchen's limbs regenerated rapidly, and before his eyes, a cascade of notifications appeared.
With so many captives, stealing from them one by one would be inefficient.
Instead, he had divided his flesh and smeared it onto each target, fulfilling the "physical contact" condition all at once.
This way, he could steal everything in a single sweep.
Pure efficiency.
After all, the skill never said the flesh used for contact had to remain attached to his body.
Gu Fangchen was looking forward to seeing what treasures these sect masters had hoarded.
"Still, even if I strip them bare, most of it will probably go toward constructing the Mysterious Water Sacred Flame Array..."
He smiled. "Take and use, it's a fair trade."
It would take five or six days to finish draining them.
As his body recovered, Gu Fangchen pulled out a few weaker captives and used the Spirit-Nurturing Bottle to extract and refine their souls.
He did not, however, plan to drink the resulting Jade Nectar Essence yet.
The Spirit-Nurturing Bottle was still too low-level.
Its current rank was Blue, producing Jade Nectar Essence suitable only for upgrading itself or for raising Ninth Rank cultivation.
So, Gu Fangchen planned to upgrade it first.
Once it reached Purple, the essence it produced could elevate a cultivator to Seventh Rank.
The process of reshaping his spiritual foundation using the Lotus Concealed in the Womb would be complex and required a secure environment. His divine cultivation had to be as strong as possible.
If anything went wrong, he needed the power to survive it.